Lu Qinghe

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life in Maple Leaf Town

Lu Qinghe supported his family through physical labor, including tilling fields, carrying loads, working iron, and cutting timber. Despite cultivating regularly, he remained at level nineteen for fifteen years. A local Soul Master told him that this was his lifetime limit, and he gradually resigned himself to it 3 9 18.

He accompanied six-year-old Lu Yuan to his Martial Soul Awakening. After the boy’s mutated Blue Silver Grass and half-level Innate Soul Power drew ridicule, Lu Qinghe took him home and tried to console him. He later agreed to find his old literacy book when Lu Yuan asked to read it 1 2.

Lu Yuan’s Guidance and the Energy Soup Trade

Lu Yuan diagnosed his father’s cultivation problem by observing his woodcutting movements and habits. Although initially doubtful, Lu Qinghe tested the proposed circulation adjustment and continued practicing after his shoulder pain and chest tightness subsided 3 4.

When renewed cultivation increased his nutritional needs, the family struggled to afford adequate food. Lu Qinghe tested Lu Yuan’s fatigue remedy during work and shared it with Old Chen, who traded dried meat for a taste. This developed into a small Energy Soup business, with Lu Qinghe exchanging limited daily supplies for grain, salt, cloth, and other necessities 5 6 7.

Conflict with Zhao Shi

The family’s improving circumstances attracted Deacon Zhao Shi’s attention. During an attempted confiscation of their herb garden, Lu Qinghe stood in front of the seedlings and began circulating his Soul Power. Lu Yuan stopped the seizure by citing herb-registration rules 10 11.

Determined to give his family someone capable of resisting Zhao Shi, Lu Qinghe intensified his cultivation despite exhaustion and dwindling food supplies. His breakthrough made him the subject of widespread questioning in Maple Leaf Town. Following Lu Yuan’s advice, he attributed it to luck and sudden enlightenment rather than revealing the method 13 14 15.

Supporting Lu Yuan’s Departure

When Lu Yuan proposed attending a Soul Master Academy outside town, Lu Qinghe feared for his safety but agreed that remaining in Maple Leaf Town would limit his future. He promised to spend the next six months saving for tuition and to borrow money if necessary 18.

Before the planned departure, Lu Yuan entrusted him with herb-growing instructions, an improved Energy Mixture formula, and a safer cultivation method. He also advised his father to avoid unnecessary visits to the Soul Master Hall and keep the family’s methods private 19.

Appearance

• Hands: Large, broad, rough, and callused from years of manual work 1 3 18.
• Face and complexion: Dark complexion and visible facial wrinkles 3 6 14.
• Posture: Years of hardship left his shoulders and back slightly hunched. His posture straightened as his condition improved, particularly after his breakthrough 3 7 14.

Personality

Lu Qinghe is hardworking and protective, but prolonged stagnation initially leaves him doubtful that his circumstances can change. He struggles with the unfamiliar cultivation exercises and nearly abandons them before seeing results. Once convinced, he practices persistently, sometimes pushing himself beyond Lu Yuan’s cautions because he fears leaving his family defenseless 3 4 13 14.

He increasingly trusts his son’s judgment without fully understanding his theories. By the time Lu Yuan asks to leave town, Lu Qinghe recognizes that the boy has secrets but chooses not to make that a barrier to supporting him. His permission comes with a promise that Lu Yuan can always return home 18.

Abilities & Skills

Iron Hoe Martial Soul

• Manifests as a crude, rusty iron hoe before his breakthrough 14.
• After gaining his Origin Soul Ring, some surface rust clears, exposing a gray-black metallic sheen 14.
• Feels heavier, more substantial, and better fitted to his hand; his swings become steadier 14.
• Receives foundational reinforcement rather than a Soul Skill, making ordinary work such as tilling less strenuous 14.

Vortex Breathing and Soul Power Guidance

• Uses steady breathing, shoulder relaxation, and an inward-spinning mental image to gather Soul Power that previously dispersed at his bottleneck 3 4.
• Requires increased food intake as circulation becomes more active; overexertion produces hunger, exhaustion, and chest tightness 5 10 12 14.
• Later receives a safer consolidation method containing a circulation path, twelve key points, and three breathing rhythms. Lu Yuan sacrifices efficiency to reduce risk after the breakthrough 19.

Practical Work

• Experienced in farming, woodcutting, carrying loads, and ironwork 9 18.
• Occasionally catches small fish and shrimp at Green Creek to supplement the family’s meals 12.
• Can barely read, but understands the diagram Lu Yuan prepares for the herb plot 19.

Equipment / Items

• Axe and hoe — Tools used for woodcutting and fieldwork, separate from his manifested Martial Soul 3 9 17.
• Tobacco pipe — Smokes during breaks and in the evenings 3 4.
• Energy Mixture formula — A recipe thirty percent more effective than the existing brew, though darker and more bitter. Lu Yuan limits production to three bowls daily 19.
• Cultivation instructions — A simplified, safety-focused method entrusted to him for personal use, with an explicit warning not to pass it on 19.
• Herb-plot diagram — Records three Green-Veined Stones buried in the backyard’s southeast corner. Instructions include watering every three days and harvesting no more than five leaves once the Soul Condensing Grass reaches three inches 19.

Relationships

• Lu Yuan — Son and cultivation adviser. Diagnoses his bottleneck, develops the method behind his breakthrough, and entrusts him with the household’s cultivation and herb-growing arrangements 3 14 19.
• Lin Xiu — Wife. Supports him through fifteen years of stagnation, worries about his exhaustion, and weeps with relief when he finally breaks through 5 13 14.
• Zhao Shi — Hostile Soul Master Hall deacon. Investigates the family’s improvements, attempts to obtain the Energy Soup recipe, and places the household under surveillance 10 11 15.
• Shopkeeper Liu — Energy Soup trading partner. Exchanges necessities for a limited supply but repeatedly seeks greater quantities and information about the remedy 7 9 17.
• Old Chen — Fellow laborer and early remedy customer. Trades dried meat after testing the brew; later questions Lu Qinghe about Lu Yuan’s knowledge and possible cultivation methods 6 18.
• Old Man Wu — Longtime acquaintance who once gave him cultivation pointers. Probes whether the breakthrough involved a hidden method, angering Lu Qinghe with his insinuations 15.

Notable Quotes

“As long as the method works. The rest... we’ll find a way.” 5

“Take care of yourself out there. If you really can’t manage, come home. No matter how hard things get, there’ll always be a mouthful of food for you here.” 18