Sunflame Daoist Grounds

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sunflame Daoist Grounds
Original Name	焚阳道场
Organization Type	Local branch establishments of the Sunflame Sect, subordinate to the Sunflame Ancestral Court 61 72 121.
Locations	Thousand Chimes Commandery City; Martial Might Commandery City, also identified as the Taiwu Commandery posting 61 121 130.
Affiliation	Sunflame Sect / Sunflame Ancestral Court 72 121.
Roles	Spreading sect teachings, selecting promising disciples, combating supernatural threats, and maintaining local order 72 73 160.
Known Leadership	Thousand Chimes: Songyangzi. Martial Might: Qinghezi, succeeded by Lu Mian 73 132 133.
Status	The Thousand Chimes branch survives the Void Cult uprising; the Martial Might branch becomes the city’s ruling power under Lu Mian 83 158.
First Named Appearance	Chapter 61, when Lu Mian reaches the Thousand Chimes establishment 61.

Branches and Facilities

Thousand Chimes Commandery City

• Location: The inner city, around a red-stone plaza with an ornamental gateway bearing the grounds’ name 61.
• Layout: Three imposing palaces stand at the front and sides of the plaza. The Doctrine Transmission Palace occupies the central position 61 62.
• Spirit Sun Tower: Sells martial manuals, weapons, and pills at prices below those outside the grounds 63.
• Book Repository: Located behind the Doctrine Transmission Palace; contains extensive works on subjects other than cultivation methods, including divine legends and special physiques 72 84.
• Accommodation: Qi San arranges a secluded inner-city residence for Lu Mian after his initiation 63.

Palace	Function and Standing
Doctrine Transmission Palace	Highest-status palace; safeguards the sect’s legacy and functions much like an ancestral hall. Its master is the former chief, and nearly all its small membership consists of disciples from the Ancestral Court 62.
Demon Extermination Palace	Hunts uncanny beings and evil entities for rewards. It also receives orders to maintain public order during the food crisis 62 73.
Evil Surveillance Palace	Investigates suspicious incidents, including the deliberately set granary fire. Ke Yuanyi serves as its master before his betrayal 73 81.

Martial Might Commandery City

• Location: A plot in the city’s southeastern corner, with a training ground in front of a Daoist temple and a rear courtyard large enough for assemblies 130 131 133.
• Initial position: The weakest of the city’s four major powers, behind the General’s Mansion, Eight Directions Trading Alliance, and Thousand Blades Gang 133 144.
• Isolation: The branch has been out of contact with the Ancestral Court for a long time. Songmingzi warns Lu Mian that its current circumstances are unknown 121.
• Protected businesses: Shops under its protection become targets of Thousand Blades Gang attacks 130.
• Later resource sites: He Hong and several disciples are stationed near the region’s only Spirit Stone mine at Blue Stone Mountain. Medicine King Ridge also supplies resources, and Qinghezi is later based there 159 160 214.

Duties and Recruitment

Sect Service

• Teaching and influence: Branch grounds spread the Sunflame Sect’s teachings and expand its influence 72.
• Talent selection: They identify gifted disciples for advancement to the Ancestral Court 72.
• Supernatural defense: Demon Extermination Palace members undertake dangerous hunts, including missions against first-tier vicious spirits 62.
• Crisis response: Songyangzi directs palace personnel to preserve order and investigate threats during Thousand Chimes’ food shortage 73 75.

Thousand Chimes Admission and Advancement

• Membership in the city’s Upper Three Palaces requires outer-disciple status in the Sunflame Sect 3.
• Initiation takes place in the Doctrine Transmission Palace, where recruits offer incense and honor the Sunburning Patriarch 62 63.
• Outer disciples receive ten Qi-Nourishing Pills each month 62.
• Reaching Meridian Opening before age twenty provides a chance to compete for an inner-disciple place at the Ancestral Court 72.
• Elder Yu and the chief nominate Lu Mian for the promotion ceremony after accepting his apparent baleful bones physique as an explanation for his rapid progress 84.

Recruitment Under Lu Mian

• The Martial Might grounds distribute martial manuals and cultivation resources, helping commoners enter the City Guard and, in some cases, become outer disciples 207.
• Lu Mian makes City Guard service compulsory for martial artists who reach blood-qi perfection 160.
• Yang Jun receives an individual offer of recommendation to the grounds if he reaches Meridian Opening within a year 214.

Notable Members

Thousand Chimes Branch

• Songyangzi — Chief of the grounds; directs its response to the granary fire, famine, and Void Cult uprising 73 75 81.
• Elder Yu — High-standing elder and Tortoise-Snake Fist practitioner who oversees Lu Mian’s initiation, recognizes his potential, and supports his Ancestral Court nomination 62 63 72 84.
• Liang Chengyun — Master of the Demon Extermination Palace; helps defend the grounds but is badly wounded by Ke Yuanyi’s betrayal 81.
• Ke Yuanyi — Master of the Evil Surveillance Palace; defects to the Void Cult in pursuit of power and is killed during the uprising 81.
• Elder Luo — Assigned to watch Ke Yuanyi while the leadership investigates a suspected infiltrator 75.
• Qi San — Demon Extermination Palace supervisor and steward; guides new disciples and survives the post-uprising purge despite belonging to the Qi Family 62 63 83.
• Xu Yi — Identified as the grounds’ foremost genius; becomes the Xu Family’s sole survivor after the uprising 77 83.

Martial Might Branch

• Lu Mian — Inner disciple appointed to lead the remote branch; succeeds Qinghezi and eventually makes the grounds the city’s ruling institution 121 132 158.
• Qinghezi — Former chief, later grand elder. His refusal to exploit commoners contributes to the branch’s dwindling resources; after recovering from an ambush, he joins the fight against the Flying Eagle Guard 133 134 153 154.
• Zhao Xishan — Elder entrusted with monitoring arriving Other Clans and leading disciples in the final purge of hostile city families 160 220.
• He Hong — Elder attached to his hometown; later serves near the Spirit Stone mine 133 134 159.
• Cheng Ziping — Cautious elder who leaves before the Crescent Moon Tower confrontation because of concern for his family 144.
• Wan Quan — Elder who betrays Qinghezi and supplies intelligence to the Thousand Blades Gang in exchange for cultivation resources and promised leadership. Lu Mian kills him during his attempted escape 134 135 159.
• Zhang Hongfei — Disciple who becomes responsible for city administration, routine reports, and the aftermath of the aristocratic rebellion 160 210 220.

History

Establishment at Thousand Chimes

The Thousand Chimes grounds were founded decades earlier by an outer elder sent from the Sunflame Ancestral Court. The branch retained control of the city after the Heavenly Calamity. Its senior personnel included outer elders whose cultivation potential had run dry; the old chief had previously been an inner disciple at the Ancestral Court 61 72.

Lu Mian entered through the Demon Extermination Palace and completed his outer-disciple initiation. Elder Yu subsequently identified him as a candidate for promotion, linking his service at the branch to a future place at the Ancestral Court 62 63 72 84.

Void Cult Uprising

A deliberately set granary fire precipitated a food crisis. Songyangzi requested assistance from the Ancestral Court and increased the vigilance of the Demon Extermination and Evil Surveillance Palaces while investigating a possible mole 73 75.

The Void Cult recruited the Tian, Han, and Qi families for an uprising. Tian and Han forces attacked the grounds, including palace disciples whose family ties drew them into the rebellion. Fighting killed many people and destroyed buildings throughout the compound 77 79 81.

Ke Yuanyi betrayed Liang Chengyun, only to be killed by Tian Yuan amid rapidly shifting alliances. The grounds survived, but were noticeably deserted afterward. Songyangzi purged the rebel families; the Qi and Han families were almost completely wiped out, and the Tian Family was not spared despite Tian Yuan’s apparent reversal 81 83.

Lu Mian’s Arrival at Martial Might

As factional conflict threatened to turn the Ancestral Court into a battlefield, Songmingzi arranged Lu Mian’s appointment to the isolated Taiwu Commandery grounds. Lu Mian carried a letter written by sect master Qi Jiulian and a jade token authorizing the posting 118 121.

He arrived during a Thousand Blades Gang assault and killed Cheng Xiong, ending the public humiliation of the branch. Qinghezi verified his credentials, entrusted him with leadership, and handed over the red jade firebird token of office 131 132.

Qinghezi had been gravely injured after unsuccessfully seeking General Lü Suhu’s help. Lu Mian announced an evacuation, then used the preparations to investigate the suspected insider. He discovered Wan Quan passing the planned route to the gang. The gang’s leaders and ambush force subsequently died at Stone Dragon Ridge, while Lu Mian canceled the departure and remained in the city 132 133 134 138 139.

Overthrow of the General’s Mansion

The Crescent Moon Tower absorbed former Thousand Blades Gang members and began provoking the grounds. Lu Mian led his followers to its headquarters after a disciple was injured; Cheng Ziping and roughly a dozen disciples withdrew rather than risk the confrontation 143 144.

Lü Suhu intervened under the pretext of mediation, then arranged a duel and privately instructed Wan Qifeng to kill Lu Mian. Lu Mian instead killed Wan, prompting Lü and Yuan Cheng to plan retaliation against the grounds’ disciples 145 147 148.

Lü eventually ordered the Flying Eagle Guard to destroy the grounds. Lu Mian drew the general away while the branch rallied against the troops. Qinghezi’s unexpected return to battle exposed his concealed recovery and strengthened the defenders. The grounds defeated the attack and rose to rule Martial Might Commandery City 152 153 154 155 158.

City Government and Aristocratic Rebellion

Over the following six months, Lu Mian established the City Guard, Agriculture Office, and General Affairs Office, alongside a contribution system offering food, money, and supplies. Free martial schools, accessible weapons, and campaigns against nearby supernatural threats expanded opportunities for ordinary residents, while restrictive policies weakened the prominent families 160 161 207.

Huang Fu’s death became the catalyst for organized resistance. The Huang-led families sought Barbarian Dragon Valley’s backing and boycotted City Guard service, leaving it nearly half empty. The He and Zhu families continued reporting 210 211 212 214.

Negotiations at the Four Seas Tavern ended in open combat. Lu Mian killed Man Sen and then ordered Zhao Xishan to lead disciples against the hostile families. Nearly all large and small families were eradicated overnight, except the He and Zhu families and a few attached minor families. The grounds and City Guard handled repairs, cremations, and the inventory of confiscated assets 219 220.

External Relationships

• Sunflame Ancestral Court — Parent institution and destination for selected talent. Its authority remains significant, but distance and internal strife leave the Martial Might branch without dependable support 72 121 132.
• Void Cult — Enemy responsible for the Thousand Chimes uprising and secretly connected to Lü Suhu’s operations in Martial Might 77 81 138.
• Thousand Blades Gang — Attacks protected shops, humiliates branch defenders, and prepares an ambush using Wan Quan’s intelligence. Its principal force dies at Stone Dragon Ridge 130 131 134 138.
• General’s Mansion — Former ruling authority of Martial Might. Lü Suhu secretly backs efforts to absorb the grounds before ordering their destruction 138 152.
• Crescent Moon Tower — Rival organization that recruits former gang members and provokes the grounds; its master Wan Qifeng is killed by Lu Mian 144 148.
• Eight Directions Trading Alliance / Merchant Guild — He Wen negotiates an information-sharing and mutual-aid pact with Lu Mian. Its failure to assist during the Crescent Moon Tower dispute renders that pact ineffective, though He Wen later supports the grounds’ new order 140 155 211.
• Barbarian Dragon Valley — Supports the aristocratic conspiracy against Lu Mian. Man Sen’s defeat precedes the grounds’ purge of the participating families 212 219 220.