Duan Chenzhou

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Duan Chenzhou (段沉舟)
Alias(es)	Duantou Duan; “Full Moon Sky Saber”; Jiangshui Saber Master; Heavenly Killing Star
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Heavenly Saber Sect; formerly associated with the Anning County yamen; Black Market
Occupation/Role	Saber master; Ji Xiu’s master; former yamen Head Constable/Captain; Heavenly Dipper-level Black Market Executioner
Status	Alive; falsely presumed dead for a period 135 136 154
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Tempering Bones Realm	25	Effortlessly halted Ji Xiu’s perfected Heavenly River Saber with two fingers, exposing a vast gap between them.
Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment	56	Manifested purple qi over his body and suppressed Yang Daohan with saber intent; this is the third great physical-body threshold.
Qi Refining Expert — Second Grade Qi Sea	101	Opened a Second Grade Qi Sea after cultivating the Purple Haze Secret Manual; gained the ability to form a purple qi hand.
Qi Refining Expert / Great Master	144	Returned to Jiangyin Prefecture and drove the masters of sixty-three martial halls from Dao Hall Street.
Heavenly Dipper-level Black Market Executioner	155	Revealed that he had cultivated in secret and killed Heavenly Sword Star and Heavenly Darkness Star while acting under the identity of the Heavenly Killing Star.

Background

Duan Chenzhou was born the son of a fisherman from the Fishing Trade. Wang Xuanyang accepted him as a direct disciple of the Heavenly Saber lineage, where he was taught that a saber wielder must be fearless, settle life and death, and defeat all rivals of the same rank to obtain true transmission 79.

As a young Martial Warrior, he became a dominant saber prodigy in Jiangyin Prefecture. He cultivated the three great physical thresholds, received the lineage’s Full Moon Sky Saber, challenged martial halls across Dao Hall Street, and defeated the younger generation of the prefecture. His victories left many sects, trades, and martial artists with enduring grudges against him 106 140 169.

During a conflict with Ren Hengjiang of the Purple Haze Hall, Duan killed his opponent but lost an arm and suffered True Qi corrosion that damaged his Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment. He escaped Jiangyin Prefecture, later using the Purple Haze Secret Manual taken from Ren’s corpse to dissolve the lingering injury, though it cost him access to top-tier Qi-path True Arts 68 79.

He lived quietly in Anning County under the name “Duantou Duan,” serving as a yamen Head Constable for two years before resigning. His reputation and full cultivation were concealed even from many who knew him locally 10 24.

Appearance

Duan Chenzhou is a middle-aged, one-armed Martial Warrior whose reserved appearance conceals a formidable presence.

• One arm is missing; he often has an empty sleeve or a large sleeve covering the severed limb.
• Frequently wears a purple robe or purple silk garments in battle.
• Carries the Full Moon Saber.
• Has black hair and saber-like brows.
• His Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment manifests as a gauze-like layer of purple qi over his body 55 56.

Personality

Duan is proud, incisive, and deeply committed to the saber path. He despises submission to power and believes a Martial Warrior should retain integrity, heroic spirit, and the will to settle grievances through strength 119 156.

His manner with Ji Xiu alternates between stern instruction, teasing, and open protectiveness. He warns Ji Xiu against reckless ambition, yet consistently supplies rare methods, medicine, hunting expeditions, and personal guidance to build his disciple’s foundation 31 60 61.

He is also ruthlessly pragmatic toward threats. Rather than leave enemies capable of targeting his disciple, he favors eliminating them completely, maintaining a written list of old enemies and bounties 131.

Abilities & Skills

Full Moon Sky Saber

Duan’s lineage-defining Secret Martial Path. Its saber intent can suppress opponents, while its Gang Qi manifests with the force of a descending full moon.

• Overwhelmed Yang Daohan without needing to draw his saber 56.
• Killed He Shouyi with a single saber strike after Ji Xiu’s challenge to the Divine Fist Gate 72.
• Pursued Wei Changjiao for five hundred li and beheaded him after the Central Yellow Sect conflict 119.
• Was renowned for making saber wielders of his generation in Jiangyin bow their heads 56.
• Requires a body capable of bearing the Secret Martial Path; Duan refused to teach it to Ji Xiu prematurely 56 110.

Physical-Body Cultivation

Duan broke through all three great Strength Threshold limits: Gold Muscle Jade Tendons, Quicksilver Blood Silver Marrow, and Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment.

• His Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment projected purple qi around his body and granted overwhelming pressure against lesser Martial Warriors 56.
• He retained extraordinary combat strength despite the loss of an arm.
• His incomplete body was initially considered a major weakness against later Qi Refining cultivation 68.

Purple Haze Secret Manual

A cultivation method obtained from Ren Hengjiang’s corpse after their battle.

• Dissolved the True Qi corrosion affecting his tendons and bones 79.
• Allowed purple qi to gather from his severed sleeve and enabled his return to higher cultivation 68.
• Supported his breakthrough to a Second Grade Qi Sea 101.

Qi Refining

After more than a decade of delay, Duan opened an Upper Three Grades Qi Sea, specifically a Second Grade Qi Sea.

• Condenses a purple qi hand from his empty sleeve 101.
• Can use Qi to restrain opponents at range, including forcibly lifting Huang Chan onto a flood dragon 127.
• Fought alongside Cangming Lord against multiple Qi Refining Experts 125.

Mentorship

Duan is an exceptionally capable instructor in martial foundations, saber arts, and the requirements of Secret Martial Paths.

• Tested Ji Xiu through horse stance and plum blossom stakes before accepting him as a student 6.
• Taught Ji Xiu the Heavenly River Saber, Tortoise Snake Great Pile, breathing techniques, and Pile Stances 7 30 32.
• Provided the Mortal Transformation Leaping Dragon Gate, Knife Mountain Fire Sea Stance, and resources for Ji Xiu’s bone tempering 57 63.
• Personally sparred with Ji Xiu to improve Ye Longxiang’s Head and expose him to Grandmaster-level saber intent 119.

Equipment

• Full Moon Saber — Duan’s signature long saber and the vessel of his Secret Martial Path.
• Purple robes — His recognized battle attire, associated with his Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment.
• Iron mask — Worn while operating under the Black Market identity “Heavenly Killing Star” 143 155.
• Brocade pouch — Left to Ji Xiu before his false death; contained instructions for survival in Jiangyin Prefecture and a protective charm for the Prefecture Academy examination 131 136.

Relationships

• Ji Xiu — Final disciple. Duan discovered Ji Xiu’s talent, first accepted him as a registered disciple, then formally took him as his final disciple and passed down his lineage’s methods 10 30 31.
• Wang Xuanyang — Master and Ji Xiu’s grandmaster. Wang accepted Duan as a direct disciple and established the Heavenly Saber lineage that Duan seeks to preserve 79 136.
• Chen He — Senior apprentice brother and Heavenly Saber Sect Master. Their relationship is strained by Chen He’s conciliatory handling of the sect’s enemies, though Duan entrusts Ji Xiu to him when necessary 103 130 131.
• Gu Baichuan — Old acquaintance and Northern Garrison Envoys officer. Duan and Wang Xuanyang once saved Gu from the Huantian Bandits; their relationship combines debt, rivalry, and mutual regard 22 79 68.
• Ye Luan — Longstanding sword-path rival. Duan claims she lost to him dozens of times and remains beneath him despite becoming a Qi Refining Expert and Prefect Official 79 104.
• Xie Fuyun — A daughter of one of the Nine Great Houses and the source of Duan’s incomplete Ascended Immortal Garment method. Their shared past leaves Duan unusually restrained around her 119 185.
• Qi Zhao — Eastern Suburb Wharf Dragon Head and longtime friend. Qi Zhao helped Duan escape Jiangyin after he lost his arm and later spread news of his false death 157.
• Cangming Lord — Wild Jiao dragon initially opposed to Duan; Duan wounded him before Bai Shuo compelled his submission, after which the dragon aided Duan’s side 125.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Anning County Mentor

Living in seclusion as “Duantou Duan,” Duan tests Ji Xiu’s foundation and sells him the Heavenly River Saber. Ji Xiu’s six-day entry into the saber path earns Duan’s attention, leading him to reveal his real name and offer registered discipleship 6 7 9 10.

Establishing the Master-Disciple Lineage

After testing Ji Xiu’s Ten Steps, One Kill, Duan agrees to teach the Tortoise Snake Great Pile and formally takes Ji Xiu as his final disciple before Gu Baichuan 24 30 31. He then develops Ji Xiu’s foundation through superior Pile Stances, breathing techniques, medicine, demon blood, and Secret Martial Path methods 32 57 60 63.

Tiger Leopard Hall Confrontation

When Yang Yan tries to coerce Ji Xiu into joining Tiger Leopard Hall, Duan accompanies his disciple to the hall and reveals his true bearing. He cuts off Zhang Liechen’s ear, intimidates Yang Daohan with his Purple Ribbon Immortal Garment and saber intent, and introduces Ji Xiu to the Full Moon Sky Saber 54 55 56.

Return to Qi Refining and Jiangyin Retaliation

Duan cultivates the Purple Haze Secret Manual, opens a Second Grade Qi Sea, and resumes confronting enemies who believed him broken or dead 68 101. He defends Ji Xiu against the prefecture’s trades, soldiers, and Qi Refining Experts, then rides with him into Jiangyin Prefecture to settle old debts 123 125 127 128.

False Death and the Heavenly Killing Star

After being besieged, Duan allows reports of his death to spread, leaving Ji Xiu instructions to endure, enter the Prefecture Academy, and avoid provoking powerful factions 135 136. In secret, he becomes the Black Market’s Heavenly Killing Star and eliminates assassins pursuing Ji Xiu’s bounty 148 154 155.

Legacy of the Heavenly Saber Lineage

Duan’s history, enemies, and attachment to Wang Xuanyang’s inheritance repeatedly place Ji Xiu at the center of wider conflicts. Although he claims to have betrayed the Heavenly Saber Sect and intends to remove his name from its roster, he continues to protect its future through Ji Xiu 128 131.

Notable Quotes

“If something happens... come to me. Your Master will hold up an umbrella for you.” 68

“They’ll have to ask this Full Moon Sky Saber of mine first!” 68

“I would rather kill everyone in the world than let everyone in the world kill me.” 131

“A martial warrior must have integrity, not bow to the powerful, and not lose the heroic spirit in their heart!” 119

Trivia

• Duan’s early identity as “Duantou Duan” refers to his missing arm.
• He does not eat lamb because he dislikes its smell 56.
• He considers himself poorly suited to Dao Arts; Wang Xuanyang once called him a “wooden head” for being unable to understand Dao talismans 119.
• Despite his fearsome reputation, he complains that Ji Xiu’s cultivation repeatedly drains his resources and threatens to damage his house 63.