Xiao Hongchen

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Hongchen (笑红尘)
Alias(es)	Young Master Xiao; Brother Xiao 19 155
Gender	Male
Age	14 at his introduction 19
Affiliation	Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy; Mingde Hall 19 21
Occupation/Role	Soul Engineer; reserve-team trump card; future successor of Mingde Hall 19 23 159
Status	Alive 255
First Appearance	Chapter 19

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Near five-ring Soul King; Level 4.5 Soul Engineer	19	At age fourteen, he was expected to reach five rings and become a Level 5 Soul Engineer before the upcoming tournament. 19
Level 55	100	Broke through after three months of closed-door cultivation, largely through absorbing two soul bones, including a metal-attribute left-leg soul bone. 100
Soul Emperor / six rings	155, 200	Set out to obtain his sixth soul ring after approaching the Soul Emperor threshold; later entered the tournament with six soul rings, including a red sixth ring. 155 200
Rank 69 Soul Emperor	201	Entered his final Holy Spirit Sect match one rank short of Soul Saint, without a Martial Soul Avatar. 201
Rank 70 Soul Saint	202	While nearly depleted and mentally assaulted by Lin Wei, he absorbed the opponent's Soul Power to force the final breakthrough and secure victory. 202

Background / History

Academy recruitment and reserve team

Xiao Hongchen was raised as the grandson of Jing Hongchen, Master of Mingde Hall. At the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy's transfer-student recruitment, he initially treated the applicants with boredom and arrogance, but took immediate interest in Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Chi Qiu after recognizing their exceptional potential. He accepted Huo Yuhao and promptly reported the trio to his grandfather. 19 21

Jing Hongchen impressed upon him that Mingde Hall required powerful protectors as well as researchers. Xiao Hongchen subsequently worked to draw the three newcomers closer to Mingde Hall and formed a close combat partnership with Huo Yuhao on the academy reserve team. 27 37

During the first tournament period, Huo Yuhao helped Xiao Hongchen reassess himself as more than a protected long-range artillery specialist. Xiao Hongchen later credited this shift in self-image to his successful war of attrition against Ma Xiaotao. 58 255

Growth and political involvement

Following three months of closed-door cultivation, Xiao Hongchen reached level 55 and pulled ahead of Meng Hongchen in cultivation. His metal-attribute soul bone substantially contributed to the increase. 100

He became involved in uncovering He Caitou's identity as Xu He, using that knowledge to pressure He Caitou into cooperating against Xu Tianran. Although he was effective at exploiting the information, he admitted that Huo Yuhao was better suited to deception and probing. 107 154 244

Before obtaining his sixth ring, Xiao Hongchen considered using drugs to force an early breakthrough. Huo Yuhao convinced him to abandon that plan and prioritize a stable foundation, a decision Xiao Hongchen accepted after experiencing the benefits of solidified Soul Power. 155 158

Holy Spirit Sect tournament battle

At the Continental Advanced Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament, Xiao Hongchen faced the Holy Spirit Sect after witnessing its contestant kill a Tiandu Academy student. He killed two opposing Evil Soul Masters with his Touch of Gold, then fought Lin Wei while his Soul Power was nearly exhausted. 200 201

Lin Wei's spiritual abilities aggravated Xiao Hongchen's buried anger and negative emotions, but Xiao Hongchen turned that desperation into a breakthrough. He absorbed Lin Wei's Soul Power, reached rank seventy, activated his Martial Soul Avatar, and killed him. 201 202

Conflict with the Holy Spirit Cult

Xiao Hongchen openly joined Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in fighting Evil Soul Masters, arriving with more than a hundred Soul Guidance Cannons to reinforce them. During that confrontation, an Evil Soul Master identified as his father appeared and ordered a retreat, leaving Xiao Hongchen shocked and emotionally destabilized. 222

After the Valley of Love and Emotion incident, he admitted to Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao that Huo Yuhao's rapid growth had made him feel pressured, guilty, jealous, and inadequate. He nevertheless continued supporting efforts to oppose Xu Tianran and the Holy Spirit Cult, including coordinating with Fourth Prince Xu Tianling. 223 233 237

Later, Xiao Hongchen asked Huo Yuhao to investigate the Evil Soul Master who resembled him. Though he framed the request as unimportant, his anxiety revealed how deeply the matter affected him. 255

Appearance

Xiao Hongchen is a silver-haired young man with heterochromatic eyes: one blue and one green. He is often associated with white clothing and carries himself with the polished bearing of a great-clan heir, though that composure disappears when his family is threatened. 19 155 255

• Silver-white, shoulder-length hair. 19 255
• Blue and green heterochromatic eyes. 19
• Frequently wears white clothing. 155
• His eyes can become gloomy or cold when confronting Evil Soul Masters. 201 222

Personality

Xiao Hongchen presents himself as a proud prodigy and openly calls himself the “number one genius.” He is impatient with mediocrity, enjoys provoking others, and is particularly drawn to exceptional talent. 19 37 106

Despite his arrogance, he is perceptive about the Sun Moon Empire's internal politics and capable of calculating negotiations, leverage, and acceptable risks. He is less comfortable with deception, however, and readily delegates covert probing to Huo Yuhao. 107 162

His confidence conceals considerable insecurity. Huo Yuhao's growth made him feel surpassed, and he struggled with the burden of being Mingde Hall's heir; these feelings contributed to his willingness to rush his cultivation and to the instability exposed during his battle with Lin Wei. 155 202 223 233

Xiao Hongchen is fiercely protective of Meng Hongchen. Her safety was important enough for him to accept the uncertain protection of a possible Evil Soul Master, and he immediately supported the expedition to find her a suitable poison-type spirit beast. 162 168

Abilities & Skills

Metal Manipulation

Xiao Hongchen can control and reshape metal with his Martial Soul, using it both offensively and for battlefield control.

• Can liquefy metal into droplets and burn or disperse it with Soul Power. 103
• Can alter metal into restraints, chains, hinges, and vine-like bindings. 165
• Can interfere with enemy Soul Tools at close range, turning them into restraints against their user. 161
• Can transform his own body into metallic liquid to evade attacks. 200

Soul Guidance Artillery

A high-level Soul Engineer, Xiao Hongchen combines metal control with large-scale Soul Guidance Cannon formations.

• Deployed a barrage of 120 Soul Guidance Cannons during the academy tournament. 58
• Creates numerous cannons from metal droplets and uses them for sustained ranged bombardment. 201
• Provides cover fire and battlefield suppression while allies reposition or retreat. 165
• Used elevated firing positions to accurately strike multiple Evil Soul Masters through the eyes. 222

Touch of Gold and Gold Sacrifice

His red sixth-ring ability gives him a lethal close-range option beyond conventional artillery.

• Touch of Gold turns targets into brass-like statues; he used it to kill two Holy Spirit Sect members in succession. 201
• The technique can destroy or absorb an opponent's martial soul following defeat. 200
• Gold Sacrifice restored some of his Soul Power during the Holy Spirit Sect battle, though not enough to fully offset the strain of repeated combat. 201

Martial Soul Avatar

After reaching rank seventy, Xiao Hongchen gained access to his Martial Soul Avatar.

• Activated it against Lin Wei after his Soul Power had nearly run dry. 201 202
• His breakthrough was forced through absorbing Lin Wei's Soul Power while resisting the Evil Soul Master's manipulation of his negative emotions. 202

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Soul Guidance Cannons — His primary weapons; he can deploy them in massive arrays. 58 201 222
• Soul Ray Gun — Used to fire highly compressed Soul Power beams. 61
• Sealed Milk Bottle — Used to replenish Soul Power during his battle against Lin Wei. 201
• Metal-attribute left-leg soul bone — Absorbed during closed-door cultivation and contributed to his rise to level 55. 100
• Communication Soul Tool — Uses an improved model capable of sustaining communication for thirty days through sealed Milk Bottle technology. 255

Relationships

• Jing Hongchen — Grandfather and Master of Mingde Hall. Jing Hongchen guides Xiao Hongchen in protecting Mingde Hall's interests and cultivating talented allies. 21 27
• Meng Hongchen — Younger sister. Xiao Hongchen is deeply protective of her and supports her pursuit of a powerful poison-type spirit beast. 162 168
• Huo Yuhao — Sworn brother, teammate, friend, and rival. Huo Yuhao helped him develop a more complete combat identity and later stopped him from damaging his foundation with advancement drugs. 155 158 255
• Wang Dong — Teammate and frequent quarrelsome companion. They eventually apologized for their past conflict and discussed their respective insecurities in the Valley of Love and Emotion. 222 223
• Chi Qiu — Teammate. She fights alongside him in coordinated formations, with Xiao Hongchen supplying artillery support and control. 165
• He Caitou / Xu He — Political leverage and reluctant asset. Xiao Hongchen used knowledge of his royal identity and hatred of Xu Tianran to pressure him into cooperation. 154 244
• Xu Tianling — Political ally in opposition to Xu Tianran. Xiao Hongchen entrusted urgent matters to the Fourth Prince and helped arrange connections for his cause. 237 246
• Long Xiaoyao — Overwhelming sparring opponent who acknowledged Xiao Hongchen's progress and potential as a top-tier spirit master. 165 166
• Unnamed father — An Evil Soul Master and Title Douluo whose reappearance left Xiao Hongchen shaken; Xiao later asked Huo Yuhao to investigate him. 222 255

Trivia

• Xiao Hongchen has notably poor alcohol tolerance, according to Meng Hongchen's information. 61
• His irreverent comment about Tang San being a deity helped ease the group's tension at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. 175
• He initially regarded himself as a “glass cannon” suited to protection rather than one-on-one combat, but Huo Yuhao's influence changed that view. 255