Li Chengxuan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Transmigration and Inheritance

Originally from Earth, Li Chengxuan disappeared from his hometown and spent nearly twenty years in the cultivation world. Old Daoist Wu saved him eighteen years before the opening chapter, when he would otherwise have been burned as a demon accused of possessing another person’s body. Cultivating immortality became his lifelong ambition 1 2.

His breakthrough to Qi Refining allowed Old Daoist Wu to appoint him Supreme Mystery Mountain’s 364th sect leader. Li Chengxuan accepted the spirit seal, formally expelled Qi Yuntian and Luo Qingqing so they could leave, and freed his master and fellow disciples from the mountain’s predicament. He also deactivated the grand array, ending its drain on Desolate Province’s Spiritual Qi and allowing the surrounding region to recover 1.

Returning to Earth

After inheriting the sect, Li Chengxuan discovered a gray, two-holed pearl in his sea of consciousness. It carried him to Earth, where the fisherman Liu Zhijian found him unconscious. He confirmed that Earth lacked Spiritual Qi, but that his Divine Sense and tempered physique still functioned there 1 2.

His return brought painful news: both parents had died during his absence. He later reunited with his elder brother, Li Jiabao, and paid respects to their parents. Li Household Hollow proved to be the Two Worlds Pearl’s Earth-side anchor 2 9 11.

Rebuilding Supreme Mystery Mountain

Recognizing Liu Zhijian’s exceptional Water Virtue Manifestation, Li Chengxuan accepted him as a disciple and brought him to the cultivation world. The crossing attracted the Heavenly Dao’s attention: Liu Zhijian’s Earth-born Manifestation strengthened the cultivation world, earning Li Chengxuan its favor and revealing possibilities within his apparently poor cultivation foundation 4 5.

He chose Continue Lost Teachings, an Immortal Foundation centered on teaching and reviving extinct Dao lineages. Earth supplied people with suitable Manifestations but no Spiritual Qi; the cultivation world supplied the conditions needed for them to enter the Dao. Linking the two gave him a practical way to restore lost inheritances 4 8.

He developed the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard on Earth, used it to help Hua Chunning strengthen her Manifestation, and recruited the county magistrate Duanmu Ren for the severed High Shaman lineage. Hua Chunning’s entry into Yi Wood became his first qualifying Merit for Continue Lost Teachings; Duanmu Ren’s success subsequently added High Shaman Merit 20 25 55 63 73.

Navigating the Immortal Alliance

Li Chengxuan resisted attempts by Xue Yang and other visitors to draw him away from Supreme Mystery Mountain. Suspecting that their Human Pill scheme might require the death of the mountain’s sect master, he stayed behind and instead sent Liu Zhijian to watch the White Dragon River 44.

He nevertheless maintained useful relations with Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain and accepted the Azure Cloud Sect’s marketplace proposal, including a thirty-percent profit share. His dealings combined cooperation with a refusal to let outside factions dictate the sect’s priorities 30 54 55.

Danzhou and Foundation Establishment

After the Two Worlds Pearl gained greater freedom of movement, Li Chengxuan traveled under the name Li Shan. At Azure Cloud Market, he repaired and explained damaged Daoist scriptures, earning recognition as a scripture lecturer when listeners made breakthroughs 126 128 131.

His association with Du Qingquan and Pang Dafu led him to Danzhou. Pang Dafu attempted to corrupt and kill him, using the Five Emperors Copper Coin Sword to suppress his Mortal World Dao cultivation. Li Chengxuan overcame the attack, immobilized Pang Dafu, beheaded him, and burned his body and soul with High Shaman black fire 138 139.

Learning that the Azure Origin Cloud Script Divine Talisman lineage was about to disappear, he realized that the protective talisman he carried was its final surviving example. He promised to preserve the lineage and used it to trace ancient teachings through the past. After surviving an encounter with a mysterious old Daoist, he returned to Danzhou and publicly taught the recovered talisman methods. The resulting Merit completed his Immortal Foundation, restored the city’s spirit springs, and brought him to Foundation Establishment 139 140 141 142.

Established Sect Master

After returning, Li Chengxuan named the azure cloud associated with his breakthrough Li Qingyun and entered seclusion to stabilize his realm. Xue Yang thereafter addressed him as a senior, reflecting the Old Method’s strict hierarchy between cultivation realms 143 144.

As the sect gained capable members, he delegated more responsibilities. After accepting Fang Qi as a Registered Disciple, he entrusted Duanmu Ren with guiding Fang Qi into Qi Ingestion rather than overseeing every step himself 158.

Appearance

• Appears youthful enough that Liu Zhijian initially calls him a “little brother” and worries that he may be a young person in trouble 2.
• Wears Supreme Mystery Mountain’s ceremonial robes during his first return to Earth; local residents describe him as a young Daoist priest dressed in black 2.

Personality

Li Chengxuan is deeply committed to cultivation but does not demand that others bear the same burdens. When Luo Qingqing offers to send replacement disciples to Supreme Mystery Mountain, he objects to bringing innocent people into its predicament. He also forbids Hua Chunning from harvesting Blood Qi to refine Human Pills while gathering Manifestation on Earth 1 24.

Caution shapes his leadership. He prefers the mountain’s protection, learns defensive and escape techniques before seeking combat, and warns his disciples against treating powerful households or Children of Fate as cultivation resources. His caution does not prevent decisive violence when threatened, as shown in his killing of Pang Dafu 30 44 115 139.

His teaching is tailored to the student. He values Liu Zhijian’s steadfast Dao heart, encourages Hua Chunning’s unconventional route into Yi Wood, and challenges Duanmu Ren to test his ideas through cultivation. Although Duanmu Ren’s extraordinary understanding briefly unsettles him, he accepts that a disciple need not be inferior to the teacher 30 65 73.

He also enjoys playful storytelling and sect life. He organizes a year-end reunion with performances and embellishes disciples’ biographies to strengthen their reputations and highlight Supreme Mystery Mountain’s role in their success 79 127.

Abilities and Skills

Two Worlds Pearl

The Two Worlds Pearl is Li Chengxuan’s life-linked treasure and principal means of connecting Earth with the cultivation world 5 74.

• World travel: Allows him to cross between worlds and transport other people 2 4.
• Recruitment: Makes it possible to bring Earth-born talents into a world where they can cultivate 4 8.
• Sensing: Lets him sense visitors to the mountain and follow disciples’ whereabouts or Dao resonance 2 30 63 73.
• Protection: Strengthens his Divine Sense and protects it against attacks; he uses its connection to dispel a life-buying coin’s effect 30 139.
• Early limitation: Transporting another person initially depleted the pearl and required a long recovery 5 10 74.
• Later expansion: Restrictions eased as his disciples entered the Dao. After Hu Yueqiu’s Fu Water entry, he could return to Earth from anywhere within Supreme Mystery Mountain’s jurisdiction rather than only the Patriarch Hall 74 126.

Continue Lost Teachings

His chosen Immortal Foundation converts the preservation and revival of lost Dao inheritances into Merit 8 142.

• Hua Chunning’s restoration of Yi Wood provides his first qualifying Merit and grants access to Yi Wood techniques 63.
• Duanmu Ren’s entry into High Shaman cultivation grants access to that lineage’s techniques 73.
• Merit continues increasing as the relevant disciples advance 73.
• Returned Dao resonance lets him learn corresponding techniques without possessing the usual aptitude or Manifestation, although they are weaker than those of orthodox lineage cultivators 63.
• Liu Zhijian’s Kan Water cultivation earns broader teaching Merit, but does not qualify as Continue Lost Teachings because Kan Water was never extinct 8 35.

Heavenly Dao’s Favor

Bringing Earth-born Manifestations into the cultivation world earns Li Chengxuan benefits from the Heavenly Dao 5 55.

• Reveals ancient knowledge about Mundane World Qi and the Human Immortal Dao 5.
• Raises the upper limit of his Dao Path without directly increasing his realm or Dao attainment 55.
• Helps him advance without bottleneck obstruction 158.
• Enables him to trace the past through surviving lineage keepsakes and recover lost teachings 140 142.
• Does not guarantee concealment from every being: the mysterious old Daoist detects him despite the protection of both the Heavenly Dao and the pearl 142.

Qi Observation Technique

A Law Technique for surveying Spiritual Qi, Manifestations, and destiny 4.

• Identifies Liu Zhijian’s Water Virtue aptitude and Duanmu Ren’s unusual presence 4 9.
• Assesses Hua Chunning’s changing Manifestation and cultivation prospects 24 40.
• Confirms that Li Jiabao’s family lacks affinity with the Dao 9.

Defensive and Movement Techniques

• Earth Armor Technique: Turns earth into protective armor but requires him to remain stationary 30.
• Cloud Soaring Technique: Briefly launches him into the air to aid escape; at Qi Refining, it does not provide genuine cloud-riding flight 30.
• Embryonic Breathing physique: Retains Xiantian Grandmaster-level physical capability on Earth despite the absence of Spiritual Qi 2.

Mental and Offensive Techniques

• Lesser Spirit Shocking Incantation: Shakes an opponent’s Divine Sense. Initially selected to interrupt enemies long enough to escape; later used to punish Duanmu Ren and subdue Pang Dafu 30 31 139.
• Name and Nature Method: Used in his embellished biographical records and, together with the incantation, to immobilize Pang Dafu 127 139.
• High Shaman black fire: Burns Pang Dafu’s body and soul after his execution 139.
• Yi Wood techniques: Demonstrates plant transformation by turning his finger into a bitter vine when Du Qingquan’s infant son bites it 128.

Scripture Scholarship

• Repairs damaged Daoist texts and reconstructs missing passages using his understanding of their teachings 131.
• Explains scriptures clearly enough to prompt breakthroughs among market cultivators 131.
• Recovers ancient talisman teachings and publicly transmits them, completing the Merit needed for Foundation Establishment 140 141 142.

Equipment and Items

• Sect leader’s spirit seal — Symbol of his succession; used to deactivate Supreme Mystery Mountain’s grand array 1.
• Two Worlds Pearl — Gray, fingertip-sized pearl with two holes, located in his sea of consciousness 1.
• Grotto Mystery Book — Lifebound Law Artifact renamed upon Foundation Establishment. Contains recovered teachings; individual pages can be separated into independent scriptures 142 143.
• Azure Origin Cloud Script Divine Talisman — Carried for protection and later identified as the last surviving talisman of its lineage, making it the key to recovering that inheritance 139 140.
• Golden bamboo sword — Used to behead Pang Dafu 139.
• Miscellaneous Records of Supreme Mystery’s Secret History — His record of disciples’ achievements, sect revival, and recovered teachings 65 68 127 141.
• Grand Mysterious Token — Gives one to Duanmu Ren with permission for five journeys between the Grotto-Heaven and the sect 158.

Relationships

• Old Daoist Wu — Master and predecessor. Saved Li Chengxuan’s life, raised him, and passed the sect leadership to him; Li Chengxuan accepts the inheritance without resentment 1.
• Qi Yuntian — Eldest senior brother. Li Chengxuan formally expels him so that he can leave Supreme Mystery Mountain 1.
• Luo Qingqing — Second senior sister. Offers resources and replacement disciples after leaving; Li Chengxuan rejects the idea of making innocents suffer in his place 1.
• Chu Siyue — Youngest junior sister. He plays affectionately with her after his breakthrough; she leaves with Old Daoist Wu 1.
• Li Jiabao — Elder brother on Earth. Their childhood relationship was distant, but they reconnect after Li Chengxuan’s return. Li Chengxuan later asks him to consider managing the sub-courtyard 2 9 63.
• Liu Zhijian — Eldest disciple and first recruit from Earth. Li Chengxuan prizes his steadfastness and guides him toward Kan Water cultivation 4 5 65.
• Hua Chunning — Initially a Registered Disciple; promoted to personal disciple, ranked below Liu Zhijian, after entering the Dao through Yi Wood 20 63.
• Duanmu Ren — High Shaman disciple and former county magistrate. Their relationship develops from coercion and mistrust into one in which Li Chengxuan acknowledges his superior Dao comprehension and delegates instruction to him 9 31 73 158.
• Hu Yueqiu — Initially treated cautiously because of unclear Greater Yin connections. Li Chengxuan later provides the Moon Palace Sword Canon, cultivation guidance, and resources for entering Fu Water 82 120 126.
• Xue Yang — Immortal Alliance intermediary whose dealings with Li Chengxuan alternate between pressure and cooperation. Addresses him as a senior after Foundation Establishment 44 54 144.
• Du Qingquan — Market acquaintance who hosts his scripture work. Considers betraying him during Pang Dafu’s scheme, then attacks Pang Dafu; Li Chengxuan subsequently promises to preserve the Du Household’s talisman lineage 131 139.
• Li Qingyun — Innocent azure cloud born from the Dao resonance of his Foundation Establishment. Li Chengxuan gives the cloud his surname and a personal name 143 144.
• Fang Qi — Registered Disciple whom he accepts after recognizing Dui Metal Manifestation; entrusted to Duanmu Ren for introductory cultivation guidance 158.

Notable Quotes

“Do not impose on others what you would not want for yourself.” 1

“Continue the lost teachings of sages past!” 142

“I’ve only just set foot on the path.” 144