Zhou Yingjun

Biodata

Name	Zhou Yingjun (周英俊)
Alias(es)	Young Gang Leader; Hall Master; Academy Master; Headmaster
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great River Gang; Veteran's Trade House; White Ape Martial Academy
Occupation/Role	Former young leader of the Great River Gang; founder and head of the White Ape Martial Academy
First Appearance	5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Ninth Rank / Bright Force	5	Described as the Great River Gang's strongest active fighter beneath old gang leader Zhou Tianxiong. His tendons, bones, skin, and flesh are tempered to perfection; he wields a refined-iron spear capable of warping weapons and shields on contact.
Eighth Rank	63	His concealed breakthrough is recognized during the crisis at the Zhou Family Mine.
Eighth-Rank Internal Force cultivation	83	Has cultivated at Eighth Rank for over a year and opened more than half of his acupoints; his Internal Force-supported saber strike exceeds 10,000 jin.

Background

Zhou Yingjun was the young leader of the Great River Gang and a leading figure of Veteran's Trade House. Though not physically imposing in height, he held the gang's discipline through his peak Ninth-Rank strength, direct manner, and reputation for ruthless efficiency 5.

After Veteran's Trade House suffered a devastating attack, Zhou announced the Great River Gang's dissolution and suspended the trade house's operations 21. He refused to abandon the surviving members, instead reorganizing them into the White Ape Martial Academy after the group lost its Martial Dao Bureau status, Eight-Zhang Street territory, and place in South City 22.

Appearance

Zhou Yingjun is not especially tall and can be inconspicuous among burly fighters, yet his martial bearing makes him difficult to overlook 5.

• Sturdy build despite his modest height 28.
• Sharp gaze capable of silencing a crowded hall 5.
• Later appears unshaven, exhausted, and visibly worn down by his family's decline and the academy's financial burdens 49.
• Uses a long spear as his principal weapon; also carries and lends out a saber when necessary 5 78.

Personality

Zhou is pragmatic, restrained, and acutely aware that a faction survives through resources, territory, and capable people. He prioritizes Martial Dao Bureau points, mines, medicine, and cultivation supplies over immediate profit, particularly after the fall of Veteran's Trade House 50.

Despite the pressure of leadership, he does not coerce loyalty. When the old organization collapsed, he allowed survivors to choose whether to remain in the city and personally sought Su Xinghe's commitment to the new academy 22. He generally avoids reckless conflict—restraining Lu Sandao during the academy's opening-day provocation—but becomes fiercely aggressive when his people are endangered or his enemies are exposed 28 75.

His confidence is repeatedly shaken by the Zhou family's losses and public humiliation, yet he recovers through shared loyalty, especially after learning that Su Xinghe avenged Zhou Yingcai and destroyed the Fishermen's Gang 49 79.

“Moreover, I will not force anyone to leave the city!” 22

Abilities & Skills

Martial Cultivation

A peak Ninth-Rank Bright Force martial artist by his first appearance, Zhou later conceals an Eighth-Rank cultivation base 5 63.

• Possesses roughly a thousand jin of force or greater at Ninth Rank; at peak Ninth Rank, ordinary blades and even county-yamen muskets are said to be ineffective against him 5.
• Has opened more than half of his acupoints after entering Eighth Rank, giving him substantial Internal Force reserves 83.
• His Eighth-Rank Internal Force can support saber strikes exceeding 10,000 jin 83.
• Is capable of fighting another Eighth-Rank martial artist until both sides exhaust their Internal Force 76.

Spear and Saber Combat

Zhou's refined-iron spear weighs thirty to forty jin and is his characteristic weapon 5.

• Swings his spear with enough force to twist swords, spears, halberds, and iron-plated shields out of shape 5.
• Uses a long saber in high-level combat, intervening to protect Lu Sandao from a Seventh-Rank opponent at White Deer Cliff 83.
• Recognizes the danger of disrupting an opponent's Internal Force circulation and employs overwhelming force accordingly 83.

Leadership and Faction Management

Zhou rebuilt his shattered organization around martial talent rather than the former trade-house model 22.

• Founded the White Ape Martial Academy and appointed its surviving senior members to teaching and administrative roles 22.
• Shifted the organization toward profitable martial ventures, including pharmacies, mines, and martial schools 22.
• Offers stipends and healing medicine to retain followers after the Great River Gang's collapse 22.
• Organizes Martial Dao Bureau missions to secure resources and provide disciples with practical experience 50 51.
• Promoted Su Xinghe to deputy master after personally confirming his extraordinary combat strength 77.

Equipment

• Refined-iron spear — A thirty- to forty-jin spear used during his time as Great River Gang leader 5.
• Long saber — Used in later battles; he lends it to Su Xinghe before their confrontation with the Qingshan Escort Agency 78.
• Ancestral tiger fang — Attempted to sell it in the Black Market to fund Elder Xie's treatment; Su Xinghe anonymously bought it for 2,000 taels 70.

Relationships

• Su Xinghe — Disciple and later deputy master of the White Ape Martial Academy. Zhou notices Su's early potential, provides pills and the Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations, and ultimately entrusts him with major authority 22 51 64 77.
• Zhou Hao — His son. Zhou takes pride in Zhou Hao's talent and protects him during the mine crisis, while Zhou Hao later expresses gratitude to Su for saving his father 16 50 77.
• Elder Xie Guang — Senior associate and vital pillar of the Zhou faction. Zhou relies on Xie for instruction and internal affairs, while repeatedly seeking medicine and resources for his recovery 22 65 70.
• Lu Sandao — Deputy academy master and longtime fighting companion. Zhou restrains his impulsiveness when necessary and fights beside him during the White Deer Cliff raid 28 83.
• Xu Qingsong — Deputy academy master entrusted with reconnaissance because of his low profile 22 29.
• Chen Sanke and Wu Yingcai — Ninth-Rank Zhou-family martial artists appointed to oversee disciple instruction 22.
• Lu Kui — Former Great River Gang subordinate. After Lu Kui is badly injured, Zhou promises to teach him martial arts once he recovers 116.
• Niu Erlang — Powerful and eccentric ally who shelters Zhou's survivors at Niu Family Village and treats the wounded after the mine battle 76 77.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Fall of Veteran's Trade House

Zhou presides over the Great River Gang's merit distribution and recognizes Su Xinghe's unusually high number of kills 5. Following the attack on Veteran's Trade House, he publicly dissolves the Great River Gang and begins managing the survivors' immediate future 21.

Founding of White Ape Martial Academy

Zhou establishes the White Ape Martial Academy as a smaller, elite-focused successor to the trade house. He secures Su Xinghe's loyalty, distributes positions, offers stipends, and relocates the academy to Narcissus Street 22.

At the academy's opening ceremony, he prevents Lu Sandao from escalating Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's provocation into an immediate fight, placing the academy's survival above pride 28. After Elder Xie's collapse, he begins planning retaliation and reconnaissance against the rival hall 29.

Mine Operations and Support for Su Xinghe

Struggling to support the academy, Zhou pursues a three-month Martial Dao Bureau mine-guarding mission near the academy's own mine 50. He repeatedly tries to recruit Su Xinghe for the mission, then changes course after witnessing his disciple's relentless training and gives him two bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills instead 51.

After recognizing Su's loyalty and exceptional growth, Zhou formally acknowledges him as a core disciple and grants him the Zhou family's Grade-Eight Spirit Ape Myriad Transformations 64.

Collapse at the Zhou Family Mine

When the Peaceful Heaven Sect attacks the mine, Zhou orders the evacuation of weaker disciples while remaining behind with Lu Sandao to resist the invaders 75. He fights Chen Qi, the young master of the Qingshan Escort Agency, and is stunned when Su returns from the battlefield after killing an Eighth-Rank enemy 76.

At Niu Family Village, Zhou and Zhou Hao thank Su for saving them. After testing Su's force-amplification ability, Zhou declares him nearly invincible among Ninth-Rank Martial Warriors and appoints him deputy master 77.

Retaliation Against the Lu Family's Allies

Zhou joins Su in striking back against forces connected to the Lu Family. Their destruction of Qingshan Escort Agency cripples a major enemy institution, while Zhou transports the seized wealth to support their faction's future 79.

He remains cautious when drawn into the assault on White Deer Cliff, questioning whether the supposed village is truly an acceptable target and warning his allies not to become separated once the raid begins 82 83.

Later Resistance

Zhou survives later conflict with the Lu Family but is left severely wounded 116. Even while recovering, he remains loyal to the surviving Great River Gang members and agrees to teach Lu Kui martial arts once his former subordinate heals 116.

Trivia

• Zhou's status as an Eighth-Rank martial artist was concealed long enough to surprise Su Xinghe 63.
• He personally sold an ancestral tiger fang because Elder Xie's treatment had become unaffordable 70.
• Though frequently called “Hall Master” after the academy's founding, he is also addressed as “Academy Master” and “Headmaster” 22 64.