Hao Yun

Biodata

Power Progression

Hao Yun recounts his early cultivation milestones retrospectively; no further breakthrough occurs during his appearances 16.

Background / History

Recruitment and Alchemy Hall Service

True Person Chongyang personally brought Hao Yun into the sect from outside and promoted him. According to Yuxuan, he was assigned to the Alchemy Hall because his name sounded like “good fortune,” with the hope that he would bring luck to pill refinement 9 14.

By the time Linglong visited, Hao Yun had served in the hall for thirteen years. He managed its fires and preparations, while He Pingsheng gathered, dried, and split firewood under his instructions. Visiting cultivators normally notified him several days ahead, specifying the pills they intended to refine 8 12.

Hao Yun assisted Yuxuan’s attempt to refine Foundation Establishment Pills. Although the furnace exploded, Hao Yun escaped injury because he was crouched low while tending the fire. Yuxuan accepted responsibility rather than punishing either attendant 10.

Protecting He Pingsheng

When Linglong came to refine Qi-Gathering Pills, she threatened to hold both attendants responsible if her batch failed. Hao Yun sent He Pingsheng away to search for large jujube logs before the failure, deliberately keeping him out of danger. He Pingsheng returned to find Hao Yun bleeding on the floor; one of Linglong’s companions had broken several of his ribs with two punches 12.

He Pingsheng cared for Hao Yun and reported the attack to Chongyang. Hao Yun feared that punishment would provoke retaliation from Linglong and her master, Jade Virtue. Linglong and her two accomplices were ordered to reflect at the Teleportation Plaza for three days—a punishment Hao Yun considered lenient enough that he hoped it would not bring further trouble 14 15.

He Pingsheng gave him a supreme-grade Golden Bone Pill, claiming it had been left by his parents. Hao Yun recovered completely within half an incense stick’s burning time, rather than the roughly four months he expected without medicine 14 15.

Summons, Death, and Burial

After recovering, Hao Yun lent He Pingsheng cultivation and alchemy manuals and gave him a porcelain bottle for concealing pills. A disciple of Jade Virtue then summoned him to the Virtue-Honoring Garden, ostensibly because Jade Virtue wished to address his injuries. Hao Yun initially said treatment was unnecessary, but complied when the messenger made clear that refusing would be reported to his master 15 16 17.

Hao Yun did not return that night. The following morning, Jade Virtue told He Pingsheng that Linglong had “accidentally” killed him after an argument and claimed that the Grand Ancestor had already settled the matter. His corpse bore seven penetrating sword wounds, causing He Pingsheng to doubt the description of an accident 17 18.

Jade Virtue ordered He Pingsheng to bury Hao Yun outside the inner grounds, stating that no relatives or friends could be located. To carry his hidden possessions past the sect’s searches, He Pingsheng placed two pill bottles and two books inside Hao Yun’s wounds and stitched them closed. After passing inspection, he removed the items and buried Hao Yun without a coffin at a mountainside site beside water near the foot of Bamboo Peak, marking the grave with a stone 18 19.

Appearance

• Clothing: Wears a black Daoist robe after recovering from his injuries 15.
• Build: Described as physically strong; He Pingsheng attributes his survival of the initial beating partly to his age, strength, and second-level cultivation 12.

Personality

Hao Yun is blunt, sarcastic, and pessimistic about cultivation for people with poor spiritual roots. He initially mocks He Pingsheng’s ambitions and refuses to help him obtain a method, citing his five-element roots and lack of family backing. His own stalled cultivation leaves him similarly doubtful about his future 11 15 16.

His flattery and deference toward stronger disciples reflect an acute awareness of his vulnerable position. He praises Yuxuan extravagantly, tries to placate Linglong, and understands that even a patriarch’s intervention may invite concealed retaliation. Nevertheless, he protects He Pingsheng despite their initially unexceptional relationship, later sharing books and taking over firewood work so the younger boy can search for qi sense 10 12 14 16.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy Fire Management

Hao Yun’s expertise lies in supporting pill refinement rather than personally producing pills 8 10 16.

• Distinguishes hard firewood from soft kindling and selects wood types and sizes for different recipes 8.
• Adjusts furnace heat through combinations of large, medium, and small pieces of wood 8.
• Knows the heating sequence for Foundation Establishment Pills, while relying on the refiner’s instructions for the precise timing of adjustments 10.
• Explains that successful refinement depends on heat, ingredient quality, technique, and sometimes luck 12.
• States that he cannot refine Qi-Gathering Pills himself 16.

Cultivation Knowledge

• Explains qi sense, drawing qi into the body, meridian circulation, and gathering qi in the dantian 16.
• Uses a bowl and different fruits to demonstrate how multiple spiritual roots restrict the flow of spiritual energy available through each root 15.
• Recognizes supreme-grade pills by their four pill marks 14.
• Warns that his handwritten cultivation manual was reconstructed from memory: only its first three levels might be correct, and later material is unreliable 15.

Second-Level Qi Refining

• Has better health, greater strength, and improved jumping ability compared with ordinary people 11.
• Knows no spells or divine abilities and considers himself little different from a mortal in practical terms 11.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Basic Breathing and Qi-Guiding Method — An old manual Hao Yun copied from memory, bearing his name on its first page. He lends it to He Pingsheng for seven days, permitting memorization but not copying 15 16.
• Thirty-Six Alchemy Formulas — A common reference covering thirty-six pill recipes. Hao Yun lends it to He Pingsheng to learn furnace heat control and offers to answer questions 17.
• White porcelain bottle — Given to He Pingsheng to mask pill fragrances and keep valuable medicine out of sight 16.
• Supreme-grade Golden Bone Pill — Received from He Pingsheng and consumed to heal his broken ribs completely 14 15.

Relationships

• He Pingsheng — Junior worker, subordinate, and eventual pupil. Hao Yun saves him from Linglong’s group, receives his care and healing pill, and supplies his first cultivation manual. He Pingsheng buries him and vows to kill Linglong in revenge 8 12 14 15 19.
• True Person Chongyang — The patriarch who recruited and promoted him. Chongyang becomes furious upon learning of his injuries and intervenes against those responsible 14 15.
• Yuxuan — A senior cultivator whose pill refinement Hao Yun assists. Hao Yun regards him as Bamboo Peak’s best-tempered visitor because he does not blame attendants for his failures 9 10.
• Linglong — A threatening Alchemy Hall visitor whose companions severely injure him after her failed refinement. Jade Virtue later identifies her as his killer 12 18.
• Jade Virtue — Linglong’s master. Hao Yun fears his retaliation, is compelled to answer his summons, and is subsequently returned dead under his authority 14 17 18.

Story Role / Legacy

• Foundation of He Pingsheng’s cultivation: Hao Yun’s manual becomes the source for the Treasure-Gathering Basin’s enhanced Everlasting Spring Qi Circulation Art and Lihuo True Method 21.
• Alchemy reference: He Pingsheng also enhances the Thirty-Six Alchemy Formulas that Hao Yun supplied, obtaining expanded versions 27.
• Warning to other disciples: His death discourages applicants from taking Bamboo Peak’s vacant pill-attendant position, which remains unfilled for over half a year 23.
• Continuing remembrance: He Pingsheng pays respects at his grave and later remembers him when returning to the Teleportation Plaza 20 23 44.

Notable Quotes

“Well... well... one person getting beaten... is better than... cough, cough, cough... two, isn't it?” 12

“People's hearts are treacherous—you simply haven't experienced it yet. Once you've taken a beating and suffered a loss, you'll naturally understand!” 14