Chen Mu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Mu (陈牧) 1
Alias(es)	“Chen the Butcher” 1
Species/Race	Human 1
Gender	Male
Age	20 4
Affiliation	Azure Dragon Martial Academy; ninth personal disciple of Liu Qingcang 32 49
Occupation/Role	Former West Street butcher; martial artist and Azure Dragon disciple 1 21
Status	Alive; traveling north with an Azure Dragon team to investigate Luo Family Fort and find A-Ning 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Hundred-Blood Trial / Martial Artist	1	Reached 100 Blood Qi after killing Huang Silang, formally crossing into martial cultivation.
Body Tempering First Stage	6	Spent Karmic Slaughter to raise Rampaging Bull Force to Initial Mastery; his Blood Qi surged to 150/1000.
Skin Refining, minor achievement	9	A Bone-Strengthening Pill healed Ma San’s saber wound and strengthened his body; Blood Qi rose to 320/1000.
Body Tempering Second Layer / Flesh Refinement	15	Reached 1110/2000 Blood Essence after killing Body-Tempering martial artists; ordinary blades could no longer easily injure him.
Body Tempering Third Tier / Bronze Skin	18	Invested 35 Karmic Slaughter into Rampaging Bull Force, filling his Blood Essence threshold and completely healing his injuries.
Body Tempering Sixth Tier / Silver-Skin Body	34	The newly fused Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art refined Rakshasa Old Ghost’s corpse balefulness, advancing Chen three tiers and allowing him to begin condensing True Qi.

Background

Chen Mu is a transported outsider who spent nearly half a year surviving as a butcher in Everlasting Prosperity Town’s impoverished Rubble Ward. His work made him lowborn and socially despised, but slaughtering livestock secretly fed the Slaughter Register and brought him closer to martial cultivation. 1

He took in the sickly A-Ning as his wife and companion. Their marriage remained informal because Chen’s lowborn registration prevented him from publicly establishing a household; becoming a martial academy disciple became his route to legal status, security, and a proper future with her. 1 2

Appearance

Chen Mu is a tall, broad-shouldered young man with a burly frame and an intimidating physical presence. At the beginning of the story, he commonly wears shabby gray clothing and carries the blood-and-offal scent of his butcher’s trade. 1 4

• Twenty years old when assessed by Azure Dragon Martial Academy. 4
• Strong enough to drive a knife deep into a chopping block and frighten local ruffians before becoming a martial artist. 1
• His rapid cultivation later enlarges and hardens his physique; after reaching the Third Tier, his frame grows noticeably more imposing. 18
• Uses the black half of the Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade to conceal his aura and publicly suppress his apparent cultivation. 18 20

Personality

Chen Mu is cautious, pragmatic, and deeply conscious of the danger created by his low status. He avoids pointless confrontations when possible, using bribes, false identities, and calculated deception to survive opponents whose power exceeds his own. 4 11

His restraint has a clear boundary: threats against A-Ning or those he considers his own can provoke extreme violence. Huang Silang’s threat against A-Ning drives Chen to commit his first murder, while Xi’er’s death turns his conflict with Ma San into a deliberate campaign of vengeance. 1 6 8

Despite his increasingly ruthless methods, Chen retains strong loyalty toward allies. He treats Wang Hu’s injuries, protects Liu Meng during the Clear River crisis, reports the Ghost Market conspiracy to Liu Qingcang, and repeatedly risks himself for A-Ning. 6 25 49

Abilities & Skills

Slaughter Register

An ancient volume that appeared in Chen Mu’s mind after his transportation. It turns killing into cultivation resources and is the foundation of his extraordinary advancement. 1

• Killing living creatures grants Blood Qi or Blood Essence, strengthening Chen’s body, reactions, and combat power. 1
• Killing martial artists, demons, and sufficiently evil targets grants Karmic Slaughter; the amount depends on an enemy’s strength and wickedness. 1 7
• Karmic Slaughter can directly raise martial-art proficiency, force breakthroughs, and derive fused techniques. 5 13 18
• Daily settlements evaluate Chen’s actions and can grant silver, medicinal pills, martial arts, and rare treasures. 18 28

Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art

A low-grade Profound Rank internal art created by fusing Rampaging Bull Force with Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art. It has nine layers and can lead toward the Innate Realm. 34 44

• Refines poisonous Yin energy and corpse balefulness into nourishment rather than allowing it to harm Chen. 34 38
• Produces Profound Yin True Qi, which Chen can use for offensive techniques while still in the Body Tempering Realm. 34 37
• Automatically neutralized Corpse Venom from Luo Dalong’s poisoned crossbow bolt. 38
• Its second layer supports Chen’s Sixth-Tier Silver-Skin body, though he lacks sufficient Karmic Slaughter to advance it further. 34 44

Hundred-Slash Baleful Blade

A high-grade Yellow-rank saber art derived from Chen’s perfected Ox-Slicing Saber Technique and the Black Tiger Blade Technique. It combines butcher-like anatomical precision with the Black Tiger lineage’s ferocity. 13 14

• Builds Killing Intent through a continuous sequence of one hundred slashes. 13
• Condenses blade glow capable of cutting through thick bluestone and inflicting destructive, rotting wounds. 13
• Requires sustained offense to accumulate its strongest Killing Intent; it is less effective if Chen cannot maintain his sequence. 13
• Its blade aura allowed Chen to defeat stronger opponents such as Yan Rong and the Purple-Scaled Corpse King. 17 25

Mighty Bull Fist

Chen’s close-combat art, developed from Rampaging Bull Force and focused on heavy, direct killing blows. 6 44

• Includes throat strikes, heart-smashing punches, neck attacks, and a self-sacrificing elbow strike. 6 8
• Its killing elbow severely injured Ma San and created openings against stronger enemies. 8 37
• Reached complete mastery, but Chen considers it inadequate against opponents protected by substantial True Qi. 44

True-Qi Projection

Chen’s Profound Yin True Qi enables techniques ordinarily associated with stronger martial artists. 36 37

• Exhaling Qi into a Sword — projects condensed True Qi at an opponent; Chen used it to pierce Zhao Liqiu’s forehead. 37
• Thunderous Voice — a vocal attack used in combination with projected Qi to disrupt and kill an opponent. 37
• True Qi can also strengthen his saber aura, though his reserves are limited and cannot sustain prolonged high-output combat. 36

Movement and Defense

Chen supplements his saber style with specialized mobility and external hardening arts. 26 44

• Grass-Top Flight — a perfected lightness technique that lets him cover several yards per burst, carry others while moving quickly, and skim across water. 26 45
• Ghost-Shadow Step — close-range footwork for sudden direction changes and evasive movement in confined spaces. 38 45
• Iron Cloth Shirt — an external hardening art raised to proficiency through Karmic Slaughter; his arm can withstand his own blade strike with only a faint mark. 44

Equipment

• Dragon-Slayer Saber — A treasured single-edged saber once used by founding patriarch Liu Yunji to kill a flood dragon in the Northern Sea. It resonates with Chen’s Profound Yin True Qi and increases his combat strength by roughly thirty percent. 49 50
• Yin-Yang Twin-Heart Jade — A heavenly treasure split into black and white pendants. The black jade conceals and regulates Chen’s aura; the white jade nourishes the body and was given to A-Ning. 18 20
• Azure Dragon iron disciple token — Proof of Chen’s membership in Azure Dragon Martial Academy. 21
• Bone-Splitting Knife / butcher’s knives — Tools from his former trade that Chen has repeatedly used for interrogation, close combat, and execution. 6 35
• Azure Dragon Body Tempering Method — A high-tier Yellow-rank secret transmission with 108 body-tempering forms; Chen has not yet cultivated it because it requires demon-beast essence blood. 41 44

Relationships

• A-Ning — Chen’s sickly wife and closest emotional attachment. He seeks martial status, wealth, and strength primarily to protect her; her disappearance drives his investigation of the Li caravan and Luo Family Fort. 1 2 41 43
• Liu Qingcang — Master of Azure Dragon Martial Academy and Chen’s master. Liu secretly accepts Chen as his ninth personal disciple, later formally acknowledges him, and entrusts him with the Dragon-Slayer Saber. 32 49 50
• Qin Tieya — Azure Dragon senior disciple who tested Chen’s aptitude, admitted him as a registered disciple, and later leads the expedition toward Luo Family Fort. 4 21 50
• Liu Meng — Formerly condescending academy gate guard who becomes Chen’s ally and junior brother. Chen protected him during the Clear River Corpse King crisis, while Liu Meng later assists in searching for A-Ning. 25 32 41
• Wang Hu (“Tiger Boy”) — Chen’s childhood friend and trusted ally from Rubble Ward. Wang Hu defended Chen’s home, and Chen later supports him with money, pills, and martial resources after Auntie Wang’s death. 3 6 46
• Liu Qingluo — Liu Qingcang’s adopted daughter and a fellow disciple. Chen rescued and carried her through the Clear River crisis; they share a teasing, sibling-like dynamic. 28 32
• Granny Li — A mysterious supernatural woman who sheltered A-Ning at Chen’s request. Chen suspects she has hidden motives, particularly after A-Ning disappears with her and Li Susu. 20 35 41
• Ma San — Former local gang leader and Chen’s first major martial opponent. Chen killed him after Ma San’s men brutalized Tiger Boy, murdered Xi’er, and threatened A-Ning. 6 8
• Red Whale Gang — Chen’s principal criminal enemies. His framing of the gang after Ma San’s death began a prolonged feud that led to Yan Rong, Zhao Liqiu, and Ghostfoot Seven being killed by Chen. 8 17 37

Story Role / Major Arcs

Butcher of Rubble Ward

Chen begins as a lowborn butcher enduring extortion in Everlasting Prosperity Town. Huang Silang’s threat against A-Ning pushes him to kill for the first time, complete the Hundred-Blood Trial, and pursue admission to Azure Dragon Martial Academy. 1 5

War with Ma San and the Red Whale Gang

After Ma San retaliates against Chen’s household, Chen cultivates Rampaging Bull Force, assassinates Ma San, kills Advisor Li, burns the gang compound, and frames the Red Whale Gang to redirect Zhao Dong’s investigation. The deception turns the Red Whale Gang into a lasting enemy. 6 8 13

Azure Dragon Disciple and Clear River Crisis

Chen enters Azure Dragon Martial Academy as a registered disciple while concealing his true Third-Tier cultivation. During the Clear River demon crisis, he kills a Purple-Scaled Corpse King, masters Grass-Top Flight, rescues Liu Meng and Liu Qingluo, and earns Liu Qingcang’s recognition. 21 25 26 32

Profound Art and Search for A-Ning

After converting Rakshasa Old Ghost’s baleful poison into the Yin Extremity Profound Baleful Art, Chen advances to the Sixth Tier and returns to confront the Red Whale Gang. Learning that A-Ning likely left with the Li Family Caravan, he traces its route to Luo Family Fort but accepts Qin Tieya’s insistence on a careful investigation rather than a reckless solo rescue. 34 41 43

Ghost Market Conspiracy

Chen captures and interrogates a Rakshasa Gate Protector, uncovering a plan involving the Rakshasa Gate, White Mountain Ghost Kingdom, Zhao Dong, and Wei Chen to trap Liu Qingcang at Yin Mountain Ferry’s Ghost Market. He reports the plot immediately, receives the Dragon-Slayer Saber, and departs with Qin Tieya’s disguised convoy toward Luo Family Fort. 49 50