Yifang is much like ghost: other wordly, still, watchful, pale. Maybe once upon a time she was stronger, but her body has grown thin with age and lack of appetite. Her long hair is one part of her that seems to be cared for daily. Long and dark, a strand is never out of place. When she fights or dances, it flows with the wind.

Yifang has grown somber in her late twenties. She is serious and watchful, scornful of too much play. It is perhaps part of the reason why she struggles to grow into a master: her mind is not at peace. The Luo Clan embraces the philosophy of Yin and Yang, maintaining balance between the mind and body. However, very few of her thoughts are positive, forward thinking while much of her thoughts are dark and negative as she seems to still dwell on her fiance's untimely death. There are moments where she is caught smiling, but it is not a comfort to onlookers as its usually at the misfortune of someone else: an elder falling, a child being bit by a dog, or ill omens.

Yifang was young when the devil clans made their motives known the rest of the The Jianghu--nearly 18. The pressure to grow stronger was heavier than ever for the Luo Clan, and Yifang was able to deliver. She ascended confidently through the ranks, particularly skilled with a blade in hand. It was said watching her fight was like watching a dance, a convergence of power and grace that left no enemies standing. It was not so surprising when became engaged half way through the war--who couldn't see her beauty? Her strength?

At the end of the war, destroying their dream to settle down peacefully together and raise a family, Yifang's fiance was lost. He was killed in their battle against a Transcendent Master of the devil clans--though not without first defeating the enemy. He earned the title "Shadow Bolt Slayer" in his death. Yifang has changed much since then. Those who are old enough, remember her as a bright and friendly woman. She was easy to smile, easier to laugh. Though, since that fateful day, she has grown quite somber. Frown lines threaten to grow around her mouth, pushed back only when she is amused by others' misfortunes. She no longer wears the colors of the Luo clan, but dull blacks and whites. Much of what defines her is as she is versus as she used to be.

Her cultivation has stagnated. During the war, Yifang rose through the ranks to First Class and there was much promise in her potential as a Master. However, now it is hardly fair to call her even First Class as she has seems to grown quite placid--hence her title given by those who know her story: the Lost Dancer. The veteran lives as a self-made outcast on the outskirts of the Luo Clan territory. It is here that she manages an old temple to a nearly forgotten goddess who blesses followers with good health.

Mercy: Her blade gained recognition during the war due to the allies it killed. It is known among the Martial Alliance that Yifang constantly moved into enemy territory to rescue allies. While her persistence and bravery during the war allowed her to save many members of the Martial Alliance (and even some of The Recusant), the acts of evil that the devil clans inflicted upon others left them beyond saving. Forbidden cultivation practices broke minds and bodies, and often only Mercy could free these prisoners. Now, Mercy collects dust. It is not a weapon she likes to use.

Her favored weapons these days put distance between her and her target: when she is seen training, bows or guandao are her preference. If one watches carefully, they will see that Yifang is particularly skillful with a bow, but few pay her much mind anymore.

For the Luo Clan, qi is created where Yin and Yang meet. In deliberate movements where one's limb extends away from the body and is pulled back, qi manifests at the range where neither pulling or pushing is happening. In breathing, qi manifests not when one draws in their breath or exhales--but for that moment their breath is held. Disciples of the Luo Clan spend much of their time learning to create qi with this theory via meditation and tai chi. While Yifang still does daily trainings, she struggles with any martial techniques since the war. Nowadays, she uses her cultivation base to heal others and maintain what little strength she has.

Bone Mending: Yifang can harness qi to mend broken bones over the course of a few days rather than the usual months. While an extraordinary ability, she doesn't claim it herself. Instead, she says the goddess blesses her with the ability to help those who seek it. Despite its name, it extends to flesh as well, and can be life saving against bleeding out.

Qi blocking: entirely defensive, Yifang can counter skin-to-skin attacks by stopping the flow of qi in another person's body. She does have to make physical contact with them to do so, but a successful hit to her target's meridian will stop the flow of their qi.

Heaven's Arrow: by focusing her own qi, Yifang can enhance her dexterity and vision. Its purpose is to improve her archery and range attacks in general, give her an eagle's eye whether she is shooting an arrow or throwing a knife. When adopting Heaven's Arrow, she cannot miss her target(s)--though its intense focus makes her farsighted, so to say. She becomes insanely vulnerable to close attacks, almost completely unaware of them.

Bin Myung-Suk

The closest thing to a title Myung-Suk would have is "Cockroach."

24

First Class Warrior

The Heavenly Demonic Cult

5'5". A scrawny weakling, unfit for the Jianghu.

A rat who desperately clings onto his own pathetic life, Myung-Suk is the sort of person who seems to put himself over anything else, especially if his life is on the line. He acknowledges that he is a weakling, and is more than fine with being a "doormat" for those who are stronger than him. A weak fool who lacks any form of confidence, it is a surprise that Myung-Suk even has a place in the Jianghu to begin with.

However, deep within the boy's psyche lies a hidden reservoir of grudges. Resentment, envy, revenge, all of Myung-Suk's negative emotions are all kept within, growing and festering until the time is right. Hiding his resentment behind a façade of cowardice, Myung-Suk keeps his grudges close to his heart. Such strong emotions would be better served to push him further towards the direction of his goal: The eradication of the Devil Clans.

This determination to meet his goals by clinging onto grudges long past has given Myung-Suk a conviction of steel to walk the path of a killer. This determination stems from a life of inferiority, a desire to become stronger after living a life of weakness. The root of his hatred is his lowliness, and his wish to rise above his self-perceived uselessness.

Perhaps his guise as a sniveling wimp only serves to further sharpen this resolve.

Myung-Suk puts rocks in his shoes to make himself about an inch taller.

Myung-Suk carries little on him aside from the black, dirty rags on his back and a cloth mask that covers his face.

The Disciples of the Wilted Lotus utilize a form of cultivation almost akin to that of the profane devils they are sworn to hunt. Simply put, it is the accumulation of grudges, and the conversion of these grudges into qi. By focusing on one's own negative emotions as a source of energy, one could direct their negative emotions into their movements, directing their fists purely through their intent. In other words, to use one's hatred as fuel for their techniques. However, to avoid being consumed by one's own grudges, meditation and breathing exercises are practiced.

Despite this cultivation's focus on the negative, the practitioner requires a strong sense of control over their own emotions in order to properly control this form of cultivation. Also, because of the nature of this form of cultivation, 'negative' qi is produced. To allow one's meridians to be permeated with this qi for too long would result in instabilities on the user's body and mind. In other words, one would become something akin to a "demon." To prevent this, the first and most important step in this cultivation is to focus one's ire onto a particular subject, a "seed" of hatred. This would create a reservoir, where one's grudges can freely accumulate and one's hatred can continue to further fester, so that this negative energy would not profane the rest of one's body.

In Myung-Suk's case, his hatred is centered on himself. His inferiority and self-perceived weakness all serve as a font of grudges he could draw up. The grudges that fuel his qi are directed towards the strong, the talented, those who would dare stand above him. To the Devils, monsters who hail themselves as above the restrictions of humans, this qi is antithetical to their very existence.

Self-Preserving Fists - The unique fighting style of Myung-Suk. Rather than a refined technique, it is instead a series of purely defensive maneuvers that mitigate any damage inflicted against one's self. A warrior's philosophy that can only be followed by one who is unworthy of being a warrior, it is a style that almost guarantees the bearer will lose a battle, but also ensures their survival. Rather than a testament to one's strength, this technique serves as proof of Myung-Suk's weakness as a warrior. After all, if one were to truly equate Myung-Suk's skills in direct combat, he would be nearly third-rate. A mere cockroach among tigers and dragons, it is his worth as a killer that allows Myung-Suk to stand at the Wall of Talent. It doesn't matter if he receives a thousand blows. Only one is needed for victory.

Art of the Eightfold Realms of Hell - The primary techniques of the Wilted Lotus, killing arts that are a stroke away from taboo. One's negative emotions are converted into killing intent against the target. This intent is then directed to a singular blow, engulfing the target of this strike with one's negative qi. Those who are struck would find themselves smothered with the attacker's hostility, their meridians choked with negative energy. In other words, those who are stuck would suffocate under the intense pressure of the attacker's qi, a formation of their intent to end the target's life. If utilized correctly, a second strike is needless. The technique of a killer, to it is difficult to perform this technique multiple times in a single battle given its nature. It can also only be utilized against 'living' targets, the energies only conflicting that which permeates all living things.

Vitrification - The ability to mask one's hostile intent, a step away from the ability to hide one's very presence from being detected that many masters possess. A necessary technique for the Disciples of the Wilted Lotus, for their hatred will otherwise fill the very air around them. In Myung-Suk's case, by focusing on his self-doubt, he is able to appear as naught but a scrawny weakling, unfit for the Jianghu. This is especially effective against those who possess a strong presence of their own.

Sheng Qingling

None, though rumors refer to him as the 'Venom Voice'

14

Second Class-equivalent, offensive power wise, but not experience-wise

Recusant Clans (unaffiliated)

Qingling appears to be in a perpetual state of poor health, though he tries to cover it up with nice clothes, makeup, and a weak smile. His small frame is dwarfed by the guqin (Chinese zither) that he insists on taking with him everywhere.

Inexperienced and naive, Qingling seeks stability and approval. Due to his upbringing, Qingling is a skilled actor and tends to lie and keep secrets compulsively. He'll try to get close to whoever he thinks can provide him protection since his life was suddenly pulled out from under him. As a hired musician by trade, all he has known is a sheltered life in some rich mansion, but as a con-artist, all he has known is the endless traveling from one mark to the next. Qingling tries to pretend that he is in control of his situation in order to mask the fear and insecurity of having had a near-death experience and being separated from his parents for the first time in his life.

Sheng Yelang, Qingling's father, is a loud, burly, and boisterous man; proud, arrogant, and ill-tempered. A disagreement with a former master led to unsanctioned combat in which Yelang killed his master and fled the punishment of his sect. He never talks about his former sect, though rumor has it that he was a disciple of the Shaolin. His understanding of Buddhist cultivation practices attests to this, but to anyone who knows him, it is obvious that the tenets of celibacy, prohibition from alcohol, and veganism were not for Yelang. Yelang wandered the jianghu as a vagabond and mercenary, and though he remained unaffiliated, he cozied up with various recusant clans and criminal organizations, who were all too eager to hire him for his skill. His combat style is wild and unrestrained, releasing explosive qi through his strikes. This demeanor, coupled with his signature ability, infusing qi into his throat to release a devastating howl, earned him the nickname of 'The Wolf of the West'. His ambition has always been to make a name for himself and to live life to the fullest, even if it meant taking what wasn't his.

Yu Zheng'e, Qingling's mother, is a tall, hard, cruel, and gaunt woman. She comes from a recusant clan, known as the Immortal Tools, that specializes in meridian control, resulting in the hardening of the extremities. Zheng'e's meridian control is so good that she can feign lifelessness and hide her presence, making her the perfect ambush predator. Her attacks involve long arcing swings of her completely straightened arms and legs coming together in a snapping motion like scissor blades, coupled with her signature move of spinning her hardened body longitudinally while grasping an enemy's throat and pulling them into a death spiral where she breaks their neck and spine has earned her the nickname of 'Urban Alligator', especially since she often attacks her enemies unaware. Zheng'e has always been a studious member of her sect, and simply desires to perfect her craft, even if she has to test her brutal techniques on others.

The romance of the predators begins thusly, while under the employ of the Immortal Tools, Sheng Yelang and Yu Zheng'e took a strong liking to one another. He was the cocky bad boy, she was the quiet girl who'd twist your head off. Being a particularly unorthodox sect, the Immortal Tools did not have any qualms about 'not keeping things within the sect', and did not object to Yelang and Zheng'e's relationship. During the war, Yelang and Zheng'e formed a terrifying duo, his attention-grabbing style perfectly complemented her stealth. Despite being a recusant clan, the Immortal Tools were one of the least offensive to the Martial Alliance, so when it came time to form the Iron Concord, the leader of the Immortal Tools readily accepted as it aligned rather well with their isolationist and defensive doctrine. However, the envoy sent by the Martial Alliance was a member of Shaolin who recognized Yelang. To become a part of the Concord, the leader of the Immortal Tools was willing to tentatively end their dealings with Yelang, who would be exiled from their lands. Zheng'e knew full well that this was just a ruse to placate the envoy, and that their leader would go back on his word as soon as the backs of the Martial Alliance were turned, yet Zheng'e joined her now husband in his temporary exile as an opportunity to see the world and to raise their child with whom she was pregnant with in an open and free environment.

And so it was that Qingling was born to a pair of the jianghu's notable deviants. It was discovered at a young age that Qingling was blessed with an incredible sense of hearing. Zheng'e was prone to experimentation and, inspired by her husband's wolf howl technique, decided to train Qingling in the art of using sound as a weapon. Here Zheng'e merged different philosophies, starting with Buddhist mantric chanting as the foundation, though she quickly moved into the realm of music. She linked the five notes of the pentatonic scale with the five elements, linked the octave with the eight trigrams and the Buddhist principle of the Noble Eightfold Path, and linked the seven notes of the major scale with the seven chakras. In this way, she tied her son's understanding of sound with his meridians and humors, which followed similar principles as the five elements; and chakras could be construed as the Buddhist concept of meridians. This knowledge allowed Qingling's ability with sound-based martial arts to skyrocket in power, so to further the experiment, Zheng'e brought Qingling out into the streets as a performer and saw how her son's music could affect people in subtle ways.

Given that the family was traveling, they needed a means to support themselves, and though Yelang was fine with committing acts of robbery, Zheng'e wanted to try a more insidious approach. Qingling would play music in a village square, attracting a large crowd, who would shower them with coins. But inevitably, they would catch the ear of a greedy merchant who wanted Qingling's music all to himself. The family would be offered food, lodging and pay, if only they stayed at the merchant's mansion so that he could hear Qingling's songs as he wished. Yelang and Zheng'e would, of course, comply, and during these times, the family would live in the lap of luxury. However, another thought occurred to Zheng'e, who began to train Qingling in the art of hypnotism. By lacing his qi-infused music with subtle suggestions, they could collect greater riches from their patron, even going so far as to have him leave his inheritance for Qingling.

But to cash in on their inheritance, the merchant would have to die. Though the family could murder the merchant easily, it would be too obvious, so Zheng'e decided that a slower approach was necessary. Qingling hadn't yet learned how to kill someone with his music, so Zheng'e gave him some 'help'. She began to slowly poison Qingling with drugs, while manipulating his meridians to throw his qi off-balance. This 'poisoned' qi would flow from Qingling's music and into the merchant, killing him slowly. Eventually, the merchant died, but one does not simply cheat the rich out of their inheritance. The merchant's sons as well as their friends and neighbors felt that it was improper to leave one's inheritance to strangers based on Confucian principles, and did not honor the merchant's will. The magistrate agreed, though he was likely bribed by the sons. Qingling's family were chased out of the household with nothing.

However, by now, Zheng'e had become slightly obsessed with her plan, and she felt that though things didn't work out this time, she could always try again, after they had relocated to a different city that hadn't heard of what they'd done. So the same tactic was attempted a few more times, but each time the rich man's family would sue for the inheritance and win. During their final attempt, rumor had gotten out about a 'venom voiced' child, and concerned parties quickly called up the local exorcists to investigate. The exorcist that arrived was a hero of Wudang and a powerful Taoist. he immediately realized what was happening and recognized Yelang and Zheng'e by their descriptions from the past, and attacked. At this point, Qingling had learned to weaponize his sound, and fired destructive shockwaves of sound from his instrument towards the Taoist. To defend himself, the Taoist leapt behind Qingling and struck a pressure point. Though he had only intended to stun Qingling, who was but a child, Qingling's twisted meridians unraveled from the strike, sending his qi spiraling out of control. It seemed like a fatal blow as blood gushed from Qingling's mouth while he collapsed in a heap, his heart having stopped. Realizing what had transpired, Zheng'e screamed, knowing that her 'training' and scheming had been partially responsible for her son's death. Though shocked by what he had done, the Taoist would not relent until he had brought Yelang and Zheng'e to justice, so Qingling's parents fled from the Taoist's pursuit, filled with rage and vowing to one day avenge their son.

As the Taoist went after the two deviant parents, the merchant's family's hired thugs had to deal with Qingling's body. Without the reverence to give the boy a proper burial, they simply took him out to a nearby forest and dumped his corpse near a creek. Yet Qingling was alive, and still conscious, though his internals were thoroughly messed up. In what seemed like his final moments, Qingling used the hearing that he had been blessed with to listen to the tranquil sounds of nature to find solace from the pain that wracked his body. For a moment, his soul harmonized with his environment. What Qingling didn't know was that for his type of martial arts, resonating with different sounds allowed him to draw energy from his surroundings. Unwittingly, Qingling was repairing some of the damage that had been done to his qi for years. He eventually drew enough energy from the sounds of nature that his heart leapt back into action. Qingling gasped for breath, reborn in a sense, and completely bewildered. For the first time in his life, he was alone in a vast world. Looking to his left, Qingling saw that the thugs had dumped his 'accursed' guqin next to him. Climbing to his feet, Qingling pulled the guqin up by the strap, shouldering it. He took one step, then another. He was still in pain, his meridians still in a precarious state. but he had only one thing in mind, and that was to survive and reunite with his parents, by any means necessary.

Enhanced Hearing - Qingling was born with enhanced hearing, able to pick out a pin drop on a different floor of a busy inn, hearing sounds outside of normal human range, and even navigating in total darkness via echolocation. This coupled with a basic ability to sense qi makes it incredibly hard to hide from Qingling as one would need to not only suppress their qi, but also mute any bodily functions that make sound, such as a heartbeat.
Vocal Mimic - Qingling has trained his vocal cords to be able to mimic not only other people's voices, but also various sounds.

Guqin - The guqin is Qingling's instrument of choice, a gift from his parents.

Zheng'e drew inspiration from Eastern and Western philosophy to develop Qingling's technique without fully understanding how they worked. The foundation is mantra, the resonant hum that allows one to harmonize with the universe. Sound is a relatively low form of energy, one could even consider it waste energy, and drawing power from it is almost impossible. Through resonating with the sound, instead of taking energy from it, the practitioner becomes one with it, and the energy from this harmonization is greater than merely the sum of its parts. Understanding the different aspects of the various sounds in nature, one can create a 'symphony' with one's qi. Following the principles of Taoism and internal alchemy, one can draw upon these aspects to balance, heal, and augment one's meridians. This requires mediation and contemplation in natural environments where there is a plethora of sounds that one can focus on at different intervals; animal sounds, plant sounds, water sounds, etc. While meditation is possible in urban environments, city life renders humans imbalanced, and the sounds they make and the qi they produce are of poor quality. A practitioner can also make their own sounds during meditation; Buddhist monks strike the wooden fish and chant Om as part of their practice, but the practitioner must know what they are lacking in order to choose the right sound. The beauty of this form of cultivation is that it can be done in a group, as more voices in harmony add to the process.

However, Qingling was trained by two parents who believed that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Following the Immortal Tools' philosophy, Zheng'e used risky shortcuts to power when raising her son, manipulating his meridians and feeding him pills to turn his qi into a poisonous weapon. Though reckless, this was not done out of cruelty or maliciousness, but out of a sincere desire to make Qingling stronger. This coupled with her own ignorance of the depths of sound-based martial arts and the foundations she borrowed from, means that Qingling does not know how to cultivate himself and will remain in poor health until he figures it out.

Sharps and Flats - Qingling strums the guqin forcefully, infusing his qi into a sonic blast in the direction of his arm. Different notes can produce blunt, forceful blasts, or slicing waves. The attacks can be spread out in a wide cone or concentrated into a single corridor.

Meridian Resonance - Qingling can play music to attack an opponent's meridian's directly. Though his qi enters primarily through the meridians of the ears, he can combine this technique with his sonic blasts to strike at pressure points on other parts of the body. This can be used to interfere with an opponent's internal energy, but it can also be used to supplement or boost an ally. However, Qingling's understanding of meridians is at the novice level, so he mostly just injects his own messed up qi into the opponent. While this technique can be used for hypnotism, hypnosis is subtle and weak, and any practitioner of the martial arts will not only be able to detect it, but will be able to 'block' the weak, hypnotic qi. Even against non-practitioners, hypnotic suggestion requires chronic application over weeks and months to truly take effect.

Sounding - Every object has a frequency at which it will shatter. By listening intently to the sound an object makes on impact under three different circumstances, Qingling is able to triangulate this frequency.

Shatter - Once Qingling knows an object's resonant frequency, he is able to replicate it using his guqin. If the object is within hearing range, it will shatter if Qingling holds the note for a long enough period of time. The period of time that the note needs to be held depends on the quality of the object.

Sun Yuzheng 孫钰铮

18

Second Class Disciple

The Heavenly Demonic Cult

Damaged Dantian - As a result of an early deviation, Yuzheng doesn't heal well. Average recovery time is doubled for him, even through cultivation. Additionally, he can't project his qi past himself & struggles to handle ranged opponents without closing the distance. Combined, this all results in him having a generally low durability; he's a glass canon.
Despite this, his self-preservation is lacking; blindly puts himself into the fray of things if he believes enough in a cause.

— Cheap jewel-embedded clothing
— Dual blades

Yuzheng's base has been developed with a focus on healing from a young age, since his early deviation. He prioritizes the use of qigong to strengthen the energy within himself by meditating in natural areas & performing slow, meditative movements. In more intense exercises, he'll endure a great trial, like forgoing eating or meditating in the cold, to strengthen himself.

He's found that his qi stagnates while remaining still; during sleep & in the mornings, after rising, is when he's at his weakest.

Additionally, he consumes qi-dense plants in an attempt to reintroduce energy into his system. In a pinch, it's not uncommon for him to crush his gems for a small boost.

Qinggong Expert - Yuzheng is exceptionally light & nimble compared to his peers. His skill in manipulating & controlling his body to scale buildings or evade obstacles are near prodigious. He definitely has an affinity for acrobatics.

Hand-to-hand Combat: Hand-to-hand combat is Yuzheng's most developed method of fighting. Without the use of qi, his style is focused on redirecting his opponent's weapon or strength.

• Debilitating Strike - Utilizes one's knowledge of the body's acupoints against an opponent to disrupt their meridians and obstruct their energy flow. Receiving a blow like this can numb an ordinary person's limbs or even freeze their movements.
• Reinforced Palm - Releasing a great amount of qi in one burst, Yuzheng's strikes can send an opponent flying or break rock at a given point of contact. As this technique expels energy, it should also be used sparingly.

Dual Blades - While less developed, Yuzheng also possesses the skill to wield dual blades; the reason this isn't his preferred method of battle is because he can't project his qi past his fingers or through his blades.

Burning Body — Yuzheng can direct an abundance of qi to a given point in his body to create a surface similar to a burning stove for his target. This technique should be used sparingly, unless one has cultivated themselves to a point where they are able to withstand strong temperatures. In Yuzheng's case, though he's developed a tolerance through repeated use, burns are not uncommon.

A lesser form of this skill can be used to keep warm. Developing this skill further, flame instead can be conjured, far from his cult's characteristic demonic fire, but a fire nonetheless. It'll be a while before Yuzheng gets to that point.