Shen Fei

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Shen Fei (沈飞)
Alias(es)	Su Tian, the name used for him in the Silver Wing Family’s territory 73
Species/Race	Human 165
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Sacred Family; Holy Orchid Institute; Glory City’s defenders 8 87 123
Occupation/Role	Sacred Family’s eldest legitimate son, later its patriarch; formerly a City Defense Army fighter in his previous life 5 9 123
Cultivation	Black Gold Rank 3-Star, his latest documented realm 159
Demon Spirit	Shadow Mantis, originally a Black Gold Rank demon spirit 13
Cultivation Arts	Dark Prison Reincarnation Art; an unnamed advanced art received from a mysterious old man 13 60 61
Status	Alive; leading the Sacred Family and cooperating with Nie Li against threats to Glory City 176 185

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Silver Rank 3-Star	6 8	His confirmed early cultivation. Enters the Holy Orchid Institute’s advanced class without revealing the extent of his battlefield experience.
Silver Rank 4-Star	13	Reaches this realm after fusing with the Shadow Mantis through the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art. Conceals the advancement behind a Silver 3-Star aura upon returning home.
Gold Rank 1-Star	21	Breaks through through steady nighttime cultivation and training following the ruins expedition. His soul force more than doubles, substantially reducing the strain of summoning the Mantis.
Gold Rank 2-Star	24	Overcomes a bottleneck using disciplined cultivation and Soul-Gathering Pills. Disguises his aura as Gold 1-Star and stops taking pills to consolidate his foundation.
Gold Rank 3-Star	48	Breaks through while staying in the Silver Wing Family’s territory. His strength, speed, and soul force improve enough that he believes he can defeat a Gold 2-Star Dark Guild deacon without his demon spirit.
Gold Rank 4-Star	93	Already attained by his confinement; the breakthrough itself is not shown in the supplied passages. Trains his body to synchronize it with his increased spiritual power.
Gold Rank 5-Star	95	Refines ten darkness-attribute demon spirits and survives their phantom siege inside his Soul Sea. Redirects his soul force through his body to deprive the phantoms of energy, allowing the Mantis to destroy them.
Black Gold Rank 1-Star	105	Combines a Black Gold 3-Star Shadow Wolf King’s spiritual power with ten Scarlet Blood Crystals. His soul force becomes denser, his meridians expand, and the Mantis becomes more substantial.
Black Gold Rank 2-Star	159	Reaches the realm on the fourteenth evening of darkness-law absorption, when the Mantis finishes integrating the remaining portion of the law.
Black Gold Rank 3-Star	159	Discovers the further advancement on the fifteenth morning. The result exceeds his expectations following the completed law integration.

Background / History

Previous Life and Rebirth

Shen Fei retains memories of a previous life in which he fought demon beasts in the City Defense Army. A year of battlefield fighting gave him considerable combat experience, but his cultivation reached only Gold Rank 1-Star before he died beneath Glory City’s walls 9 14 24.

His recollections of the city’s destruction—including Gold Rank beasts, Black Gold beast kings, and a Legendary Demon Beast—drive his preparations after rebirth. He recognizes that ordinary cultivation and advance warning alone will not be enough to prevent the same catastrophe 9.

Position in the Sacred Family

Although the eldest legitimate son, Shen Fei is initially neglected by Shen Hong, who favors his younger half brother, Shen Yue. The household generally expects Shen Yue to inherit leadership, while Shen Fei is excluded from core decisions 8 100.

After rebirth, Shen Fei volunteers to organize procurement accounts and correspondence. He presents this as an attempt to become a responsible son, but his actual purpose is to obtain information about the Sacred Family’s covert dealings 5.

His engagement to Xiao Ning’er is also part of the family’s political interests. The Sacred Family supplied financial support to the struggling Winged Dragon Family in exchange for the marriage; Shen Hong sought access to its inscription legacy 23.

Appearance

Shen Fei commonly wears dark, close-fitting clothing suited to movement and carries a sword at his waist 37 106 139.

• Martial clothing: A dark gray fitted outfit with subtle patterns at the cuffs and collar 139.
• Hands: Long, slender fingers, defined knuckles, and sword calluses on his palms 159.
• Demon-spirit fusion: The Shadow Mantis forms dark armor over his body and green-lit, blade-like forelimbs 112.
• After his Black Gold breakthrough: An eerie green light briefly lingers in his eyes before fading 105.

Personality

Shen Fei is reserved, patient, and deliberately economical in both speech and combat. He avoids unnecessary displays of strength and lets classmates and relatives underestimate him. His father’s scrutiny and Shen Yue’s rivalry make concealment a practical necessity rather than merely a preference 5 8 14.

His restraint does not prevent calculated action. He studies accounts, weighs political incentives, and recruits allies before confronting Shen Hong. When immediate opposition would jeopardize his plans, he tolerates mockery or allows rival factions to distract one another 24 100 101.

Protecting Glory City matters more to him than monopolizing valuable resources. He sends Legendary inscription fragments to Nie Li because restoring them could save lives, then asks Xiao Ning’er to prioritize Nie Li’s restoration materials over his own purchases 19 34.

Toward Xiao Ning’er, he is attentive without demanding gratitude or submission. He accepts her refusal of his early gift, listens to her resentment of the engagement, and later supports her independent combat training. His affection centers on her as a person, not her family’s status or inscription inheritance 9 23 90 136.

His willingness to shoulder danger can become a weakness. During the beast tide, he stands against a Black Gold 4-Star beast to buy time for others despite being unable to defeat it, suffering severe injuries. Xiao Ning’er recognizes his habit of carrying burdens alone 85.

Abilities & Skills

Dark Prison Reincarnation Art

An unconventional cultivation method inherited from Old Man Black Prison. It circulates dark energy through yin meridians rather than following Glory City’s mainstream methods 13.

• Absorbs spiritual energy more rapidly as the night becomes deeper and quieter 21.
• Allows Shen Fei to devour demon spirits for cultivation; darkness-attribute spirits are the most suitable resources 13 93 103.
• Produces black mist whose corrosive effects help wear down Shen Hong during their duel 115.
• Enables him to engulf, compress, and consume his Inner Demon, purifying his soul force and clearing much of his self-doubt 60.
• Accumulated demon-spirit imprints can reform into hostile phantoms inside his Soul Sea. Defeat may cause cultivation regression or destruction of his spiritual consciousness 95.
• His lack of an innate dark attribute makes him an imperfect successor, though Old Man Black Prison praises his willpower 13.

Unnamed Advanced Cultivation Art

After Shen Fei defeats his Inner Demon, a mysterious old man gives him a cultivation art more advanced than the Dark Prison Reincarnation Art 60.

• Uses more direct and efficient meridian routes, nearly doubling soul-force circulation speed while refining the energy 61.
• Is said to attract powerful beings from the upper realm; its wider significance remains unexplained 60.
• Does not eliminate the need for physical conditioning: Shen Fei recognizes that his body cannot safely keep pace with rapid spiritual advancement 61.

Shadow Mantis

A Black Gold Rank demon spirit received with Black Prison’s legacy. Shen Fei uses it for reconnaissance, ambushes, close combat, and escape 13.

Ability	Applications and Limits
Shadow Stealth	Merges with shadows. Initially undetectable to Silver Rank cultivators while not attacking; Shen Fei later uses it to nearly erase his own aura 13 136.
Blade Slash / Blade Forelimbs	Adamantine-hard forelimbs cut stone and penetrate many defenses. In fusion, they serve as weapons for striking and blocking 13 72 165.
Shadow Teleportation	Short-range teleportation suited to emergency escape or repositioning 13.
Extended perception	Scouts ahead and detects approaching threats while Shen Fei guards companions 13 136.
Soul Sea combat	Battles hostile demon-spirit phantoms and devours them once Shen Fei disrupts their energy supply 95.

• At Silver 4-Star, an all-out summoning lasts no longer than one incense stick’s burning time. Continued training extends his endurance, and reaching Gold Rank greatly reduces the burden 13 21.
• Black crystal marrow strengthens its density, perception, speed, and forelimb sharpness 61.
• Integrating the darkness law increases its speed by nearly thirty percent and makes Shadow Stealth more than twice as effective. Full integration stabilizes its form into an ink-dark solid body 159.
• Its perception is not infallible: Nie Li enters Shen Fei’s room undetected even while Shen Fei is fused with the Mantis and has his senses extended 105.

Enhanced Left-Eye Perception

After absorbing his Inner Demon, Shen Fei discovers an ability in his left eye that reveals rapid movement in heightened detail, making it appear as though time has slowed 60.

• The documented effect is enhanced perception, not a confirmed ability to alter time 60.

Swordsmanship and Tactical Combat

Shen Fei combines battlefield experience with precise attacks, resource conservation, and coordinated demon-spirit ambushes 5 24 74.

• Targets joints and other vulnerable areas instead of contesting stronger opponents directly 164 165.
• Adjusts tactics under pressure; against Shen Hong, he switches to circling attacks after noticing declining stamina 115.
• Coordinates effectively with Xiao Ning’er, combining his cutting attacks with her lightning to kill a peak Black Gold 5-Star beast 165.
• Wins an unpowered spar by catching Ning’er’s overextended spear and bringing his sword to her neck 173.

Inscriptions

Shen Fei develops practical inscription skills through study and repeated engraving practice, but acknowledges a large gap between his ability and Nie Li’s mastery 30 37.

• Recognizes seventy to eighty percent of the patterns in simple defensive arrays after intensive study 30.
• Practices the Defense Pattern using supplies purchased through the Winged Dragon Family 34.
• Plans explosive inscriptions in rock walls as an escape contingency from the Silver Wing stronghold 61.
• Accurately assesses that destroying the Silver Wing inscription workshop will delay repairs to its outer formation and prevent expansion for at least three months 74.

Intelligence Gathering and Leadership

Shen Fei turns routine administrative access into a means of exposing and monitoring the Dark Guild 5 21.

• Deciphers coded correspondence and disguised payments, identifying three bases, seven undercover Demon Spirit Masters, and a monthly meeting and supply schedule 5.
• Keeps no written record of his earliest findings, relying on trained memory to reduce the risk of discovery 5.
• Uses Xiao Ning’er as an intermediary when his identity would make direct reporting dangerous 77.
• Secures Shen Kun’s support with a Scarlet Blood Crystal and a narrowly defined political assignment rather than revealing his whole plan 101.
• As patriarch, delegates administration, strengthens caravan security, disciplines misuse of the family name, and orders neglected infrastructure repaired 128 132 176.

Physical Conditioning and Limitations

His spiritual power, darkness law, and demon spirit advance faster than his muscles, bones, and meridians. Nie Li explicitly identifies this imbalance as a vulnerability against experts who force him into close combat 171.

• Uses basic stances and fist forms without spiritual enhancement to strengthen his body 61 62 93.
• Trains with Xiao Ning’er using blunt weapons and no soul force, laws, or demon spirits 172 182.
• Takes Nie Li’s Body Tempering Pills after sparring to strengthen muscles and meridians 173.
• Estimates that a month of sustained training could bring his physical strength to peak Black Gold Rank; this is a projection, not a documented attainment 173.
• Acknowledges that Black Gold fighters cannot reliably overcome the gap to Legend Rank 185.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Ink Cloud Sword — An ink-black sword housed in his Soul Sea and summoned into his hand through thought. Its full powers are not established in the supplied passages 167.
• White pearl / bead — Initially found in the family treasury behind a barrier he cannot penetrate. After merging with the Ink Cloud Sword’s hilt, it improves the grip, nearly doubles internal soul-force flow, and synchronizes the sword with his Soul Sea. Shen Fei suspects it is a missing auxiliary component 126 180.
• Unidentified dark longsword — A finely forged treasury weapon that responds to his grip. He examines its balance and craftsmanship before storing it 125 126.
• Legend Rank Burst Inscription — A sealed scroll saved as an emergency weapon, substantially more powerful than his previous Explosive Inscriptions 126.
• Scarlet Blood Crystals — Used for his Black Gold breakthrough and distributed to Shen Kun, the Third Elder, and Su Ming as cultivation support 101 105 106 128.
• Demon spirits for refinement — Purchases fifty Bronze-to-Silver darkness-attribute spirits during confinement, later selects the Shadow Wolf King, and obtains high-purity Black Gold 4-Star and 5-Star dark spirits from the treasury 93 103 126.
• Soul-Gathering Pills — Receives two hundred from Nie Li through Xiao Ning’er. Uses them cautiously rather than treating them as a substitute for a stable foundation 21 24.
• Inscription supplies — Talisman paper, portable inscription armor, and repair fluid purchased at the Winged Dragon Family’s internal prices, forty percent below market 34.
• Poison Powder and thin iron wire — Concealed precautions carried when visiting Nie Li’s spatial-array project 37.

Relationships

• Xiao Ning’er — Fiancée, chosen romantic partner, and frequent combat and training companion. Their politically imposed engagement develops into mutual trust and affection; Shen Fei refuses to let clan elders dictate how the marriage pact will be handled 23 90 99 165 176 185.
• Shen Hong — Father and predecessor as patriarch. His favoritism toward Shen Yue and alignment with the Dark Guild lead Shen Fei to organize a challenge against him. After defeating him, Shen Fei rejects the course he set for the family 100 105 123.
• Shen Yue — Younger half brother and succession rival. Shen Fei initially ignores his provocations and later declines to pursue old grievances once Shen Yue becomes compliant 8 24 128.
• Shen Xiu — Aunt. She publicly uses his engagement to pressure the Winged Dragon Family, but becomes cautious after his rise to leadership 91 108 128.
• Nie Li — Initially a suspicious acquaintance, later an intelligence recipient, benefactor, and strategic ally. Their cooperation grows through inscription fragments, cultivation resources, expeditions, and action against the Sacred Family’s Dark Guild connections 6 19 21 37 105 185.
• Shen Kun — Second Elder, political ally, and trusted administrator. Supports Shen Fei’s succession bid and later oversees family affairs during his absence 101 113 128 176.
• Su Ming — Protégé. Shen Fei provides cultivation resources, practical advice, and an honored guest token granting direct access to the Sacred Family estate 34 106 178.
• Duan Jian — Combat ally. Accepts Shen Fei’s assignment to prevent Third Elder Shen Quan from assisting Shen Hong 106 113.
• Xiao Yunfeng — Xiao Ning’er’s father. Comes to approve of Shen Fei through his actions and accepts being addressed as “Father-in-law” 90.
• Uncle Zhang — Loyal old steward who discreetly buys demon spirits with Shen Fei’s private savings 93.
• Old Man Black Prison — Legacy mentor whose remnant soul recognizes Shen Fei’s previous life, praises his willpower, and warns him about demon-spirit backlash 13.
• Mysterious old man — Rewards his victory over the Inner Demon with an advanced cultivation art and calls him a “Great Perseverer” 60.
• Mingyu — Senior figure who praises Shen Fei and Ning’er’s potential and whose remarks inform Shen Fei’s investigation of the Ink Cloud Sword 165 180.
• Sikong Hongyue — Opponent who offers him status and resources within the Silver Wing Family. Shen Fei acknowledges her hospitality but refuses to join a faction opposed to his own loyalties 73.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Exposing the Dark Guild

Shen Fei’s clerical work reveals the Sacred Family’s concealed support for the Dark Guild. An anonymous warning from him enables Ye Zong to ambush a nighttime attack at the West Wall, capture two City Guard collaborators, and prevent all casualties 5 7.

His first encounter with Nie Li convinces him that the supposedly inept student is far more capable than the records suggest. Observing changes from his previous life, Shen Fei begins considering cooperation against their shared enemy 6 8.

Black Prison’s Legacy and the Gulan Ruins

During a forest expedition, Shen Fei discovers a sealed stone entrance and obtains Black Prison’s legacy. After fusing with the Shadow Mantis and practicing for three days, he returns to Glory City while hiding his new strength 12 13 14.

In the Gulan Ruins, he fights alongside Xiao Ning’er and finds two Legendary inscription fragments in the ruined City Lord’s Mansion. He sends them to Nie Li through Ning’er, judging their potential use in Glory City’s defenses more important than retaining them 17 18 19 37.

Silver Wing Family Expedition

Shen Fei accepts Nie Li’s invitation to explore through the Omnidirectional Spatial Array. In the Silver Wing Family’s territory, he helps sustain their cover while recognizing that apparently generous assistance is a means of holding the group hostage 37 45 51.

He overcomes his Inner Demon, gains enhanced left-eye perception, and receives an advanced cultivation art. Preparing for betrayal, he coordinates escape precautions with Ning’er, then defeats Sikong Hongyue and refuses the family’s recruitment offer. The group reunites with Nie Li and Duan Jian before withdrawing 60 61 73 74.

Demon Beast Tide

Shen Fei suffers serious injuries while holding off a Black Gold 4-Star beast to protect people behind him. After recuperating, he returns to the battlements and notices Shen Hong’s reluctance to commit the Sacred Family’s forces 85 87.

After the battle, Xiao Yunfeng recognizes Shen Fei and Ning’er’s relationship. Ning’er privately insists that their bond must rest on personal choice, not the original family bargain, and Shen Fei affirms that distinction 90.

Succession and the Victory Banquet

Shen Fei recruits Shen Kun, advances to Black Gold 1-Star, and agrees with Nie Li to handle the Sacred Family while Nie Li addresses the Dark Guild’s remnants. Before the banquet confrontation, he assigns Duan Jian to restrain Shen Quan and warns Ning’er and Su Ming 101 105 106.

He publicly challenges Shen Hong, reveals the Shadow Mantis, and fights despite substantial injuries. Shen Kun prevents the First Elder from intervening while Duan Jian intercepts the Third Elder. Shen Fei later returns to the estate, claims the patriarch’s seat, and formally severs the family’s Dark Guild ties 111 112 113 115 122 123.

Dark Forest and Jade Grove Clan

After taking leadership, Shen Fei travels with Ning’er into the Dark Forest. He guards her training without depriving her of difficult fights, and the pair investigate human traces that lead them to the Jade Grove Clan 136 137 139.

Darkness-law absorption raises Shen Fei to Black Gold 3-Star and strengthens the Mantis. He and Ning’er subsequently kill a peak Black Gold 5-Star beast through coordinated attacks, then bring the Jade Grove villagers to Glory City, where officials arrange their settlement 159 165 168 169.

Reform, Training, and New Threats

As patriarch, Shen Fei addresses neglected supplies, damaged storerooms, and misuse of the Sacred Family’s status. He also pursues physical conditioning, investigates the Ink Cloud Sword’s missing components, and continues supporting Su Ming 132 134 173 176 178 180.

Reports of unfamiliar observers following Sacred and Winged Dragon Family caravans prompt him to consult Nie Li. They suspect the New Faction is probing Glory City’s trade routes, and Shen Fei accepts that the city needs stronger defenses and more Legend Rank fighters 182 185.

Notable Quotes

“Save the strength for next time.” 5

“I'm not giving them to you, or to Nie Li personally. I'm giving them to Glory City.” 19

“Father, you’ve grown old.” 111

Trivia

• Shen Fei recognizes Nie Li as “the protagonist,” but chooses to approach him because they share an enemy rather than relying on a protagonist’s halo 6.
• He does not know whether his “playboy” and “wastrel” reputation comes from the body’s original owner before transmigration or from deliberately circulated rumors 109.
• Black Prison’s remnant soul tells him that the greater legacy lies on the Holy Spirit Continent 13.