Zhou Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Zhou Chen transmigrated into a Black Mist-corrupted world after a previous life as an orphan. Though his new family lived in poverty, he came to value the warmth and care of his father, mother, and younger sister as his own blood family. He and Zhou Tian spent years selling and processing mutated fish to save for martial-arts tuition, seeing martial cultivation as their only route out of the Outer City's dangers and deprivation 1.

His family's savings were stolen by his grandfather and uncle to secure a position for his cousin Zhou Ping in the Feng Household. When Zhou Yu offered to sell herself to the predatory Chen Residence so he could continue training, Zhou Chen refused and resolved to protect her instead. Zhou Tian then entrusted him with a lump of strange flesh recovered from a Mist Monster battle 2.

He brought the flesh to the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall, where Master Zheng identified it as Black Taisui, a supreme-grade treasure reportedly worth more than a thousand gold in the Inner City. Although Zheng judged Zhou Chen's bone aptitude to be lower-middle grade, he granted Zhou three months of Direct Disciple-equivalent treatment to reach the First Rank; failure would leave him only a steward at the hall 4.

While training, Zhou secretly exploited the Divine Statue within his mind. He purchased heavily contaminated Black Meat to generate Mist Incense, tested its varieties, and found Eye Meat particularly efficient for growing the incense root 7 11. His training was driven not only by ambition, but by the need to protect his family from gangs, starvation, Miasma Poison, and Mist Monsters.

After overhearing Zhang Mingfei's plan to abduct Zhou Yu, Zhou murdered Zhang and four Greenhide gang members. The killings removed an immediate threat, but also marked a shift toward calculated ruthlessness: Zhou chose to kill one gang member even after witnessing him care for his wife and daughter, deciding that survival required becoming someone capable of “eating people” before others consumed his family 9 10 11.

His growing qi and blood later saved him from an Echoing Wraith, a low-grade Mist Monster that attempted to lure him outside through a dream of his former workplace. The experience made his need for strength more urgent 11 12. He eventually used Mist Incense to break into the First Rank, gaining Copper Skin immediately upon his breakthrough 17.

Formal Discipleship and Family Advancement

Master Zheng verified Zhou's breakthrough and formally recognized him as an Ordinary Disciple. Ma Ge explained that reaching the Second Rank within three years would qualify him for Direct Disciple status, and advised him about employment, senior instructors, and the Outer City's major powers 19.

When Zhou Tian was badly injured by a Mist Monster disturbed by ships arriving from Azure City, Zhou revealed his advancement to his family, gave his father Blood-Boiling Powder, and promised to support the household. His new status prompted Fishery officials to preserve Zhou Tian's employment and move him to safe onshore work during recovery. Neighbors who had previously mocked or ignored the family began bringing food and gifts 21 22.

Zhou resolved to reclaim the ten taels taken by his relatives with interest. He then visited the old Zhou residence with neighbors as witnesses, intending to publicly cut ties and prevent the extended household from exploiting his reputation. He kicked Zhou Tao and Feng Yuyun through doorways, punishing their theft and abuse of his father; Old Master Zhou responded by trying to claim him as the household's promising descendant 22 23.

His advancement also benefited Zhang Ying and Sun Yang, who received improved work assignments, while local households sought goodwill through gifts and letters. Wang Ming, leader of the Evil Tiger Gang, waived the family's protection payments but warned that Zhang Mingfei's death could draw retaliation from a rival gang. Zhou recognized both the danger and Wang's attempt to use him against an enemy 25.

Warehouse Employment and Hidden Strength

Through Lian Taoze, Zhou accepted a relatively safe warehouse-guarding post with the Lian Household. Assigned to Warehouse No. 2 in Qingtian District, he initially needed only two daily patrols and could devote much of his time to cultivation. Lian secured three additional monthly doses of Blood-Boiling Powder for him, and taught him Wild Bull Fist 27.

Zhou settled beside the warehouse, sold his former residence, and invested heavily in Blood Deer meat and medicine. Du Song's failure to complete Initiation and departure from martial training reinforced his determination to continue. After reaching Minor Accomplishment in Wild Bull Fist, Zhou killed a troublesome medicine rat with one punch and arranged to sell its valuable remains 28 29.

His warehouse duties exposed internal wrongdoing. Chen He confessed that Du Ruming was the mastermind behind the misconduct; Zhou killed the traitorous Du, stabilized the warehouse, and organized the aftermath. Lian Taofei later thanked him for uncovering theft and shortages at Warehouse No. 2 31 32 40.

After rescuing an elderly woman and her granddaughter from the reckless Li and Shang procession, Zhou briefly encountered the Shang family's veiled young lady. Her gaze affected his mind until the Divine Statue intervened. The encounter, and the political implications of Azure City's arrival, strengthened his resolve to improve quickly. Back at the warehouse, he consumed flesh reishi, advanced his skin toward gold, and unlocked Crimson Baleful Transformation through Blood Incense 34 35.

Zhou selectively revealed his fist-technique progress to Master Zheng, earning another three months of free Qi-Blood Soup. When he suspected Ma Pengcheng was arranging his assassination, he feigned submission, lured Ma into an alley, blinded him with pufferfish poison, and killed him using Golden Skin and Crimson Baleful Transformation. He recovered silver and the Record of Concealed Blades, then destroyed identifying evidence on the corpse. Master Zheng later judged the killer to be near the peak of the First Rank, clearing Zhou of suspicion and ending the investigation 36 37 38 39.

Hunting and the Clear River Gang

After attending Lian Taoze's wedding, Zhou spent two months intensively cultivating and reached First-Rank Major Accomplishment. His dwindling finances led him to consider the Night Patrol Bureau's covert Night Guard posts after Qin Feng explained their freedom to travel outside the city. Zhou hoped the Divine Statue could turn environmental Black Mist into cultivation fuel 40 41.

He confirmed this outside Black City: Miasma Poison entering through his breath and skin became Mist Incense. While exploring the Black Flesh Forest, he rescued Jiang Qin from a Blood-Horned Bear and accepted Lin Xuan's offer of half the beast in return for finishing the hunt. After Zhou killed the bear, the pair reduced the promised share, demanded his possessions, and threatened his life. Zhou transformed, killed both, concealed the bodies, and returned with the bear's materials 47 48.

Selling bear meat to the Nan Family Medicine Shop brought him more than thirty taels, and his combined earnings approached fifty taels. He also accepted a nominal guardian position paying five taels monthly plus the cash value of the offered white meat. Nan Zhiyi's open interest in him introduced a growing personal connection alongside the business relationship 49.

Zhou continued hunting and accumulating combat experience, then burned more than five feet of Mist Incense to bring Wild Bull Fist to Major Accomplishment. He infiltrated the Clear River Gang headquarters and learned that Yin Mengbo intended to abduct Zhou Yu for mysterious patrons protected by the Black Armor Gang and Four-Family Alliance. Posing as a blood-covered messenger reporting an Azure Guard raid, Zhou ambushed Yin, blinded him with poison, transformed, and killed him. He also killed Yin's two concubines and attacked the gang members in the courtyard; the gang was subsequently reported destroyed overnight. Zhou rescued abducted young women and recovered approximately one hundred taels and the Wind-Riding Steps manual 50 51 52 53.

Publicly demonstrating Major Accomplishment Wild Bull Fist earned Zhou greater recognition. Lian Taoze increased his monthly stipend by three taels and added three portions of Blood-Boiling Powder, while Master Zheng rewarded him with five Blood-Boiling Pills. Zhang Han apologized for his former hostility and paid twenty taels, which Zhou accepted without pursuing the grudge further 52 53.

Political Neutrality and Marriage Prospects

Zhou repeatedly rejected recruitment into either the Four-Family Alliance or the new city lord's faction, remaining loyal to Lian Taoze and the Lian Household. As other retainers defected for greater rewards, Qin Feng was transferred and Zhou became responsible for Warehouse No. 2. Both Zhao Tianhong and Lian Taoze acknowledged his loyalty 44 45 53.

Master Zheng suggested Sun Yingying as a financially advantageous marriage prospect, but she rejected the idea and Zhou had no interest in her either. Lian Taoze subsequently introduced the possibilities of Cheng Xiaoxiao, Ding Xian'er, and Bai Tangyin. Zhou was willing to consider a supportive marriage but insisted that he would not marry into a wife's family 53 56.

The Cheng Household declined because of his perceived limited cultivation prospects, and Ding Xian'er's demand for an incoming son-in-law contradicted his condition. Zhou and Bai Tangyin enjoyed a promising meeting, but her father Bai Qingtian rejected the match in favor of a more politically useful Second-Rank husband. Zhou later received the household's rejection letter and accepted it without dwelling on the matter. Lian Taoze also helped him find a possible new residence in Flying Bear District, prompting excitement and financial concern within his family 56 57 58.

First-Rank Perfection and the Jiang Household

Jiang Tianming's hostility over Jiang Qin's death convinced Zhou to improve his mobility and conceal incriminating loot more carefully. He studied Wind-Riding Steps, consumed Master Zheng's five pills, and purchased more despite rising medicine prices. These expenditures advanced his cultivation and brought the movement technique to Minor Accomplishment 55.

After another month of intensive cultivation and outside-city hunts, Zhou used accumulated Mist Incense to perfect his First-Rank Blood Vitality and Golden Skin. He then improved Wind-Riding Steps to Major Accomplishment. His regular successful hunts made him familiar to the gate guards, while repeated combat gave him a pronounced killing intent. He also grew closer to Nan Zhiyi, who invited him to the Lantern Festival 61.

Jiang Tianming followed him outside the city, but Zhou's habitual bluffing in concealed terrain drew him out. Zhou defeated the Second-Rank swordsman without using Crimson Baleful Transformation. When Jiang threatened his family, Zhou killed him, took his gold and silver, and left the body for forest beasts. Concluding that the Jiang Household would retaliate, he returned to Black City and ambushed Jiang Chuan that night 62 63 64.

Jiang Chuan detected the rooftop approach, but Zhou activated Crimson Baleful Transformation and overcame the household head's swordsmanship with Golden Skin, Major Accomplishment Wind-Riding Steps, and powerful fist attacks. He killed Jiang Chuan, coerced servants into revealing the household's wealth, and escaped with the valuables. Zhao Tianhong's nearby patrol deliberately waited until the fighting ended before entering, unknowingly allowing his own junior brother to leave 64 65.

As factional violence worsened, Zhou advised Nan Zhiyi's family to remain cautious and quietly bought hot buns for starving children and exhausted women. At the hall, he discovered that Ye Lingtian had also perfected his Blood Vitality and wondered whether his senior brother possessed a hidden advantage comparable to his own. Zhou remained focused on eventual Second-Rank advancement and on the Lian Household's worsening situation 67.

Appearance

Initially described as thin and frail, Zhou's body rapidly changed after using Mist Incense to advance his cultivation. By his First-Rank breakthrough, he had grown several inches taller and could display a dark bronze sheen across his Copper Skin 7 17.

• Initially wears the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall's black-and-gray training uniform when attending the hall 4.
• Carries a date-red Zheng Martial Arts Hall token, which grants him visible status and protection in Qingtian District 4 8.
• His fully activated Copper Skin gives his body a dark bronze luster and metallic resilience 17.
• Changes into the Ordinary Disciples' gray clothing, made of unusually durable silk, after formal recognition 19.
• Flesh reishi changes the bronze hue of his activated skin to pale gold; after First-Rank Perfection, its golden radiance becomes solid and subdued 35 61.
• Crimson Baleful Transformation enlarges him into a towering, broad-shouldered, bestial figure with crimson eyes and lengthened black hair; his hair reaches his waist during the attack on Yin Mengbo 48 51.
• Nan Zhiyi considers him handsome and is openly impressed by his muscular arms 49.
• Repeated hunting and fighting give him a noticeable aura of killing intent 61.

Personality

Zhou is practical, ambitious, and sharply aware that poverty offers no lasting protection. He does not romanticize martial arts: to him, cultivation is a way to secure food, safety, status, and a future for his family. He carefully listens to instruction, measures the value of food and resources, and conceals his Divine Statue rather than relying on public recognition 5 7 11.

His strongest attachment is to his immediate family. He refuses to let Zhou Yu be sold to the Chen Residence, tends to his injured father, and treats his family's small successes as motivation to continue advancing 2 9 16. This protectiveness can become extreme; when Zhang Mingfei threatens his household, Zhou resolves to kill rather than tolerate a continuing risk 9 10.

Zhou is also increasingly strategic and ruthless. He absorbs Master Zheng's lesson that survival favors concealment, surprise attacks, decisive force, and escape. Against Ma Pengcheng, he initially avoids an open fight he cannot yet win, intending instead to act only once he holds overwhelming superiority 14 18.

His later conduct develops this approach into deliberate deception and preemptive violence. He exploits Ma Pengcheng's greed through false submission, disguises himself to ambush Yin Mengbo, destroys evidence after killings, and attacks Jiang Chuan rather than waiting for retaliation against his family. He reviews his own mistakes afterward, particularly the weaknesses of crude poison delivery and the danger of keeping incriminating loot 37 38 51 55 64 65.

Concealment does not mean appearing permanently weak. Zhou concludes that selectively displaying achievements is necessary to obtain investment, support, and protection. He therefore reveals his fist-technique attainments while keeping the Divine Statue, Golden Skin's full implications, and his transformation secret from the hall 29 36 52.

He remains loyal to those who have genuinely helped him. Despite better offers and the Lian Household's decline, he refuses factional recruitment and retains his allegiance to Lian Taoze. His political caution reflects both gratitude and a desire to avoid becoming expendable in struggles among greater powers 39 44 45 53 67.

His ruthlessness coexists with compassion beyond his immediate family. He saves an elderly woman and her granddaughter from trampling, rescues Jiang Qin despite later being betrayed, frees abducted young women, and discreetly feeds starving civilians. After killing Lin Xuan and Jiang Qin, he still believes he may choose to save others again 34 47 48 53 67.

Marriage is acceptable to him as both a personal relationship and a possible source of cultivation support, but he rejects losing his independence through marrying into another household. He is receptive to gentle, mutually agreeable partners and does not take rejected proposals as a personal humiliation. He also considers obtaining intimacy through the pressure of power unacceptable without affection 53 56 57 58 60.

Crimson Baleful Transformation introduces a threat to his self-control. Although it initially appears physically consequence-free, subsequent uses intensify his pleasure in killing and urge to slaughter. Zhou recognizes this danger and tries to finish transformed battles quickly before the impulse overwhelms him 35 48 52 64 65.

Abilities & Skills

Divine Statue

A mysterious statue located within Zhou Chen's mind, visible only to him. It purifies Miasma Poison accumulated from contaminated food and converts it into Mist Incense.

• Prevents Miasma Poison from accumulating in his body, protecting him from mutation and its associated shortened lifespan 1.
• Converts purified poison into Mist Incense, allowing contaminated Black Meat to become both food and cultivation fuel 1 7.
• Burning one foot of Mist Incense grants 200 proficiency points toward a displayed skill or realm 1 7.
• Displays his cultivation stage and numerical progress, letting him track advancement precisely 1 6.
• A short piece of Red Incense appeared after he killed Zhang Mingfei and his men; Zhou initially suspected, but could not confirm, that it might be generated through killing 17.
• Protects him against the Shang young lady's soul-affecting gaze, lighting up and allowing him to break free of her influence 35.
• Converts environmental Miasma Poison entering through breath and skin into Mist Incense. Outside-city Black Mist alone can supply approximately one inch daily; combining it with dried Blood Deer meat can raise this to two inches 47.
• Allows Mist Incense to accelerate Wild Bull Fist and Wind-Riding Steps as well as his cultivation realm 27 29 50 55 61.
• Controls the violent Blood Vitality surge during his First-Rank Perfection breakthrough and guides it through the Realm Barrier without requiring him to tame it unaided 61.
• Blood Incense powers Crimson Baleful Transformation; the killing of Jiang Chuan supplies additional blood incense, confirming a connection between killing and its accumulation 35 65.

Skin Tempering and Coiling Python Stance Technique

Zhou learned the Zheng hall's internal Stake-Standing Exercise, the Coiling Python Stance Technique, to build qi, blood, and physical strength.

• Uses stance training and nourishment to increase his First-Rank Skin Tempering cultivation 5 6.
• Can sustain unusually severe training because Black Meat supplies both nutrition and Miasma Poison for the Divine Statue 12 16.
• His vigorous qi and blood broke the Echoing Wraith's dream-lure before he could open his door 11 12.
• His lower-middle bone aptitude makes ordinary training inefficient; before using Mist Incense, a full morning produced only two additional proficiency points 4 6.
• Uses the stance to control and absorb flesh reishi's potentially overwhelming medicinal power, rather than allowing it to run unchecked through his body 35.
• Blood-Boiling Powder accelerates his Blood Vitality circulation by approximately half, improving training efficiency; Blood-Boiling Pills provide concentrated nourishment that he refines through the stance 28 55.
• At Major Accomplishment, his concentrated Blood Vitality resembles a furnace and melts nearby frost; at Perfection, it supports flawlessly tempered Golden Skin 41 61.
• Has reached First-Rank Perfection but has not yet been shown advancing to the Second Rank 61 67.

Copper Skin

A superior form of skin tempering achieved immediately upon reaching First-Rank Minor Accomplishment.

• Far exceeds the standard Iron Skin commonly attained by First-Rank martial artists 17.
• Greatly increases his skin's durability and his physical strength 17.
• Gives his skin a dark bronze sheen when he circulates qi and blood at full force 17.
• Initially gives him the potential to pursue Golden Skin if he obtains sufficient resources; he later realizes this potential through flesh reishi and continued cultivation 17 35 38.

Golden Skin

Zhou's advanced skin-tempering achievement, developed after consuming flesh reishi and perfected alongside his First-Rank Blood Vitality.

• Flesh reishi changes his activated skin from bronze to pale gold and sharply increases toughness and strength 35.
• Makes ordinary sharp weapons difficult to use against him and withstands Ma Pengcheng's full-force attack 35 38.
• Jiang Qin's sword and Yin Mengbo's concealed weapons fail to meaningfully penetrate his defenses during Crimson Baleful Transformation 48 51.
• Becomes flawless at First-Rank Perfection, with a subdued rather than dazzling golden radiance 61.
• Supports victory over the Second-Rank Jiang Tianming without transformation and allows Zhou to withstand Jiang Chuan's sword strikes with only minor wounds while transformed; it is therefore highly resilient, not absolutely invulnerable 63 64 65.

Wild Bull Fist

The Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall's external combat technique, taught to Zhou by Lian Taoze after he became an Ordinary Disciple.

• Appears on his cultivation panel and can be advanced with Mist Incense 27.
• Reaches Minor Accomplishment after burning three feet of incense, allowing him to kill a dog-sized medicine rat with one blow 29.
• Requires comprehension of Blood Bull Charge's fearless, unstoppable momentum and smooth control over releasing and withdrawing force to attain Major Accomplishment 41.
• Benefits from Zhao Tianhong's strict instruction on generating punching power from the legs 43.
• Reaches Major Accomplishment at 207/3000, making Zhou the hall's first First-Rank practitioner shown attaining that level 50.
• Combines heavy offensive power with Golden Skin and transformation to overwhelm Yin Mengbo, a First-Rank Perfection opponent 51.
• Allows him to spar evenly with Lian Taoze when Lian suppresses his strength to the First Rank 52.
• Works with Major Accomplishment Wind-Riding Steps to defeat Second-Rank opponents by exploiting openings and changes in momentum 63 65.
• The art possesses a higher Force Realm granting Wild Bull Force, a ranged punching secret technique; Zhou has learned of it but has not attained it 5.

Wind-Riding Steps

A superior movement-oriented leg technique recovered from the destroyed Clear River Gang. Yin Mengbo had obtained its manual from Wang Ming.

• Has no direct killing moves, but increases speed for combat, travel, pursuit, and escape 51 53 55.
• Complements Wild Bull Fist's powerful but comparatively immobile attacks 55.
• Progresses faster once Zhou has already mastered Wild Bull Fist to Major Accomplishment; Mist Incense accelerates its advancement 55.
• Reaches Minor Accomplishment at 56/2000, then Major Accomplishment at 89/3000 55 61.
• At Major Accomplishment, restructures his leg muscles, greatly improves his speed and ability to use air currents, and produces blurred afterimages 61.
• Lets him circle behind Jiang Tianming while the latter is airborne and attack before the swordsman can regain footing 63.
• Enables him to pursue and overwhelm Jiang Chuan when the household head tries to retreat 65.

Crimson Baleful Transformation

A secret ability Zhou names after activating the Divine Statue's Blood Incense. It enlarges and alters his body while greatly enhancing combat power.

• More than doubles strength, speed, and defense in its first test; his transformed punch at First-Rank Minor Accomplishment is comparable to a full-power First-Rank Major Accomplishment attack 35.
• Enlarges his frame, lengthens his hair, turns his eyes crimson, and produces intense, bestial Blood Vitality pressure 48 51.
• One inch of Blood Incense can sustain it for approximately fifteen minutes; Zhou can extinguish the incense voluntarily to end the transformation 35 48.
• Initially causes no apparent physical exhaustion, weakness, or immediate backlash 35.
• Later proves psychologically dangerous, intensifying murderous pleasure and the urge to slaughter. Prolonged use threatens his ability to remain deliberate and self-controlled 48 52 64 65.
• Combines with Golden Skin to provide overwhelming offense and defense against Ma Pengcheng, Lin Xuan, Jiang Qin, Yin Mengbo, and Jiang Chuan 38 48 51 64 65.
• Zhou senses that further cultivation may unlock additional aspects of the ability, but these remain unrealized 35.

Fish-Cutting Saber Technique

His principal pre-martial skill, refined through his work as a fish seller.

• Reached Major Accomplishment at 2560/3000 proficiency before he began formal martial training 1.
• Allows him to rapidly gut and process grotesquely mutated fish 1.
• He deliberately avoided spending Mist Incense on it, believing martial cultivation would offer a greater future than becoming a better fish cutter 1.

Improvised Combat Tactics

Zhou adopts Master Zheng's pragmatic approach to combat: conceal his strength, ambush opponents, strike decisively, and flee if necessary.

• Used ash to blind Zhang Mingfei before crushing his skull with a stone 10.
• Keeps a fish-killing knife concealed in his clothing when traveling through dangerous alleys 3.
• Collected pufferfish poison sacs to make concealed poison pouches from powdered toxin, ash, dirt, and fish bladders 14.
• Initially avoided fighting Ma Pengcheng openly because Ma's longer cultivation and more advanced fist art made him the stronger combatant at that time 18.
• Feigned apology and submission to Ma, disguising a pufferfish poison sac as a valuable Blood-Boiling Pill before throwing it into his eyes 37.
• Studies the Record of Concealed Blades, which includes weapon construction and “verbal concealed weapons”: false surrender, feigned respect, misleading speech, and other psychological methods of lowering an enemy's guard 38.
• Constructs “Heaven and Earth Within the Sleeves,” a sleeve mechanism for spraying powder into an opponent's face, and makes more than a dozen coin darts 39.
• Uses a false Azure Guard raid report to approach Yin Mengbo, then combines a surprise punch, poison, transformation, and Wild Bull Fist 51.
• Habitually calls out imaginary pursuers in concealed terrain; this bluff exposes Jiang Tianming even though Zhou had not genuinely detected him 62.
• Recognizes after fighting Jiang Tianming that his existing poison is less effective against Second-Rank opponents and that stronger formulas may be needed 63.
• Destroys or conceals bodies and identifying evidence after killings; later recognizes that retaining loot linked to victims can undermine those precautions 38 48 55 64 65.

Hunting and Survival Preparation

Zhou develops practical outside-city experience to supplement cultivation and relieve financial pressure.

• Studies a handbook on Black Mist, mutated beasts, and Mist Monsters, learning that specific weaknesses and precautions can matter more than raw strength 45.
• Kills a wounded Blood-Horned Bear with a decisive Wild Bull Fist strike and processes its meat and bones for sale 47 48 49.
• Regularly hunts strange beasts and Mist Monsters, combining income generation, actual combat experience, contaminated meat consumption, and direct Black Mist absorption 50 61.
• Maintains a concealed mountain cave stocked with supplies as an emergency refuge if forced to remain outside the city overnight 62.
• Earns recognition from gate guards through frequent successful returns, rather than through openly revealing his full abilities 61.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Fish-killing knife — Work tool and concealed defensive weapon 3.
• Zheng Martial Arts Hall token — Date-red status token that deters local thugs and identifies him as a hall disciple 4 8.
• Pufferfish poison sacs — Collected as ingredients for blinding and disorienting poison pouches; one is disguised as a Blood-Boiling Pill during his ambush of Ma Pengcheng 14 37.
• Mist Incense — Divine Statue-generated incense that converts accumulated Miasma Poison into cultivation progress; can also be accumulated directly from outside-city Black Mist 1 7 47.
• Blood Incense / Red Incense — A second incense associated with killing, used to power Crimson Baleful Transformation 17 35 65.
• Ordinary Disciple clothing — Gray martial-hall clothing made of durable silk 19.
• Lian Household waist token — Datewood token identifying him as an employed martial guard 27.
• Blood-Boiling Powder — Medicine used for cultivation support and Zhou Tian's recovery; the Lian Household supplies additional monthly doses 21 27 28 52.
• Blood-Boiling Pills — Concentrated medicine, with one pill containing as much Blood Vitality as ten powder doses. Master Zheng gives him five, and Zhou subsequently purchases more 52 55.
• Blood Deer meat — Expensive cultivation food used to nourish Blood Vitality and efficiently accumulate Mist Incense; dried meat is carried outside the city 28 47.
• Flesh reishi / Flesh Lingzhi — A medicinal treasure worth approximately a thousand taels, consumed to advance his skin toward gold 35.
• Record of Concealed Blades — Manual recovered from Ma Pengcheng, covering concealed-weapon use, construction, and psychological deception 38.
• Heaven and Earth Within the Sleeves — Concealed sleeve mechanism that sprays powder into an opponent's face 39.
• Coin darts — More than a dozen concealed projectiles made from the manual's instructions, costing several taels 39.
• Zhou Yu's green pouch — A handmade protective pouch from his sister, which he warmly accepts and wears despite its rough stitching 38.
• Wind-Riding Steps manual — Movement-art manual looted from the Clear River Gang headquarters 53 55.
• Outside-city survival handbook — Reference for environmental hazards and Mist Monsters' particular weaknesses 45.
• Emergency cave supplies — Provisions maintained in a concealed mountain cave for an unplanned overnight stay outside Black City 62.

Relationships

• Zhou Tian — Father; a fisherman who endured injury and poverty to secure Zhou Chen's chance to train. He entrusted Zhou with the Black Taisui and continues supporting his ambitions. Zhou's advancement later preserves his father's employment and allows him safer recovery work after another serious injury 2 9 21.
• Zhang Fang — Mother; works alongside the family, worries over Zhou's future, and repeatedly sacrifices food and comfort for his training. Her son's success restores her confidence, although she continues worrying about cultivation expenses and the cost of a better residence 2 9 16 22 58.
• Zhou Yu — Younger sister; Zhou's most immediate protective concern. She offered to sacrifice herself for his tuition, which Zhou fiercely rejected. Improved circumstances make her healthier and more cheerful; she gives him a handmade green pouch, while he buys her the sweets previously beyond the family's means 2 9 38 45.
• Zhang Ying — Cousin and meat seller; generous, hot-tempered, and supportive of Zhou's martial path. She gives him Gray Meat despite her own household's financial strain. His First-Rank status later helps her obtain lighter supervisory work with better pay 8 11 25.
• Sun Yang — Zhang Ying's husband; benefits from Zhou's rise through reassignment from delivery work to warehouse duties 25.
• Old Master Zhou — Grandfather whose favoritism toward the eldest branch helped deprive Zhou of his savings and clan protection. After Zhou becomes a Martial Warrior, the grandfather regrets his treatment but attempts to reclaim him as the household's promising descendant 2 22 23.
• Zhou Tao and Feng Yuyun — Uncle and aunt involved in stealing his training funds and abusing his father. Zhou physically punishes both before neighborhood witnesses after his breakthrough 2 23.
• Zhou Ping — Favored cousin whose employment connections were financed with Zhou Chen's stolen savings. His supposed prospects underpin the extended household's dismissal of Zhou Chen 2 22.
• Master Zheng — Master of the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall; accepted the Black Taisui fairly and granted Zhou a three-month opportunity despite his poor aptitude. Formally recognizes his breakthrough, extends his Qi-Blood Soup allowance, and rewards Major Accomplishment Wild Bull Fist with five Blood-Boiling Pills. He praises Zhou's comprehension but remains uncertain about his ability to cross the Second-Rank barrier 4 19 37 52.
• Lian Taoze — Eldest Senior Brother and Zhou's primary instructor; teaches him the Zheng hall's cultivation system and consistently treats him with warmth despite his background. Recommends his warehouse employment, secures medicinal support, raises his stipend, arranges marriage introductions, and helps find a residence. Zhou remains loyal despite the Lian Household's decline, and Lian intercepts Jiang Tianming's sudden attack on him 5 6 16 27 45 52 53 56 58.
• Ma Ge — Hall gatekeeper acquainted with Zhou through fish deliveries; helped bring him before Master Zheng and tried to protect him from humiliation. After Zhou's formal recognition, he offers practical advice about senior instructors, employment, and advancement 3 4 19.
• Du Song — Fellow poor disciple and genuine friend; remains supportive when other disciples distance themselves from Zhou over Ma Pengcheng. Fails to complete Initiation and leaves martial training, sharing his grief and plans for an ordinary life with Zhou over drinks 12 18 28.
• Ye Lingtian — Supportive senior disciple, orphan, friend, and sparring partner. Gives Zhou Blood-Boiling Powder after his breakthrough, explains political developments, accompanies him to Lian Taoze's wedding, and joins him in refusing factional recruitment. Zhou later suspects he may possess a hidden advantage after discovering that Ye has also perfected his Blood Vitality 20 36 39 40 43 44 67.
• Zhao Tianhong — Third Senior Brother and serious martial instructor. Publicly notices Zhou's Major Accomplishment breakthrough and teaches him practical fist mechanics. Later leads a patrol that avoids intervening in Zhou's battle with Jiang Chuan, without knowing the assailant is his junior brother 40 43 45 65.
• Lian Yunfeng — Lian Household authority who reluctantly approves three extra monthly powder doses for Zhou after Taoze requests five 27.
• Lian Taofei — Lian Taoze's cousin; thanks Zhou for exposing theft and shortages at Warehouse No. 2, admiring his diligence while privately doubting his long-term prospects because of his physique 40.
• Chen He — Warehouse guard whose initial obsequious respect turns into involvement in warehouse misconduct. Zhou forces him to confess Du Ruming's responsibility 28 29 31.
• Du Ruming — Initial warehouse colleague from Plum Rain Martial Hall, outwardly friendly and competent. Identified as the mastermind behind warehouse wrongdoing and killed by Zhou as a traitor 28 31 32.
• Qin Feng — Respectful warehouse acquaintance who introduces the Night Patrol Bureau's covert posts and outside-city opportunities. His later transfer leaves Zhou responsible for Warehouse No. 2 41 45.
• Zhang Mingfei — Local thug tied to the Clear River Gang who targeted Zhou Yu; Zhou killed him after discovering the planned abduction. The killing later becomes a pretext for Yin Mengbo's attention to Zhou's family 1 9 10 41.
• Ma Pengcheng — Senior Ordinary Disciple who repeatedly pressures Zhou to surrender his Qi-Blood Soup. Zhou initially waits until stronger; after suspecting Ma of planning an assassination, he ambushes and kills him, recovering the Record of Concealed Blades 17 18 37 38.
• Zhang Han — Ma Pengcheng's pockmarked follower and former antagonist. Becomes fearful of Zhou's rise and later apologizes with twenty taels, which Zhou accepts to settle the matter 43 53.
• Wang Ming — Evil Tiger Gang leader who waives the family's protection payments and warns Zhou of the gang investigation into Zhang Mingfei's death, partly to undermine his own rival 25.
• Yin Mengbo — Clear River Gang leader, First-Rank Perfection martial artist, and intended kidnapper of Zhou Yu. Zhou infiltrates his headquarters and kills him through deception, poison, transformation, and Wild Bull Fist 41 51.
• Lin Xuan and Jiang Qin — Hunters whose Blood-Horned Bear fight draws Zhou's intervention. He saves Jiang Qin and finishes the hunt, but they betray the reward agreement and threaten him; he kills both and conceals their bodies 47 48.
• Jiang Tianming — Jiang Qin's brother and a Second-Rank swordsman seeking revenge. After Lian Taoze blocks an initial attack, Jiang later follows Zhou outside Black City and loses their duel. Zhou kills him when he threatens the Zhou family 53 55 61 63 64.
• Jiang Chuan — Jiang Household head and Second-Rank protector. Orders Zhou's quiet capture, then is killed when Zhou preemptively attacks to prevent retaliation against his family 55 64 65.
• Nan Yunyang — Nan Family Medicine Shop owner who purchases Zhou's hunting materials and employs him as a nominal guardian during the city's unrest 49 61.
• Nan Zhiyi — Nan Yunyang's daughter; openly attracted to Zhou, who also finds her appealing. Their business contact develops into closeness, and she invites him to the Lantern Festival. She defends him when Bai Liuli calls him timid, and shares his preference for cautious stability 49 61 67.
• Bai Tangyin — Marriage prospect introduced by Lian Taoze. She and Zhou are mutually attracted and enjoy a comfortable first meeting, but her father rejects the match for political reasons and confines her. Zhou receives the household's refusal without learning the full circumstances of her opposition to it 56 57 58.
• Cheng Xiaoxiao — Proposed marriage prospect whose household declines because they consider Zhou unlikely to reach the Second Rank 56.
• Ding Xian'er — Proposed marriage prospect whose insistence on an incoming son-in-law makes the match incompatible with Zhou's condition 56.
• Sun Yingying — Senior sister who dismisses Zhou's prospects and rejects Master Zheng's suggested marriage. Zhou has no affection for her and is untroubled by the refusal 16 52 53.
• Liu Fei — Senior sister who initially declines to sponsor Zhou, then regrets the missed opportunity after his rapid advancement 16 43.
• Shen Ao — Elitist senior disciple who dismisses Zhou's value and later aligns with the new city lord. His pressure on the Lian Household places him against the interests of Zhou's employer and benefactor 7 37 56 58.
• Zhang Shaojiu — Wealthily sponsored fellow disciple whose pride and jealousy are provoked by Zhou's unexpectedly rapid fist mastery and matching cultivation progress 7 36 37 44.
• Jiang Yan and Wan Yingying — Recruiters who repeatedly try to draw Zhou into the Four-Family Alliance. He declines, later receiving cordial treatment as his strength becomes harder to disregard 44 53.
• Shang family's young lady — Unnamed, extremely powerful carriage passenger whose soul-affecting gaze Zhou resists through the Divine Statue. She notices his unusual resistance, while he recognizes how far her strength exceeds his own 35.

Notable Quotes

“Ambush, strike, run.” 14

“Whoever dared touch his family had to die!” 10

“Am I qualified now?” 48

“Two moves, and I'll take you down!” 51

“One thing, Senior Martial Brother. I need to make it clear up front: I won't marry into her family.” 56

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