Lu Chen

Overview

Lu Chen (陆沉) is the Third Headmaster (三掌教) of Bai Yujing (白玉京) in the Qingming Heaven (青冥天下) and the third disciple of the Dao Ancestor (道祖). He is an extraordinarily powerful Fourteenth-Tier (十四境) Daoist master whose supreme cultivation is characterized by his "Five Dreams and Seven Mind-Phases" (五梦七心相), a path that resembles "scattering his Dao" (散道) rather than the traditional integration (合道).

Regarded as possessing a heavenly mind that is "most unpredictable" (天心最无常), Lu Chen is a stark contrast to his strict and domineering Second Senior Brother, Yu Dou (余斗). Despite his towering status in the Qingming Heaven, Lu Chen prefers wandering the mortal realm, adopting the guise of an impoverished or playful young Daoist, making wagers, setting up fortune-telling stalls, and entangling himself in the myriad affairs of the world without being bound by them.

Appearance and Personality

Lu Chen typically appears as a young Daoist wearing a Lotus Crown (莲花冠). He often dresses casually, sometimes donning a dark-colored Daoist robe or the attire of a common wandering priest, carrying a walking stick or a bamboo staff.

His personality is incredibly relaxed, whimsical, and seemingly unreliable. In the Qingming Heaven, he is famously known for a "do-nothing" (无为) approach. When it is his turn to govern Bai Yujing for a century, he rarely intervenes in the world's affairs; if powerful cultivators break the rules, he merely visits them to "keep a tab," jokingly advising them to live long enough to answer to his Second Senior Brother upon his return from the outer heavens. He acts shamelessly in casual encounters—shamming poverty, begging for drinks, and making dramatic displays of woe—yet beneath this frivolous exterior lies a mind with an unfathomable grasp of the Great Dao.

Cultivation and Abilities

Lu Chen's cultivation places him at the pinnacle of the Fourteenth Tier. His path to this realm is unique across several heavens.

• Scattering the Dao (散道): While most Fourteenth-Tier cultivators "integrate" or "merge" (合道) with a specific facet of the world or a grand philosophy, Lu Chen's ascension resembles a "scattering" of his Dao. He adheres to the philosophy of "The universe and I were born together, and all things and I are one" (天地与我并生，而万物与我为一).
• Five Dreams and Seven Mind-Phases (五梦七心相): To achieve his Dao, Lu Chen separated his existence into multiple avatars. These avatars wander the realms living entirely different lives and possessing their own distinct cultivation bases. For instance, the "White Bone Zhenren" (白骨真人), a top-ten candidate in the Qingming Heaven who holds the "Immortal Recipe" (不死方), is secretly one of Lu Chen's avatars (specifically, his Li Zishu avatar).
• Supreme Daoist Mastery: He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of Daoist scriptures, talismans, and side-door techniques (旁门左道). Even techniques he dismisses as minor tricks can rival the core inheritances of major sects.

History

Governance in Bai Yujing

In the Qingming Heaven, the three headmasters of Bai Yujing take turns ruling for a century. While the First Headmaster, Kou Ming, focused on mapping extraterrestrial demons (化外天魔) before mysteriously splitting his essence, and the Second Headmaster, Yu Dou, ruled with an iron fist, Lu Chen’s centuries of rule were characterized by absolute leniency. He allowed the fourteen states of Qingming to operate with minimal interference, leaving many to feel that he was too lazy to govern.

Wanderings in Haoran Heaven

Lu Chen frequently travels to the Haoran Heaven (浩然天下), a place where his presence can cause unease among the Confucian saints. He is known to have visited the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven (骊珠洞天) early on. Later, he freely traveled across continents, appearing on the legendary Night Ship (夜航船), interacting with Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao, and observing the aftermath of the great war with the Wilderness Heaven.

During his travels, he encountered the young Ning Ji. Though initially tempted to take Ning Ji as his direct disciple and bestow the Huangting Jing upon him, Lu Chen deduced that becoming his master would burden the boy's destiny and lower his ultimate potential. Instead, he subtly guided Ning Ji toward Chen Ping'an's tutelage, gaining a favor from the Confucian side while avoiding the karmic entanglement.

Intersecting with Chen Ping'an

Lu Chen's relationship with the last Hidden Official, Chen Ping'an, is a mixture of endless bickering, mutual wariness, and indirect cooperation. On multiple occasions, Lu Chen has offered cryptic advice, lent his profound Daoist power to Chen Ping'an (such as when drawing supreme talismans or constructing a Daoist state), and acted as a chaotic but insightful sounding board for the younger man's rigorous plans.

Relationships

• Dao Ancestor (道祖): His master. Lu Chen's philosophy of supreme naturalness and non-interference aligns closely with the Dao Ancestor's core teachings, though Lu Chen's immersion in the mortal dust is distinctly his own path.
• Kou Ming (寇名): His Eldest Senior Brother and First Headmaster of Bai Yujing, who dedicated millennia to solving the threat of extraterrestrial demons before disappearing.
• Yu Dou (余斗): His Second Senior Brother and Second Headmaster of Bai Yujing. Known as the "True Invincible" (真无敌), Yu Dou is strict, lethal, and intolerant of rule-breakers. Lu Chen frequently complains about Yu Dou's harshness but deeply respects the immense burden his brother carries for their lineage.
• Chen Ping'an: A frequent sparring partner in words and philosophy. Lu Chen enjoys teasing Chen Ping'an for his meticulous and exhausting way of living, while Chen Ping'an is constantly on guard against Lu Chen's unpredictable schemes.
• Ning Ji: A young boy Lu Chen briefly mentored and traveled with in the Haoran Heaven before directing him to become Chen Ping'an's student.
• Cao Rong & He Xiaoliang: Two of Lu Chen's known direct disciples. True to his nature, Lu Chen was a hands-off master, largely leaving them to their own devices after bringing them into his lineage.

References

• 剑来34：山中何所有，第六章 — 刻字: Details Lu Chen's description of his two senior brothers (Kou Ming and Yu Dou), his lazy governance style in Bai Yujing, and his deep understanding of the extraterrestrial demon crisis.
• 剑来37：只是朱颜改，第五章 — 此间事了: Contrasts Lu Chen's unique 14th-tier "scattering Dao" (散道) method—specifically his Five Dreams and Seven Mind-Phases—with the traditional "integrating Dao" (合道) methods of other supreme cultivators.
• 剑来43：青帝常为主，第二章 — 道深者言浅: Confirms that the White Bone Zhenren, holding the direct path to the Jade Pure Realm via the "Immortal Recipe", is actually one of Lu Chen's avatars (the Li Zishu avatar) operating in the Qingming Heaven.
• 剑来43：青帝常为主，第六章 — 休要乱我道心: Chronicles Lu Chen's travels with the young Ning Ji in the Haoran Heaven, his decision not to take the boy as a direct disciple to preserve his ultimate potential, and his redirection of Ning Ji to Chen Ping'an.
• 剑来46：人间半部书，第三章 — 碧波万顷客眼青: Shows Lu Chen sitting in on Bai Yujing internal disputes, reflecting his status as the Third Headmaster and his complex standing among the Daoist factions.