Lu Fan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Lu Fan (陆凡)
Alias(es)	Chen Liu; “Old Chen”
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Blackstone Martial Hall (formerly kitchen worker); Fortune Hall, Lidu (kitchen hand) 1 47
Occupation/Role	Cook; concealed martial artist
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Ingress; first three layers of the Evergreen Formula	2	Awakened qi sense and completed the available opening layers overnight after activating his system and consuming enhanced meat.
Bright Force	2	Shattered a wooden table after mastering the initial three Evergreen Formula layers.
Mid Bright Force	4	Reached the fifth Evergreen Formula layer through purchased meat enhanced by Spring from Withered Wood.
Late Bright Force	4	Advanced after several additional days of cultivation.
Bright Force Peak	6	Reached the realm’s limit while escorting a Qin Household shipment.
Dark Force	9	Broke through by refining the amplified medicinal power of a Qi-Replenishing Pill.
Mid Dark Force	13	Refined his Dark Force through the Tortoise Breath Formula and consumed his remaining Qi-Replenishing Pills; his refined force rivaled ordinary Late Dark Force practitioners.
Late Dark Force	15	Expanded and stabilized his Force Core through combined Tortoise Breath and Evergreen Formula cultivation.
Transformation Force	27	Shattered his Force Core and formed a Force Vortex in his Qi Sea, gaining vastly greater force capacity and Force Projection.
Late Transformation Force	45	A Clear Spirit Pill, amplified one hundredfold, healed his wounds and more than doubled the size of his Force Vortex.

Background

Lu Fan transmigrated into the martial world sixty years before the system awakened. Lacking both talent and lineage, he failed to become a martial artist and lived in poverty instead. After saving the injured Zhang Yao decades earlier, he was given stable work in Blackstone Martial Hall’s kitchen, where he remained for thirty years. 1 3

At sixty, Lu Fan received a system that turned his age and frailty from a dead end into an advantage. He immediately began cultivating in secret, determined not to let anyone learn of his abilities. 1 2

Appearance

Lu Fan normally presents himself as a frail, stooped elderly cook. Cultivation steadily restores his vitality, but he deliberately suppresses these changes whenever attention would be dangerous. 2 10 13

• Aged, gaunt features and a formerly bent spine.
• Callused hands from decades of kitchen work.
• Improved eyesight, firmer facial muscles, fewer wrinkles, and stronger vitality after cultivation. 2 13
• Uses a Cracked Mask that exposes only his right eye when acting as Chen Liu. 5
• Can fully conceal his qi and blood, appearing to be an ordinary old man even to martial artists. 13 27

Personality

Lu Fan is patient, cautious, and intensely private. Sixty years of powerlessness taught him to avoid drawing attention, ask only necessary questions, and conceal both resentment and ambition. He initially submits to Shen Yuniang’s seizure of his meat rather than expose his cultivation or provoke a conflict he is not ready to handle. 3

Despite his restraint, Lu Fan is not passive. He refuses to steal food intended for Blackstone’s disciples, declines recruitment that would limit his freedom, and repeatedly chooses to protect Zhang Yao, Qin Yaxin, and the Blackstone survivors. 4 9 34 36

In combat, he is calm, observant, and ruthless when necessary. He studies opponents before committing himself, retreats from unwinnable engagements, and kills enemies such as Gu De and Li Xiao once he judges them to be an enduring threat. 7 11 32 39

Abilities & Skills

System

Lu Fan’s system activated when he reached sixty years old. 1

• Years Furnace — One day of his cultivation equals three years of cultivation for others.
• Natural Flow — Grants exceptional comprehension and removes cultivation bottlenecks.
• Spring from Withered Wood — Multiplies the effect of vitality- and blood-restoring items by one hundred.
• His rapid advancement still depends heavily on meat, pills, and complete cultivation methods. 2 4 21

Evergreen Formula

The Evergreen Formula is Lu Fan’s foundational cultivation method. He first possessed only its opening sections, then received the complete manual from Zhang Yao. 2 3

• Produces exceptionally abundant blood and qi.
• Enables him to disperse invading Dark Force with his overwhelming vitality.
• Provides sustained endurance and recovery during prolonged combat. 7
• At the ninth layer, can form a circulating blood-and-qi membrane that neutralizes most incoming force. 19
• Can amplify force output when pushed to its limit. 19 42

Tortoise Breath Formula

A concealment technique purchased for fifty taels to prevent others from detecting Lu Fan’s improved qi and blood. 10

• Compresses qi, blood, and force into the Dantian.
• Makes martial artists of the same rank struggle to perceive his cultivation.
• Refines and purifies his Dark Force as it is compressed. 13
• Allows him to erase his aura and escape Ghost Ape’s pursuit. 39

Force Vortex

Lu Fan created the Force Vortex during his breakthrough to Transformation Force by allowing his Force Core to expand and shatter. 27

• Replaces the limited Force Core with a vast storage space in his Qi Sea.
• Automatically draws in and refines force.
• Lets him conceal all force before battle, then circulate it throughout his body almost instantly.
• Gives him force reserves far beyond those of an ordinary Dark Force martial artist. 27

Force Projection

After reaching Transformation Force, Lu Fan can release force beyond his body. 27

• Destroyed an earthenware jar with force projected from a fingertip. 27
• Can project force through punches to shatter barriers and strike opponents at range. 32
• Uses force as a defensive coating around his body. 38 42

Combat Judgment

Lu Fan learned by observing Blackstone Martial Hall’s fighters and living beside Zhang Yao for decades. 7

• Identified that Dark Force can be dispersed by sufficient blood and qi.
• Exploited Gu De’s unstable, medicine-assisted Dark Force and declining stamina. 7
• Escaped stronger opponents through disguises, aura concealment, and tactical feints. 39
• Countered Shang Qi’s invisible Blood Force Threads after his own blood made the threads visible. 43

Cooking

Lu Fan is an experienced cook with decades of professional kitchen work.

• Served as Blackstone Martial Hall’s cook for thirty years. 3
• Uses cooking work as a reliable cover identity.
• Was hired immediately by Fortune Hall in Lidu after demonstrating his knife work and cooking. 47

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Cracked Mask — Used to assume the identity of Chen Liu and conceal his real appearance. 5
• Tortoise Breath Formula — Concealment and force-refinement manual purchased in Chi City. 10 13
• Old cooking pot — A decades-old companion and symbol of his identity as a cook; Lu Fan takes it when fleeing Chi City. 34
• Qi-Replenishing Pills / Clear Spirit Pills — Cultivation and recovery medicines whose effects are amplified one hundredfold by his system. 9 45

Relationships

• Zhang Yao — Blackstone Martial Hall’s master and Lu Fan’s longtime friend. Lu Fan saved Zhang decades ago; Zhang later gave him work, the complete Evergreen Formula, and continuing support. Lu Fan remains loyal to him after Blackstone’s fall and seeks medicine to repair his damaged meridians. 3 36 44
• Qin Yaxin — Eldest daughter of the Qin Household. She consistently treats Lu Fan with respect, while he saves her repeatedly as Chen Liu and later arranges her evacuation from Chi City. She has repeatedly sensed a familiarity between Lu Fan and Chen Liu. 1 11 34
• Zhang Zhi — Zhang Yao’s daughter. Their relationship begins with her indifference toward an ordinary cook, but she later respects Chen Liu after he saves her and her family. 3 16 36
• Shen Yuniang — Zhang Yao’s wife. She initially takes Lu Fan’s meat for Zhang Zhi, but later becomes dependent on Chen Liu’s protection and develops a cautious alliance with him. 3 24 34
• Zhou Haiyan — Late Bright Force escort who fought beside Chen Liu during the Qin shipment ambush. She considers herself indebted to him and later helps evacuate the Blackstone and Qin survivors. 8 34
• Luo Qingshuang — Peak Transformation Force swordswoman of the Haotian Sect. After rescuing Lu Fan from Shang Qi, she trades healing pills and a future meridian-repair medicine for his Blood Embryo Pill research and samples. 43 44
• Gu De — Thunder Martial Hall martial artist whose unstable medicine-assisted Dark Force was first driven off by Lu Fan, then decisively ended by him. 7 11
• Li Xiao — Transformation Grandmaster and Lu Fan’s principal rival in Chi City. Li Xiao seriously injured Lu Fan at the Qin banquet, but Lu Fan later overwhelmed him after achieving Transformation Force. 20 21 32
• Shang Qi — Blood Furnace martial artist who seeks Lu Fan’s Blood Embryo Pill and manuscript. Lu Fan severely injures him, but Shang Qi escapes using a talisman. 39 43

Story Role / Major Arcs

Late Awakening and Blackstone Martial Hall

Lu Fan awakens his system at sixty and enters Bright Force overnight after decades of failure. He obtains the complete Evergreen Formula from Zhang Yao while maintaining the appearance of a harmless old cook. 1 3

Chen Liu and the Qin Household Escort

Needing money and meat, Lu Fan adopts the masked identity Chen Liu and joins a Qin Household escort mission. At Bright Force Peak, he faces Dark Force expert Gu De alone, learns the practical limits of Dark Force, and drives him away. 5 6 7

Dark Force and the Chi City Banquet

A Qi-Replenishing Pill allows Lu Fan to enter Dark Force. He later saves Qin Yaxin and Zhang Zhi from Gu De, kills Gu De, and uses the money taken from his corpse to continue cultivating. 9 11

At the Qin Household banquet, Lu Fan withstands Li Xiao’s Transformation Force despite being only Late Dark Force. He injures Li Xiao but suffers severe internal injuries, revealing the true gulf between their realms. 19 20 21

Transformation Breakthrough and Blackstone’s Fall

Lu Fan reaches Transformation Force by creating a Force Vortex, then returns to save Zhang Yao from Li Xiao’s attack on Blackstone Martial Hall. He reveals his realm to Li Xiao and defeats him overwhelmingly. 27 31 32

He organizes the escape of Zhang Yao, Zhang Zhi, Qin Yaxin, and Shen Yuniang from Chi City, while preserving the separation between his identities as Lu Fan and Chen Liu. 34 36

Blood Furnace Conflict

Lu Fan returns to Chi City to investigate the danger behind the Feng Household and Thunder Martial Hall’s destruction. He encounters Ghost Ape and Shang Qi, learns of the Blood Furnace’s pursuit, and receives research on the Blood Embryo Pill from Feng Wanqian before Feng is killed. 38 39

Outmatched by Shang Qi’s Blood Force Threads, Lu Fan forces a close-range breakthrough, turns the blood-stained threads against their owner, and severely injures him. Luo Qingshuang’s intervention prevents Shang Qi from killing Lu Fan, though Shang Qi escapes. 42 43

Journey to Lidu

After recovering to Late Transformation Force, Lu Fan travels to Lidu disguised as a weak old cook. He abandons the Chen Liu identity to keep the Blood Furnace from tracing his former companions and takes work at Fortune Hall near the Qin Estate. 45 47

Notable Quotes

“Dark Force is nothing more than this.” 7

“Transformation Grandmaster, is that all?” 19

“No. The only one dying will be you!” 32

Trivia

• Lu Fan’s system activates only when he turns sixty. 1
• He keeps a broken cooking pot even while fleeing Chi City because it has accompanied him for decades. 34
• He initially acquired the Evergreen Formula decades before he could cultivate it, repeatedly reading a manual he was unable to use at the time. 2
• His enhanced vitality gradually restores his physical vigor and reduces the visible effects of age. 2 13