Zhu Cheng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhu Cheng (祝橙)
Alias(es)	Cheng; Chengzi 352 434 441
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Hometown Convoy; later travels with the Starlight Convoy and works alongside the Survival Rules Convoy 323 379 407
Occupation/Role	College student; Sequence Transcendent; combatant and Weird Domain explorer 330 363 373
Sequence Pathway(s)	[Druid]; an unnamed, non-mystery-type second pathway awakened through Lin Yi’s [Enhancement] 326 370 430
Highest Confirmed Rank	Sequence Three, [Reincarnation Weaver] 401
Status	Alive; agrees to postpone advancing to Sequence Two 425 442
First Appearance	321

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Sequence Eight — [Beast Claw Shepherd]	326	Her initial documented [Druid] rank. Can transform her hands into powerful beast claws.
Sequence Seven — name unspecified	353	Reached by drinking the first of three Promotion Potions obtained from the Fire God Convoy.
Sequence Six — name unspecified	353	Reached immediately afterward with the second Promotion Potion.
Sequence Five — name unspecified	353	Reached with the third Promotion Potion. The three consecutive advancements grant three new abilities and strengthen her body; further advancement requires Seven-Color Flower ingredients.
Sequence Four — [Ecology Listener]	399	Brews and drinks a potion made from Seven-Color Flowers while resting in a Demon Capital villa. Gains Pain Transfer.
Sequence Three — [Reincarnation Weaver]	399 401	Prepares another set of ingredients after reaching Sequence Four; her completed advancement is confirmed in Chapter 401. Gains Food Chain Edict.
Second pathway awakened — name and rank unspecified	370 430	Lin Yi enhances her body in Chapter 370, expecting another pathway to awaken in about a week. Chapter 430 confirms that it has awakened and is not mystery-type.

Naming discrepancy: Chapter 401 identifies her Sequence Three as [Reincarnation Weaver], but she introduces herself as a “Sequence Three [Ecology Listener]” in Chapter 407. [Ecology Listener] is explicitly her Sequence Four title in Chapter 399 399 401 407.

Background / History

Family and the Hometown Convoy

Zhu Cheng’s older cousin, Jiang Ya, is eight years her senior and worked an office job. Their resemblance was so strong that relatives compared them to twins. After half a year without news of her family, Zhu Cheng considers searching for them unrealistic and suspects they may already be dead 326.

As a Hometown Convoy member, she searches for supplies with Zhang Haitao and participates in night watches. Lin Yi first notices her during a village scavenging stop and checks his watch to confirm that Jiang Ya’s frozen body is still inside; Zhu Cheng looks almost exactly like a younger version of her cousin 321 323 326 327.

During an Aberration Centaur attack, Zhu Cheng and Zhang Haitao remain behind to cover the convoy’s escape. She refuses his instruction to flee alone, then draws the creature’s attention so he can escape. Lin Yi intervenes just before it kills her and subsequently reveals that he carries Jiang Ya’s preserved body 327 328 329.

Seeing Jiang Ya’s body breaks through Zhu Cheng’s usual haughty composure, and she cries. She questions why Lin Yi refused an offer to resurrect her cousin; he explains that the person offering resurrection is his enemy. Zhu Cheng ultimately asks him to keep the body and begins addressing him as “Brother-in-law” 330 331.

Choosing the Road to Godhood

After learning that each pathway has only one divine seat, Zhu Cheng resolves to become the [Druid] deity to save Jiang Ya. Unlike Shangguan Bei and Zhang Haitao, who would be satisfied with Sequence Five, she commits to pursuing the higher ranks 352.

She obtains five Promotion Potions from the Fire God Convoy in exchange for a future Seven-Color Flower. When Fang Yan tries to place the debt on Lin Yi, she insists that it belongs to her alone. She gives one potion each to Shangguan Bei and Zhang Haitao and uses the remaining three herself 352 353.

Zhu Cheng leaves the Chosen Principality with Lin Yi to search Weird Domains for potion ingredients, while her former convoy companions stay behind. In their first documented exploration together, she detects a frightening figure that Lin Yi identifies as a deity, prompting their immediate escape. When her car runs out of fuel because of a leaking tank, she transfers her belongings into a Storage Curio and continues in his Hummer 363 365 368.

Starlight Convoy and Yunhe County

After Liu Fei harasses Zhu Cheng, Lin Yi punishes him and his sister, Liu Qian. Zhu Cheng later breaks Zhu Yuan’s Blood Prison and defeats him with a stealth-assisted kick, establishing that she is considerably stronger than his Sequence Six rank 371 372 373.

She asks to fight a Level Five Aberration Creature alone in Yunhe County Town. Lin Yi approves because her rapid advancement has left her short of experience against powerful enemies. She kills the shadow aberration, but emerges badly wounded and collapses in his arms. Lin Yi treats her at a pharmacy, and Zhang Yumin later heals her completely 375 377 379.

Demon Capital

In the Demon Capital, Zhu Cheng and Zhu Yuan help clear residential complexes occupied by people from the Island Nation and seize Seven-Color Flowers. Zhu Cheng reports personally killing a Sequence Five opponent. Lin Yi supplies the orange and cyan flowers she still needs for her next advancement 392 395 398.

While Lin Yi sleeps after she reaches Sequence Four, Zhu Cheng secretly kisses his cheek and promises Jiang Ya that she will take good care of him. Zhang Yumin later recognizes her romantic feelings and encourages her to confess before the dangerous Weird Domain expedition; Zhu Cheng remains too nervous to do so 399 409 410.

Following Lin Yi’s reunion with the Survival Rules Convoy, Zhu Cheng arranges its temporary accommodation with Fang Yan and Shan Kui. She also reports the allied convoys’ shortage of drinking water, explaining that the Demon Capital’s water is too polluted to use 407.

Frozen Weird Domain and Shen Chuchu’s Rescue

Zhu Cheng enters the Frozen Weird Domain with Lin Yi, Liu Chuan, and Zhang Yumin. During an attempted robbery, she coordinates with Lin Yi to attack the captain holding the Despair Coffin, targeting his arms with her Curio dagger before he can use it 418 421.

After Lin Yi reaches Sequence Two, he warns her that advancement imposes an additional dangerous price and asks her to wait until he can protect her from it. She agrees. Later, learning that godhood requires a mystery-type pathway leaves her discouraged because her second pathway does not meet that requirement 425 430.

At Liu Chuan’s request, Zhu Cheng secretly watches over Shen Chuchu near Mount Fuji. She intervenes when Gao Yue Xi’s followers prepare to kill Shen Chuchu, defeats the attackers, and brings her back safely. The potion ingredients Zhu Cheng gathers on their return help complete Lin Yi’s Sequence One potion. Before he drinks it, she explicitly asks him to bring Jiang Ya back 434 440 441.

Appearance

• Short stature and youthful appearance: Often looks like an ordinary college student despite her high Sequence rank 323 373.
• Strong resemblance to Jiang Ya: Appears almost identical to a younger Jiang Ya, though her cousin is described as more sophisticated and alluring 321.
• Baseball cap: A recurring part of her clothing; she adjusts it during confrontations and pulls it on after secretly kissing Lin Yi 323 373 399.
• Animal features during ability use: Beast claws, whisker-like strands on her cheeks, and snow-white ears appear in combat. Her Sequence Four transformation also produces furry paws with pink pads and green markings spreading across her body 327 399.
• Golden light in her eyes: Appears when she uses her perception ability 366 368.

Personality

Zhu Cheng is blunt, cocky, and quick to mock others. She responds sharply to teasing about Lin Yi, makes crude remarks when Shangguan Bei questions her about her family, and openly ridicules Zhu Yuan’s strength. Her aggression can become lethal: after Liu Fei’s harassment, she says she would have torn his head off rather than merely injured him 324 326 371 372 373.

Her loyalty is stronger than her abrasive manner suggests. She initially refuses to abandon Zhang Haitao against the centaur, shares scarce Promotion Potions with her companions, and insists on taking responsibility for her own debt. Although she describes contentment as her motto, saving Jiang Ya gives her a goal ambitious enough to pursue godhood 328 352 353 370.

She is eager to test her strength, but emotionally hesitant around Lin Yi. She requests a solo fight against a Level Five aberration and wants to fight again immediately after being healed, yet cannot bring herself to confess her romantic feelings even with Zhang Yumin’s encouragement 375 379 410.

Abilities & Skills

Beast-Claw Transformation

Her [Druid] pathway allows her to turn her hands into beast claws while retaining a human body, unlike the more extensive transformations associated with [Beastman] 326 372.

• Possesses enough striking power that Zhang Haitao is wary of taking a direct hit 326.
• Uses her claws to grapple with the centaur’s weapon and tear its face open 327 328.
• Shatters Zhu Yuan’s Blood Prison with one slash at Sequence Five 372.
• At Sequence Eight, her attacks are insufficient to defeat the Tier Three centaur 328.

Agility and Stealth

Zhu Cheng has an unnamed second ability at Sequence Eight that makes her markedly more agile. By Sequence Five, she can also vanish from sight and conceal her presence 328 373.

• Dodges the centaur’s bone club and uses nearby trees to reposition 328.
• Disappears before delivering a roundhouse kick to Zhu Yuan 373.
• Her concealment is not absolute: Lin Yi can locate her because his Sequence rank is higher 373.
• Executes a rapid, coordinated dagger attack against the Despair Coffin’s wielder 421.

Life Perception

Life Perception reveals the direction and location of living beings through “life light points” 365.

• Detects Aberration Creatures and distinguishes their life points from human ones 365.
• Checks nearby houses for threats before entering 365.
• Identifies the creature knocking outside a closed door 366.
• Spots the figure whose emergence triggers their escape from the Weird Domain 368.

Pain Transfer

Acquired at Sequence Four, Pain Transfer allows Zhu Cheng to transfer her own injuries to things she touches 399.

• Functions as a powerful survival ability.
• Requires contact with the recipient; the passage does not specify a maximum injury threshold or transfer range 399.

Food Chain Edict

Her Sequence Three ability, Food Chain Edict, forcibly changes ecological niches within a designated area 401.

• Can dictate changes to an area’s food chain.
• The stated example is making humans who depend on supplies instead feed on Aberration Creatures.
• Is described as potentially devastating to an area’s population; no actual use is shown in the supplied passages 401.

Second Sequence Pathway

Lin Yi’s [Enhancement] gives Zhu Cheng an additional pathway, making her a Dual-Sequence Transcendent 370 430.

• Its name, rank, and abilities are not disclosed.
• It is not mystery-type, leaving her unable to satisfy the godhood requirement discussed in Chapter 430 430.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Poison-Treated dagger — Curio No. 9011: A green dagger Lin Yi obtains specifically for her. She initially refuses because of its value, then accepts it for protection in Weird Domains. She later uses a Curio dagger in the coordinated attack on the Despair Coffin’s wielder; no poison effect is demonstrated in the supplied passages 357 358 421.
• Promotion Potions: Obtains five from the Fire God Convoy, shares two with Shangguan Bei and Zhang Haitao, and uses three to reach Sequence Five. She later repays the trade with a pot of Seven-Color Flowers 352 353 402.
• Seven-Color Flowers: Collects and receives multiple pots as advancement ingredients, including blue, green, and yellow flowers. Lin Yi provides the orange and cyan colors needed to complete her set 368 382 398.
• Mortar and Garlic Pounder: Uses these to prepare her Sequence Four potion from Seven-Color Flowers 399.
• Storage Curio: Packs her belongings into it when her leaking car runs out of fuel 368.
• Two utility Curios: He Butan gives Lin Yi two Curios for her; their names and functions are unspecified 390.

Relationships

• Jiang Ya — Older cousin and the central motivation behind her pursuit of godhood. Despite her feelings for Lin Yi, Zhu Cheng ultimately asks him to resurrect Jiang Ya 326 352 441.
• Lin Yi — Protector, advancement mentor, and trusted traveling partner. She calls him “Brother-in-law,” learns his concealed [Enhancement] pathway, and develops romantic feelings for him; no reciprocated romance is confirmed 331 370 399 410.
• Zhang Haitao — Hometown Convoy companion and fellow defender during the centaur attack. Their willingness to protect one another is reinforced when she shares a Promotion Potion with him 328 353.
• Shangguan Bei — Former convoy captain and frequent target of her teasing. She gives him a Promotion Potion and later proudly shows him her Sequence Three advancement 326 353 415.
• Zhang Yumin — Starlight Convoy captain, healer, and confidante. Recognizes Zhu Cheng’s feelings for Lin Yi and urges her not to leave herself with regrets 379 410.
• Zhu Yuan — Initially a hostile challenger whom she decisively defeats; later fights alongside her while clearing Demon Capital residential complexes 373 395 398.
• Fang Yan and Kong Buyu — Fire God Convoy contacts involved in her potion trade. Zhu Cheng insists on personally owning and repaying the resulting debt 352 402.
• Liu Chuan — Allied convoy leader who entrusts her with protecting Shen Chuchu from Gao Yue Xi’s planned purge 434 441.
• Shen Chuchu — Rescued from Gao Yue Xi’s followers by Zhu Cheng; accompanies her while gathering ingredients and returning to Lin Yi 440 441.

Notable Quotes

“If we leave, we leave together!” 328

“Then I’m going to become a god! I have to be the deity of the [Druid] sequence pathway!” 352

“Cousin, I’ll take good care of him. I promise...” 399

“Brother-in-law, bring my cousin back.” 441