Jing Wen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Transmigration and Red Rose’s Death

Jing Wen transmigrated three months before the opening chapter. His new body lacked spiritual roots, and repeated attempts at cultivation failed. His only stated advantage from transmigration was knowledge of the world and plot of A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality 1.

His mother in this life, Red Rose, returned home mortally wounded and gave him the Baleful Bead she had cut from her own dantian. She warned that the Black Fiend Cult would not spare him after her death. Facing that threat, Jing Wen cut open his abdomen to implant the bead and survived its backlash, becoming a cultivator 1.

He surrendered most of his available wealth to Steward Li and used flattery and filial duty to obtain permission to leave the Capital with Red Rose’s coffin. He buried her on a secluded hill without a marker and vowed revenge against the Black Fiend Cult and the Yue Kingdom’s late-stage Qi Refining and stronger cultivators, explicitly excluding Han Li and Xiang Zhili 2 3.

Seven Mysteries Sect

Jing Wen traveled to Rosy Cloud Mountain and intimidated the Seven Mysteries Sect’s guards with a display that cracked the stone path. Claiming to need a quiet place to recover from an injury, he secured the position of honored guest and sought information about Doctor Mo 4.

His residence became a base for cultivation and alchemy. He obtained pills from Han Li, developed his own pill-refining skills, and largely avoided the sect’s administration. When herb deliveries diminished and the Fourth Elder challenged him, Jing Wen used Qu Hun to kill the elder and establish his authority 7 16 17.

Han Li later hired him to eliminate Mo Juren’s threat for 160 bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills. Jing Wen subdued Mo Juren, destroyed Yu Zitong’s remnant soul, and retrieved Yu Zitong’s storage pouch. Rather than kill Mo Juren, he recruited him to investigate demonic cultivation and Baleful Bead transfers 9 11 12 14.

To obtain Venerable Golden Light’s Small Sword Talisman Treasure, Jing Wen persuaded the sect to invite Golden Light to deal with the Wild Wolf Gang. He ambushed the visitor, seized the treasure, and forced him to swallow a Heart-Eroding Pill before ordering him to complete the campaign and conceal the encounter 17 19.

Entry into the Cultivation World

After reaching the tenth layer of Qi Refining, Jing Wen visited Yellow Maple Valley’s market. Using the alias Li Feiyu, he exchanged two thousand-year-old yellow essence fungi for four treasures, then fled immediately to avoid potential robbery 20 21.

While testing his purchases, he encountered and killed an Azure-Scaled Beast. Behind it, he discovered a sealed stone door and obtained an Azure Jade Stone matching its array. He declined to open the chamber, judging unknown treasures insufficient reason to risk his life, and planned to return after forming a Golden Core 22 23.

He later investigated cultivation techniques at the Heavenly Works Tower, mastered Sword Flight, and prepared Han Li for life among cultivators. On leaving the Seven Mysteries Sect, he directed Han Li to the Ascension to Immortality Conference at Mount Tai Nan and flew toward Lan Prefecture to meet Mo Juren 25 27 29.

Mo Juren’s Transfer Experiment

Jing Wen supervised Mo Juren’s attempt to take a Baleful Bead from Jin. The bead rejected Mo Juren and nearly killed him. After reviving him with a blood-red pill, Jing Wen explained that the bead required a bloodline connection and allowed one final attempt using someone more closely related 36.

During his stay at the Mo Residence, he spent time with Mo Feng Wu and Mo Caihuan and gave them Qi-Blood Pills. Despite the household’s attempts to encourage intimacy, he remained focused on cultivation and withdrew into seclusion 37 38.

Return to the Black Fiend Cult

Four years after leaving, Jing Wen returned to the Capital while concealing his true cultivation. He told Steward Li that Red Rose had left a hidden herb garden supporting his cultivation, reinforced the story with gifts, and obtained the Fiendish Demon Art. His longer-term objective was the Profound Yin Scripture, which he believed necessary for his future cultivation and revenge 40.

During his first capture mission, he manipulated a pursuit so that a rogue cultivator killed one cult member, secretly killed another himself, and incapacitated the target. He looted the bodies and destroyed evidence connecting his sword to the killing. His apparent success earned Steward Li’s favor and contribution rewards 42 43.

Jing Wen then cultivated Ge Hong as an intelligence source and arranged independent captures for contribution points. He avoided a large joint hunt because its many participants would make exceptional performance—or surviving alone—too conspicuous 44 45.

Taibai Stronghold

Jing Wen had previously invited Zhao Yu and Zheng Xiao to seek him in the Capital if they failed the Ascension to Immortality Conference. When Zhao Yu arrived with three companions, Jing Wen offered the Fiendish Demon Art as a route toward Foundation Establishment 34 48.

Liu Qing became the Taibai Stronghold’s first official member after demonstrating successful cultivation of the art. Jing Wen supplied its complete instructions, a captain’s token, and ten Blood Pills. The stronghold was located behind a medicinal herb shop in the western city 49.

Despite his welcoming presentation, Jing Wen subsequently launched surprise attacks against Zhao Yu and a tall cultivator, then separately attacked Liu Qing. He combined the Soul-Disturbing Art with the Nine-Turn Wandering Sword; the provided passages do not establish the victims’ final outcomes 50.

Appearance

• Initial appearance: A youth of roughly fifteen or sixteen with delicate features, sickly pallor, and dark shadows beneath his eyes 1.
• Physique: Tall and slender at seventeen, with smoother, stronger muscular contours following cultivation 20.
• Clothing: Frequently wears black robes; enters the Capital in blue robes when returning to the cult 4 29 40.
• Disguise: Uses an ordinary middle-aged face, appearing to be in his early forties, while acting as the Seven Mysteries Sect’s resident expert 5.
• Cultivation markings: Develops an abdominal scar and black-and-red patterns after implantation. Later manifestations include a datura pattern, a metallic skin sheen, and scale-like markings on his arms 1 6 41 46.

Personality

Jing Wen prioritizes survival over uncertain rewards. He prepares carefully before attacking Mo Juren, destroys Yu Zitong rather than retain a potentially dangerous soul, and leaves the sealed cave chamber unexplored despite its apparent promise 10 11 23.

His courtesy is frequently calculated. He performs gratitude and loyalty before Steward Li, uses gifts to secure protection, and presents exchanges with Han Li as fair dealings while privately treating Han Li’s resources as a means to accelerate his own cultivation 2 20 40 44.

He is ruthless toward those who obstruct or endanger his plans. He kills through subordinates, conceals murders during cult missions, and attacks recruits without warning. Nevertheless, his attachment to Red Rose is genuine enough to drive both her careful burial and his revenge vow 3 17 42 50.

Romantic attention does not readily distract him. He regards the Mo sisters as pleasant company but remains wary of the fatal mistakes cultivators can make through infatuation or carelessness 38.

Abilities & Skills

Baleful Bead and Burning Blood Art

The implanted Baleful Bead provides a substitute spiritual root, allowing Jing Wen to cultivate despite his original lack of aptitude 1.

• The Burning Blood Art transforms blood and vitality into spiritual power and temporarily suppresses the bead’s backlash 1.
• His cultivation is heavily dependent on medicinal pills; the bead prevents normal independent cultivation through ambient spiritual energy 1 3.
• Cultivation consumes blood and vitality, while accumulated baleful energy risks madness and cultivation deviation 1.
• His unusual spiritual root prevents him from practicing ordinary five-element cultivation arts 23.

Fiendish Demon Art

Jing Wen adopts this art after returning to the Black Fiend Cult, converting the spiritual power of his former technique 40 41.

• Produces purer, more condensed spiritual power than the Burning Blood Art 41.
• Causes physical changes, including metallic skin and scale-like arm markings 41 46.
• Its conversion must proceed gradually; mishandling spiritual power can damage the meridians 41.
• Offers a route to Qi Refining great perfection and a greatly improved prospect of Foundation Establishment. Jing Wen tells prospective recruits that it raises their chances by fifty percent 40 48.

Basic Spells and Perception

Jing Wen’s body possesses exceptional comprehension: he learns the basics of the Object-Driving Technique in half a day 3.

• Object-Driving Technique: Controls flying swords, moves belongings remotely, and lifts unconscious people 3 4 11 12.
• Fireball and Fire Wall Techniques: Provide offensive and defensive options; he shows particular aptitude for fire techniques 4 11.
• Water Ball Technique: Immobilizes Mo Juren and Venerable Golden Light 11 19.
• Enhanced Vision and Heavenly Eye Techniques: Improve observation and reveal other cultivators’ cultivation and aura 4 40.
• Water and earth techniques initially require considerably more effort than fire techniques 4.

Breath-Concealing Art

This secret art allows Jing Wen to conceal his actual strength while operating within the cult 40.

• Its first level makes him appear to be a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator upon his return 40.
• He later adjusts his public presentation to the sixth and seventh layers 46 48.
• The second level requires Foundation Establishment and is described as capable of hiding his strength from Foundation Establishment observers and masking baleful-qi fluctuations; he has not yet attained it 40 45.

Sword Flight and Sword Combat

Jing Wen progresses from improvised flight using the Wind-Riding Art to a dedicated Sword Flight technique 25 27.

• Masters banking, diving, and abrupt stops during practice 27.
• Uses remotely controlled swords to cut off escape routes and strike wounded targets 23 42.
• Initially produces three sword manifestations with the Nine-Turn Wandering Sword; later deploys seven in a surprise attack 22 50.
• Uses the Soul-Disturbing Art alongside sword attacks to ambush nearby opponents 50.

Pill Refinement

His predecessor left extensive knowledge of basic medicinal herbs and pill refinement, though no especially valuable formulas 4.

• Successfully refines three low-quality Iceheart Pills after two failed attempts 7.
• Turns to Blood-Replenishing Pills to sustain his blood-consuming cultivation 7.
• Trades Qi-Blood Pills for herbs through the Seven Mysteries Sect 17.
• Declines the Heavenly Works Tower’s proposed long-term partnership to avoid constraints on his cultivation and alchemy 26.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Baleful Bead — Red Rose’s former spiritual root, implanted in his dantian 1.
• Low-grade flying sword — Inherited from Red Rose and used for early sword-control practice 3.
• Yu Zitong’s storage pouch — Contains an interior roughly ten feet across, along with artifacts, pills, books, spirit stones, and talisman-making supplies 12.
• Mother-and-Child Bell — Taken from Mo Juren; controls Qu Hun 11 14.
• Azure Leaf Sword — Obtained among Yu Zitong’s belongings and later traded to Han Li for seven stalks of millennium spirit medicine 12 20.
• Small Sword Talisman Treasure — Seized from Venerable Golden Light. Contains a portion of a Golden Core cultivator’s treasure power but has limited uses 19.
• Nine-Turn Wandering Sword — Supreme-grade offensive artifact with nine attribute crystals. His tenth-layer cultivation initially permits only a fraction of its full power 21 22.
• Dark Tortoise Shell — Supreme-grade defensive artifact. Maintaining its basic defense consumes nearly thirty percent of his spiritual energy during testing; his estimate of blocking Foundation Establishment attacks is theoretical 21 22.
• Heavenly Thunder Pearl and Golden Light Brick Talisman Treasure — Acquired with the sword and shell in exchange for two thousand-year-old yellow essence fungi 21.
• Azure Jade Stone — Matches the recess in the sealed cave door’s Spirit Gathering Array; retained for a future return 23.
• Talismans — Uses a Fire Wall Talisman as an early trump card and later acquires Diamond, Fireball, and Concealment Talismans 4 27.
• Black Fiend Cult identity token — Records contribution points and permits entry into restricted locations, including the Imperial City Altar 45.

Relationships

• Red Rose — His mother in this life and source of his Baleful Bead. Her death motivates his pursuit of power and revenge 1 3.
• Han Li — Pill supplier, trading partner, and recipient of Jing Wen’s cultivation guidance. Jing Wen sells him artifacts, techniques, and talismans for substantial herb debts, while eventually proposing that they address each other as equals 7 20 27.
• Mo Juren — Initially Han Li’s requested assassination target; retained as a subordinate and experimental subject for Baleful Bead transfer 9 14 36.
• Qu Hun / Zhang Tie — Controlled servant who enforces Jing Wen’s authority and kills the Fourth Elder 10 16 17.
• Steward Li — Cult superior whom Jing Wen manipulates through gifts, flattery, and apparent loyalty. Jing Wen treats his protection as essential cover 2 40 43 44.
• Ge Hong — Intelligence source and capture-operation partner. Jing Wen remains uncertain whether his friendliness conceals another purpose 44 45.
• Venerable Golden Light — Ambush victim forced into obedience with a Heart-Eroding Pill 19.
• Enchantress / Su Yurou — Seeks Jing Wen’s protection and guidance. He views her as a potentially useful subordinate and later orders her to remain hidden at the Seven Mysteries Sect 24 29.
• Mo Feng Wu — Develops feelings for him; Jing Wen does not reciprocate her romantic interest 38.
• Mo Caihuan — Friendly acquaintance who asks him for keepsakes and receives Qi-Blood Pills 38.
• Zheng Xiao — Prospective hidden ally approached alongside Zhao Yu in Jia Yuan City 34.
• Zhao Yu and Liu Qing — Recruits offered the Fiendish Demon Art; Jing Wen subsequently ambushes both 48 49 50.
• Yue Emperor — Underlying threat behind the Black Fiend Cult. Jing Wen knows the cult’s cultivators are cultivated as medicinal ingredients and distrusts its Foundation Establishment leadership 1 14 44.

Notable Quotes

“Since I’m falling into hell anyway... I might as well burn straight through it.” 1

“Rather than letting differences in status drive a wedge between us someday, we should discard this title of ‘Senior’ early. Friendship between equals is the path that lasts.” 27

“Strength... is the greatest safeguard.” 45