Zhang Qiling

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

The Zhang Family’s Last Qiling

“Zhang Qiling” was a designation inherited by successive Zhang Family patriarchs. With the family disbanded and him remaining as its last Qiling, it becomes his personal name rather than merely a title. “Xiaoguan,” his mother’s affectionate address for him, was not a separate childhood name 7 20.

He did not inherit leadership under normal circumstances and lacks memories of much of the family’s history. His responsibilities include protecting its secrets, guarding the Ultimate, and opposing “It,” which seeks to destroy the Zhang Family and bring the Ultimate into the human world 9 17 32.

During the Mount Siguniang operation, he attempted to trap and kill people working for “It.” An unexpected episode of Heavenly Bestowal disrupted his plans, resulting in his capture and five years of imprisonment as a human experimentation subject 8 9.

Rescue and Recovery

Yu Zhi finds him restrained to a bed, severely emaciated and suffering from internal injuries and damaged organs. After freeing him, Yu Zhi treats him with spiritual power and carries him to safety through his space 1 2.

The two eventually settle into a courtyard home in Beijing. More than half a year of intermittent treatment removes most of Zhang Qiling’s hidden ailments, but returning memories of betrayal and responsibility leave him increasingly withdrawn. Yu Zhi reveals his otherworldly origin and gives him a notebook outlining his past and anticipated future 5.

Zhang Qiling adds private symbols to the notebook so that, after another memory loss, he can recognize it as trustworthy. He asks Yu Zhi to keep it for him. They subsequently form the One Heart Contract, and Yu Zhi introduces him to cultivation 6.

Guangxi and the Ancient Tower

Their journey to Guangxi combines a search for spiritual treasures with plans to recover the Black Gold Ancient Saber. Along the way, Zhang Qiling expresses a personal wish to find and save his mother 7.

At the Zhang Family Ancient Tower, he retrieves the saber from the previous Qiling’s coffin and checks the mechanisms protecting the family’s deepest archives. These contain historical records, tomb maps, research on immortality, and information about the Ultimate 9.

An encounter with Miluotuo leaves Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi injured. Yu Zhi rescues them from the lake, but Zhang Qiling subsequently suffers another bout of amnesia. Reading his notebook restores his memories, after which he records the recent events for future use 10 12.

Recovery of the Qiling Inheritance

Zhang Qiling takes Yu Zhi to the ancestral home and grants him access to its remaining treasures. When Yu Zhi falls victim to Daoist Green Jade’s attempted possession, Zhang Qiling forces him to swallow Qilin Blood, weakening the possession technique enough for Yu Zhi to destroy the attacker 15 16.

Yu Zhi later recovers the lost Ice and Fire Qilin Art from the attacker’s knowledge. An unsuccessful attempt to cultivate the Fire God Art reveals that Zhang Qiling possesses both ice and fire spiritual roots. The correct inheritance allows him to advance rapidly and awaken the Qilin Ring’s functions 19 20.

Their relationship also becomes openly romantic: Zhang Qiling initiates their first kiss, and the two begin sharing a room after returning home 19 21.

Changbai Mountain and the Bronze Door

In July 1977, the compulsion to guard the Bronze Door becomes increasingly difficult to resist. Yu Zhi and Hei Xiazi accompany him to Changbai Mountain, with Hei Xiazi eventually remaining behind while the couple continues onward 29.

During the expedition, Yu Zhi publicly names Zhang Qiling as his fiancé. Zhang Qiling later drives off King Wannu after Qi Yu dies protecting Yu Zhi. Shaken by the danger, he asks for a contract that will bind their souls rather than merely their bodies; they form the Primordial Spirit Imprint Dao Companion Contract before entering the Bronze Door with the yin soldiers 36 37.

Beyond the door, Zhang Qiling explains the False Queen Mother of the West’s origins and the sacrifices sustaining her seal. He and Yu Zhi clear monster-filled levels together, adapting their tactics when the resentment absorbed by Yu Zhi begins affecting his mind 39.

Yu Zhi’s Disembodiment and the Wedding

The False Queen Mother of the West separates the pair and substitutes an imitation Zhang Qiling. She captures the real Zhang Qiling, restrains him, and forces Yu Zhi into a scheme involving reincarnation as Wu Xie. After finding Yu Zhi’s body without breath, Zhang Qiling carries it out through the Bronze Door, determined to protect his lover in his supposed new life 42.

Yu Zhi subsequently contacts him from within his body. Zhang Qiling initially remembers only their relationship, Yu Zhi’s apparent death, and the need to protect Wu Xie; Yu Zhi restores the missing memories by showing him his own recollections. They preserve Yu Zhi’s original body in the Jade Cocoon and conceal his condition while investigating the Wu Family 43 44.

Afraid that Yu Zhi might disappear without anyone knowing they had been lovers, Zhang Qiling asks to marry immediately. Yu Zhi grants him companion access to the system and agrees to a ceremony, with a grander celebration planned after his return to his body. Hei Xiazi arranges and officiates the wedding, which begins with Zhang Qiling carrying Yu Zhi’s preserved body before the guests 48 49 50.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and well-proportioned, with a notably supple body; initially reduced to skin and bones by experimentation 1 10 50.
• Hair and complexion: Black hair and very fair skin 10.
• Face and bearing: Exceptionally handsome, with an aloof, unworldly presence. His face, bearing, and Faqiu Finger make him difficult to disguise 10 24.
• Qilin tattoo: Located on his chest; the area grows hot when he first draws qi into his body 6.
• Wedding attire: A black suit that emphasizes his figure and ancient, mysterious air 50.

Personality

Zhang Qiling is taciturn, observant, and outwardly detached. He often sits motionless or watches events without speaking, but his silence does not indicate naivety: he recognizes danger quickly, understands others’ motives, and directly questions what Yu Zhi wants from him before accepting his explanation 3 5 7.

Despite prolonged suffering and betrayal, he retains kindness, perseverance, and a strong sense of responsibility. He protects Hei Xiazi during their escape from the ancient tower and refuses Yu Zhi’s suggestion to deliberately sacrifice a mortal to the Bronze Door 7 9 33.

With Yu Zhi, he becomes more expressive, affectionate, playful, and jealous. He enjoys being admired, occasionally teases his lover, and eventually learns to laugh wholeheartedly. His possessiveness is accompanied by a pronounced fear of losing Yu Zhi, particularly after the events beyond the Bronze Door 20 23 37 48.

He does not prioritize revenge for his own suffering. When Yu Zhi wants to retaliate against those responsible, Zhang Qiling instead worries about what acting on that anger will cost his lover 47.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts and Faqiu Finger

An exceptional close-combat fighter even before cultivation, Zhang Qiling combines strength, agility, and precise movement 4 7.

• Can traverse rooftops and walls, leap considerable distances, and evade attacks with ease 7.
• Demonstrates a Faqiu Finger strong enough to pierce a steel plate with his bare fingers 7.
• Uses the same specialized fingers to open containers and operate mechanisms 36.
• Trains Yu Zhi in practical fighting and evasion 7.

Ice and Fire Qilin Art

The lost cultivation inheritance reserved for the Zhang Family’s Qiling, suited to his dual spiritual roots 19 20.

• Infuses saber strikes with simultaneous ice and fire power, burning some targets while freezing and shattering others 28.
• Produces blade aura powerful enough to overwhelm King Wannu in direct combat 36.
• Purifies slain monsters, allowing Yu Zhi to devour their remains without absorbing the dangerous souls within them 39.
• Remains limited by his spiritual reserves: after more than ten major strikes against the Nine-Headed Serpent Cypress, he stops to recover and retain emergency strength 28.

Qilin Blood

His blood functions both as a Zhang Family credential and as a counter to supernatural evil 9 16.

• Opens blood-activated entrances at the ancient tower and ancestral home 9 15.
• Disrupts Daoist Green Jade’s possession technique when swallowed by Yu Zhi 16.
• Burns the False Queen Mother of the West when she wounds his throat 42.
• Requires bloodletting to use in these applications, exposing him to injury and blood loss 10 15.

Tomb Exploration and Mechanisms

He possesses inherited knowledge of Zhang Family architecture, traps, and restricted routes 8 9.

• Navigates the ancient tower through a sequence of steps known only to successive Qilings 9.
• Inspects, adjusts, and reinforces mechanisms protecting the family archives 9.
• Identifies Corpse-Scented Konjac from abnormal silence and the absence of expected sensory cues 7.
• Knows multiple methods of entering the Bronze Door, including combinations involving the Ghost Seal, Qilin Blood, Snake-Eyebrow Copper Fish, or the yin soldiers’ passage 37.

Supporting Techniques

• Elemental spells: Uses the Fireball Technique and Water Control Technique; water techniques initially feel smoother to him than fire techniques 7 8.
• Spiritual voice: Infuses a shout with spiritual power to awaken Hei Xiazi when excessive ghost consumption threatens his sanity 28.
• Endurance: At Qi Refining Seventh Layer, can remain awake for a month without difficulty 22.

Limitations and Conditions

Heavenly Bestowal and Memory Loss

• Suffers irregular episodes of amnesia and relies on a notebook containing personal symbols to reestablish trust and context 6 12.
• Learns through the Qilin Ring that Heavenly Bestowal is a curse inherited from the Queen Mother of the West, not an inherent defect in the Zhang bloodline 20.
• The family’s method of delaying the curse carries recurring memory loss as a side effect 39.
• Experiences an involuntary compulsion to return to the Bronze Door when no substitute enters. The Nine Gates had promised to send one person every ten years but never fulfilled that agreement 29 32.

Cultivation Restrictions

• Cannot yet dispense with food: his first ten-day cultivation session ends in collapse from hunger 6.
• Must preserve his virginity until Foundation Establishment 40.
• Remains far below the False Queen Mother of the West’s strength; she can immobilize him despite his blood harming her 42.

Equipment and Contracts

• Black Gold Ancient Saber — The patriarch’s token, recovered from the previous Qiling’s coffin. Serves as his principal weapon and as part of the ancestral storeroom’s opening mechanism 9 15.
• Qilin Ring — A dark green ring with a red rim. Contains storage and a portable Spirit Gathering Array; requires Qilin Blood and the Ice and Fire Qilin Art to recognize its master 20.
• Merged System Space — After the Qilin Ring merges with Yu Zhi’s space, Zhang Qiling can enter through the ring and becomes one of its two masters 44 45.
• Memory notebook — Records his experiences and private verification symbols; entrusted to Yu Zhi between episodes of amnesia 6 12.
• Ghost Seal — Opens mechanisms and can protect Yu Zhi from detection by yin soldiers 36 37.
• Voice-Transmission Jade Slip — Created for him by Yu Zhi during the tomb expedition 25.
• One Heart Contract — Initially presented as a life-binding contract. Zhang Qiling’s injuries cause corresponding pain or injury effects in Yu Zhi, while Yu Zhi cutting his own finger produces no equivalent response in Zhang Qiling 6 15.
• Primordial Spirit Imprint Dao Companion Contract — Formed by exchanging wisps of their souls, fulfilling their wish to remain bound beyond bodily death 37.
• System companion access — Granted by Yu Zhi so Zhang Qiling can maintain a connection to him and seek him out 48.

Relationships

• Yu Zhi — Rescuer, cultivation teacher, lover, and fiancé. Zhang Qiling trusts him completely, protects his secrets, and forms both bodily and soul-level contracts with him. Their wedding ceremony begins with Hei Xiazi officiating 6 12 37 50.
• Hei Xiazi — Trusted brother and expedition companion. Their relationship combines mutual protection, constant teasing, and occasional physical retaliation from Zhang Qiling. Hei Xiazi later organizes his wedding 9 12 21 49.
• His mother — Called him Xiaoguan. Though he initially has no memories of her, learning what she did for him inspires him to seek and save her 7.
• Qi Yu — Dies shielding Yu Zhi from King Wannu. Zhang Qiling regards his sacrifice as a debt owed by both himself and Yu Zhi 36.
• The Nine Gates — Bound by an unfulfilled agreement to supply substitutes for the Bronze Door’s sacrificial duty; their failure leaves Zhang Qiling compelled to return himself 32.
• “It” — Enemy of the Zhang Family, seeking its destruction and control of the Ultimate. Zhang Qiling considers coexistence impossible 9 32.
• False Queen Mother of the West — Enemy sealed behind the Bronze Door. She captures him and uses him to force Yu Zhi’s cooperation 39 42.

Notable Quotes

“I don't know where I came from, and I have nowhere to go. Can you tell me?” 5

“With my soul, I bind your spirit. Let the contract be formed.”
— Spoken together with Yu Zhi 37

“I just want the whole world to know you're my lover. From now on, whenever Yu Zhi's name is mentioned, the three characters for Zhang Qiling will come with it.” 48