Lu Chen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Chen (陆沉)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Profound Heaven Sect; Sword-Coming Peak; Wèi Earth tradition 3 22
Occupation/Role	Inner sect disciple; sword cultivator 5 18
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Marrow Cleansing	1	Comprehended Sinking Mountain Sword Intent at age fifteen, a rare feat among disciples at this realm. 1
Qi Refining, First Layer	4	Chosen as Sword-Coming Peak’s first entrant to the Qi Repository; absorbed a stable, compatible Wèi Earth Qi Seed and entered Qi Refining. 4
Qi Refining, Second Layer	12	After more than a month in seclusion, condensed his qi sea further and nearly doubled its size. 12
Qi Refining, Fourth Layer	27	Entered the Sword-Inquiry Platform tournament at the fourth layer after training before the Mountain-Suppressing Stele. 27
Sword Force / Heavy Domain	27–28	Developed Wèi Earth sword momentum into an oppressive Sword Force that slows enemies, crushes mechanisms, and destabilizes formations. 27 28
Qi Refining, Fifth Layer	42	Zhao Yan identifies him as a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator during their confrontation at Sunken-Sand Fort. 42
Borrowed mountain phantom	51	Turtle Elder possessed him and summoned a mountain phantom against Xu Sheng; it began to disintegrate before Xu Sheng’s Ghost Metal Domain. This was borrowed power, not a confirmed cultivation breakthrough. 51

Background

Lu Chen was born into the direct line of the Lu Family. At fifteen, he comprehended Sinking Mountain Sword Intent while still in Marrow Cleansing, placing him among the sect’s two exceptional entrants alongside Shen Qingzhou. 1

Sword-Coming Peak selected him as its recommended disciple for the Qi-Gathering Ceremony. He entered the repository first and chose a Wèi Earth Qi Seed noted for its steadiness and compatibility, immediately advancing to Qi Refining. 3 4

He trained under Elder Li’s lineage and received superior cultivation conditions, including an inner-sect cave dwelling with a powerful Spirit-Gathering Array. His early progress reinforced his belief that he would surpass his generation through the sword path. 12

Appearance

Lu Chen is a handsome, properly featured youth whose reserved bearing makes him seem difficult to approach. 3

• Usually wears pale yellow or moon-white Daoist robes. 3 36
• Wore a jade pendant at his waist and a crown in his hair during the Qi-Gathering Ceremony. 3
• Maintains an icy, distant expression around unfamiliar disciples. 3
• Emerged from his journey through Blackwater Marsh with his formerly neat robes reduced to tatters. 45

Personality

Lu Chen is intensely proud, competitive, and single-minded about sword cultivation. After reaching the second layer of Qi Refining, he dismissed Shen Qingzhou’s talisman work as a narrowed path and set his sights on winning every future competition. 12

His pride is tempered by a genuine willingness to learn. Shen Qingzhou’s superior Dao analysis wounded him deeply, but Lu Chen sought Turtle Elder’s instruction rather than clinging to his earlier understanding; he committed himself to studying the Mountain-Suppressing Stele and mastering its sword momentum. 20 22

He possesses a firm moral line. Though initially compromised by Sunken-Sand Fort’s drugged feast, he later rejected Zhao Yan’s offer to cultivate through Incense and Fire Prayer Power, condemning the practice despite its promised gains. 38 42

His resistance to the incense-and-fire path persisted at Flower-Washing City: he condemned the extraction of mortals’ vital essence and called for Xu Sheng to be stopped when the citywide sacrifice began. 49 50

Abilities & Skills

Sinking Mountain Sword Intent

Lu Chen’s foundational sword intent follows the Wèi Earth principle of heaviness, solidity, and suppression.

• Comprehended it at fifteen while still in the Marrow Cleansing realm. 1
• Forms the basis of his earth-aspect sword cultivation and Sword Force. 1 22
• Its pressure can slow and weaken incoming sword light before direct contact. 27

Wèi Earth Spiritual Qi

Lu Chen’s Wèi Earth Qi Seed produces unusually condensed and heavy ochre spiritual energy.

• The spiritual pressure of a single wisp can crack stone furniture. 12
• Provides the stable, suppressive foundation for his sword techniques. 12 20
• Was hindered by Shen Qingzhou’s Abyss-Hiding Sword Essence during their final tournament duel. 29

Sword Force and Heavy Domain

Through the Mountain-Suppressing Stele, Lu Chen develops sword momentum into an invisible field of crushing pressure.

• Disrupts puppets by stiffening their joints and interrupts formation disks. 28
• Slows and weakens opponents’ attacks within its range. 27
• Draws on the Heavy Domain power associated with the Mountain-Suppressing Stele. 22 28
• Was ultimately neutralized by Shen Qingzhou’s inward-drawing Abyssal Descent Momentum. 28 29

Swordsmanship

Lu Chen is a direct, force-oriented sword cultivator whose style emphasizes overwhelming pressure rather than deception.

• Defeated Liu Yinghan in the tournament by using sword momentum to blunt her Cold Pool Sword Intent. 27
• Defeated Zhong Yuan despite his puppets and defensive formation. 28
• Continued refining his spell control and sword intent through repeated survival battles in Blackwater Marsh. 45
• Fought Earth Spirit Sect cultivators during Xu Sheng’s assault on Flower-Washing City, though the battle left him gravely injured. 50 53

Equipment / Items

• Mountain-Suppressing Stele — A secret ancient stele Lu Chen found at age three and keeps within his sea of consciousness. It teaches the Wèi Earth lineage’s mountain-like sword momentum and Heavy Domain power. 22
• Profound Heaven Sect identity token — Corroded and destroyed by earth-dragon venom during his journey through Blackwater Marsh, leaving him unable to prove his identity at Flower-Washing City’s gate. 46
• Golden escape talisman — A precious talisman bestowed by a sect elder. It carried Lu Chen and Qin Wan beyond the ghost city’s range but could not remove the Ghost Metal death aura that had invaded their bodies. 53

Relationships

• Shen Qingzhou — Principal Dao rival. Lu Chen initially looked down on Shen’s talisman path, was defeated by him in the inner-sect tournament, and later joined Shen’s Blackwater Marsh mission specifically to observe how his rival cultivated. 12 29 36
• Turtle Elder — A stern spiritual mentor who guides Lu Chen through the Mountain-Suppressing Stele, criticizes his failures, and pushes him toward greater discipline. Turtle Elder later possessed Lu Chen and summoned a mountain phantom against Xu Sheng; his presence was greatly weakened after their escape. 22 38 51 53
• Elder Li — Lu Chen’s lineage elder and early patron within Sword-Coming Peak; his lineage grants Lu Chen strong inner-sect support and resources. 12 19
• Zhao Yan — Sunken-Sand Fort steward who attempts to recruit Lu Chen into the Earth Spirit Sect’s Incense-and-Fire arrangement; Lu Chen rejects him. 37 42
• Qin Wan — Plain Maiden Sect disciple of the Chamber Sun lineage. Their initial clashes develop into mutual attraction after Lu Chen’s identity is verified. She supports him after his severe injuries at Flower-Washing City and resolves to take him for treatment; Shen Qingzhou later hears that they have become Dao companions. 48 49 53 72
• Xu Zhaoye — Sunken-Sand Fort garrison disciple who later intervenes against Earth Spirit Sect cultivators and protects Lu Chen and the other trapped cultivators. After their escape, he parts from Lu Chen and Qin Wan to return to the Profound Heaven Sect. 36 50 53
• Xu Sheng — Earth Spirit Sect cultivator whose incense-and-fire practices Lu Chen condemns. Lu Chen calls for him to be stopped during the Flower-Washing City ritual and survives the ensuing conflict with severe injuries. 49 50 51 53

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rise at Sword-Coming Peak

Lu Chen enters Sword-Coming Peak as its favored recommended disciple, rapidly reaches the second layer of Qi Refining, and regards himself as the leading disciple of his generation. 3 4 12

Dao Debate and Tournament Defeat

Shen Qingzhou’s interpretation of the celestial stele exposes the limits of Lu Chen’s earth-bound Dao understanding. Lu Chen accepts the criticism, studies the Mountain-Suppressing Stele, develops Sword Force, and reaches the tournament final—only to lose when Shen reveals fifth-layer cultivation and breaks Heavy Domain with Abyssal Descent Momentum. 20 22 28 29

Blackwater Marsh Mission

Rather than seek revenge after his loss, Lu Chen follows Shen Qingzhou to Blackwater Marsh to study the cultivator who defeated him. He is nearly compromised by Sunken-Sand Fort’s drugged hospitality, then rejects Zhao Yan’s proposal to use Incense and Fire Prayer Power. 36 38 42

After leaving the fort, he endures repeated encounters with demon beasts and swamp hazards. Although he resents Turtle Elder’s route, the ordeal improves his spell control and precision with sword intent. 45

Flower-Washing City and Union Festival

After surviving Blackwater Marsh and losing his sect token, Lu Chen reaches the Plain Maiden Sect’s territory, meets Qin Wan, and becomes entangled in the Union Festival. He openly condemns the Earth Spirit Sect’s exploitation of mortals before Xu Sheng’s ritual turns Flower-Washing City into a battlefield. 46 48 49 50

Xu Zhaoye breaks the Earth Spirit Sect disciples’ siege of Lu Chen and the others. In the conflict with Xu Sheng, Turtle Elder possesses Lu Chen and summons a mountain phantom, but it begins to fall apart before the Ghost Metal Domain. Lu Chen and Qin Wan escape the ghost city with an elder-bestowed talisman; afterward, Lu Chen is unconscious and gravely injured, with emptied meridians, a shriveled qi sea, and Ghost Metal death aura still in his body. Qin Wan takes responsibility for seeking treatment for him. 50 51 53

Absence from the Grand Competition

Lu Chen is absent from the final roster for the sect grand competition. Shen Qingzhou has not seen him since Blackwater Marsh and has heard that Lu Chen has continued training outside and become Dao companions with a Plain Maiden Sect disciple. 72

Notable Quotes

“I have learned much.” 20

“So I want to see with my own eyes how the person who defeated me cultivates.” 36