Lu Shang

Biodata

Power Progression

Disguised cultivation levels and the Blood Secret Realm’s temporary suppression are not permanent realm changes.

Background / History

Transmigration and Seclusion

Lu Shang was an office worker who transmigrated after falling asleep in his rented room following his first day at work. His original spiritual root was extremely poor, and his earliest attempt at cultivation took place in a ramshackle thatched hut before he obtained his system 1 26.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, he avoided places where cultivators gathered, fearing both stronger cultivators and an encounter with Han Li. He asked System Sis for a palace and earned it by hauling timber and stone to a remote mountain under threat of a ten-year sealing punishment 1.

System Sis pushed him to continue cultivating rather than enjoy his new status. Long periods of cave seclusion brought him to Core Formation and eventually middle Core Formation, but missions requiring travel finally persuaded him to leave his retreat 2 3 5.

Blood Trial

Lu Shang selected Spirit Beast Mountain as his infiltration target and entered the Blood Trial disguised as a Qi Refining disciple. The secret realm suppressed his usable cultivation to early Foundation Establishment, though his techniques and bonded treasure still gave him an overwhelming advantage against ordinary participants 5 6.

He gathered spirit herbs through looting and coercion, rescued Han Yunzhi from Feng Yue, and followed Nangong Wan into the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Abode. There, he killed the Ink Flood Dragon, obtained enough herbs to meet his forty-plant requirement, and copied the Great Development Technique before placing the concealed Wooden Box in Nangong Wan’s Storage Bag 7 8.

The Ink Flood Dragon’s influence caused him and Nangong Wan to kiss. He carried her out unconscious but left her along the route to avoid trouble if she awakened. Upon exiting the realm, he revealed his middle Core Formation cultivation and departed before the sect elders could detain him 8 9.

Yue Kingdom and the Demonic Invasion

System Sis revealed that Han Li had become Gu Huojin rather than reincarnating in the Yue Kingdom and remained a powerful figure in the Immortal Realm. Lu Shang consequently sought out Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruoyin, temporarily suppressing Xin Ruoyin’s Dragon-Yin Body with spirit herbs and his cultivation 10.

At Yan Family Castle, he witnessed the Ghost Spirit Sect’s massacre without attempting to stop it. Dong Xuan’er sought his protection, but he ultimately handed her to Wang Chan after striking and humiliating him, inadvertently earning a place on Wang Chan’s must-kill list 11.

Lu Shang later killed dozens of lower-ranking Fu family disciples in retaliation for Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruoyin’s suffering. The Fu patriarch remained beyond his immediate reach inside a sect protected by a Nascent Soul cultivator. During the same period, Lu Shang secured the Mo family’s control over Zhang Tie’s puppet body by providing a command bracelet 12.

A system mission drew him into the Yue Kingdom’s resistance. Suspected of being a demonic spy, he demonstrated his four-armed transformation and defeated the cultivators challenging him, stopping only when Li Huayuan intervened 12 13 14.

Escape to the Chaotic Star Sea

Lu Shang killed two Ghost Spirit Sect Core Formation cultivators but was gravely wounded by Wang Chan’s Mountain-Shaking Talisman, whose power rivaled a Nascent Soul attack. Repeated uses of Blood Thunder Escape carried him more than a hundred li away 16 17.

After recovering roughly ninety percent of his strength over a month, he infiltrated a spirit mine and escaped through its repaired Teleportation Formation. The encounter taught him that a weaker cultivator with powerful backing could still pose a lethal threat 17.

Guluan Islands and the Po Family

In the Chaotic Star Sea, Lu Shang rescued mortal cargo ships from demon beasts and met Steward Chang. He settled on an uninhabited island near the Guluan Islands and entrusted Chang with selling fifth-rank demon beast remains while keeping his identity secret 19 20.

When Chang disappeared, Lu Shang investigated Voidbreak Market under a low-level disguise. He freed Chang from confinement, then killed the middle Core Formation demonic cultivator protecting the Po family 21 22 24.

Lu Shang killed several Po family members to force their elders to explain their connection to the Inverse Star Alliance. After obtaining their information and most of their Spirit Stones, he left the surviving disciples alive and returned to seclusion 25 26.

Beast Tide and Kuixing Island

A mission to kill one hundred demon beasts of sixth rank or higher led Lu Shang to a beast tide. He fought alongside the Luo and Ke cultivators, joined Wanli Island’s defense, and helped locate an eighth-stage Giant Carp Beast 29 31 34.

After the eighth-stage beast had been gravely wounded during the battle, Lu Shang intercepted its escape and delivered the finishing blow. He took its core, completed his mission, and spent several additional days hunting hundreds more beasts. His reward, Frost Dragon Scale, proved to be a decorative addition to his halberd rather than a useful enhancement 35 36.

At Kuixing Island’s Demon Suppression Ceremony, he concealed his strength while killing the fifth-stage Crying Carp Beast. During the ensuing Extreme Yin Island attack, he rescued Wang Ling and reached Wen Qiang at the formation’s core 38 39.

Lu Shang killed Elder Gu after escaping to a nearby island. His subsequent pursuit of Wu Chou brought him within range of Extreme Yin Ancestor’s detection, reinforcing his concern about the abilities of Nascent Soul cultivators 39 40.

Nascent Soul Preparations

Lu Shang established a secluded Outer Sea base, cleared nearby demon beasts, and prepared treasurelight-grass talismans and formations to keep high-ranking beasts from interrupting his breakthrough. He also purchased protective formations from Red Moon Island, where Li Xian’er impressed him by independently deploying a formation normally requiring multiple cultivators 44 45.

Before entering seclusion, he sought Wen Qiang’s daughter, Wen Siyue, fearing that his own interventions might have changed her future. He rented a cave abode on the Star Palace’s Fortieth Layer under the name Han Li and asked Zi Ling to accept Wen Siyue into the Miaoyin Sect, supplying resources and Lightning Escape Talismans 48 50.

Appearance

• Face and build: Described as combining rugged good looks with delicate beauty; retains the appearance of a handsome man in his early twenties after decades of cultivation 1 15.
• Hair and clothing: Appears with loose black hair and black-and-red clothing when rescuing the cargo ships 19.
• Bearing: His distinguished appearance and youthful looks attract attention even when he conceals his cultivation 13 27.
• Demonic manifestation: Crimson spiritual-energy armor expands into a four-armed demon over a hundred feet tall 14.

Personality

Lu Shang is irreverent, vain, and fond of joking with System Sis. He complains about inconvenient missions and cultivation times, boasts about his appearance, and initially treats Foundation Establishment as an opportunity to enjoy a comfortable life rather than pursue immortality immediately 1 2 4.

His caution coexists with boredom-driven risk-taking. He avoids stronger cultivators, prepares escape routes, and distrusts casual friendships, yet also attends dangerous gatherings for entertainment and resents being treated contemptuously. Wang Chan’s talisman attack forces him to reassess the danger posed by well-connected opponents 11 13 17.

His compassion is selective rather than consistent. He helps Han Yunzhi, Xin Ruoyin, the Mo family, and endangered mortals, but also robs weaker cultivators, ignores the Yan Family Castle massacre, and kills Po family youngsters to extract information. He recognizes that killing attackers no longer produces the guilt he would have felt in his original world 6 7 10 11 12 19 25.

A century of experience makes him more self-reliant and comfortable with long seclusion. Nevertheless, he remains awkward when confronted with Nangong Wan’s attachment and is unexpectedly indulgent toward Li Xian’er’s demands 14 26 41.

Abilities & Skills

System Assistance

System Sis supplies missions, rewards, lottery draws, techniques, and cultivation assistance.

• Upgrades his spiritual root and provides treasures, medicinal pills, talismans, and Spirit Stones 4 5 15.
• Automatically bonds the Silver Frost Dragon Halberd to him, saving the lengthy refinement normally required 5.
• Helps repair the Teleportation Formation despite his limited formation knowledge 15.
• Enforces missions through penalties, including sealing and random teleportation 1 12.

Wild Desolation True Demon Art

His principal body-refining technique, also called the Mystic Desolation True Demon Art in its initial presentation 4.

• Forms crimson armor capable of taking Feng Yue’s saber strike without injury 7.
• Produces a giant four-armed form with enough strength to overwhelm Core Formation opponents 14 16 24.
• At the fourth level, can manifest four enormous hands without transforming his entire body, reducing spiritual-energy consumption and improving flexibility 35.
• Can be practiced alongside other techniques; System Sis states that it remains usable into the Immortal Realm 4.
• Carries a mental-control risk: accumulated bloody aura can overwhelm inadequate mental fortitude 15 29.

Blood Nether Divine Thunder and Blood Thunder Escape

Lu Shang names the blood-colored lightning in his dantian Blood Nether Divine Thunder and derives his lightning escape ability from it 17 28.

• Travels a dozen or so li per use at his recorded strength; consecutive uses allow much longer retreats 17.
• Requires little spiritual power and places no substantial burden on his body, but consumes the stored thunder itself 17 24.
• Estimates that his reserve permits at least a dozen consecutive uses during the Po family confrontation 24.
• Uses the technique for pursuit as well as escape, including intercepting the wounded eighth-stage demon beast 24 35.
• Expects to unlock more of the thunder’s power as his cultivation rises 28.

Heavenly Origin Sword Art

A supplementary technique that strengthens spiritual power and supports sword-qi attacks even without a sword 5 34.

• Releases dozens or hundreds of sword-qi streaks against cultivators and demon beasts 16 19 29.
• Uses concealed, finger-sized sword qi to blind the Crying Carp Beast while hiding his true strength 38.
• Lacks the full effectiveness of a sword-supported attack against same-realm opponents; defensive magical treasures can block his sword qi 4 16.

Divine Sense and Great Development Technique

Lu Shang copies the Great Development Technique, later referred to as the Great Evolution Art, from the Ancient Cultivator’s Cave Abode 8 34.

• Enhances divine sense alongside the improvements provided by his other techniques 34.
• Possesses divine sense comparable to an early Nascent Soul cultivator while still at middle Core Formation 34.
• Uses it to inspect residences, monitor nearby cultivators, recognize familiar auras, and watch for ambushes 13 20 21 34.
• Stops advancing the technique at its third level rather than spend time on its mortal-world trial 37.

Pure Leaf Soul-Cleansing Art

A mind-cleansing technique supplied after System Sis warns that his demonic cultivation could cause him to lose control of his body 15.

• Suppresses the dangerous mental effects of his demonic art 24.
• Remains at the first level because its later stages are exceptionally difficult 21 29 37.
• Becomes insufficient to prevent a near-loss of control when his demonic cultivation outpaces it 29.
• According to System Sis, later stages can affect others; Lu Shang has not demonstrated that application 15.

Concealment, Formations, and Support Techniques

• Disguise: Conceals his realm, changes his appearance, and impersonates sect disciples or low-level rogue cultivators 5 17 22 27.
• Formation work: Sets visitor-detection formations and manufactures treasurelight-grass talismans and Formation Stones; considers his formation aptitude ordinary 20 44 45.
• Treatment: Temporarily suppresses Xin Ruoyin’s Dragon-Yin Body, but cannot cure it completely at Core Formation 10.
• Language learning: Learns the Chaotic Star Sea’s language through listening and study; suspects his soul’s integration with the world contributes to the ease of learning 21.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Silver Frost Dragon Halberd — System lottery prize and bonded magical treasure. Approximately two meters long, with a silvery-frost color, scale-patterned shaft, and chilling aura. It expands to suit his giant demonic form and produces freezing slashes 5 6 31.
  • Heavy attacks consume substantial spiritual power, particularly when his cultivation is suppressed 6 9.
  • Full-power use alongside his demonic art can leave him with only one or two tenths of his spiritual power 33.
• Frost Dragon Scale — Mission reward fused with the halberd; produces no discernible practical improvement 36.
• Spirit Controlling Sect guest elder token — Obtained through a feigned friendship with a Core Formation elder whom he later killed after an ambush attempt 11.
• Heaven-and-Earth Shift Token — Required alongside one hundred Spirit Stones to use the repaired formation leading to the Chaotic Star Sea 15.
• System supplies — Storage of Spirit Stones, recovery and healing pills, talismans, minor magical artifacts, and spirit herbs 5 10 15.
• Protective formations and treasurelight-grass products — Prepared or purchased to secure his secluded Nascent Soul breakthrough site 44 45.
• Boat-shaped flying artifact — Usable by Qi Refining cultivators; left with Wen Siyue for travel around Tianxing City 49 50.

Relationships

• System Sis — His indispensable cultivation assistant and frequent sparring partner in banter; alternates between supplying advantages and forcing him to confront difficult missions 1 4 5.
• Han Li / Gu Huojin — The original protagonist whose expected path informs Lu Shang’s decisions. Learning that Han Li did not reincarnate prompts Lu Shang to intervene in circumstances Han Li would otherwise have encountered 1 10.
• Han Yunzhi — Rescued from Feng Yue; Lu Shang advises her to remain near the secret realm’s edge and distrust outsiders 7 9.
• Nangong Wan — Saved during the Blood Trial. Her Maiden Reincarnation Art locks onto his aura under the Ink Flood Dragon’s influence, producing an attachment he does not understand 8 14.
• Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruoyin — Beneficiaries of his aid and retaliation against the Fu family; he supplies treatment, talismans, and a letter 10 12.
• Wang Chan — Persistent enemy whose family resources allow him to threaten Lu Shang despite their realm disparity 11 16 17.
• Steward Chang / Chang Hao — Local contact who introduces the Guluan Islands and handles a beast-remains sale; Lu Shang frees him after his disappearance 19 20 24.
• Revered Master Wanli — Nascent Soul cultivator alongside whom Lu Shang fights during Wanli Island’s defense 34 35.
• Wen Qiang — Friend made while Lu Shang uses the name Han Li on Kuixing Island; Lu Shang warns him against entering the Demon Suppression Ceremony 27 28.
• Li Xian’er — Gifted young formation maker whom he encourages with a Formation Book and demon cores. Their brief acquaintance leaves her distressed at the prospect of never meeting again 41 45 47.
• Wen Siyue — Wen Qiang’s daughter; Lu Shang seeks her out and arranges a place for her in the Miaoyin Sect 48 50.
• Zi Ling — Miaoyin Sect contact entrusted with Wen Siyue’s future. Lu Shang provides resources and comforts her while she grieves for her parents 50.

Notable Quotes

“Being born handsome is a sin, too!” 8

“Hmph! Wang Chan, just you wait a hundred years!” 17