Ling Ying

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ling Ying (凌影)
Alias(es)	Elder Ling; Black-Robed Man; “Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor” (chat-group username) 10 12 26
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Gu Clan; Myriad Worlds Chat Group 10
Occupation/Role	Xiao Xun'er's hidden guard, appointed by Gu Yuan; temporarily protects Xiao Yan at her request 10 30
Cultivation	Dou Huang, also rendered as “Dou Emperor” in the supplied text 10 11 13
Status	Alive; remains responsible for Xiao Xun'er's protection after Xiao Yan leaves 34

Background / History

Joining the Myriad Worlds Chat Group

Ling Ying serves the Gu Clan under orders from Clan Chief Gu Yuan to secretly protect Xiao Xun'er. Upon joining the Myriad Worlds Chat Group, he initially assumes its members belong to factions on the Dou Qi Continent. Learning that they inhabit different worlds makes him wonder whether he has contacted an ascended immortal realm—and whether its members can help him reach Dou Zong or Dou Zun 10.

The group owner, Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King, accurately identifies his secret assignment and claims to have guided Tou She Ancient God. Ling Ying becomes increasingly convinced of the owner's supposed supernatural authority 10.

Learning His Supposed Future

Immortal Wang uploads Battle Through the Heavens, presenting it as a divination of the Dou Qi Continent's future. Ling Ying reads the first 95 chapters and recognizes events from Xiao Yan's life, including private incidents involving Xiao Xun'er. However, he notices that the account of Nalan Yanran's engagement cancellation differs from the scene he personally witnessed 11.

Ling Ying sends Wang his signature Earth-tier Shadow Art in a red packet and receives access to the remaining 1,528 chapters. Wang also answers his question about sanitary pads and advises him to investigate whether Nalan Yanran is an outsider or has one supporting her 14.

The book's ending leaves Ling Ying dissatisfied with his own prospects. Xiao Yan becomes a Dou Di, while Ling Ying receives barely a thousand words of attention across more than five million words. He reasons that his inability to discern a future Four-Star Dou Zun Xiao Yan's strength suggests that he may remain at Dou Zong—or even Dou Huang. This is his interpretation of the book, not a confirmed advancement in the ongoing story 14.

Becoming More Involved with Xiao Yan

Ling Ying begins making his presence felt more openly. He attacks the Jia Lie marketplace and robs the Jia Lie Family, actions Xiao Xun'er later identifies as dangerously conspicuous. When he introduces himself to Xiao Yan, she covers for him by claiming that he is a distant relative's steward delivering money 15 19.

He eventually delivers 900,000 gold coins to Xiao Yan without pressing for repayment. Having read about Xiao Yan's future success, he hopes the young man will remember him after rising to greatness. Seeing Xiao Yan's training bruises also reminds him that such success requires relentless effort, rekindling his own long-neglected drive 15 19.

Ling Ying helps arrange Xiao Xun'er's shopping date by trading cultivation resources to Immortal Wang for twelve outfits and stockings. His report about a jar seller called Immortal Li—whose rewards include Weilong Spicy Strips—leads Wang to suspect that Ling Ying's world contains additional transmigrators 19 20.

The Jar-Seller Conflict

After spending 300,000 gold coins on jars, Ling Ying realizes that Jia Lie Ao has acted as a shill. He abducts him to a grove and demands a demonstration of his strongest Dou Techniques. The display impresses the chat-group members who had belittled the Dou Qi Continent, improving Ling Ying's mood enough that he releases Jia Lie Ao with a warning 24 26.

Jia Lie Ao later deliberately draws him back to the marketplace as part of a scheme against Immortal Chen. Ling Ying beats him for apparently ignoring the warning, but stops when Jia Lie Ao reveals that Chen intends to harm Xiao Yan. Learning that Chen is a Dou Huang turns his initial confidence in Yao Lao's protection into alarm 30 32.

Ling Ying rushes to Chen's hut and finds Xiao Yan unharmed, with Chen lying on the floor. His explanation alerts Xiao Yan that Jia Lie Ao knew both Chen's intentions and his strength 33.

Xiao Yan's Departure

Following Xiao Yan's departure, Ling Ying tells Xiao Xun'er that he will return before his coming-of-age ceremony. He relays three requests: she should not worry, should continue cultivating, and should reassure Xiao Zhan that he can eat and drink normally 34.

When Xiao Xun'er asks him to follow and protect Xiao Yan, Ling Ying explains that Gu Yuan assigned him to her and that Xiao Yan would not agree to the change. After she throws down her handheld console and resolves to cultivate again, he takes the still-functional device away—and spends the entire night playing it 34.

Appearance

• Elderly man: Described as an old man, with an aged face that reddens when Xiao Xun'er questions the source of his money 15 19.
• Black robes: His concealed marketplace identity is known as the Black-Robed Man 22 26.

Personality

Ling Ying is devoted and affectionate toward Xiao Xun'er. He saves unfamiliar delicacies for her, seeks clothing advice when she prepares for her first date, and smiles fondly when she regains her determination to cultivate. Nevertheless, he places Gu Yuan's protection orders above her request that he accompany Xiao Yan 12 19 20 34.

His desire to escape a cultivation plateau makes him receptive to Immortal Wang's claims. Reading his supposed future also encourages him to abandon some of his usual caution and cultivate a closer connection with Xiao Yan. Xiao Xun'er's reprimand forces him to acknowledge that his conspicuous actions could expose them both 10 14 15 19.

Against Jia Lie Ao, he is intimidating but calculating. He initially limits his violence because killing him could draw Jia Lie Bi's involvement and endanger Xiao Xun'er's concealed identity. When he suspects Jia Lie Ao knows who he is, however, he considers silencing him 32.

Abilities & Skills

Dou Huang Cultivation

Ling Ying is an established Dou Huang expert; his ambition is to advance beyond that realm 10 11.

• Reads 95 chapters—over 200,000 characters—in approximately half an hour 11.
• Can remain awake for seven days and nights without the risk described for ordinary people 14.
• Sees Xiao Yan's bruises clearly through dense bath steam 19.
• Overpowers Jia Lie Ao easily and carries him through the air to a secluded grove 26 32.

Shadow Art

Shadow Art is Ling Ying's signature Earth-tier Dou Technique. He gives a copy to Immortal Wang through a chat-group red packet; its specific combat mechanics are not described 14.

Concealment and Surveillance

Ling Ying routinely operates out of sight while protecting Xiao Xun'er 10 13.

• Secretly witnesses the engagement-cancellation gathering and later compares it with the uploaded novel 11.
• Observes Xiao Yan's late-night visit from the shadows 11.
• Vanishes from Xiao Xun'er's room “like a phantom” 19.
• Monitors Xiao Yan's return while assigned to protect him 30.

Myriad Worlds Chat Group Access

The group allows Ling Ying to communicate across worlds and exchange objects through red packets 10 14 20.

• Obtains novels presented as records of future events 11 14 30.
• Trades Qi Gathering Powder, Dou Qi Pills, and Yellow-tier cultivation techniques for clothing 20.
• Uses livestreaming to show Jia Lie Ao's Dou Techniques to other members 26.

Equipment / Items

• Storage space — Holds snacks and five-pattern Purple Gold Cards 12 14.
• Five-pattern Purple Gold Cards — Carries several; places a black-and-gold five-marked card on Xiao Yan's table when delivering 900,000 gold coins 14 19.
• Novel files — Reads Battle Through the Heavens and downloads Shrouding the Heavens through the chat group 11 14 30.
• Handheld game console — Takes Xiao Xun'er's discarded console and discovers that it remains functional despite being thrown to the floor 34.

Relationships

• Xiao Xun'er — His young mistress and principal charge. She trusts him with errands but reprimands him when his actions threaten their secrecy 10 19 34.
• Gu Yuan — Gu Clan chief who assigns him to protect Xiao Xun'er; this order determines his duties when Xiao Yan leaves 10 34.
• Xiao Yan — Financial beneficiary and temporary protection target. Ling Ying admires his work ethic and hopes to share in his future opportunities. Xiao Yan suspects that Ling Ying might be a transmigrator, but the cited scenes do not confirm that suspicion 13 15 19 30.
• Immortal Wang / Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King — Chat-group owner whom Ling Ying accepts as an extraordinary authority; receives techniques and resources from him in exchange for information and goods 10 11 14 20.
• Jia Lie Ao — Repeatedly intimidated and beaten over the jar-selling scheme; later manipulates Ling Ying into responding to the threat against Xiao Yan 22 26 30 32.
• Yue Buqun and Xiong Ba — Fellow chat-group members whose mockery of the Dou Qi Continent ends after they watch Jia Lie Ao's technique demonstration 24 26.

Trivia

• He deliberately saves two packets of Weilong Spicy Strips for Xiao Xun'er, despite believing he could eat twenty packets in one sitting 12.
• During Ye Fan's welcome celebration, he enjoys Qin Shi Huang's wine, Immortal Wang's Zhong Xuegao ice cream, and his own chicken feet 30.
• After losing an entire night to the handheld console, he calls it “terrifying” and jokes that it defeated the Gu Clan's strongest Dou Emperor in a single second 34.