Yi Yang

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yi Yang (伊阳)
Alias(es)	Old Yi, Uncle Yi, Lord Yi; forms of address rather than separate identities 1 210.
Gender	Male
Age	Sixty at the beginning; described as barely past sixty later 1 263.
Birthplace	Three Trees Village, Yunlin County, Suining Prefecture, Qing Province 30.
Affiliation	Heaven Patrol Office; formerly its Nether Spring Office and Pacification Guard; later transferred to the Trade and Commerce Office’s Preparatory General Bureau 114 197 281.
Occupation/Role	Deputy Chief Inspector of Crossing Peak Stronghold; formerly a woodcutter, Archive Hall Patrol Captain, Sunbright Tower master, South City Prison head jailer, and Pacification Guard Commander 1 69 75 88 197 281.
Cultivation	Profound Connection First Realm; still preparing to reach the Second Realm and form a Dharma Body in the latest provided account 336 345.
Aptitude	Grade C, Middle Tier 115 166.
Heavenly Mandate	“An old steed rests in its stall, yet its ambition ranges a thousand miles”; grants aptitude-independent progress and a sixtyfold multiplier at age sixty 1.
Lifespan	180 years upon reaching True Astral Realm Completion 261.
Status	Alive and cultivating at Crossing Peak Stronghold 345.
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Cultivation Realms

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Heavenly Mandate awakened	1	Gains guaranteed progress in practiced skills and cultivation methods, without aptitude restrictions or bottlenecks; each point counts as sixty.
Pre–Qi-Blood cultivation	5	Reaches 720/1,000 in his health-nourishing art after three days; gains enough strength to split ironwood with one stroke and overhear concealed conversations.
Qi-Blood First Level — Skin Refining	7	Completes the first level after six days. Old pain diminishes, and a punch cracks an axe-resistant ironwood stump.
Qi-Blood Second Level — Flesh Training	24	Reports completing flesh training in a little over ten days and beginning the push toward tendon refining.
Qi-Blood Third Level — Tendon Refining	32	Confirmed training the third layer with Water Essence Pills; one night raises its progress from 1,245 to 2,000.
Qi-Blood Fourth Level — Bone Tempering	38	Already possesses a bone-tempered body, though his cultivation remains concealed from colleagues and relatives.
Qi-Blood Fifth Level — Organ Refining	52 60	Combines fifth-level cultivation, major-mastery saber technique, and internal refinement; judges himself capable of contending with a sixth-level expert.
Qi-Blood Sixth Level — Marrow Cleansing and Blood Renewal	63	Reached after intensive training, costly pills, and Zhou Jiang’s Sunshine Flower. Strength, speed, and bodily responsiveness rise sharply.
First Inner Qi — Qi Sea Formation	91	Confirmed alongside three martial-art breakthroughs; his inner qi grows substantially thicker.
Second Inner Qi — Pure and Turbid Return to Origin	116	Intensive seclusion, pills, and the Purple Spirit Flower compress his inner qi into a denser form. Perception expands from just over thirty to seventy zhang.
Third Inner Qi — Heavenly Rain Crowning	133 144	Confirmed when he overwhelms Wu Jin and Jiang Sha; his core art later stands at 159,200/500,000. The breakthrough itself is not shown in the supplied account.
Early True Astral Realm	144	Consumes fifty-three Low-Grade Treasure Pills and twenty-year-old jadeblood grass to complete the Inner Qi volume and transform his energy.
Wood-aspected True Astral Force	179	Fully converts his original astral force into jade-green wood-aspected force during more than half a month in Pure Heart Pavilion; reaches 285,360/1,000,000 progress.
Mid True Astral Realm	193	Completes the hundred-forged body after overnight cultivation aided by expert notes and True Pills; astral force strengthens his entire body and begins connecting his meridians.
True Astral Realm Completion	261	Fifteen days of cultivation consume his True Pills, century-old black ginseng, and late-True-Astral Monster Core. Controls a nascent dharma body and gains a recorded lifespan of 180 years.
Profound Connection First Realm — confirmed	336	Cultivates the Wood True Yang Scripture at 4.4 million/20 million progress. He has not yet reached the Second Realm and continues pursuing it afterward 345.

Martial Arts and Body Refinement

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nine Peaks Saber — opening forms learned	17	Applies decades of woodcutting experience to the technique. Five practice runs bring progress to 300/3,000, but leave him exhausted.
Nine Peaks Saber — minor mastery	40	Achieves the milestone through nightly practice; his bone-tempered body can withstand the technique’s recoil.
Five-Organ Internal Refining Force — entry level	40	Begins circulating qi and blood through all five organs, producing fine threads of vital essence and a faint trace of pure yi wood qi.
Nine Peaks Saber — major mastery	60	The fight in which he killed Jiang Liang completed the remaining progress.
Five-Organ Internal Refining Force — minor mastery	60	Strengthens his organs and improves his defenses and blood-qi endurance beyond ordinary fifth-level practitioners.
Nine Peaks Saber — perfection	91	One of three breakthroughs completed in a single day.
Five-Organ Internal Refining Force — major mastery	91	Closes its internal circulation and substantially increases his strength and inner qi.
Treading Water to Cross the River — minor mastery	91	Gains stable, rapid changes of direction in confined space.
Horizontal Refinement Martial Extremity Body — training begun	97	First cycle registers 60/3,000; adopted to improve his ability to withstand attacks.
Horizontal Refinement Martial Extremity Body — major mastery	118	Recorded at 2,460/5,000 after his cultivation in the prefectural city.
Thunderous Sound Mantra — minor mastery	118	Recorded at 1,800/25,000.
Concealed Breath Formless Art — first layer, Hidden Abyss, initial mastery	118	Reaches 1,000/10,000 one day before the deadline; can suppress his presence or accurately display weaker cultivation.
Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body — training begun	200	First cycle registers 60/20,000; his wood-aspected force repairs the strain caused by its harsh tempering.
Treading Water to Cross the River — perfection confirmed	231	Fully mastered, but its middle-tier foundation can no longer keep pace with his cultivation.
Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body — minor attainment	231	Blood lotus petals rapidly increase progress; eight petals complete the 80,000-point threshold.
Cloud-Leaping Crane — training begun	231	Memorizes thirty-six circulation diagrams and begins practicing its footwork as a replacement movement art.
Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body — major accomplishment	232	Gains greatly increased strength, toughness, and rapid healing; a dagger cannot cut his arm.
Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body — further major-accomplishment tempering	267	A rare blood river flower drives repeated bodily rupture and regeneration, enriching his pale-gold blood and vitality.
Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body — perfection	297	Wu Yanluo’s Dragon-Tiger Form-Changing Body-Strengthening Pill completes the art. Physical strength can rival and surpass a newly advanced Profound Awakening expert.
Divine Bone Blood Refining — Iron Bone training begun	338	Uses Illusion-Breaking divine sense to precisely temper his bones; the first hour registers 360/500,000.
Divine Bone Blood Refining — Iron Bone initiation	345	Blood-Replenishing Pills, Ink Abyss Marsh resources, and premium Blood-Qi Treasure Medicine complete the first milestone. A treasure-artifact saber barely marks his skin without true-qi reinforcement.

Mental Cultivation and Divine-Sense Techniques

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Heart Ape Mind Guarding Art — Still Image, major mastery	200	Uses the opening created by his Mid True Astral breakthrough and lingering pill effects; mental perception expands from roughly 100 to 230 zhang.
Heart Ape Mind Guarding Art — Still Image breakthrough	232	Three black lotus seeds strengthen his Sea of Consciousness, create a resilient golden barrier, and enlarge the Golden-Furred Ape phantom to nearly nine feet.
Illusion-Breaking divine sense — confirmed	294	Conceals this attainment from Jiang Zhongtian, claiming only Self-Observation Realm Perfection.
Heart Ape Mind Guarding Art — Still Image completion confirmed	301	Its completed foundation supports his study of the Dynamic Image Chapter’s offensive techniques.
Heart Prison, Body Incineration — minor mastery	312	Golden-Silk Sunflower petals help condense a seed capable of exploiting and detonating an enemy’s deepest fears.
Heart Mirror, Shattering Shadow — minor mastery	312	Forms a mental blade that severs an opponent’s connection to their senses.
Heartfire Raging Across the Plains — minor mastery	312	Creates a flame that can enter an enemy’s Qi Sea and ignite their cultivation.

Background / History

Yi Yang remembers a previous life and initially hoped to use that knowledge to establish a business. He abandoned the idea after recognizing that wealth and ingenuity offered little protection in a world dominated by martial strength. At sixteen, a martial hall judged him incapable of cultivation while identifying promise in his younger brother, Yi Xun. Their parents devoted their resources to Yi Xun; when the family divided, Yi Xun received the town shops, while Yi Yang received a poor house and farmland in Three Trees Village 1.

He spent more than forty years cutting wood. His sister’s granddaughter, Jiang Yuexin, came into his care after her parents disappeared and her grandmother died. Entrusted to him three years before the opening, she called him Grandpa and promised to care for him in old age. Despite complaining that she was a nuisance, he quietly reserved softer food for her 1 118.

At sixty, his Heavenly Mandate awakened. Its arrival coincided with threats against Yuexin over purplewood he had discovered on Greenwood Mountain. Rather than depend on his estranged relatives, he sought cultivation instruction and began developing the strength to protect their household 1 3 4.

Appearance

• Original appearance: A gaunt, withered elderly man with graying or white hair, deep wrinkles, age spots, and heavily callused hands 2 26 27.
• Clothing: Initially wears patched village clothes; later adopts Heaven Patrol Office uniforms and the embroidered robes of an Acting Patrol Commander 5 38 75.
• Rejuvenation: Cultivation gradually restores black hair and a healthier complexion. By his reunion with Yan Wuyuan, his hair is entirely black and he appears about forty 40 75 281.
• Refined physique: Perfecting the Dragon Elephant Body leaves his skin finer and warmer, with a texture compared to warm jade 297.
• Habitual disguise: Frequently stoops, coughs, shuffles, or displays feeble breathing to preserve the image of a harmless old man 19 27 52 118.

Personality

Yi Yang is patient, observant, and difficult to provoke. Decades of hardship have taught him to distinguish useful action from wounded pride. He tolerates mockery, conceals breakthroughs, and prepares resources and escape options before confronting stronger opponents 7 47 58 136.

His affection is usually expressed through practical care and teasing rather than declarations. He protects Yuexin without blaming her for mistakes, provides medicine and housing for Yang Hui, and rewards capable subordinates instead of treating them as expendable labor 3 34 76.

In combat, he is pragmatic and ruthless. He uses soot, false openings, staged weakness, and misleading evidence without regard for martial decorum. That ruthlessness does not exclude concern for innocents: he seeks leniency for uninvolved martial-hall disciples and rejects smoking out an underground stronghold when captives might be present 16 20 108 210.

He values independence more than prestigious appointments. His refusal of Sun Xing’s offer reflects his unwillingness to become another official’s temporary political instrument, while his later cultivation priorities repeatedly place survival above reputation 58 115 345.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Mandate

His late-awakening mandate makes practiced skills and cultivation methods advance regardless of aptitude or bottlenecks 1.

• Grants a sixtyfold progress multiplier at age sixty and displays progress on a panel visible only to him 1 179.
• Works on cultivation, saber techniques, movement arts, body refinement, and mental cultivation 17 91 200.
• Benefits from additional advantages: Pure Heart Pavilion’s water-wood essence raises each cycle from sixty to 360 points 179.
• Does not remove the need for resources, physical recovery, or careful training; expensive medicines remain central to his advancement 115 336 339.

Wood-Based Cultivation

The Wood-Nurturing Longevity Art is his principal cultivation method through the True Astral Realm; he later cultivates the Wood True Yang Scripture in Profound Connection 179 261 336.

• Nourishes bodily vitality and progressively reverses signs of aging 4 40 281.
• Produces supple, enduring wood-aspected astral force with strong reserves and healing properties 179 180.
• Repairs damage from demanding body-tempering exercises and meridian-straining techniques 197 227 228.
• Grants a recorded lifespan of 180 years at True Astral Completion, thirty years beyond his expectation 261.

Saber Techniques

The Nine Peaks Saber is a superior-grade killing art built around nine linked principles. Yi Yang interprets bodily vulnerabilities through his experience reading the “grain” of wood 17 60.

• Uses force, deceptive angles, precision, and economical attacks 40.
• Its ninth form, Perfection Peak, defeats Wang Gongqin and later overwhelms Wu Jin’s perfected fist defense 95 133.
• Azure Dragon Emerges from the Abyss becomes stronger and loses its previously debilitating meridian strain after his yin-wood astral-force conversion 180.
• Early practice is physically exhausting; a stronger body is necessary to tolerate its recoil 17 40.

Internal Refinement

The Five-Organ Internal Refining Force circulates qi and blood through the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys 40.

• Strengthens organs, endurance, and bodily defenses 60.
• Helps him endure probing pressure while maintaining his disguise 115.
• Is valuable enough to attract the County Commandant’s pursuit; Yi Yang hides the manual even from trusted household members 38 40.

Movement and Tracking

His mobility combines martial movement arts with decades of woodland experience 60 118.

• Treading Water to Cross the River: Provides short-range bursts and rapid directional changes; eventually reaches perfection 60 91 231.
• Cloud-Leaping Crane: A more advanced movement art adopted when his earlier technique becomes inadequate 231.
• Tracking: Reads footprints for age, load, handedness, stride, and approximate height 118.
• Fieldcraft: Scouts from concealment, studies terrain, and avoids entering unfamiliar hiding places prematurely 118 305.

Concealed Breath Formless Art

This Nether Spring Office technique suppresses aura by sealing breath, locking the meridians, and stilling the mind 115.

• Can erase detectable cultivation fluctuations or accurately imitate weaker cultivation 118.
• Allows him to appear completely untrained, complementing his frail-old-man performance 118.
• Higher levels described in his scroll can mimic other auras or temporarily grant stronger cultivation, but the fourth- and fifth-level formulas are withheld; his mastery of those levels is not established 115.

Body Refinement

Yi Yang develops successive defensive arts rather than relying solely on his cultivation realm 97 197 338.

• Horizontal Refinement Martial Extremity Body: Improves resistance to direct attacks 97 118.
• Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body: At perfection, grants extraordinary physical strength, blood vitality, and rapid wound healing 297.
• Divine Bone Blood Refining: Removes impurities by treating blood and qi as a hammer and flesh as a furnace; his available manual contains the first three of five stages 338.
• Recovery limit: Bone-refining sessions ordinarily require days of rest. Waterside Spirit Drop restores his exhausted body and lets him resume immediately 339.

Mental Perception and Defense

The Heart Ape Mind Guarding Art strengthens his Sea of Consciousness and manifests a Golden-Furred Ape within it 200 232.

• Detects movement, heartbeats, cultivation auras, and concealed threats 200 232.
• Develops a passive thousand-foot awareness field and a resilient golden mental barrier 232.
• Can project mental force: a controlled five-percent release briefly immobilizes a patrolling guard 232.
• Illusion-Breaking divine sense enables precise control of individual true-qi strands during bone refinement 339.
• The Golden-Furred Ape restores depleted mental power during dangerous offensive-technique cultivation 312.

Divine-Sense Attacks

The Dynamic Image Chapter, also described as the Moving Image Chapter, turns his mental cultivation outward 294 301.

• Heart Prison, Body Incineration: Exploits an enemy’s deepest fears 312.
• Heart Mirror, Shattering Shadow: Cuts the connection between an opponent and their senses 312.
• Heartfire Raging Across the Plains: Invades the Qi Sea and ignites cultivation 312.
• Training can damage divine sense; Golden-Silk Sunflower medicine and his completed Still Image foundation help him endure it 312.
• The fourth and fifth forms remain inaccessible until the first three are perfected 301.

Profound Intent Calamity-Extinguishing Finger

A demanding technique obtained after the Wu Family’s confiscation; Yi Yang begins practicing its first stage 227 228.

• Astral-Breaking: Concentrates astral force into two fingers to penetrate defenses 227.
• Meridian-Invasion: The described second stage disrupts astral-force circulation after entering the body; his mastery is not established 227.
• Places extreme strain on the meridians, making his tempered body and healing force important safeguards 228.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Woodcutting blade — His original working tool and early martial weapon; used to practice Nine Peaks Saber and raid Shengcang Martial Hall 17 20.
• Goose-Feather Saber — A well-made saber taken from Lu Neng, along with a concealed poisoned blade and bruise medicine 38.
• Tiger Roar — A custom seventy-two-jin saber forged by Tie Chongshan; ordered because his standard-issue saber cannot withstand his increased power 116 118.
• Mysterious Abyss — A black-patterned Spirit Weapon with its own will. Accepts Yi Yang after testing his mental power and being bound with his blood; assists his movements and force circulation 192.
• Command and identification tokens — Establish his authority across Heaven Patrol Office branches and later assignments 86 114 118 200.
• Runic Bronze Ring — Acquired among the Wu Family spoils; glows faintly after his mental breakthrough without his noticing 227 232.
• Dark-Winged Roc egg — Keeps the strongest of three viable eggs, hoping to hatch a flying mount; no hatching is documented 311.
• Golden-Silk Sunflower — Yang-aspected spirit medicine used to develop his three divine-sense attacks; preserves seven petals after the initial training 311 312.
• Waterside Spirit Drop — Restores flesh and bones, removing the recovery delay that limits Divine Bone Blood Refining 339.
• Thousand Illusions Mask manual — Included among his escort-mission spoils; mastery is not established 297.

Relationships

• Jiang Yuexin — His sister’s granddaughter and ward, who calls him Grandpa. They regard one another as their closest family; he promises to search for her missing parents and supports her training under Yan Wuyuan 1 108 267.
• Yi Xun — Younger brother and favored family heir. Their estrangement stems from unequal support and years of contempt; Yi Yang’s rise leaves Yi Xun struggling with regret over monopolized resources 1 34 69.
• Yi Zhanzhi — Yi Xun’s grandson. His celebrated martial prospects initially reinforce the family’s pride; Yi Yang later arranges a restorative pill through Mu Fenghai after Zhanzhi is crippled 38 74 107 108.
• Yang Hui — Longtime neighbor who helps with cooking, laundry, and Yuexin’s care. Yi Yang brings her medicine and invites her to move with their household 1 34.
• Zhou Liang — Village hunter approached for cultivation instruction; later helps with their move and suspects Yi Yang knows more about the village deaths than he admits 3 34.
• Zhao Gang — Friend and early official sponsor. Recommends him to the Heaven Patrol Office, helps Yuexin reach the county town, and celebrates his tournament success 30 69 86.
• Huang Yushu — Trusted subordinate. Yi Yang supports his investigation, offers tactical instruction, assigns sensitive work, and intends to share rewards and advancement with him 47 60 75 76.
• Qi Shujian — Sponsor who secures cultivation material and recommends him to Yan Wuyuan. Yi Yang later recommends Qi as his successor in command of the Pacification Guard 108 114 267.
• Yan Wuyuan — Superior, mentor, sponsor, and trusted operational partner. Helps him bind Mysterious Abyss, teaches Yuexin, places him at Crossing Peak, and apologizes for the escort mission’s unexpected danger 192 210 281 297.
• Lu Quanan — Chief Inspector and powerful benefactor. Supplies cultivation guidance, awards the Dragon Elephant Body, offers protection in Qing Province, and indirectly requests Jiang Zhongtian’s assessment 193 197 266 294.
• Jiang Zhongtian — Crossing Peak’s senior official and evaluator. Secretly uses Yi Yang as a decoy, then rewards his survival and combat performance with medicine and the Dynamic Image Chapter 294 336.
• Mu Fenghai — Initially a dangerous source of backing for the estranged Yi family; later becomes a cooperative contact through their exchange of medicine and Thunderous Sound Mantra instruction 38 107 108.
• Ning Xiong — Deputy Commander and formation specialist whose initial wariness develops into operational cooperation. Dies during the Clearwind Ridge campaign 200 210 228.
• Wu Yanluo — Shaman Kingdom delegation member who recognizes his hidden strength and gifts the pill that helps perfect his body art. Invites him to visit her kingdom, which he declines 282 296 297.
• Xu Min — Discreet aide responsible for patrol reports, information gathering, and purchasing cultivation medicine 296 301 345.
• Luo Kaishan and Xie Yungui — Heaven Patrol Office acquaintances who become friends through repeated meetings at Crossing Peak 340.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Purplewood and Three Trees Village

• The exposure of his hidden purplewood brings Sun Mazi and Yang Er into conflict with his household, prompting his pursuit of cultivation 3 5.
• After killing Yang Er, he stages an injured return and directs suspicion toward the Nine Evil Sect through planted and connected evidence 16.
• His convincing performance as a frightened woodcutter withstands Yang Shuqing’s questioning 27.

Archive Hall and the Quarterly Ranking Battle

• Joins the Heaven Patrol Office through Zhao Gang and arranges to bring Yuexin out of the village 30 32 34.
• Navigates attempts to seize the Five-Organ manual, including Tang Hao’s apparently friendly dinner and planned ambush 38 52.
• Defeats Wu Zhongqin and Zheng Qiao while concealing his sixth-level cultivation behind a fourth-level display 66 69.
• Later records place him thirteenth in the completed assessment; he becomes an Acting Patrol Commander and master of Sunbright Tower 72 75 78.

Sunbright Tower and South City Prison

• Uses Huang Yushu’s investigation and Qin Ju’s assistance to remove the entrenched steward Ye Yang 75 83.
• His success leads officials to place him at South City Prison, where they hope his unremarkable exterior will expose hidden factional influence 83 86.
• Detects replaced personnel and coordinated infiltration, defeats Wang Gongqin’s ambush, and holds the High-Security Block during the riot 89 91 95 101.
• Killing Feng Haiyuan transforms his public reputation and brings gifts, political approaches, and a recommendation for transfer 101 107 108.

Nether Spring Office and White Fish City

• Secures a probationary appointment through Qi Shujian’s recommendation and passes the Concealed Breath Formless Art test 114 118.
• Receives official recognition for killing Zhao Hu after an investigation rejects the Han Family’s complaint for lack of evidence 124 125.
• Investigates White Fish City’s Nine Evil Sect network and the Blood Pool in White Dragon Marsh 143 158 175.
• Eliminates colluding local powers, including Wei Zhao and Ye Jin; Yan Wuyuan praises his discovery of the hidden enemy’s location 158 163 165.
• His achievements earn approval for promotion to Candidate Chief Inspector 166.

Pacification Guard Command

• Defeats Kongwu and Xu Yu to become Pacification Guard Commander 193 197.
• Leads a joint operation with the Nether Spring Office against the Nine Evil Sect stronghold beneath Benevolent Temple 210.
• Participates in the campaign that destroys the Clearwind Ridge stronghold and exposes Wu Jiu and the supposedly dead Ding Xiang as sect members 228.
• Enforces the Wu Family purge despite Xiao Zhengyan’s intervention and receives sole authority over the remaining case 224 228.
• His repeated disruption of the sect’s plans makes him a target for Venerable Blood Mirage and Blood Butcher 264 267.

Qing Province and the Shaman Delegation

• Is conscripted for service near the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, arranges Qi Shujian’s succession, and sends Yuexin to Yan Wuyuan’s care 267.
• Receives appointment as Deputy Chief Inspector of Crossing Peak Stronghold 281.
• Protects the Shaman Kingdom delegation as an outsider without strong factional ties, becoming entangled in efforts to prevent a fabricated incident from provoking war 283 294.
• Survives Jiang Zhongtian’s concealed assessment and kills Ye Hanqian and Huang Yi, earning the Dynamic Image Chapter 294.

Crossing Peak and the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains

• Reaches Crossing Peak with thirty Pacification Guards while continuing to disguise his cultivation 297.
• Acquires valuable mountain resources, including a True Essence Lotus, Dark-Winged Roc eggs, and the Golden-Silk Sunflower 311.
• Develops offensive divine-sense techniques and exploits the stronghold’s turmoil to conceal his tracks by invoking Shang Yu’s name 312 331.
• Learns that the auction crisis concealed a failed attempt to draw out Shang Yu, a Grandmaster 336.
• Uses Waterside Spirit Drop and Ink Abyss Marsh resources to accelerate bone refinement while pursuing the Profound Connection Second Realm 339 345.

Notable Quotes

“A tall tree draws lightning, too.” 30

“Funny, I feel younger by the day lately. I doubt I'll stay in this position until retirement. This old man still wants to climb higher.” 88

“If I still got as hotheaded at sixty as I did at seventeen or eighteen, I'd have lived all these years for nothing.” 207

Trivia

• His registered or displayed cultivation frequently lags behind his actual strength: he reports Qi-Blood Second Level after beginning third-level cultivation, displays Fourth Level while at Sixth, and later presents Third Inner Qi Completion while already in True Astral 30 32 63 69 179.
• His original woodcutting experience remains useful at much higher levels, informing both saber attacks and professional tracking 17 118.
• His Heroes Ranking position is fifty-eighth when he attends Crossing Peak’s military gathering 339.
• He is listed as sixty with middling Grade C aptitude even as his rapid promotions and achievements attract major factions’ scrutiny 166 197.