Chen Shi'an

Biodata

Power Progression

• The six-stage framework was devised by his master for teaching purposes, not presented as a universal ranking system. Chen considers the sixth stage—not the fifth—to be the true beginning of entering the Dao 35.
• His baseline exam produces a further insight into knowing one's position relative to others, but no new numbered stage is recorded 10 11.
• Magical power grows through understanding the Dao, including during ordinary activities. Meditation accelerates accumulation but cannot independently raise its upper limit 43.

Background / History

Childhood at Pure Dust Temple

Chen was found abandoned as an unweaned infant during his master's travels and raised at Pure Dust Temple. His master also took in Shi Mo, an already-grown black cat, that same year. Their household consisted of the master, disciple, and cat 1 2.

From his earliest memories, Chen studied Taoist arts, scriptures, doctrine, and character cultivation. His travels rarely extended beyond a four-hour walk from the temple. He attended the village elementary school for only one week before dropping out, finding the lessons too easy and the journey inconvenient; his master did not force him to return 3.

His Master's Death and Inheritance

The first soul-deliverance ceremony of Chen's eighteenth year was for his own master. Although he initially reacted comically to the gathering creditors, the closing of the coffin brought home the loss of the person who had raised him 1.

His master left him a letter, a debt ledger, a dilapidated temple, and 24,000 yuan in savings. The ledger recorded debts totaling slightly more than 108,000 yuan, largely incurred for Chen and the temple. Chen resolved to repay them without immediately exhausting the money needed for his own living expenses 2.

The Taoist Association informed him that inheriting the temple legally required a state-recognized diploma from a key university. Without it, the temple would be treated as ownerless and transferred to the association. His master had anticipated the problem and secured a place for him at Yunqi No. 1 High School 1.

After repairing and tending the temple, Chen departed on August 31 with Shi Mo and his luggage. His initial plan was to explore briefly, obtain his diploma, and return to mountain seclusion 2 3.

Appearance

Chen has a slender, upright build, regular features, and a composed bearing unusual for his age. His transition from Taoist dress to school uniform substantially changes how others perceive him 14 20 23.

• Original style: Blue Taoist robes and shoulder-length hair tied in a traditional topknot, giving him a classical, cultured appearance 6 18 20.
• Student style: A short haircut conforming to school regulations, paired with a blue-and-white uniform; he appears brighter, younger, and clean-cut 18 20 23.
• Healthy hair: Thick, well-maintained hair praised by the barbershop assistant 18 19.
• Striking transformation: Li Wanyin, Shi Mo, classmates, and security guards initially struggle to recognize him after the haircut and clothing change 20 23 43.

Personality

Chen is courteous, calm, and socially easygoing despite his sheltered upbringing. He can converse comfortably with students, workers, and older neighbors, and does not consider manual or low-status work beneath him. He accepts ordinary greetings in place of formal Taoist etiquette, valuing the sentiment over the outward ritual 4 18 43.

Integrity and reciprocity strongly shape his conduct. He insists that debts must be repaid even when creditors consider his master's services sufficient compensation. He also refuses to treat Principal Lin's generosity as an entitlement, insists on contributing to rent and utilities, and balances Li Wanyin's cooking with his own cleaning 3 7 12 21 42.

Beneath his modest manner lies considerable pride. Having rarely struggled to learn anything on the mountain, he initially underestimates formal schooling. His failed assessment exposes that arrogance, leading him to replace confidence in success with determination to act and improve 8 10 11.

He enjoys uncertainty and new knowledge without trying to force relationships or outcomes. Although he practices Taoism, he says he does not believe in fate; he nevertheless values the chance encounters that allow people to share part of their lives 5 12 16. His growing attraction to Li Wanyin and awareness of Lin Meng Qiu also challenge his previously secluded composure 20 29.

Abilities & Skills

Daoist Magic

• Fire manipulation: Ignites a gas burner by pointing a finger, without using its electrical spark 22.
• Drying clothing: Expels moisture from a damp uniform with a gentle shake, leaving it dry 22.
• Cooling effects: Creates a breeze around Wen Zhixia through intent; his meditation also produces a gradual cooling and calming effect on nearby students 32 35.
• Few required tools: At his attainment, talismans and ritual implements are aids rather than necessities for simple supernatural feats 22.
• Limits: Moving mountains, filling seas, flying, and burrowing through the earth are described as mythical exaggerations, not his demonstrated powers 22.

Meditation and Spiritual Perception

• Enters meditation in fewer than ten breaths and can extend consciousness beyond the boundaries of his physical sight and hearing 35.
• Practices daily and can meditate seated normally rather than requiring a cross-legged posture 35.
• Restores energy and clears fatigue; meditation can replace sleep to a degree, though he generally avoids abandoning ordinary human sleep 36 43.
• Practices Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission, but his actual range is only about one kilometer, comparable to his master's 41.

Physical Conditioning

• Maintains his health through meditation, controlled breathing, Eight-Section Brocade, Five-Animal Exercises, and Guiding and Pulling Technique 26.
• Walks mountain routes for hours and moves with a stride that surprises Wen Zhixia 4 32.
• Handles a full water-dispenser jug as easily as an empty one and catches Dong Wenyu when he nearly falls trying to lift another 36.
• On his first occasion playing basketball, makes repeated long-range shots, controls the ball one-handed, and later shatters a backboard with a dunk 38 40.
• Has senses sharp enough to distinguish the smell of household gas from the bottled gas used below the mountain 22.

Rituals, Divination, and Health Practices

• Soul deliverance: His best-mastered Taoist skill; he assisted at many funerals before performing his master's rites 1.
• Blessings and fortune-telling: States that he can perform both, though he answers questions about their reality indirectly 4.
• Face-reading and observation: Reads Wen Zhixia's features as signs of intelligence and good fortune; notices emotional and social cues among the funeral guests 1 5.
• Traditional health knowledge: Offers interpretations of symptoms, recognizes signs of poor health, and recommends herbs, diet changes, and exercise 5 28.
• Acupoint massage: Relieves Wen Zhixia's sleepiness by massaging her forehead and temples 44.
• Limits of instruction: Exercises taught to people without his magical power and true qi have weaker effects and require persistence 33.

Memory and Learning

• Reads quickly while committing material to memory, slowing when concepts require thought 22.
• Possesses extensive classical learning, strong calligraphy, and literary ability, but initially lacks standardized examination techniques 8 10 11.
• Studies mathematics with concentration deep enough that classroom noise and a teacher calling him do not interrupt him 28.
• Recognizes that memorization alone cannot substitute for understanding and practice in mathematics and science 22 38.

Arts and Practical Skills

• Reports learning erhu, flute, zither, ink painting, calligraphy, swordsmanship, board games, and wood carving; modestly describes his proficiency as “a little” 40.
• Cooks and cleans with practiced efficiency, and undertakes temple repairs and grounds maintenance 2 42.
• Identifies local birds and wild raspberries from his mountain upbringing 46.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Taoist credentials — Priest certificate and initiation/transmission certificate proving his lineage 1 41.
• Dao De Jing — A heavily worn personal copy; unsuccessfully offered as proof of education 1.
• Master's letter and debt ledger — Records his master's final instructions, creditors, and outstanding obligations 2.
• Old smartphone — A 32 GB device used for maps, calls, photography, payments, and later WeChat; its aging battery drains even on standby 3 21 41.
• Exam books and borrowed textbooks — Includes Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Simulation, foundational textbooks, and Lin Meng Qiu's old mathematics workbooks 3 25 36.
• Reading pen — Given by Teacher Ye to look up vocabulary, translate passages, and learn pronunciation 30.
• Principal Lin's staff meal card — Provides a monthly meal allowance and access to the teachers' cafeteria 12.

Relationships

• Old Master Chen — Teacher, guardian, and parental figure. Raised him for eighteen years, taught him self-restraint and integrity, and arranged his schooling before dying 1 2 40 41.
• Shi Mo / Fat Ink / Black Cat — Longtime household companion, found by his master in the same year as Chen. Accompanies him to the city and stays beside him at home 2 3 21.
• Lin Ming / Principal Lin — His master's friend and creditor, later a benefactor. Arranges schooling and inexpensive housing, lends his meal card, and invites Chen to call him “Uncle Lin” 7 8 12 15.
• Li Wanyin — Older female roommate. They bond over rural childhood experiences, share household expenses and food, and become each other's first WeChat contacts; Chen experiences attraction toward her 20 21 41 42.
• Wen Zhixia — Bus acquaintance turned study, meal, and walking buddy. Helps with English, prepares grammar notes, and enjoys his company; he offers health advice and practical care 4 23 32 34 40 44.
• Lin Meng Qiu — Class monitor and deskmate. Teaches him mathematics and supplies old workbooks; later offers English help after becoming jealous of his other study buddy 13 27 36 47 49.
• Liang Huiyang / Teacher Liang — Homeroom and Chinese teacher. Helps him adapt his writing to exam requirements and gathers textbooks to rebuild his foundations 11 25 37.
• Teacher Ye — English teacher. Gives him a reading pen and becomes increasingly confident in him after testing his rapidly expanding vocabulary 30 47.
• Uncle Wang — Town-clinic acquaintance and creditor. Gives him a lift and glucose solution, and considers his master's prayers and funeral services more than sufficient repayment 3.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Returning to School

• Enters Class Five, Year Two, the school's top science-track class. His master deliberately chose science because mathematics, physics, and chemistry were the areas missing from his education 8.
• A six-subject baseline examination reveals strong classical Chinese knowledge but severe gaps elsewhere, turning school into genuine worldly training rather than a simple route to a diploma 10 11.
• Sets his sights on the top science-stream ranking while prioritizing Chinese, mathematics, and English. Temporarily uses science lessons to rebuild his mathematics foundations 25 37.

Learning Through City Life

• Adopts school-compliant hair and clothing while learning to share a home, use WeChat, and maintain friendships outside the temple 18 21 23.
• His accidental backboard destruction spreads his reputation beyond Class Five 40.
• Comes to view mathematics and science as alternative ways of investigating the same world he explores through Taoist cultivation 28 35.
• Recognizes modern communications as vastly exceeding his voice-transmission range and hopes studying their principles may improve his own technique 41.

Notable Quotes

“I may practice Taoism, but I don't believe in fate. Don't worry, Teacher Liang. I'll work hard.” 12

“Without the right state of mind, shaving your head is just a hairstyle.” 40

“I'll do it. You made the sweet soup, Wanyin, so I'll clean up. That's fair.” 42

Trivia

• Both his name and Shi Mo's contain the character 拾, meaning “pick up,” reflecting how his master found them 2.
• His childhood experiments included burning down the temple's old study with fire magic, shattering its windows with an Explosive Sound Talisman hidden in a bell, and destroying his master's phone while trying to charge it with magical power 41.
• He enjoys glucose water, but explicitly notices that it improves his energy rather than increasing his magical power 4.
• He refuses to accept insincere disciples despite classmates repeatedly asking to learn cultivation 26.