Fang Qun
Fang Qun is an elderly tier-one alchemist who oversees Alchemy Lodge Peak 7191 in the Fang Clan's Dao of Alchemy Division. Although considered the lowest-ranked alchemist of his tier, he recognizes Meng Hao's superior plant knowledge, asks to learn from him, and becomes his practical guide through the division.
Biography
Meeting Meng Hao
Fang Qun first encounters Meng Hao during a lecture on plants and vegetation. When Meng Hao corrects him, Fang Qun overcomes embarrassment, admits fault, and publicly asks the younger man to remain and answer his questions. His willingness to learn legitimizes the lecture for hundreds of apprentices; by nightfall, Meng Hao's answers have attracted thousands, while Fang Qun continues asking about plants he does not understand and records the instruction alongside them. (Chapters 903–904)
Guide through the Dao of Alchemy Division
When Meng Hao returns to Peak 7191, Fang Qun and the apprentices welcome him excitedly. Fang Qun explains the division's rewards and leads him to the Medicine Pavilion, describing it as an off-world magical treasure locked in place after the first patriarch's death. He supplies institutional knowledge about merit points and the pavilion while openly acknowledging that Meng Hao's plant expertise exceeds his own. (Chapters 907–908)
Fang Qun later tells Meng Hao about three legendary pills no one in the division has successfully concocted. When Meng Hao decides to attempt one, Fang Qun is initially stunned because he has only witnessed the younger man's botanical knowledge, not his pillcraft. Curiosity quickly wins out, and he guides Meng Hao into the inner mountains to begin the attempt. (Chapter 922)
Appearance and personality
Fang Qun is an old man who begins embarrassed by being corrected but responds with humility rather than resentment. He is excitable, curious, and professionally devout; his pious reaction to the Medicine Pavilion and his persistent questions make learning more important to him than preserving face.
Abilities and cultivation
Tier-one alchemy
Fang Qun has passed the examination to become a tier-one alchemist and is qualified to oversee an outer-mountain Alchemy Lodge. The rank establishes basic plant identification and concoction training, but his peers regard his pass as fortunate and his position as the lowest among tier-one alchemists. He is therefore a working instructor and administrator, not a master pill expert.
Plants and vegetation
He can teach apprentices and frame detailed questions about medicinal materials. His chief strength in the documented scenes is recognizing the limits of that knowledge: after Meng Hao correctly identifies and explains obscure plants, Fang Qun uses repeated questions to convert the encounter into a public lesson. The contrast gives a clear limit—his foundation is credible within the outer division but far below Meng Hao's inherited expertise.
Institutional navigation
Fang Qun knows the merit system, challenge procedures, legendary pill rewards, and routes through the outer and inner mountains. This knowledge lets Meng Hao turn alchemical ability into access and resources. It is practical expertise rather than a supernatural technique.
Relationships
- Meng Hao: Younger alchemist whom Fang Qun accepts as a teacher and guides through the division.
- Fang Danyun: Pill Elder at the summit of the institution in which Fang Qun holds a minor rank.
- Fang Xuzhong: Higher-tier alchemist before whom Fang Qun formally bows.
Items
- No independently notable item within the finalized manifest is directly assigned to this character.