Jing Hongchen

Biodata

Background / History

Jing Hongchen presided over Mingde Hall, the Sun-Moon Empire's foremost Soul Tool workshop and the true core behind the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. When Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect Master Ning Jingchen sought to equip the sect's core members, Jing negotiated an order for 500 sets of Level-Five Soul Guide Devices, valued at 100 million Gold Soul Coins and payable over five years. He also accepted Bai Chen and Ning Tian into the academy as part of a five-year evaluation of their development. 21 22

He chose not to sabotage the two visiting children despite Lin Jiayi's suggestion, judging the Sun-Moon Empire's millennium-long technological lead sufficient to prevent them from becoming a threat. Instead, he ordered Lin to grant Bai Chen additional benefits and gradually recruit him to the empire's side—a misjudgment born from underestimating Bai Chen's concealed strength and maturity. 22 33

Jing took an increasingly favorable view of Bai Chen as the latter's influence improved Xiao Hongchen's temperament. After learning of Meng Hongchen's affection for Bai Chen, he encouraged her to draw him toward the Sun-Moon Empire's camp. He later cited the Hongchen siblings' close relationship with Bai Chen, along with Xuan Ziwen's position as Bai Chen's teacher, as an advantage the empire held over rival powers. 78 261

Although he supported cooperation with the Holy Spirit Cult for the strategic benefit it could provide the Sun-Moon Empire, Jing distrusted its Evil Soul Masters. When the Imperial Preceptor demanded that Xiao Hongchen cease investigating the cult, Jing openly threatened Mingde Hall's retaliation should either of his grandchildren be harmed. 181

During the Holy Spirit Cult's purge of Mingde Hall, Jing was grievously wounded while many Soul Engineers were killed. The subsequent takeover of Mingde Hall enabled Kong Deming's faction to eliminate Jing and prepare a false narrative blaming Bai Chen's side for his death. 263 267

Personality

Jing Hongchen was ambitious, calculating, and intensely pragmatic. He favored profitable long-term arrangements over petty obstruction, as shown by his decision to accommodate the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect's students and secure its massive equipment contract. 21 22

He was also regarded as ruthless and dangerous by those familiar with his past, and even Lin Jiayi carefully measured his words around him. Yet his grandchildren were an absolute boundary: Jing was willing to risk a devastating conflict with the Holy Spirit Cult rather than abandon Xiao Hongchen or Meng Hongchen. 181

Authority & Resources

• Mingde Hall — Controlled the Sun-Moon Empire's foremost Soul Tool workshop, which supplied the academy with elite research talent and instructors. 21
• Political influence — Before Mingde Hall's fall, Jing was the Sun-Moon Empire's foremost figure beneath Kong Deming; even the emperor had to account for his stance. 181
• Level-Nine Soul Guide Devices — Mingde Hall possessed an unknown number of powerful Level-Nine devices, in addition to Ninth-Level Fixed Soul Cannon Shells. 181
• Limit Douluo-class deterrence — By expending Mingde Hall's stored weapons without regard for cost, Jing could briefly unleash combat power comparable to a Limit Douluo. 181
• Mingdu's defenses — Jing was confident enough in the city's Soul Tool defenses to claim that Mingdu did not need walls. 21

Relationships

• Ning Jingchen — Business counterpart. Jing accepted the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect's 100 million Gold Soul Coin order for Level-Five Soul Guide Devices and accommodated Bai Chen and Ning Tian at the academy. 21 22
• Lin Jiayi — Subordinate and academy representative. Jing rejected Lin's proposal to sabotage Bai Chen and Ning Tian, instead ordering him to offer Bai Chen greater benefits and attempt recruitment. 22 33
• Xiao Hongchen — Grandson and one of Jing's two inviolable bottom lines. Jing fiercely opposed the Holy Spirit Cult's threat against Xiao's investigations. 181
• Meng Hongchen — Granddaughter. Jing indulgently supported her connection with Bai Chen and viewed her as a possible means of bringing him into the Sun-Moon Empire's camp. 78 262
• Bai Chen — Former academy student whom Jing initially underestimated and tried to recruit. Jing later recognized that Bai Chen's ties to the Hongchen siblings could benefit the Sun-Moon Empire. 33 261
• Imperial Preceptor — Hostile counterpart from the Holy Spirit Cult. Jing confronted him after the cult threatened Xiao Hongchen. 181
• Kong Deming — Superior power within the Sun-Moon Empire. After Jing's death, Kong's faction used the incident to consolidate control over Mingde Hall. 181 267

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect Agreement

Jing's agreement with Ning Jingchen brings Bai Chen and Ning Tian into the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. His choice to cultivate rather than obstruct them creates the opening for Bai Chen to study within Mingde Hall's sphere of influence. 21 22

Recruitment of Bai Chen

After Bai Chen's abnormal academy test results, Jing dismisses the possibility that the child is an exceptional threat and directs Lin Jiayi to win him over through resources and favorable treatment. 33

Holy Spirit Cult Confrontation

The Imperial Preceptor pressures Jing to halt Xiao Hongchen's investigation of the Holy Spirit Cult. Jing refuses to yield on his grandchildren's safety and threatens a retaliatory war using Mingde Hall's arsenal. 181

Fall of Mingde Hall

The Holy Spirit Cult's purge leaves Jing severely injured and Mingde Hall's Soul Engineers devastated. His death and the hall's subsequent takeover remove him from the Sun-Moon Empire's internal power struggle. 263 267

Notable Quotes

“If you dare harbor any ill intentions, prepare to face Mingde Hall's endless retaliation!”
— Jing Hongchen to the Imperial Preceptor 181