Chen Chong

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Chen Chong (陈冲)
Alias(es)	“Alchemist Chen”; “Master Chen” 10 22
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jichuntang Hall (formerly); World-Aiding Hall 4 13 14
Occupation/Role	Former apothecary laborer and courtyard guard; master alchemist; deputy chief steward of World-Aiding Hall 2 4 13 22
Status	Alive; active at World-Aiding Hall 23
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Martial Initiate	1	Simplified the Green Mountain Breathing Method through the mysterious panel and reached the realm within half an hour of breathing practice.
Skin Tempering Realm	2	Reached after the breathing method attained Great Perfection; gained tougher skin, greatly enhanced stamina, and sharply improved senses.
Flesh-Nourishing Realm	12	Broke through after seven days of high-intensity refinement of Illness-Repelling Essence Pills for the refugee relief effort.
Tendon-Tremor Realm	18	Advanced after consuming a True Martial Pill; his tendons and fascia became spring-like and able to transmit nearly all of his bodily strength. His progress later reached 6,683/10,000. 18 23

Background

Chen Chong transmigrated into the body of a poor Jichuntang Hall laborer who had died from overtraining without sufficient food or medicinal support. The former owner had spent months unsuccessfully pursuing martial arts and left behind only a jade pendant, which Chen Chong pawned to obtain the silver needed to activate his panel. 1

Before his rise, he processed medicinal herbs for twelve copper coins per day, two coarse meals, and space on a communal sleeping platform. His work included sorting, washing, cutting, drying, and baking ingredients for Jichuntang Hall. 1 2

Appearance

Chen Chong initially appeared to be a pale, slight seventeen- or eighteen-year-old, half a head shorter than most new disciples at Green Mountain Martial Academy. 1

After reaching the Skin Tempering Realm, his body changed substantially:

• Broader shoulders and back, with defined arm muscles. 2 3
• Increased height to an average build. 2
• Taut, faintly lustrous skin compared to glazed leather. 2 3
• Later carries a black-sheathed Mountain-Splitting Saber with a hemp-wrapped hilt worn dull through use. 19

Personality

Chen Chong is practical, observant, and highly focused on survival. He sacrifices sentimental possessions for immediate strength, conceals abnormal progress, and avoids reckless confrontations when patience gives him an advantage. 1 8

His pragmatism becomes increasingly ruthless after repeated assassination attempts and exposure to the martial world’s violence. He kills Wang Yu and Li Hu after their ambush, tortures an assassin for information, and eliminates Li Lang after learning of the assassination plot. 2 19

Despite this, Chen Chong responds to suffering with quiet compassion. He leaves food for a starving mother and child, refines medicine during Li Zhaoning’s refugee relief effort, and ultimately risks himself to refine a hostage-demanded pill rather than abandon Li. 8 11 12

By the Tendon-Tremor Realm, he recognizes that his panel-driven routine is making him emotionally detached and machine-like. He still longs for a life in which he can stop striving long enough to simply live. 23

Abilities & Skills

Mysterious Panel

Chen Chong possesses a status panel that converts silver into accelerated mastery.

• Simplifies techniques into basic actions that can be trained with extraordinary efficiency, such as breathing, swinging a blade, controlling fire, or roaring. 1 5 8
• Fuses compatible techniques into stronger arts. Continued fusion requires techniques to first reach Great Perfection, and its benefits diminish as his foundation improves. 4 14
• Can deduce incomplete manuals for a major silver cost; he spent one thousand taels to derive the Wandering Dragon Crossing the Moon Heart Sutra. 17 20
• Allows him to track technique proficiency and realm progress precisely. 1 23

Dragon Abyss Tiger-Subduing Art

Chen Chong fused the perfected True Tiger-Subduing Art with the deduced Wandering Dragon Crossing the Moon Heart Sutra to create this superior cultivation art. 20

• Greatly expands his qi-and-blood pathways and links his muscles, sinews, and membranes into a unified source of force. 20
• Enables extremely efficient refinement of True Martial Pills; he can fully absorb one in less than an hour, while an ordinary martial artist needs a day and loses most of its medicinal power. 23
• Its simplified training methods include Dragon Stride and Tiger Roar. 20

Saber Arts and Soundwave Techniques

Chen Chong’s martial techniques evolved from the Green Mountain Five Forms and Five Tiger Saber into the Five Tigers Severing the Mountain Blade, then the Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique. 4 18

• His perfected blade force can sever a falling leaf from a distance. 9
• The Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique carries force from his feet through his body to the blade with minimal loss. 19
• He defeated the scar-faced Tendon-Tremor assassin with his saber, severing all four limbs. 19
• His tiger roar produces powerful soundwaves, frightens animals, shakes leaves and dust from nearby structures, and was used to halt a thrown blade in midair. 14 16 19

Alchemy

Chen Chong became a master alchemist through panel-assisted fire control and relentless furnace practice.

• Learned basic Fire Control after observing Chen Huaixu’s furnace demonstration. 5
• Refined Tiger Bone Pills successfully on his first formal test and later produced flawless batches consistently. 6 7
• Reached Great Perfection in alchemy and refined six flawless Essence-Nourishing Pills, earning a larger profit share from Yuan Zhiwu. 9
• Produces True Martial Pills roughly thirty percent stronger than ordinary versions and can refine twenty to thirty per day. 18
• His distinctive pill ripple patterns identify his work to experienced merchants and establish his reputation as a master. 21 22

Equipment / Items

• Mountain-Splitting Saber — a black-sheathed saber carried for combat and used to defeat the scar-faced assassin. 19
• Alchemy furnaces and workshops — first received access through Jichuntang Hall, then gained a superior private furnace and residence at World-Aiding Hall. 7 14
• Tyrant Blade Sect incomplete saber manual — purchased in the Dark Market for two taels; the panel can deduce its missing portions for one thousand taels. 17 18
• Jade Marrow Essence-Condensing Pill formula — provided by Li Zhaoning; its rare ingredients strengthen bones and sinews. 22

Relationships

• Li Zhaoning — Benefactor, employer, and trusted political ally. She appoints him deputy chief steward of World-Aiding Hall, entrusts him with monitoring Wang Zheng, and increasingly relies on his alchemy. 13 20 22
• Chen Huaixu — Senior alchemist and mentor. He recognizes Chen Chong’s talent, gives him access to the alchemy room, and accepts his successor-like role without jealousy. 6 7 10
• Chen Qian — Chen Huaixu’s granddaughter and Chen Chong’s friend. She prefers swordsmanship to alchemy and later signals romantic interest that Chen Chong deliberately leaves unanswered. 10 16 17
• Yuan Zhiwu — Former chief steward of Jichuntang Hall. He promotes Chen Chong to courtyard guard after recognizing his Skin Tempering cultivation and later respects his value as an alchemist. 4 9
• Lu Yun — Formerly hostile guard supervisor who withheld techniques and overworked Chen Chong; later apologizes after Chen’s status rises. 4 5 10
• Su Hongyu — A politically astute subordinate who receives an accounts-steward promotion after Chen Chong advocates for him; later gifts Chen a Jade Marrow Essence-Coalescing Pill. 22 23
• Yang He — Bandit leader who coerces Chen Chong into refining a Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Mending Pill during the refugee ambush; later reappears mysteriously in Dingshan County. 12 16
• Wang Zheng — Former chief steward of World-Aiding Hall. Chen Chong uncovers his black-market pill embezzlement and reports it to Li Zhaoning, leading to Wang’s arrest. 20 21
• Li Lang — Rival pill master who hires an assassin against Chen Chong after losing income and influence; Chen Chong kills him in retaliation. 18 19
• Wang Yu — Former Jichuntang Hall apprentice who repeatedly targets Chen Chong and arranges an ambush on Mount Dingjun; Chen Chong kills him. 1 2

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rise at Jichuntang Hall

Chen Chong begins as an impoverished herb-processing laborer and enters Green Mountain Martial Academy. After activating the panel with the money from his pawned jade pendant, he rapidly reaches Martial Initiate and later Skin Tempering. 1 2

On Mount Dingjun, he survives Wang Yu and Li Hu’s ambush, kills both attackers, then confronts and kills a Rat Demon after simplifying the Green Mountain Five Forms into a punching technique. He uses the demon corpse and a controlled account of the expedition to secure a promotion to Jichuntang Hall courtyard guard. 2 3 4

Alchemical Advancement

While being overworked by Lu Yun, Chen Chong observes Chen Huaixu’s furnace work and develops Fire Control. He proves his ability by refining Tiger Bone Pills, becomes an apprentice alchemist, and eventually takes over Chen Huaixu’s former workshop. 5 6 7 8

His refinement of Essence-Nourishing Pills establishes him as Jichuntang Hall’s primary “Alchemist Chen.” His rising status allows him to resolve his conflict with Lu Yun, mentor Chen Qian, and become involved in Li Zhaoning’s relief plan. 9 10

Refugee Relief and World-Aiding Hall

Chen Chong refines Illness-Repelling Essence Pills during Li Zhaoning’s refugee-relief operation, where he witnesses widespread hunger, disease, and displacement firsthand. 11

He reaches the Flesh-Nourishing Realm during the relief effort, then refines the Flesh-Regenerating Bone-Mending Pill under Yang He’s threat. His actions earn Li Zhaoning’s trust, an advanced alchemy manual, and appointment as deputy chief steward of World-Aiding Hall. 12 13

Conflict Within World-Aiding Hall

At World-Aiding Hall, Chen Chong uses True Martial Pills and newly fused martial arts to accelerate his cultivation. His superior output threatens Li Lang’s position, prompting an assassination attempt that Chen Chong survives and answers with lethal retaliation. 14 18 19

He subsequently uncovers Wang Zheng’s theft of True Martial Pills for black-market sale. Li Zhaoning uses his evidence to remove Wang, while Chen Chong gains access to rare cultivation materials and increasing influence within the Li Family’s sphere. 20 21 22