Elder Fu

Biodata

Background / History

Elder Fu has guarded the Martial Arts Arena for over a hundred years. His generally easygoing manner and consistently impartial handling of contests have earned him numerous honors and rewards from the sect 44 48.

He supervises arena matches, accepts disciples’ challenge applications, and maintains the genius ranking. He knows all hundred ranked disciples well and has memorized the names of the top thousand 43.

As a Manager elder, he considers arranging contests his duty but does not regard himself as entitled to interfere in disciples’ personal grudges or wagers when they comply with sect rules. This distinction leads him to continue administering Chun Xiaobai’s challenges even after suspecting that the challenger is deliberately exploiting opponents for their wealth 54.

Appearance

• Clothing: Elder’s robes 43.
• Face: Cloudy eyes and deep wrinkles 43 47.
• Facial hair: A grizzled beard that visibly trembles when he becomes angry 44 48.
• Usual demeanor: Initially seen sitting drowsily behind the registration desk, watching bouts with apparent boredom 43.

Personality

Normally easygoing, Elder Fu becomes increasingly irritated by Chun Xiaobai’s arrogance, repeated questions, and fixation on material rewards. He initially mistakes Chun Xiaobai for an overconfident newcomer and hopes a ranked disciple will teach him humility 43 44 45 46.

His personal preferences do not override his rulings. Despite wanting Lu Mang to win, he declares Chun Xiaobai victorious after Lu Mang falls off the platform and rejects the loser’s protest. He also maintains order when spectators accuse Chun Xiaobai of cheating through excessive talisman use 48 50.

He nevertheless recognizes Chun Xiaobai’s talent, particularly his extraordinary evasive ability. Before the Wang Shan match, he instructs Wang Shan to avoid seriously hurting him, although the subsequent talisman barrage makes him privately regret that restraint 47 49.

His assessment changes as the challenges continue. When Chun Xiaobai requests a delay before facing Han Fei and Xu Wei, Elder Fu recognizes the same pattern used against Lu Mang: feigned cowardice, provocation, and a profitable wager. By the time he accepts the pooled stakes for the Xu Wei match, he strongly suspects that Chun Xiaobai’s apparent weakness is a calculated means of targeting the disciples’ possessions 52 53 54.

After the final match, his anger is accompanied by a more considered respect for Chun Xiaobai’s methods. He judges the challenger’s varied tactics and psychological manipulation more frightening than straightforward reliance on talent, recognizes that he has not fought seriously, and understands that he is still concealing his abilities to lure further opponents 57.

Abilities & Skills

Spiritual Pressure

Elder Fu releases an invisible pressure that silences the noisy Martial Arts Arena when Chun Xiaobai and Lu Mang threaten to fight outside the platform 44.

• Uses it to intervene before an unauthorized fight begins.
• Warns that violating the prohibition can result in cultivation being crippled and expulsion from the sect 44.

Challenge Administration

Elder Fu uses spells and a bronze token to register matches and contact ranked disciples 44 45 48.

• Checks a jade roster to determine which disciples are available for challenges 43 44.
• Registers Identity Tokens by magically linking them with his bronze token 45.
• Can enter a challenger’s name directly: he registers Chun Xiaobai this way after accepting his claim that he forgot his Identity Token 45.
• Holds contestants’ wagered Storage Bags and transfers them to the winner 46 48.
• Sends several messages through a Communication Token after Chun Xiaobai agrees to continue challenging ranked disciples 51.
• Administers pooled wagers involving multiple disciples, accepting Chun Xiaobai’s five Storage Bags and the opposing group’s seven for the Xu Wei match 54.

Arena Rules

Elder Fu explains and enforces the following rules for Heavenly Prodigy Arena matches:

Spiritual Examination

Elder Fu can examine a disciple’s internal condition by placing his fingers on their wrist and sending a strand of spiritual power into their body. He uses this method to investigate Xu Wei’s accusation that Chun Xiaobai poisoned her, finding neither signs of poisoning nor traces of meridian damage 56.

Observation & Judgment

• Cannot initially determine Chun Xiaobai’s precise cultivation realm from his aura 44.
• Later estimates that the aura Chun Xiaobai exposed during his earlier fighting cannot indicate cultivation above the seventh level of Qi Refinement. This is Elder Fu’s assessment rather than a confirmed account of Chun Xiaobai’s actual cultivation 54.
• Recognizes recurring patterns in Chun Xiaobai’s behavior and eventually identifies his deliberate concealment of strength and use of bait to extract opponents’ wealth 52 54 57.

Power Progression

Equipment / Items

• Jade roster — Records ranked disciples and their availability for challenges 43 44.
• Bronze token — Used for match registration and contacting ranked disciples 44 45 48.
• Communication Token — Used to send several messages when arranging further challenges after Wang Shan’s defeat 51.

Relationships

• Chun Xiaobai — A challenger whose behavior repeatedly infuriates him. Elder Fu underestimates his fighting ability but acknowledges his talent and honors his victory 43 47 48 49. He subsequently upholds his victories over Wang Shan and Xu Wei, then recognizes that he is concealing his abilities and deliberately luring wealthy opponents into wagers 51 54 56 57.
• Lu Mang — The fiftieth-ranked disciple whom he summons to face Chun Xiaobai. Elder Fu rejects Lu Mang’s attempt to dispute his ring-out loss 44 48.
• Wang Shan — The forty-ninth-ranked disciple whom he contacts for Chun Xiaobai’s next challenge. He initially asks Wang Shan to exercise restraint 48 49. After Wang Shan leaves the platform and concedes, Elder Fu declares Chun Xiaobai the winner and transfers the five wagered Storage Bags 51.
• Xu Wei — The thirty-ninth-ranked disciple whose restricted-equipment match against Chun Xiaobai he oversees. He examines her after her poisoning accusation, finds no supporting evidence, and rules against her after she violates the no-weapons agreement. He directs her to the Medicine Affairs Hall if she wishes to obtain another examination 54 56.
• Han Fei and the pooled-wager participants — Disciples whose seven Storage Bags he holds as the opposing stakes in Chun Xiaobai’s match against Xu Wei. Although suspicious of Chun Xiaobai’s intentions, he accepts the wager because it does not violate sect rules 54.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lu Mang Challenge

• Offers Cheng Haoxuan and Shi Lei as available opponents before arranging a match against Lu Mang after Chun Xiaobai rejects opponents he has already defeated 43 44.
• Registers Chun Xiaobai without checking his Identity Token, inadvertently allowing his concealed servant-disciple identity to remain undiscovered 45.
• Accepts the contestants’ entire fortunes as stakes—a first for the platform, where previous wagers had involved pills or weapons 46.
• Declares Chun Xiaobai the winner after Lu Mang falls off the platform and hands over all four wagered Storage Bags 47 48.

Wang Shan Challenge

• Contacts Wang Shan after Chun Xiaobai accepts the crowd’s demands for another match 48.
• Registers the challenge and warns Wang Shan to stop short of hurting Chun Xiaobai 49.
• Silences spectators protesting Chun Xiaobai’s talisman barrage, despite sharing their frustration with his tactics 50.
• Announces Chun Xiaobai’s victory after Wang Shan jumps off the platform to escape a supposed barrage of supreme-grade Lightning Talismans and subsequently concedes 50 51.
• Hands over the five wagered Storage Bags despite the crowd’s complaints that reliance on external items makes the victory dishonorable 51.
• Asks whether Chun Xiaobai intends to continue challenging, then promptly sends several messages once he agrees 51.

Xu Wei Challenge

• Recognizes Chun Xiaobai’s request for two days’ rest as resembling the feigned reluctance used to bait Lu Mang 52.
• Watches with growing suspicion as disciples assemble allies and pool their Storage Bags to persuade Chun Xiaobai to fight again 53.
• Questions whether Chun Xiaobai has considered the wager carefully, then oversees his selection of Xu Wei as the opponent 54.
• Accepts twelve Storage Bags in total after the contestants negotiate restrictions barring Xu Wei from weapons and defensive magical artifacts and Chun Xiaobai from talismans 54.
• Examines Xu Wei after she accuses Chun Xiaobai of using Muscle-Softening Powder. Finding no signs of poison or meridian damage, he declares Chun Xiaobai the winner after her use of a sword breaches the agreement 55 56.
• Rejects Xu Wei’s protest, directs her to seek another examination at the Medicine Affairs Hall if she disagrees, and awards Chun Xiaobai all twelve Storage Bags 56.

Aftermath of the Arena Challenges

After Chun Xiaobai announces that future challengers must gather twelve Storage Bags and leaves the arena, Elder Fu orders the remaining disciples to disperse if no one intends to challenge. Reflecting on the matches, he concludes that Chun Xiaobai has not revealed his serious fighting ability and is deliberately “fishing” for self-important geniuses willing to stake their fortunes 57.

When a self-organized Punitive League later petitions the sect’s higher-ups to punish Chun Xiaobai, the petition is dismissed. Elder Fu’s presence as the supervising official is cited as a reason to reject allegations about the matches: accepting the accusations would imply that he had failed to notice poisoning or improper tactics while overseeing the contests 58.

Notable Quotes

“Rules are rules!” 48

“As long as you rely on your own strength, whether you launch a sneak attack or fight dirty, it all counts as part of your ability.” 45

“I have already examined you. Your body shows no signs of poisoning whatsoever, nor any traces of damage to your meridians.” 56

“Heh! Interesting.” 57