Li Hai

Biodata

Power Progression

• Publicly reported grade: Zhao Yi later announced Li Hai’s foundation as middle grade at the Yunsha Market meeting, rather than revealing its actual superior grade 153 163.

Background / History

Li Hai was born and raised by the sea. His impoverished childhood left his body severely depleted, and beginning cultivation at fourteen was considered late. Liu Yu arranged daily Vitality-Strengthening Soup and medicinal baths every three days to repair those deficiencies 14 16.

Originally called Chunsheng, he studied Daoist scriptures with Liu Yu and martial arts with Wang Qing before formally entering the lineage. Zhao Yi conducted his apprenticeship ceremony in Linghua Island’s Ancestral Hall on Chen Yihua’s behalf, making him Chen Yihua’s fourth disciple. He drew the surname Li by divination and personally chose Hai, meaning “sea,” to reflect his upbringing 14.

His early training combined the Spirit Transformation Fist with the Thirty-Six Forms of the Wind-Chasing Spirit-Slaying Sword. Within his first year, he was practicing the fist routine ten times and the sword routine twenty times daily. After testing him, Zhao Yi recognized his exceptional swordsmanship talent and encouraged him to study their master’s sword manuscripts 15 28.

Appearance

Li Hai develops from a dark-skinned child into a slender, handsome youth with sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a composed expression 33.

• Physique: Becomes taller and sturdier through training, with clearly defined muscles 28.
• Bearing: After reaching perfection of Meridian Opening, initially displays a cold gaze and sharp, poorly restrained aura 55.
• Clothing: Wears water-blue Daoist robes patterned in gold when emerging from his Spirit Attraction breakthrough 102.

Personality

Li Hai is intensely disciplined and prefers cultivation and sword practice to recreation. Wang Qing calls him an “ascetic cultivator” because he spends his days meditating, refining qi, or practicing the sword. His absorption in swordsmanship later makes him reluctant even to leave his studies for Yunsha Market 55 123.

His reserve contrasts with his warmth toward his senior brothers. His icy expression disappears when Zhao Yi arrives, and he openly shows concern when Wang Qing is badly wounded. He also exchanges teasing remarks with Wang Qing about the latter having taught him his first sword techniques 55 74 166.

In combat, he is decisive and willing to risk himself for Linghua Island. Zhao Yi praises his steady hands and composure during his first killings, although Li Hai admits he was forcing himself to remain composed. His stubbornness sometimes worries Zhao Yi, particularly when a dangerous breakthrough might tempt him to proceed without medicinal assistance 24 38 102.

He is less comfortable with commerce and social obligations. Receiving visitors makes his “scalp prickle,” and Liu Yu has to restrain him when inflated pill prices nearly provoke a confrontation with a shopkeeper 123 124.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

Zhao Yi identifies Li Hai as a prospective sword cultivator within his first year of training and later calls his swordsmanship the best among the fellow disciples 28 83.

• Early foundation: Studies the Wind-Chasing Spirit-Slaying Sword, combining tight defense with attacks aimed at exploiting lethal openings 15 28.
• Broad repertoire: Memorizes six swordsmanship sets compiled with Liu Yu from bandit spoils and Kongqing Island’s book collection 72.
• Sword gang: Extends three inches of gang from his blade during the battle aboard the Linghua. Wind-Thunder Rogue subsequently observes that his sword qi has sunk three inches into his bones 74 83.
• Combat enlightenment: Enters enlightenment while surrounded by Flying Sky Wolf’s bandits, linking his forms fluidly and maintaining an almost impenetrable defense 74.
• Higher-realm opposition: Temporarily restrains a Dao Foundation cultivator’s flying sword while still at great accomplishment of Spirit Drawing. The opponent eventually overwhelms him, damaging his sword and injuring his divine sense 121.

Azure Sea Tide-Rising Sword Qi

A sword art characterized by continuously renewing force: a succeeding attack rises before the preceding attack’s strength is exhausted 124.

• Changes his sword light to emerald green and deep blue, sending sword qi forward like a tide 124.
• Breaks an ambusher’s flying sword and drives its wielder into the sea 124.
• Becomes his strongest sword art by the confrontation with Daoist Liefeng, but cannot withstand Liefeng’s golden tornado; his sword is badly cracked and he suffers backlash 130.

Heavenly Sea True Scripture

Li Hai chooses to switch to this water-attribute cultivation method after Zhao Yi discovers it among captured Storage Bags 119.

• Covers cultivation from body tempering through Dao Foundation perfection 119.
• Records twelve foundation-forming methods: eight low-grade, three middle-grade, and one superior-grade 119.
• References the Vast Sea Surging Sword Technique, which was not found with the scripture; Li Hai expresses an intention to seek it later 119.
• Zhao Yi entrusts him with establishing a path for Linghua Island’s future water-root cultivators 134.

Sword Inheritance Studies

Li Hai gains two distinct sources of advanced sword instruction 123 139.

• Image-Displaying Pearl: Studies four demonstrated sword sets corresponding to sword qi condensing gang, sword qi thunderclap, Sword Light Division, and man and sword as one. By the Han Family ambush, he estimates only seven or eight further viewings remain 124.
• Unnamed sword art inheritance: Receives an inheritance from the mysterious island formation. He cannot inscribe it into a jade slip for others 139.

Treading the Waves

A sea-crossing movement technique taught by Zhao Yi 38 73.

• Uses true qi to run across the sea during shipboard combat 73.
• Crosses dozens of li from Jade Pearl Island to Linghua Island, with Zhao Yi watching over him from the air 91.

Boiling Blood Art

An emergency technique Li Hai uses to escape after demon cultivators nearly annihilate his Demon-Hunting Corps near the Azure Wave Water Abode 117.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Clear Shadow Sword — Upper-grade water-attribute magical artifact with seven restrictions, purchased for him by Wang Ping after his Dao Foundation advancement. He wields it during the Spirit Stone mine assault 168.
• Ghost Shark Daoist’s sword — An exceptionally sharp Dharma Artifact Embryo obtained from the island’s spoils. Li Hai remains attached to it even after receiving flying swords 38 72 102.
• Two flying swords — Gifts from Zhao Yi after his Spirit Attraction breakthrough: a three-restriction low-grade sword for flight and a four-restriction mid-grade sword for combat 102.
• Defensive jade pearl — Six-restriction Dharma artifact selected at Fubo Pavilion; Zhao Yi purchases it for one thousand spirit stones before Li Hai’s demon-hunting voyage 106.
• Close-fitting inner armor — Helps him survive Flying Sky Wolf’s linked fireball explosions 74.
• Combat talismans — Uses Sharp Metal Talismans to enhance his blade and Golden Light Talismans for protection; all three protective talismans carried during the Flying Sky Wolf battle are exhausted 72 74.
• Wondrous Sound Conch — Apprenticeship gift from Zhao Yi that produces beautiful sounds when held to the ear 14.
• Practice wooden sword — Apprenticeship gift carved by Liu Yu from a lightning-struck tree; exceptionally hard and heavy 14.
• Jade bead — Apprenticeship gift from Wang Qing 14.

Relationships

• Chen Yihua — Master. Li Hai enters his lineage through an apprenticeship ceremony conducted by Zhao Yi on Chen Yihua’s behalf 14.
• Zhao Yi — Eldest senior brother and principal protector. Oversees his training and breakthroughs, supplies equipment, and entrusts him with developing the sect’s water-attribute cultivation path 28 102 106 134.
• Liu Yu — Second senior brother. Teaches him scriptures and swordsmanship, organizes treatment for his childhood deficiencies, and later assigns him responsibility for Kongqing Island 14 16 28 131.
• Wang Qing / Wang Yuanqing — Third senior brother and early martial instructor. They patrol and fight together for years; Li Hai later shares his breakthrough notes with him 14 102 126.
• Guiwu — Sea turtle combat ally. Carries him between enemy ships and distracts Flying Sky Wolf, creating the opening for Li Hai’s killing blows 73 74.
• Li Yufeng — Praises his swordsmanship after sparring, escorts the damaged Linghua home, and invites him to meet Wind-Thunder Rogue 75.
• Wind-Thunder Rogue — Senior swordsmanship adviser who recognizes his promise and explains the four sword realms preceding sword-dao divine abilities 83.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Black Wind and Kongqing Islands

• First lethal combat: Accompanies Zhao Yi during the relief of Black Wind Island. Zhao Yi reports that they killed ten cultivators together and praises Li Hai’s performance in his first killings 36 37 38.
• Beehive raid: Helps kill the guard at Kongqing Island’s bamboo building, then sails away with six Jade-Pattern Bee hives while his senior brothers cover the withdrawal 40.
• Kongqing Island’s destruction: Attacks alongside Wang Qing and helps kill the cultivators guarding its hidden cave treasury 66.

Defense of the *Linghua*

• After Wang Qing is wounded, Li Hai takes responsibility for defending the ship and orders the sailors into hiding 74.
• Survives encirclement, exhaustion, and six fireball explosions. Guiwu’s intervention lets him emerge from the wreckage and kill Flying Sky Wolf with two sword strokes before collapsing 74.
• The battle leaves five sailors and thirty-four bandits dead. Li Yufeng later publicizes the victory and the capture of a Two-Masted Ship 74 75.

Demon Hunting and the Azure Wave Water Abode

• Zhao Yi sends him to Azure Cloud Island both to conceal his Spirit Attraction advancement and to reduce the burden on Linghua Island’s limited cultivation resources 103.
• After years of demon hunting, his corps discovers the Azure Wave Water Abode and suffers near-total destruction. Li Hai escapes, then returns to Linghua Island for assistance 117.
• Zhao Yi rescues Li Hai, Wang Qing, and Guiwu from attackers. The spoils yield the Heavenly Sea True Scripture, giving Li Hai a route to a superior-grade Dao Foundation 119.
• During the subsequent expedition, he helps Zhao Yi survive a Dao Foundation opponent by repeatedly pinning down the enemy’s flying sword despite serious injuries 121.

Defense Against the Han Family

• Repels an ambush while returning from Yunsha Market with Liu Yu, killing one attacker and defeating another with Azure Sea Tide-Rising Sword Qi 124.
• Returns urgently from Kongqing Island when Linghua Island is threatened, joining Liu Yu and Wang Qing in bearing Daoist Liefeng’s attack on Zhao Yi’s behalf 130.
• Travels with the injured Wang Qing to buy medicine. On their return, they kill Alchemist Qin and three accomplices who ambush them, destroy the evidence, and escape detection 131.

Dao Foundation and Regional Expansion

• Obtains an unrecordable sword art inheritance from a mysterious island formation before completing his superior-grade Dao Foundation 139 153.
• Draws on his experience in the Biyun Sea Region to assess the Blood Cloud Bandits’ enemies and argues that Linghua Island can afford to wait for a favorable opportunity 153.
• His publicly announced middle-grade foundation helps Zhao Yi demand twenty percent of Yunsha Market’s proceeds for Linghua Island 163.
• Leads the separate assault on a concealed Spirit Stone mine during the campaign against the Chen Family. He defeats Chen Yu Yan, kills fleeing cultivators, and secures a large Spirit Stone reserve 168.

Notable Quotes

“Eldest Senior Brother, I was born by the sea and grew up by the sea. I want to use the character Hai, for sea.” 14

“All I know is that if anyone dares invade Linghua Island, I'll fight them to the death!” 24

“The Dao Foundation doesn't matter. All I ask is to draw my sword without regret!” 119