Hai Donglai

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Rise in Chang’an

Hai Donglai first became famous by challenging Chang’an’s self-proclaimed weapon masters to duels to the death. Fighting with only a red umbrella, he defeated and killed them one after another. Rather than establish a school, accept a powerful family’s patronage, or pursue an army career, he joined the Inner Guard 99.

His service began amid the political struggles surrounding the two-tax system. His operations left officials and merchants dead or injured, while repeated assassinations against rebels and foreign enemies earned him enough merit to become commander of the Right Division while still young 99.

His reputation provoked repeated complaints at court, particularly over nicknames that ministers considered disrespectful to the throne. The emperor openly protected him. Although hostile accounts increasingly portrayed him as a murderous court favorite, his reputation as the Great Tang’s greatest expert endured 99.

Congenital Illness

Hai was born with a severe sensitivity to sunlight. As a child, exposure caused red spots; after the age of ten, even a quarter-hour in the sun could make his skin break open and bleed. The attacks became faster and more severe as he aged. Chu Tianshu associated the symptoms with congenital porphyria and concluded that Hai had survived chiefly through the powerful physique developed by his martial training 101.

This illness shaped his emphasis on body tempering rather than reliance on Weapon Souls. More than a century later, Chu judged that Hai’s breakthrough to Plain King should have cured the disease, making attempts to exploit his childhood condition misguided 113 457.

Nanzhao Investigation

Hai entered Nanzhao to investigate suspicious changes within the local Inner Guard, not because he knew the Tang delegation’s route. He unexpectedly encountered the envoys’ attackers and killed Tubo’s high priest and more than thirty senior monks. The battle destroyed his umbrella and left him critically injured; his Weapon Soul took refuge inside his body 101 102.

The injuries triggered life-threatening complications of his existing illness. Chu Tianshu used acupuncture together with the resident Weapon Soul to suppress the inflammation, then forbade intense fighting for six months 101 102.

Hai’s investigation exposed the deliberate transfer of Inner Guards away from Nanzhao and pointed toward a traitor at court. Chu subsequently attacked the Prince of Yi’s residence under Hai’s name and challenged Duan Zhong. Hai accepted the use of his identity and offered to demonstrate techniques he had seen Duan Zhong’s disciples use 102 104 106.

At the Temple of National Protection, Hai confronted Guan Changling and resisted his poison before facing Duan Zhong. His injuries eventually became apparent, forcing Zheng Hui to extract him. Hai still launched a bloody palm strike to interrupt Duan Zhong’s pursuit and later warned Chu about the enemy’s interference with breathing 111 112 113.

While Chu pursued Duan Zhong, Hai joined Blind Cheng and Zheng Hui against Guan Changling. Using the Sanqi Divine Sword lent by Chu, he stabbed Guan in the back of the head with a move copied from a Chang’an swordsman. Afterward, he invited Chu to Chang’an and offered him all fourteen evil weapons in his residence 114 115.

A Century of Influence

Hai proposed the establishment of official civil and martial academies throughout the Great Tang. Their extensive selection system and provision of resources allowed talented commoners to compete with clan children, undermining advantages the aristocratic families had expected to retain 458.

By the age of 147, Hai had become a major obstacle to powerful interests inside and outside the empire. The Four Great Aristocratic Clans hoped to restrain him until he died at the expected Plain King lifespan of roughly 150 years. Their suspicion that he might live longer and advance further alarmed the Kunlun Society 455 464.

Rivalry with the Mountain King

Hai and the Mountain King Divine Monk fought repeatedly without either securing a decisive victory, eventually agreeing to meet every ten years. Their rivalry lasted ninety years. Reports that Hai had fallen in the snowy wastes sixty-seven years before Chu’s later visit proved false; the Mountain King had been among his attackers 453.

Seventeen years before that visit, Hai cracked the Mountain King’s skull and destroyed his soul, but the body fell into a glacial ice cave and disappeared. Seven years before the visit, Hai encountered him again as a locust-like monster. That same year, Hai deliberately prolonged a fight with the Mountain King’s eldest disciple to thirty moves, hoping to draw the master out 453 474.

The discovery left Hai just short of Leakless Innate Nature. He had already approached the threshold seventeen years earlier, but his unresolved struggle with the Mountain King became a persistent mental obstacle 477.

Green General and Mount Zhongnan

Investigating Du Fanchuan’s final prophecy led Hai to identify locust plagues as a threat to the Great Tang. He recruited specialists, investigated outbreaks, and discovered that the transformed Mountain King was producing increasingly dangerous locusts, including varieties capable of surviving winter 474 476.

Inspired by Guan Changling’s poison research, Hai and his collaborators cultivated a fungus intended to kill locusts without harming people or other animals. Chu supplied the Mountain King Divine Drum to help the culture keep pace with the mutations and named it Green General 476.

During the Martial Exhibition of All Nations, Hai was responsible for suppressing private fighting among the foreign delegations. A coordinated uprising disrupted the event, and Tian Zhu betrayed him with Mofu’s assistance. Hai later emerged from underground and struck the Mountain King as Chu beheaded him, then pulverized the body so thoroughly that no blood remained 479 480 482.

With the Mountain King destroyed and a means of eradicating the mutated locusts ready, Hai’s central mental obstacle disappeared. The emperor’s arrival further reassured him about his disciples, and he attained Leakless Innate Nature 483 484.

Appearance

Hai’s ordinary features contrast with the threatening presence associated with his red clothing and umbrella 100.

• Face and complexion: Plain-featured, not particularly handsome, and not especially fair-skinned 100.
• Signature clothing: Bright red robes; he also wears a darker red robe with a black belt, an outfit that makes him resemble a scholar while serving tea 100 106.
• Sun protection: During his illness, he covers his head and clothing with black cloth and wears extensive bandages over damaged skin 100 101.
• Bearing: Remains upright even when haggard and badly injured 100.

Personality

Hai’s public image is far harsher than his everyday manner. Despite rumors of arrogance and indiscriminate bloodshed, he treats Chu politely during his examination and offers substantial repayment for treatment. He is also comfortable letting others hate him, recognizing that his notorious reputation can be politically useful 101 102 106.

He openly values his own life, fame, and position, explaining that they are worth enjoying only while he remains alive. His pleasures can be unsettling: he collects evil weapons because he enjoys sitting among hostile spirits that want to destroy him but cannot reach him 102 115.

His ferocity coexists with practical concern for the population. He refuses to reduce academy resources for the benefit of Tian Zhu’s descendants and devotes years to preventing locust plagues. His fungal research also makes him notably meticulous and receptive to precautions against unintended infection 476 480 483.

In old age, he becomes more openly gentle toward his disciples. Nie Hongxian’s diligence repeatedly draws him back into helping with official work, while the emperor’s concern for disabled people quietly pleases him 477 483.

Abilities & Skills

Strength Tempering and Heart and Blood Martial Dao

Hai’s accomplishments in the Strength-Tempering Method exceed his early achievements in the Blood Refinement Weapon Method 111.

• Builds an extraordinary physique despite a debilitating congenital illness 101 113.
• Kills a Plain King challenger with three consecutive palm strikes 449.
• Compiles more than a century of cultivation knowledge into Mountain Collapse and Water Extinction 463 477.
• Proposes using Fist Intent to control electricity and draw lightning to temper the body and soul; this is presented as a possible future path, not a completed attainment 484.

Mountain Collapse and Water Extinction

His self-organized martial art develops bodily control and the precise application of force according to the target’s structure 463 477.

• Water Extinction: Uses control of blood flow to temper the body, including the changing properties of blood throughout the day 463.
• Mountain Collapse: Specializes in attacking rigid objects; his demonstration collapses a large section of cliff 477.
• Fist Intent: Senses hardness, softness, and changes in waveforms, helping him apply destructive force efficiently 477.
• Limit: He cannot identify every weakness of a Leakless True Force opponent in a single exchange. His familiarity with Tian Zhu’s foundation nevertheless gives him a decisive advantage 480.

Umbrella Weapon Soul

Hai initially treats his Weapon Soul as a tool rather than his principal killing technique, though its coordination with him improves after Chu’s treatment 111.

• Can reside temporarily inside his body after its umbrella vessel is destroyed 101.
• Assists Chu’s acupuncture in suppressing his critical inflammation 102.
• Takes on and destroys Guan Changling’s poison before it can incapacitate him 111.
• Produces “Weapon Soul, Boil Over,” a palm print of heated bloody mist capable of interrupting Duan Zhong’s pursuit 112.

Killing Presence and Combat Judgment

Hai can project the killing presence of his peak even while gravely wounded 145.

• Conceals his vulnerability long enough to make Duan Zhong believe he has recovered 111 112.
• Anticipates Duan Zhong’s concealed position in Maitreya Hall and refuses openings intended to lure him into attacking 111.
• Restrains hostile Plain Kings at the international tournament with a glance 479.
• Limit: His bearing depends partly on surrounding conditions and can disperse when those conditions change 145.

Intelligence and Observation

His Inner Guard career combines assassination with investigation and concealment 99 100.

• Erases his escape route so thoroughly that searchers find no tracks despite his injuries 100.
• Detects the weakening of the Nanzhao Inner Guard and destroys sensitive files before Guan Changling can exploit them 102 111.
• Correctly infers that Chu may come from another world by reconsidering his unusual behavior and knowledge 474.
• Is widely read and remembers what he reads 479.

Fungal Research

Hai applies minute observation and Weapon Soul techniques to the development of Green General 476.

• Cultivates a Weapon Soul resembling Guan Changling’s, capable of observing tiny changes relevant to poisons 476.
• Extracts and cultivates the agents behind natural locust diseases 476.
• Uses the Mountain King Divine Drum’s inherited essence and tendency toward mutation to strengthen the culture 476.
• Plans to track its effects across different regions and accepts the need to contain any unexpected infection 483.

Leakless Innate Nature

Hai’s second leakless attainment completes Double Flawlessness 477 483 484.

• His presence becomes comparable to a rock, flowing water, or a red cloud.
• Onlookers can no longer sense his soul as distinct from those ordinary natural forms 483.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Red umbrella — Signature weapon and Weapon Soul vessel. His original umbrella is destroyed in the battle against Tubo’s monks 99 101.
• Black replacement umbrella — Develops a red cloud as his Weapon Soul recovers; its canopy is later torn apart during his clash with Duan Zhong 103 110 112.
• Sanqi Divine Sword — Temporarily lent by Chu. Its activated Mind Power restrains Hai’s injuries but cannot cure his illness; he uses it against Guan Changling 114 115.
• Fourteen evil weapons — A personal collection offered in its entirety to Chu Tianshu 115 455.
• Mountain King Divine Drum — Given to him by Chu to strengthen Green General 476.
• Mountain King’s monk’s hat — Retained as a keepsake after their earlier decisive battle 476.
• Layered wine vessels — Treasured for their unusual materials and seamless composite construction 478.

Relationships

• Chu Tianshu — Physician, friend, and martial collaborator. Saves Hai’s life, fights under his name in Nanzhao, and later helps resolve the Mountain King threat 101 102 104 476 482.
• Nie Hongxian — Personally taught disciple who best meets his standards. Her diligence prompts him to help with her official duties 477.
• Yang Jungong — Disciple whom Hai regards as an example of successful teaching 483.
• The later Tang emperor — Disciple. Hai recognizes him despite his disguise and is quietly pleased by his work on mechanical limbs for disabled people 483.
• Zheng Hui — Ally in the Nanzhao investigation. Rescues Hai from Duan Zhong and helps fight Guan Changling 112 115.
• Blind Cheng — Fellow combatant whose past service Hai respects. Hai informs him that the officers who stole his battalion’s credit have been executed, but Cheng declines recruitment into the Inner Guard 102 115.
• Wei Gao — Military counterpart rumored to be his rival. Wei’s provision of a secret token indicates cooperation despite those reports 101.
• Guan Changling — Fellow Inner Guard commander exposed as a traitor. His poison research later provides the inspiration for Hai’s anti-locust work 111 115 476.
• Mountain King Divine Monk — Longstanding rival whose survival as a locust monster prevents Hai’s spiritual breakthrough until his final destruction 453 474 477 482 484.
• Tian Zhu — Follower of Hai’s cultivation methods who betrays him after Hai refuses to reduce resources for the official academies 480.
• Four Great Aristocratic Clans — Political enemies threatened by his academies. They seek the Divine Drum as a restraint on him and fear his possible survival beyond the expected Plain King lifespan 458 464.

Notable Quotes

“I put all that thought and effort into earning my reputation and position so I could enjoy them. Every extra day I live is another day to enjoy my fame and power.” 102

“There are already enough people in this world who hate me. A few more won't matter.” 106

“I've always believed that a martial artist's Fist Intent isn't meant specifically for some kind of invisible attack across empty space. It's for sensing the hardness and softness of things and catching the rise and fall of waveforms.” 477

Trivia

• The famous account of Hai defeating Duan Zhong conceals Chu Tianshu’s role as the actual victor. Zheng Hui keeps the truth secret during his lifetime 449.
• Nie Hongxian describes his approach to naming martial arts as casual; Mountain Collapse and Water Extinction is his straightforward title for his compiled cultivation art 463.
• Rumors that his red robe and umbrella are dyed with blood contribute to his frightening public image; the narrative presents this as rumor rather than established fact 99.