Big Black

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Naming and Household Life

Shen Jingchuan names the stallion Big Black because his black coat is glossy enough to reflect light. Big Black objects with snorts, stamping, and rearing, but Shen makes the name final. He remains visibly unhappy afterward, though milk candy and affectionate attention help soothe him 42 43.

When Shen equips the horses with new saddles, Big Black shows immediate interest. Their first courtyard ride establishes his responsiveness: he follows spoken instructions, turns neatly despite his size, and stops as soon as commanded. Shen embraces his neck afterward, expressing a strong sense of closeness 47 48.

Big Black also causes trouble. He steals a newly arrived chestnut horse’s feed, beats the horse, and overturns its carriage during the fight. When Shen later catches him bullying the newcomer again, he sternly threatens to reject him if it continues. Big Black responds with visible panic and a nod of acknowledgment 48 55.

Journeys and Early Battles

On the journey toward the provincial capital, Big Black finally has room to gallop freely outside the city. He accelerates along the official road like a black whirlwind, understanding Shen’s request without needing a whip 73.

He becomes an active defender rather than merely a mount. During a bandit encounter, his forward and backward kicks make it difficult for attackers to approach Shen. Afterward, he ignores Lin Qingyao’s praise and goes directly to Shen, who rewards him with praise and an apple 76.

His intervention is particularly important during the masked fighters’ ambush near Hu Tieniu’s construction site. He cripples one attacker with his forehooves, then strikes the gray-clad Qi Refinement cultivator with both hind legs, bending the man’s sword and throwing him backward 130 131.

Giving Up an Awakening Opportunity

When Shen obtains only two stalks of Blood-Veined Golden Leaf Grass, Big Black recognizes their value but steps aside so Little Black and Treading Snow can eat them. Shen promises to find him something better, while Xian’er praises his thoughtfulness 318 319.

The decision leaves him behind his companions, who advance to the second tier and gain flight. He watches their test flights restlessly and later becomes subdued when they are selected for a dangerous counterattack. Nevertheless, he insists that he can awaken his bloodline through his own efforts if necessary 323 339.

Fire Awakening and Later Service

At the Zhao Household, Big Black detects something he needs inside Ru’er’s jade pendant. Shen obtains the pendant and uncovers a crimson essence containing a small, enduring flame. Big Black swallows it and enters a cocoon before eventually emerging as a winged, fire-wielding second-tier Demon Beast 343 345 357.

He subsequently serves as a long-distance flying mount. Big Black and Little Black carry Shen and Zhou Tong toward Chang’an for the rescue of Zhou Tong’s imprisoned family. He also accompanies Shen’s refugee-relief work and later carries him back to the West Mountain Separate Garden 383 389 390 415.

Appearance

• Coat: Black from head to hoof, with a conspicuously reflective sheen. His coat becomes still glossier after his initial bloodline awakening 42 128 207.
• Size: Stands nearly 1.9 meters at the shoulder when first saddled. He is later described as half a head taller and a size broader than an ordinary Whirlwind Horse, weighing a ton and a half 47 130 131.
• Horn: Begins as a pale-pink fleshy forehead bump, then hardens and lengthens. After his fire awakening, it glows deep red like burning coal 207 274 357.
• Wings: Develop from shoulder bulges into broad, long wings larger than those of Little Black and Treading Snow 274 357.
• Awakening display: Emerges from his final cocoon surrounded by firelight, with faint flames dancing across his body 357.

Personality

Big Black is proud, expressive, and highly intelligent even before he can communicate mentally. He protests his name, refuses carriage harnessing, and celebrates when Shen decides not to force him to pull the carriage—only to protest again when the other horses get to leave without him. His pride also makes him reluctant to let Su Qinghua stroke him despite her daily care 42 64 304.

His attachment to Shen is unusually strong. He greets him by nuzzling his chest or arms, insists on accompanying him into the city, and becomes frightened when Shen threatens to stop wanting him. Apples and milk candy are effective comforts and rewards 43 55 76 79 274.

Although he initially bullies Little Red, he is considerate toward Little Black and Treading Snow. Su Qinghua notes that he does not compete with them for food, and he later sacrifices a valuable bloodline-awakening opportunity for their benefit. He feels the disappointment of falling behind them but retains confidence in his own potential 55 304 318 323 339.

Abilities & Skills

Riding Intelligence and Communication

• Understands spoken commands for pace, turning, and stopping before forming a contract 48 73.
• Uses head movements, snorts, posture, and nuzzling to convey demands and emotions 42 55 79.
• An initial Equal Contract allows Shen to sense his affection and excitement 209.
• A later Jade Slip Equal Contract enables direct mental conversation. Big Black explains that he had understood Shen long before Shen could reliably understand him 323.

Physical Combat and Demonic Protection

• Uses forehoof strikes, hind-leg kicks, charges, and horn thrusts 130 131 324.
• Sends a masked attacker flying seven or eight paces and breaks his thigh with a forehoof attack 130.
• Bends a Qi Refinement cultivator’s refined-steel sword with a double hind kick 131.
• Wraps his body and hooves in black Demon Power, providing protection and strengthening attacks 324.
• At the first tier, possesses greater physical strength and toughness than a cultivator of comparable power, but turns slowly. Shen defeats him by exploiting those movement limitations 324.

Speed, Endurance, and Flight

• Runs substantially faster after his initial bloodline awakening 211.
• Shows little fatigue during an extended journey after cultivating in the ring space; carries Shen to Spirit Creek Market in a little over a day 300.
• Gains functional wings upon reaching the second tier and carries Shen through the night sky 357.
• Soars higher than his companions during their first group flight, though Little Black retains a slight advantage in speed 357.
• Possesses Divine Sense as a second-tier Demon Beast, allowing him to navigate at night without relying solely on sight 357.

Fire Divine Ability

• Releases a vast sheet of flame from his horn, covering an area roughly one li across during his first test 357.
• Immediately ignites trees and starts a spreading mountainside fire; Treading Snow requires ten minutes to extinguish it with cold and snow 357.
• Describes his power as a “divine fire of heaven and earth,” but cannot identify its exact nature 357.
• Xiao Mingshu earlier speculates that his horned bloodline might eventually wield lightning; his documented awakening instead produces fire 208 357.

Instinct for Bloodline Resources

• Recognizes the awakening value of Blood-Veined Golden Leaf Grass before it is fed to the other horses 318.
• Detects the essence concealed inside Ru’er’s jade pendant by scent and instinctively knows that consuming it will benefit him 343 345.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Riding saddle and bridle — Part of the finely crafted tack Shen supplies; the saddle remains steady during Big Black’s first courtyard ride 47 48.
• Custom horse armor — Dark-brown cowhide armor with protective metal plates beneath it. Tested against a saber strike before the provincial-capital journey 72.
• Spiked war horseshoes — Reinforce his hoof attacks during the masked fighters’ ambush 130 131.

Relationships

• Shen Jingchuan — Master, rider, and Equal Contract partner. Shen feeds, treats, equips, and cultivates him while rejecting a Master-Servant Contract 48 72 205 208 209 323.
• Little Black — Close equine companion. Big Black gives up an awakening herb for her; she later comforts him when he falls behind in cultivation 318 323 339.
• Treading Snow — Close equine companion and the other beneficiary of his sacrifice. Her cold ability extinguishes the fire created during his first Divine Ability test 318 323 357.
• Liu Hu — Stable caretaker who helps fit his tack and armor. Suffers a swollen calf while trying to separate Big Black from the chestnut horse 47 48 72.
• Su Qinghua — Regularly supplies fresh fodder and water. Big Black resists her attempts to pet him until Shen tells him to treat her as family 207 304.
• Xian’er — Assesses his development, praises his generosity, and watches over his cocoon transformation 319 323 345.
• Little Red — Newcomer whom Big Black initially injures and bullies, prompting Shen’s firm reprimands 48 55.

Notable Quotes

“Even without spirit herbs or spirit medicines, I might still be able to activate my bloodline on my own. Master, believe me.” 323

“Of course. Back in the day, in the northern lands, I was a horse king too.” 323

“Don’t worry, Master. I’m not that fragile.” 339