Zhang Yuan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhang Yuan (张渊)
Daoist Name / Titles	Return to the True; also called Returning-to-the-True-Self Celestial and Return to the True Sword Immortal 164 207 387.
Alias(es)	Uses the surname Li; impersonates Li Huixi of the Eastern Bian Li and the demonic cultivator Li Houjin 49 106 147.
Species/Race	Human; a transmigrator described as an outsider who fell into the mortal world from the Outer Heavens 97 669.
Gender	Male 240 477.
Age	In his twenties; earlier describes himself as having reached the age of the capping ceremony 477 693.
Origin	Identifies himself as being from the Bian Kingdom 477.
Affiliation	Xiao Yuanjun’s disciple; True Disciple of the Great Hua Jade Heaven Sect; works under Qin Jieyu at the Azure Nether Immortal Sect without recognizing her as his master 295 898.
Occupation/Role	Daoist cultivator and sword cultivator; agrees to become a Chu Household guest elder; formerly Tan Chencheng’s personal guard; nominal emperor of Great Heng; acting ruler of the Bright Rosy Kingdom and honorary Libationer of Upper Nether Academy 477 649 936 954.
Cultivation Paths	Gang Sha Path, also called the Sha Ingestion Gang Devoration Path; Outer Dao / Qi Refinement to Immortality Path; Qi Sea Unity Path 15 896 950.
Latest Documented Cultivation	Middle Purple Mansion Realm and peak Fate Lord Realm. His former Heavenly Being Perfection cultivation remains impaired while his Dharma Body recovers 896 950 990.
Status	Alive; no longer critically injured, but still far from restoring his peak condition 990.
First Appearance	Injured in a ruined temple after the Li clan takes his immortal spiritual root 1.

Power Progression

The three cultivation paths have separate ranks. His low Outer Dao cultivation frequently conceals much greater Gang Sha power; losing access to his Dao Domain later makes the Outer Dao path essential to rebuilding his strength 307 856 896.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Gang Sha — Third-Turn Qi Refinement	15	His cultivation and Dao Status rise, and he obtains his first life-bound divine ability, Golden Chariot.
Gang Sha — Seven-Turn Qi Refinement	44	Refines Water Calamity Baleful Force. Chooses to progress steadily rather than immediately pursue the remaining forces.
Gang Sha — Ninth-Turn Qi Refinement Perfected	73	Refines Thunderstrike Baleful Force. His seventh-to-ninth-turn forces produce Three Calamities Return-to-Origin Divine Radiance, his third life-bound ability.
Gang Sha — Ninth-Turn talent enhancement	74	Chooses Heaven-Reversing Nine Baleful Forces, strengthening his nine Imagos by 50% and increasing his chance of Heavenly Being attainment by 30%.
Gang Sha — Ten-Turn Qi Refinement	91	Refines the Ascension Heavenly Dipper in fifteen minutes, suppressing the Earthly Baleful Force Imago. Becomes the second cultivator to reach Ten Turns.
Gang Sha — Fourth life-bound ability	92	Discovers Great Cavern Yin-Spectacle Immortal Domain. Empowering Myriad Coexistence gives him another mounting slot and six simultaneous divine abilities.
Gang Sha — Heavenly Being attainment	126 134 387	Attains Heavenly Being status after slaying a True Dragon at the Yadong River. The first post-attainment talent selection is documented in Chapter 134.
Gang Sha — Early Heavenly Being	181 207	Refines cinnabar yang fire qi under Xiao Yuanjun’s supervision; subsequently identified explicitly as an early-stage Heavenly Being.
Outer Dao — First Qi Refinement Layer	294	Uses Heavenly Being Dao Status to gather spiritual qi, then spends two hours refining one strand through his damaged spiritual root. Initially abandons the path as inefficient.
Outer Dao — Second Qi Refinement Layer	307	Documented at this layer when the Bloodlight Formation suppresses his Gang Sha Imagos but leaves his Outer Dao cultivation unchanged.
Gang Sha — Mid Heavenly Being	325	Refines the Earth of the Fifth in about ten hours. Its Imago balances and expands his Dao Domain, enabling the breakthrough.
Outer Dao — Perfected Ninth Qi Refinement Layer	385	Reaches this level after three months on Sun-Moon Cliff. His restored root and basic method still limit his speed.
Gang Sha — Dao Domain expansion	481	Integrates geng metal into the domain’s vegetation and ren water into its surrounding seas. Believes the resulting Imago may rival a late Heavenly Being’s, without claiming that rank.
Gang Sha — Late Heavenly Being	616	Follows Chi Guanguan’s advice to integrate gui water as a stream through Central Immortal Mountain, completing elemental circulation. Chooses Malice Growth afterward.
Gang Sha — Heavenly Being Perfection	804 806	His perfected cultivation is revealed before he overpowers a three-opponent challenge involving Wenren Shangzhi, Deng Qiuzhi, and Lu Danyan.
Gang Sha — Loss of effective peak cultivation	850 857 896	Arrives in the Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm with a damaged Dharma Body and his Dao Domain lost in the Nether Bureau. Retains his true Heavenly Being Dao Status, but not his former cultivation.
Outer Dao — Early Foundation Establishment	856	Documented at this stage after his displacement. Replaces the Great Unity True Qi Art with the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture.
Outer Dao — Mid Foundation Establishment	857	Advances after one night of cultivation, increasing spiritual power by roughly 30%.
Outer Dao — Foundation Establishment Perfection	864	Advances from mid-stage to perfection in four double-hours.
Outer Dao — Early Golden Core	872	Absorbs tribulation thunder with a lightning bead to complete the breakthrough. His spatial movement range increases to about 300 meters.
Outer Dao — Late Golden Core	896	Reaches late-stage Golden Core during ten quiet days in White Tree City, aided by restored aptitude and acquired treasures.
Outer Dao — Mid Nascent Soul	921	Advances from early to mid-stage while refining nine-turn bright water and Heavenly Immortal Brew.
Qi Sea Unity — Fate Lord Realm	921	Breaks through the Source Raising Realm’s shackles and reaches the path’s third realm.
Outer Dao — Late Nascent Soul	943	Refines soul power from the Heavenly Yin Jade Scenery Seal while preparing to assist against a Demon King.
Outer Dao — Nascent Soul Perfection	943	Continues the same refinement session and reaches perfection.
Outer Dao — Early Purple Mansion	950	Documented after secluded cultivation in the imperial treasury.
Qi Sea Unity — Peak Fate Lord	950	Reaches the barrier before the Spirit Calamity Stage and elects not to force the breakthrough.
Outer Dao — Middle Purple Mansion	990	Advances through prolonged meditation in Yin Luo Tranquil Radiance Palace, improving magical power, techniques, and movement range.

Spiritual Root Restoration

Root Condition	Chapter	Effect / Method
Immortal spiritual root removed	1 188	The Eastern Bian Li take his Outer Dao Immortal Spirit Root, leaving him gravely injured.
Supreme-grade five-element waste root	294 381	The remaining root struggles to gather and refine spiritual qi; its deficiency prevents a normal connection between Imago and sword qi.
Low-grade yellow-tier five-element root	381	Uses the Form and Spirit Nourishment Method to replenish the remnants. Less than 5% of his Imago can now connect with sword qi.
Low-grade black-tier root	385	Further restoration supports his renewed Outer Dao cultivation on Sun-Moon Cliff.
Low-grade earth-tier root	484	Refines Taihu Dragonheart Grass. Sword qi and Imago connectivity reaches 25%.
Top-grade earth-tier aptitude	896	Refines acquired Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Beholding the Demon further enhances his aptitude to the equivalent of a pseudo-heavenly root.
Low-grade heavenly five-element root	921	Nine-turn bright water restores his then-supreme-grade earth root to heavenly-tier aptitude. Further restoration requires exceptionally rare materials.

Background / History

Betrayal and Survival

Before transmigrating, Zhang Yuan read stories whose protagonists routinely exterminated hostile families. In the cultivation world, he possesses an exceptionally valuable immortal spiritual root and becomes entangled with the Eastern Bian Li through a proposed marriage. The clan takes his root instead, leaving him injured in a ruined temple during a winter storm 1 97 188.

Li Jiehua steals his Heaven and Earth Bag and extinguishes his fire. Zhang Yuan uses Heavenly Vision to identify a future in which delaying Li allows a mysterious Daoist to arrive. Rather than plead, he deliberately provokes Li into lingering, then recognizes the predicted visitor when the fire restores itself 1.

Xiao Yuanjun’s Disciple

By the early Bian Kingdom events, Zhang Yuan is Xiao Yuanjun’s disciple. Their attempts to untangle his marriage contract expose him to schemes involving Dongfang Caibai and Golden Core True Lords. Xiao teaches him a method rendered as the Congenital True Law of Self-Transcendence, through which he rapidly advances along the Gang Sha Path 11 15 28 44.

While staying with Chen Qinkuai in Liu Family Village, he initially avoids the household’s disputes but helps Chen Xinqiao against the relatives trying to remove her. This develops into a confrontation with Wang Zhenfeng of the Dragon Creek City Wang Household 44 49.

Military Merit and Heavenly Being Attainment

Zhang Yuan destroys the Wen Kingdom’s Blazing Fire, Burning Blood Formation and earns 120,000 battle merits. Seeking further resources, he refuses indiscriminate attacks on cities despite their potential rewards. At Junya Mountain, his victories drive out the Wen and Jingheng kingdoms’ Qi Refinement Perfected cultivators, and Cui Qiezhe provides a Tribulation-Transforming Pill against his accumulated merit 83 106 110.

After reaching Ten Turns, he undergoes the trials associated with Heavenly Being attainment and slays a True Dragon at the Yadong River. He takes the Daoist name Return to the True. His subsequent aid to Cui Zhaowei settles a karmic debt to the Ya East Cui, while protecting Cui Yuanxi strengthens his ties to the Aohai Cui 126 149 160 196 387.

The Mountain-Sea Black-Yellow Realm

Separated from Xiao Yuanjun and Li Zhongshuang after entering the Mountain-Sea Black-Yellow Realm, Zhang Yuan works under Qin Jieyu at the Azure Nether Immortal Sect. He uses the Great Unity True Qi Art to establish an Outer Dao identity, but discovers that his damaged root makes even basic progress difficult. Although Qin offers resources and treats him as a disciple, he tells Xiao that he has not accepted another master 288 293 294 295.

His investigations uncover a fragment of Clear Void True Person’s body-refining scripture and the deliberate removal of the ancient Spirit Transformation Realm from the local cultivation lineage. Meanwhile, he refines powerful banners, acquires the Earth of the Fifth, and advances to mid Heavenly Being 292 295 311 325.

Obligations, Pursuit, and Great Heng

The possibility of resurrecting Chen Xinqiao complicates his hatred of the Eastern Bian Li. Li Huixi uses that prospect during negotiations over Zhang Yuan’s return and marriage. After restoring part of his spiritual root on Sun-Moon Cliff, Zhang leaves but promises to return when the Chaos Calamity arrives and honor their agreement 188 194 381 385.

Protecting Ao Xiu draws him into conflict with the South Sea Dragon Clan. During a coordinated ambush, he sends Xiao Yuanjun away with the dragon and acts as a decoy himself. Later, in the Boundless Southern Heaven Realm, he becomes involved with Tan Chencheng and Great Heng’s royal struggle. His disguises include the First God Cult’s Candidate Holy Son, though the Cult Master subsequently acts against him 400 588 649 840.

Fame and the Attempt to Prove His Dao

Zhang Yuan’s Heavenly Being Perfection breakthrough and victory over three opponents make him famous across the five realms. He regards that reputation as dangerous: superiority over Heavenly Beings does not protect him from True Lords or their schemes 804 805 806.

As he approaches Sky Mountain, repeated victories deepen his ritual-array Imago and build an “invincible momentum.” The First God Cult Master attacks to delay him, followed by the Five Black Dragon Lord, who demands Ao Xiu. Zhang refuses to surrender his companion and counters both opponents 840.

Rebuilding in the Crimson Firmament Rosy Radiance Realm

Zhang Yuan later arrives in another realm badly weakened, with his Dao Domain in the Nether Bureau and his Dharma Body damaged. Meeting Wei Jianxing’s escort party in a ruined temple, he turns to the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture to rebuild through the Outer Dao path. Chi Guanguan also encourages him to develop the Qi Sea Unity Path before recovering his original domain 850 856 857 896.

He becomes acting ruler of the Bright Rosy Kingdom while investigating the Six Heavenly Demon Kings. During the crisis in Rosy Capital, he detects a false Qi Han, anticipates Ruan Jiang’s ambush, and coordinates with Xie Jingxin and Upper-String True Person. By his later seclusion in Yin Luo Tranquil Radiance Palace, his Outer Dao cultivation reaches middle Purple Mansion, but environmental limitations block further Qi Sea Unity advancement and slow his Dharma Body’s recovery 936 954 971 973 990.

Appearance

• Youthful and handsome: Officials remark on his good looks, while Chu Qingyuan initially assumes his extraordinary strength means he is an ancient cultivator who regained his youth 240 477.
• Crimson wedding garment: His imposing appearance in a crimson robe frightens Liu Yulan into mistaking him for a ghost 44 96.
• Moon-white Daoist robes: These become distinctive enough for Wei Jianxing to recognize him from a distance 207 941.
• Changing disguises: Adopts sect robes, a cold Sword Immortal demeanor, and occasionally obscures his face with radiance 164 509 866.
• Shoulder companions: Ao Xiu and the miniature Chi Guanguan sit on opposite shoulders, prompting him to call them his “left and right guardians” 649.

Personality

Zhang Yuan’s caution is active rather than timid. He checks possible futures, conceals his cultivation, prepares escape routes, and treats unexplained generosity as a potential scheme. Even apparent allies rarely receive his complete trust. His ideal tactic is to hide his true strength and overwhelm opponents who underestimate him 28 38 158 590 973.

He is ambitious but practical about advancement. He abandons inefficient cultivation, refuses dangerous experiments after receiving sound advice, and evaluates talents by their exposure to karmic manipulation as well as their power. Direct, dependable advantages appeal to him more than abilities that might place him under a True Lord’s control 92 294 326.

His principles coexist with ruthlessness. Other cultivators praise his ability to retain his nature despite powerful divine abilities, and he refuses indiscriminate attacks for military merit. He also kills threatening enemies, destroys souls to prevent resurrection, and plunders hostile cultivators. His concern for ordinary people is genuine but bounded: after discovering four surviving children in a massacred village, he asks the responsible sect to care for them rather than taking custody himself 83 106 147 307 757.

He is irreverent, teasing, and occasionally oblivious to indirect social signals. His banter with Xiao Yuanjun is especially familiar, while Qin Tianyi and Zhao Lian frequently become targets of his provocation. He insists that he is a good person and resents his demonic reputation, yet sometimes deliberately performs a cruel persona when others already misunderstand him 163 757 780 866 950.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Vision

His innate foresight presents three possible futures at a time 1.

• Uses predicted outcomes to choose words and actions, including the delay that allows his temple rescuer to arrive 1.
• Consults it before taking treasures or attending potentially dangerous meetings 38 187.
• Initially finds ordinary effort insufficient to rewrite the visions’ outcomes; after reaching Third Turn, he wonders whether his higher Dao Status might change that limitation 1 15.

Read People

Reads people’s qualities and moods through visible tags or labels. Zhang explains it to Xiao Yuanjun as an innate divine ability 49 74.

• Assesses Wang Zhenfeng’s mixed cultivation and lack of particularly strong labels 49.
• Receives talent-selection opportunities as his Dao Status rises 73 92.
• Risks exposing him as a “heavenly treasure” if used on powerful Heavenly Beings or Golden Core True Lords 74.

Golden Chariot

His first life-bound divine ability provides rapid transport and escape 15.

• Can carry him a thousand miles away in a single thought 15.
• Conceals him from heavenly divination while the ability is being used, not continuously 15.
• Its golden carriage supports extended journeys and travel-time cultivation 123.
• Losing his Dao Domain also costs him access to the ability, forcing him to seek another spatial escape art 857.

Myriad Coexistence

His second life-bound divine ability establishes karmic connections and supports ability mounting 92 149.

• Maintains contact with Xiao Yuanjun and lets him confirm her safety across great distances 49 288 460.
• Enables access to mounted abilities such as Xiao’s Fivefold Body-Rending Qi 74 81.
• Manifests iron chains that Wang Zhenfeng’s Heaven-Splitting Slash can destroy 49.
• Gains an additional mounting slot when empowered by Great Cavern Yin-Spectacle Immortal Domain 92.
• Can form temporary connections, such as his assistance to Cui Zhaowei, which he later severs 149.
• Does not reliably transmit spatial coordinates: his attempt to summon Xiao directly through the Great Void fails 207.

Three Calamities Return-to-Origin Divine Radiance

His third life-bound divine ability derives from the thunderstrike, water calamity, and gale baleful forces 73.

• Attacks both flesh and primordial spirit, seeking complete annihilation 73.
• Combines with Fivefold Body-Rending Qi to resemble sword light and conceal the number of abilities he is using 81.
• At mid Heavenly Being, its Three-Colored Radiance traps Ding Ge, disables his magic, destroys his body, soul, and Nascent Soul, and conceals the killing’s karmic trace 329.
• Even amplified attacks face difficulty against specialized durability such as Deng Qiuzhi’s Mountain-Suppressing Bone 632.

Great Cavern Yin-Spectacle Immortal Domain

His fourth life-bound ability initially manifests as a dim, three-colored illusory world shaped by his refined forces 92.

• Raises his Dao Status and pushes another divine ability beyond its ordinary limit 92.
• Uses blood-red light, black winds, and razor-sharp vegetation to trap fleeing cultivators 147.
• Develops through carefully balanced elemental Imagos, including fire, metal, earth, and water 181 325 481 616.
• Integrating ding fire into the Immortal Palace’s lamps helps stabilize his mind and may resist illusions or outside influence 325.
• Losing the domain severely reduces his available cultivation and mobility; a weak later connection supplies limited vitality during recovery 857 986 990.

Sword Cultivation

Zhang Yuan describes himself as “half a sword cultivator” because his original spiritual-root deficiency prevents normal, sustained conversion of Imago into sword qi 310.

• Studies the Tai Bai Weapon-and-War Sword Scripture and uses the Lamp-Lighting Oil-Adding Pill as a medium for generating and storing sword qi 117 310.
• Draws inspiration from the Heavenly Inheritance Sword Scripture when shaping divine radiance into sword-like attacks 59 81 113.
• Stores sword qi inside earlier attacks to kill an opponent who attempts to flee 310.
• Sword qi retained in the pill can preserve its Heavenly Being power even when his own cultivation is suppressed 311.
• Spiritual-root restoration progressively improves the connection between Imago and sword qi 381 484.

Concealment and Spiritual Protection

• Severing Past and Present, Leaving No Trace — conceals his aura, movements, and manifested chains. Qi Refinement-level concealment can still be detected by stronger formations and tracking treasures 49 83 95 181.
• Immaculate Primordial Spirit — protects him from destruction by an overwhelming voice in the Outer Heavens and prevents Wenren Shangzhi’s deceptive apparition from misleading him 92 400.
• Dusk Veil — gives Fivefold Body-Rending Qi sword-qi properties at the cost of halving its power, allowing it to penetrate otherwise resistant bodies 632 633.

Karmic and Spatial Techniques

• Karmic analysis — identifies severed master–disciple ties, distinguishes degrees of involvement in a crime, and recognizes attempts to manipulate his trials 149 487 510.
• Heavenly Being perception — detects distant figures, hidden observers, cultivation levels, and Fortune 329 446.
• As the Emperor Personally Walked — manifests a golden staircase for spatial movement; reaches roughly 300 meters after his Outer Dao Golden Core breakthrough 872.
• Reaching the Subtlety of Heaven — draws power across time and space. During recovery, he uses it to borrow from himself and temporarily raise a second-turn-level Imago to seventh-turn strength; this is not a permanent realm breakthrough 986.

Cultivation Methods

Method	Use / Limitation
Congenital True Law of Self-Transcendence	Xiao Yuanjun’s Gang Sha method; supports rapid force refinement and his Ten-Turn route before Heavenly Being attainment 44 73.
Great Unity True Qi Art	Accessible Outer Dao method chosen for his poor aptitude and cover identity. Its basic nature later limits the quality of his spiritual power 293 385.
Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture	High-grade Qi Refinement to Immortality method given by the First God Cult Master. Converts wandering ghosts and stored soul power into cultivation 856 943.
Mist-Sea Layered Tower Heaven-Splitting Scripture	Qi Sea Unity method supplied by Chi Guanguan. Later progress stalls because his surroundings lack its required environmental energies 900 990.
Form and Spirit Nourishment Method	Refines Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to restore his spiritual root 381 921.
Primordial Unity One Qi Body-Refining Treasure Scripture	Possesses the complete method associated with Clear Void True Person, while the Azure Nether Immortal Sect retains only a fragment. Considers body cultivation but no completed advancement is documented here 292 293.

Selected Talents

Talent	Documented Effect
Heaven-Reversing Nine Baleful Forces	Strengthens his nine Imagos by 50% and raises his chance of Heavenly Being attainment by 30% 74.
Spring Breeze Caress	Chosen as his first Heavenly Being talent to help navigate powerful figures’ schemes. Combined with his cultivation method, supports adaptation to any Metal Position Dao Domain 134 160.
Greatest of All Time	Weakens opponents’ techniques by 30% 326.
Ancestor of Earth Immortals	Favored at his mid-Heavenly-Being selection. At full strength, could suppress cultivators sharing his refined forces by up to 50% and increase his chance of truth-seeking by 20%; he anticipates stacking its suppression with Greatest of All Time 326.
Malice Growth	Converts accumulated malice into killing power. Excess can hollow out his body and increase the Imago required for divine abilities 616.
Beholding the Demon	A divine effect that enhances spiritual-root aptitude, but produces evil thoughts he must dispel after cultivation 896.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Innate Five Directions Flags

Banner	Power / Use
Eastern Profound Sun Fusang Banner	Thunderbolt Rush unleashes azure lightning. Even when powered by early Heavenly Being cultivation, its offensive strength can threaten a late Heavenly Being 295.
Western Duguang Bridge-to-Heaven Banner	Sky-Splitting partitions space for trapping opponents, blocking spatial escape, or aiding his own escape. Given by True Lord Jianmu Dinghai in gratitude for saving Cui Yuanxi 196 295 840.
Southern Flame-Bright Scarlet Radiance Banner	Intercepts the Hengyang Lu archer’s attack; subsequently used with the other banners to destroy him 307.
Central and Northern banners	Their refinement completes the set. Their powers suppress spells and damage treasures 594.
Complete five-banner formation	Forms the Innate Five-Direction Five-Element Grand Formation, restricting opponents through five directional rules. Zhang expects it to be difficult even for Heavenly Being Perfection cultivators to break 594.

Other Notable Possessions

• Primordial Form-Absorbing Sword — life-bound flying sword and principal weapon; channels divine radiance and sword-enhanced attacks. He strengthens it by feeding it otherwise unusable force Imagos 310 311 632.
• Lamp-Lighting Oil-Adding Pill — Innate Supreme Treasure inside his body; converts Imago into stored sword qi and serves as a long-term offensive reserve 117 311 656.
• Twelve Celestial Season Orbs — spring and summer orbs given by Xiao Yuanjun. Govern seasons and weather through Set the Celestial Seasons and Command the Celestial Phenomena, and each contains vast quantities of East Sea water 74.
• Twelve Primordial Form-Absorbing Mystic Pearls — reverse the sea, expose Jade Ravine Island, and help him seize and shrink the island to palm size 298.
• Nine-Vault Golden Separation Furnace — treasure taken from Jianning City; usable for attack and pill refinement, with power that may rival a nine-turn cultivator. Zhang lacks the artifact-refinement knowledge to improve it 44.
• Nine-Turn Form-Destroying Fly-Whisk — obtained from Lu Qingwu. Zhang seals it because he suspects a concealed trap 294 633.
• Profound Ancestor Gourd — carried at his waist alongside the Five Directions Flags after his displacement 850.
• Sun-Eroding Demon King Palace — used during later Outer Dao cultivation 896 943.
• Heavenly Yin Jade Scenery Seal — contains soul power from hundreds of millions of remnant souls, allowing rapid Nascent Soul advancement 943.
• Chaos Platform fragment — stabilized within his sea of consciousness; he investigates how its Imago relates to his three cultivation paths 950.
• Plain two-handed sword — unusually sturdy weapon retained after the White Tree City battle despite its unknown ownership and mismatch with his one-handed manual 896.
• Mystic Heaven Sword Qi Fist — obtains the three publicly available volumes through bargaining; the remaining three require Azure Nether Immortal Sect True Disciple access 725.
• Biographies of the Lords — purchased in Dragon Creek City; its conspicuously flattering portrayal of Huitian Yanshi raises Jianmu Dinghai’s suspicions 196.

Relationships

Masters, Companions, and Allies

• Xiao Yuanjun — recognized master, teacher, protector, and closest companion. Gives him cultivation guidance, mounted abilities, and treasures; their affectionate familiarity includes teasing, shared lodging, and mutual protection. He explicitly denies having accepted Qin Jieyu as another master 74 92 110 295 537.
• Chi Guanguan — shoulder companion and cultivation adviser, surviving as a wisp of a Primordial Great Encompassing’s divine sense. Helps balance his Dao Domain and supplies his Qi Sea Unity method; Zhang initially does not trust her completely 588 590 616 900 901.
• Chen Xinqiao — initially protects her in Liu Family Village. Her death and possible resurrection become central to his negotiations with the Eastern Bian Li. She is associated with the previous incarnation Clear Void True Person, and her later return to position is mentioned 44 49 188 292 729.
• Ao Xiu — trusted True Dragon companion whose protection places Zhang in conflict with the South Sea Dragon Clan. Zhang jokingly calls Ao Xiu a spirit pet, provoking objections 400 649 840.
• Cui Yuanxi — close friend and beneficiary of his protection during her Heavenly Being trial. Calls him her best friend, worries openly about his safety, and attracts her relatives’ matchmaking interest 160 239 271 361 780.
• Cui Zhaowei — friend and cultivation-trial companion. His assistance helps her pass trials and settles his debt to the Ya East Cui; her parents interpret her concern as romantic affection, though she regards the relationship more reservedly 149 239 243.
• Cui Qiezhe — Ya Kingdom patron who provides the Tribulation-Transforming Pill and hopes to recruit Zhang and draw him closer to the family 106 110 243.
• Jiang Peilan — Sword Immortal who agrees to teach him sword cultivation with Xiao’s approval. Also supports the Cui family’s efforts to bring him closer to Cui Zhaowei 106 113 149.
• Cui Wenshan — ally who initially conceals his real name, later owes him rescue, and considers him a suitable match for Cui Yuanxi 83 106 271.
• Qin Jieyu — Azure Nether Immortal Sect elder who offers food, resources, and body-cultivation support. Zhang appreciates her treatment but fears her surveillance and possessiveness, and does not acknowledge her as his master 292 293 295 725.
• Tan Chencheng — Great Heng princess he formerly serves as personal guard; later describes their bond as friendship forged through shared danger. Protects her during an ambush and maintains contact after leaving Great Heng 594 649 950 954.
• Chu Qingyuan — proposes his Chu Household guest-elder role and tends his courtyard. After her family’s destruction and her blinding, he remains concerned for her but says he cannot heal her himself 477 481 492 537.
• Bai Fu — former Hengyang Lu descendant given to him as a maid. He has encouraged her to leave, denies romantic interest, and later asks her to investigate the Six Heavens Demon King Palace 149 900 906.
• Xie Jingxin — Sword Saint ally during the Rosy Capital crisis and later recovery. Responds to his warnings, blocks attacks on him, and checks on him during seclusion 971 973 990.
• Zhao Lian — Bright Rosy Kingdom princess, political counterpart, and frequent target of his teasing. Provides academy access and manages affairs while he cultivates 914 950 952.
• Wei Jianxing and Wei Liu — companions met after his displacement. Their suspicion of his ghost-consuming method coexists with practical cooperation; Wei Liu often bluntly challenges his claims 850 856 857 898.
• Tong Ke — mischievous acquaintance who helps him enter the Azure Talisman Grotto-Heaven and later accompanies his Mysterious Court visit 693 729.

Rivals and Complicated Ties

• Eastern Bian Li — clan responsible for taking his immortal spiritual root. Zhang vows revenge, but resurrection negotiations and marriage arrangements keep him entangled with it 188 194 360 362.
• Li Huixi — a name Zhang first uses as a disguise, then a powerful figure with whom he negotiates over marriage and Chen Xinqiao’s resurrection. Their relationship includes a betrothal, verbal sparring, and Zhang’s promise to return at the Chaos Calamity 49 188 385 582.
• Li Zhongshuang — travels to the Mountain-Sea Black-Yellow Realm with Zhang and Xiao. Marriage arrangements involving her become a motive for Eastern Bian Li opposition to Zhang 256 288 362.
• Qin Tianyi — opportunistic rival and recurring ally, addressed as a younger brother. Zhang avoids killing him because of True Lord politics, exploits their uneasy cooperation, and later recognizes that Qin is under a primordial-spirit restriction 147 163 187 588 771.
• Deng Qiuzhi — longstanding enemy whose branch suffers heavily from Zhang’s attacks. His Mountain-Suppressing Bone physique and hidden defensive wonders make him a difficult opponent 110 164 632 725.
• Deng Yici — cultivator from another Wenshui Deng branch who pursues Zhang’s attention through offers, flirtation, and theatrical jealousy. Zhang considers the relationship troublesome and avoids accepting favors 147 164 633 767 780.
• Wenren Shangzhi — South Sea Dragon Clan enemy pursuing Ao Xiu. Coordinates ambushes with other hostile factions and repeatedly clashes with Zhang 400 401 594 633 805.
• Lu Qingwu — enemy associated with Zhang’s separation from his companions and the suspicious fly-whisk. Zhang treats their feud as a fight to the death 288 294 307.
• True Lord Jiguang Shixin — powerful meddler linked to the Eastern Sink Pavilion’s intelligence and Zhang’s hostile public image. Zhang also holds him responsible for Chu Qingyuan’s blindness and intends to make him cure her 350 537 701 744.
• First God Cult Master — gives him the Great Qian Primordial Soul-Refining Scripture, but later attacks to delay his dao-proving attempt. Zhang recognizes his strength as well above an ordinary Heavenly Being Perfection expert 856 840.
• Carefree True Person — initially an enemy’s master, then a situational ally. Zhang confirms her severed relationship with Lu Chaoshen; she later engages a pursuer while he fights Deng Qiuzhi 509 510 632.

Notable Quotes

“I'm no true gentleman. I can't repay hatred with kindness. When the day comes that I attain a golden core and ascend to the rank of True Lord, I will avenge this.” 188

“I'm half a sword cultivator.” 310

“If it's a long story, make it short. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your life will be long.” 623

“If you inquire about my reputation, it is best to do so in the Ya Kingdom. Information elsewhere is inaccurate. In particular, there is a shop called the [Eastern Sink Pavilion]. You need not believe a single word of its intelligence about me.” 744