Song Zhen

Song Zhen is a middle-aged apprentice who remains unqualified after twenty years under blacksmith Sun Jin. (Chapters 1,022–1,026)

Biography

A sabotaged apprentice finds a teacher

Other apprentices mock Song's repeated failures when he accompanies Zhang Xuan to confront Sun Jin. Examination of the technique Sun taught reveals deliberate flaws that arrested Song's progress. Zhang supplies a corrected cultivation method; Song immediately displays renewed strength and learns that his stagnation was engineered, not proof of incapacity. Grateful for both the technique and restored purpose, he kneels and declares Zhang the only teacher he will acknowledge. (Chapters 1,022–1,026)

Appearance and personality

Song is a worn, middle-aged man made hesitant by years of ridicule, but his loyalty becomes firm once he receives honest instruction. (Chapters 1,022–1,026)

Abilities and cultivation

He has studied smithing since age seven; a defective cultivation method, rather than lack of persistence, is his main limitation. (Chapters 1,024–1,026)

Relationships

• Zhang Xuan: The teacher who exposes the sabotage and gives Song a viable path. (Chapters 1,022–1,026)

Items

No scoped items are associated with Song Zhen.