Mu Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Mu Chen grew up in the Mu Domain’s ruling family, but his mother’s disappearance left him isolated and mistreated. Relatives blamed him for the domain’s decline, former playmates avoided him, and other young family members targeted him during training. He lived in a dilapidated courtyard on the estate’s outskirts and cultivated without a teacher, using basic breathing methods, remembered martial techniques, and old books 1.

His principal goals were to find his mother, uncover the reason for her disappearance, earn recognition from his family, and restore the Mu Domain’s former glory. The opening of the Spirit Road offered a way out of his circumstances. Through intensive cultivation, sword practice, and research, he passed its spiritual power test, combat assessment, and knowledge examination 1 2.

Appearance

Mu Chen is initially described as a boy with a young, resolute face; during the tournament finals, he wears a simple, well-fitting black robe and stands with a straight posture 1 20.

• Awakening manifestations: Golden runes appear across his skin, and his eyes turn deep gold when his mysterious power erupts 5.
• Later cultivation manifestations: His unnamed fusion technique surrounds him with brilliant silver, star-like radiance 33.

Personality

Mu Chen is persistent and largely self-directed. Despite family prejudice and a lack of instruction, he repeatedly practices basic techniques and studies old texts for ways to improve. He also reviews battles, tests new circulation routes, and refines techniques rather than relying solely on sudden power increases 1 14 19 33.

Under pressure, he favors observation and adaptation. He identifies beast weak points, formation cores, and interruptions in an opponent’s energy flow. His curiosity can nevertheless override caution: his desire to investigate an apparent treasure helps his enemies lure him into a swamp trap 3 6 11 15.

He protects companions and shares resources and cultivation insights with them. After clearing his name, he accepts apologies from misled accusers; after defeating Ling Yu, he acknowledges his opponent’s strength. His later leadership emphasizes coordinated squads rather than individual heroics 3 13 22 23 34.

Abilities & Skills

Spiritual Energy Control and Swordsmanship

Mu Chen’s spiritual energy is unusually nimble, supporting rapid responses and precise manipulation. His swordsmanship begins with family techniques and develops through ruins exploration and combat 2 3.

• Wind-cleaving Slash: A concentrated sword-light attack used against Su Ling 16.
• Defensive sword curtain: Wide-ranging sword light intercepts Su Ling’s attacking phantoms, but consumes substantial energy 16.
• Energy constructs: Forms blades, longswords, threads, ropes, and a large fan from spiritual energy 15 20 25.
• Vortices: Absorbs incoming attacks, weakens enemy blows, or attempts to trap opponents 3 19 21 50.
• Improvised weapons: Reinforces ordinary branches with spiritual energy when fighting marsh beasts 6.

Mysterious Awakened Power

An ancient force distinct from his ordinary spiritual energy lies deep within Mu Chen’s soul. Its core appears as a small golden light protected by a powerful seal 5.

• Erupts instinctively when his life is threatened, producing a golden palm beam and a dramatic increase in strength 5.
• Protects him from the draining pull of ancient runes 9.
• Repels his attempts to probe its sealed core with spiritual energy 5.
• Its origin remains unresolved. Mu Chen suspects a connection to his mother’s disappearance, but does not establish one 5.

Rune Power and Spiritual Perception

The inheritance obtained in the hidden grounds provides both power and knowledge of spiritual energy 10.

• Compresses spiritual energy before releasing it in an amplified burst 10 13 15.
• Detects certain concealed restrictions and traps 10.
• Loosens Su Ling’s draining spiritual threads 16.
• Can be fused with his own spiritual energy to strengthen attacks 20.

Soul Arts

Mu Chen uses soul perception and resonance against threats that ordinary spiritual defenses cannot reliably stop 8 22.

• Ghost dispersal: Resonates with ghosts’ black soul-power cores and disperses them; the expenditure leaves him weakened 8.
• Illusion breaking: Detects soul-level discord in Ling Yu’s phantoms and strikes those flaws with soul-imbued energy blades 22.
• Combat support: Adds soul power to sword strikes and uses soul perception to anticipate attacks 17 26.

Star Transformation

Learned from the champion’s ancient tome, Star Transformation fuses spiritual energy with stellar power. Cultivation requires a star-rich environment and careful circulation; losing control can severely damage the meridians 23.

• First Glimmer of Starlight: Adds a small amount of stellar power to attacks, increasing strength, penetration, and their ability to bewilder enemies 23.
• Surging Star River: Summons a small phantom star river for an area attack with several times the first stage’s power 23 26.
• Wrath of the Starry Firmament: Condenses a complete phantom starry firmament containing vast stellar power; used to shatter the shadow’s core rune and destroy the black-robed figures’ stone platform 23 27 32.

Unnamed Spiritual–Stellar–Soul Technique

After the cave battle, Mu Chen develops a technique combining spiritual energy, stellar power, and soul power. Its circulation involves compression and rotation near the heart before the energy converges in his dantian 33.

• Attack: Concentrates the fused power at a single point 33.
• Defense: Creates a starlit Spiritual Energy Shield that can also shock approaching enemies’ souls 33.
• Swordplay: Produces star-lined sword energy with a soul-shocking effect 33.
• Movement: Increases speed while confusing nearby enemies and disrupting their souls 33.
• Perception: Detects energy within the chamber walls and fluctuations from distant patrolling guards 33.

Formations and Battlefield Leadership

Mu Chen combines knowledge from family texts and ruins with direct analysis of energy flow 2 3 19.

• Matches a barrier’s energy frequency or activates its nodes in sequence to open a passage 3 7 8.
• Exploits natural forest arrays and the arena’s formation to attack or recover 4 19.
• Identifies and destroys the controlling nodes of puppets and enemy rituals 6 32.
• Organizes squads with attack, defense, and support specialists 34.
• Helps plan warning systems, reconnaissance, layered defenses, and interference against enemy formations 31 37 40.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Early longsword and short blade — Uses a battered longsword for training and early trials; later draws a short blade from his Storage Ring to block Lin Yu’s concealed weapons 2 18.
• Storage Ring and spirit vine — Carries weapons, resources, and treasures in the ring. Uses the vine to pull himself out of a restricted quicksand trap 8 18 19.
• Ancient scroll from the hidden grounds — Records cultivation methods linking spiritual energy with natural forces; remains a source of further techniques during tournament preparation and recovery 11 14 19.
• Hidden-grounds spirit pearl — Disperses poisonous gas and intimidates venomous creatures during the swamp ambush 11.
• Healing resources — Uses a healing pill, blood spirit herb, spirit jade marrow, and gathered herbs to survive and recover during the Lin Yu match 18 19.
• Champion’s ancient tome — Contains Star Transformation and its three described stages 22 23.
• Champion’s Spirit Pearl — Repairs meridians and replenishes spiritual energy; also helps reinforce a weakening seal and open a temporary passage into the central ruins 23 25.
• Spirit Soldier — Tournament-prize sword with a slender, patterned blade and an energy-compatible hilt. Enhances attacks and releases sword energy capable of splitting a boulder 22 23.
• Clan’s ancient secret sword — Activated through star power, an archived incantation, and compatible soul power. Delivers spiritual and soul attacks and absorbs surrounding energy; its attack range depends on the wielder’s power 41.
• Heaven and Earth Spirit Root — Five-colored root recovered by his team. Ancient texts identify it as a requirement for awakening the weapon alongside Five Elements Power, the Spiritual Thought Key, and Star Guidance 43.

Relationships

• Mother — Her disappearance drives his cultivation and investigations. He suspects that his sealed inner power may be connected to her fate 1 5 23.
• Father — Lord of the Mu Domain. Mu Chen remembers the encouragement his father once gave him 1.
• Grandfather / clan chief — Consults Mu Chen about the attacks and approves his proposals for traps, warning devices, and patrols 31.
• Tan Qingshan — Close friend since childhood and a member of his defensive squad; fights alongside him against the bell-wielding enemy and Forbidden Grounds guardian 34 36 47.
• Tang Qian’er — Support teammate who admires him, heals him and Tan Qingshan, and creates an interference field at his direction to ground a flying guardian beast 34 37 47.
• Spirit Road companions — Allies who support him despite hostile rumors, share resources, and receive his cultivation insights 6 13 23.
• Silver-armored cultivator — Ally in investigating the Spirit Road’s dark disturbances; later takes a hit while protecting Mu Chen during statue activation 25 26 30.
• Black Rock — First-round tournament opponent, defeated through agility, accumulating wounds, and a final compressed-energy strike 15.
• Su Ling — Formidable second-round rival whose energy impedes Mu Chen’s circulation; defeated after a prolonged, exhausting battle 16 17.
• Lin Yu — Trap-and-concealed-weapon specialist defeated despite Mu Chen suffering severe injuries and an outside ambush during their match 18 19.
• Ling Yu — Final opponent and respected rival. Concedes when Mu Chen manages to stand after their last clash 20 21 22.
• Black-Robed People — Enemies attacking his clan and searching its important locations. Their leader escapes Mu Chen’s eventual counterattack 31 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Notable Quotes

“It’s all right, as long as the truth has come to light. I hope you won’t let others use you so easily in the future.” 13

“I can’t do this alone. The crisis facing our family is extremely serious. We need everyone to work together.” 34