Gu Qinghe

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Gu Qinghe comes from a poor family and studies under Daoist Zhang at Azure Cloud Academy. He enters the Inner Gate more than a month before Chu Bai and is initially its fastest-progressing student 5. He hopes cultivation will let him support his sick mother; her medicine is a particular concern when Zhang offers him and Chu Bai paid sparring work 10.

At the Zhao Residence, Gu serves as a moving target for Zhao Xing’s Fireball Technique. He accepts the danger for 300 copper coins per session, using his first payment to buy medicine for his mother and planning to buy meat for his family 12 13. He continues this work, alongside dock labor, to pay the ten-tael fee when his first three-month instruction term ends 23.

Gu reaches Qi Refining just before registration closes for the Dao Academy Selection 30. After the trials, he judges his results too weak for admission and worries that his bone age will prevent him from trying again the following year 41. He fails the selection, but Tutor Liu subsequently offers him a salaried teaching-assistant position with time to cultivate and access to the academy’s books 44.

Appearance

Gu is described as thin and stern-faced. His plain, worn robe is kept freshly washed; when he arrives to register for the selection, his clothes are disheveled and his shoes muddy from the journey 5 7 30.

Personality

Gu is reserved but candid and generous with practical knowledge. Although Chu Bai’s rapid progress initially unsettles him, Gu shares the breathing insight that helps Chu retain his first spiritual qi, then openly acknowledges that Chu advanced faster than he did 5 7 8.

Poverty makes Gu willing to endure dangerous work rather than abandon cultivation. He is aware of the widening gap between himself and Chu, but remains sincerely proud of his friend’s success 23 25 43 44. After failing the selection, he considers other ways to earn a living as a Qi Refining cultivator instead of giving up 41 44.

Abilities & Skills

Qi cultivation

• Develops steady qi sense and retains his first thread through the Lesser Qi-Gathering Art 5 8.
• Reaches Qi Refining after months of cultivation and financial sacrifice 23 30.

Sparring and evasion

• Practices against Zhao Xing’s Fireball Technique at the Zhao Residence; repeated sessions improve his footwork 12 25.
• Relies on determination rather than agility to avoid attacks and remains hard-pressed against Zhao’s improved spellcasting 12 25.

Equipment / Items

• Cold-pool-mud-coated shield — issued for sparring; its coating counters low-tier fire spells 12.

Relationships

• Chu Bai — fellow disciple, sparring partner, and close friend. Gu’s breathing advice helps Chu capture qi; their friendship continues despite their rivalry in the selection and Chu’s later admission 7 8 33 44.
• Daoist Zhang — Inner Gate instructor who praises Gu’s steady cultivation and helps him find paid sparring work 10 19.
• Zhao Xing — cultivator whose Fireball Technique Gu faces as a paid sparring partner 12 25.
• Tutor Liu — offers Gu a teaching-assistant position after his Qi Refining breakthrough 44.
• Gu’s mother — is ill; paying for her medicine motivates Gu’s work at the Zhao Residence 10 13.

Notable Quotes

“Neither of us has family standing to lean on. Without diligence, how could we compete with anyone else?” 7

“I don't want to go back to fishing. Even if I die on the Zhao Residence's Martial Training Ground, even if I have to be someone's target for the rest of my life, I'm going to climb my way up.” 23