Cang Xu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Cang Xu (苍须)
Alias(es)	Xu Jia; Old Zhong
Species/Race	Human; later a modified living-dead and Soul Meridian Undead Mage 220 441
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Dragon Lion Mercenary Group; Ship Ghost's Undead group; Mei Lan Cult 23 732 764
Occupation/Role	Scholar, former noble steward and tax official, Undead Mage, strategist, alchemical-array builder
Status	Alive; reunited with Zi Di in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital 996

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Bronze-level aptitude	441	His original aptitude was only Bronze-level before becoming an Undead Mage.
Iron-level Undead Mage	239 413 441	His true life level remained Iron despite disguising himself as Silver-level; his initial undead transformation only raised his aptitude limit to Iron.
Three Silver-level Netherghosts	441 480	Obtained advanced Soul Meridian knowledge and sought to strengthen his soul enough to control three Silver-level Netherghosts; Burden Reduction and Karma Reduction Arts eased the resulting strain.
Hanging Corpse Tree Blood Meridian — 3% concentration	752 753	Bloodline purification raised this Saint-level Blood Meridian to 3%, granting him the aptitude to cultivate to Silver-level.
Silver-level Mage	855	His Mage level had reached Silver; he possessed a Saint-level Blood Meridian, though its concentration remained insufficient.

Background / History

Cang Xu was born into a farming family and began working as a child. While cleaning a stable, he was kicked by the family’s horse and nearly suffocated in manure, leaving him deeply afraid of horses and prone to timidity. At eight, he attempted to become an apprentice of a visiting Horse God Sect priest, but his fear prevented him from succeeding. He later accepted the priest’s offer to serve as his slave in exchange for instruction, learning arithmetic, literature, astronomy, and geography. More importantly, the priest instilled in him an enduring curiosity and discipline toward knowledge 63.

He attended Silver Bridge Academy and eventually entered noble service. Cang Xu used his learning and persuasion to settle a village tax dispute, which earned him promotion; he then held an important administrative post for more than thirty years. His knowledge, restraint, and ability to navigate noble politics made him valuable despite his lack of personal strength 63.

His trusted subordinate Lan Tu—also his son—betrayed him after being enticed by a lord’s daughter and accused Cang Xu of plotting against the territory. Forced to flee and made a wanted criminal, Cang Xu chose to devote the remainder of his life to biological research and his unfinished academic work 63.

While working at the academy to support himself, Cang Xu came into contact with a replica of the Blood Meridian Ancestral River Diagram. The painting gave him an enlightenment that began his path toward Undead Magic 457. He later modified his own body to balance life and death, becoming neither fully living nor wholly undead 220 224.

Appearance

Cang Xu is a tall, thin elderly man with a placid gaze and an outwardly indifferent expression. His white beard and deeply lined face emphasize the impression of a learned old scholar rather than frailty 224.

• Pure-white beard, formerly gray and tangled during the Bewildering Monster Island ordeal 224
• Tall, thin build 224
• Wrinkled face described as carrying knowledge and wisdom rather than merely age 224
• Pale, modified body with little bleeding even after severe injury 220
• His body has undergone repeated undead modifications; after the Corpse Dismembering Physician’s intervention, he was reduced to a head and lost his original body 485 492

Personality

Cang Xu is driven first and foremost by knowledge. He pursued scholarship despite poverty, fear, political persecution, and the physical costs of Undead Magic. Even when facing apparent death, his concern included preserving his research and ensuring that Lan Tu could receive his completed work 63 64.

Years as a noble steward gave him exceptional social awareness, political instinct, and rhetorical skill. He identifies incentives, weaknesses, and power relationships quickly, preferring negotiation, deception, and long-term positioning over direct confrontation 457 462 1009.

He is also intensely pragmatic about survival. Cang Xu can be compassionate toward allies, but he deliberately manages sympathy, guilt, debts, and hostility to gain influence. His reconciliation with the Little Prince and his extortion of Fin Spirit both demonstrate this calculated approach 749 750.

Despite his growing ruthlessness, Cang Xu actively resists the negative-energy erosion that drives many Undead Mages toward hatred of the living. His incomplete living-dead state is both a survival measure and an effort to preserve his humanity 441 662.

Abilities & Skills

Soul Meridian Undead Magic

Cang Xu follows the Soul Meridian, an Undead Mage path centered on creating, containing, modifying, and commanding Netherghosts 441.

• Controls Netherghosts through his soul and mental strength; stronger or more numerous ghosts impose heavier burdens 441
• Uses Soul Crystals to nourish his soul and temporarily reinforce his mental state 484
• Employs Burden Reduction Art to lessen the strain caused by controlled ghosts 480
• Employs Karma Reduction Art to reduce negative-energy erosion on his body and soul 480
• Can release and command Iron-level Ghosts; he later sought the capacity to maintain three Silver-level Netherghosts 480 441

Flying Head Technique

The Corpse Dismembering Physician implanted the Flying Head Technique into Cang Xu as compensation after taking his body for experimentation 485.

• Refines and modifies Death Heads into mobile spellcasting vessels 660
• Can control Death Heads remotely through mental power, allowing them to function as simplified magic books 660
• Uses the technique to operate like a one-man mage group in battle 660
• Death Heads have cast Flying Bone Shield, Ghost Slipping Technique, and Soul Healing Art in support of allied undead 653 660
• The technique drew the interest of Ship Ghost, Ku Feng, and the Little Prince because spellcasting Death Heads represented a major increase in their value 660 662

Living-Dead Body Modification

Cang Xu independently developed a partial undead transformation using limited inheritance knowledge. His body exists between life and death, allowing him to survive injuries that would incapacitate ordinary humans 220 224.

• Can regulate the life-death balance within his body when negative energy becomes dominant 224
• Can use Corpse Explosion Art on himself 220
• Sewed a Human Skin Storage Bag into his chest for concealed storage 220
• His self-modification binds his soul to his body, preventing ordinary soul departure and limiting his eventual path to becoming a Lich 220
• Suffers physical decay and emotional distortion from negative-energy erosion, including aversion toward living beings 441

Arcane Research and Alchemy

Cang Xu is an experienced scholar and capable magical researcher who contributes through experimentation, construction, and analysis rather than raw magical force.

• Helped investigate the Bloodcore’s capacity to store and convert Battle Qi into Magic Energy 245
• Built and operated magical arrays, including the Disguise Deception Array on the Deep Sea Monster Fish 232 234
• Constructed a Mana Recovery Mask to impersonate a black-robed Undead Mage 320
• Used arcane knowledge to identify the strategic implications of the Dragonman Youth’s incomplete Flame Dragon King bloodline 245
• Offered undead-based alchemical assistance after reuniting with Zi Di in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital 996

Divine Arts

After surviving a teleportation Blood Sacrifice, Cang Xu was publicly accepted into the Mei Lan Cult as a monk and received Divine Power and Divine Arts 732 757.

• Uses Meilan Divine Power as a distinct energy source separate from his Undead Mana Pool 757
• Can cast granted Divine Arts without studying spell models in the manner required for conventional magic 757
• Uses Soul Link to establish fragile soul connections with willing targets; it is unsuitable for combat against resistance 794
• Helps other undead convert to Meilan faith, using his own successful conversion experience as guidance 740 764

Political and Strategic Analysis

Cang Xu’s greatest non-magical strength is his judgment of people and institutions.

• Reads social pressure, hidden motives, and political incentives with unusual accuracy 457 1009
• Uses strategic retreats, selective truths, and carefully framed requests to extract information from stronger figures 457 705 727
• Identifies military and political threats for the Dragonman Youth and Zi Di, including the Saint-level forces competing for the Duel Divinity 998
• Prefers indirect solutions that preserve future alliances over forceful, short-term action 462

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Five Fire Magic Rings — retained after losing his original body; used to support his public Silver-level mage disguise and fire-based attacks 413 492
• Mana Recovery Mask — used for disguise, including impersonation of a black-robed mage; retained after his body was taken 320 492
• Magic Bracelet — retained after his original body and storage bag were lost 441 492
• Ghost Seed Head — can merge with Cang Xu and grant access to Undead Magic 653
• Modified Death Heads — spellcasting undead constructs created through the Flying Head Technique 660
• Gold-level Feathered Serpent Sail — installed on the Iron Lump Ship through manually built Mana channels 441
• Mushroom Dance Shoes — desired by the Beastman Dancer Yue Ban; Cang Xu attempted to use their sale as leverage in negotiations 413
• Substitute Puppet — a life-saving puppet given to him by the Dragonman Youth; it resurrected Cang Xu after Wei Ying assassinated him, but was destroyed in the process 484
• Lost Human Skin Storage Bag — contained casting materials, alchemical devices, spell scrolls, supplies, and an incomplete Gold-level Water-type magic book; it was taken with Cang Xu’s original body 441 492

Relationships

• Zhen Jin — Cang Xu voluntarily pledged himself to Zhen Jin’s exploration group, though his primary motive was access to monsters and evidence for his Evolution Theory. Zhen Jin recognized him as an exceptionally useful adviser despite his lack of combat power 23 26 33.
• Dragonman Youth — Cang Xu’s leader and principal ally. The youth gave him the Substitute Puppet that saved his life, while Cang Xu later pledged to support him through the struggle for the Duel Divinity 484 998.
• Zi Di — Close collaborator in magical research, alchemy, logistics, and strategy. Cang Xu assisted her after their reunion in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital 245 300 996.
• Lan Tu — Cang Xu’s son and former trusted subordinate. Lan Tu framed him to seize his position and pursue knighthood, yet Cang Xu still wished for his academic work to be delivered to him 63.
• Horse God Priest — Cang Xu’s early teacher and master. The priest’s curiosity and devotion to learning shaped Cang Xu’s life-long pursuit of knowledge 63.
• Ship Ghost — Undead senior, temporary patron, and frequent political rival. Ship Ghost supplied Cang Xu with inheritances and resources but also used him as bait against Wei Ying 480 702 705.
• Ku Feng — Fellow undead and later political ally. Cang Xu helped Ku Feng prepare for conversion, creating a debt of gratitude between them 740.
• The Little Prince — Fellow undead whose guilt over supporting Ku Feng against Cang Xu allowed Cang Xu to reconcile with and gain influence over him 749 794.
• Fin Spirit — Rival within Ship Ghost’s group. Fin Spirit targeted Cang Xu during the memory-forging competition; Cang Xu retaliated through blackmail and forced a verbal compensation agreement 719 749 750.
• Qing Xin — Fellow mage and occasional companion. Cang Xu worked with her at the Undead Assembly and later shared his conversion experience to help her survive a Blood Sacrifice 441 457 740.
• Corpse Dismembering Physician — Saint-level Undead Mage who saved Cang Xu from death but used him as an experiment, took his body and possessions, and left him with the Flying Head Technique 485 492.
• Merman Youth — Cang Xu’s covert leader and strategic partner. The youth revealed Cang Xu’s Blood Meridians, purified his Hanging Corpse Tree Blood Meridian, and relied on his advice concerning captives and undead resources 752 753 887.
• Zhou Zhang — Mei Lan Archbishop who tested Cang Xu after his Blood Sacrifice return, accepted him into the sect, and became one of the powers he had to carefully maneuver around 732 740.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Bewildering Monster Island

Cang Xu joins Zhen Jin’s exploration group as a scholar and adviser. He provides navigation, resource-management advice, social polish, and practical plans while concealing the depth of his own agenda: researching the island’s monsters to support his Evolution Theory 23 26 28 33.

He recounts his past to Zhen Jin and Zi Di, revealing his betrayal by Lan Tu and his wish to preserve his academic work. When survival becomes desperate, he even offers his own body as food to strengthen Zhen Jin for battle 63 64.

Deep Sea Monster Fish and Double Eye Island

After the survivors escape the island, Cang Xu’s undead condition becomes increasingly important. He extracts control information from the Tower Spirit at the cost of overcasting and later stabilizes his life-death balance through self-modification 223 224.

He helps construct magical arrays, researches the Bloodcore with Zi Di and the Dragonman Youth, and uses scroll-based firepower against Rou Cang while keeping his Undead Mage identity concealed 234 245 239 240.

Exposure and the Undead Assembly

During the conflict with Ya Ma and Yue Ban, Cang Xu is forced by the Devil Gold Coin contract to unleash Netherghosts, publicly exposing himself as an Undead Mage 418. With his old identity compromised, he joins Ship Ghost’s Undead Assembly and begins acquiring Soul, Corpse, and Bone Meridian knowledge 457 460.

Ship Ghost later uses Cang Xu as bait against Wei Ying. Though the Substitute Puppet resurrects him, the Corpse Dismembering Physician subsequently takes Cang Xu’s body for experimentation, leaving him as a head and triggering an unpredictable bloodline mutation 484 485 492.

Flying Head Technique and Cult Infiltration

Cang Xu develops the Flying Head Technique into a battlefield support system, using spellcasting Death Heads to heal Ku Feng, protect allies, and assist the Little Prince’s forces 660. He leverages the technique’s value to seek greater Undead inheritances while carefully avoiding Ship Ghost’s suspicion 662 705.

Captured by the Mei Lan Cult, Cang Xu volunteers for a teleportation Blood Sacrifice and covertly reunites with the Dragonman Youth inside the Ocean Mother Nest. He returns publicly as a Mei Lan believer, gains Divine Arts, and begins balancing his identities as an Undead Mage and cult member 728 732 740.

Blood Meridian Awakening and Current Activities

The Merman Youth detects Cang Xu’s three Undead Blood Meridians—Twisted Withered Claw, Strangled Soul, and Hanging Corpse Tree—and purifies the Hanging Corpse Tree Blood Meridian to 3%, opening Cang Xu’s path to Silver-level cultivation 752 753.

Cang Xu later reunites with Zi Di in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital, offers undead-based alchemical assistance, and provides the Dragonman Youth with strategic analysis of the forces competing for the Duel Divinity 996 998.

Notable Quotes

“If the beginning signifies the end, then even if we eventually perish like Bewildering Monster Island, I will follow you to the end.” 998