Zhao Xiaoshuang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Xiaoshuang (赵小霜)
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Duyou Sect; previously associated with Yinlian Village, Angming Mountain, and Meng Nan's cultivation circle 1 34 227
Occupation/Role	Cultivator, swordswoman, and builder of the Duyou Sect in the South Sea 135 227
Status	Active; later documented at the peak of Solid Core 231
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Fetal Breath — Qi Sensation	1	At eighteen, she remained stalled at Qi Sensation and therefore entered marriage rather than continuing full-time cultivation.
Fetal Breath — Visualization	6	A Suoluo Seed rapidly increased her inner breath and allowed her to sense her entry into the Visualization Realm.
Inner Qi — Minor Heavenly Cycle	10	Her cultivation improves after receiving Meng Nan's guidance and accumulated notes; her aptitude proves better than his.
True Essence	36	In a later life, she has abundant True Essence and changes from the Thunder Illumination Scripture to the sword-focused Lesser Thousand Sword Scripture.
Qi Refining — Immortal Master	135	After fourteen unsuccessful lives, she finally succeeds through mid-grade Spiritual Opportunity Pills and dual cultivation with Meng Nan.
Peak Qi Refining — Fourth Realm Dao Attainment	148	Reaches three hundred years of mana and can gather and disperse True Fire; only a suitable foundation vessel remains before attempting Dao Foundation.
True Realm	227	Had attained the True Realm more than three hundred years before Immortal Calendar Year 470.
Peak Solid Core	231	Reaches the highest cultivation the immortal path can bear in the Xu Realm and clears the sixth level through her swordsmanship and the Heavenly Pool Sword.

Background / History

Early life and marriage

At eighteen, Zhao Xiaoshuang was a Fetal Breath Qi Sensation cultivator who had failed to reach Inner Qi before the local deadline for postponing marriage. She married Meng Nan, initially finding him gentle and easy to get along with. 1

She approached cultivation pragmatically rather than from a desire for immortality: reaching True Qi or True Essence would materially improve her standing and freedom. Although she had cultivated for two years without reaching Visualization, Meng Nan encouraged her to continue and gave her a notebook for recording her experiences. 4

After learning she was pregnant, she initially felt conflicted and anxious, but Meng Nan accepted the child and urged her to avoid heavy work. The Suoluo Seeds he later shared with her gave her first major breakthrough, carrying her into the Visualization Realm. 6

Adventuring and independence

Meng Nan's notes and guidance helped Zhao Xiaoshuang progress to the Inner Qi Minor Heavenly Cycle. Her aptitude eventually surpassed his: she could sustain thirty-five breaths of cultivation at once, compared with Meng Nan's thirty-three. 10

Life outside Yinlian Village awakened her desire for freedom and combat. Carrying a sword, seeing unfamiliar lands, and confronting injustice exposed a side of her that had been suppressed by village life. 11

Wanting to prove herself without Meng Nan's protection, she left Yinlian Village with Feng Ying for independent training. She returned with Alchemy Notes and a Qi Circulation Powder pill, then later set out again with Feng Ying and Meng Nan; all three were killed by a Feathered Peacock in that recorded life. 12 13

Sword path and repeated setbacks

In a later life, Zhao Xiaoshuang abandoned the Thunder Illumination Scripture for Chashan's Lesser Thousand Sword Scripture, choosing the sharper path that better suited her temperament. 36

She repeatedly pursued Qi Refining but failed in one life at roughly one hundred years old, dying during a Middle Method breakthrough despite using the Enlightenment Stone. Meng Nan used Jade Soul Paste to restore her soul, then bound her to the Soul Banner through the Ghost God Concordance Pact. 105 106

Qi Refining and later career

In the fifteenth life, Zhao Xiaoshuang finally advanced to Qi Refining. She principally cultivated the Jade Scripture Treasure Formula and also practiced the Grand Pervasion Sword Scripture, refining a case of flying swords and the Great Pervasion Sword Array. 135

Her cultivation subsequently outpaced Meng Nan's. By the time he reached the sixth level of Qi Refining in that life, she had already reached the ninth level and become one of the foremost combatants among Qi Refiners. 135

After attaining the True Realm, Zhao Xiaoshuang spent centuries establishing the Duyou Sect in the South Sea. She cultivated contacts within the Immortal Alliance, studied its internal divisions, and supplied Meng Nan with intelligence on the conflict among the Profound Yin Sect, Immortal Alliance, and Star Gate. 227

Appearance

Zhao Xiaoshuang is initially described as ordinary rather than striking, with well-proportioned and pleasing features. 1

• Her early demeanor is demure; she blushes easily around Meng Nan during their newlywed period. 3 4
• A Beauty-Preserving Pill allows her to retain the appearance of a young woman even at one hundred and ten years old. 74
• After becoming a Qi Refining Immortal Master, she carries a sword case on her back. 135

Personality

Zhao Xiaoshuang is optimistic, resilient, and highly sensitive to the emotions of her family. Meng Nan observes that she rarely loses her temper and instinctively either comforts upset relatives or pretends not to notice their discomfort. 2

Her early shyness gradually gives way to confidence, independence, and a taste for danger. She seeks opportunities to test herself beyond Yinlian Village, prefers the sword path over lightning techniques, and increasingly reveals a battle-loving nature. 11 12 33 36

She is also practical about cultivation and survival. When confronting the possibility of a great calamity, she prioritizes her and Meng Nan's path to the Dao over the lives of ordinary people. 80

Abilities & Skills

Sword cultivation

Zhao Xiaoshuang's preferred path is sword cultivation, which becomes the foundation of her later combat strength.

• Cultivates the Gale Thunder Sword Technique in her earlier adventures. 22
• Switches to the Lesser Thousand Sword Scripture after reaching True Essence. 36
• Later practices the Grand Pervasion Sword Scripture, refines a case of flying swords, and tempers the Great Pervasion Sword Array. 135
• Her swordsmanship and the Heavenly Pool Sword eventually allow her to clear the sixth level at peak Solid Core. 231

Blood Arrow Secret Technique

Zhao Xiaoshuang can use the Blood Arrow Secret Technique as a fast and lethal killing move.

• Kills an enemy with the technique during the Tianlin Cave conflict. 23
• Combines it with the Giant Spirit God secret technique and Five Elements Cover when considering a confrontation with Zhang He. 38

Movement and concealed attacks

She uses mobility and surprise to compensate when facing stronger opponents.

• Practices the Hundred Changes Thousand Illusions Cloud Mist Movement Technique. 22
• Uses a hidden weapon to counter Wei Yuncong when he attempts to exploit her need to protect Meng Nan. 22

Ghost cultivation and the Soul Banner

In one life, Zhao Xiaoshuang becomes the primary soul of Meng Nan's Soul Banner after dying during her Qi Refining breakthrough.

• Her soul is reshaped with Jade Soul Paste before being fused with the banner through the Ghost God Concordance Pact. 106
• Ghost cultivation progresses slowly because she must preserve her rationality. 106
• She later gains extraordinary combat strength within the Small Thunderclap Three Thousand Blazing Soul Banner. 118

True Realm cultivation

At the True Realm, Zhao Xiaoshuang learns to use One Wondrous Treasures to support her advancement.

• The Blood Bodhi helps a True Realm cultivator comprehend the principles and patterns within a One Wondrous Treasure. 227
• The Heavenly Pool Sword and Nine Cloud Ring give her confidence in attempting advancement to Great True Person. 228

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Treasured sword — carried when leaving Yinlian Village to train independently. 12
• Five Elements Cover — a protective magical artifact given to her by Meng Nan. 34
• Soul Banner / Small Thunderclap Three Thousand Blazing Soul Banner — her vessel and cultivation foundation during her ghost-cultivator life. 105 106 118
• Sword case and flying swords — refined alongside the Great Pervasion Sword Array after she reaches Qi Refining. 135
• Four Symbols Demon-Subduing Tower — contains threefold Four Symbols Divine Generals capable of confronting powerful Dao Foundation cultivators. 207
• Heavenly Pool Sword — an upper-grade exquisite treasure with killing power nearly comparable to a fourth-rank treasure. 227
• Nine Cloud Ring — a treasure that substantially aids her True Realm cultivation. 228

Relationships

• Meng Nan — Husband, cultivation partner, and the person most committed to helping her overcome Qi Refining. Their relationship evolves from his overprotective planning into mutual respect and shared cultivation. 1 13 135
• Feng Ying — Friend and companion during Zhao Xiaoshuang's first independent journeys beyond Yinlian Village. 12 13
• Qian Yu — Longtime friend and ally. Zhao Xiaoshuang welcomes Qian Yu into the group's migration to Dragon Ridge Mountain and later works alongside her within Meng Nan's circle. 69 195
• Meng Xingzhe, Meng Jian, and Meng Santan — Her children with Meng Nan. She later reveals Meng Nan's secret identity and plans to them and Qian Yu. 8 207
• Meng Santan — Her daughter. Zhao Xiaoshuang can suppress her if necessary but refrains from seriously harming her during their confrontation. 207

Notable Quotes

“I can do this!” 12

“I must cultivate to the True Qi! True Essence!” 24

Trivia

• Zhao Xiaoshuang records more than a thousand scrolls of cultivation notes over the decades. 19
• Meng Nan initially mistakes her willingness to follow his plans for dependence, later realizing that treating her like a subordinate harms her growth. 13
• Her later cultivation speed is described as though she had accumulated the force of fourteen previous lives into a single lifetime. 135