Chen Xun

Biodata

Name	Chen Xun (陈寻)
Alias(es)	Five-Elements Dao Ancestor; Dao Ancestor; Futian; Eternal Ancient Dao Ancestor; World-Crossing Elder 621 1393 1631 2683
Species/Race	Human Race 2683
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Five Aggregates Immortal Sect; formerly associated with the Five Aggregates Sect and Fushi Sect 1631 1393
Occupation/Role	Cultivator, alchemist, healer, blacksmith, painter, woodcarver, and Five-Elements Dao Ancestor 7 11 621 1009
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Longevity Point system — first allocation	1	Receives a yearly point and invests it in Strength; the sudden increase breaks his hand, which later heals. He also grants a point to Black Bull. 1
Strength cap and Speed investment	3	Cannot raise Strength beyond 20 points and begins placing Longevity Points into Speed instead. 3
Qi Refining, Fourth Layer	26	Uses the Fireball Technique while confronting merchants who sold him dead Spirit Medicine seeds. 26
Foundation Establishment Realm	64	His former junior disciples recognize his breakthrough and begin addressing him as “Martial Uncle.” 64
Unnamed tribulation breakthrough	105	Faces a tribulation and kills Golden Core cultivator Meng Hong with a Fireball Technique; the supplied account does not name Chen Xun’s resulting realm. 105
Nascent Soul Realm	188	Has progressed toward the Nascent Soul Middle Stage after a century of investing points in Defense, Mana, and Essence of All Things. 188
Five-Elements Immortal Path	578	Unifies three paths and opens the Five-Elements Immortal Path of Heaven and Earth. 578
Tribulation-Transcendence Heavenly Venerable Realm	699	Reaches the Tribulation-Transcendence Heavenly Venerable Realm. 699
Immortal	1631	Opens the Finality Immortal Gate, recovers his memories and status as the Five-Elements Dao Ancestor, and claims Jade Bamboo Continent for the Five Aggregates Immortal Sect. 1631
Beyond the True Immortal	2211	His arrival causes Immortals to conclude that he has entered a stage beyond the True Immortal. 2211
Realm Beyond the Dao	2679	An observing entity identifies him as a powerhouse who has transcended the world and entered the Realm Beyond the Dao. 2679

Background / History

Chen Xun began his long life beside Black Bull. After being expelled from their first blacksmith apprenticeship, the pair farmed rice, defended their stores with axes and blades, and accumulated yearly Longevity Points together. 1 2 They spent roughly twenty years in Little Mountain Village, where Chen Xun learned local trades ranging from funeral services to suona performance; his unchanging youth eventually provoked suspicion and drove the pair to leave. 3

In Panning City, Chen Xun and Black Bull found work under blacksmith Sun Kaile. Chen Xun’s exceptional strength, control, and forging quality revived the failing shop, while Sun Kaile became one of the most important people in his life. 7 20 Afterward, Chen Xun studied medicine under Ning Si at Peaceful Medical Hall, eventually becoming Ning Si’s disciple and adopting the principle that a healer should not aid evil. 11

He repeatedly attended the Immortal Ascension Assembly and gradually entered the cultivation world as an obscure rogue cultivator. At Nine-Star Valley, he demonstrated overwhelming combat ability against ten Qi Refinement Level Five mechanism puppets; his measured bone age was twenty, and his aptitude was identified as a Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root. 23 32

Chen Xun later cultivated within a sect, reached Foundation Establishment, and traveled with Black Bull rather than entangling himself in wars. 64 90 As his cultivation advanced, he studied Nascent Soul arts from multiple sects, refined Five-Elements pills, and used his own body as a furnace to force open meridians in pursuit of an original cultivation art. 206

His subsequent path carried him through the Great World, where he became known as the Five-Elements Dao Ancestor. He repeatedly chose a humble mortal life—operating shops, teaching martial arts, practicing medicine, carving wood, and painting—even while wielding power capable of changing the balance among Immortals. 640 1003 1038 1706

Appearance

Chen Xun commonly presents himself as an ordinary, approachable man despite an aura that stronger cultivators often find difficult to read. His appearance and bearing vary sharply between his peaceful everyday life, his Bandit Outfit, and his more ruthless black-robed incarnation. 177 406 1825

• Often wears a tattered straw hat and gray hempen clothes, deliberately resembling an ordinary traveler or farmer. 177
• Keeps the Mountain-Splitting Axe close even during his early mortal years. 2 11
• Was noted for remaining youthful long after his village peers aged. 3 17
• Develops silver hair and an increasingly cold gaze while practicing Heavenly Tribulation body tempering. 249
• His black-robed incarnation projects a markedly more intimidating and merciless presence than his usual peaceful demeanor. 1825

Personality

Chen Xun is practical, cautious, and deeply attached to the ordinary pleasures of life. His core preference is to live well with Black Bull, learn useful skills, and avoid needless disputes; he explicitly concludes that other people’s wars need not involve them. 3 90 He values experience gained from mortals and cultivators alike, believing that the flashes of wisdom he has witnessed across long years compensate for his own lack of exceptional innate cleverness. 632 1336

He is generous and personable toward people he accepts as family, juniors, or old friends. He treats strangers from different races with familiarity, gives valuable resources away when he believes it appropriate, and remembers mentors long after their deaths. 331 657 1532 His easygoing manner conceals meticulous preparation: he maintains escape plans, conceals his identity when needed, and prepares contingencies against overwhelming enemies. 247 951 1437

Chen Xun can also be vindictive and ruthless toward those who threaten his people or exploit his goodwill. He avoids indiscriminate harm to intelligent races, but he does not believe resentment must be repaid with virtue; against the Ancient Saint Clan and other enemies, he has acted with devastating force. 252 1190 1793

Abilities & Skills

Longevity Points and Immortal Constitution

Chen Xun receives Longevity Points over time and can allocate them to himself and Black Bull.

• Initially raises Strength, then shifts to Speed after reaching the Strength limit. 1 3
• Later invests in Defense, Mana, and Essence of All Things; several attributes eventually encounter upper thresholds. 188
• Possesses the Five-Elements Immortal Body, which can recover through the Five-Elements Qi of heaven and earth. 1163
• His mana becomes traceable after the development of his Five-Elements Immortal Body. 1003

Five-Elements Cultivation

Chen Xun’s defining Dao is founded on the Five Elements.

• Uses Five-Elements Qi to force open his own meridians while developing an original cultivation art. 206
• Opens the Five-Elements Immortal Path after uniting three paths. 578
• Can wield Reverse Five-Elements Power against opponents such as Sui and the Immortal Empress. 1422
• Awakens the Three Thousand Great Daos and manifests them as an army of Dao weapons. 2351

Body Tempering and Body Apertures

Chen Xun develops his physical body through Heavenly Tribulation tempering and original body-cultivation research.

• Creates the provisional Five-Elements Mystic Technique through the study of body acupoints and other tempering arts. 249
• Opens eighty Body Apertures, circulating blood and qi through them repeatedly. 252
• Revives the Death Qi Law within himself using the Essence of All Things. 1316
• Can overwhelm Immortal-level opponents through sheer physical and Dao power. 1625

Dao Arts and Combat

His combat style combines overwhelming Five-Elements power, thunder, axe techniques, and unconventional preparation.

• Kills Golden Core cultivator Meng Hong instantly with the Fireball Technique. 105
• Seals a sea spanning ten million miles with lightning and kills a Pseudo-Immortal with a Thunder Dao Law strike. 1234
• Manifests a five-colored, ten-armed Dharma Aspect, each arm representing a peak Dao art. 1616
• Defeats Nine Tribulations Dao Venerable Yuan Ze with a single axe strike. 1886
• Can invert a battlefield’s heaven and earth within his palm and halt a Chaos torrent without visible effort. 2679

Alchemy, Medicine, and Spiritual Agriculture

Chen Xun’s practical skills remain central to his cultivation.

• Learns medicinal principles and becomes a disciple of Peaceful Medical Hall. 11
• Successfully treats Auntie Wang when local physicians expect her death. 640
• Refines Five-Elements pills and uses Water Spirit Art with Essence of All Things to cultivate Five-Elements Elixirs. 206
• Studies pill refinement and maintains the Northern Cold Scorching Luminous Furnace. 750

Painting and Woodcarving

Chen Xun treats art as a way to preserve memory and understand lives.

• Creates highly detailed portraits used to identify targets for the Ghost Face Clan. 621
• Carves a lifelike wooden likeness of Yao Yue at her tomb. 1033
• Sells wood carvings with Little Wuhen in Wutong City, describing them as pieces of an enduring tale. 1009

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mountain-Splitting Axe — Chen Xun’s earliest and most enduring weapon; he carries multiple axes during his early journeys. 2 96
• Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Five-Elements Mountain-Splitting Axe — an evolved Five-Elements axe technique/weapon manifestation. 591
• Bandit Outfit / Bandit Mask — concealment gear used by Chen Xun and Black Bull; the mask accompanies his raid on the Ancient Saint Clan. 110 1190
• Northern Cold Scorching Luminous Furnace — pill furnace personally nourished and used for alchemy. 750
• True Spirit Heavenly Dragon hair brush — a parting gift from Haoyin Immortal Venerable, intended to bring completion and peace to his painting and Dao journey. 1361
• Wooden tricycle — humble vehicle used while traveling the Desolate Heaven Domain. 1038

Relationships

• Black Bull — His lifelong companion, partner in cultivation, travel, work, and battle. Black Bull’s Wish Lantern wish is to “forever follow Chen.” 7 1465
• Sun Kaile — Elder blacksmith and mentor who gives Chen Xun and Black Bull their first home in Panning City and later leaves Chen Xun the shop and a cultivation manual. 7 9 20
• Ning Si — Medical mentor who accepts Chen Xun as a disciple and teaches him both healing and moral judgment. 11 20
• Zheng Yi — Friend and cultivation supporter who provides a jade slip enabling Chen Xun to visit other sects’ libraries and encourages his original Nascent Soul art. 206
• Little Crane — Chen Xun’s younger sister, toward whom he is notably protective. 410 441
• Nangong Hueling — Family member and longtime companion in Qiongyang Town, where she cares for Chen Xun and their household. 638
• Chen Daotian — Chen Xun’s son, entrusted with escorting Lady Xihe and her group. 995
• Qian Wuhen — Son raised and protected by Chen Xun despite his unusual constitution; the two later reunite after years apart. 1011 1519
• You Yuan — Treated by Chen Xun as family, almost like a daughter; she grew up alongside him and Black Bull. 995 2244
• Gu Qingyan — His betrothed; their lives are tied together, and she accepts that Chen Xun’s pursuit of the Dao comes first. 1361
• Yu Xuan — Powerful old friend who confronts him over promises he failed to keep. 1011 1847
• Yao Yue — Old friend whose death deeply affects Chen Xun; he carves her tomb and remains at her grave for three years. 1033 1034
• Yin Tianshou — Senior ally who offers protection through the Immortal Hall and continues to address Chen Xun with affection and pride. 441 1695

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Mortal village and Panning City years — Lives and works beside Black Bull, masters village trades, blacksmithing, and medicine, while his lack of aging gradually exposes his abnormality. 3 7 11
• Entry into cultivation — Attends Immortal Ascension Assemblies, develops as a rogue cultivator, and displays exceptional combat ability in the Nine-Star Valley trials. 23 32
• Sect cultivation and exploration — Reaches Foundation Establishment, travels widely, studies Nascent Soul arts, and prepares to explore the Heavenbreak Great Plain. 64 206
• Five-Elements Dao development — Opens Body Apertures, develops original Five-Elements techniques, and establishes the Five-Elements Immortal Path. 249 252 578
• Dao Ancestor of the Great World — Protects allies and family while rising to a position capable of confronting Immortals, Overlord Clans, and the Heavenly Dao itself. 1190 1422 1437
• Return to Fushi Sect — Returns as Futian after more than ten thousand years and agrees to help his former sect confront outside threats. 1393
• Five Aggregates Immortal Sect protector — Opens the Finality Immortal Gate, claims Jade Bamboo Continent as sect territory, and publicly warns trespassers of severe retaliation. 1631
• Beyond the Dao — Reaches the Realm Beyond the Dao and returns with Black Bull as a figure whom even ancient Star Palace powerhouses receive with caution and respect. 2679 2683

Notable Quotes

“My fate is mine, not Heaven's!” 1

“We should live our lives well and stay out of all that fighting and killing.” 3

“If there's no path, we'll come back.” 206

Trivia

• Chen Xun considers the old village chief, Sun Kaile, and Ning Si the three most important people in his early life. 20
• He is proficient in all eighteen kinds of martial arts after years of travel. 161
• He frequently carries Life-Nourishing Tea and treats it as an everyday comfort. 206 657
• His early reputation at the Immortal Ascension Assembly was “Ascension Assembly Holdout.” 23
• He often claims to have been the most handsome young man for ten miles around. 1031