Li Yanbing

Biodata

Power Progression

Physical cultivation, spiritual attainment, and Antares ranks are recorded separately where the text distinguishes them.

Background / History

Imperial childhood and escape

Li Yanbing was an illegitimate imperial daughter whose identity was known to very few people. She happened to be in Kyoto, reunited with her parents for the New Year, when the coup occurred. Her adoptive father, the Great General, was away at the border 141.

She escaped through freezing water during winter, damaging her vital foundation. Despite reaching Embrace the Elixir and achieving Intent Condensation, she believed the resulting lack of blood and vitality had permanently barred her from becoming an Astral Force Grandmaster 126 141.

Lord Lin sacrificed himself to protect her after Prince Li’s fall. Uncle Lin, who had witnessed her parents’ relationship and served as her father’s trusted aide, remained connected to her life at the Lin Residence 141.

Head of the Lin Residence

As Madam Lin, Li Yanbing became the pillar of the Qingkou household and protected her stepdaughter, Lin Xiner, from collateral relatives seeking its property. After Lord Lin’s death, she prevented a male relative from taking over the funeral rite and had the three-year-old Xiner perform it instead 135.

She established the Lin Clan Charity Cemetery and treated poorer collateral family members well, earning their support. Her real cultivation remained hidden: outsiders generally mistook her for a woman with only basic martial accomplishments 147 226.

Her first meeting with Lin Hao took place during his nighttime training. She recognized his Thunderclap Breathing Technique, identified weaknesses in his practice, and saw through the strength he was concealing 122.

After recognizing him as an outsider and learning his connections, she assigned him to work at her side. He agreed to help with the Lizardmen and the Lin Family Ledger in exchange for an Evacuation Item—the Ancestral Sword kept beside her father’s portrait 123 124.

Cooperation with Lin Hao

Li Yanbing and Lin Hao rescued Madam Chen’s party from a Western Depot ambush and escorted them to General Chen. Their cooperation developed into regular sparring, which helped Lin Hao finish Organ Tempering and reach Transforming Force 129 130.

Lin Hao offered to bring her to his homeland, where she might acquire abilities similar to those of outsiders. She considered the offer but first wanted to settle Xiner’s succession and the Lin Residence’s affairs 130 135.

Before one of his departures, she gave him a token for a custom weapon at Sword-Forging Manor and kissed him goodbye, promising to find him once Xiner’s affairs were settled 141.

Pursuit, rescue, and life on Earth

Xiner’s public use of the Imperial Ultimate Sword helped expose Li Yanbing’s identity. When powerful pursuers attacked, Li Yanbing escaped with Xiner, then sent her away and drew the pursuit onto herself 147 148.

Fighting five experts, she killed one and inflicted heavy casualties on the accompanying Depot Guards, but suffered severe wounds. She reached the Lin Clan Charity Cemetery and took refuge beside a coffin before Lin Hao rescued her 148 149.

Lin Hao brought her to Earth and secured treatment that restored both her immediate health and her childhood-damaged foundation. He also registered her as an Earth resident. She agreed to remain in the Settlement and assist Zhao Xiaowen, while Xiner traveled northwest to seek General Chen 150.

With her foundation repaired, Li Yanbing resumed rapid advancement, eventually becoming an Intent Condensation Grandmaster. She continued accompanying Lin Hao to the capital despite the risk that veteran Eastern Depot or Western Depot personnel might recognize her 172 174.

Accession as empress

During the capital crisis, Li Yanbing encountered the Shadow Fiend impersonating the Great General. She survived its initial attack through Astral Force, force redirection, and trust in Lin Hao’s support, then killed a Shadow Fiend duplicate of herself 184.

Her imperial ancestry, relationship with the Great General and Celestial Master, personal strength, and partnership with Lin Hao made her a strong candidate for the throne. Prince Zhao confirmed her identity and presided over her accession under the era name Haotian; Lin Hao became Prince Qi 209 210.

At the first court assembly, Lin Hao killed two ministers who attempted to speak, and Li Yanbing announced a Military Affairs Office. Facing the False Emperor’s mobilization, she ordered an Imperial Expedition rather than wait for the enemy to attack 210.

She fought during the suppression of the rebels and accompanied Lin Hao into Yunxiang Temple, where they found the real General Qi holding shut an Abyssal rift inside a bronze Buddha 215.

Governance and interworld operations

After the campaign, the State Preceptor and Great General handled affairs through the Military Affairs Office, while Li Yanbing publicly played the ruler infatuated with Prince Qi. She also converted treasury silver into valuables suitable for gathering Wish Power 220 221.

She later ordered inspections of eight prefectures and sent the Canal Garrison south to Qingkou. There, she concluded the Lin Family’s affairs and left two experts to help the more mature Xiner stabilize the household 224 226.

In Antares, she lived with Lin Hao under their noble identities and helped rescue imprisoned university technicians from San Francisco City-State. She subsequently remained in Plas to guard resources and provide a visible Great Hero presence during Lin Hao’s absences 229 236 256 269.

Her later responsibilities included maintaining Great Qi and Antares, supporting operations in Great Jin, coordinating silver recovery across worlds, and reporting developments at the School Settlement 321 342 356 428.

When Lin Hao departed Penglai City to search for relatives, she arranged for Daphne, Xiao Wen, and the Imperial Guard to accompany him aboard the Giant Kun Bug 497.

Appearance

Li Yanbing appears about twenty, with fair skin, a full figure, and an initially ethereal bearing. Her youthful appearance remains almost unchanged when Wu Deshui meets her again years after their earlier acquaintance 122 207.

• Everyday clothing: Frequently wears scholar’s robes; also appears in palace dresses and fitted training clothes with her hair pinned up 122 123 164.
• Travel clothing: Uses bamboo hats, straw rain capes, and night clothes, though her recognizable figure complicates disguise 126 128 174.
• Imperial dress: Wears elaborate black-and-gold dragon robes, a gold-woven sash, and vermilion-painted fingernails at court 210.
• Bearing: Retains natural elegance even when sitting casually or eating jerky, impressing both Beliss and Rebana 255 343.

Personality

Li Yanbing is playful, forthright, and physically affectionate. She readily teases Lin Hao, reverses his flirtation on him, and openly identifies him as her husband before people connected to her family 123 130 207 208.

Her acceptance of hardship is unusually composed. Before her recovery, she could discuss the apparent end of her cultivation prospects without concealing the injury or resenting Lin Hao’s opportunities. She nevertheless envies outsiders’ ability to acquire profound techniques almost instantly 124 126 130.

Her protectiveness is practical rather than merely sentimental. She maintained Xiner’s inheritance for years and was prepared to die drawing pursuers away from her. She likewise warns Lin Hao against reckless fights and insists that he prepare escape options and adequate equipment 134 135 148 282.

Despite her rebellious attitude toward etiquette, she retains pronounced feudal prejudices. She accepts Lin Hao taking additional partners, considers a politically useful marriage to Rebana reasonable, and treats foreign women with a dehumanizing disregard that distinguishes her outlook from Zhao Xiaowen’s 230 255 343.

She is willing to learn unfamiliar systems rather than dismiss them. Independent study at the University Library gives her a working understanding of modern industry, firearms, and the strategic danger of nuclear weapons 356.

Abilities & Skills

Imperial Ultimate Sword

Li Yanbing practices the closely guarded imperial sword art at Great Achievement, below Lin Hao’s equipment-derived Perfection 124 130.

• Gives its normally majestic movements a ruthless, battlefield-oriented killing edge 130.
• Combines sword attacks with Intent Condensation Force Pressure to overwhelm weaker opponents 130.
• Teaches the secret art to Lin Xiner, though its public use contributes to their exposure 141 148.

Intent, perception, and danger sensing

Her spiritual attainments progress from Intent Condensation to Domain Formation, providing perception beyond straightforward physical strength 124 230.

• Identifies Lin Hao’s concealed cultivation and incomplete Organ Tempering 122.
• Senses sincerity, emotional fluctuations, and hidden relationships 135 198 230.
• Can provide cover against stronger opponents by detecting danger and withdrawing before becoming trapped 246.
• Later strengthens her danger sensing through Heaven-Man Sensitivity and Spirit-Flesh Unity 342.

Force and bodily control

Her Embrace the Elixir cultivation gives her precise command of blood and qi; as a Grandmaster, she can reshape Astral Force 129 174.

• Suppresses outward signs of cultivation convincingly enough to pose as a frail traveler 129.
• Adjusts sparring blows to train Lin Hao without inflicting excessive damage 164.
• Uses force redirection and acrobatic recovery under attack, though superior opponents can still fracture her bones through brief contact 184.

Qi-Blood Breathing and Heroic Spirit Soul

She quickly grasps Second World breathing methods after borrowing the Breath of the Saint accessory, then uses Qi-Blood Breathing to push her physique beyond its earlier limits 174 224.

• Her Heroic Spirit Soul takes the form of an armored Valkyrie 276.
• Grandmaster-level control and perception help compensate for her inexperience upon entering Epic 276.
• Her early Valkyrie framework shatters when it collides with Lin Hao’s unfinished Heroic Spirit Soul 276.
• Even at Legendary, her enhanced burst outside Antares lasts only a little over twenty seconds 308.

Dual cultivation and immortal cultivation

The Mystic Maiden Mutual Erosion Great Art and repeated cultivation with Lin Hao accelerate her bodily refinement and later development 402 408.

• Refines her Golden Body to perfection before attempting tribulation 402.
• Survives her Second Heavenly Tribulation with a Nirvana Pill’s assistance 408.
• Converts to immortal cultivation with Heaven Tier Foundation Establishment, but still requires substantial accumulation to form a Golden Core 435 464.

Administration and modern warfare

She manages households, imperial resources, and interworld holdings, while increasingly incorporating modern weapons into her preparations 135 221 321.

• Receives permission from Lin Hao to control the swarm 321.
• Carries a boltgun despite her substantial personal cultivation 342.
• Prepares explosive vests containing twenty kilograms of TNT for Lin Hao’s Shadow Soldiers 282.
• Understands industrial production and nuclear weapons well enough to assess unfamiliar modern powers 356.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Longsword and scabbard — Her principal early weapons; used in the Western Depot rescue and capital fighting 130 207.
• Ancestral Sword — Formerly concealed beside her father’s portrait. She gives it to Lin Hao as the promised Evacuation Item; it contains profound imperial martial inheritances 123 124.
• Sword-Forging Manor token — A sword-shaped token entitling its bearer to one custom weapon, gifted to Lin Hao 141.
• Steel-and-dragon-lizard-hide armor — Nearly one hundred kilograms, with centimeter-thick steel plates. She adopts it after seeing the Depot Guards’ improved firearms 187.
• Antares-style skirted armor — Prepared for travel in the Second World 228.
• Boltgun — Carried during the Great Jin expedition preparations 342.
• Dragon Lizard Jerky — Regularly eaten to replenish bodily deficiencies and sustain cultivation 135 197.

Relationships

• Lin Hao — Husband, Dao companion, former junior training partner, and political partner. He rescues her, restores her foundation, and becomes Prince Qi after her accession 130 150 210 464.
• Lin Xiner — Stepdaughter whom she raises, protects, and prepares to inherit the Lin Residence. Their household obligations initially delay her departure with Lin Hao 135 141 150.
• Lord Lin — Her deceased husband, who sacrificed himself to protect her after Prince Li’s fall 122 141.
• Emperor Jing / Prince Li — Biological father; her concealed imperial ancestry later supports her claim to the throne 141 209.
• The Great General — Adoptive father. She seeks his rescue and explains his willingness to accept confinement as an attempt to spare the population from war 123 183 215.
• The Celestial Master — Grandfather, whose domain protects her during combat against stronger Grandmasters 209 215.
• Li Yao — Adoptive brother through the Great General; warmly approves when she introduces Lin Hao as her husband 208.
• Uncle Lin — Her father’s trusted aide and a longstanding protector associated with the Lin Residence 123 141.
• General Chen and Madam Chen — Trusted family associates; she personally helps rescue Madam Chen and reunite the family 130.
• Zhao Xiaowen — Fellow member of Lin Hao’s household and Settlement administrator whom Li Yanbing agrees to assist after arriving on Earth 150.
• Gong Zichun — Cultivation associate and fellow Epic who helps provide a stable base during Lin Hao’s travels 276 282.
• Cattiss — Legendary Zerg who begins serving her after returning with Lin Hao 289.
• Liu Qingqing — Meets her as Lin Hao’s Dao companion; their conversation reveals that Lin Hao has cultivated for only five years 464.

Notable Quotes

“Training is three parts practice and seven parts eating. Let’s get something to eat.” 122

“Boy, your opportunities are better than mine, and you’ll certainly surpass me. Don’t waste the good fortune you’ve been given.” 126

“And you should change how you address me. I’m your disciple’s wife. Just call me Yanbing.” 207