Hua Lian

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Hua Lian (华莲)
Alias(es)	Lian'er
Age	18 8
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Jade Maiden Sect; later a maidservant within Xiao Yu's Maidservant Pavilion 8 19
Occupation/Role	Jade Maiden Sect chief disciple; candidate for the next Righteous Dao Saintess; alchemist 8 19
Status	Alive; bound by a Dao-heart oath to serve Xiao Yu 19
Cultivation	Formerly Foundation Establishment, Fourth Layer; later Body Tempering, Fifth Layer 8 19
Spiritual Root	Supreme-grade Ice Spirit Root 8
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Foundation Establishment Realm, Fourth Layer (crippled)	8	Detected after her capture in the Hehuan Sect; her meridians and spiritual root had been severely damaged.
Body Tempering, First Layer	13	Her spiritual root begins recovering after Xiao Yu repairs her damaged meridians and root.
Body Tempering, Second Layer	15	Her root is restored and improved; her wounds heal without scars after further body tempering.
Body Tempering, Fifth Layer	19	Reaches the fifth layer after several days of body tempering as Xiao Yu's maidservant.

Background / History

Hua Lian was orphaned during a famine in Hexi Province. After her parents died and were consumed by starving refugees, she hid in the snow until Bai Yue found her. Bai Yue recognized her Ice Spirit Root, took her as a disciple, and raised her as a daughter. 19

Under Bai Yue's tutelage, Hua Lian became the Jade Maiden Sect's chief disciple and a candidate for Righteous Dao Saintess. Her experiences left her ruthless toward those she deemed wicked: she believed it was preferable to kill the innocent than allow a guilty person to escape. 8 19

She secretly formed a romantic attachment to Lin Ce, the chief inner disciple of the Profound Spirit Sect, despite Jade Maiden Sect rules forbidding disciples from pursuing love before forming a Golden Core. 18 19

Following the Jade Maiden Sect's collapse, which Hua Lian attributes largely to her second senior sister's betrayal, Hua Lian was captured by the Hehuan Sect. She was left suspended in an alchemy storeroom by steel hooks and afflicted by a Prison Phoenix Pill. 8 18

Appearance

Hua Lian is a tall, slender young woman with jade-like features and fair skin. The system assesses her appearance at 97 points; she is 172 cm tall and weighs 48.5 kg. 8

• Initially found wearing a long green robe, with blood covering her eyes, nose, and mouth from her injuries. 8
• Later wears flowing white robes and maidservant attire, including a fitted cheongsam. 28
• Keeps a crimson Lovers' Knot at her waist as a token connected to Lin Ce. 18

Personality

Hua Lian is initially overbearing, willful, reputation-conscious, and fiercely proud of her righteous-sect status. She considers herself an orthodox cultivator and looks down on Xiao Yu for following the demonic path, even after he saves her life. 8 9

Her loyalty to Bai Yue is central to her decisions. She repeatedly attempts to resist Xiao Yu, attacks him when she sees an opportunity, and initially joins Bai Yue in an attempt to poison him with Poisonblood Herb. 10 13 14

After her spiritual root is restored and Bai Yue's safety is used as leverage, Hua Lian becomes increasingly fearful and compliant. She ultimately swears a Dao-heart oath to serve Xiao Yu, though her harsh judgment of mortals and attachment to her former sect's ideals remain apparent. 19 24

Abilities & Skills

Ice Spirit Root and Cultivation

Hua Lian possesses a Supreme-grade Ice Spirit Root, which originally supported Foundation Establishment, Fourth Layer cultivation before she was crippled. 8

• Her destroyed spiritual root and damaged meridians can be restored through Xiao Yu's Nine Yang Divine Body. 12 15
• Her body-tempering progress accelerates through the Elysian Union Art and the Maidservant Pavilion's cultivation benefits. 19
• She requires an additional 120 hours of body tempering to reach Qi Refining, First Layer without supplementary pills. 19

Alchemy

Hua Lian was previously a second-grade alchemist and assists with pill refinement after her rescue. 19

• Controls furnace heat and performs manual steps in mortal-style pill refinement when spiritual power is unavailable. 10
• Can refine Meridian-Opening Pills, Marrow-Cleansing Pills, and Qi-Concealing Pills. 19 28
• Completes Xiao Yu's large pill quota with both quantity and quality assured, producing an additional half-batch beyond the requirement. 29
• Previously attempted to add Poisonblood Herb to Blood-Staunching Pills in order to poison Xiao Yu. 10

Cultivation Knowledge

Hua Lian cultivates the Five Elements Goddess Art and records the cultivation arts she knows for Xiao Yu after pledging loyalty. 19

• Warns Xiao Yu that a Jade Maiden Sect branch elder may be near Jiangliu City. 19
• Identifies the functions of cultivation items, including the Heavenly Eye Orb and the Jade Maiden Sect's Teleportation Token. 44

Martial Training

As a sect disciple, Hua Lian received martial and combat training from childhood, unlike many rogue cultivators. 13

• Attempts to seize a woodcutter's blade and capture Xiao Yu while her cultivation is still weak. 13
• Later ambushes Xiao Yu with a blade, but is stopped by Zhang Ziling's first-rank Puppet Eagle. 14
• Her combat ability is severely limited while crippled and without spiritual power. 8 12

Equipment / Items

• Lovers' Knot — A crimson token of Hua Lian's secret pledge to Lin Ce; Xiao Yu discovers it during her interrogation. 18
• Qi-Concealing Pills — Pills refined by Hua Lian to conceal Xiao Yu's cultivation aura from cultivators below Foundation Establishment. 24 28

Relationships

• Xiao Yu — Her rescuer, captor, and later “Master.” Hua Lian initially hates and resists him, but swears a Dao-heart oath to serve him after he restores her spiritual root and threatens Bai Yue's safety. 8 19
• Bai Yue — Her master and adoptive mother figure. Bai Yue found Hua Lian as an orphan, raised her in the Jade Maiden Sect, and remains Hua Lian's greatest concern after their capture. 8 19
• Lin Ce — Her secret former beloved, an inner disciple of the Profound Spirit Sect. Their relationship violated Jade Maiden Sect rules and became the final obstacle to Hua Lian's complete submission to Xiao Yu. 18 19
• Jade Maiden Sect junior sisters — Hua Lian mourns the disciples killed or captured during the sect's downfall and is distressed by their treatment at the Hehuan Sect branch. 9 27

Story Role / Major Arcs

Captivity at the Hehuan Sect Branch

Xiao Yu discovers Hua Lian hanging in Elder Wu's storeroom, wounded by steel hooks and unable to use her crippled cultivation. He gives her a Blood-Staunching Pill, but she immediately attacks and curses him for being a demonic cultivator. 8

After Elder Wu's death, Bai Yue removes Hua Lian's hooks and reunites with her. Hua Lian thanks Xiao Yu verbally, but remains distant and distrustful toward him. 9

Poison Plot and Failed Escape

While assisting with Blood-Staunching Pill refinement, Hua Lian attempts to add Poisonblood Herb to the furnace. Xiao Yu discovers the plot and keeps her under tighter control. 10

Hua Lian later tries to flee and attack Xiao Yu, first with a woodcutter's blade and later from an ambush. Zhang Ziling's Puppet Eagle and Xiao Yu's Black Tortoise Formation prevent both attempts. 13 14 15

Judgment and Oath

Xiao Yu restores Hua Lian's spiritual root and cultivation potential, then confronts her over the Lovers' Knot and her relationship with Lin Ce. He pressures her to abandon Lin Ce by invoking Bai Yue's danger and revealing the actions of Lin Ce's fellow sect members on Jiangliu Mountain. 18

Hua Lian eventually swears upon her Dao heart to serve Xiao Yu for life, never become involved with another man, and never betray him. Her Judgment Value reaches full completion, activating her maidservant cultivation function. 19

Alchemy Support

After becoming Xiao Yu's maidservant, Hua Lian refines pills to support his alchemy quota, offers strategic warnings about the Jade Maiden Sect, and prepares Qi-Concealing Pills to hide his rapid cultivation growth. 19 24 29

She later identifies Ye Zimei's Heavenly Eye Orb as a reconnaissance artifact and explains that Ye Zimei's Teleportation Token can access a Jade Maiden Sect teleportation array. 44

Notable Quotes

“I, Hua Lian, swear upon my Dao heart that for all my life, I will serve Master forever.” 19

“Master... Your disciple... Your disciple has failed you...” 18

Trivia

• Hua Lian's original cultivation was higher than Xiao Yu's when they first met, but she was crippled and unable to resist him effectively. 8
• Her system profile identifies her as an orphan and a candidate for the next Righteous Dao Saintess. 8
• Although she claims loyalty to Xiao Yu after her oath, she remains jealous of women who seek his attention. 28