Zong Ya

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Zong Ya raised and looked after Lin Ke for years after he joined the Golden Wing Sect. Although his senior sister rather than his biological sister, she regarded him as her own younger brother. She was the person who knew the original owner of his body best 14 15 30.

Her early sect work involved raising spirit pigs to feed insects. After reaching Dao Foundation, she became a Spirit Insect Cave steward. She and Lin Ke lacked the resources available to the sect’s powerful families, whose children could obtain much higher-grade spirit insects 22 46.

Li Le pursued her for years and used Lin Ke’s welfare to pressure her. She rejected his advances but avoided a decisive confrontation while Lin Ke was vulnerable, hoping to keep both of them safe 14 15.

Personality

Zong Ya is ordinarily gentle, yielding, and outwardly frail, but her restraint is not simple indecision. Once Lin Ke became strong enough to resist Li Le, she urged him to cripple their harasser rather than continue conceding ground 14 15.

Her affection for Lin Ke is strongly maternal. She offered him up to one thousand spirit stones for tournament preparations and was willing to erase sensitive memories to protect his secrets. That same attachment can undermine her judgment: Li Le successfully lured her away by claiming Lin Ke’s life was in danger 15 16 40.

During the wartime upheaval, she proves calm, meticulous, and decisive. Despite fearing combat, she resolves to improve her skills rather than leave Green Mulberry Garden’s survival entirely to Lin Ke 41 42 46.

Abilities & Skills

Spirit Insect Appraisal

Zong Ya uses a Bronze Treasure Mirror to examine spirit insects and estimate their commercial value 16 22.

• Her authority to purchase untested Stinger Hawk Moths was limited to twenty; increasing that limit would require buyers and an elder’s approval 16.
• She could not formally appraise the Blood Sandalwood Frogs without the necessary tool, but estimated their age from experience 49.

Insect and Animal Husbandry

Her Spirit Insect Cave experience makes managing the refuge’s ordinary venomous insects straightforward 47 49.

• Quickly familiarizes herself with the sixth-level insect stocks and can advise the garden’s workers 47 49.
• Knows Blood Sandalwood Frogs’ preferred conditions, feeding demands, and winter breeding season 49.
• Suggests Glowshrooms as underground lighting and a means of attracting insects; mature Glowshrooms can also feed Ground Mole Crickets 41.

Memory Erasure

Zong Ya deliberately removes her memories of Lin Ke’s account of Earth while retaining vague impressions. She warns him not to reveal the secret again 15.

• Chooses not to erase her knowledge of Lin Can because their ongoing work requires her to remember it 46.

Spell Arts

• Mountain-Moving Art: Softens earth hardened by Lin Ke’s imperfect Turn Earth to Steel, allowing Glowshrooms to be planted 44.
• Mental power: Pushes Glowshrooms into the refuge’s walls and ceiling 44.
• Flight: Travels between the sect, market, and Green Mulberry Garden 30 40 43.
• Combat limitations: Her cultivation does not make her an experienced fighter; Lin Ke advises her to practice spell arts before venturing out alone 46.

Suspected Constitution

• Lin Ke recalls that Zong Ya once experienced discomfort while cultivating, which eased after eating a spiritual meal 37.
• An auction involving a cultivation cauldron leads him to suspect that Li Le wants to exploit an unusual constitution rather than simply marry her 37 38.
• The supplied events do not identify her constitution or confirm Lin Ke’s theory. The Spirit Xun Saint Wind Body belongs to the auctioned Clam Maiden, not Zong Ya 37 38.

Equipment / Items

• Bronze Treasure Mirror / Insect Mirror — Sect-issued appraisal tool used during her Spirit Insect Cave employment. Cave personnel may use theirs only inside the cave; the mirrors are restricted from general circulation 16 22.
• Mystic Vein Books — Purchases two through her steward privileges before resigning, enabling her and Lin Ke to contact each other if separated 41.
• Glowshrooms and farming seeds — Obtains supplies for lighting the underground refuge and sustaining its mortal residents 43 44.

Relationships

• Lin Ke — Junior brother whom she raised and treats as family. Their relationship develops from her protection of him into mutual protection and shared management of the refuge 14 22 46.
• Lin Can — Entrusted to her care by Lin Ke. Lin Can initially calls her “Mommy,” but Zong Ya asks to be called “Auntie”; the two subsequently get along well 46 49.
• Li Le — Unwanted suitor who pressures her through Lin Ke and later lures her into captivity 14 15 40.
• True Person Yuan Yong — Li Le’s father, who supports coercing her and refuses Rain Spider True Person’s demand to release her 39.
• Rain Spider True Person — Defends her against Yuan Yong and frees her from the threads immobilizing her 39 40.
• Fang Tong and the garden’s residents — Helps provide their food supplies, relocate them underground, and manage the insects they raise 43 44 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lin Ke’s Secret and Insect Sales

• Takes a Spirit Insect Cave post to help Lin Ke with his sect assignment and tournament preparations 14.
• Suspects possession after his sudden breakthrough, then accepts his Heavenly Dao oath and explanation of merged souls 14.
• Advises him to conceal the Blackgold Silkworms’ connection to his discoveries and attribute the Stinger Hawk Moth to the Poison Tempering Mountains 15.
• Arranges the sale of twenty Stinger Hawk Moths, earning Lin Ke 4,560 spirit stones 16 18.
• Warns that the Beast Venerable’s fury and the sect master’s journey to the Mu Mansion may signal approaching unrest 22.

Captivity and Rescue

• Li Le tricks her into coming to him by claiming Lin Ke is in danger, then has her immobilized with threads 39 40.
• Lin Ke protects her with earth spells while fighting Li Le; Rain Spider True Person confronts Yuan Yong and ultimately frees her 39 40.
• The demon uprising interrupts their return to the tournament. She agrees to shelter at Green Mulberry Garden and immediately begins seeking supplies 40.

The Underground Refuge

• Resigns from the Spirit Insect Cave and helps prepare the refuge beneath Golden Silkworm Peak 41.
• Brings farming seeds from Yi-Wa Market and helps plant Glowshrooms throughout all seven underground levels 43 44.
• Agrees to remain hidden, manage the garden, practice spells, and care for Lin Can while Lin Ke prepares to deal with Li Le 46.
• Raises waste disposal as an urgent problem alongside ventilation, then takes responsibility for inspecting the insect stocks 47.
• Proposes specializing in spirit-insect breeding while other trades handle refining and production. She advocates revealing only part of their talent to attract elder support and offers to shoulder the risk 50.

Notable Quotes

“I've erased my memories, junior brother. You don't need to tell me what secret I erased. Just remember not to tell anyone else.” 15

“Don't worry. Your senior sister will shoulder that risk.” 50