Revered Master Wanli

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Wanli’s connection to the region began during his Core Formation years. He regularly lived on nearby islands and returned after traveling elsewhere. After he formed his Nascent Soul, the Star Palace invited him to govern the island, which was subsequently renamed Wanli Island 32.

By the beast tide, more than seven hundred years had passed since his appointment. He had spent several hundred years preparing the Wanli Grand Formation against future disasters. With only one or two hundred years of life remaining, he was particularly distressed by the prospect of losing the place he had guarded for centuries 32.

Appearance

• Elderly man dressed in white robes 31.
• Has a beard, which he strokes while discussing the approaching beast tide 31.

Personality

Wanli is deeply attached to his island and concerned with the survival of its inhabitants. Although most residents trust him, he recognizes that his Nascent Soul cultivation alone cannot prevent mass casualties if the defenders are overwhelmed. He leads the sortie against the transformed demon beast despite believing the mission offers virtually no chance of survival 32 33.

He is cautious about demonic cultivators without being indiscriminately hostile. After hearing that an unknown demonic cultivator rescued Luo and Ke, he checks whether they were harmed or tampered with. When that cultivator proves to be helping against the beast tide, Wanli orders his followers not to provoke him 32 34.

He also challenges the Star Palace rather than accepting its conduct unquestioningly. He suspects its delayed intervention is intended to increase its prestige and control, then directly demands an explanation after the battle 33 36.

Abilities & Skills

Sword Control

Wanli commands numerous yellow-glowing flying swords and can combine several into an enormous sword 34 35.

• Effortlessly kills fifth- and sixth-stage demon beasts with his pale-yellow longsword 34.
• Directs multiple weapons simultaneously, supporting the defenders while searching for the beast tide’s leader 34.
• Uses a combined sword attack and a follow-up strike to force the Giant Carp Beast out of the sea, where his own strength is less restricted 35.
• Cannot readily penetrate the beast’s armored hide after it resumes its original form 35.

Blood-Essence Sword Enhancement

Wanli draws several drops of blood essence from between his brows and merges them into his longsword, causing it to radiate golden light 35.

• Uses the enhanced sword in a desperate clash that leaves a conspicuous wound along the Giant Carp Beast’s side.
• Both combatants are gravely wounded in the exchange; Wanli spits blood but retains some strength 35.

Divine Sense

• Recognizes approaching cultivators with a single sweep of his divine sense 32.
• Sees through Lu Shang’s apparent strength and identifies his true Core Formation cultivation 34.
• Searches for the concealed eighth-stage beast, though Lu Shang ultimately locates it first using his unusual demonic art 34.

Formation Construction and Monitoring

Wanli created and controls the island’s largest defensive formation. Its detection system alerts him to invading demon beasts even when he is away from the formation core 30 32 33.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Pale-yellow longsword and flying swords — His principal demonstrated weapons; used individually, in volleys, and as a combined enormous sword 34 35.
• Additional magical artifacts — Sends several toward the embattled Core Formation defenders to support them 34.
• Wanli Grand Formation — Defensive infrastructure built over several hundred years and supplied before the beast tide 30 32.

Relationships

• Bu Female Cultivator — Disciple. He sends her to investigate unusual activity at sea, then orders her to rest and prepare after she returns with the warning 31.
• Luo Cultivator — Disciple who stays behind to protect Bu’s retreat. Wanli initially fears he has died, but receives his report after Lu Shang saves him 30 31 32.
• Ke Cultivator — Island defender and witness to Lu Shang’s earlier intervention. His identification of Lu Shang helps Wanli decide to leave the demonic cultivator undisturbed 32 34.
• Lu Shang — Temporary battlefield ally. Locates the Giant Carp Beast and holds back the surrounding horde; later kills the wounded beast and escapes with its core. Wanli accepts the loss of the core and acknowledges that he might not have caught Lu Shang even if he had tried 34 35 36.
• Star Palace — Appointed him island master and supplies reinforcements. Their late arrival strains his trust, though its stewards explain that a Nascent Soul elder was occupied with another eighth-stage beast behind the island 32 33 36.
• Giant Carp Beast — Eighth-stage enemy seeking to claim Wanli Island. Wanli wounds it severely before Lu Shang delivers the killing blow 35.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Wanli Island Beast Tide

• Warning and preparation: Already suspicious of unusual beast activity, Wanli receives Bu’s warning, contacts nearby cultivators, and has the grand formation supplied 31 32.
• Delayed reinforcements: After seven or eight days without aid, he suspects Tianxing City has deliberately withheld assistance. This remains his suspicion rather than a confirmed explanation 33.
• Defensive sortie: Rallies the island’s cultivators and leads them out to kill the transformed beast commanding the horde 33.
• Battle with the Giant Carp Beast: Cooperates with Lu Shang, drives the beast above the sea, and gravely wounds it in a blood-essence-enhanced clash. Star Palace Core Formation reinforcements relieve pressure on the defenders 34 35.
• Aftermath: Questions the Star Palace’s late arrival. On learning that its Nascent Soul elder stayed behind to confront another eighth-stage beast, he urgently asks to be taken to meet that elder 36.

Notable Quotes

“Remember, this mission means ten chances of death and not one of survival! Does anyone fear it?” 33

“It's fine. Besides, my condition at the time was hardly any better than the beast's. Even if I'd wanted to act, I might not have caught up with that bizarre escape technique of his.” 36

Trivia

• Lu Shang later uses Wanli’s aura as a reference when assessing the Extreme Yin Ancestor, noting that Extreme Yin’s manifested presence is almost comparable even without his true body present 40.