Lin Feng

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Lin Feng previously spent time in Yunzhou, where he encountered iron mines and various forging methods. By his first meeting with Qin Tiexin, he had been managing the storehouse for half a month 34.

At thirteen, he accompanied his father north on a trading trip and witnessed him kill a mounted bandit while defending their wagon. His father subsequently suffered nightmares and repeatedly washed his hands, an experience Lin Feng later recalled when helping Qin Tiexin cope with killing 47.

His father had studied esoteric arts and taught him basic techniques as a child. Lin Feng also described his family as former alchemists who knew a few “unorthodox tricks” 46 47.

Cultivation Lineage and Aptitude

Lin Feng is the youngest of Lin Boyuan and Madam Lin’s three children, following Lin Chuan and Lin Wei. His family resides at the Marquis of Loyal Martial Valor’s Residence in Ten Thousand Stars City, within the Heavenly South Domain. Lin Boyuan earned his title through cultivation and military achievements, and the household’s emblem depicts a longsword thrust diagonally into clouds with a streak of light on either side 357 358 367 371 393.

His aptitude test revealed a triple spirit root and a congenital blockage in part of his meridians. The combination made his cultivation slower than that of an ordinary four-spirit-root cultivator, and his father believed that even reaching Foundation Establishment would be difficult 373.

In his final letter, Lin Feng explains that he volunteered three years earlier to gain experience in the mortal world, both to clear his mind and to attend to his lineage’s businesses there. His meeting with Qin Tiexin in the army was coincidental 70.

Arrival through Fallen Immortal Mountain

Later accounts establish that Lin Feng emerged from a cave at Fallen Immortal Mountain seven years before Qin Tiexin’s arrival at Welcome Immortals Village. He recovered at Sun Daniu’s home and gave him a dagger before departing. The villagers’ encounter with him led to Sun Family Village being renamed Welcome Immortals Village 709.

When Qin Tiexin subsequently examines the dagger, he recognizes the Lin Household’s cloud motif and concludes that the earlier visitor was Lin Feng 715.

Appearance

Lin Feng is thin and small, with an oversized uniform hanging loosely from his frame 34 35.

• Burned fingertips: Qin Tiexin notices fresh burns when they first meet 34.
• Concealed hands: He often withdraws his hands into his sleeves, where he can also form hand seals unnoticed 35 47.
• Unexpected physical ability: Despite his slight build, he handles iron unusually lightly and completes a weighted mountain march without visible strain 34 38.
• Visible spellcasting signs: His eyes shine blue-green while he forms concealed hand seals during the confrontation with Yelü Yun 60.

Personality

Lin Feng is talkative, curious, and eager for company. Bored by spending his days with ledgers, he enthusiastically shares his knowledge of smithing, herbs, astronomy, and regional customs. He worries that he talks too much and is delighted when Qin Tiexin takes his interests seriously 34.

He is practical and quick to organize others. During selection, he assembles a balanced team from ungrouped recruits and warns against taking the flag too early. He initially questions Qin Tiexin’s decision to share a profitable forging method, then falls silent after hearing that faster production could help end the war 36 39.

His teasing is paired with genuine concern. He jokes about Qin Tiexin’s terrible archery, but notices when his friend’s absence from training seems suspicious. Rather than accepting the official explanation, he visits Qin Tiexin, listens to his distress, and helps him speak about it 45 47.

Despite his status as a young master, Lin Feng does not put on airs and gets along well with the Lin Household’s collateral-branch disciples. He is well liked throughout the estate 367.

His loyalty becomes especially apparent in the final pursuit, when he insists on staying behind to hold off Yelü Yun so that Qin Tiexin can continue the mission. Knowing his own condition, he puts aside concern for his survival and fights by deliberately trading wounds. As he lies dying, he remembers his comrades and considers his six months in the Northern Army the most alive he has felt in his sixteen years 60.

Personal Habits

• Refuses to eat dishes made with offal, a habit known to his family since childhood 358.
• Gazes at the stars in the southern sky after battles 358.
• Keeps his sword hilt clean, explaining that the hand holding a sword must never slip 62.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship and Close Combat

Lin Feng begins training with a graceful, unnamed longsword routine, later refining it into more direct attacks under Shi Meng 41 42.

• Knocks a restrained veteran unconscious with a hand-edge strike to the neck, stating that he will remain unconscious for four hours 39.
• Uses nimble footwork to evade attacks, though exhaustion leaves him vulnerable during the selection’s final battle 39.
• In combat against the Night Scouts, attacks from low and unexpected angles, cutting horse tendons and opponents’ wrists or ankles 50.
• Silently pierces the throats of two enemies during the attack on the first Night Scout post 57.
• Kills Yelü Yun by accepting a spear thrust into his chest, trapping the weapon between his ribs, and cutting across his opponent’s neck 60.
• Qin Tiexin later describes his swordsmanship to his parents as light, agile, and swift 358.

Agility and Endurance

His performance during the mountain selection sharply contrasts with his frail appearance 38.

• Carries a stone-filled pack while keeping pace with Qin Tiexin 38.
• Climbs steep terrain with light, deft movements and crosses loose stones almost silently 38.
• Remains free of sweat and breathes evenly after roughly two hours of climbing 38.

Calming the Mind Instruction

Lin Feng knows a basic technique taught by his father that soothes the spirit and steadies the mind 47.

• Forms a concealed hand seal and releases a faint wisp of clear Qi toward Qin Tiexin 47.
• Temporarily quiets Qin Tiexin’s intrusive memories, allowing him to focus and discuss his first kill 47.
• Cannot resolve the underlying trauma; Lin Feng tells Qin Tiexin that he must ultimately cross that hurdle himself 47.

Other Unexplained Techniques

Several actions suggest abilities beyond those he openly explains, but their mechanisms are not identified 35 39.

• Presses his palm against an ordinary-looking patch of ground immediately before directing Qin Tiexin to exceptionally heat-resistant clay 35.
• Makes a slight finger movement just before nearby grass sways, distracting the veteran targeted in the teamwork trial 39.
• Begins a similar finger movement during the flag battle, but Qin Tiexin catches his wrist and stops him 39.
• During reconnaissance of the Northern Di grain depot, closes his eyes, moves his lips, and traces his fingertips through the dirt before identifying an occupied tent and an opening in the western fence 53.

His later identification as a Qi Refining cultivator confirms that he possesses Law Power, although the specific techniques behind these earlier actions are not named 60.

Law Techniques

• Secret technique against Dugu Xiao: Helps Qin Tiexin and Tu Dazhu defeat the Night Scouts’ commander during the pursuit of Yelü Hongshan 60.
• Light Body Technique: Uses his remaining Law Power to lighten Qin Tiexin’s body and aid his breakthrough past Yelü Yun. Qin experiences increased speed, clearer hearing, and sharper vision; even his horse seems to run faster 60.
• Concealed casting: Forms hand seals within his sleeves and quietly recites incantations, allowing him to prepare techniques without obvious movements 47 60.

Blood Burning Technique

Lin Feng combines the Blood Burning Technique with a Blood Burning Pill during his duel with Yelü Yun. The pill sends a scorching current of Qi through his body, and his speed becomes more than twice what it was before. His enhanced strength forces Yelü Yun onto the defensive 60.

• The burst lasts approximately one incense stick 60.
• Enables him to maintain relentless, mutually destructive attacks despite wounds to his shoulder, torso, and thigh 60.
• Leaves him suffering extreme weakness and agony as his meridians begin snapping and his life ebbs away 60.
• The black-robed cultivator specifically remarks on the recklessness of using it at the Qi Refining First Layer 60.

Blood Baleful Intent Physique

The black-robed cultivator recognizes Lin Feng’s Blood Baleful Intent Physique while examining him after the duel. He calls it a constitution not seen once in a thousand years and declares that Lin Feng is destined to have ties with the Blood Baleful Intent Sect 60.

The discovery prompts the cultivator to immobilize Lin Feng and carry him away rather than leave him dying in the snow. No specific abilities of the physique are demonstrated in this encounter 60.

Technical and Natural Knowledge

Lin Feng keeps detailed notes and draws on information gathered through travel and storehouse work 34 35.

• Metallurgy: Explains the brittleness of Yunzhou iron and the use of cinnabar clay in working it 34.
• Herbal knowledge: Records local plants, including those useful for stopping bleeding and those that are poisonous 34.
• Navigation and geomancy: Claims competence in finding his way and basic geomancy when volunteering for the Black Pine Forest expedition 35.
• Incendiary preparation: Uses black powder with lamp oil to produce an intense bluish-white fire that rapidly burns enemy bodies 46.
• Cultivation knowledge: Leaves Qin Tiexin an explanation of cultivators, cultivation regions, Spiritual Qi, and the barriers separating those regions from the mortal world. He also suggests that Qin may possess an unusual constitution 70.

Small-Unit Tactics

Lin Feng frequently takes the initiative in planning and coordination 39 42.

• Recruits Zhao Ling, Tu Dazhu, and Chen San to complete his five-man selection team 39.
• Coordinates the veteran’s distraction, restraint, and incapacitation during the silent-capture trial 39.
• Builds a low defensive wall in a training exercise, assigns flankers, and changes plans when the opposing team adopts a shield formation 42.
• Calls for disabling enemy horses during the battle with the Night Scouts 50.
• Scouts the grain depot with Chen San, identifying sentry arrangements and an infiltration route before the squad’s attack 53.
• Qin Tiexin later identifies intelligence analysis, planning, and wilderness survival as areas in which Lin Feng is exceptionally capable 358.

Archery

Qin Tiexin’s recollection after reading Lin Feng’s letter describes him as proficient with the bow as well as the sword 70.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Personal notebook — Contains neat writing, careful plant illustrations, and unusual symbols 34.
• Longsword — Used for his sword routine and early Squad A training 41.
• Saber — Gripped while trapped with Squad A in the smoke-filled valley 49.
• Short blade — Used against horses’ tendons and enemy limbs during the Night Scout battle 50.
• Leather pouch of black powder — Supplies the powder used with lamp oil to burn bodies after the patrol ambush 46.
• Blood Burning Pill — A bright-red pill consumed during the duel with Yelü Yun to support his final burst of power 60.
• Final letter and map — Left inside his sword, explaining his origins and the cultivation world, requesting the sword’s return to the Lin Household, and marking a route through the Spirit-Severing Mountain Range 70 72 715.
• Dagger given to Sun Daniu — A blue-black Semi-Law Artifact containing a trace of spiritual material and bearing the Lin Household’s cloud motif. Qin Tiexin later uses it to identify Lin Feng as the village’s earlier visitor 709 715.
• Soul-fire plaque — Kept by his family as evidence of his continued life. Madam Lin shows Qin Tiexin its steady white flame after he returns the sword 358.
• Carved Buddha statue — Ming’an includes the absent Lin Feng among the Lin family members to whom he gives carved Buddha statues before leaving the residence 566.

Personal Sword and Its Return

After Lin Feng disappears, Qin Tiexin finds his sword standing in the snow near Yelü Yun’s corpse. Its blade is bloodstained, but its hilt remains clean. There is no sign of Lin Feng himself 62.

The sword has a long, narrow blade with fine cracks and damaged spiritual patterns. Qin initially cannot understand its faint inner circuit or the tiny bump near its guard. He later obtains Lin Feng’s final letter and map from inside it 65 69 70 715.

With greater artifact-refining knowledge, Qin identifies it as a three-foot Semi-Law Artifact containing roughly eight or nine percent spiritual materials and an ordinary Sharpness Spiritual Rune. It has an ordinary scabbard and a hilt wrapped in worn leather cord 108.

Qin carries it for three years before returning it to Lin Boyuan and Madam Lin. The emblem on its scabbard allows him to identify the correct Lin Household after searching numerous unrelated lineages 345 355 357 358.

Relationships

• Qin Tiexin — Friend and brother-in-arms, whom he calls “Brother Qin.” Helps him obtain refractory clay, organizes their selection team, and supports him after his first kill. Qin later helps rescue Lin Feng and the rest of Squad A from a trap 35 39 47 49. Lin Feng subsequently stays behind against Yelü Yun so Qin can pursue Yelü Hongshan. His letter and request to return the sword become Qin’s original reason for entering the cultivation world, and Qin eventually fulfills the promise after carrying the weapon for three years 60 70 72 108 345 358.
• Father / Lin Boyuan — Taught him basic esoteric arts. His experience after killing a bandit shapes Lin Feng’s understanding of battlefield trauma; when facing possible death, Lin Feng worries about his father’s grief 47 49. Later identified as the Marquis of Loyal Martial Valor, Lin Boyuan searches for his missing son and refuses to let the Xiao Household dissolve Lin Feng’s betrothal without his participation 357 373 706.
• Madam Lin — His mother, who keeps track of his soul fire and remains deeply anxious for his return. She repeatedly visits Qin Tiexin to hear accounts of Lin Feng’s life and battles in Great Xuan 358 359.
• Lin Chuan — His eldest brother, an outstanding sword cultivator of Supreme Splendor Academy. Explains Lin Feng’s aptitude and the history of his betrothal to Qin Tiexin 367 373.
• Lin Wei — His second elder sister, also a student of Supreme Splendor Academy. Protests Xiao Yan’s request to dissolve the betrothal 371 376.
• Xiao Yan — His betrothed under an agreement initiated by their fathers before their births and later formalized by their households. Her family initially refuses Lin Boyuan’s proposal to dissolve it, then reverses its position after gaining a powerful new connection. Xiao Yan’s later demand for annulment and her insult toward Lin Feng provoke conflict with his family and Qin Tiexin 373 376 378.
• Shi Meng — Squad A’s captain and combat instructor. Lin Feng explains his history and fearsome reputation to Qin Tiexin 40 42.
• Li Zhenwei — Personally summons Lin Feng for the secret selection and oversees the recruits’ training 38 41.
• Zhao Ling, Tu Dazhu, and Chen San — Original five-man selection teammates who continue serving alongside him in Squad A 39 40.
• Sun Daniu — Shelters Lin Feng after he emerges from the cave at Fallen Immortal Mountain. Lin Feng gives him a dagger before leaving 709.
• Unnamed black-robed cultivator — Finds Lin Feng dying after the duel with Yelü Yun, recognizes his Blood Baleful Intent Physique, immobilizes him, and takes him to the Blood Baleful Intent Sect while promising a boundless future 60.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Storehouse and Refractory Clay

Lin Feng befriends Qin Tiexin when the blacksmith collects iron from his storehouse. His burned fingers, light handling of heavy ingots, and enthusiasm for forging make Qin suspect that there is more to him than an ordinary clerk 34.

He accompanies Qin to the Black Pine Forest and locates clay capable of surviving extraordinary furnace temperatures. The material enables Qin’s armor-piercing arrowhead work to proceed, but its unusual quality deepens Qin’s unanswered questions about Lin Feng 35.

Secret Selection and Squad A

Summoned by Li Zhenwei, Lin Feng passes the weighted mountain march and organizes the team that secures a “yang” slip in the silent-capture trial. During the final flag battle, he remains beside Qin Tiexin and Tu Dazhu until opposing recruits knock him down. Qin’s eventual victory secures their side’s success, and Lin Feng joins Squad A 38 39 40.

Under Shi Meng, he improves his swordsmanship and helps direct his teammates during tactical exercises. Training subsequently expands into specialized military skills over three months 42 45.

First Combat and Qin Tiexin’s Recovery

Lin Feng participates in the ambush of a six-man Northern Di patrol and handles the destruction of the bodies afterward 46.

When Qin Tiexin withdraws from training following his first kill, Lin Feng recognizes signs resembling those he once saw in his father. He uses Calming the Mind Instruction, listens to Qin’s confession, and leaves him food, while acknowledging that his technique cannot provide a complete solution 47.

Night Scout Trap

Caught with Squad A in a valley, Lin Feng faces the threat of being smoked out by the Northern Di. After Qin Tiexin opens an escape opportunity, he rejoins the squad’s counterattack. He helps neutralize the Night Scouts’ mounted advantage by cutting horse tendons, then targets exposed wrists and ankles as the squad overwhelms them 49 50.

Grain Depot Raid and Scout Rescue

Lin Feng and Chen San conduct advance reconnaissance for Squad A’s attack on a Northern Di grain depot. His concealed technique helps identify an occupied tent and a poorly secured western entrance, allowing the squad to infiltrate. All ten men escape the successful raid unharmed 53.

The squad subsequently routs a cavalry group and undertakes a dangerous rescue of two captured scouts at a beacon tower. The rescue becomes an ambush, but the men support one another and escape down a cliff with the scouts. Every squad member is wounded 53.

Final Hunt and Battlefield Disappearance

After Chen San’s death and Li Shun’s removal to the medical camp, Lin Feng joins Li Zhenwei’s mission to destroy four Night Scout command posts and intercept Yelü Hongshan’s retreat. The squad suffers further losses at successive posts. Shi Meng stays behind at the third post while Li Zhenwei, Qin Tiexin, Lin Feng, and Tu Dazhu continue to the final cliffside position 57.

After Li Zhenwei stays behind to cover them, Qin, Tu Dazhu, and Lin Feng pursue Yelü Hongshan’s party. Lin Feng’s secret Law Technique helps them defeat Dugu Xiao, although Tu Dazhu loses his left hand. Qin and Lin Feng continue onward and encounter Yelü Yun, who is covering his father’s escape 60.

Lin Feng insists that Qin continue the pursuit while he holds Yelü Yun back. He casts Light Body Technique on Qin with the last of his Law Power, then fights alone. Using the Blood Burning Technique and a Blood Burning Pill, he kills Yelü Yun but collapses with a spear embedded in his chest and his meridians failing 60.

A black-robed cultivator arrives, collects Yelü Yun’s soul, and discovers Lin Feng’s Blood Baleful Intent Physique. Delighted by its rarity, he immobilizes Lin Feng and carries him away to the Blood Baleful Intent Sect. Qin later finds only Lin Feng’s sword and signs of fighting, leaving his companion’s fate unresolved from his perspective 60 62.

Final Letter and Qin Tiexin’s Journey

Lin Feng’s letter reveals his identity as a cultivator and explains the existence of cultivation regions beyond the mortal world. He asks Qin to return his damaged sword to the Lin Household and leaves a map indicating a route through the Spirit-Severing Mountain Range 70 715.

The request becomes a lasting obligation for Qin. After arranging the blacksmith shop’s affairs and waiting for Tu Dazhu’s wedding, Qin sets out and crosses the mountain range into the cultivation lands with Lin Feng’s sword at his side 70 72.

Years later, Qin still identifies finding the Lin Household and returning the sword as his original purpose in entering the cultivation world. Once he has sufficient strength and resources to travel to the Heavenly South Domain, he resumes the search there 108 345.

Confirmation of Survival

Qin eventually recognizes the emblem on the Marquis of Loyal Martial Valor’s Residence and returns the sword to Lin Boyuan and Madam Lin. He recounts their service together, including Lin Feng’s swordsmanship, practical skills, food preferences, and habit of watching the southern stars, establishing that he truly knew their son 357 358.

Madam Lin shows him Lin Feng’s soul fire. It nearly went out three years earlier but endured; beginning two years earlier, it grew steadily brighter and eventually became stronger than before Lin Feng left home. This reassures Qin that his friend survived, although neither he nor the family knows where Lin Feng is 358 359.

During Qin’s subsequent stay at the residence, Madam Lin regularly asks him to recount Lin Feng’s time in Great Xuan. His stories bring her both comfort and renewed grief, especially when he describes the final duel and the abandoned sword 359.

Betrothal Dispute

While Lin Feng remains absent, Qin learns that Lin Boyuan and his sworn brother Xiao Linyuan had promised their unborn children to one another. After Xiao Linyuan and his wife died defending a city, the Xiao Household formalized the agreement between Lin Feng and Xiao Yan 373.

When Lin Feng’s poor cultivation aptitude became apparent, Lin Boyuan proposed dissolving the engagement. The Xiao Household refused because it needed the rising marquis’s support. Its position later changed after Xiao Wan became Brahma Sound Valley’s Buddha Maiden and Xiao Yan advanced in cultivation. Lin Boyuan then refused unilateral annulment, insisting that Lin Feng should return and make his own decision 373.

Xiao Yan’s renewed attempt to exchange valuable gifts for the marriage agreement fails. Lin Boyuan drives her party away, and Qin strikes her after she insults Lin Feng. The confrontation ends without annulment, with Lin Boyuan demanding that the Duke of Tranquil Peace come in person if the Xiao Household wishes to pursue the matter 376 378.

Later Traces in Great Xuan

A later account of the Fallen Star Mountain Range recalls that Lin Boyuan searched there for Lin Feng after his disappearance, nearly slaughtering the mountain’s demon beasts but returning without finding him 706.

After Qin unexpectedly returns to Great Xuan through Fallen Immortal Mountain, the villagers tell him of the immortal surnamed Lin who visited seven years earlier. Sun Daniu’s dagger confirms Lin Feng’s identity and provides Qin with a tangible connection to his friend’s earlier journey into the mortal world 709 715.

Notable Quotes

“Don’t look for people who’ve already grouped up. Let’s find the ones on their own.” 39

“Your hands are stained with blood, but you saved lives.” 47

“Brother Qin, you can only cross this hurdle yourself. No matter how much anyone else says, it won’t help.” 47

“No. You pursue. I’ll stop him.” 60

---