Chu Shihan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chu Shihan (褚世寒) 1
Alias(es)	Eldest Senior Brother; Heavenly Dao's Son 1 23
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Profound Heaven Sect; disciple of Lingxue Sword Venerable 1 12
Occupation/Role	Profound Heaven Sect's chief disciple and Eldest Senior Brother; sword cultivator 1 35
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nascent Soul Realm	12	Emerged from seclusion to undergo the Nascent Soul Tribulation. He met every bolt with his sword, passed the final tribulation, and successfully broke through before the age of forty. 12

Background / History

Chu Shihan is the young master of the prestigious Chu Clan, one of the Eight Families, and bears the rare Sword Spirit Root. He became a disciple of Lingxue Sword Venerable, the only Venerable-level expert in the Nine Domains. In the source novel known to Shen Yuxi, he is one of its male leads. 1 12

Before forging his natal sword, he fortuitously acquired a mystical stone in a secret realm. The stone allowed his sword, One-Inch Heart, to grow alongside his cultivation. Following his Nascent Soul breakthrough, One-Inch Heart became a high-grade treasure artifact. 38

His advancement to Nascent Soul made him the first of the Profound Heaven Sect's younger generation to reach that realm. The elders consequently regard him as a future pillar of the sect. 12

Appearance

Chu Shihan is a tall, slender man usually dressed in black robes, with a sword at his side. His presence is severe and commanding, causing other disciples to instinctively make way for him. 12 19

• Ink-dark hair and sharply sculpted features. 19
• Severe brows, high nose bridge, thin lips, and a firm jawline. 19
• Carries an imposing, austere aura that commands respect without anger. 19 50
• His black robes and upright bearing are repeatedly compared to a mountain or towering peak. 12 50

Personality

Chu Shihan is outwardly calm, restrained, and aloof. He favors direct action over lengthy discussion, whether teaching cultivation principles, addressing sect problems, or fighting. 21 28

He takes his responsibilities as Eldest Senior Brother seriously. After realizing that Shen Yuxi had shouldered duties he himself had neglected, he openly apologized and promised to help more with sect affairs. He is also protective of his junior brothers and sisters, stepping forward during crises and remaining alert to potential threats around them. 13 15 30 31

Despite his usual composure, Shen Yuxi's unintentionally broadcast inner praise leaves him deeply embarrassed and confused. He worries about Shen Yuxi's leaked inner voice and precognitive ability, but avoids revealing the truth to prevent causing his junior brother further distress. 13 20

Abilities & Skills

Sword Spirit Root and Nascent Soul Cultivation

Chu Shihan is a Sword Spirit Root cultivator whose talent and cultivation speed place him among the foremost younger cultivators of the Profound Heaven Sect. 1 12

• Successfully faced and overcame the Nascent Soul lightning tribulation. 12
• Can confront tribulation lightning directly with powerful Sword Qi. 12
• Possesses a deep enough sword-cultivation foundation to decisively overpower Shen Yuxi in a prolonged duel. 28

Sword Qi Control

His Sword Qi is exceptionally precise, controlled, and forceful. During his spar with Lin Mumu, he repeatedly redirected her flying swords with measured strikes, confining an array of more than a hundred swords within a fixed area. 19

• Can redirect multiple flying swords with individual strands of Sword Qi. 19
• Deflects attacks with exact timing and carefully measured force. 19
• Maintains control even when Lin Mumu changes her sword array's forms and attack patterns. 19
• Brief distraction by Shen Yuxi's leaked thoughts caused his sword to deviate, allowing a flying sword to cut the web between his thumb and forefinger. 19

Swordsmanship

Chu Shihan's swordsmanship is plain in form but overwhelming in execution. His techniques rely on powerful, measured fundamentals rather than ornamentation. 28

• Uses chops, cleaves, sweeps, slides, and blocks with relentless pressure. 28
• Fights with both hands when needed, catching One-Inch Heart in his left hand to counter Shen Yuxi's attack. 28
• Employs Severing the Worry Strand, a finishing move that cuts a strand of the opponent's hair while stopping the blade an inch from their throat. 28

Teaching and Leadership

Chu Shihan teaches Controlling Spiritual Energy to new inner sect disciples. His lectures are concise, organized, and focused on crucial cultivation principles and common errors. 21

• Speaks for the direct disciples when they request permission to handle the Demonic Cultivator threat during the Outer Sect Grand Competition. 15
• Takes decisive action in crises and stabilizes disorder among his fellow disciples. 15
• Is trusted by inner sect disciples to address disputes affecting their training. 18

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• One-Inch Heart — Chu Shihan's natal and bonded flying sword. It grew with his cultivation and reached high-grade treasure-artifact status after his Nascent Soul breakthrough. 19 38
• Mystical stone — A secret-realm acquisition used in forging One-Inch Heart, enabling the sword to develop alongside him. 38

Relationships

• Shen Yuxi — His Second Junior Brother. Chu Shihan has long guided and cared for him, worries over the danger of his leaked inner voice and foresight, and later uses a sword duel to lift Shen Yuxi's spirits. 13 20 28
• Lin Mumu — His Sixth Junior Sister. He supervises her oversized sword array, acts as her sparring partner, and reassures her when she feels uneasy around Gu Xiaoyue. 19 30 31
• True Person Yu Qing — Sect Master of the Profound Heaven Sect. Yu Qing publicly praises Chu Shihan's Nascent Soul breakthrough and holds high expectations for his future. 12
• Lingxue Sword Venerable — His master and the only Venerable-level expert identified in the Nine Domains. 12
• Gu Xiaoyue — Medicine King Valley's chief disciple, who sees Chu Shihan as a major threat and harbors hostility born from his mistaken assumptions about Chu Shihan and Gu Yueyao. 31 35
• Profound Heaven Sect disciples — The younger disciples look to him as a dependable senior figure, while many are amused by his discomfort whenever Shen Yuxi's inner voice praises him. 18 20

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nascent Soul Tribulation

Chu Shihan emerges from seclusion and undergoes the Nascent Soul Tribulation before the gathered elders and disciples. He survives the lightning tribulation through his swordsmanship and enters the Nascent Soul Realm, strengthening his standing as the sect's foremost younger cultivator. 12

Taking Responsibility for the Sect

After learning of Shen Yuxi's dangerous condition, Chu Shihan acknowledges that his focus on personal cultivation had led him to neglect sect affairs. He pledges to share those responsibilities and later takes a leading role in the direct disciples' response to the threat surrounding the Outer Sect Grand Competition. 13 15

Inner Sect Instruction

Chu Shihan teaches the new inner sect disciples the fundamentals of controlling spiritual energy. His ordinarily disciplined lecture is repeatedly disrupted by Shen Yuxi's enthusiastic inner commentary, leaving him increasingly flustered under the students' heightened expectations. 21 22

Sword Trial Platform and Moonlit Duel

When Lin Mumu's sword array disrupts others' practice, Chu Shihan intervenes by becoming her sparring partner and restricting the range of her flying swords. Later, noticing Shen Yuxi's melancholy, he proposes a moonlit sword duel rather than attempting a verbal consolation; he wins with Severing the Worry Strand and helps rekindle Shen Yuxi's fighting spirit. 19 28

Flower-Appreciation Gathering

Chu Shihan joins the Profound Heaven Sect's trip to Medicine King Valley chiefly because he remains concerned for Shen Yuxi. He protects and reassures his junior siblings amid Gu Xiaoyue's suspicious behavior, but refuses to participate in the gathering's marriage-oriented martial competition despite Lin Huaixu's encouragement. 29 31 38

Secret Realm Reunion

While exploring the secret realm, Chu Shihan reunites with several injured junior disciples. He immediately asks whether they encountered danger and is confused by their teasing reactions to his unexpected arrival alongside Gu Yueyao. 50

Trivia

• In Shen Yuxi's original-novel knowledge, Chu Shihan is described as a harem-style “Long Aotian” male lead; Chu Shihan privately states that he has never planned to build a harem. 1 39
• Shen Yuxi's leaked declaration, “Senior Brother! I'm your dog!”, becomes a source of lasting embarrassment for Chu Shihan. 19 20
• Although he initially tries to avoid Shen Yuxi because of the disruptive inner voice, he repeatedly chooses to look after him when Shen Yuxi appears troubled or endangered. 20 28 29