A Thousand Li: The First Step: A Cultivation Novel characters

Appears from the start

A seventeen-year-old village cultivator at the second level of Body Cleansing. Long Wu Ying studies under Master Su and works steadily despite lacking the resources of wealthier pupils. Shen's demand for soldiers abruptly draws him into its war with Wei.

Appears from the start

Long Wu Ying's tall village friend and fellow conscript. Cheng Fa Hui is selected when army recruiters demand young men for Shen's war, leaving the two friends to face the abrupt forced march together.

Appears from the start

The local lord's son and a village peer of Long Wu Ying. Yin Xue has reached the fourth level of Body Cleansing through privileged instruction and resources, placing him well ahead of most young cultivators around him.

Appears from the start

The village cultivation teacher who instructs his pupils in the Yellow Emperor's Cultivation Manual. At the sixth level of Body Cleansing, Master Su has enough skill and experience to stop a student from causing lasting harm through a reckless breakthrough attempt.

First appears in chapter 2

Long Wu Ying's father, a former army swordsman left with a lasting limp. He taught his son the Long family sword style, but his injury prevents him from taking Long Wu Ying's place when the army calls for conscripts.

First appears in chapter 2

An unnamed fellow conscript with some medical skill. He cleans and stitches Long Wu Ying's abdominal wound after Yin Xue turns a practice bout into a real attack, providing essential care despite the limited supplies available on the march.

First appears in chapter 4

An elder of Verdant Green Waters who recognizes the importance of Long Wu Ying's battlefield warning. Cheng Zhao Wan rewards him with a powerful cultivation pill and offers him a place among the sect's outer disciples if he survives.

First appears in chapter 4

A cultivator of Verdant Green Waters who accompanies Cheng Zhao Wan when the elder visits the army camp and offers Long Wu Ying a place in the sect.

First appears in chapter 5

A senior member of Verdant Green Waters who steps in when Yin Xue tries to sabotage an exhausted Long Wu Ying at the end of the mountain entry test. Li Liu Tsong directs the successful recruit to the kitchen elder for his first assignment.

First appears in chapter 5

The kitchen elder who receives Long Wu Ying after the mountain entry test. Elder Huang assigns the new outer disciple to carry supplies for the kitchens, beginning a demanding work schedule alongside his sect training.

First appears in chapter 6

A former monk and fellow outer-sect recruit who becomes Long Wu Ying's first friend at Verdant Green Waters. Tou He was expelled from his temple after repeatedly hunting and eating meat, and he offers to share a technique for staying alert while cultivating.

First appears in chapter 6

The senior disciple responsible for the new recruits' martial instruction. Cheng Chixing begins their training with a timed mountain run, physical conditioning, a basic external fist form, and cultivation practiced under strain.

First appears in chapter 6

The gatekeeper at Verdant Green Waters who receives a tobacco delivery from Long Wu Ying.

First appears in chapter 7

The library elder available to outer disciples who can pay for expert guidance. Elder Kuo offers Long Wu Ying a consultation and the recommendation of one manual, making him a potential source of direction as the novice chooses how to develop his martial arts.

First appears in chapter 10

A sect administrator who discovers that Long Wu Ying accepted kitchen work without first going through the assignment hall. Elder Mo imposes a compulsory, time-sensitive journey to obtain three jars of limited plum-blossom wine.

First appears in chapter 12

The organized bandit chief who escapes after Long Wu Ying intervenes in an attack on a merchant caravan. Long Wu Ying lets him and one follower flee to avoid endangering the hostages, and the leader threatens retaliation through the larger force behind him.

First appears in chapter 12

The unnamed merchant whose caravan Long Wu Ying saves from bandits. He brings the wounded cultivator aboard his wagon and has a servant treat him while he recovers.

First appears in chapter 14

A vastly stronger jian cultivator who emerges near a waterfall as bandits close in on the wounded Long Wu Ying. The wanderer drives the attackers away, allows Long Wu Ying to remain nearby, and later tests the younger man's sword skill.

First appears in chapter 15

A local guard officer connected to a wine-producing family. The city guard lieutenant offers Long Wu Ying access to three privately held jars of the sold-out wine he needs, in exchange for the hide of a spirit snake.

First appears in chapter 16

An elder relative of the city guard lieutenant with authority over a private wine collection. The wine producer recognizes Xi Qi's seal, approves Long Wu Ying's proposed exchange, and can provide the jars unavailable through public sale.

First appears in chapter 18

An unnamed merchant whose ships and crew suffered attacks by the bandits. He hosts Long Wu Ying and the city guard lieutenant, grants them free passage downriver, and presents a small storage ring to Long Wu Ying.

First appears in chapter 23

A higher-cultivation specialist who fights with paired tongfas. Lin Tsui enters the final inner-sect selection as a challenger and chooses Long Wu Ying as the opponent to displace for one of the available positions.