Zhou Ming

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhou Ming (周铭)
Alias(es)	Zhou Yuxi
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Imperial City Martial Academy; disciple of Empress Yan Yun 46 59
Occupation/Role	Martial Artist; Qing Prefecture Martial Examination champion 38
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Second Level of Stance Training	5	Reached within a single day, earning Wang Quan's support and unrestricted access to Meat Marrow Soup.
Ninth-Rank Martial Artist	6	Perfected the Dragon Soaring Stance and gained precise control of his Blood Qi.
Eighth-Rank Martial Artist — Jade Skin, Pseudo-Jade Bone	19	Entered Bone Tempering after seclusion; had tempered a Pseudo-Jade Bone.
Eighth-Rank Martial Artist — Jade Skin, Jade Bone	30	Completed his Jade Bone after merging a Yang Spirit and clearing his remaining Turbid Qi.
Seventh Rank	31	Opened the twelve regular meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians in a single breakthrough.
Peak Sixth Rank	38	Completed his Heavenly Cycle Apertures and overwhelmed Qing Prefecture's examination participants.
Peak Fifth Grade	43	His erupted Blood Qi exposed his rapid advance beyond Sixth Grade.
Fourth Grade	100	Revealed this cultivation while defeating Zhao Xuanchen and rescuing Wen Ruoxi.
Third Grade	144	Had reached Third Grade by the time he claimed the jade ruyi Life Treasure.
Peak Third Grade	162	Identified himself as Peak Third Grade while observing Zhan Hongfu and Xia Ze's duel.

Background and History

Zhou Ming entered the martial path while staying at an escort agency. After reaching the second level of Stance Training in one day, he openly sought the agency's reward; Wang Quan supplied him with a token granting unlimited Meat Marrow Soup and promised further early-stage resources 5. Within roughly a month, Zhou Ming perfected the Dragon Soaring Stance, controlled his Blood Qi, and became a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist 6.

His progress stemmed from the Double Results with Half the Effort Fate Trait, which lets him achieve extraordinary gains from reduced effort. Zhou Ming determined that rapid Blood Qi conversion was the foundation of both cultivation and martial-technique training, while his Fate Trait prevented the bottlenecks ordinary Martial Artists faced 11 15.

While seeking a complete Jade Bone foundation, he practiced multiple Eighth-Rank cultivation techniques and endured Bone Tempering. After discovering and cultivating the Immaculate Body, he eliminated his Turbid Qi by merging a Yang Spirit, completing his Jade Bone and awakening two unique innate divine abilities 15 29 30.

To conceal his identity, Zhou Ming adopted the appearance and name Zhou Yuxi. Under this alias, he entered Qing Prefecture's Martial Examination, advanced through several ranks at astonishing speed, and took first place after challenging the province's geniuses to fight him on the central platform 31 38. He later restored his original appearance and publicly gave his name to Yan Yun 55.

Personality

Zhou Ming is confident, irreverent, and unusually direct before authority. He insulted Yan Yun while facing execution, questioned the conduct of Imperial City instructors, and argued against Chen Yu's execution despite her prior hostility toward him 51 52. He is willing to yield when circumstances require it, but refuses to be intimidated into abandoning his principles 104.

He is protective of those he considers his own. He kept his exceptional talent quiet to avoid endangering Fan Daniu, shielded Wen Ruoxi from Ye Jianqing's sword qi rather than dodging, and accepted injuries meant for Wen Ruoxi's group during Yan Shan's assassination attempt 16 61 109. His protection can become ruthless toward enemies: he regards attackers as people who must be prepared to die themselves 72.

Despite his overwhelming growth, Zhou Ming seeks practical combat experience and recognizes that cultivation alone does not make a complete Martial Artist. He values combat awareness, temperament, adaptability, and survival over reckless displays of bravery 69 86.

Abilities & Skills

Double Results with Half the Effort

Zhou Ming's Fate Trait is the basis of his abnormal cultivation speed.

• Converts Blood Qi and advances through techniques with drastically enhanced efficiency 11.
• Avoids the cultivation and martial-technique bottlenecks that hinder ordinary Martial Artists 15.
• Allowed him to progress from an Eighth-Rank Pseudo-Jade Bone to Fifth Grade at a pace that shocked the Yan Kingdom's officials 74.

Immaculate Body

After cleansing his Turbid Qi, Zhou Ming awakened the Immaculate Body and its associated innate abilities 30.

• Myriad Forms of the Immaculate — Alters his appearance according to his thoughts, enabling the Zhou Yuxi identity 30 55.
• Consume Heaven and Earth's Essence — Absorbs spiritual energy to sustain himself and converts it into Blood Qi 30.
• Can draw in and use Spirits of Heaven and Earth to cleanse Turbid Qi and help others improve their aptitude or restore damaged foundations 111 112.
• His physique prevents others from jointly capturing the Spirit of Heaven and Earth with him, isolating him during such collection efforts 80.

Blood Qi Manifestation

Zhou Ming can manifest weapons and other constructs from Blood Qi.

• Manifested a spear and an AK-47 immediately after becoming a Martial Artist 6.
• His Blood-Colored AK-47 can be loaded with magazines and bullets saturated with several times his own Blood Qi 69 91.
• Used the AK-47 to kill Li Mou after preparing an ambush and fully charging its ammunition 69.
• Maintaining large manifestations rapidly drains him; his first manifested AK-47 dissipated after exhausting him 6.

Heaven-Splitting

A unique innate divine ability inherited directly from the Martial Dao Stele.

• Obtained after passing the Martial Dao Stele's battle reenactment and will trial 49 50.
• Identified as a divine ability meant for punishing Turbid Beasts 50.
• Used it to slash apart heavenly lightning after provoking heavenly punishment 132.
• Its defiance of the heavens left lightning patterns on his body; future heavenly lightning will grow stronger, though surviving it offers corresponding benefits 132.

Martial Techniques and Intent

Zhou Ming has mastered multiple martial techniques beyond the level expected of his realm.

• Perfected the Dragon Soaring Stance, Eight Saber-Cutting Forms, Soaring Dragon Body Technique, and Soaring Dragon Spear 19 132.
• Uses the Jade Garment and Body-Protecting Astral Energy for defense; the former resisted the remaining force of Ye Jianqing's sword qi after the latter shattered 61.
• Possesses sword intent capable of forming a colossal ice sword in the sky 103.
• Comprehended the Purple Firmament Qilin True Intent after surviving heavenly lightning 132.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Broken Blade — Zhou Ming's principal melee weapon; used against Ye Jianqing, Chen Yufeng, and the three Peak Third-Grade assassins 61 106 143.
• Blood-Colored AK-47 — A Blood Qi manifestation rather than a conventional weapon; its ammunition can be prepared and heavily infused with Blood Qi 69 91.
• Jade ruyi Life Treasure — Claimed from the assassins' spoils. It requires enough Blood Qi to erase its former owner's blood imprint before it can be used 144.
• Second-Grade cultivation technique — Given by Li Hongwu in fulfillment of an earlier promise 141.

Relationships

• Wen Ruoxi — Zhou Ming's lover and the person he openly calls his wife. He repeatedly protects her, and the two later discover that both are transmigrators 63 100 126.
• Yan Yun — Empress of Yan Kingdom and Zhou Ming's master. Their relationship began with her ordering his execution over his suspected origin, then developed into a master-disciple bond 51 55 59.
• Huang Muheng — Friend, ally, and frequent target of Zhou Ming's teasing. Huang Muheng recognized Zhou Ming beneath the Zhou Yuxi disguise and later worked with him against the aristocratic factions 63 77 106.
• Jiang Jiang — Early companion who suspected Zhou Yuxi was Zhou Ming. She later accepted his relationship with Wen Ruoxi and departed for the borderlands 34 140.
• Wang Quan — Escort leader who recognized Zhou Ming's potential early, provided training resources, and invited him on an escort assignment 5 6.
• Mo Jiuzhong and Zhao Xuchu — Imperial City Martial Academy figures who investigated Zhou Ming, later supported him against the aristocratic faction, and sought his help in the grand competition 51 71 72.
• Li Mou — Li Mu's elder brother and Zhou Ming's enemy. Li Mou attempted to kill him, leading Zhou Ming to kill him with the Blood-Colored AK-47 69 112.
• Silverwing — Frostsilver Wolf King who entrusted Zhou Ming with recovering his clan's Spirit Essence. Silverwing later gave Zhou Ming a divine ability in exchange for it 104 108.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Escort Agency cultivation — Displays his Stance Training talent, gains Wang Quan's support, becomes a Martial Artist, and begins learning martial techniques 5 6 9.
• Immaculate Body arc — Pursues a full Jade Bone foundation, cleanses Turbid Qi, awakens his unique innate abilities, and adopts the Zhou Yuxi disguise 15 29 30.
• Qing Prefecture Martial Examination — Breaks through to Seventh Rank in a single breath, reaches Peak Sixth Rank, and wins Qing Prefecture's examination 31 38.
• Imperial City and Martial Dao Stele — Enters the Imperial City Martial Academy, inherits Heaven-Splitting from the Martial Dao Stele, survives Yan Yun's suspicion, and restores his identity 46 50 55.
• Grand competition and faction conflict — Becomes a central force against the Aristocratic Faction, organizes allies, saves Wen Ruoxi, and confronts Yan Shan and Zhao Xuanchen 72 86 100 106.
• Heaven-Splitting ascent — Defies heavenly punishment, survives its lightning, and gains the Purple Firmament Qilin True Intent 132.
• Frontier journey — Leaves the Imperial City for the frontier, executes corrupt officials in Peaceful City, and arrives at Mountain-Sea Pass, where he detects demonic auras among the population 150 160 161.

Notable Quotes

“My Empress, I am your most loyal subject, Zhou Ming!” 55

“If they come looking for me, they should be prepared to be killed instead.” 72

“All fear came from insufficient firepower!” 69

Trivia

• Zhou Ming's bone age was verified as eighteen during Martial Examination registration 37.
• He and Wen Ruoxi are both transmigrators; Wen Ruoxi's manifested Barrett revealed her identity to him 126.
• Zhou Ming's first encounter with the Martial Dao Stele led him to request War God divine powers rather than True Intent 47.