Chen Jing

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chen Jing (陈靖)
Alias(es)	Senior Brother Chen 13 47
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Cloud Radiance Sect 12 20
Occupation/Role	Outer Sect disciple, later Inner Sect disciple 13 20
Spiritual Root	Mixed Spiritual Root; permanently damaged during the Glory Ancestors Village mission, though cultivation remains possible 13 36 45
Status	Alive; resumes cultivation after meridian reconstruction, but progresses more slowly than before 45
First Appearance	First named appearance in the supplied material: 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mixed Spiritual Root identified	13	Passes the Spiritual Root test. Zheng Ziheng approves his entry into the Inner Sect, and the sect issues him a sword.
Inner Sect training begins	20	Attends his first Inner Sect class, arriving before dawn after spending a sleepless night in anticipation.
Qi Refining Stage confirmed	29	Undertakes a mission intended for Qi Refining disciples. His instructors praise his diligence despite his recent admission to the Inner Sect.
Spiritual root destroyed; meridians severely damaged	36	Uses a forbidden method to force out Spiritual Power and shield his companions from fire. The technique leaves spreading black markings and extensive internal damage.
Meridian reconstruction underway	40	Lu Yuanyi administers Fire-Yang Divine Wood. Chen wakes as the black markings begin fading, but remains severely weakened and in pain.
Cultivation resumes	45	Completes meridian reconstruction and returns to the Inner Sect. His damaged spiritual root slows cultivation; his fire Spiritual Power appears stronger after treatment.

Background / History

Childhood and Cultivation Ambition

Demons killed Chen Jing’s parents when he was young, and Cloud Radiance Sect cultivators saved him. This experience inspired his childhood wish to cultivate. He embraced the sect instructors’ teaching that cultivation should help the weak and work toward a harmonious world 36.

Village Fire and Inner Sect Admission

Chen accompanied Shen Leyan during the village-fire incident. He later remembered being unable to devise a way to rescue Shen when his junior brother was trapped in the ancestral hall 12 36.

After testing positive for a Mixed Spiritual Root, Chen was delighted to learn that he could enter the Inner Sect. Shen celebrated with a beef hot pot, which Chen helped prepare. He also met Qingli, accepting Shen’s introduction of her as a new junior sister without suspecting her identity as the Spirit-Testing Stone 13.

Chen initially believed that Inner Sect training required Grain Avoidance and giving up ordinary food. Shen persuaded him that enjoying meals need not undermine cultivation. When Lu Yuanyi joined their hot pot, however, Chen was so overwhelmed that he bowed and left early 14.

Glory Ancestors Village

Chen’s first Inner Sect mission took him and several senior disciples to Glory Ancestors Village, where they were supposed to investigate childbearing problems attributed to demons. Before leaving, he worried about holding his companions back. Shen stopped him from discussing his possible death and promised to treat him to drinks upon his safe return 23 29.

The group failed to return. Shen investigated and found the disciples imprisoned beneath a dry well, weakened by half a month of Softening Powder. He gave Chen an antidote and transferred Spiritual Power into his meridians, but exhausted almost all his own reserves in the process 29 35 36.

When villagers poured liquor into the well and set it alight, Chen destroyed his spiritual root to summon a protective barrier. He shielded Shen and the other disciples until help arrived, insisting that saving even one person justified his pursuit of cultivation 36.

Treatment and Apprenticeship Ceremony

Lu Yuanyi stabilized Chen in an ice coffin and returned him to the sect for treatment. Fire-Yang Divine Wood rebuilt his meridians, although Lu warned that no spiritual medicine could directly heal a damaged spiritual root 36 37 40.

Chen retained his humor while recovering: upon waking, he teased Shen for concealing his spiritual root. He later visited Shen on a stretcher after hearing about the crown prince’s assassination attempt, despite still suffering considerable pain 40 44.

By October, Chen could cultivate again and entered the Apprenticeship Ceremony, hoping to become Zheng Ziheng’s disciple. He passed his first tournament match, but his opponent singed part of his hair. His damaged root made replenishing Spiritual Power slower, prompting Shen to offer assistance 45 47.

Appearance

• Forbidden-technique markings: Black markings spread from his hands toward his shoulders, neck, and chest after his sacrifice. They obstructed incoming Spiritual Power and indicated severe meridian damage 36.
• Treatment effects: Scarlet flecks appeared within the markings as Fire-Yang Divine Wood took effect. The markings had completely faded by the time he returned to the Inner Sect 40 45.
• Singed hair: Lost a clump of hair during his first Apprenticeship Tournament match and worried about the impression this would make on Zheng Ziheng 47.

Personality

Chen is earnest and diligent, but does not measure cultivation’s value by fame or exceptional power. Other Inner Sect disciples disparaged his Mixed Spiritual Root, warning that he might never reach Nascent Soul or accomplish anything great. He answered that greatness was never his aim: helping even one person mattered 29 36.

His protective instincts coexist with a warm, teasing manner. Even while his forbidden technique damaged his body, he joked about finally getting a chance to “act cool” and reminded Shen that he still owed him drinks. He also readily joins his friends for meals and wine, though he becomes visibly nervous around the sect master 14 36 45.

Abilities & Skills

Mixed-Attribute Spiritual Power

Chen possesses a Mixed Spiritual Root and can cultivate Spiritual Power with multiple attributes 13 36.

• Mixed roots have limited aptitude; cultivators with them generally struggle to progress beyond the Golden Core threshold 8.
• His root damage slows both cultivation and Spiritual Power recovery 45 47.
• After treatment with Fire-Yang Divine Wood, his fire Spiritual Power appears more pronounced 45.

Forbidden Protective Barrier

Chen uses an unnamed forbidden method to forcefully summon Spiritual Power when poisoning prevents ordinary spellcasting 36.

• Raises a towering, multi-attribute wall that blocks the flames and heat threatening the disciples.
• Destroys his spiritual root and severely damages his meridians.
• Produces black corruption that prevents Shen’s transferred Spiritual Power from reaching him.
• Holds the barrier long enough for rescue, though it begins weakening as his condition deteriorates 36.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sect-issued sword — Received after his Spiritual Root test. Shen borrows it to slice beef for their celebratory hot pot 13.
• Ice coffin — Created by Lu Yuanyi to restrain the spreading corruption and nourish Chen’s damaged root and meridians during transport 36.
• Fire-Yang Divine Wood — Supplied by the sect and administered by Lu to reconstruct his meridians; it does not directly restore his spiritual root 36 37 40.

Relationships

• Shen Leyan — Junior sect brother and close friend. They share food and affectionate banter; Shen searches for him when he disappears, while Chen sacrifices his spiritual root to protect him. Chen’s example changes Shen’s reason for cultivating from personal safety to protecting others 13 29 36 40.
• Zheng Ziheng — Respected senior brother and hoped-for master. Zheng approves Chen’s Inner Sect admission. Chen awaits his return from the capital and worries about looking presentable before him at the ceremony; no apprenticeship is confirmed in the supplied material 13 45 46 47.
• Lu Yuanyi — Sect master and healer. Chen initially finds his presence overwhelming, but later depends on his intervention and meridian reconstruction to survive the consequences of his sacrifice 14 36 40.
• Qingli — Friend and meal companion. They share hot pot and later drink with Shen before the Apprenticeship Ceremony 13 14 45.

Notable Quotes

“But I never wanted to do anything great anyway. Saving even one person still counts as saving someone...Don't you think?” 36

“Don't worry. You still owe me drinks. I'll definitely make it back to the Cloud Radiance Sect with you.” 36

Trivia

• Shen remembers Chen as a nameless extra in the original novel, but comes to believe that he will leave a significant mark on the cultivation world 45.
• Fire repeatedly features in Chen’s misfortunes: the village-fire incident, the attempted burning at Glory Ancestors Village, and his singed hair during the tournament. Shen and Chen joke about this apparent pattern 36 47.