Gu Ni
Battle Through the Heavens: The Three-Year Promise Comes Due
Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Gu Ni (谷尼) |
| Alias(es) | Master Gu Ni; Lord Gu Ni—honorific forms of address 7 8 |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Mittel Auction House, Wutan City; appointed by its Imperial Capital headquarters 8 |
| Occupation/Role | Head of the pill department; alchemist and pill appraiser 8 10 |
| Cultivation Realm | Three-Star Da Dou Shi 8 |
| Alchemist Rank | Second-Rank Alchemist; the only one in Wutan City 8 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 7, “Successful development” 7 |
Background / History
Gu Ni was sent from the Mittel Auction House’s Imperial Capital headquarters to oversee its Wutan City pill department. His position placed him above Manager Liu, and his years of alchemy work had made him individually wealthier than any of Wutan City’s three great families 8 9.
First Dealings with Xiao Yu
Manager Liu summoned Gu Ni to appraise three pills brought in by Xiao Yu. Gu Ni identified them as exceptionally pure second-rank pills and offered 40,000 gold coins each, purchasing the two Qi-Nourishing Pills and one Body-Tempering Pill for 120,000 gold coins. Their purity convinced him that Xiao Yu’s supposed teacher must be a fourth- or fifth-rank alchemist 7 8.
Accepting Xiao Yu’s claim that his teacher required him to learn alchemy independently, Gu Ni arranged formulas, ingredients, and study materials. He also gave him a Storage Ring in exchange for priority on future pill sales. When Manager Liu proposed investigating Xiao Yu, Gu Ni refused, warning that offending the presumed high-ranking teacher would be dangerous even for headquarters 8.
Meeting the Supposed Teacher
Xiao Yu later returned disguised as a white-robed alchemist. Gu Ni recognized the purity of his third-rank Spirit Ascension Pills and connected them to Xiao Yu’s earlier purchases, mistakenly concluding that the visitor was Xiao Yu’s teacher. The disguised Xiao Yu thanked him and presented two improved pill formulas, which Gu Ni accepted as recognition of his goodwill 10.
Gu Ni supported Ya Fei’s proposal to auction the visitor’s eleven third-tier pills during an auction already attracting Wutan City’s leading figures. He personally attended the guest until appraisal duties called him away, then instructed the servants to meet every request. Afterward, he and Ya Fei escorted the visitor out 11 13.
Xiao Clan Coming-of-Age Ceremony
Gu Ni attended the Xiao Clan’s ceremony specifically to strengthen his connection with Xiao Yu; he had never accepted Xiao Zhan’s previous invitations. He predicted that Xiao Yu could help the clan establish itself in the Imperial Capital within a little over a decade 19.
After seeing Xiao Yu’s apparent Four-Star Dou Zhe cultivation, Gu Ni began regarding the youth himself—not merely his supposed teacher—as worth investing in. He later accompanied Ya Fei when Xiao Zhan introduced them to Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Xun’er 20.
Appearance
- Age and hair: An elderly man whose hair has begun turning white 7.
- Clothing: Blue robes at his first appearance 7.
- Facial hair: A beard, which he strokes while discussing his gift to Xiao Yu 8.
Personality
Gu Ni is a calculating but generous investor. He treats gifts as a way to establish future business relationships and accepts the possibility that an investment may yield nothing. His generosity toward Xiao Yu also reflects his hope that contact with a powerful alchemist might provide guidance and an opportunity for further advancement 8 9.
He is cautious about provoking stronger figures and adjusts his manner according to their perceived standing. Before Xiao Yu’s supposed teacher, he suppresses his excitement and asks not to be addressed as “master.” He also recognizes Ya Fei’s greater skill at socializing, leaving her to lead the conversation after the Xiao Clan ceremony 10 20.
Abilities & Skills
Pill Appraisal
Gu Ni examines pills by wrapping them in Dou Qi and inspecting them with his senses 8.
- Identifies pill rank, medicinal efficacy, and unusual purity, including the third-rank Spirit Ascension Pill 8 10.
- Recognizes similarities between separate batches and uses them to infer their source 10.
- Limitation: His assessment of purity leads him to overestimate the maker’s rank; he does not uncover Xiao Yu’s Lightning-Fire Pill Refining Method or disguised identity 8 10.
Alchemy
Gu Ni is a second-rank alchemist, but he struggles to produce pills with even half the purity of Xiao Yu’s first three offerings 8.
- Understands pill classification and medicinal effects 8.
- Receives improved formulas compatible with traditional fire-and-wood alchemy; the provided chapters do not show him refining them 9 10.
Items
Received Formulas
- Improved Qi-Nourishing Pill formula — Given by Xiao Yu while posing as his teacher 10.
- Improved Body-Tempering Pill formula — Presented alongside the Qi-Nourishing Pill formula. Both had been raised to second rank and adapted for conventional alchemy 9 10.
Supplies Arranged for Xiao Yu
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Low-grade Storage Ring | Gift worth 100,000 gold coins; described as an investment and an advance reservation fee for future pill sales 8. |
| Three second-rank formulas | Spirit Ascension Pill, Qi-Replenishing Pill, and Spring-Rejuvenating Pill formulas; together valued at Xiao Yu’s entire 120,000-gold payment 9. |
| Medicinal ingredients | Included herbs and earth-, fire-, and wood-attribute magic cores 9. |
| Alchemy books | Alchemist Basics Notes, Rank Identification Manual, and Medicinal Herb Records 9. |
Xiao Yu estimated the donated ring, ingredients, and books at approximately 200,000 gold coins, separate from the formulas, and resolved to repay Gu Ni’s help 9.
Relationships
- Xiao Yu — Beneficiary and business contact. Gu Ni initially cultivates the connection to reach his supposed teacher, then comes to value Xiao Yu’s own potential 8 20.
- Xiao Yu’s supposed teacher — A fictitious identity impersonated by Xiao Yu. Gu Ni believes him to be a powerful alchemist and regards his gift of formulas as acknowledgment of their connection 10.
- Ya Fei — Fellow Mittel Auction House official. They cooperate in handling valuable guests and pill sales 10 11 13.
- Manager Liu — Lower-ranking colleague who summons him for appraisals. Gu Ni’s favorable attention after Liu received Xiao Yu improves Liu’s standing among the other managers 7 8 10.
- Xiao Zhan — Xiao Clan leader and host at the coming-of-age ceremony. Gu Ni’s attendance is an unusual honor for him 19.
Notable Quotes
“We can only do our best to befriend the alchemist behind this youth. Even if it proves useless, we must not make an enemy of him!” 8