Jiang Shan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Jiang Shan (姜山)
Alias(es)	First Master Jiang; Jiang Family's First Master
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jiang Family; First Branch
Occupation/Role	Co-ruler and acting Family Head of the Jiang Family alongside Jiang He
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 16

Background

Jiang Shan is the First Master of the Jiang Family and the eldest of the late Family Head's four sons. After his second brother Jiang Hai disappeared during a family mission ten years earlier, Jiang Hai's authority was divided between Jiang Shan and their third brother, Jiang He. Following the old Family Head's death, the two became the family’s effective rulers while the formal succession remained unresolved. 16

The missing Family Head's Seal is essential to Jiang Shan's ambition: under Jiang Family rules, only its holder can rightfully become Family Head. He and Jiang He have searched unsuccessfully for the seal for ten years. 24

Appearance

Jiang Shan presents himself as a refined, scholarly middle-aged man, in contrast to his forceful conduct within the family.

• Dresses like a scholar.
• Has two thin mustaches.
• Carries and habitually shakes a folding fan. 16

Personality

Jiang Shan is composed, calculating, and markedly more restrained than Jiang He. He prepares political moves in advance, frames self-serving decisions as reasonable policy, and avoids risks that could damage his position. 17 18 20

His overriding goal is to secure legitimate control of the Jiang Family through the Family Head's Seal. This ambition leads him to prioritize political advantage over familial duty, including arranging Jiang Tingyi's marriage to Wang Sheng and attempting to divert her Skyreach Academy admission slot to his own daughter, Jiang Yuewu. 23 24 48

He can maintain an outwardly calm demeanor even after major setbacks. After losing one thousand Lesser Origin Pills to Su Chen, he quickly suppresses his anger and continues pursuing his larger agenda. 22

Abilities & Skills

Essence Condensation Realm Cultivation

Jiang Shan is a Seventh Layer Essence Condensation Realm expert, far stronger than the younger Qi-Attraction Realm cultivators within the Jiang Family. 23

• Can release overwhelming pressure that disrupts nearby family members' blood and qi and makes breathing difficult. 23
• Uses his cultivation to intimidate Xu Yin and enforce the arranged marriage of Jiang Tingyi. 23

Sound-Convergence Thread

Jiang Shan can use Sound-Convergence Thread to communicate privately with Jiang Mingxuan during the clan assembly. 21

• Secretly ordered Jiang Mingxuan to accept Su Chen's replacement duel in an attempt to recover the five hundred Lesser Origin Pills already wagered. 21

Political Manipulation

Jiang Shan repeatedly engineers disputes so that the First Branch benefits while his actions appear justified.

• Proposed a martial contest between Jiang Tingyi and Jiang Mingxuan to decide the Second Branch's pill allotment, exploiting the superior sword technique he had secretly taught his son. 18 19
• Backed the reduction of the Second Branch's Lesser Origin Pills while arguing that investing in Xu Yin and Jiang Tingyi was a poor return for the family. 17 18
• Treated the marriage of Jiang Tingyi to Wang Sheng as a political exchange for Wang Family benefits. 23
• Planned to use Sinew-Softening Powder to weaken Jiang Tingyi before the Skyreach Academy admission dispute, allowing Jiang Yuewu to appear superior. 48

Relationships

• Jiang He — Younger brother, co-ruler, and political ally; together they control the Jiang Family while seeking the Family Head's Seal. 16 24
• Jiang Mingxuan — Son and chosen future heir; Jiang Shan secretly taught him the Azure Wood Swordsmanship and promised him the Family Head position. 19 28
• Jiang Yuewu — Daughter; Jiang Shan intends for her to receive Jiang Tingyi's Skyreach Academy admission slot. 48
• Jiang Hai — Missing second brother; Jiang Shan absorbed part of Jiang Hai's former authority after his disappearance. 16
• Xu Yin — Sister-in-law and political opponent; Jiang Shan targets her branch's cultivation resources and dismisses her objections through rank and force. 17 18 23
• Jiang Tingyi — Niece; Jiang Shan arranged her marriage to Wang Sheng and later plotted to undermine her academy admission. 22 23 48
• Su Chen — Opponent and manipulator of Jiang Shan's ambition; Su Chen deceived him with a false location for the Family Head's Seal in exchange for canceling Tingyi's marriage. 24 25
• Wang Sheng — Proposed nephew-in-law through Jiang Tingyi; Jiang Shan canceled the marriage agreement to obtain the supposed location of the Family Head's Seal. 23 25
• Jiang Feng — Younger brother; unlike Jiang Shan, Jiang Feng supports Xu Yin and Su Chen at the clan assembly. 17

Story Role / Major Arcs

Jiang Family Clan Assembly

Jiang Shan begins the assembly by supporting Jiang He's proposal to reduce the Second Branch's monthly Lesser Origin Pill allocation. He argues for the cut with calculated language, while Xu Yin exposes that his branch had already taken pills meant for her family. 17

When Xu Yin argues that resources should follow talent, Jiang Shan turns the principle against her by arranging a duel between Jiang Tingyi and Jiang Mingxuan. He allows Mingxuan to switch to the secretly taught Yellow Grade Middle Tier Azure Wood Swordsmanship, securing Tingyi's defeat and reducing the Second Branch's allocation from ten pills to two. 18 19

He then accepts Su Chen's five-hundred-pill wager against Jiang Minghao and escalates the conflict through Jiang Mingxuan. Both schemes fail when Su Chen defeats Jiang Minghao and then defeats the Ninth Layer Jiang Mingxuan despite cultivating at the Eighth Layer. Jiang Shan is forced to issue a promissory note for one thousand Lesser Origin Pills. 20 21 22

Jiang Tingyi's Marriage Arrangement

Immediately after the duels, Jiang Shan announces that Jiang Tingyi will marry Wang Sheng of the Wang Family. He declares the decision final and uses his Seventh Layer Essence Condensation cultivation to silence Xu Yin's resistance. 22 23

Su Chen exploits Jiang Shan's desire for the Family Head's Seal, offering its supposed location in exchange for canceling the engagement. Jiang Shan chooses the seal over the Wang Family alliance, personally dissolving the marriage arrangement. 24 25

The False Seal Search

Believing Su Chen's map, Jiang Shan sends guards to excavate a collapsed cave twenty li northwest of Clear River City. The cave is real, but Su Chen fabricated the seal's location to buy time before Jiang Shan discovers the deception. 25

The canceled marriage enrages the Wang Family, which expels Jiang Shan and Jiang He and ends its business cooperation with the Jiang Family. 25

Succession and Skyreach Academy Plot

Jiang Shan maintains an alliance with Jiang He and views Jiang Minghao's alchemical prospects as an asset to their faction. He promises Jiang Mingxuan that he will eventually inherit the Jiang Family once Jiang Shan obtains the Family Head's Seal. 28

According to Su Chen's knowledge of his previous life, Jiang Shan later plans to seize Jiang Tingyi's Skyreach Academy admission slot for Jiang Yuewu. The scheme includes secretly poisoning Tingyi with Sinew-Softening Powder before the old madam's birthday banquet. 48

Notable Quotes

“The marriage has been decided! No matter how much trouble you make, it cannot be changed!” 23

“As long as you tell us where the Family Head's Seal is, I can promise to cancel Tingyi's marriage arrangement with the Wang Family!” 24