Xuan Zi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xuan Zi (玄子)
Alias(es)	Taotie Douluo; Elder Xuan; One-Armed Douluo; Dark Taotie
Gender	Male
Martial Soul	Godly Taotie Bull / Taotie Divine Ox; later corrupted into the Dark Taotie 76 152
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Sea God Pavilion; later the Holy Spirit Cult 61 143
Occupation/Role	Sea God Pavilion elder; Shrek Inspection Team vice-captain; later Holy Spirit Cult Supreme Elder 153 143
Status	Alive; an at-large Evil Soul Master after defecting from Shrek Academy 176
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Rank 98 Super Douluo	3	In Su Chen's first simulation, Xuan Zi serves as Sea God Pavilion Master and is described as a level 98 Super Douluo before later advancing.
Rank 99 Limit Douluo	3	Reaches Limit Douluo in the first simulation; Su Chen subsequently kills him with the Pluto Sword Art's third form, God Slayer.
Rank 98 Super Douluo	76, 77	In a later conflict with the Body Sect, he remains a rank 98 Super Douluo and overwhelms Elder Jin until Du Busi intervenes.
Rank 95 Super Douluo	98	Severe injuries leave him permanently stuck at rank 95, with his right arm barely saved and his cultivation unable to advance conventionally.
Dark Taotie; rank 97 to rank 95	143, 146	After embracing the Holy Spirit Cult's devouring path, he gains power through feeding on blood, souls, and cultivation; backlash during his flight from Du Busi reduces him from rank 97 to rank 95.
Peak rank 98 Super Douluo	166	Consuming the Golden Ancient Tree's essence restores his limbs and rapidly returns his cultivation to the peak of rank 98.
Limit Douluo	173	After devouring the Golden Ancient Tree's power, he becomes a Limit Douluo with a mutated soul-ring configuration, including six hundred-thousand-year red rings.

Background / History

In Su Chen's first simulation, Xuan Zi leads a thirteen-member Shrek squad to obtain Zhang Lexuan's eighth soul ring. Su Chen repeatedly warns him not to wander off for alcohol, but Xuan Zi dismisses the warnings while holding his wine gourd. A 100,000-year Blood Dragon Lizard attacks after Xuan Zi's negligence, killing eight squad members and leaving four injured; Su Chen later dies after helping Zhang Lexuan kill the beast. 2

Xuan Zi's failures become a source of lasting hostility for Su Chen. In the first simulation's future, Xuan Zi rises from rank 98 to rank 99 and becomes Sea God Pavilion Master, only to be killed by Su Chen, who has waited ten years to avenge himself. 3

In a later simulation, Xuan Zi follows Su Chen into the Sunset Forest intending to interfere with his absorption of a 60,000-year soul ring. Su Chen lures him into the Undead Demi-plane, strips him of control over his body, and subjects him to an undead horde before turning him into an Undead Puppet. 32 34

In the subsequent conflict between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect, Xuan Zi impulsively assumes that Zhang Lexuan has been taken hostage and attacks the Body Sect delegation. He battles Elder Jin Peng, but Du Busi's arrival forces him into terrified retreat and leaves him humiliated at Shrek's gates. 76 77 79

After being crippled and reduced to rank 95, Xuan Zi abandons conventional cultivation. He embraces a devouring secret art, rationalizing cruelty as necessary for Shrek's glory and comparing his methods to Tang San's use of the Eight Spider Lances. 98 123

Zhongli Wu later brings the transformed Xuan Zi to the Holy Spirit Cult and intends to install him as its Supreme Elder. As the Dark Taotie, Xuan Zi becomes consumed by vengeance against Su Chen and Du Busi, as well as by the ease with which devouring lets him gain power. 143

When Du Busi destroys the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters, Xuan Zi attempts to consume the badly injured Ye Xishui to reach rank 99. Du Busi interrupts him, captures him after a pursuit, and returns him to Shrek Academy in a mutilated and corrupted state. 144 145 146 152

Appearance

Xuan Zi is an elderly, burly man with murky eyes, messy hair, and a habitual wine gourd in hand. His appearance deteriorates severely after his defeats and corruption. 2 76 98

• Often carries a wine gourd and is associated with drinking and eating chicken legs. 2 33
• Loses an arm following his defeat, earning the public nickname One-Armed Douluo. 98
• Is later captured with all four limbs severed and an evil aura leaking from his body. 148 152
• Regains his limbs by consuming the Golden Ancient Tree's essence. 166
• In Dark Taotie form, his martial soul becomes a pitch-black demonic shadow; his face bears demonic markings and his eyes become blood-red and irrational. 143 153

Personality

Xuan Zi is fiercely protective of Shrek Academy but dangerously impulsive. Upon seeing Zhang Lexuan with Body Sect members, he immediately concludes that she has been kidnapped and attacks without first learning the situation. 76

His gluttony and carelessness repeatedly undermine his duties. He ignores Su Chen's warnings during Zhang Lexuan's soul-ring expedition, leaves his protection detail due to greed, and later leads another Shrek team into the Death Messenger's trap, leaving one official member dead and six severely injured. 2 20 107

Repeated humiliation by Du Busi and Su Chen shatters his pride. He becomes terrified of Du Busi, develops an obsession with reclaiming his lost power, and accepts Evil Soul Master methods as long as they promise strength and revenge. 123 146 157 168

After becoming the Dark Taotie, his remaining reason is increasingly consumed by hunger, paranoia, and delusions. He mistakes Shrek's own students and elders for Body Sect or Evil Soul Master enemies while slaughtering them in the name of Shrek's glory. 152 153 154

Abilities & Skills

Godly Taotie Bull

Xuan Zi's original martial soul is the Godly Taotie Bull, also called the Taotie Divine Ox. It grants overwhelming physical force and earth-element power befitting a rank 98 Super Douluo. 76 77

• Can activate Avatar of Martial Soul, manifesting a gigantic Taotie Divine Ox phantom. 33
• Uses a sky-covering earth-element attack force and a ferocious close-quarters barrage. 76
• Easily destroys Titled Douluo-level puppets during his pursuit of Su Chen's bionic body. 33
• His original Taotie nature possesses a powerful devouring trait that later becomes the foundation of his corrupted path. 123

Dark Taotie

After turning to the Holy Spirit Cult's secret art, Xuan Zi's martial soul mutates into the Dark Taotie. It is a devouring martial soul fueled by blood, flesh, souls, and cultivation. 143 152

• Devours victims' flesh, blood, and Soul Power to rapidly restore strength. 153 154
• Can consume high-level life energy, including the Golden Ancient Tree's essence. 166 171
• Restores destroyed limbs and lost cultivation through devouring. 166
• Allows abnormal soul-ring mutations after consuming immense origin power. 167 173
• Corrupts his mind, causes hallucinations, and can seize control of his body while unconscious. 154 164
• Requires enormous amounts of flesh-and-blood essence to repair severe injuries, making large-scale war an attractive source of sustenance. 176 177

Martial Soul Avatar

Xuan Zi's seventh soul skill transforms him into a Taotie True Form capable of directly consuming massive quantities of life energy. 165 166

• Used while attacking the Golden Ancient Tree. 165
• Enables him to absorb the tree's essence and break through successive cultivation bottlenecks. 166
• His transformed form becomes a grotesque mixture of deathly aura and life essence after devouring the tree. 173

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wine gourd — Constantly carried by Xuan Zi; he is still gripping it while dismissing Su Chen's warnings before Zhang Lexuan's expedition. 2
• Chicken legs — Frequently associated with his gluttony; he is seen chewing one while stalking Su Chen in the Sunset Forest. 33

Relationships

• Su Chen — Enemy. Xuan Zi's negligence causes Su Chen's death in the first simulation, while later conflicts make Su Chen a central source of Xuan Zi's resentment and humiliation. 2 3 32 168
• Du Busi — Enemy and traumatic superior. Du Busi repeatedly defeats, cripples, captures, and mocks Xuan Zi; Xuan Zi fears him while plotting revenge. 77 98 143 146
• Mu En — Sea God Pavilion superior and former ally. Mu En attempts to negotiate for Xuan Zi, later tries to purify him with the Golden Ancient Tree, and ultimately resolves that Xuan Zi must be executed. 61 164 173
• Yan Shaozhe — Shrek colleague. Yan Shaozhe tries to stop Xuan Zi's attacks and later desperately attempts to reason with him during his rampage. 77 154
• Zhang Lexuan — Shrek junior and former protection target. Xuan Zi's negligence during her eighth-ring expedition nearly causes her death, while his later attack on the Body Sect is partly driven by the mistaken belief that she has been kidnapped. 2 20 76
• Zhongli Wu — Holy Spirit Cult leader who recruits Xuan Zi and seeks to make him the cult's Supreme Elder. 143
• Ye Xishui — Intended prey. Xuan Zi tries to devour her power after the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters is destroyed. 144 145
• Golden Ancient Tree / Ah Yin — Xuan Zi's greatest source of stolen power. He consumes its essence and later devours Ah Yin's damaged origin power. 166 171

Story Role / Major Arcs

Zhang Lexuan's Eighth Soul Ring Expedition

Xuan Zi leads the Shrek squad assigned to protect Zhang Lexuan. His irresponsible absence during the Blood Dragon Lizard attack causes devastating casualties and establishes him as the catalyst for Su Chen's hatred in the first simulation. 2

Conflict with the Body Sect

He pursues Su Chen over a 60,000-year soul ring, then later attacks the Body Sect delegation at Shrek Academy after assuming Zhang Lexuan has been abducted. His defeat and public humiliation at the hands of the Body Sect trigger his decline. 32 76 77 98

Fall to the Holy Spirit Cult

Unable to recover through ordinary cultivation, Xuan Zi chooses the Dark Taotie's devouring path. He joins the Holy Spirit Cult, seeks revenge against Su Chen and Du Busi, and attempts to consume Ye Xishui for further power. 123 143 144

Return to Shrek and Massacre

Du Busi returns the corrupted Xuan Zi to Shrek Academy. Upon awakening, Xuan Zi mistakes Shrek disciples for enemies and devours them, then escapes into Shrek City and continues massacring civilians and Soul Masters. 152 153 154 155

Devouring the Golden Ancient Tree

After Mu En attempts to purify him beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, Xuan Zi instead targets the tree as a source of power. He regains his body and cultivation, destroys the Sea God Pavilion, devours Ah Yin's origin, and becomes a Limit Douluo. 164 166 171 173

At-Large Evil Soul Master

Six months after the Shrek City massacre, Xuan Zi's defection has devastated Shrek Academy's reputation. He is believed to seek war as a source of flesh-and-blood essence and may attempt to devour the God of Love's inheritance or target the Star Dou Great Forest. 176 177 178 179

Notable Quotes

“I am the deputy leader of the Shrek Inspection Team! To defend Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory... today, I shall wipe you Evil Soul Masters who bring disaster to the world clean from existence!” 153

“Anyone who blocks this old man from becoming a god must die!” 166

“I did it! I actually did it!!!” 171

Trivia

• Xuan Zi's public nickname becomes One-Armed Douluo after his right arm is severely damaged and his cultivation falls to rank 95. 98
• His most feared enemy is Du Busi; even while consumed by the Dark Taotie, he remains terrified of Du Busi because of their past encounters. 146 157
• His fall is attributed not only to the Dark Taotie, but also to an “inner demon” born from his repeated humiliation and fear of Du Busi and Su Chen. 168