Lü Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Encounter with Si Chen

Lü Yan first approached Si Chen at the Hundred Flavors House after Zhao Qinghe and the other Flowing Cloud Sword Sect disciples had fought him. He framed the incident as a misunderstanding, but Si Chen explained that the disciples had attacked first and that their grievance was already settled 18 19.

Although angered by Si Chen’s bluntness, Lü Yan initially concealed his temper and investigated the boy’s background. Upon hearing that Si Chen was a rogue cultivator without a master, he offered to recommend him to the sect. His motives included both gaining a talented disciple and obtaining the secrets behind Si Chen’s strength. Si Chen refused 19.

Lü Yan then used the sect’s intelligence network to investigate him. The search found no identifiable cultivation-world background because the Si Household had concealed its descendant’s identity. Unaware of this protection, Lü Yan concluded that Si Chen was an unsupported rogue cultivator who had acquired a valuable inheritance, and ordered Zhao Qinghe to monitor him discreetly 20.

Auction and Slander

Learning that Si Chen sought Yang Thunder deepened Lü Yan’s interest in his presumed inheritance. Rather than openly attack him, Lü Yan planned to exploit the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower auction to expose his wealth and attract other people’s greed 21.

He deliberately increased Si Chen’s bids for a soul-nourishing mushroom by increments of one hundred spirit stones. Si Chen retaliated with the same tactic when Lü Yan bid for a crimson sun fruit needed to overcome his cultivation bottleneck. Lü Yan ultimately paid 300,000 mid-grade spirit stones, an amount described as almost half a lifetime’s savings 22.

Humiliated, Lü Yan vowed to kill Si Chen and recover both his money and the boy’s secrets. He secretly spread accusations that Si Chen practiced evil arts and drained children’s vitality, attempting to turn others against him without acting directly 23.

Failed Breakthrough and Death

Lü Yan entered seclusion to absorb the crimson sun fruit while Si Chen attacked the sect’s outpost. He heard the disciples dying but continued his breakthrough attempt, deciding that their loss would be worthwhile if he reached middle Golden Core. Si Chen then knocked on his meditation chamber and ordered him to stop cultivating. The interruption triggered a severe backlash, and Lü Yan emerged in a rage 24 26.

His initial assault forced Si Chen onto the defensive, but Thunderbolt Flash allowed the younger cultivator to evade most attacks. Once Si Chen developed the Thunderbolt Spear, he matched Lü Yan in close combat and then drove him into retreat with repeated ranged attacks 27 28.

Lü Yan burned his essence blood for a final assault. His killing move struck Si Chen but failed to inflict lasting damage. Meanwhile, Si Chen had secretly maintained twenty scattered Thunderbolt Spears with lightning threads, forming a trap around the battlefield. Their simultaneous attack left Lü Yan critically wounded and pinned to the ground by six spears 29.

Lü Yan threatened revenge from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, but Si Chen broke his neck and declared their scores settled 29.

Aftermath

Si Chen took Lü Yan’s Storage Ring and discovered a dark scale containing unusually pure lightning aura. Later identified as a Flood Dragon Scale, it directed him toward the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences and ultimately Dragonfall Land 30 31 34.

Lü Yan’s death helped establish Si Chen’s regional reputation as a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had killed a Golden Core expert. It also prompted Sect Master Lü Ci, Lü Yan’s older clansman, to commission an assassination through the Night Rain Tower and later attack Si Chen personally 30 31 35.

Appearance

• Elderly appearance: Referred to as an old man, with a beard and long enough hair to bristle during his rage 19 26.
• Clothing: Wore dark blue Daoist robes 26 28.
• Condition during his final battle: His failed breakthrough left his robes bloodstained and his eyes scarlet; Si Chen’s lightning subsequently scorched his beard, hair, and clothing 26 28.

Personality

Lü Yan maintained a polite exterior while probing for weaknesses and opportunities. He suppressed his anger during his first conversation with Si Chen, investigated the boy’s backing before acting, and avoided casually offending the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. His caution failed when he mistook concealed ancestry for an absence of powerful support 19 20 21.

He was greedy, status-conscious, and notorious for retaliating over slight grievances. His interest in Si Chen centered on acquiring an inheritance that might advance his own cultivation. Public humiliation turned that interest into murderous hostility, while his conduct during seclusion showed that he placed his own cultivation above his disciples’ lives—even Zhao Qinghe, whom he had considered a future pillar of the sect 20 22 23 26.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship and Close Combat

Lü Yan combined seasoned sword techniques with the force of Golden Core spiritual power 27 28.

• Used Sword Qi, palm blasts, fist strikes, and finger attacks 27.
• Delivered blows capable of throwing Si Chen through walls and destroying surrounding structures 27.
• Employed a concentrated Sword Qi killing move that had helped establish his reputation, though it failed to overcome Si Chen’s defenses and recovery 29.

Spiritual Energy Restraint

Lü Yan possessed the rudimentary control over surrounding spiritual energy available to Golden Core cultivators 27.

• Compressed the air around Si Chen to restrain his movement.
• Noticeably slowed Thunderbolt Flash and created an opening for a sword strike.
• Could not prevent Si Chen from surviving the strike and resuming evasive movement 27.

Blood-Burning Secret Art

By burning essence blood, Lü Yan temporarily increased his power and speed to the threshold of middle Golden Core 29 31.

• Allowed him to evade a thrown Thunderbolt Spear and rapidly close the distance to Si Chen 29.
• Irreversibly consumed lifespan and cultivation foundation once activated.
• Provided only a short-lived advantage and did not save him from Si Chen’s lightning trap 29.

Investigation and Manipulation

• Intelligence gathering: Mobilized the sect’s regional network to investigate Si Chen and arranged discreet surveillance 20.
• Auction manipulation: Inflated bids to expose Si Chen’s wealth and encourage outside hostility 21 22.
• Rumor campaign: Spread false accusations of evil cultivation, attempting to have others act against Si Chen 23.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Spiritual sword — Used against Si Chen’s Thunderbolt Spear in close combat; no name is given 28.
• Crimson sun fruit — Also called a crimson sun vermilion fruit or Scarlet Yang Fruit. Purchased at auction and consumed during his failed breakthrough 22 23 26.
• Storage Ring — Taken by Si Chen after his death. Contained ordinary spiritual artifacts, spirit stones, miscellaneous materials, and jade slips 30.
• Flood Dragon Scale — A palm-sized, dark, cold, hard scale stored in his ring. Its lightning aura became a lead in Si Chen’s search for Yang Thunder 30 34.

Relationships

• Zhao Qinghe — Disciple who reported to him and carried out his surveillance orders. Lü Yan regarded him as a promising future pillar of the sect but did not abandon his breakthrough attempt to save him 20 21 26.
• Si Chen — Initially a recruitment prospect, then a target for inheritance theft and retaliation. Their escalating conflict ended with Si Chen killing him 19 20 23 29.
• Lü Ci — Sect master and older clansman; later described as Lü Yan’s elder brother. His death drove Lü Ci to seek Si Chen’s assassination and attack him at the Heavenly Pit 31 35.

Notable Quotes

“You forced my hand! Even if my cultivation foundation is utterly destroyed today, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!” 29

“…The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect… won’t… spare you… you… will die a wretched death…” 29