Chen Jingxuan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Jingxuan (陈镜玄)
Alias(es)	Little National Preceptor; National Preceptor; State Preceptor
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Chu Dynasty; Scripture Pavilion; Square Circle Market
Occupation/Role	Celestial Observer, diviner, array master, and former State Preceptor
Status	Alive; continues to coordinate Great Chu’s response to the demon tides 735 737
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 52; first directly appears in Chapter 53 52 53

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Yang Spirit Realm	573	Reveals his Yang Spirit cultivation while confronting Grand Master Chong Kan; his advancement allows him to stand against Chong Kan’s pressure, though he acknowledges that direct combat remains his weakness 573

Background

Chen Jingxuan rose to prominence alongside Xie Xuanyi under the saying, “South Xie, North Chen, unparalleled twin walls.” While Xie stood at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, Chen guarded heavenly secrets from the Imperial City as a peerless celestial observer 53.

A decade earlier, Chen defeated his fellow diviner Yan Xie in a struggle over the Celestial Globe’s threads of fate. Yan Xie briefly gained the upper hand with a stolen sacred object, but suffered its backlash and lost both the contest and his chance to become Great Chu’s National Preceptor 197.

Chen later became the central figure of the Scripture Pavilion. His position granted him access to Great Chu’s national treasures, intelligence network, and divination arts, but repeated observation of fate steadily consumed his lifespan and left him chronically frail 54 110.

Appearance

Chen Jingxuan is a thin, scholarly man usually dressed in clean blue or green Confucian robes. His bearing is composed and refined, though his health visibly deteriorates whenever he overuses celestial divination 53 188 353.

• Pale complexion and a physically weak appearance 94 353
• Premature gray or white strands at his temples 54 353
• Often works late at a desk amid scrolls, case files, and cold tea 53 188
• Maintains immaculate robes and a dignified posture even while concealing illness 420 432

Personality

Chen is patient and respectful even toward suspicious or uninvited visitors. During his first private exchange with Xie Xuanyi, he listens without hostility, allows Xie to speak freely, and treats him as an equal despite not knowing his identity 53.

He plans on a national scale but does not treat people as disposable pieces. Chen carefully protects his agents, arranges exits for those who wish to retire, and apologizes to subordinates whose sacrifices have gone unrecognized 607.

Beneath his calmness is a willingness to gamble everything for those he values. He relinquishes authority to save Tang Fengshu, risks his life against Chong Kan at the Northern Sea, and continues to shoulder Great Chu’s defenses despite the toll on his body 574 608 735.

Abilities & Skills

Celestial Observation and Fate Divination

Chen is a celestial observer capable of examining Great Chu’s fortune, identifying threats, and manipulating pivotal threads of fate.

• Uses the Grand Fate technique to represent Great Chu’s political and spiritual condition as an interconnected board of fate 54.
• Employs the Primal Chaos Monitor and the Celestial Globe, national treasures tied to the office of Imperial Preceptor 54 612.
• Can deploy the Mandate of Heaven to alter decisive events; he sends it to Xie Xuanyi to shatter the Northern Sea Mausoleum and break the Tide Sacrifice formation 89.
• Xie Xuanyi’s fate cannot be directly observed, as it is obscured by fog; an attempt to pry into it severely injures Fali and blinds him 319.
• Divination exacts a lifespan cost, contributing to Chen’s persistent illness and physical exhaustion 110 353.

Array and Talisman Mastery

Chen possesses exceptional knowledge of formations and can independently construct arrays that ordinarily require multiple masters.

• Arranges the Ninefold Bright Phoenix Fire Void Refinement Grand Formation in the Northern Sea reed marshes as a prepared battlefield against Chong Kan 607 608.
• Uses Golden Radiance talismans, the Golden Thread Cage, and Heaven’s Mandate Golden Threads in coordinated combat 608 611.
• His formations compensate for his inferior direct-combat strength and allow him to challenge stronger opponents through preparation and positioning 573 608.

Yang Spirit Cultivation

Chen’s Yang Spirit cultivation is formidable, though he does not consider himself a front-line fighter.

• Reveals a Yang Spirit Realm aura capable of blocking Chong Kan’s Avatar pressure 573.
• Demonstrates a Yang Spirit Avatar while confronting a Daoist Sect secluded cultivator on Tai Ridge 586.
• Can immobilize Jiang Qihu with a casual touch, displaying strength he normally keeps hidden 561.
• Admits that even an injured Chong Kan is beyond his ability to defeat through a straightforward fight 573.

Intelligence and Political Strategy

Chen operates an extensive network through the Scripture Pavilion and Square Circle Market.

• Personally cultivated trusted Black Scale Guard Sang Zheng into a Nine-Scaled operative 188.
• Commands numerous hidden Yin Spirit agents distributed throughout Great Chu, including Mo Long 607.
• Uses public testimony, information control, and legal pressure to strip the Prince of Jiangning of power rather than simply arranging his death 410.
• Anticipates enemy movements, including Yuan Jimo’s attempt to intercept Xie Xuanyi and the Demon Realm’s shifting invasion strategy 339 737.

Equipment / Items

• Primal Chaos Monitor — Great Chu’s national treasure, used for Grand Fate divination and accessible only to Imperial Preceptors 54.
• Celestial Globe — A fate-observing treasure through which Chen examines future threads and directs national strategy 612 735.
• As-You-Wish Token — A communication artifact developed by Chen; it creates spiritual illusions for private long-distance conversations 53 77.
• Mandate of Heaven — A golden thread of fate that Chen entrusts to Xie Xuanyi during the Northern Sea Mausoleum crisis 89.
• Heaven’s Mandate Golden Threads — Golden fate threads used as bindings, defensive constructs, and cutting attacks 612 613.

Relationships

• Xie Xuanyi — Old friend, confidant, and the other half of Great Chu’s “peerless twin walls.” Chen protects Xie’s hidden identity, gives him the Faces of the Multitude, and repeatedly coordinates plans with him through the As-You-Wish Token 53 94 332.
• Tang Fengshu — Longtime love and eventual partner. Chen risks his office, reputation, and life to free her from Chong Kan’s Mind Cage; they later confess their feelings to each other 574 608 662.
• Jiang Qihu — Disciple and trusted surrogate family member. Chen guides him sternly, shields him from political danger, and entrusts him with critical Scripture Pavilion affairs 109 561 607.
• Chu Yin — Political protégée and ruler of Great Chu. Chen secretly supports her claim against the Holy Empress’s control and helps arrange her eventual freedom from the Imperial City 289 661.
• Chu Guo — Student and hidden rightful heir to Great Chu. Chen helped conceal his identity in Li Kingdom and later protects him within a Grotto-Heaven 333 644.
• Yan Xie — Former friend turned lifelong rival. Their contest for the State Preceptor position transformed their friendship into hostility, though Chen never regarded Yan as a personal enemy 197 574 585.
• Mo Long — Yin Spirit disciple and covert Scripture Pavilion agent. Chen trusts Mo Long with information about his hidden network and final arrangements 607.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Qing Province and the Bai Ze Secret Realm

Chen first contacts Xie Xuanyi through the As-You-Wish Token after Xie poses as Rank Six. He recognizes the political game surrounding the Bai Ze Secret Realm, uses Grand Fate divination to assess Great Chu’s perilous state, and chooses to intervene in the Carp Tide City crisis 53 54 55.

He later entrusts Xie with the Mandate of Heaven, enabling the destruction of the Northern Sea Mausoleum’s formation core and preventing Carp Tide City’s destruction 89.

Protecting Xie Zhen’s Identity

Chen creates a blank Scripture Pavilion identity for Xie Xuanyi’s alias, Xie Zhen, and helps secure Deng Baiyi’s future within the Daoist Sect. He also gives Xie the Faces of the Multitude, allowing him to conceal his appearance without relying on a conspicuous mask 92 94 120.

Imperial City Intrigue

As Great Chu’s political order weakens, Chen supports Chu Yin, safeguards Chu Guo’s secret identity, and maneuvers against the Prince of Jiangning. Rather than seeking a simple execution, he arranges for the prince’s crimes to be exposed publicly and for his influence to collapse completely 292 333 410.

Departure from the Imperial City

To free Tang Fengshu from Chong Kan’s control, Chen offers to relinquish his position as State Preceptor and leave the Imperial City. He subsequently hands the Scripture Pavilion and Square Circle Market’s authority to Yan Xie, choosing Tang Fengshu’s freedom over institutional power 573 585 586.

Battle at the Northern Sea

Chen prepares the Ninefold Bright Phoenix Fire Void Refinement Grand Formation in the Northern Sea reed marshes and confronts Chong Kan alongside Tang Fengshu. His strategy delays Chong Kan long enough for Tang to advance to the Yang Spirit Realm and for Xie Xuanyi to arrive, ultimately turning the battle in their favor 607 608 612 619.

Demon Tide Defense

After the Northern Sea conflict, Chen returns to managing Great Chu’s internal affairs and the defense against the Demon Realm. He remains stationed with the Celestial Globe, monitoring more than a hundred demon tides and identifying the larger invasion still approaching 735 737.

Notable Quotes

“As long as the person is still here, the tea can be warmed.” 188

“There are some things I want to try.” 55

“Of course, I like you too.” 662