Hillman

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Family and Vow of Revenge

Hillman came from a commoner background. During a campfire conversation, he revealed the scars covering his body and described his father’s death at the hands of Azure Wolf Mountain bandits. He intended to seek revenge after becoming a sixth-level warrior, and Hogg offered to accompany him 12 31.

Mountain Range of Magical Beasts

Hillman and Hogg led an elite Feng Lai Kingdom force sent to support the struggle over a rare ninth-level magical beast cub. Their unit was surrounded by Wind Wolves until Shiheng’s squad intervened. The combined force killed the sixth-level Wind Wolf King and scattered the pack 7.

He subsequently joined a special operations squad of four warriors and three mages, assigned to secure the mountain range’s outer three hundred li, protect the army camp, and watch for Shadow Alliance spies. Hillman and Hogg initially scouted nearby magical beasts while the others established camp and gathered supplies 8 9.

After Shiheng pursued the Swift Raptor and Xiaoman followed him, Hillman searched the outskirts alone by day and returned to guard his wounded companions at night. Once the others recovered sufficiently, he joined their expedition into the middle reaches. Against a sixth-level Shadow Leopard, he struck its eye to interrupt its attack on Kelan Kai, creating the opening for Hogg to stab its belly 25.

The search party then encountered a peak sixth-level Black Iron Demon Bear and two sixth-level Red-Patterned Tigers guarding Clearheart Spirit Grass. Hillman fought a tiger but suffered a shoulder wound after being distracted by Hogg’s injuries. Shiheng and Xiaoman returned during the battle, helping the group kill the beasts and reunite 26.

Ennoblement and Azure Wolf Mountain

For his military service, Hillman received a baronial title in the Feng Lai Kingdom, formally leaving commoner status behind. He chose to accompany Hogg to Wu Mountain Town, declaring his intention to serve as his right hand, develop the three towns under Hogg’s rule, and train a strong army 31.

Hillman later returned to Azure Wolf Mountain with Hogg and exterminated the bandits, avenging his parents. The stronghold concealed a seventh-level warrior; Hillman acknowledged that attempting revenge alone would likely have killed him. In gratitude, he pledged his life to Hogg 41.

Rescue and Secret Dispatch

Immediately afterward, Hillman spotted the unconscious Shiheng beside a river. Hogg carried their wounded friend while Hillman watched for danger. Their prompt departure narrowly prevented an encounter with the eighth-level warrior and four seventh-level warriors pursuing Shiheng 41.

On the road, they encountered Nalan Ruoshui and her injured sister, Nalan Xue, fleeing the destruction of their household. The group diverted to Wu Mountain Town, with Hillman taking over carrying Shiheng while Hogg carried Nalan Xue. They avoided main roads and reached the Basik Family’s old residence safely 42.

Hogg later sent Hillman into Feng Lai City to gather intelligence. He discovered wanted notices accusing the Nalan family of colluding with the Shadow Alliance. After Shiheng awakened, Hillman accepted a confidential letter reporting the eighth-level magic crystal vein and the attack on Shiheng 43.

Traveling at night and hiding by day, Hillman evaded sentries and checkpoints to deliver the letter personally to a Radiant Church cardinal. The report prompted a major Church offensive. A subsequent envoy rewarded both Hillman and Hogg for rescuing Shiheng 44.

Marriage and Later Life

Three and a half years later, Hillman married Lindajin on the same day that Hogg married Lindana. The double wedding was celebrated throughout Wu Mountain Town. He later joined Hogg and the sisters in bidding farewell to Shiheng, assuring him that the town would welcome his return 45 46.

When news reached Wu Mountain Town that Shiheng had defeated a Dark Saint, Hillman reacted with exuberant pride, publicly celebrating him as his brother. He and the others continued sending news and expressions of concern during Shiheng’s secluded cultivation in the Principality of Klan 63 64.

Hillman traveled with Hogg, Lindana, and her sister to the Klan capital for Shiheng and Kelin Xiaoman’s engagement celebration. During the surrounding months, he frequently visited Shiheng, sought advice on cultivation difficulties, and reached the peak of the seventh level through his guidance. Hillman’s children brought liveliness to these gatherings 66 67 68.

When Shiheng and Kelin Xiaoman later returned to Wu Mountain Town, Hillman greeted them at Hogg’s courtyard. He explained that Hogg’s wife, called Lina in this account, was giving birth that day and amusedly described Hogg’s anxious pacing outside the birthing room 75.

Baruch Empire Reunion and Gifts

In later years, Hillman repeatedly helped Lin Feng, also known as Linley, and Wharton when they were young and their family faced desperate circumstances. After the Baruch family rose to prominence, it rewarded his care with a luxurious mansion in the Baruch Empire, where he lived peacefully with his wife 196.

Following the Radiant Church’s destruction, his wife was no longer threatened by its pursuit and resumed using her original name, Nalan Jingyu. By the time of their later reunion with Shiheng, she had become an advanced seventh-rank mage, while Hillman had spent many years stalled at the peak of the ninth level 196.

Hillman encountered Shiheng at Baruch Castle as the latter prepared to leave. Initially restrained by the gulf between his own cultivation and Shiheng’s godhood, he relaxed when Shiheng greeted him with their old familiarity. He invited Shiheng home, where Nalan Jingyu prepared a meal and the three recalled their youthful adventures. Shiheng explicitly reaffirmed his gratitude for Hillman and Hogg’s life-saving rescue and promised to help Hillman whenever he faced difficulties 196.

Although Hillman expressed satisfaction that his youthful wishes had been fulfilled, he wept over Hogg’s tragic death. The reunion also brought sorrow over the loss of Nalan Ruoshui; Shiheng did not disclose his thoughts about their possible future rebirth 196.

Before departing, Shiheng spent several hours explaining and demonstrating Martial Dao force, enabling Hillman to comprehend his own force and break his longstanding bottleneck. This made an eventual Saint breakthrough a matter of further consolidation rather than an unresolved conceptual barrier. Shiheng also gave Nalan Jingyu a Soul Gold Bead for gradual soul nourishment and bestowed one Lowgod Divine Core on each spouse before leaving for the Klan Empire 196.

Appearance

Hillman is consistently described as burly and brawny 7 8.

• Extensive scars: Reveals scars crisscrossing his body while recounting his past 12.
• Battle injuries: Suffers a blood-soaked shoulder wound during the fight against the Red-Patterned Tigers 26.
• Later appearance: Remains upright and vigorous when welcoming Shiheng back to Wu Mountain Town, with additional fine lines at the corners of his eyes 75.

Personality

Hillman is hearty, outspoken, and comfortable teasing his friends. He jokes about Hogg planning children before finding a wife, while recognizing the unspoken affection between Hogg and Nalan Ruoshui. He also encourages Kelan Kai’s ambition to become a seventh-level warrior 12 15.

His loyalty is expressed through practical risks: searching alone for missing companions, guarding the wounded, and offering to face the Shadow Leopard rather than let the one-armed Kelan Kai take the lead. His hatred of the Azure Wolf Mountain bandits persists for years, but gives way to relief and gratitude once his revenge is complete 25 41.

His pride in his friends remains strong after Shiheng’s rise to prominence. He enthusiastically celebrates Shiheng’s victory over a Dark Saint and repeatedly expresses confidence in him while traveling to his engagement celebration 63 66.

In later life, he is content with his marriage, peaceful home, completed revenge, and cultivation achievements. He treats his rescue of Shiheng as a small effort rather than a debt to exploit. Nevertheless, the difference in their status briefly makes him self-conscious, and his grief over Hogg’s death reveals the lasting depth of his attachments 196.

Abilities & Skills

Armed Close Combat

Hillman fights as both a frontline warrior and a protector of the squad’s mages 10 14.

• Uses spear strikes to intercept threats and hold enemies at a distance 10 11.
• Targets vulnerable eyes with a short blade when fighting stronger magical beasts 25 26.
• Coordinates with allies to turn an interrupted attack into a lethal opening 25.
• At middle fifth level, cannot reliably contain two fifth-level Man Snakes even with wind-magic support; one breaks through toward the mages 11.

Scouting and Covert Travel

• Scouts magical beast distribution and takes the forward position during dangerous mountain expeditions 9 26.
• Detects multiple powerful beasts by their smell and warns the party before they emerge 26.
• Gathers information in Feng Lai City and evades patrol checkpoints and hidden sentries while carrying confidential intelligence 43 44.

Berserk Secret Method — Unmastered

• Participates in the period when Shiheng teaches the method, but does not master it; Hogg and Kelan Kai succeed while the others fail 28.
• His documented sixth-level breakthrough occurs through ordinary cultivation and recuperation, not a berserk transformation 30.

Battle Qi Cultivation and Martial Dao Force

• Benefits from Shiheng’s instruction in cultivation and battle qi circulation, establishing unusually concentrated battle qi at the peak of the seventh level 68.
• Eventually reaches the peak of the ninth level, with complete foundations but a longstanding inability to comprehend force 196.
• Under Shiheng’s detailed instruction on Martial Dao concepts, aura, and the gathering and release of force, comprehends his own Martial Dao force and breaks his bottleneck 196.
• Is described as having one foot in the Saint level after this realization; an actual completed Saint breakthrough is not shown 196.

Equipment / Weapons

• Spear — Used to guard the mages and fight the Man Snakes 10 11.
• Short blade — Used for precise attacks against the Shadow Leopard’s and Red-Patterned Tiger’s eyes 25 26.
• Sword — Carried during the Swift Raptor crisis 18.
• Lowgod Divine Core — Given to him by Shiheng after his comprehension of force; its refinement and any resulting advancement are not documented 196.

Relationships

• Hogg Baruch — Fellow commander, close friend, and later the lord he chooses to serve. Hogg helps him avenge his parents. Decades later, Hillman remains deeply affected by his tragic death 7 31 41 196.
• Lindajin / Nalan Xue / Nalan Jingyu — Wife; they marry during the double wedding in Wu Mountain Town. Later identified as Nalan Jingyu, she resumes that name after the Radiant Church’s destruction. Hillman speaks of her with tenderness and contentment, and they share a peaceful home in the Baruch Empire 43 45 196.
• Children — His children enliven the gatherings with Shiheng and their old friends in the Klan capital 68.
• Shiheng — Comrade who first helps rescue his unit. Hillman later searches for him, helps save his life, and delivers his secret report. He proudly calls Shiheng his brother after hearing of his victory over a Dark Saint. Shiheng continues guiding his cultivation and ultimately repays his rescue with instruction in force and a Lowgod Divine Core 7 25 41 44 63 68 196.
• Kelan Kai — Fellow frontline warrior whose ambitions he encourages and whose safety he tries to protect after the loss of an arm 12 25.
• Lin Feng / Linley and Wharton — Hogg’s sons, whom Hillman repeatedly assists and protects during their difficult youth. The Baruch family later rewards this kindness by providing him with a luxurious residence 196.

Notable Quotes

“From now on, my life belongs to you, Hogg!” 41

“Hahahaha! I knew it! That's my brother!” 63

“Every wish I had in my youth has now been fulfilled. I've avenged my father, settled old grievances, and married the woman I love. My life is peaceful and smooth, and my cultivation is firmly at the ninth-level peak.” 196

Trivia

• On their first meeting, Shiheng recognizes Hillman as the future captain of the guards in Wu Mountain Town 7.
• His wife’s naming varies across the narrative: earlier rescue and marriage passages call her Nalan Xue and Lindajin, while the later reunion identifies her as Nalan Jingyu and states that she has resumed her original name 42 43 45 196.