Chen Hao

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• Build: Tall; initially stands nearly a head above Long Tian. By their annual-tournament rematch, he has grown taller and developed more visibly defined arm muscles 5 11.
• Clothing: Wears a dark blue martial outfit with Class B’s bronze-colored badge during the monthly assessment, and a dark gray short jacket during the annual tournament 5 11.
• Martial Soul transformation: His muscles swell, coarse gray-brown fur covers his skin, his canine teeth lengthen, and his eyes acquire a cold, beastlike gleam 5.

Personality

Chen Hao initially treats class standing and cultivation as grounds for looking down on others. He mocks Long Tian for belonging to Class C and lacking a Soul Ring, despite his innate full Soul Power and twin Martial Souls. Zhao Xiaopang describes him as someone who enjoys bullying newcomers; Chen Hao also deliberately bumps Long Tian’s shoulder when they cross paths 4 5.

His first defeat makes him more restrained, but does not immediately end his hostility. He trains for a rematch and continues disparaging Class C during the annual tournament. Over time, rivalry replaces contempt: he accepts Long Tian as a sparring partner, invites him to travel together, and eventually greets other Class C students without provocation 10 11 17 20.

His concern for friends is usually practical rather than openly affectionate. He scolds Zhao Xiaopang for poor stamina while fetching water for the group, brings water to an exhausted Long Tian without questioning his training, and notices when Long Tian has delayed a necessary breakthrough. He also willingly joins the dangerous investigation into Spirit Hall’s experiments 23 24 25 36.

Abilities & Skills

Ironback Wolf

His beast-type Martial Soul grants strength and speed beyond those of his peers 5.

• Supports claw strikes, rapid lunges, knee attacks, and sustained close-range combinations 5 11.
• Its speed allows him to circle strength-type opponents and attack from advantageous angles 27.
• His three-ring explosive power carries him through most of the age-group tournament’s early opposition 27.

First Soul Skill: Ironback Charge

A high-speed, head-on rush that propels Chen Hao toward his opponent like a charging wolf 5.

• Powerful enough to raise dust and a fierce wind across the assessment platform 5.
• Initially suffers from poor stopping control: after Long Tian sidesteps, Chen Hao rushes past him and leaves his back exposed 5.
• Lin Mo later advises him to steady his footing so that the charge sends his opponent flying rather than merely throwing his own body forward 10.

Second Soul Skill

An unnamed skill that provides explosive charging power 28.

• Uses it to charge three times in succession against the Ice Serpent user, breaking a crack in an ice wall on his third attempt 28.
• Cannot fully overcome frost-covered terrain that repeatedly disrupts his footwork 28.

Footwork and Combination Attacks

Chen Hao develops beyond straightforward charges, incorporating circling movements, feints, and linked attacks 11.

• Feints toward Long Tian’s ribs before redirecting his other claw toward the lower abdomen during their rematch 11.
• Develops a speed-based combination over the New Year holiday that earns him a one-move victory in a later spar 17.
• Defeats a level-seventeen tournament opponent through superior speed and a series of blows 27.

Research and Investigation

Chen Hao contributes document analysis, reconnaissance, and lookout work to the investigation of the Soul Fusion experiments 24 30 32.

• Recognizes the standard Iron Guard annotation format from material he has seen at the Spirit Hall Branch 24.
• Uses academy regulations to establish that the old archives building has a four-ring entry threshold 30.
• Reasons that the experiment chamber shown in an old recording may have been relocated to an isolated but accessible site 33.
• Notices that Number Seventeen’s original name was blacked out after the manuscript’s main text was written 39.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Short staff wrapped in iron wire — Carried on the Cloud-Hidden Swamp expedition. He channels Ironback Wolf Soul Power around it to strike the water and knock a Yin-Yang Swamp Frog into the air. He later braces himself with a short staff after losing the tournament final 21 28.
• Illustrated Soul Skill manuals — Buys one during the first Spirit City visit and later borrows another from a bookshop 16 24.
• Hand-drawn map — Sketches the southern district’s main routes and South Third Alley for Long Tian after studying a city defense map 13.

History

Early Rivalry with Long Tian

As Class B’s strongest student, Chen Hao confronts Long Tian after hearing about his twin dragons and the special attention Mr. Wang gives him. He dismisses Long Tian’s potential because he has no Soul Ring and challenges him to the monthly assessment 4.

During their match, Long Tian evades Ironback Charge, survives a claw attack with help from concealed dark scales, and knocks Chen Hao down with a golden palm strike to the abdomen. Chen Hao subsequently stays away from the courtyard on reported sick leave; by the next practical combat class, his burn has healed, but his public defeat has made him noticeably less arrogant 5 6 10.

Chen Hao returns for the academy’s annual tournament with improved footwork and two Soul Rings. He faces Long Tian in the quarterfinals, but a curving golden projectile disrupts his balance, Shadow Stealth numbs his leg, and a palm strike to the chest leaves him unable to stand. Despite the loss, he promises to win next time 11.

From Rival to Companion

Chen Hao accompanies Mr. Wang’s group to Spirit City for an exchange gathering. His relationship with Long Tian is still reserved, but he helps him navigate the southern district and provides information about Lei Jingyun. Chen Hao reaches the top sixteen before losing to a Spirit City Academy student 13 14.

After the New Year, he and Long Tian split two sparring matches, with Chen Hao winning the second through a newly developed attack combination. He then suggests that they attend Spirit City’s age-group tournament together 17.

He later volunteers to accompany Long Tian and Uncle Xu into the Cloud-Hidden Swamp. During the hunt, his staff strike launches the largest Yin-Yang Swamp Frog out of the water, creating the opening Long Tian needs to kill it and obtain its Soul Ring 21.

Spirit City Tournament

At Mr. Wang’s request, Chen Hao accompanies Long Tian on another journey to Spirit City, alongside Zhao Xiaopang. Once Long Tian reveals the ongoing human experiments connected to his father’s Iron Guard past, Chen Hao agrees to help investigate 22 23 24.

The age-group tournament gives the group a reason to remain in the city. Chen Hao enters the thirteen-year-old group and reaches the final, defeating a strength-type Soul Master in the semifinals after circling him with superior speed 25 27.

In the final, the Ice Serpent user counters Chen Hao’s movement with spreading frost. Chen Hao breaks through part of an ice wall, but the opponent’s Third Soul Skill, Frost Explosion, knocks him out of bounds. He accepts the result without an outburst and gestures for Long Tian to seize his own chance in the next final 28.

Investigation of the Soul Fusion Experiments

Chen Hao supports Long Tian’s decision to consider Spirit City Junior Academy, arguing that enrollment would provide resources and a natural cover for investigating the Iron Guard. Zhao Min arranges his transfer, and he becomes Long Tian’s roommate 29 30.

He researches the archives restriction and serves as lookout while Long Tian retrieves the bronze mirror. From a plane tree overlooking the entrance and front corridor, he is prepared to signal danger by dropping a pebble. After witnessing the mirror’s recording of imprisoned people and extracted Martial Soul cores, he continues helping search for the underground experiment chamber 30 32 33.

Chen Hao accompanies Long Tian through the old well passages and guards the chamber while he absorbs the Earth Marrow Light Beetle’s Soul Ring. He later waits outside the five-ring barrier during Long Tian’s infiltration, helps bring Yu Jin back through it, and conceals their tracks in the snow during the escape 36 37 38.

When signs of surveillance appear near Old Chen’s shop, he agrees to take turns keeping watch and supports moving Yu Jin elsewhere. His reading of the copied manuscript also uncovers the later alteration concealing Number Seventeen’s original name 39.

Return to Bluestone Town

During Long Tian’s three-year absence, Chen Hao nearly leaves to search for him, but Zhao Xiaopang stops him. When Long Tian returns, Chen Hao meets him at the academy and learns that he now has six Soul Rings 68.

Before Long Tian and Yu Jin depart again, Chen Hao announces that he will remain in Bluestone Town and take over Mr. Wang’s classes, while Zhao Xiaopang handles the courtyard and dining hall. He asks Long Tian to send word once his affairs are settled, assuring him that they will not go far 69.

Relationships

• Long Tian — Initially a bullying rival; later his sparring partner, roommate, expedition companion, and trusted fellow investigator. Chen Hao remains concerned about him during his prolonged disappearance 4 17 21 30 68.
• Zhao Xiaopang — Friend and traveling companion. Their frequent bickering coexists with practical care, shared investigative work, and the decision to remain together at the Bluestone Town academy 22 23 32 69.
• Mr. Wang — Teacher who entrusts him with accompanying Long Tian to Spirit City. Chen Hao later volunteers to take over his classes as he grows older 22 69.
• Lin Mo — Combat instructor who identifies the unstable footing in Ironback Charge and advises him on improving its impact 10.
• Yu Jin — Rescued experiment captive. Chen Hao helps Long Tian extract him from the underground chamber and discusses protecting him afterward 38 39.

Notable Quotes

“I told Mr. Wang I was coming too. I've reached the Third Ring. I can at least block a few things for you.” 21

“When you've settled things on your end, send word through someone. Xiaopang and I won't go far.” 69