Jiang Yang

Jiang Yang is a Hidden Dragon Institute student of the Drought Dragon Jiang Clan whose enormous Stoneheart Palms and earth defenses earn him the epithet used in narration, “Drought Dragon Jiang Yang.” His contempt for bloodline-less students drives him into the lethal factional battle on Falling Eagle Mountain.

Biography

Noble hostility

Jiang Yang appears among Zhang Sheng'an's allies and rebukes Jin Ling'er for associating with a bloodline-less student. When a Clay Giant pursues the group, Jiang is the first person struck; his earth wall shatters, but Dense Earth Armor keeps the blow from killing him. Instead of using his survival to escape, he returns voluntarily to block Sun Jizu and Yan Fuxing, boasting that two commoners cannot challenge a Bloodline Nobility Clan cultivator. (Chapters 204, 214, and 219)

Final battle

Jiang catches their weapons with Stoneheart Palm, breaks through their defenses, and nearly crushes Sun Jizu's skull. Their hidden weapons gradually destroy his advantages: Thunderfire Balls burn and blind one eye, Yan Fuxing's concealed projectile blinds the other, and Sun Jizu's Earth-Cracking Hoop finally severs his head. Later testimony identifies Jiang among the dead nobles, while his third uncle investigates the circumstances rather than witnessing the fight. (Chapters 219, 227, and 240)

Appearance and personality

Jiang wears an azure riding outfit patterned with Vicious Beasts, a chain of beast teeth, and octagonal boots. His hair is tied in a simple ponytail; he has a square face, thick eyebrows and lips, and extremely large hands with unusually short fingers. His clothes and face are badly burned during his final battle, and he loses both eyes before death. (Chapters 204 and 219)

He is proud, cruel, bloodline-conscious, and eager to dominate weaker opponents. He returns to danger for the chance to kill two commoners and treats their lack of inherited power as proof of inferiority. His confidence is supported by real durability, but it also keeps him attacking after severe wounds and leaves him vulnerable to successive concealed weapons. (Chapters 204 and 219)

Abilities and cultivation

Stoneheart Palm is the Drought Dragon Jiang Clan's core bloodline technique. It enlarges the hands and shortens the fingers while enabling powerful earth control and defense. Jiang can seize incoming hoop weapons, deflect a spear, overpower two students through direct blows, and channel enough force to break bones. (Chapter 219)

Dense Earth Armor wraps him in rock-like protection. It lets him survive a Clay Giant's palm and later contains the explosion of several Thunderfire Balls, although accumulated damage and attacks to his eyes eventually bypass it. Jiang also forms an earth wall and an ordinary earth barrier. His exact cultivation realm is not stated. (Chapters 214 and 219)

Relationships

• Jin Ling’er: A fellow noble student whom Jiang criticizes for associating with bloodline-less companions. (Chapter 204)
• Wang Doushan: One of the survivors who later reports Jiang's role and death to Su Chen. (Chapter 227)
• Su Chen: Jiang expresses contempt for Su as a bloodline-less student but does not receive a direct duel with him. (Chapters 204 and 227)

Items

No finalized signature-item entry is assigned to Jiang Yang in the supplied catalog. He relies chiefly on his hands, bloodline techniques, and earth armor rather than a named personal weapon.