Qi Shiyun

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Qi Shiyun comes from a hereditary military family. Her family expelled her after she joined the Nine Heavens because the Dragon Aiders Art endangered all nine branches of her clan. She chose the organization because proximity to the imperial court accelerates her lineage’s cultivation 15 26.

Heavenly Sword once offered to take her as his disciple, but she declined, explaining that she lacked talent for the sword. She instead became Chosen of Heaven’s disciple. Her teacher had selected her through the same practice of identifying promising people that she later adopted herself 8 9.

Her reputation for remaining untainted by questionable practices made her somewhat ostracized within the Nine Heavens. Heavenly Sword says someone at headquarters deliberately transferred her to the Jiangzhou assignment; he later explains that she had personally applied to travel on official business 22 47.

Thirty-five members of her lineage died, leaving her as Old Xie’s only surviving seedling. His life is tied to hers, and Heavenly Sword warns that she could be hunted by a Heaven Ranking Great Grandmaster. Her cultivation of numerous successors is partly intended to avoid leaving herself in her teacher’s predicament 47.

Appearance

Qi Shiyun is described as exceptionally beautiful and valiant in bearing, consistent with her military-family upbringing 10 11 15.

• Slender, swanlike neck and fair hands 8.
• Slender figure with a full bust, repeatedly remarked upon by Lianshan Xin 6 10.
• Bell worn at her waist, which chimes during moments of excitement and investigation 8 11.

Personality

Qi Shiyun is confident, proud of her achievements, and receptive to flattery. She enjoys displaying her ability, including revealing that the Qi Condensation cultivator who defeated a Grandmaster was herself. She dislikes indecision and values an unwavering commitment to cultivation 8 10 23 24.

Her upright reputation does not prevent ruthless decisions. She accepts the risk of withholding a treasure needed by the Crown Prince, executes President Qu to protect its secret, and eventually allows Lianshan Xin to handle questionable financial arrangements on her behalf 14 15 16 22.

She treats promising cultivators as investments but also takes their obligations seriously. She warns Lianshan Xin about clan extermination before recruiting him, supports his wish to save his mother, and promises help within her abilities. Her appetite for dangerous advancement stops short of wanting rebellion: she seeks longevity, not a futile attempt to overthrow the dynasty 11 14 15 25.

Abilities & Skills

Dragon Aiders Immortal Art

Her lineage cultivates through dragon energy, also called imperial energy, and favorable bonds with people possessing spiritual roots and great fortune 25 26.

• Shared advancement: Lianshan Xin’s future breakthroughs increase her strength, though her own advances do not provide him the same reciprocal benefit 25.
• Shared risk: His premature death would deal her a heavy blow 25.
• Political acceleration: Succession struggles and major cases affecting court and country can greatly accelerate cultivation 26.
• Multiple protégés: She cultivates ninety-one Chosen One Sons of Heaven, spreading her hopes across many candidates 8 9 47.
• Scale requirement: Removing the Jiangzhou Governor alone would not suffice for her next breakthrough; her concerns encompass Jiangzhou’s officialdom and martial world 26.

Talent and Fortune Perception

Qi Shiyun can vaguely sense potential immortal cultivators and discover “hidden dragons” before they become prominent 11.

• Recognizes Lianshan Xin’s spiritual root and fortune despite his poor martial aptitude 11 25.
• Cannot precisely measure the quality of his talent; she explains that ancient spiritual-root testing treasures have been lost 23.

Combat and Flight

Her combat record includes defeating a fifth-realm Grandmaster while still at Qi Condensation. She uses a saber during the Qu Family operation 13 23.

• Carries Lianshan Xin through the air to the Qu residence 10.
• Participates in the fighting against the sheltered Demon Cult members 13.
• Beheads President Qu with a single blade strike 16.

Soundproofing Technique

She creates an invisible wave of energy that soundproofs the Qu Family storeroom, preventing Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin from hearing confidential discussions 14.

Little Cloud and Rain Art

She summons a localized shower to wash impurities from Lianshan Xin after his breakthrough 24 25.

• Describes the technique as “summoning wind and rain,” rather than an immortal’s power 24.
• Says Lianshan Xin can learn it once he reaches Grandmaster and can project astral energy outward 24.

Cultivation Instruction

She explains the Qi Condensation Pill’s mechanism, guards Lianshan Xin during his breakthrough, and introduces him to the Dragon Aiders inheritance 23 24.

• The astral energy infused into his Celestial Master-made pill comes from her own cultivation 24.
• Explains that the pill condenses qi first, enabling him to force open his blocked meridians afterward 23.
• Warns him that accepting the pill creates a debt to the Celestial Master 23.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Saber — Used during the Qu Family raid and President Qu’s execution; she cleans its bloodstained blade with a silk cloth afterward 13 16.
• Waist bell — Chimes with her excitement and signals the discovery of the hidden figure at the Qu residence 8 11.
• Small notebook — Records her designated Chosen One Sons of Heaven; Lianshan Xin is entered as the ninety-first 8.

Relationships

• Lianshan Xin — Protégé, subordinate, and fellow cultivator whose advancement benefits her. Their alliance begins with his Qu Family intelligence and is cemented when she lets him keep the Millennium Snow Lotus for his mother 8 14 22 25.
• Chosen of Heaven / Old Xie — Teacher whose life is tied to hers; she is his only remaining seedling after the lineage’s losses 8 9 47.
• Heavenly Sword / Zhang A-Niu — Operational leader in Jiangzhou and former prospective teacher. He can deploy her, but cannot make decisions for her: their lineages cooperate without one being subordinate to the other 8 16 50.
• Crown Prince — Enemy who tried to kill her after his sweetheart fell for Qi Shiyun while she was disguised as a man. She retaliated by killing his retainer; she nevertheless believes offering him the Snow Lotus could reconcile them 26 48.
• Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin — Nine Heavens members whom she assigns to Lianshan Xin. She judges Du Jiu the more talented and tells Xin to treat both well 14 21.
• Thousand Faces — Demon Cult opponent whose double is exposed in the Qu Family operation. He interprets her failure to search the city as politically useful restraint, allowing his continued freedom to justify wider Nine Heavens intervention 13 16 17.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Qu Family Investigation

• Meets Lianshan Xin at the Imperial Library and witnesses his exposure of Lin Xiangwen’s hidden affection for Heavenly Sword 6 7.
• Designates Xin a Chosen One Son of Heaven and takes him to investigate the Qu residence 8 10.
• Discovers the hidden Demon Cult figure, but the operation exposes a stand-in rather than capturing Thousand Faces 11 13.
• Gives Xin the Millennium Snow Lotus despite its value to the Crown Prince, then executes President Qu to protect their secret 14 16.
• Entrusts Xin with the estate’s affairs; his arguments persuade her to accept seized resources for cultivation and the Nine Heavens’ Jiangzhou plans 15 16 22.

Lianshan Xin’s Cultivation and Academy Assignment

• Recommends investigating Thousand Faces’ network within White Deer Grotto Academy, with Xin placed directly under her 22 26.
• Oversees his Qi Condensation breakthrough and explains the lineage’s political dangers, fortune-based cultivation, and potential advancement routes 23 24 25 26.
• Warns that killing an imperial princess could produce Dragon-Slaying True Intent but bring extermination upon his Nine Clans 26 27.

Unexpected Breakthrough

• Receives a sudden surge of fortune after Xin kills Dai Yueying, opening her path toward the Domain Realm 35.
• Incorrectly rules Xin out as the source, believing he has already contributed all he can 35.
• Her approaching breakthrough prompts Heavenly Sword to explain that entering Domain would remove her from the Hidden Dragon Ranking and put her on the path toward Great Grandmaster 50.

Notable Quotes

“There is no invincible path, only invincible people.” 11

“Fortune is won amid peril, and so is the Great Dao.” 26