Zheng Huaiyuan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life on Wood Spirit Peak

Zheng Huaiyuan had lived on Wood Spirit Peak for over a hundred years before its relocation into the inner sect. His cultivation experience was largely confined to the Southern Region; the farthest he had traveled from the sect was ten thousand li. The revelation that cultivation worlds existed beyond the Yellow Origin Realm therefore came as a profound shock to him 15 33.

Before Ye Xuan’s arrival, Zheng Huaiyuan and Ji Fenghe were Wood Spirit Peak’s only residents. He was already among the outer sect’s leading alchemists and had spent over a decade refining pills in the massive cauldron at the summit 14 31.

Accepting Ye Xuan

Ji Fenghe brought Zheng Huaiyuan flawless Qi Gathering and Spirit Concentration Pills made by Ye Xuan. Astonished that an apparently fourth-layer Qi Refining disciple could produce them, Zheng Huaiyuan summoned Ye Xuan, questioned him about alchemy, and watched him refine pills before accepting him as his second disciple 14.

Ye Xuan concealed his actual cultivation and Spirit Roots with the Chaos Dao Scripture. Zheng Huaiyuan consequently believed that his new disciple possessed Five Elements Defective Spirit Roots. Rather than reject him for poor aptitude, he provided resources and later ten Marrow Cleansing Pills, personally helping him absorb their medicinal power over ten days 14 16.

After Ji Fenghe reported losing to Ye Xuan in three moves, Zheng Huaiyuan tested Ye Xuan with the second level of Azure Feather Swordsmanship. Ye Xuan reproduced both the forms and Sword Intent after one demonstration. Delighted, Zheng Huaiyuan began teaching him personally, delaying his own pill refinement in the process 20 31.

When Ye Xuan requested permission to gain experience outside the sect, Zheng Huaiyuan reluctantly agreed. He feared for his disciple’s safety but also worried that excessive sheltering might obstruct a future Spirit Transformation breakthrough 21.

Breakthrough and Inner Sect Appointment

Zheng Huaiyuan’s long-running refinement ended in a furnace explosion, damaging the summit square and part of the main hall. He emerged without serious injury and with three Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pills, though each retained only fifty to sixty percent efficacy. He then spent a month preparing for his breakthrough 31.

His tribulation attracted numerous Golden Core elders and disciples. He survived the final strike despite losing a defensive cauldron, successfully forming his Nascent Soul 32.

Under Ling Ziling’s improved treatment of alchemists, Zheng Huaiyuan donated one remaining breakthrough pill to obtain an inner sect elder position. This bypassed the usual need to reach Nascent Soul Middle Stage. He sold the final pill to Mo Qi’s master and accepted further refinement commissions at relatively low fees out of regard for his former outer sect colleagues 33.

Choosing to join Pill Cloud Peak, he requested that Wood Spirit Peak be moved rather than abandoned. Qi Yue relocated and enlarged it to ten times its former size. Zheng Huaiyuan subsequently allotted its lower third to his disciples and promised to recruit workers through sect missions to develop their medicinal fields 33 34.

Preparing the Spirit Medicine Realm Expedition

Zheng Huaiyuan had prevented Ji Fenghe from reaching Foundation Establishment so that he could enter the Spirit Medicine Realm, which admitted only Qi Refining cultivators. He also prepared Ye Xuan for the outer sect selection, refusing to force his cultivation upward at the cost of damaging his foundations 15.

After becoming an inner sect elder, he confirmed that both disciples could retain their outer disciple status until their return. This kept them from having to compete against inner sect geniuses for expedition places 34.

Before their departure, he supplied extensive protective equipment and instructed them to find safety and establish their foundations before exploring. He watched the Azure Feather Ship disappear and silently hoped that both would return unharmed 38 40.

Appearance

• White hair and beard: Introduced as a white-haired elder and later shown stroking his white beard 14 16.
• Post-breakthrough bearing: After forming his Nascent Soul, his flowing white hair and demeanor are described as resembling an immortal 34.
• Refinement mishap: The furnace explosion that completed his breakthrough pills left his hair and beard partly singed black 31.

Personality

Zheng Huaiyuan values talent but insists on discipline. He repeatedly criticizes Ji Fenghe’s restlessness and wasted potential, orders him to cultivate alongside Ye Xuan, and later confines him after learning about the Laughing Gas Pill affair. He also teaches his disciples to remain calm in dangerous situations 14 20 35 38.

His generosity is practical and sustained: he invests heavily in Ye Xuan despite believing his Spirit Roots are poor, guards him while he takes medicinal pills, and equips both disciples for dangerous journeys. Nevertheless, his hopes are not entirely selfless. Believing Nascent Soul to be his natural ceiling, he imagines that Ye Xuan might eventually help him reach Spirit Transformation 16 20 21 38.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

Zheng Huaiyuan’s successful refinement of Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pills while still at Golden Core Peak establishes his standing as the outer sect’s foremost alchemist 31.

• Recognizes flawless pills at a glance and distinguishes subtle differences in an alchemist’s techniques and habits 14.
• Compiles notes on medicinal properties and alchemical insights for his disciple’s study 14.
• Produces three breakthrough pills despite a furnace explosion, though their reduced efficacy falls well short of flawless quality 31.
• Gains access to better medicinal ingredients and fellow grandmaster alchemists through his inner sect appointment 33.

Azure Feather Swordsmanship

Although primarily an alchemist, Zheng Huaiyuan is also an accomplished swordsman 20.

• Demonstrates the second level’s eleven forms together with Sword Intent 20.
• Uses a longsword to cleave apart the early bolts of his Nascent Soul Tribulation; the first ten strikes pose no difficulty 32.
• Requires additional defensive treasures as the later lightning strikes intensify 32.

Cultivation Instruction

Zheng Huaiyuan provides Ye Xuan with personal instruction in cultivation methods and answers questions beyond his disciple’s apparent realm 20.

• Teaches Ye Xuan his knowledge concerning Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment 30.
• Avoids artificially accelerating Ye Xuan to Qi Refining Peak because doing so would weaken his foundations and harm future cultivation 15.
• Initially fails to see through Ye Xuan’s concealed cultivation and Spirit Roots 14 16.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Personal Equipment

• Spirit Artifact longsword — Used to demonstrate Azure Feather Swordsmanship 20.
• Pill Cauldrons — Used for refinement and defense. His long-running refinement cauldron explodes; another shatters during his tribulation’s seventeenth strike 31 32.
• Protective jade pendants — Activates eighteen in succession before meeting the final tribulation bolt 32.
• Wood Spirit Peak’s mountain-protecting formation — Activates it before seclusion and during preparations for his breakthrough 31 32.

Resources Given to Disciples

• Azure Wood Lamp — A supreme-grade Law Artifact presented to Ye Xuan upon accepting him 14.
• Alchemy notes and disciple token — Give Ye Xuan study material and unrestricted access to Wood Spirit Peak’s spirit fields 14.
• Cultivation supplies — Include several bottles of Spirit Origin Pills, ten mid-grade Spirit Stones, one high-grade Spirit Stone, and other resources 16.
• Ten Marrow Cleansing Pills — Supplied to improve Ye Xuan’s apparent poor aptitude 16.
• Travel protection — Gives Ye Xuan Spirit Artifacts capable of withstanding a Golden Core cultivator’s blow and a jade pendant to summon his aid 21.
• Spirit Medicine Realm supplies — Gives each disciple protective pendants, supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts, pills, Spirit Stones, and a Spirit Link Jade Pendant that senses its counterpart within ten thousand li 38.

Relationships

• Ji Fenghe — First disciple and the person to whom Zheng Huaiyuan is closest. He recognizes Ji Fenghe’s talent but frequently reprimands his lack of discipline 14 20 40.
• Ye Xuan — Second disciple and his greatest hope for the future. Zheng Huaiyuan’s care strengthens Ye Xuan’s sense that Wood Spirit Peak is a home, while Ye Xuan’s apparent genius inspires his own ambitions beyond Nascent Soul 16 20 40.
• Qi Yue — Seventh Elder who oversees the tribulation spectators, explains the alchemist promotion policy, and relocates Wood Spirit Peak into the inner sect 32 33.
• Mo Qi’s master — Purchases Zheng Huaiyuan’s remaining Nascent Soul Breakthrough Pill by offering the highest price 33.

Notable Quotes

“Hehe, why thank me when we're master and disciple? Hurry and take a pill. I'll stand guard for you.” 16

“If you encounter danger, remember to stay calm. Safety comes first.” 38