Shen Leyan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Shen Leyan (沈乐言)
Species/Race	Human; a soul transmigrated from another world 5 6 9
Gender	Male 6
Age	Eighteen; his body entered the sect at twelve and has lived there for six years. His pre-transmigration age was the same 9.
Affiliation	Cloud Radiance Sect, Outer Sect 9 39
Occupation/Role	Outer Sect disciple, restaurant owner, and cultivator; formerly performed chores including washing clothes and cooking 9 18 20
Spiritual Root	Wind Spiritual Root, identified by the Spirit-Testing Stone as a Supreme Single Spiritual Root 11 12 16
System	Xiao Du 4 41
Cultivation Realm	Middle Qi Refining is his last explicitly named realm. He undergoes another, unnamed breakthrough inside the Boundless Gate 41 50.
Status	Alive but severely injured during the Boundless Gate confrontation with Bai Licheng 50

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Uncultivated Outer Sect disciple	6	Has spent years in the Outer Sect without cultivation.
Supreme Single Wind Spiritual Root identified	11 12	The Spirit-Testing Stone announces his exceptional aptitude. He bargains with her to conceal it because he does not want to cultivate.
Basic Spiritual Power cultivation	16 18	Initially cannot use the Azure Shadow Profound Art because he has no Spiritual Power. Qingli supplies a basic circulation method; he begins nightly meditation and meridian cleansing.
Qi Refining Stage	24	First explicitly identified as a Qi Refining cultivator. Under attack, he applies the Azure Shadow Profound Art and begins redirecting weapons with wind.
Improved wind control and perception	25	Lu Yuanyi’s impromptu combat lesson makes his Spiritual Root and Spiritual Power respond more smoothly and sharpens his senses.
Middle Qi Refining Realm	40 41	Approaches a breakthrough through regular meditation, then completes it in the spiritually rich mountains. Strengthens his meridians before releasing accumulated energy against the bottleneck; earns the Playing Dead Method.
Unnamed breakthrough inside the Boundless Gate	50	Forces through a cultivation bottleneck after exhausting his Spiritual Power against Bai Licheng. Replenishes his power but suffers extreme pain and spits blood; the resulting realm is not stated.

Background / History

Before transmigrating, Shen Leyan had lost his family in childhood and been adopted. The body he occupies has a similar history: orphaned young, taken in by the Cloud Radiance Sect at twelve, and employed in Outer Sect chores for six years. He sincerely regards the sect as his home 9.

He arrives in a world whose original novel he has read. By the burning-village incident, he has been there for less than half a month. He keeps both his transmigration and Xiao Du secret, explaining the system-provided Voice Transmission Talisman as a keepsake from his deceased parents 5 10.

Knowing that the Immortal-Demon War will engulf cultivators, demons, and evil cultivators alike, he initially intends to save money and settle far from the conflict. His preferred future is an ordinary, peaceful life rather than spiritual prestige 8 15.

Appearance

• Hair: Black, sometimes tousled when he is exhausted 9.
• Eyes: Dark, peach-blossom-shaped eyes 37 44.
• Build and features: A slender youth with handsome features; beside a stone-armored attacker, he is compared to a scrawny willow 25 36.
• Clothing: Wears Outer Sect robes, but also uses ordinary clothing and purchases black night clothes to avoid recognition 38 39 41.
• Cold sensitivity: Lu Yuanyi notes that his health suffers in winter and gives him a fox-fur cloak in the freezing Myriad-Fathom Cliff 50.

Personality

Shen Leyan values food, sleep, personal freedom, and safety more than fame. He tries to evade spiritual-root testing, public attention, and political entanglements, while his irreverent inner commentary contrasts with the obedient or courteous manner he presents to others 7 8 9 44.

His caution does not prevent him from helping people. He protects Chen Jing during the village fire, comforts Qingli, intervenes tactfully to prevent the crown prince from mutilating a servant, and risks his life rather than abandon the wounded prince 4 12 38 42.

He is sensitive to obligation and fairness. He initially refuses Lu’s valuable cultivation manual, accepts it only after verifying his entitlement to mission compensation, and returns the elders’ recruitment gifts because he wants to compete before choosing a master 15 16 46.

Chen Jing’s sacrifice changes his priorities. Cultivation becomes a means of protecting companions rather than merely escaping danger. He later explicitly commits to defending himself and the Cloud Radiance Sect instead of relying indefinitely on Lu Yuanyi 36 40 44.

Abilities & Skills

Wind Spiritual Root

His rare Wind Spiritual Root supports exceptional mobility and developing sensitivity to surrounding air currents 8 24.

• Draws on surrounding wind-aspected Spiritual Power when using his movement art 24.
• Can subtly pull an incoming weapon off course; his initial success is barely enough to avoid being struck 24.
• Begins reading sword movements through the wind they disturb, though his shallow cultivation limits his understanding 48.
• Cannot overpower higher-realm restraints: his wind power barely scratches a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s stone hands 25.

Azure Shadow Profound Art

A Heaven Tier cultivation art intended exclusively for Wind Spiritual Root disciples. Its stated purpose is escape rather than offense 15 16.

• Produces rapid movement and pale azure afterimages 24 48.
• Allows him to evade multiple attackers and escape a sword formation 24 48.
• Supports endurance-based victories by exhausting opponents while conserving Spiritual Power 47 48.
• Does not eliminate physical fatigue; prolonged running leaves his calves and ankles aching 48.
• Requires Spiritual Power and knowledge of meridians and acupoints, which he initially lacks 16.

Playing Dead Method

Also called the Turtle Breath Technique, this system reward provides illustrated instructions for convincingly appearing dead 41.

• Received after completing Xiao Du’s first Immortal Dao Sovereign quest 41.
• Passed to Ji Lianyi during their attempted escape 42.
• Enables Ji to feign death convincingly enough to deceive a Peacock Gate Guardian 43.

Spiritual Power Transfer and Sword Use

• Transfers Spiritual Power while helping poisoned sect disciples; Chen warns that continuing after near-total depletion could damage his Spiritual Root 36.
• Offers to replenish Chen Jing’s power between tournament matches 47.
• Chooses a longsword as the weapon most familiar to him, despite having no practiced offensive cultivation art at that point 47.
• Channels his power through Jiangxue to create a pale-blue sword phantom against Bai Licheng. The attack rapidly exhausts him and cannot overcome the enormous cultivation gap 50.

Foreknowledge

His knowledge comes from reading the original novel, not from a confirmed divination technique 5 15.

• Knows of the coming Immortal-Demon War, Lu Yuanyi’s betrayal and death, and Zheng Ziheng’s later disgrace 15 18 37.
• Recognizes Bai Licheng through his mask and Other Shore Flower umbrella 49.
• Uses knowledge of Lu’s habits to locate his secluded cave inside the Boundless Gate 49.
• Attracts suspicion of Heavenly Dao divination talent; Lu’s attempt to construct his fate chart violently shatters 18 22.

Persuasion and Deception

• Exploits the village chief’s concern for his son to stall and secure his release 6 7.
• Uses food and a dramatic oath to negotiate Qingli’s silence about his Spiritual Root 12.
• Improvises identities and excuses to obtain directions and lodging 30 31.
• Impersonates a junior Peacock Gate assassin, stages Ji Lianyi’s death, and convinces the Guardian to leave them behind 42 43.
• Sows mistrust between tournament allies until they turn on each other 48.

Cooking and Business

• Introduces unfamiliar dishes and drinks, including hot pot, snow mochi, taro milk tea, and Mala Xiangguo 12 13 16 38.
• Tests demonic-beast meat for flavor and texture rather than assuming that spiritually nourishing ingredients will sell 18.
• Proposes a sect newspaper, which becomes a publicity channel for his restaurant 18 20.
• Limits opening-day service to thirty-five tables and creates numbered queue tickets 20.
• Seeks wealthy sect patrons and regional ingredients to expand his business 22.

Xiao Du and Thought Leakage

• Xiao Du compensates him for a failed repair attempt with the Voice Transmission Talisman that summons aid 4.
• The system secretly withholds a complication: people destined to be connected to Shen can hear his thoughts 4.
• Zheng Ziheng discovers this ability, and Lu Yuanyi also hears Shen’s thoughts. Shen does not knowingly control the phenomenon 7 18.
• Shen’s decision to cultivate activates Xiao Du’s Immortal Dao Sovereign quest function 41.
• The second quest requires him to become someone’s disciple and promises three Universal Concealment Talismans; their receipt is not documented 41.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Azure Shadow Profound Art manual — Given by Lu Yuanyi as compensation for misleading mission intelligence; Shen accepts after checking the sect regulations 16.
• Voice Transmission Talismans — Used to summon Lu during the burning-village incident and again when trapped with poisoned disciples 4 36.
• Nine-Turn Soul-Replenishing Pill — Secretly supplied by Zheng Ziheng; Shen preserves it rather than selling it and later gives it to the wounded Ji Lianyi 7 42.
• Heavenheart Crystal — Given by Lu; can withstand one full-force Mahayana attack on Shen’s behalf 27.
• Jiangxue Sword, borrowed — Lu’s sentient sword protects and transports him. Its flood-dragon spirit fights beside him inside the Boundless Gate 27 37 50.
• Cicada Song Pavilion Token — Grants passage through the pavilion’s formations, discourages its plants from attacking him, and steadies his mind and spirit 37.
• Black night clothes and face covering — Purchased to evade admirers; used during the assassination encounter, then burned afterward to protect his identity 40 41 44.
• Red jade peace pendant — A modest gift from Lu, accepted after Shen confirms it is neither a magical artifact nor a storage device 46.

Relationships

• Lu Yuanyi — Sect master, protector, and informal instructor. Gives Shen a suitable cultivation art, teaches him wind control under pressure, and treats Chen Jing. Shen warns him about future betrayal and refuses to abandon him inside the Boundless Gate 15 16 24 36 50.
• Zheng Ziheng — Respected senior brother who supports Shen’s autonomy, provides a valuable healing pill, and helps advance his newspaper proposal. Secretly hears Shen’s thoughts 7 9 12 18.
• Chen Jing — Close senior brother and companion from the burning-village incident. His sacrifice to save Shen and the other disciples inspires Shen’s commitment to cultivation 12 13 36 40.
• Qingli — Spirit-Testing Stone, meal companion, and cultivation tutor. Conceals his extraordinary root, writes his basic circulation method, and oversees restaurant renovations 12 13 16 18.
• Xiao Du — Bound system whose failed repairs and unusual rewards frustrate Shen, but whose compensation and quests provide useful survival resources 4 10 41.
• Ji Lianyi — Great Xia’s crown prince. Shen first meets him after finding his quarters appropriated, then saves him from assassins. Ji protects Shen from suspicion and avoids drawing him into imperial troubles 38 42 43 44 45.
• Jiangxue Sword — Sentient borrowed protector that carries Shen, responds to his requests, and fights alongside him to defend Lu 27 40 49 50.
• Yan Shi, Xuanji, and Qian Yun — Elders competing to recruit him through gifts and offers. Shen plans to return their gifts and is shown returning Yan Shi’s and Xuanji’s before the tournament 45 46.
• Bai Licheng — Traitor Shen recognizes from the original novel. Inside the Boundless Gate, Shen opposes him to prevent Lu’s downfall, but is severely outmatched 49 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Burning-Village Rescue

• Fights animated charred corpses with a sickle and uses Xiao Du’s compensation talisman to call Lu Yuanyi 4.
• Survives the village chief’s hostage-taking through provocation, persuasion, and stalling 6 7.
• Becomes famous when his transmission breaches the Mountain-Guarding Array and broadcasts across the sect, prompting rumors that he is a hidden young master 9 10.

Hidden Talent and Restaurant Opening

• Tries to avoid cultivation despite his exceptional root, then bargains with Qingli to conceal it 8 11 12.
• Accepts an escape-focused cultivation art and begins learning the basics while establishing a restaurant 16 18.
• Turns the sect newspaper into effective publicity and prepares for a crowded opening 20.

Southwestern Journey and Glory Ancestors Village

• Accompanies Lu and Zheng south to seek ingredients while they collect Jadeblood Snakegrass; gains practical wind-control experience during a roadside brawl 22 24 25.
• Travels with Lu to find Chen Jing and missing sect disciples. Investigates the village’s supposed childlessness curse and the Spider Demon’s adoption of abandoned infants 30 31 34 35.
• Rescues the poisoned disciples, but cannot stop the villagers’ arson with his depleted power. Chen destroys his Spiritual Root to protect everyone 36.
• Commits to serious cultivation so he can protect others, then returns to the sect with Chen preserved for treatment 36 37.

Crown Prince Assassination

• Gets lost while trying to request restrictions on pavilion visitors, breaks through to Middle Qi Refining, and stumbles into the Peacock Gate ambush 40 41.
• Saves Ji through medicine, disguise, and the Playing Dead Method 42 43.
• Discourages Lu from killing Ning Weimo to silence her, arguing that a warning backed by sect authority should suffice 44.

Apprenticeship Tournament and Boundless Gate

• Returns recruitment gifts and enters the tournament without choosing a master 45 46.
• Wins his opening match through evasion, then survives the free-for-all by conserving power and breaking an opposing alliance 47 48.
• Enters a Boundless Gate vision of the sect’s destruction. Lu conceals the public display of his trial 48 49.
• Finds and warns the secluded Lu, then fights Bai Licheng alongside Jiangxue. His forced breakthrough accompanies a heavenly disturbance that terrifies the Gate’s Mind-Peering Demon; outside, Lu orders his trial closed early 49 50.
• Remains severely injured and threatened by Bai at the end of the supplied account 50.

Notable Quotes

“Sect Master Lu should be careful of evil cultivators in the future too. Some of them look all righteous and respectable, always talking about benevolence and morality, but they're rotten inside.” 15

“Sect Master Lu...I want to cultivate.” 36

“If I'm going to take a master, I should compete against the others at the Martial Arts Training Ground first. Accepting gifts and then taking a master like this... I shouldn't accept rewards I haven't earned.” 46

“Then hurry up and meditate to recover your spiritual power. The Jiangxue Sword and I will hold him off.” 50