Li Yu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Li Yu (李渔)
Alias(es)	“True Person Taiyi”; “Taiyi Zhenren,” his Galaxy Platform and Metaverse Arena usernames 5 42
Species/Race	Human cultivator 20 43
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Five Lotus Sect, originally Hanging Moon Peak and later the Zhao Kingdom Branch; Great Evolution Academy adult-education program; fourth branch of the Yiyang Li lineage, whose support and permission to represent it were withdrawn 2 18 54 56
Occupation/Role	Former Hanging Moon Peak outer-disciples’ head senior brother; Zhao Qian’s nominal disciple; Branch administrator and investigator; Jin Ling’s informal cultivation teacher; Galaxy Platform video creator 1 23 33 54 56 58
Status	Alive; cultivation restored to the eighth layer of Qi Refinement alongside Whirling Illumination; has not successfully reached Foundation Establishment in the supplied chapters 28 57 59
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ninth layer of Qi Refinement, at its peak	1 24	His cultivation before attempting Foundation Establishment; accumulated through forty years of cultivation on Hanging Moon Peak 16.
Failed Foundation Establishment → sixth layer of Qi Refinement	1 6 11	Held on for three days and nights before losing control. Severed half his true essence to survive, sacrificing three cultivation layers and suffering ruptured meridians.
Meridian recovery through the Purple Glow Art	6	Calmed his unruly true essence and began reconnecting damaged meridians. His condition visibly improved after three days.
Main cultivation method upgraded to the Taiyi True Explanation	13	Replaced the simplified Taiyi Scripture with Jiang Taiyi’s fuller adaptation, which contains thirteen Qi Refinement levels. His major breakthrough injuries healed after a month of treatment.
Seventh layer of Qi Refinement	24	Recovered naturally after Taiyi Starshine allowed him to understand and treat his body more precisely.
Whirling Illumination	27 28	After succeeding in an artificial-body simulation, established divine sense in his own Crimson Palace. Spell frameworks became stable, and his cultivation cycle shortened to one-third of its previous duration.
Eighth layer of Qi Refinement	44 57	Restored his true-essence capacity to the eighth layer. Zhao Qian later verified this level; others’ belief that he had reached the tenth layer was mistaken.
Early cultivation of the Violet Collateral Sky Meridians	50	Golden Crow Fried Rice supplied Pure Yang Purple Qi, letting him begin a Purple Glow Art process normally undertaken after Foundation Establishment. This was not an advancement to Integration.
Second drop of heart’s blood completed	51 52	The Essence-Gathering Spirit-Storage Formation accelerated its condensation; it was explicitly completed after ten days.

• Heartblood narration: Chapter 44 already describes his second drop as formed, while Chapters 51–52 describe it as half-condensed and then completed 44 51 52.
• Next intended milestone: Su Wen recommends twelve drops of heartblood essence before Illumination, with eighteen ideal if circumstances permit. Nine is the minimum and can still result in failure 44.

Background / History

Family and early cultivation

Li Yu grew up at Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, the former residence of Nascent Soul True Lord Jiang Taiyi. Jiang’s disciple Li Fulai inherited the residence and founded the Yiyang Li lineage. As a child, Li Yu found an unfamiliar tablet among stored belongings; his father, Li Yue, guessed it was Jiang Taiyi’s paperweight 3.

Fourteen years before his failed breakthrough, Li Yu’s parents led cultivators from their collateral branch to an overseas immortal island identified in the patriarch’s notes. They never returned. Their soul lamps extinguished three years later, confirming their deaths 2.

Li Yu spent forty years cultivating on Hanging Moon Peak. Ten years before his failed Foundation Establishment, Ge Jin unexpectedly appointed him head senior brother over the stronger Ying Ruomu. He suspected the appointment involved the rivalry between Ge Jin and Xu Ying, but valued the position because it helped him obtain a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure. Arranging lectures and collecting elders’ tuition fees also brought him income and favors 1 15 16.

Failed Foundation Establishment and loss of support

His failed breakthrough cost him his cultivation foundation, health, and position. Elder Wu Su appointed Zeng Yang as his replacement, while previously deferential disciples began mocking him. Unable to risk a direct fight, Li Yu yielded when Wang Xiang publicly demanded his seat, then used his remaining connections to enlist Yin Ya against him 1.

The lineage subsequently stopped funding Li Yu, forbade him from acting in its name, and demanded repayment of an eight-thousand-spirit-stone loan. Li Hun took control of Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s spiritual vein and returned Li Yu’s childhood belongings. Li Yu vowed revenge, but initially doubted he would ever have the strength to pursue it 2.

Jiang Taiyi’s tablet and a new cultivation path

While searching those belongings for something to sell, Li Yu rediscovered the tablet. It activated beneath Jiang Taiyi’s portrait after announcing successful facial recognition. Believing it to be a heavenly book containing ancestral teachings, he instead encountered the Galaxy Platform and its cultivation livestreams 2 3.

Ji Ganlin’s Purple Glow Art instructions and Xue Feng’s explanations gave him a way to repair his injuries. The Galaxy Alliance’s additional cultivation stages also exposed the shortcomings of his original training. He later discovered the locally stored Taiyi True Explanation and adopted it as his principal method 5 6 11 13.

Li Yu refused to join Yin Ya’s mission to Kunlun after recognizing that its unmarked scroll allowed the Five Lotus Sect to disown a failed rebellion. He concealed his new opportunity even from Song Lingxi, accepting her disappointment rather than revealing the tablet 8 10 11.

Departure and study in Hao City

Li Yu left Hanging Moon Peak for the Zhao Kingdom, hoping to avoid the Eastern Lands’ unrest and eventually travel south. Shortly after arriving near Hao City, Wang Xiang ambushed him. Li Yu killed him with a lightning talisman, acquired his concealment mask, and found material that strengthened his suspicion that Zeng Yang had arranged the attack 14 15 16 17.

He enrolled in Great Evolution Academy’s adult-education course for ninety-nine Star Coins. Through the tablet, he uploaded a spiritual-sense imprint and attended lessons under Su Wen, whose guidance enabled his Whirling Illumination breakthrough 18 19 25 26 27 28.

In Turtle Dove Village, Li Yu also began teaching Jin Ling. An attempt to test her spiritual roots prematurely awakened her Golden Luminary Spirit Body. He stabilized her by removing excess metal qi, then taught her the Purple Glow Art while declining a formal master-disciple bond 21 22 23.

Sea battle and the Taiqing inheritance

Li Yu used Taiyi Starshine to gather more than twenty Spirit Pearls in five days and filmed his finds for the Galaxy Platform. During these explorations, he discovered a fragment of Luo Guan’s wooden sword and became caught in a confrontation involving Ying Ruomu, Ying Feiyun, Qin Jian, and Xu Wei 33.

Ying Ruomu tried to kill him to resolve their longstanding rivalry. Li Yu survived his lotus attacks, overwhelmed his spiritual sense, and killed him. Against the much stronger Ying Feiyun, Li Yu cooperated with Qin Jian and Xu Wei, identifying weaknesses in the enemy’s high-speed Sword Escape 34 35 36 37.

When their attacks could not penetrate Ying Feiyun’s defenses, Li Yu borrowed Xu Wei’s Lesser Clarity Sword. He rapidly refined and sharpened it, broke through Ying Feiyun’s sword and shield, and killed him. The awakened sword imparted an incomplete copy of the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi and half a strand of Taiqing Sword Intent 38 39 40 42.

Li Yu returned Lesser Clarity to Xu Wei and rescued Qin Jian from the seabed. During the subsequent investigation, he surrendered the Pure Heart Lotus as evidence and received a Yellow Sand Sword from Zhao Qian 40 41 51.

Zhao Qian’s disciple and Branch investigator

Li Yu continued studying with Su Wen, training in the Arena, and experimenting with formations. He built a formation to store dawn and dusk purple qi, then created the Purple Qi Flask to hold the surplus 42 47 48 50 51 52 55.

During Yuan Hao’s investigation, Li Yu eased a confrontation between Zhao Qian and Huang Shu by revealing Yuan Hao’s claimed connection to Wenxiang True Lord and the White Lotus Church. Zhao Qian then accepted him as a nominal disciple and brought him into the Zhao Kingdom Branch’s administration 54 56.

Initially interested chiefly in protection, Li Yu became more willing to help after Zhao Qian offered cultivation pills, a complete Taiyi Scripture, and future Foundation Establishment resources. Assigned to investigate Yuan Hao’s network, he recruited Xiong Meng as his assistant while navigating resistance from Zhao Qing and cautious officials such as Cao Yi 57 58 59.

Appearance

• General appearance: A handsome, youthful-looking Daoist despite his decades of cultivation 1 16.
• Recovery: Looked noticeably healthier after several days practicing the Purple Glow Art 6.
• Cultivation effects: Brief purple lines appeared across his skin when he began cultivating the Violet Collateral Sky Meridians 50.
• Concealed appearance: Wang Xiang’s transparent mask made him look unremarkable and easy to overlook 17.

Personality

Li Yu prioritizes survival over public pride. He accepts temporary humiliation, avoids provoking stronger cultivators, and examines political opportunities for hidden risks. His refusal to join the Kunlun rebellion reflects his recognition that low-ranking disciples would bear the consequences if their sect withdrew support 1 8 15.

Diligence is his strongest consistent trait. He studies instructions before attempting unfamiliar techniques, asks questions openly, and builds a daily routine around cultivation, classes, Arena practice, and sword-intent research. He also recognizes when his understanding is insufficient and stops to seek guidance 6 12 47 48 50.

His kindness coexists with practical self-interest. Teaching Jin Ling protects her health and supplies metal qi for his own sword technique; promoting Xiong Meng rewards her diligence while giving him a reliable assistant. He can also be opportunistic, planning to retain access to academy resources without graduating and charging extra Golden Crow Fried Rice to the Branch after becoming Zhao Qian’s disciple 18 23 54 58 59.

He is guarded and remembers grievances. Li Yu hides the tablet, the Taiyi True Explanation, and the source of his unusual spiritual sense, but fights decisively when escape is no longer possible. His caution does not prevent him from risking injury to save Xu Wei or searching for her missing companions 11 17 38 40 57.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation foundations

Li Yu combines the Taiyi True Explanation as his main cultivation method with the Purple Glow Art for bodily recovery and development 13 26.

• Taiyi True Explanation: Contains thirteen Qi Refinement levels; its final level produces balanced Taiyi primordial qi with few specialized advantages or weaknesses. Li Yu has not reached that final level 13.
• Whirling Illumination: Establishes divine sense in the Crimson Palace, stabilizes spell frameworks, and greatly improves control and cultivation efficiency 28.
• Spiritual roots: Originally recognized as water, wood, and earth roots in Mountain Sea; the Arena identifies three low-grade roots whose combined aptitude is middling by Alliance standards 20 43.

Attribute	Arena measurement
Water	38
Wood	30
Earth	22
Metal	5
Fire	5

All measurements come from the Arena’s spirit-root test 43.

Purple Glow Art

A body-cultivation art focused on healing, defense, and warding off evil rather than direct combat 5.

• Repairs meridians, bones, blood, hidden injuries, and obstructed acupoints 5 6 21.
• Restored control over the true essence destabilized by his failed breakthrough 6.
• Let him absorb ninety-nine percent of a healing pill’s medicinal effects 13.
• Normally requires gentle purple qi gathered at sunrise or sunset; fierce daytime solar qi would injure a Qi Refinement cultivator 6.
• Golden Crow Fried Rice supports early meridian cultivation but cannot replace Great Sun Ascendant Purple Qi for condensing heartblood essence 50.

Taiyi Starshine

A divine-sense technique that manifests an illusory third eye and strengthens spiritual perception 21.

• Enables internal observation, detection of bodily defects, and examination of spiritual structures 21.
• Sees through disguises and helps locate spiritually charged herbs, pearls, and people 21 28 33 40.
• Allows him to assess opponents’ spiritual presence and anticipate rapid attacks 34 37.
• Repeated use tempers his divine sense but also consumes it, limiting continuous pearl searches 21 33.

Micro-Yi Qi Control

A precise control technique used to refine artifacts, manipulate spiritual sense, and improve talisman performance 17 22.

• Overwrote the previous refinement imprint on Wang Xiang’s mask and opened his storage pouch 17.
• Improved the power released by a compatible thunder talisman 17.
• Helped guide Taiyi Starshine while examining Jin Ling 22.
• Refined Lesser Clarity in moments during the battle with Ying Feiyun 39.
• Cannot generally ignore differences in artifact rank; his Qi Refinement cultivation imposes limits on what he can refine 17.

Wandering Yi Void Steps

A Taiyi movement art specialized in short-range maneuvering rather than long-distance travel 16.

• Evades returning throwing knives and attacks from multiple directions 16.
• Supports rapid repositioning and close-range finishing attacks 35.
• Works with Taiyi Starshine and his shield to survive Ying Feiyun’s Sword Escape 37.

Yi Light Condensing Edge

A sword-nurturing art that condenses killing metal qi into a formless edge stored in the lungs 22.

• Can be exhaled as invisible Sword Qi capable of cutting hard materials; its nurtured sharpness can continue increasing over time 22.
• Draws dangerous excess metal qi from Jin Ling’s body 22 23 30 59.
• After Whirling Illumination, his lungs began gathering metal qi without relying on Jin Ling as an intermediary 28.
• Can scatter and reform under spiritual-sense control, allowing attacks against a moving target 38.
• Sharpened Lesser Clarity and became the basis for Su Wen’s adapted sword formation 39 47.

Su-Yi Primordial Shield

Also called the Su Yi Essence Shield, this is Su Wen’s simplified version of an advanced Taiyi defensive technique 28 35.

• Protects selected vital areas rather than the entire body, making it usable before the thirteenth Qi Refinement level 28.
• Its stronger form consumes thirty percent of Li Yu’s true essence; a weaker version can be cast instantly 28.
• Dissolved Ying Ruomu’s wooden spike and briefly resisted Ying Feiyun’s sword strikes, buying time to evade 35 37.
• Repeated use contributes to rapid true-essence depletion in prolonged combat 37.

Taiqing Sword Intent and sword-heart research

Lesser Clarity gave Li Yu an incomplete, twelve-level copy of the Taiqing Mystic Sect’s Formless Sword Qi, reaching only as far as Nascent Soul Formation, together with half a strand of Sword Intent 42.

• Su Wen identified the underlying sword art as heaven-tier 45.
• Li Yu considered using the borrowed intent for sword-heart Foundation Establishment, but Su Wen warned that it could destabilize his foundation 46 47.
• Su Wen instead devised the Heaven and Earth Yi Light Six Directions Sword Formation to integrate the intent through Yi Light Condensing Edge 47.
• Li Yu could not cast the formation with his normal Arena avatar’s resources. Even after a fivefold boost, the attempt overwhelmed him and caused a simulated death 47.
• His real-world integration remained unfinished and made Yi Light Condensing Edge harder to control 48 55.

Formations and restrictions

Li Yu’s basic training under Su Wen translates quickly into practical formation work 50 55.

• Essence-Gathering Spirit-Storage Formation: A tier-one formation using a Yellow Sand Sword and eight Spirit Stones to collect and continuously retain specified purple qi 50 51.
• Spirit-storage restrictions: Successfully applied to a wine flask after ruining twenty-three previous attempts 55.
• Yellow Sand Obscures the Sun Sword Formation: Converts his two swords into controlled grains of sharp yellow sand. Without the core Sun-Obscuring Sword Pouch, his version has only first-tier power 55.

Memory, combat training, and video production

• Deliberately trained his memory during years of self-study; recognized Luo Guan’s sword fragment from recorded footage 16 33.
• Uses the Metaverse Arena to practice combat, test techniques, and learn from defeats without risking his real body 42 43 44 47.
• Films and edits pearl-gathering and storage-pouch-opening videos, adjusting their presentation according to viewing data 33 44.
• Earned his first recorded one-Star-Coin tip from an uploaded video 48.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Jiang Taiyi’s tablet / Heavenly Book — Provides access to the Galaxy Platform, academy lessons, the Metaverse, and the locally stored Taiyi True Explanation. It initially held an inherited balance of 128 Star Coins 3 5 13 25 42.
• Jiang Taiyi’s portrait — Painted by Li Fulai; enabled the tablet’s initial activation. Li Yu took it with him when leaving Hanging Moon Peak 3 14.
• Transparent concealment mask — Taken from Wang Xiang and refined through Micro-Yi Qi Control. Makes Li Yu easy to overlook, but he believes it can fool only Qi Refinement cultivators 17 19.
• Two Yellow Sand Swords — Spirit Artifacts passed to him by Zhao Qian. Serve as formation components and recognizable symbols of his discipleship; can coil around his wrists like yellow jade bracelets 41 51 54 55.
• Purple Qi Flask — His self-made vessel for storing the formation’s surplus purple qi 55.
• Thunder talismans and recovery pills — Supplement his combat power and compensate for limited true-essence reserves 16 17 30 35 37.
• Supreme Spirit Pearl — Found in Ying Ruomu’s storage pouch during a filmed reveal 44.
• Violet Light Umbrella — former possession — A defensive Spirit Artifact sold to finance his Foundation Establishment attempt 30.
• Pure Heart Lotus — surrendered — Taken from Ying Ruomu, then handed to Zhao Qian as evidence 36 41.
• Lesser Clarity Sword — borrowed and returned — Xu Wei’s weapon; Li Yu used it to kill Ying Feiyun before returning it to her 39 40.

Relationships

• Li Yue — Father; believed the childhood tablet might be Jiang Taiyi’s paperweight. Li Yu’s parents died after their overseas expedition 2 3.
• Li Hun — Same-generation relative and enemy; seized Heaven-Questioning Pavilion’s spiritual vein after Li Yu’s failure 2 14.
• Li Dong — Eldest nephew and former recipient of his guidance. Monitored him for Li Hun but avoided acting on the implied wish for his death and gave him twenty Spirit Stones at departure 14.
• Song Lingxi — Cousin, childhood companion, and former betrothed. Urged him to seek another opportunity through Yin Ya; his concealment of the tablet led her to believe he had abandoned his ambition 7 10 11 14.
• Jiang Taiyi — Ancestral teacher through the tablet and written legacy. Li Yu believes he was chosen as Jiang’s successor, though this is his interpretation 5 13.
• Ji Ganlin — Streamer who supplied the Purple Glow Art instructions. Li Yu feels indebted to her and hopes to send her a gift 5.
• Xue Feng — Online cultivation instructor whose explanations helped Li Yu understand the Purple Glow Art and Alliance cultivation stages 5 6 11 48.
• Su Wen — Academy teacher and principal technical mentor; guides his Whirling Illumination, defensive techniques, formations, and sword-intent research 26 27 28 47 50.
• Zhao Qian — Golden Core master and political protector. His concrete support persuaded Li Yu to take the Branch’s restoration more seriously 54 56 57.
• Jin Ling — Informal pupil who calls him “Teacher.” He protects her from excess metal qi and prepares her for possible future entry into Mount Lao Sword Sect 22 23 59.
• Shi Sang — Landlord and Jin Ling’s mother; trusts him with her daughter’s cultivation and offers repayment through rent and food 20 22 24.
• Lu Dan — Neighbor, scholar, and drinking companion. Shares Orthodox School teachings and sensitive political information; Li Yu suspects he may have a covert role 30 31 59.
• Xiong Meng — Helpful Branch receptionist promoted to his assistant. Her local knowledge, diligence, and judgment earn his approval 19 58 59.
• Yin Ya — Former transactional ally. Li Yu fulfilled his promised introduction to Ge Jin and ended their obligations; Wang Xiang later alleged that Yin Ya had betrayed their agreement 1 7 8 16.
• Zeng Yang — Successor and rival. Li Yu suspects him of arranging Wang Xiang’s ambush, but the supplied chapters do not establish this as proven 1 16 17.
• Ying Ruomu — Rival over the senior-brother position, later killed by Li Yu after attempting to murder him 15 34 35.
• Ying Feiyun — Ying Ruomu’s elder brother and a twelfth-layer opponent. Li Yu killed him using the borrowed Lesser Clarity Sword 36 39.
• Qin Jian and Xu Wei — Mount Lao allies during the sea battle. Their shared ordeal develops into an exchange of sword-cultivation knowledge 37 38 40 41.
• Sun Yuanji — Mount Lao cultivator who thanked Li Yu for saving Qin Jian and Xu Wei and offered future help 40.
• Yuan Hao — Suspected architect of the sea-battle conspiracy. His removal places Li Yu in the Branch administration and leads to the investigation of his network 41 54 56 58.
• Zhao Qing — Fellow Branch official and Zhao Qian’s grandniece. Their working relationship is strained; Li Yu suspects Zhao Qian deliberately encouraged distance between them 57 58.
• Cao Yi — Branch official who initially welcomed Li Yu’s connection to Zhao Qian, then kept his distance during the investigation. Li Yu recognizes his desire to avoid meaningful discoveries 55 58 59.