Jing Hongchen

Biodata

Appearance

• Small eyes, which he narrows while considering Xu Cheng’s connection to the Holy Spirit Cult 7.
• Thumb ring, which he rubs during the same conversation with Lin Jiayi 7.

Personality

Jing Hongchen is politically calculating, using his knowledge of Xu Cheng’s standing within the Holy Spirit Cult to establish an early connection with him. He arranges for the prince to room with his grandson before openly committing his support, then uses a soul tool repair task to assess his talent 7 17.

His professional pride does not prevent him from recognizing exceptional ability. Although he considers Xu Cheng more gifted than Xiao Hongchen and wants him as a disciple, he yields to Cheng Baiqing’s claim out of respect for the elder’s academic standing and influence 19 20.

He is protective of his grandson but worries that Xiao’s pride could turn into resentment toward Xu Cheng. Their friendly reconciliation after the assessment final reassures him. He also tolerates Ji Juechen’s aloof response to an expensive reward, recognizing the swordsman’s potential rather than demanding gratitude 22 29.

Abilities & Skills

Level 9 Soul Engineering

Jing Hongchen is one of the Sun Moon Empire’s foremost soul tool researchers and personally manufactures high-level equipment 17 30.

• Created Meng Hongchen’s adaptive Level 7 dagger and the Level 9 defensive tool Red Dust Protection 19 30.
• Understands soul power sealing and the mechanisms that allow adaptive tools to adjust their output to their users 19.
• Correctly identifies Xu Cheng’s repair approach as the optimal solution while reviewing his research 19.
• Is stronger than the rank 92 Titled Douluo Cheng Baiqing, though he considers himself far inferior to him in scientific research 20.

Talent Appraisal

He evaluates both technical achievement and long-term combat potential.

• Recognizes that Xu Cheng’s work on soul power sealing exceeds what many Level 5 and Level 6 Mingde Hall disciples can accomplish 19.
• Identifies Ji Juechen’s unusual promise and rewards him with a sword suited to his path 29.
• Detects devouring properties in Tang Ya’s mutated Blue Silver Grass and estimates that she has consumed at least a hundred people. He notices that she nevertheless remains clearheaded and privately wonders whether Xu Cheng is responsible 30.

Spiritual Perception and Flight

• Instantly senses people inside the Imperial Family Inspection Team’s interrogation room upon entering its headquarters 46.
• Uses a Class 9 flying soul tool to rush to Xu Cheng’s aid alongside Cheng Baiqing 46.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Personal Equipment

• Thumb ring — worn during his meeting with Lin Jiayi 7.
• Class 9 flying soul tool — used during the rescue attempt at the Imperial Family Inspection Team’s headquarters 46.

Creations and Distributed Rewards

Relationships

• Xiao Hongchen — Grandson. Jing requires him to follow the regular curriculum despite his Level 3 ability and delays permission to skip ahead until at least half a semester has passed. He later worries about Xiao’s reaction to Xu Cheng surpassing him 9 22.
• Meng Hongchen — Granddaughter. He crafts her adaptive dagger, but keeps her unaware that it has been deliberately damaged to test Xu Cheng 17 19.
• Xu Cheng — Favored student and political ally, but not his disciple. Jing cultivates ties with him, evaluates his engineering talent, gives him valuable equipment, and promises to defend him against the Inspection Team 7 17 20 30 46.
• Cheng Baiqing — Respected senior and collaborator in testing Xu Cheng. Jing defers to his academic prestige, yields the prospective disciple to him, and later joins him in rushing to Xu Cheng’s aid 17 20 46.
• Kong Deming — Teacher. Kong’s courteous treatment of Cheng Baiqing reinforces Jing’s understanding of the elder’s stature 20.
• Lin Jiayi — Subordinate who carries out his dormitory assignment order and manages the aftermath of his accidental dagger-test alarm 7 19.
• Zhongli Wu — Holy Spirit Cult leader whom Jing has met face-to-face. This contact gives him knowledge of Xu Cheng’s importance within the cult 7.

Background / History

Early Interest in Xu Cheng

When Lin Jiayi reports Xu Cheng’s enrollment and Holy Spirit Cult connections, Jing Hongchen orders that the prince share Xiao Hongchen’s dormitory. Having met Zhongli Wu, he knows that Xu Cheng is expected to inherit leadership of the cult and considers that future position a formidable source of power 7.

The Dagger Test

Jing proposes secretly damaging Meng Hongchen’s dagger to test Xu Cheng’s engineering ability. Cheng Baiqing intends to introduce a fault in its Level 4 section, but accidentally damages the connection between levels instead. Repairing the weapon now requires rebuilding it from scratch; the two elders decide to observe rather than intervene 17.

Over the following month, Jing tracks Xu Cheng’s borrowed reference books and experimental direction. When Meng returns the dagger to him, he initially assumes the prince has failed. Testing it reveals that its adaptive mechanism works at full Level 7 output; his slash cuts through two metal pillars and triggers alarms throughout Mingde Hall. He orders Lin Jiayi to explain the disturbance as an accident 19.

The result makes Jing eager to accept Xu Cheng as a disciple. Cheng Baiqing claims the boy as his first and last disciple, however, and Jing yields, recognizing both the elder’s influence and the implications for the imperial succession struggle 19 20.

Freshman Assessment and Open Support

During the assessment, Jing declares Wang Shaojie deserving of death after he insults Xu Cheng’s deceased mother and attacks him. Later, Xu Cheng’s deployment of nearly a hundred armed drones shocks Jing into springing to his feet, since controlling such a formation should impose an enormous spiritual burden 22 28.

Xu Cheng’s victory over Xiao ends without resentment, relieving Jing’s concern for his grandson. At the prize ceremony, he distributes high-level equipment to the leading students. His private gift of Red Dust Protection to Xu Cheng marks a clear commitment of support, separate from the prince’s official Core Array reward 29 30.

Imperial Family Inspection Team Incident

When Xu Cheng is detained, Jing and Cheng Baiqing rush to the Inspection Team’s headquarters. They find that Xu Cheng has already turned the interrogation against his captors and is effectively uninjured. Jing nevertheless promises justice, treating the arrest of a student at his academy as a direct challenge to his authority 46.

He subsequently attends the imperial court proceedings. His distinguished standing allows him to greet the emperor with clasped hands rather than kneeling 47.

Notable Quotes

“Ultimately, I was the one who suggested this. I wanted to test the boy and see just what level he was at.” 17

“Your talent is exceptional. This path is difficult, but once you break through, it will become a broad road stretching before you.” — To Ji Juechen 29

“Daring to openly arrest someone at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy means they have no regard for me, the master of Mingde Hall and the academy's headmaster! I'll definitely get you justice!” — To Xu Cheng 46