Mu Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Arrival and the Dragon-Han Tribulation

Mu Chen was human in his previous life and transmigrated into the Primordial World as a spirit. Shortly after leaving his pool, he witnessed Pangu splitting the chaos; a faint aftershock nearly destroyed him. He retreated into the sea of clouds and began treating survival as his overriding priority 1 5 36.

Using the fishing system, he accumulated cultivation methods and treasures while rejecting invitations to fight innate godfiends or enter the Dragon-Han Tribulation. His first lasting companions were Qi Yan, a wounded qilin he rescued, and Ao Tian, the dragon pursuing him. Both remained in his domain, cultivated there, and eventually acknowledged him as their master 1 3 4 5.

After obtaining a cloning ability, Mu Chen explored the war without risking his original body. One clone met Hongjun and suggested defeating stronger opponents through numerical superiority. Hongjun rewarded him with the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts and later sought further advice before confronting Luohu. Mu Chen offered reassurance but destroyed his clone afterward, refusing to expose himself to the decisive battle 6 8 9.

Humanity and the Witch-Demon Catastrophe

Mu Chen repeatedly declined Hongjun’s invitations to hear the Dao. His suggestion that Nuwa should “play with mud” was passed on by Hongjun as a possible clue to her enlightenment. After Nuwa created humanity, Mu Chen chose a human body specifically because the system stated that this option could evade the Heavenly Dao’s scrutiny 5 12 15.

He subsequently refined Pangu’s Essence Blood and raised three phoenix chicks sent by Nuwa. Although unwilling to lead humanity openly, he helped humans threatened by flood dragons and urged them to rely on their own strengths. His identification of himself as “Mu” later inspired the Mu God Sect, much to his embarrassment 15 16 17 18 32.

During the Witch-Demon conflict, Mu Chen intervened when Zhurong and Gonggong endangered his waters, directing them toward Mount Buzhou. Their subsequent battle ended with Gonggong collapsing the mountain. Nuwa later wondered whether Mu Chen had foreseen the disaster. Separately, Houtu credited his guidance when she established reincarnation and became a Sage of Merit 20 21 24.

Mu Chen observed the catastrophe’s final battle through a clone rather than joining it. He sent Hou Yi and Kuafu’s remnant souls to reincarnate as humans and persuaded Nuwa not to intervene, warning that she could incur the Heavenly Dao’s wrath 30.

Aid to Humanity and Study of the Three Teachings

When Xuandu requested a cultivation path for humanity, Mu Chen supplied an incomplete Great Way of the Golden Elixir, medicines, pills, and weapons. He refused to take Xuandu as a disciple, avoiding a conflict with Laozi, and instructed him to keep the assistance secret. Xuandu later became Laozi’s disciple and presented the method to him 32 33.

Mu Chen also rejected Laozi’s invitation to join the Human Sect, fearing death in a future calamity despite the Sage’s offer of protection. After another breakthrough, the Heaven-Deceiving Cloak gave him a safer way to study: sending a concealed clone to hear the Three Pure Ones preach 36 37.

At Tongtian’s gathering, the clone used the name Wang Zha, defeated Zhao Gongming in a contest over a fruit, and unexpectedly earned the foremost seat. Mu Chen sold the seat to avoid sitting too close to the Sage. The resulting treasures attracted demon pursuers after the sermon, forcing him to flee until Xiao Shi rescued him. To conceal this embarrassment, he claimed Wang Zha was his own disciple 39 40 41 43 44 45 46 47.

Establishing the Endless Sea

The waters beneath Mu Chen’s formation gradually became a refuge from the Primordial World’s violence. When their growing population required organization, he formally named the sanctuary the Endless Sea. He delegated its administration to Prime Minister Turtle and three captured demons, promising the latter freedom after a thousand years 26 49.

After equipping Xiao Shi to confront Daoist Lu Ya, Mu Chen returned his attention to studying the Three Teachings. His avatar departed again as he anticipated Yuanshi Tianzun’s next sermon 48 50.

Appearance

• Human form: A handsome, delicate-featured youth with long hair worn loosely over his shoulders and white clothing. Despite his apparently frail build, his body is exceptionally powerful 16.
• After reaching Daluo: Described with bright, clear eyes and a gaze carrying formidable pressure 26.
• Wang Zha disguise: A thin, small, freckled young man with the apparent cultivation and origins of an ordinary Human Race Heavenly Immortal 37.

Personality

Mu Chen is intensely cautious, patient, and suspicious of rewards that require dangerous action. His early encounter with Pangu convinces him that treasures are useless without enough strength to survive. He routinely rejects opportunities involving powerful factions, public recognition, or entanglement in tribulations, preferring long periods of quiet cultivation 1 5 8 28.

His caution does not entirely override his generosity or pride. He shelters Hong Yun, equips humanity through Xuandu, and allows displaced creatures to remain in his waters. Conversely, when his clone is cornered, he refuses to surrender its treasures merely for a chance of survival, reasoning that losing a clone is preferable to abandoning his dignity 13 33 45 49.

He enjoys companionship but dislikes disruption. Raising phoenixes and a monkey adds variety to his secluded life, yet their messes and Nuwa’s repeated animal gifts exasperate him. He is also mischievous and protective of his reputation, using trickery against Ao Tian and inventing Wang Zha’s supposed discipleship to hide his clone’s humiliating pursuit 3 15 16 22 30 47.

Abilities & Skills

Star Sea Fishing System

• Awards cultivation methods, divine abilities, treasures, pills, and materials through fishing tasks 1 14.
• Presents choices between continued seclusion and interventions in major events; Mu Chen usually selects the safer reward 5 8 15.
• Supplies a High-Level Breathing Technique and thousandfold cultivation speed after he rescues Qi Yan 5.
• Provides the Heaven-Deceiving Cloak as support when he encounters a cultivation bottleneck 36.

Cloud Sea Grand Formation

• Grants Quasi-Sage-level power inside its boundaries, independently of his actual realm 2 28.
• Allows him to reshape the clouds into buildings and exercise control over beings within the domain; he reduces Ao Tian to an earthworm-sized dragon 2 4.
• Absorbs Ao Tian’s lightning and supports Mu Chen’s defense of the sanctuary 3.
• Expands alongside his cultivation, eventually covering a hundred thousand miles of sea and some mortal towns 27.
• Bars entry to those below Sage level, but cannot prevent Sages such as Hongjun and Laozi from entering 12 35.

Cloning and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts

• Heaven Beyond Heaven Incarnation: Creates expendable clones whose destruction does not harm his original body. At True Immortal, one clone costs roughly ten years of accumulated magical power 6.
• Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts: Bestowed by Hongjun; offers more powerful cloning and transformations described as capable of taking the forms of things throughout heaven and earth 6 8.
• Enables remote exploration, observation of tribulations, and attendance at Dao lectures while his true body remains secluded 22 30 37.
• Has practical limits: Hongjun can sense the arts he taught, and a Heavenly Immortal clone can exhaust its magical power while fleeing 8 45.

Dharma Heaven and Earth

• Manifests a gigantic form; Mu Chen appears ten million zhang tall when confronting Zhurong and Gonggong 20.
• Can be transmitted to others, as demonstrated when he teaches Qi Yan 4.

True God Lightning Control Method

• A Dragon Clan divine ability acquired through a hundred-thousand-year fishing task 13.
• Used with the formation’s Quasi-Sage strength to blast Kunpeng away 13.
• Produces a sea of lightning used to train the three phoenixes; Mu Chen later teaches the method to Xiao Shi 18 26.

Fire Techniques

• Samadhi True Fire Method: Produces an enduring flame with formidable power and supplies a foundation for his own fire arts 18 19.
• Body-Protecting Fire God Art: Created over eight hundred years. Surrounds his body with true fire, provides protection against arts, and allows punches to release hundred-zhang waves of flame 19.
• Zhurong Fire Control Method: Deepens his understanding of fire. Combined with Samadhi True Fire, it strengthens his self-created art enough to call down heavenly fire 21 24.
• Passes fire methods to the phoenixes and later teaches the Body-Protecting Fire God Art to Xiao Shi 26 48.

Movement and Perception

• Shrinking the Earth into Inches: A Quasi-Sage divine ability used for rapid travel and escape. His clone crosses more than a thousand meters in one step, but repeated use drains its magical power 19 24 45.
• Fiery Golden Eyes: Turns his eyes golden and exposes demons or evil beings to his sight. He later transmits the ability to Xiao Shi 31 48.
• Daluo perception: Can clearly perceive events across hundreds of thousands of miles when he chooses 27.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Four Swords of Immortal Slaying — replicas: His first protective innate spirit treasure, obtained after three hundred years of fishing. Initially beyond his ability to wield 1.
• Nine-Nine Red Cloud Soul-Scattering Gourd: Hong Yun’s repayment for shelter. Releases soul-scattering red material; Mu Chen uses it to defeat Zhao Gongming and restrain three Mystic Immortal demons 13 39 44.
• Demon Suppression Pagoda: A supreme-grade innate spiritual treasure obtained through fishing. Later given away, though still listed in his panel because he can access it 13 14 36.
• Pangu’s Essence Blood: One drop obtained through fishing and refined after acquiring a human body, greatly strengthening his physique 10 15 16.
• Origin of Water: A gift from Gonggong capable of summoning all waters of the Primordial World. Later entrusted to Xiao Shi for his struggle against Lu Ya 21 24 48.
• Twelfth-Grade Karmic Fire Lotus Platform: Combines strong defense with karmic fire that burns karma. Mu Chen uses it as a seat cushion 36.
• Heaven-Deceiving Cloak: Conceals or alters cultivation, presence, karma, origins, and appearance. Can fool Sages unless they deliberately examine it with divine abilities 37.
• Optimus Prime: A system-awarded pillar that transforms into a hand-fitting black staff. Given to Xiao Shi as a weapon 27 48.
• Immortal-Suppressing Ding: An innate spirit treasure bearing a trace of chaos presence, capable of suppressing innate gods and demons 41.
• Myriad Things Brush: An innate spirit treasure whose drawings can manifest to fight for its owner 41.
• Immortal-Ending Spear: An exceptionally lethal innate spirit treasure capable of killing immortals 41.
• Ten Acquired Spirit Treasures: Received alongside the three innate treasures in exchange for the foremost seat at Tongtian’s sermon 41.

Relationships

• Hongjun — Benefactor and recurring visitor. Rewards Mu Chen’s advice with the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts, repeatedly invites him to Dao lectures, and credits him with helping his attainment of the Dao 6 9 12 22.
• Nuwa — Recipient of his indirect guidance and sender of animal gifts. Mu Chen calls her his “big sister” while begging her to stop sending creatures he must feed 12 15 21 22 30.
• Ao Tian — Dragon subdued within the formation who eventually calls Mu Chen master. Later interprets his long confinement as protection from the tribulation 3 4 5 7.
• Qi Yan — Rescued qilin, student, and devoted follower. Receives Dharma Heaven and Earth and comes to worship Mu Chen as his master 4 5.
• Hong Yun — Rescued from Kunpeng and sheltered in Mu Chen’s clouds after dispersing his physical body. Later accompanies Xiao Shi 13 26.
• Little Seven, Little Eight, and Little Nine — Phoenixes raised and trained by Mu Chen. He teaches them fire methods and tells them to help humanity without invoking his name 16 18 26.
• Xiao Shi / Long-Armed Ape — Raised from a sleeping monkey sent by Nuwa. Receives numerous techniques and treasures, later rescuing Mu Chen’s disguised clone from demon pursuers 22 26 45 46 48.
• Prime Minister Turtle — Appointed administrator of Mu Chen’s waters and later the Endless Sea sanctuary 19 49.
• Houtu — Regards him as the senior who guided her toward establishing reincarnation and the Underworld 24.
• Xuandu — Receives the incomplete Golden Elixir path and supplies for humanity. Mu Chen avoids taking him as a disciple because of his future connection with Laozi 32 33.
• Laozi — Appreciates Mu Chen’s talent and offers him membership and protection in the Human Sect. Leaves the invitation open after Mu Chen refuses 35 36.
• Zhao Gongming — Defeated by Mu Chen’s disguised clone in a contest over a fruit. Mu Chen privately intends to repay the profitable encounter by helping him once in the future 39 41.
• Kunpeng — Driven away during Mu Chen’s rescue of Hong Yun. Mu Chen later remains wary of possible retaliation or an ambush 13 48.
• Daoist Lu Ya — Xiao Shi’s opponent. Mu Chen equips the ape to defeat him while considering the danger posed by Lu Ya’s connection to Kunpeng 47 48.

Notable Quotes

“Everyone else relies on their system, but I fucking have to match wits and courage with mine!” 1

“If you wish to grow strong, you can rely only on yourselves!” 18

“No chance. Even without rewards, I’m not going out!” 33