Chen Shi'an

Biodata

Power Progression

• Next announced threshold: The stele promises second rank at 600,000 counted draws. No second-rank breakthrough is documented in the supplied chapters 15 45.
• Publicly perceived strength: Hou Fang and Lu Chenyang judge him to be at least seventh acquired stage; this is an underestimate of his concealed first-rank cultivation, not a separate advancement 36 37.

Background / History

In his previous life, Chen Shi'an was a retired frontier soldier. He was struck by an out-of-control car while saving an unfamiliar mother and daughter, then awakened in the Barren Wastes in the body of an eighteen-year-old man with the same name 1.

The original Chen Shi'an was a handsome but physically weak gambler who depended on his elder brother, Chen Qingye. After Qingye's prolonged illness and death exhausted the household's savings, the original owner arranged to sell his sister-in-law, Su Qingrou, and niece, Chen Tiantian. He struck his head against the courtyard willow while trying to drag Su Qingrou outside; the transmigrated Chen Shi'an took over when the body regained consciousness 1.

Chen Shi'an inherited both the original owner's memories and the consequences of his behavior. He immediately abandoned the attempt to expel Su Qingrou and Tiantian, but their distrust persisted. The household also faced a six-tael City Construction Tax: failure to pay would cost them Windrise Stronghold's protection 1 7.

During a frontier patrol in his previous life, he had found a palm-sized blue-green stele in an unnamed ruin and kept it for three years. After transmigration, he discovered a larger version inside his mind. Its promise of martial rank through repeated blade draws gave him a means to overcome the body's weakness, although he could not establish whether it had caused his transmigration 2.

Appearance

• Handsome face: Good looks were the original owner's only notable advantage; Cheng Qiaogu's mother later describes him as a fine-looking young man 1 39.
• Initially thin and frail: His limbs are weak enough that his previous-life combat instincts are initially of little use 2 3.
• Sharper eyes after breakthrough: Becoming ranked removes his dark circles and leaves his eyes visibly vigorous 15.
• Commanding bearing: When confronting an academy gatekeeper, he stands “straight as a spear,” with bright, piercing eyes 11.

Personality

Chen Shi'an is protective of his household and treats strength, income, and social standing as practical defenses against predation. He buys Tiantian school supplies, develops a livelihood for Su Qingrou, and pursues Demon Hunting Team membership despite its risks. His stated responsibility is to replace his deceased brother as the person who shelters the family 8 10 29.

He is disciplined and persistent. He trains late into the night, adapts his equipment to reduce drawing noise, and continues practicing even after discovering that Origin Force-free draws become drastically less efficient after his breakthrough. Rather than dwelling on his disadvantage against Wang Tianye, he tests the gap and returns to training 5 16.

His caution often takes the form of deliberate deception. He feigns weakness against Zhao Desheng, conceals his true cultivation from powerful patrons, and makes recruitment-test victories appear accidental. He also withholds remembered poetry to keep stronger figures invested in his survival 6 16 22 33 35.

He is ruthless toward dangerous opponents but does not treat everyone alike. He befriends Pi Hou after the latter concedes, severely injures Wang Teng after threats to cripple him, and directs a woman and child to shelter during the Black Saber Alliance assault. His humor is frequently teasing or abrasive, particularly when speaking with Qin E'na 27 35 47.

Abilities & Skills

Mysterious Stone Stele and Sword-Draw Cultivation

The stele records qualifying blade draws and provides physical refinement and ranked advancement 2 5 15.

• Partial draws count; his first-rank breakthrough occurs after drawing the blade only two inches 3 15.
• After reaching first rank, one Origin Force-assisted draw adds one to the counter; sixty draws without Origin Force add only one 15 16.
• Origin Force spent on drawing grows through subsequent recovery. Origin Force spent on an ordinary attack recovers without the same increase 16.
• The stele disperses spiritual energy gathered through the Flowing Flame Saber cultivation method, preventing him from using it to build Origin Force 45.
• His Sword-Draw Origin Force remains compatible with other schools' combat techniques and can make them stronger than their descriptions suggest 45.

Physical Strength and Senses

Repeated marrow-washing followed by ranked advancement gives Chen Shi'an strength, speed, resilience, and perception far beyond his starting body 6 15.

• Can lift a thousand-jin stone without difficulty, although he pretends to struggle with the four-hundred-jin recruitment stone 28 33.
• Uses body positioning to dissipate Zhao Desheng's kick and sustain little actual injury 6.
• Can see clearly in a pitch-black tunnel and approach enemies quietly 48.
• Tracks the Demon Hunting Team's advance through combat traces and the smell of blood 47.
• His early first-rank strength and blade control remain inferior to the veteran Wang Tianye's 16.

Rapid Technique Analysis

Chen Shi'an can perceive how force passes through another practitioner's body and reconstruct the movements in his mind 39 45.

• Grasps the basics of the second Seven Star-Chasing Form after four demonstrations; Zhao Ling required ten days when she first learned it 39.
• Copies Song Yuming's Star-Treading Step during their fight by observing his joints, exertion, and footwork 45.
• Suspects that possessing two people's memories has strengthened his soul, but does not confirm that this perception is mind power. He has never practiced a mind-power cultivation method 39.

Saber Techniques

• He learns only the first two Seven Star-Chasing Forms. Access to the complete inheritance would require becoming a Zhao family son-in-law, which he considers out of the question 40 44.

Star-Treading Step

A movement technique copied from Song Yuming during their camp brawl 45.

• Uses a particular stepping rhythm to increase speed.
• Allows Chen Shi'an to widen an already substantial speed advantage over Song Yuming 45.

Military and Practical Skills

• Combat training: Previous-life experience includes loaded marches, mountain cross-country running, grappling, combat, and bayonet drills 2.
• Equipment crafting: Makes a quieter nanmu scabbard and lubricates its interior with lard to reduce friction and noise 5.
• Reading and writing: His eclectic reading includes poetry, astronomy, and geography; he recognizes seal-script inscriptions and writes more neatly than the Fang family expects 2 4.
• Poetry as leverage: Presents remembered poems as material from a ruined manuscript, exchanging access to further verses for protection, assistance, or silver 12 16 19 23.
• Business organization: Names and labels Chen Su Ji chili sauce, distributes restaurant samples, and warns Su Qingrou to retain control of the recipe and business rights 10 17 19.
• Improvised wound treatment: Cleans Zhao Ling's infected wound with wine, removes damaged tissue, and applies mold-mixed salve. After her fever worsens, he combines further treatment with Origin Force; she begins recovering, and he buries the leftover contaminated salve 26 27.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Horizontal Saber / straight saber — His principal weapon and cultivation tool. The inherited City Guard Battalion saber has a narrow, straight blade approximately two and a half feet long 2 15.
• Custom nanmu scabbard — Made for quieter, smoother repetitive draws, with lard coating the interior 5.
• Mysterious Stone Stele — Blue-green stele inside his mind, approximately half a person's height and half a foot thick; displays his draw count and advancement thresholds 2 15.
• Army-Breaking Saber Technique manual — His late brother's treasured manual, entrusted to him by Su Qingrou 7.
• Flowing Flame Saber Technique manual — A valuable cultivation and combat manual awarded by Fu Qingyang 44.
• Demon Hunting Team Squad Leader's Token — Identifies his position and helps deter the gambling-house enforcers 42.
• Marrow-Washing Pills — Receives three from City Lord Xiang through Lu Chenyang, then uses them on Chen Tiantian. Later receives two more for his squad's military service 37 41 50.

Relationships

• Chen Qingye — Deceased elder brother of the original body. His saber and manual become Chen Shi'an's first training resources; discovering Zhao Desheng's responsibility for his fatal injury prompts revenge 6 7 15.
• Su Qingrou — Sister-in-law and household partner. Initially fears his inherited reputation, then increasingly trusts his protection and plans for Chen Su Ji 1 7 10 19.
• Chen Tiantian — Niece, aged a little over ten at his arrival. Her early hostility gradually gives way to concern and attachment; he supports her education, contest participation, and physical refinement 1 8 19 29 41.
• Hou Fang — Chen Qingye's sworn brother and Chen Shi'an's mentor and sponsor. Investigates Zhao Desheng's death and recommends Chen Shi'an for Demon Hunting Team selection 10 11 29 36.
• Zhao Ling — Household member whom he treats for a serious wound; teaches him two Seven Star-Chasing Forms and promises to protect Su Qingrou and Tiantian during his absence. They agree not to pry into each other's secrets 26 27 29 39.
• Qin E'na — Joins the household alongside Zhao Ling. Frequently exchanges barbs with him and challenges whether his pursuit of status justifies the Demon Hunting Team's dangers 26 27 29.
• Fang Ruyu — Former fiancée. He accepts the engagement's dissolution and later rejects her attempts to obtain Lu Chenyang's desired material. After her involvement in the Song Yuming dispute, he explicitly asks her to avoid further contact 4 14 31 37.
• Lu Chenyang — Dangerous patron whose interest in poetry gives Chen Shi'an bargaining power. Offers protection, but also attacks him and threatens his family over the supposed manuscript 12 16 22 37.
• Tao Yaoyao — Hundred Flowers Pavilion master and poetry patron. Repeatedly tries to recruit him; he refuses because he distrusts her, while keeping limited exchanges of poetry and assistance open 17 23 37 42.
• Wang Tianye — City Guard Battalion commander and principal early threat to the household. His interest in Tiantian and direct intimidation make him Chen Shi'an's first intended target for elimination 7 14 15 24.
• Zhao Desheng — City guard squad leader who seeks Su Qingrou and Tiantian and admits causing Chen Qingye's fatal accident. Chen Shi'an kills him and conceals his body 2 6 7.
• Ye Xicheng and Fu Qingyang — Demon Hunting Team superiors. Ye requires him to win a squad-leader position; Fu recognizes his potential and rewards him with a technique manual and pills 31 33 44 50.
• Xiang Chuxiong — City lord who attempts to recruit his allegiance through three Marrow-Washing Pills. Chen Shi'an accepts while also cultivating support within the Demon Hunting Team 37 44.
• Song Yuming — Academy disciple and recurring rival. Their conflict begins over Fang Ruyu and continues within the Demon Hunting Team; Chen Shi'an learns Star-Treading Step while fighting him 30 31 45 50.
• Pi Hou — Recruitment opponent turned friend. Helps stage Chen Shi'an's apparent lucky victory in exchange for promised support within the Demon Hunting Team 35.
• Han Shan — The original owner's gambling companion. His connections help Chen Shi'an conceal Zhao Desheng's body; Chen Shi'an later lends him three taels but warns that the assistance will not be repeated 7 41 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Protecting the Chen Household

• Buys four days from Zhao Desheng rather than carrying out the original owner's sale agreement, then begins stele-assisted saber training 2.
• Accepts twelve taels for dissolving his engagement, bringing urgently needed money into the household 4.
• Kills Zhao Desheng after learning of his role in Chen Qingye's death, uses straw trading as cover to move the corpse, and supplies the six-tael household tax 6 7.
• Defends Tiantian from Zhang Mazi's household and secures four taels in compensation through the city guards 10.

Poetry, Protection, and Chen Su Ji

• Uses poetry to obtain Lu Chenyang's intervention against Wang Tianye, while declining academy membership 12.
• Withholds the completion of another poem to secure further protection and time to strengthen himself 16.
• Launches Chen Su Ji with sixty sample jars distributed among six restaurants. Anfeng Restaurant later buys five hundred jars at nine copper coins each 17 19.
• Arranges assistance for Tiantian's Spirit Medium Selection Contest participation; her later status as a reserve divination medium temporarily eases the family's crisis 19 24.
• Survives Lu Chenyang's coercion over the supposed poetry manuscript, then rejects Tao Yaoyao's guest-scholar offer because of her manipulation 22 23.

Demon Hunting Team Recruitment and Factional Politics

• Pursues Hou Fang's recommendation to gain the influence needed to protect his household 29.
• Conceals his abilities during the physical assessments, defeats Pi Hou and Wang Teng, and repels a further challenger with a single kick to secure a squad-leader position 33 35 36.
• Accepts City Lord Xiang's patronage while remaining with the Demon Hunting Team, gaining support from competing sides 37 44.
• Receives eleven subordinates and stands against Xiang Qinglong's demand for an apology over injured gambling-house employees 43.
• Gains the Flowing Flame Saber Technique from Fu Qingyang, discovers its cultivation incompatibility with the stele, and copies Star-Treading Step during a clash with Song Yuming 44 45.

Black Saber Alliance Operation

• Leads from the front, earns his men's loyalty, and sends a woman and child into shelter during the assault 47.
• Pursues Jiang Beiwang through a hidden tunnel, kills his six confidants, and defeats him with the first Seven Star-Chasing Form 48.
• Learns of a secret black-iron deposit at West Mountain Hollow. Jiang's son kills his father and offers the deposit's location in exchange for escape 48.
• Returns with Jiang Beiwang's head, six Black-Iron Bows, twenty-four arrows, and captured valuables worth more than thirty thousand taels. His squad receives recognition and rewards before continuing toward West Mountain Hollow 50.

Notable Quotes

“While you're still weak, stay as far away from powerful people's secrets as you can.” 14

“Now that he's gone, I have to hold an umbrella over our family.” 29

“Even what you see isn't necessarily true, much less what you hear.” 30