Chen Jin

Biodata

Power Progression

• His post-revival realm is not conventionally classifiable. He could perform Embryonic Breathing and possessed True Qi before meeting their ordinary realm requirements; neither ability meant he had regained the corresponding realm 28 48.
• His reserve True Qi is a temporary trump card, not proof of Eighth Realm cultivation. It can produce destructive power approaching that realm, but is thin, short-lived, and slow to recover 65.

Background / History

Early Life and Fall

Chen Jin was a precocious youth whose family expected him to become a top imperial scholar. Qin Jianyuan discovered him in the mortal world and brought him to the Zhongnan Sword Sect Lower Court. Chen Jin devoted himself to sword cultivation, stopped contacting his family, and became one of the court’s outstanding disciples 45 58 59 61.

He won a Sword Competition and advanced toward the Innate realm, but his eagerness to enter the Upper Court led him to damage his Qi Seed. Qin Jianyuan searched for medicine on his behalf, while Chen Jin became ashamed and despondent 59 61 70.

Yan Hui gained his trust by appearing concerned for his recovery. Claiming that thousand-year spirit ginseng had been found near her homeland, she brought him to the Yan Household Great Stronghold. After drinking wine and sharing intimacies with her, Chen Jin collapsed and was left to die 45.

Awakening at Banyan Tree Slope

Chen Jin emerged from a coffin during a lightning storm with fragmented memories and a corpse monster’s instincts. He remembered his name, insisted that he was human, and sought shelter rather than returning to the coffin 1.

He settled in the shrine at Banyan Tree Slope and used remembered cultivation methods to restore his body. Rather than follow the ordinary path of zombie evolution, he chose to reverse death through the balanced cultivation of Yin and Yang 2 13 27.

The local monkey king came to regard him as an immortal master. Through the monkey king’s theft, the Yellow Immortal Clan’s intervention, and Chen Jin’s own sword-summoning technique, the Slay Evil Sword reached his hands. He later remembered that it had originally belonged to him before Su Zhen won it in a wager 8 9 10 48.

Conflict with the Yan Household

Chen Jin joined the Demon-Ghost Alliance’s march against the Yan Household Stronghold, seeking an opportunity to investigate the people connected to his corpse body. Yuan Bai returned to fight beside him rather than bring the monkey troop 21 30.

When surrounded by the Demon-Slaying Alliance, Chen Jin ordered Yuan Bai to flee and escaped underground. Exhausting his True Qi before reaching safety, he remained buried through winter. The Earth Yin Qi sustained him but left his body dangerously imbalanced toward Yin 35.

After emerging, he found Banyan Tree Slope being prepared for a new mountain god and the hanging coffins upstream gone. Unable to secure lasting seclusion, he deliberately drew lightning into his body. The strike helped complete his transformation into a human and began reorganizing his fragmented consciousness 36 41 42 43 44.

Recovering His Past

Chen Jin concealed himself in hut thirty-three at the Yan Household Market, despite discovering that he and Yuan Bai were wanted. Meditation restored memories of his sect, damaged Qi Seed, and betrayal by Yan Hui 45.

He later wounded a corpse demon and encouraged the market crowd to pursue it toward the stronghold. The demon attacked its own clansmen, and Chen Jin entered the fallen stronghold to investigate. There he found the coffin from which he had escaped and confronted the wounded demon 53 54.

He recovered the Pot Heaven Bag and other valuables, then survived an ambush by Third Granny Chen, Sun Meng, and Wu Wei. Rather than reveal himself to an approaching sect elder and surrender control of his fate, he escaped and independently returned to the sword sect 55 56 58 60.

Return, Revenge, and Exile

Chen Jin returned after three years away, reasoning that the sect offered the safest place to cultivate. He chose not to rely on an accusation against Yan Hui: the stronghold was destroyed, evidence was lacking, and his own revival involved secrets he could not explain 60.

After rebuilding his Yin Qi Seed and Sword Seed, he entered the Sword Competition. He reached Yan Hui in the fifth round, using talisman formations, evasive techniques, and Sword Intent to conceal his decisive attack. When she believed him defeated, he revealed a flying sword and used a blood-red palm talisman to hinder her escape before beheading her 67 70 83 84 85 86.

Qin Jianyuan stopped Xue Hongmei from killing him in retaliation. Following interrogation, Heart Questioning, and the shattering of the Heart-Questioning Mirror, the Upper Court ordered Chen Jin exiled for ten years. He said farewell to his friends and left to visit his family 86 87 89 90.

Appearance

• Corpse form: Withered face, greenish skin, intact features, red body hair, and bright eyes. Despite his condition, traces of his former handsomeness remained 8 9.
• Corpse-Suppressing Talisman: A dark-red bird-script inscription between his brows, seemingly fused with his flesh. He found it degrading and eventually erased it 8 28 30.
• After returning to human form: Haggard and apparently middle-aged, with sallow, nearly bloodless skin, swollen drooping eyelids, an unkempt beard, and grizzled hair 56.
• Persistent poor complexion: Recuperation did not quickly restore his appearance; demanding cultivation and possessing only a Yin Qi Seed contributed to his greenish face 82.
• Clothing: Initially wore a burial shroud and an antique blue-green kasaya. Later disguised himself as a mountain forager in coarse hemp clothing, straw sandals, and a bamboo hat; wore a plain blue robe against Yan Hui 11 35 44 83.

Personality

Chen Jin’s original ambition made him impatient with gradual progress. He wanted to excel in everything, neglected social ties, and ultimately damaged his cultivation through haste. After experiencing death and revival, he became steadier, more patient, and better able to endure solitude 46 48 59 60.

He stubbornly preserves his human identity even while inhabiting a corpse body. Sunlight, an open life, and freedom from the coffin represent concrete goals behind his efforts to reverse death. He dislikes hiding underground, even when it is necessary for survival 1 27 35.

His caution is deliberate rather than passive. He avoids battles beyond his strength, protects his secrets, and refuses to place his fate entirely in another person’s hands. His revenge against Yan Hui is similarly calculated: he regards uncontrolled hatred as an obstacle to choosing the right opportunity 9 21 58 83.

Although outwardly reserved and wary of strangers, he remains deeply attached to those who treat him sincerely. He weeps when reunited with Qin Jianyuan, generously supports Huang Mengliang and Ye Tong, and worries about Yuan Bai after their separation 46 63 67 68.

Abilities & Skills

Dragon-Tiger Inner Treasury Mysterious Scripture

An orthodox cultivation method that gathers the essence of the sun and moon to nourish the body and balance Yin and Yang 8 13.

• Uses moonlight essence to restore apertures and reopen withered meridians.
• “Harvesting yin to replenish yang” follows an orthodox restorative path, not a predatory technique.
• Enables Chen Jin to pursue resurrection rather than zombie evolution.
• Forms the basis of his new Yin and Yang Qi cultivation 13 27 67.

Eight Scenes Contemplation and Visualization Method

A remembered visualization method used alongside his Qi cultivation 2 8.

• Supports his gathering of moonlight essence.
• Allows him to visualize a bright moon, jade cup, and grape wine.
• Guides the reassembly of his consciousness after the lightning strike.
• Carries a risk of inner demons and Qi Deviation; his first moon visualization nearly draws him into a dangerous vision 2 22 44.

Nine Chapters of Sword Exegesis

One of the Zhongnan Sword Sect’s three core sword arts, normally available to Lower Court disciples from the Fifth Realm onward 65.

• Its stages are Sword Moves, Sword Form, Sword Momentum, Sword Seed, Sword Intent, Sword Qi, Sword Light, Sword Domain, and Nine Swords Return to One.
• Chen Jin formerly reached Sword Qi; retained knowledge and muscle memory help him rebuild his swordsmanship.
• Early practice is limited by his corpse body’s stiffness rather than lack of understanding 10 22 65.

Yin Sword Seed and Ice-Type Sword Intent

Chen Jin forms a deep-blue Yin Sword Seed using Ice Soul Divine Baleful Intent, applying experience from his former Five Elements sword cultivation 70.

• Precisely strikes Wu Jing’s eyes with Sword Intent.
• Counters Song Wushang’s Vermilion Bird Sword Intent.
• Produces an intense cold effect during his match with Yan Hui.
• A Sword Seed can eventually grow into a flying sword; his lethal attack against Yan Hui nevertheless requires his reserve True Qi and careful preparation 70 77 85 87.

Five Elements Escape Arts

Chen Jin retains knowledge of high-level escape techniques, though successfully casting them depends on his physical condition and available power 35.

• Earth Escape: Escapes encirclement, travels underground, attacks Third Granny Chen from behind, and drags Sun Meng beneath the ground.
• Water Escape: Creates water and uses it to reposition behind Yan Hui.
• Limits: His early Earth Escape consumes his remaining True Qi; underground roots and rocks remain hazards. Other escape arts may fail when his body cannot support them 35 56 85.

Talismans and Formations

Chen Jin remembers talisman drawing and has studied pill refining, artifact crafting, and formations 11 25.

• Practices with Safety Talismans, which soothe the mind, steady the spirit, and provide some protection against evil and ghosts.
• Installs a Lesser Five Elements Array to obscure sight, block sound, bewilder intruders, and protect his courtyard.
• Uses metal- and water-element talisman formations in combat.
• Uses a crimson palm talisman to hinder Yan Hui during his finishing attack.
• High-grade talismans exceed his early reserves and require better ink and paper than he initially possesses 47 66 84 85 86.

Divine Sense

The lightning tribulation strengthens his soul and will after opening the divine aperture of his spiritual platform 58.

• Detects the sharp presence of an approaching Zhongnan Sword Sect elder.
• His spiritual dais manifests a sun and moon that shield him when Yao Wuya attempts to probe him 58 68.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Slay Evil Sword — A middle-grade Law Artifact originally won by Chen Jin in a competition, then lost to Su Zhen in a wager. Its four-foot blade bears fish-scale-like patterns and red threads; its forging specifically counters spirits, demons, ghosts, and corpse horrors. Chen Jin conceals it after returning to the sect because its ownership would be difficult to explain 10 48 54 61.
• Pot Heaven Bag — A recovered middle-grade storage bag with an interior roughly the size of a room. After removing the imposed restriction, Chen Jin finds Spirit Stones, talisman coins, medicinal ingredients, precious metals, and zombie-related items inside 55 61 63.
• Talisman brush materials — Cuts bamboo for a handle and plans to use spiritually imbued Yellow Immortal Clan tail-tip hairs for the brush tip, with his blood as ink against a threatening specter 25.
• Corpse-Driving Bell — Retrieves the genuine, spiritually well-nurtured bell from the Yan Household’s jade coffin 55.
• Yan Household Corpse Liberation Immortal Method — Takes the text while searching the stronghold 55.
• Burial shroud — Durable clothing designed for corpses buried to absorb Earth Yin Qi; survives his winter underground after the outer kasaya rots 35.
• Ordinary sword — Purchased for five hundred talisman coins; shattered by Yan Hui’s pressure during their match 85.
• Azure Spirit Magic Sword — Offered back by Ye Tong before the fifth round. Chen Jin declines because he cannot refine it into a useful weapon in the time remaining 81 82.

Relationships

• Qin Jianyuan — Benefactor and mentor who brought him to the sect, guided him, and searched for a cure for his damaged Qi Seed. Although he never formally accepted Chen Jin as a disciple, their bond is close; he later protects Chen Jin from Xue Hongmei 59 61 68 86.
• Yan Hui — Former romantic confidante and fellow disciple who lured him to the Yan Household Stronghold. Chen Jin returns to confront her and ultimately kills her during the Sword Competition 45 60 86.
• Yuan Bai — Monkey king companion who reveres him as an immortal master and seeks the Dao at his side. Fights beside him against the Yan Household; Chen Jin orders him to escape their encirclement and later worries about his whereabouts 10 30 35 67.
• Huang Mengliang — One of his few old friends in the Lower Court. Welcomes him back, offers financial help, supports his competition campaign, and celebrates his progress 60 63 80 81.
• Ye Tong — Huang Mengliang’s wife and a fellow Lower Court disciple. Welcomes Chen Jin, prepares meals for him, and tries to help by offering a magical sword. Receives ten thousand talisman coins as his belated birthday gift 62 63 81 82.
• Su Zhen — Senior brother who won the Slay Evil Sword from him in a wager. Yuan Bai reports Su Zhen’s death at the weasel stockade before Chen Jin recovers the sword’s history 10 48.
• Liu Chen — Younger sect rival influenced by Yan Hui and resentful of comparisons with Chen Jin. After Chen Jin’s exile, he declares his wish for a fair sword contest; Chen Jin regards him as proud and easily manipulated rather than an irreconcilable enemy 74 91.
• Xue Hongmei — Yan Hui’s master and a hostile Lower Court elder. Attempts to kill Chen Jin immediately after Yan Hui’s death, but Qin Jianyuan stops her 68 86.
• Old Man He — Temporary market neighbor who warns him about disappearances in the mountains. His family follows Chen Jin during the second assault before leaving to search the fallen stronghold 46 48 53.

Notable Quotes

“I did die, but then I came back to life, so I returned to the mountain to find you.” 60

“It is easy to vanquish bandits in the mountains, but hard to vanquish bandits in the heart.” 74

“No, Master Qin. I returned to the mountain to cultivate better.” 89