1. Protagonist: Lin Chen
Age 20, peak Foundation Establishment stage. In a modern city where spiritual energy has dried up, he is already at the pinnacle of strength. The last heir of the Mystic Sect, he spent ten years cultivating in the mountains.
• Appearance: Long hair tied up beneath a crown, coarse blue robes (after descending the mountain, he is forced to cut his hair and wear a hoodie, which looks completely wrong on him), an old iron sword at his waist, inherited from his grandfather. His gaze is cold as frost, and his every step carries a cultivator's aura of “keep your distance.”
• Personality: Decisive and ruthless, with revenge as his driving obsession (he wants justice for his grandfather), but completely clueless about modern life: he can't scan QR codes or shop online, mistakes short videos for “soul-stealing illusions,” and calls drones “spirit bird scouts.”
• Catchphrases: “Is this some mundane trick?” “A fluctuation in spiritual energy? ... The food delivery's here.” “I only want revenge. Don't make me learn mobile payments.”
• Core contrast: He can slay evil cultivators with a wave of his hand, yet can't even unlock a shared bicycle. He wants to settle old scores with a carefree vengeance, but everyday necessities drive him crazy.
2. Emotional anchor: Grandfather Lin Qingshan
On the surface: An ordinary old man who plays chess in the park and picks up trash to feed stray cats. He's stingy and likes to take advantage of small opportunities.
The truth: A reclusive rogue cultivator of the Mystic Sect, skilled in talismans, pressure-point techniques, and the martial virtue heart method. Ten years ago, he was beaten by Zhao Hu and his gang while protecting a stranger, then ambushed by an evil cultivator. His death was publicly declared an “accident.”
• Core significance: He is not merely a “tool for revenge.” He embodies everything Lin Chen cherishes about human warmth, and is the root of Lin Chen's transformation from a “destroyer” into a “protector.”
3. Comic relief: Master Xuanjizi
His Taoist name is Xuanjizi, but in reality he runs a hot pot restaurant affiliated with the Mystic Sect in the old city. Over fifty, slovenly, with a beer belly, he wears a sleeveless undershirt
