Xuan Gate

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xuan Gate (玄关)
Occupation/Role	Broad umbrella for practitioners of mystical arts, ritual specialists, sects, and Dharma lineages
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 12

Background and History

The Xuan Gate’s underlying tradition originated in ancient worship of gods and from tribal Witchcraft Dao practices of divination, taboo avoidance, and exorcism. These practices later developed into rites for auspicious occasions, disasters, warfare, guests, celebrations, and funerals, producing professions such as Yin Yang Masters, pallbearers, and paper-effigy makers. 223

Its fundamental procedures are Omen, Taboo, and Exorcism. Xuan Gate techniques are presented as methods for identifying patterns behind supernatural phenomena and handling events ordinary people cannot perceive. 25

According to Yan Jiuling’s research, an Orthodox Sect is “orthodox” because it controls the rituals of its era. The Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, for example, controls National Sacrifice Rituals, while other traditions influence official and social rites. Changes in ritual are therefore tied to calamities and transformations of the Human Path. 223

During the Southern Song era, Daoist sects reportedly united against the flourishing Great Song Ghost Sect, established the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, and hunted Ghost Sect remnants into hiding. 636

Structure and Membership

Branch	Composition and standing
Orthodox Xuan Gate	Court-appointed practitioners registered through the Ministry of Rites’ Mystic Sacrificial Official. They can receive Dao or Buddhist Certificates, preside over famous mountains and temples, and include the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect. 12
Heterodox ways	The much larger body of Yin Yang Masters, witches, shamans, and Jianghu figures versed in mystical arts. 12
Local Dharma Veins	Regional ritual lineages that maintain their own methods, soldiers, and territories; outside intervention in their local affairs can provoke mystical duels. 22 30
Buddhist traditions	Buddhism is accepted among the Orthodox Sects despite Great Xuan’s primarily Daoist character, and Buddhist disciples may receive Buddhist Certificates. 129

“Xuan Gate” is a broad designation rather than a single sect: anyone with knowledge of mystical arts may be called a Xuan Gate person. Its practitioners range from frauds and minor local specialists to figures whose abilities command respect throughout Jianghu. 12 21

Most practitioners either cultivate in mountain seclusion or make their living in major cities. Even weak witches and shamans may be the only capable ritual specialists in their surrounding villages. 101

Practices and Methods

Spirit Preservation and Visualization

Cultivation begins with preserving the spirit and visualization. Because scattered thoughts make entry difficult, Orthodox Sects and Dharma lineages generally train disciples from childhood; those who awaken Spiritual Power later in life face a far harsher path. 22

• Spiritual Power may be sealed to protect an unprepared practitioner from evil entities. 22
• Dao Progress determines whether a practitioner can control stronger ritual methods and soldiers. 22
• Blessed Grotto-Heavens and spiritual apertures gather Innate Firm Qi, making them valuable sites for cultivation and major rituals. 22 30

Ritual Procedure

Xuan Gate rites commonly proceed through omen-reading, observing prohibitions, and exorcising or resolving the identified threat. 25

• Divination can locate a Living Soul before a soul-summoning ritual. 25
• Soul-soothing rites may prevent a recovered Living Soul from leaving its body again. 25
• Rituals depend on offerings, incense, talismans, altars, spiritual materials, and favorable Feng Shui. 30

Soldiers and Altars

Orthodox sects, local Dharma Veins, and evil paths all raise ritual soldiers for ceremonies. Known examples include Orthodox Lu Soldiers, City God and Earth God Temple She Ling Soldiers, Five Directions Five Camps Yin Soldiers, Chuma Xian Five Paths Immortal Soldiers, and Five Connect Soldiers of heretical sacrifices. 22

• Soldiers are not invincible; places with powerful incense offerings, such as City God or Earth God Temples, can bar weaker forces. 22
• Cold Altars may produce Rampaging Soldiers comparable to fierce ghosts. 22
• Famous mountains and Blessed Grotto-Heavens possess Firm Qi that can disrupt hostile altars and cause summoned soldiers to turn against their controller. 22

Talismans and Artifacts

A talisman requires more than its written form to become effective. “Binding of Evil” injects Firm Qi and malevolent energy into the talisman, while “Entering the Taboo” records the names of deities. 59

• Consecrated artifacts, household god portraits, ancient objects, and Feng Shui arrangements can repel malevolent spirits and suppress illusions. 63 690
• Major rituals may require Altar-Suppressing Magical Artifacts and long-established offerings at important sect altars. 30
• Xuan Gate craftsmen create buildings, formations, ritual tools, and artifacts, blending practical trades with mystical methods. 302 609

Governance and Regulation

The Imperial Court officially recognizes and regulates parts of the Xuan Gate through the Ministry of Rites, Dao Certificates, Buddhist Certificates, and institutions such as the Mystic Sacrificial Official and the Enforcement Hall. 12 129

A new imperial policy sought to control practitioners by issuing Dao Certificates and managing access to spiritual apertures in Blessed Grotto-Heavens. This brought large numbers of practitioners to Tai Bai Mountain to compete for access. 120

At the Qingcheng Assembly, the court demanded cooperation in regulating the Nine Cauldrons and Xuan Gate activity. Qingcheng and several major sects supported the plan, while the Meishan Fa Sect offered disciples for military service in pursuit of Orthodox recognition. 622

Later, the court treated the gathering of major sect leaders as a political threat, ordering checkpoints to scrutinize Xuan Gate cultivators and authorizing the execution of those who forced their way through under accusations of colluding with demons. 744

Relationships

• Imperial Court — Appoints and regulates Orthodox practitioners, but increasingly seeks to control Xuan Gate rites, resources, and political influence. 12 622 744
• Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect — Chief Orthodox Sect; controls National Sacrifice Rituals and possesses large numbers of Lu Soldiers. 22 223
• Local Dharma Veins — Regional ritual lineages with their own practitioners, soldiers, and local interests. 22 30
• Earth Immortals — The Xuan Gate provides them shelter and continued incense, while also functioning as their cage; those who cause trouble become enemies of both the Xuan Gate and Living Underworld Messengers. 354
• Living Underworld Messengers — Share an interest with the Xuan Gate in restraining dangerous Earth Immortals and preserving order between the living and dead. 354 768
• Ghost Sect — A long-standing hostile force whose rise helped prompt the formation of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect. 636

Story Role and Major Arcs

• Li Yan first seeks genuine Xuan Gate experts after awakening Olfactory Mystical Power and recognizing that the Yansheng Curse has drawn him into supernatural conflict. 12
• Wang Dao Xuan introduces Li Yan to Spirit Preservation, ritual soldiers, altars, talismans, and the dangers of entering the Xuan Gate late in life. 21 22 25
• The group’s early Xianyang work demonstrates the competitive reality of Xuan Gate business, where temples, Dharma Veins, reputation, and local territorial claims determine who receives work. 30
• The Tai Bai Mountain policy reveals the court’s growing effort to register practitioners and control spiritual apertures. 120
• Yan Jiuling’s manuscript reframes the Xuan Gate as a hidden force behind ritual, social order, and the transformations of the Human Path. 223
• Major sects, the Imperial Court, and independent practitioners clash over the Nine Cauldrons, divine artifacts, firearms, and the broader transformation of the Human Path. 622 723 748
• The opening of the Mount Tai Netherworld passage exposes both the Xuan Gate’s responsibility for supernatural crises and the consequences of powerful sects hunting Living Underworld Messengers. 768 769