Fan Dazhi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Fan Dazhi’s family fled Yangzhou Commandery after its governor declared an independent kingdom, five years before his introduction. Fearing war with the Great Chen Empire, Fan Youfu took his wife and son upstream along the Han River with other refugees. They endured a long journey before settling in Watermill Head Village to seek treatment for Madam Fan Yang. She died after illness worsened, leaving Fan Youfu to support his son through brewing wine and running a tavern 1.

Dazhi attended the same private school as He An, who was about his age. Their friendship grew through school, visits to He An’s home, and fishing on the Han River. He An regularly defended him when other children bullied him, while He Kui tested both boys’ learning and taught them qi cultivation and martial arts 1 2.

Appearance

• Build and complexion: Fair-skinned and plump, with pudgy cheeks and thick, dimpled hands 1 15.
• Facial features: Square face, large ears, broad forehead, thick eyebrows, and notably clear eyes 1.
• Clothing: Introduced wearing a square headcloth and a badly wrinkled crossed-collar silk robe carrying a faint smell of wine lees 1.
• During intensive training: Develops dark circles beneath his eyes after repeatedly practicing divine sense at night 36.

Personality

Dazhi openly prefers comfort to ambition: eating, drinking, sleeping, and dreaming appeal to him more than difficult study. His imagined future resembles that of Landowner Shen, with a large mansion, abundant grain, livestock, and wives. Although he possesses exceptional intelligence, he describes demanding thought as a headache and initially finds the prospect of studying formations tedious rather than exciting 5 46.

His laziness is selective. He practices tiny regular-script calligraphy meticulously, and a new fascination with divine sense keeps him experimenting through the night. Teachers repeatedly recognize the gap between his unassuming appearance and his remarkable ability; Ding Feiyong considers his scholarship extraordinary but sees his lack of diligence as a serious limitation 15 31 36.

He is easily frightened but deeply loyal to He An. He tries to give his friend a chance to escape during their abduction and deliberately earns confinement rather than let him suffer alone. His humor includes teasing He An about romance and boasting about his own charm. His curiosity also leads him into misconduct: he probes the Female Dormitory with divine sense despite He An’s warnings 2 18 19 22 23 48.

Abilities & Skills

Divine Sense

Dazhi’s mental perception is singled out as an exceptional cultivation talent. His early experiments develop into both remote observation and object manipulation 34 36.

• Object control: Makes a teacup rise, fly beneath the rafters, loop twice, and return to the table 36.
• Remote observation: Expands his initial three-zhang range to nearly a hundred zhang; later reaches outside the institute along Vermilion Bird Avenue 36 41.
• Divided perception: Splits his divine sense into multiple strands to examine and attack a formation’s weak point 48.
• Barrier limitation: Cannot clearly observe inside the Female Dormitory because a restriction blocks his probing 41.
• No demonstrated flying-sword use: He An suggests that his divine sense could control a flying sword, but Dazhi says he dislikes sabers and swords 36.

Primordial-Energy Manipulation

Dazhi can absorb Heaven and Earth primordial energy, though more slowly than He An. Chen Sangyu nevertheless identifies energy manipulation as one of his strongest gifts 34.

• Condenses a dense, pure, nearly tangible layer of primordial energy around his hands 41.
• Uses energy control to move water and scrub He An’s bloodstained clothing without touching it 41.
• Studies Primordial Energy Manifestation, but explicitly admits that he has not yet achieved the technique itself 35 41.

Martial Arts and Movement

He Kui teaches Dazhi foundational fighting methods, including Cloud-Riding Hand. Dazhi’s movement and tactical ingenuity are more impressive than his enthusiasm for direct combat 1 3 17.

• Cloud-Riding Hand: Practices and spars with He An, but admits that he never wins their bouts 15.
• Evasion: Claims that his father could no longer catch him after he turned seven, unless he deliberately allowed it 17.
• Entrance-test tactic: Persuades Qiu Qingxi to reverse their chasing roles, then grabs the examiner’s robe at the same moment Qiu catches his shoulder 17.
• Combat limitation: Considers fighting a weakness; Cui Mengshu’s followers restrain him and injure his shoulder with a brick 18 22.

Scholarship, Memory, and Calligraphy

Dazhi’s apparent inattentiveness conceals exceptional recall and understanding of classical texts 1 31.

• Recites two school lessons without a single mistake despite having slept through class 1.
• Can recite lengthy, difficult classical passages backward; Ding Feiyong briefly considers taking him as a disciple 31.
• Receives an A-plus on the institute’s written entrance examination 17.
• Favors tiny, fly-head-sized regular script and carefully develops his calligraphy under Fang Yizhi’s influence 15.

Mathematics and Formation Aptitude

His numerical ability repeatedly attracts teachers’ attention, even when he shows little interest in formal advancement 5 45 46.

• Solves a difficult school mathematics problem that every other pupil answers incorrectly 5.
• Correctly completes Lin Qiu Chi’s test problems 45.
• Rapidly calculates an answer of 5,050, prompting Lin Qiu Chi to invite him to study formations 46.
• Is judged capable of becoming an outstanding formation master, but does not accept the invitation in the documented chapters 46.

Handicrafts

Dazhi combines practical knowledge with unexpectedly nimble hands 1 48 50.

• Fish traps: Weaves two narrow-mouthed, broad-bellied “golden-urn” traps from willow branches, drawing on techniques learned by watching his father 1.
• Brush-making: Knows suitable hair and shaft materials, their limitations, and the stages of preparing and assembling a writing brush 48.
• Completed work: Prepares a cat-whisker brush tip and attaches it to a rare ink-bamboo shaft using tools at Precious Ink Pavilion 50.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Primordial Energy Manifestation manual — Chosen from the Library Tower because he has no interest in weapon arts; becomes the focus of his early cultivation experiments 34 35 36.
• Incomplete Black Tortoise Scripture — A cultivation manual derived from a Buddhist divine ability. Its reputed benefits include immunity to blades and spears, but Dazhi initially makes no headway with it; mastery is not demonstrated 34 35.
• Spirit-Shocking Finger manual, borrowed from He An — Understands only the first form after reading it and questions how an ordinary dan foundation could supply the necessary true qi. He does not demonstrate the technique 47.
• Library-manual restriction — The manuals taken from the inner repository are specially treated so that their writing and illustrations disappear after three months 35.
• Crafting tools — Uses a small knife, rope, and billhook for fish-trap construction, and small scissors when collecting cat whiskers 1 50.
• Handmade ink-bamboo writing brush — Made jointly with He An as a gift for Teacher Ding; Dazhi supplies the brush-making expertise and assembles the tip 48 50.

Relationships

• He An — Childhood best friend and trusted companion. Dazhi generally accepts his guidance, protects him during danger, and deliberately joins him in confinement 1 18 19 22 23.
• Fan Youfu — Father, tavern owner, and brewer. Frequently scolds him for stealing food; Dazhi learns weaving by watching his work and remembers his advice about overcoming obstacles 1 2 17.
• Madam Fan Yang — Mother, who dies after the family’s flight to Watermill Head Village 1.
• He Kui — He An’s uncle and Dazhi’s early martial teacher. Fond of him, though Dazhi finds his stern manner intimidating 1 3.
• Fang Yizhi — Schoolteacher and institute sponsor. Escorts him to Luoyang, defends his ability to Lu Zhengqing, and attempts to rescue him from Huang Daogong 13 17 20 21.
• Lu Zhengqing — Initially angered by his examination behavior, but awards his paper an A-plus and later provides supplementary lessons 15 17 33.
• Lin Qiu Chi — Mathematics instructor who recognizes his potential as a formation master and invites him to study the discipline 45 46.
• Ding Feiyong — Impressed by his classical learning and memory, but frustrated by his laziness 30 31.
• Gu Qingzhou — Institute roommate and friend who offers protection and later drives Cui Mengshu away from the aptitude-test queue 22 33.
• Han Chanjuan — Becomes familiar enough to tease him as “Second Brother Fan” and ask him to explain mathematics problems 45.
• Cui Mengshu — Antagonist whose followers assault Dazhi; the ensuing conflict leads to the boys’ abduction 18 20.
• Little Black Cat — A hungry kitten he feeds while gathering brush materials. It summons and controls other cats, helping him collect their whiskers 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Journey and Institute Admission

• Travels with He An under Fang Yizhi’s guidance along the Han River and through Funiu Mountain, reaching Yique County after more than a month and then continuing to Luoyang 13 14.
• Finishes the written entrance examination early, eats meat buns, and falls asleep. His behavior irritates Lu Zhengqing, but his answers later earn an A-plus 15 17.
• Passes the martial examination through his role-reversal trick with Qiu Qingxi and gains admission alongside He An 17 18.

Cui Mengshu Conflict and Confinement

• Is injured during Cui Mengshu’s street attack and shoves He An as a Spirit Sword approaches, although the blade still pierces He An’s arm 18.
• Is captured by Huang Daogong, tries to help He An escape, and is knocked unconscious. Wei Zhilin ultimately retrieves both boys from the Cui residence 19 20 21.
• Raids the institute kitchen to obtain punishment alongside He An. His intended gesture of solidarity earns seven days of confinement rather than He An’s three 22.
• Brings He An a meat bun in the underground cell and learns to withstand its intense cold through energy circulation 23.

Exceptional Talent and Unconventional Training

• Produces a brilliant white glow during the cultivation aptitude test, securing specialized instruction and access to the Library Tower’s inner repository 34.
• Develops divine sense through prolonged experimentation, then uses his abilities for playful exploration and household chores 36 41.
• Tearfully urges He An to surrender when Sun Biao gains the upper hand, then celebrates his friend’s eventual victory 42.
• Attracts Lin Qiu Chi’s interest as a prospective formation student but hesitates over the work involved 46.

Making Teacher Ding’s Gift

• Suggests making a writing brush when he and He An cannot afford a good one. Divides the work: He An seeks bamboo while Dazhi gathers animal whiskers 48.
• Feeds a black kitten that unexpectedly summons an obedient crowd of cats, solving his shortage of cat whiskers 50.
• Completes the brush tip and attaches it to He An’s rare ink-bamboo shaft at Precious Ink Pavilion 50.

Notable Quotes

“I just want to eat and drink my fill, sleep, and dream. At least that won't make my head hurt. … Let me be a happy puddle of mud!” 5

“If the mountain will not come to me, I will go to it!”
— Quoting his father while explaining his martial-examination strategy 17

“We brothers have always shared the sweet and the bitter. Of course I had to keep you company.” 23