Xin Xichen

Biodata

Name	Xin Xichen (薪惜尘)
Alias(es)	Sage; His Majesty; Kindling Fire Emperor; Oath Lord Esteemed Immortal; Xin Shenghua (his turbid-energy counterpart, who claims to be the “true” Xin Xichen) 470 849 1187
Species/Race	Human; later a Ghoul King and Ember Shell; ascended immortal 469 856 921
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xin Dynasty; Xi Rong team; Esteemed Immortal Ping Cun's party 396 1086
Occupation/Role	Last Sage and emperor of the Xin Dynasty; scholar, researcher, strategist, and later Oath Lord Esteemed Immortal 394 1187
Status	Active 1213
First Appearance	Chapter 394

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ghoul King; Dual Spiritual Root cycle	469	After confronting Nine Grains in the Imperial Mausoleum, he learns that he is dead and awakens as a Ghoul King.
Immortal Spiritual Root	596	His Kindling Fire becomes a multicolored flame after advancing to an immortal spiritual root.
Seven-Colored Spiritual Root	849	His expanded spiritual-root foundation sharply improves his deduction and analysis.
Human Immortal, Peak	939	He accumulates resources for a Heavenly Immortal breakthrough through his noodle-skin business.
True Immortal, Second Layer	1123	While apprenticed to Ping Cun, he is reported to have reached True Immortal Second Layer.
True Immortal, Great Perfection	1185	He reaches the bottleneck of proving himself as an Esteemed Immortal.
Oath Lord Esteemed Immortal	1187	He attains the Dao first and surpasses the Myriad Beast Esteemed Immortal.
Celestial Phenomenon Esteemed Immortal	1198	He identifies himself among the Celestial Phenomenon Esteemed Immortals.

Background / History

Xin Xichen was the last Sage of the Xin Dynasty. During the dynasty's fall, Nine Grains led the Nine Continents' kings against the Capital City. Xin Xichen removed the Chronicle of Ages' core, brought it into the Chronicle, and killed himself rather than surrender it to Nine Grains. 856

His death was deliberately incomplete. He split himself into a soul void and turbid soul energy: the soul void became the ghoul-like Xin Xichen left in the Imperial Mausoleum, while the turbid energy escaped as Xin Shenghua. Xin Shenghua intended to guide the younger, preserved version of himself toward an immortal spiritual root and the restoration of Xin rule. 470

Xin Shenghua later reveals that he committed atrocities over more than a hundred thousand years to prepare this path. He ultimately asks Xin Xichen to burn him and inherit his knowledge, believing the younger Ember version to be the person worthy of becoming emperor. Xin Xichen accepts, destroying Xin Shenghua with Kindling Fire. 470

In a separate attempt to preserve what mattered to him, Xin Xichen became an Ember Shell: a painting-like existence that retained his youth and peak strength. He chose this form so that he, his wife, and his daughter could remain together in perpetual youth within Yesterday's Forest. 856

Appearance

Xin Xichen usually presents himself as a refined young scholar rather than an imposing monarch. His Ember Shell preserves a youthful appearance and his peak condition. 856 939

• Often dresses in white or scholar-like robes. 939 1198
• Carries an erudite, gentle demeanor when among researchers. 396
• His Kindling Fire manifests prominently as brilliant, text-filled flames. 470 1185
• Xin Shenghua, his turbid-energy counterpart, has white hair and an identical face apart from that distinction. 470

Personality

Xin Xichen dislikes empty imperial ceremony and prefers to be treated as a scholar. When joining the Xi Rong team, he explicitly asks others to disregard his combat power and work with him as an equal researcher. He treasures rigorous debate, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas, regarding like-minded companions as a relief from the loneliness of the throne. 396 397

He is also intensely controlling, secretive, and pragmatic. He covertly burns technical talents to update his knowledge, protects his own information from theft, and habitually seeks the decisive weakness that turns an overwhelming battle into a short one. 399 733 804

Beneath that calculation is a powerful sense of responsibility toward his land and people. When facing Sacrifice, he is willing to burn his own life to make Civilization's Fire burn brighter and force a path to victory. 850

Abilities & Skills

Civilization's Fire / Kindling Fire

The Xin Dynasty's defining divine ability allows its users to gain knowledge by burning souls. Xin Xichen uses it as both a research engine and a weapon of analysis. 394

• Burns targets or remnants to acquire knowledge, experience, and technical insight. 394 399
• Rapidly processes written reports and blueprints by burning them. 775
• Can transfer acquired insights to allies through shared flame. 987
• Enabled him to study ancient history by incinerating creatures and absorbing their information. 596
• Its extraction can be incomplete; burning only a sliver of a True Immortal's divine sense yields limited insight rather than the target's full knowledge. 987
• He uses related methods to erase bloodline information from his own discarded flesh and prevent others from stealing his data. 804

Problem-Solving and Deduction

Xin Xichen's greatest combat advantage is his ability to identify mechanisms, weaknesses, and countermeasures under pressure.

• Deciphered the Painter's brush as a structure of 108,000 material-transmission pipelines. 849
• Determined that damaging Sacrifice's brain could interrupt its control of the Nine Continents' earth veins. 849
• Routinely ends battles quickly by exploiting weaknesses instead of winning through prolonged force. 733
• Defeated the Giant Shell Progenitor Demon God, Su Yu Niang, in ten seconds through his Sun and Moon Divine Weapon and tactical analysis. 687

Spiritual-Root and Cultivation Research

Xin Xichen is a pioneering cultivation scholar whose research reshapes the Nine Continents' cultivation system.

• Developed the method for establishing the Five Elements cycle during Opening the Three Flowers. 775
• Created Five Elements life-saving pills that raise the method's success rate to 70%. 775
• Publicly taught the technique across the Nine Continents, accelerating the transition from Yin-Yang roots toward Five Elements roots. 775
• Secretly concealed the seventh spiritual-root cycle, creating an information monopoly over a route toward perfect cultivation. 716

Forging and Defensive Engineering

Despite presenting himself primarily as a scholar, Xin Xichen is an accomplished artificer and designer.

• Joined Xi Rong's forging team to research defensive artifacts and city infrastructure. 396
• Completed defensive-tower blueprints in roughly ten hours with the city wall's reinforcement. 396
• Used a giant Dharma Aspect to forge and assemble a defensive tower. 399

Oath Authority

After attaining the Oath Lord position, Xin Xichen's Kindling Fire becomes tied to contracts, alliances, and pledges.

• His flames contain the scripts of marriage contracts, commercial agreements, alliances, and other oaths. 1185
• His Esteemed Immortal path presides over the oaths between heaven, earth, and humanity. 1187
• Can rally followers whose insights into other Great Daos and laws amplify his power. 1236

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sun and Moon Divine Weapon — A versatile divine weapon and “skill library” that lets Xin Xichen bring out specialized counters against different opponents. 687 688
• Dao Yue Niang — His Sun and Moon divine artifact, later used in transformed forms to produce and sell noodle skins in the Immortal Realm. 939
• Nine-Five Supreme Sword — Used against the False Human Emperors during the battle against Sacrifice. 849
• Chronicle of Ages core — Seized and used to suppress the Imperial Mausoleum and restore order to the Capital City. 468 469
• Square cauldron — An artifact through which he regained control over the Imperial Mausoleum. 469

Relationships

• Xinyi — His daughter. Their discussion of Civilization's Fire reveals the Xin royal family's ruthless inheritance of knowledge; she even considers killing him to obtain the past Sages' knowledge. 394
• Xin Shenghua — His turbid-energy counterpart and hidden original self. Xin Shenghua engineers Xin Xichen's awakening, then willingly allows himself to be burned so Xin Xichen can inherit his accumulated knowledge. 470
• Nine Grains Sage — Former enemy and dynastic conqueror. Nine Grains helps set Xin Xichen on the path to becoming a Ghoul King, while Xin Xichen later acknowledges that his restored throne was effectively a gift from Nine Grains. 469
• Dao Yue Niang — Bound earth spirit of the Capital City and Xin Xichen's close associate. She criticizes his dependence on Xi Rong's help, yet continues to advise and work alongside him. 468 603
• Xi Rong / Ning Zheng — Initially joined Xi Rong's team as a researcher. Their relationship becomes an uneasy mixture of cooperation, mutual respect, rivalry, and information warfare. 396 800 1198
• Sword Fairy Maiden — A fellow researcher with whom he discusses defensive towers, the Capital City's politics, and the training of artificial intelligence. 396 397
• Esteemed Immortal Ping Cun — Mentor and expedition leader in the Immortal Realm. Ping Cun trains Xin Xichen as a retainer and takes him on resource-raiding expeditions. 1086 1126
• Myriad Beast Esteemed Immortal — Defeated rival whom Xin Xichen recruits as a mount and subordinate after becoming Oath Lord Esteemed Immortal. 1187

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xin Dynasty's Fall and Split Existence

As the Xin Dynasty falls, Xin Xichen takes the Chronicle of Ages' core into the Chronicle and kills himself. His split creates the preserved Ember/Soul Shell version and the turbid-energy Xin Shenghua, setting up a long plan for restoration and immortality. 470 856

Return of the Sage

After re-emerging, Xin Xichen offers his knowledge to Xi Rong's research team. He helps develop defensive towers, absorbs modern technical knowledge from thousands of cities, and positions himself as a scholar of the new era rather than merely a ruler of the old one. 396 399

Capital City Chaos and Restoration

Xin Shenghua's schemes and rumors destabilize Xin Xichen, driving him into a rampage through the Capital City. Xin Xichen later secures the reforged Chronicle core, suppresses the other Sages, and ascends as ruler of the new era. 419 468

Ghoul King Awakening

Within the Imperial Mausoleum, Nine Grains reveals that Xin Xichen is dead and guides his awakening as a Ghoul King. Xin Shenghua then reveals their shared identity and is burned, leaving Xin Xichen with the burden of his counterpart's knowledge and crimes. 469 470

Nine Continents Reforms and the Immortal Artifact Era

Xin Xichen spreads the Five Elements cycle method, advances Seven-Colored Spiritual Root research, and recognizes the beginning of the immortal-artifact era after Xi Rong Manor's rapid weapon production. 775 800 810

Immortal Realm Ascension

After ascending with Phoenix Yi, Disaster Bringer, and the Nine-Headed Dragon Emperor, Xin Xichen chooses independent development over joining an established Immortal Realm force. He identifies Chongshan Town as a business opportunity and uses Dao Yue Niang's transformed forms to build capital for his breakthrough. 921 939

Ping Cun's Retainer and Resource Raids

Xin Xichen hides with Heavenly Immortals under the banner of reviving Ping Cun's forces, later serving Ping Cun directly. He becomes a leader among the retainer group, plans body-snatching targets, and helps raid the prehistoric era for resources. 1047 1062 1086

Oath Lord and Celestial Phenomenon

Xin Xichen reaches True Immortal Great Perfection, manifests oath-script Kindling Fire, and becomes the Oath Lord Esteemed Immortal. As a Celestial Phenomenon Esteemed Immortal, he participates in the escalating struggle between past and future civilizations. 1185 1187 1213

Notable Quotes

“Currently, I am not ‘Your Majesty,’ but ‘I.’ I am a scholar like you all.” 396

“There are no problems in this world that I cannot solve, no situations I cannot break through.” 849

“I will defeat him. I will protect this land at all costs.” 850