Liu Zhijian

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life on Earth and Recruitment

Liu Zhijian was an ordinary farmer who had loved fishing since childhood. He never married or had children. After his parents died, he left his hometown to fish throughout the country. By the time he began cultivation, roughly thirty years of fishing had developed his unusual patience and perseverance 4 5.

He first encounters Li Chengxuan near the water at Li Household Hollow. Initially unsure whether the young man is a genuine Daoist or merely wearing a costume, he advises him to seek a hospital examination after his period of unconsciousness 2.

A joking question about his own cultivation aptitude changes his life. Li Chengxuan discovers an exceptionally rich Water Virtue manifestation, administers a cleansing pill, and takes him through the Two Worlds Pearl. His arrival causes thunder and atmospheric upheaval across the Southern Edge Continent; bringing his abundant aspect into that world also strengthens its Heavenly Dao 4 5.

Danzhou and the Flood Dragon’s Cave

After formally joining Supreme Mystery Mountain, Liu studies cultivation texts for a month and chooses the slow Dripping Water Pierces Stone method. When seclusion begins damaging his Kan Water aspect, Li Chengxuan sends him into the wider world. Liu settles in Danzhou, trading his catches for food and cultivating at night 5 6 12.

There he befriends Deng Gang through their shared love of fishing. During the expedition into a flood dragon’s cave abode, Deng saves him from a surprise sword attack and is gravely wounded. Liu retaliates with his staff Law Artifact, then stays to protect his unconscious friend rather than pursue the attacker 12 14.

When other cultivators prevent their departure, Liu reveals his sect affiliation and presents the Grand Mysterious Token. Offered first choice of the cave’s treasures, he passes over a valuable strand of Kan Water Spiritual Qi and takes flood-dragon blood instead. He later tells his master that he does not regret gathering the Qi for his own path through personal effort 15 22.

Wild Goose Pond Mountain and Deng Gang

Liu and Deng defeat the bandits occupying Wild Goose Pond Mountain and gather displaced people there. Liu’s accounts of revolutionary martyrs influence Deng’s political ambitions, although Liu himself repeatedly refuses to join his campaigns against the Huang Kingdom 22 28 32.

At Wild Goose Pond Mountain, Liu grows close to Jiang Xiaoyu. Before dying, Elder Luo entrusts her safety to him; Liu accepts without taking the elder’s harmful Secret Method as payment. Jiang later becomes a Registered Disciple under Liu’s name 33 42.

His friendship with Deng deteriorates as their ambitions diverge. Liu eventually learns that powerful cultivators are engineering Deng’s rise, strengthening him with the slain flood dragon Fubo’s blood and fate before arranging an attack on Supreme Mystery Mountain 34 43 44.

Liu offers Deng the possibility of shelter if he has not consumed Human Pills, but Deng discovers that Qiao Yuniang has already fed them to him. Their conflict culminates in Liu releasing a sword talisman against the transformed Deng. Liu later accepts the tragedy without denying that their original friendship had been genuine 48 49 64.

Little Dragon Mountain and Public Recognition

Liu visits Little Dragon Mountain to see its spiritual fish and improve his fishing. He exchanges practical knowledge with the Dong Household’s fish farmers, particularly Dong Yu, while avoiding the principal branch’s formal banquets and status-conscious conversation 82 94 95.

During the confrontation with a Foundation Establishment dragon prince, Liu helps defend the White Dragon River’s dike and advances to Middle Qi Refining. His fishing rod reaches hidden Kan Water beneath the river and accidentally pulls the Dong Household’s Dragon-Rearing Secret Realm into the present world. He permits the household to search it and returns the Ancient Zhi River spirit to Dong Fengming 99.

These events make him a leading representative of the Old Method’s younger generation. Li Chengxuan assigns him to oversee the General Affairs Hall, where he handles the apology gifts sent after the attack on Hua Chunning and Duanmu Ren. Hu Yueqiu later takes over the hall, freeing Liu to travel to Mirror Moon Lake with upgraded fishing equipment 116 127.

Mirror Moon Lake and Sha Contamination

Liu’s reputation draws Rogue Cultivators to Mirror Moon Lake in the hope that he will uncover another secret realm. When monsters pursue them, he intervenes rather than leave them to die. He uses both his angling experience and his heart-hooking method against the gray-horned whale monster 134 151.

Heba Yansi then subjects him to Sha techniques that transfer injuries and disturb his will. True Fire awakens in Liu’s fishing rod, burns away Heba’s Sha Qi, and prevents his regeneration, allowing Liu to defeat him. The victory brings a Foundation Establishment opportunity, but Liu remains tainted by Sha 152 153.

After returning to Supreme Mystery Mountain, Liu worries that praise had made him overconfident and proposes withdrawing from dangerous affairs. Li Chengxuan discourages an excessive retreat and plans to send him and Hu Yueqiu to the Grotto-Heaven to cleanse their Blood Qi and Sha Qi 154.

Appearance

Liu initially appears as a middle-aged man with a plain, rough-hewn face and the weariness of an outdoor fisherman. His appearance becomes noticeably more vigorous after cultivation 15 22.

• Before cultivation: Years of exposure to sun and rain leave him with bodily aches and ailments 4.
• After meridian opening: No longer looks world-worn; appears full of vitality 22.
• Kan Water Manifestation: Appears under Qi observation as clear, winding rivers containing fish, shrimp, and swaying aquatic plants 4.

Personality

Fishing is Liu’s central passion rather than a pastime subordinate to cultivation. He initially imagines immortality chiefly as a way to reach inaccessible fishing spots and eventually angle for flood dragons and true dragons. Although a poor student, he applies the patience learned from fishing to difficult scriptures and slow cultivation methods 5 6 23.

He is modest about his abilities, sometimes calling his aptitude ordinary despite his exceptional Manifestation. Once he chooses a path, however, he is resolute. Li Chengxuan regards his steadfast Dao heart as potentially more valuable than his natural Kan Water aspect 6.

Liu rejects the pursuit of cultivation at others’ expense. Having experienced a devastating flood in Beihu Province, he refuses the destructive Turbid Current Calamity path even when it offers power and an easier route forward. He likewise declines to exploit the White Dragon River to accelerate his advancement 45 94 99.

His noncontention has firm limits: he will protect his life, his loved ones, and his freedom to fish. He has no desire to become sect master and would accept Hua Chunning taking the position with their master’s approval 92.

Abilities & Skills

Kan Water Affinity and Heavenly Favor

• Possesses an exceptionally abundant Kan Water aspect formed on Earth, recognized by Li Chengxuan as excellent cultivation aptitude 4 12.
• Receives Heavenly Dao favor as the first child of fate brought from Earth into the cultivation world 12.
• Must live in accordance with flowing-water imagery; prolonged, stagnant seclusion can obstruct rather than improve his cultivation 11 12.

Dripping Water Pierces Stone Meridian-Opening Method

• Uses the image of persistent dripping water to open blocked meridians gradually 6 7.
• Suits his patience and perseverance, despite its exceptionally slow normal cultivation speed 6 22.
• Grants considerable physical mobility even before he enters the Dao, allowing him to travel as fast as a galloping horse and negotiate steep terrain 12.

River and Great Mound Scripture

• Orders his Kan Water Manifestation and embodies overcoming danger and standing firm through tribulation 42 99.
• Produces an immovable defensive presence; a turbid torrent is halted before him and settles into a smooth current 42.
• Benefits from compatible Wu Earth imagery, as demonstrated at the White Dragon River’s dike 99.
• Remains limited by cultivation disparity: at Qi Refining, he cannot withstand the full power of a Foundation Establishment dragon prince 99.
• The scripture, called the River and Sea Great Mound Scripture in his master’s assessment, is sufficient for his cultivation through perfected Foundation Establishment 81.

Old Man by the Stream: Heart-Hooking Method

• Uses fishing imagery to stir another being’s emotions and desires and influence its mind 80.
• Makes Jiang Xiaoyu inexplicably happy during a New Year demonstration 80.
• Amplifies the gray-horned whale monster’s pain until it overwhelms its other thoughts, disrupting its resistance 151.
• Represents an early glimpse of the Immortal Foundation’s Life Divine Ability—not proof that Liu has already established that Foundation 80 81.

Angling and Practical Knowledge

• Gathers Clear Qi Above the River as small, fine-scaled fish appearing during nighttime fishing 29 34.
• Applies years of playing fish to conserve strength and control a powerful aquatic monster 151.
• Exchanges fish-farming knowledge from Earth with the Dong Household and seeks advice from skilled fishers regardless of their status 94 95.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black wooden staff / fishing rod — A Law Artifact bestowed by Li Chengxuan. Made from unidentified spirit wood that survived a Divergent Flame while retaining its flexibility; used for fishing, defense, and close combat 14 81 152.
• True Fire within the rod — Awakens during the battle with Heba Yansi, burning Sha Qi and preventing his body from restoring itself 152.
• White sinew fishing line — A gift from Li Chengxuan, resistant to water, fire, and cutting weapons. Dong Linyuan suspects it may be dragon sinew, but this is not confirmed 81 96.
• Grand Mysterious Token — A black token bearing the character for “mystery,” used to prove his connection to Supreme Mystery Mountain 15.
• Sword talisman in a black case — Releases a golden-white, finger-length sword against Deng Gang. Its presence later makes the dragon prince wary of approaching him 49 97.
• Qi Gathering Method Jade Slip — Contains Kan Water gathering principles and annotations from earlier sect cultivators; teaches him why successful methods cannot simply be copied 23.

Relationships

• Li Chengxuan — Master and benefactor. Discovers Liu’s aptitude, brings him into the cultivation world, and guides him toward a path suited to his temperament. Liu treats him with deep respect 4 5 22 41.
• Jiang Xiaoyu — Ward and Registered Disciple. Liu promises Elder Luo to protect her, teaches her, disciplines her mischief, and remains deeply attached despite calling her troublesome 29 33 42 64.
• Deng Gang — Former close friend and fishing companion who saves Liu’s life. Their conflicting loyalties lead to a fatal confrontation, but Liu later refuses to resent him or dismiss their earlier bond 14 49 64.
• Elder Luo — Entrusts Jiang Xiaoyu to Liu after recognizing him as one of the few good people he has known. Liu accepts the responsibility without demanding his Secret Method 33.
• Hua Chunning — Junior sister. Liu grants Kan Water that helps complete her Manifestation, earning her lasting gratitude and respect 42 116.
• Duanmu Ren — Junior brother from Earth. Liu patiently answers his questions about cultivation while withholding matters he cannot disclose; Duanmu later treats him more seriously after his rise to prominence 52 116.
• Hu Yueqiu — Fellow disciple whose connection with Liu strengthens during their reunion at Mirror Moon Lake, partly through their shared care for Jiang Xiaoyu 146.
• Dong Linyuan — Host at Little Dragon Mountain and a participant in Deng Gang’s fate. Liu appreciates his hospitality but recognizes his calculating nature and declines gifts he considers excessive 92 96.
• Dong Yu — Friend from the Dong Household’s collateral branch. Their relationship develops through practical discussions of fish and fishing rather than rank or formal Dao debate 95.

Notable Quotes

“Flowing water doesn't strive to be first; it strives to flow on without end.” 6

“I don't want to follow that path, Master, or become some immortal cultivator who holds himself supremely precious. Still less would I take another person's life for the sake of cultivation.” 45

“No one can take my life, harm my closest family, or keep me from fishing.” 92