Xiao Hongchen

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xiao Hongchen (笑红尘)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Sun Moon Royal Academy; Sun Moon Team; Mystic Armor Soul Engineer Regiment
Occupation/Role	Soul Engineer; Soul Tool master; Sun Moon Team member; captain in the Mystic Armor Soul Engineer Regiment
First Appearance	Chapter 6
Relatives	Jing Hongchen (grandfather); Meng Hongchen (younger sister)
Martial Soul	Three-Legged Golden Toad

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Level 3 Soul Tool Master	6	Already able to forge Level 3 Soul Tools at age thirteen; specializes in long-range suppression Soul Tools.
Level 32 Soul Elder	7	Declares himself “invincible among my peers”; possesses three soul rings.
Soul Ancestor	25	Breaks through after cultivating intensely following his defeat in the freshman competition.
Soul King	61	Competes as one of the Sun Moon Team’s two Soul Kings and deploys eighty-one cannon barrels in battle.
Rank 69	172	States that his soul power has reached rank sixty-nine before the Sun Moon Team Selection Tournament.
Seven optimal soul rings	188	Reveals seven optimal-configuration soul rings after consuming an Immortal Herb.

Background

Xiao Hongchen entered Sun Moon Royal Academy as Xu Tinglan’s assigned roommate. His grandfather, Jing Hongchen, arranged the pairing in the expectation that two gifted Soul Tool masters would compete and improve together. Xiao initially introduced himself as a thirteen-year-old peak Level 3 Soul Tool master and quickly formed a friendly rivalry with Xu Tinglan. 6

His early confidence was checked when Xu Tinglan demonstrated flawless metal purification and later defeated Xiao and Meng Hongchen in the academy’s freshman competition. Xiao took the loss seriously, cultivating diligently until he broke through to Soul Ancestor. 8 15 25

He later became a prominent member of the Sun Moon Team, where his overwhelming artillery control made him a major long-range combatant. By the later war period, he helped organize the three-hundred-member Mystic Armor Soul Engineer Regiment and served as one of its captains. 43 228

Appearance

Xiao Hongchen is a silver-haired youth described as handsome and refined. His silver hair and crimson-gold martial-soul radiance are recurring visual traits. 6 14

• Silver hair. 6
• Crimson-gold light manifests during Martial Soul Possession. 14 61
• Retains beast-like traits while using his Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul. 43
• Often strikes exaggerated poses while boasting about his strength. 7

Personality

Xiao Hongchen is intensely competitive, flamboyant, and proud of both his cultivation and Soul Tool ability. His personal motto is “invincible among my peers,” and he regularly treats battles as opportunities to display his strength. 7 61

Despite his bravado, he is capable of self-reflection and hard work. His loss to Xu Tinglan motivated him to cultivate more seriously, while later defeats leave him ashamed that he may have wasted the resources entrusted to him. Xu Tinglan repeatedly reassures him that he is not to blame when opponents use unfair outside assistance. 25 191

He is loyal to his sister and close to Xu Tinglan, whom he addresses as “brother” and occasionally “boss.” He can also be impulsive: his infatuation with an unnamed cold beauty leads to an unsuccessful and embarrassing attempt at courtship. 31 33 191

Abilities & Skills

Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul

Xiao Hongchen’s martial soul grants him metal affinity and supports his Soul Tool-focused combat style.

• Can absorb energy from rare metals, accelerating his cultivation. 25
• Possesses innate metal manipulation. 189
• Enhances his ability to control large numbers of Soul Tools simultaneously. 43
• Has a Martial Soul Fusion Skill connection with Meng Hongchen. 53

Metal Control

His first soul skill manipulates metal within a certain range.

• Can hinder opponents’ use of Soul Tools if their soul power is much weaker than his. 13
• Allows metal spheres to transform into cannon barrels during combat. 43
• Supports rapid deployment of large-scale artillery formations. 43 61

Gold Solidification

A thousand-year third soul skill that strengthens his metal-based combat abilities. 14

• Produces numerous crimson-gold rings in battle. 14
• Used while under pressure from Xu Tinglan and Jiang Nannan’s battlefield control. 14

Golden Boiling

A self-enhancement skill activated alongside Gold Solidification. 14

• Burns his soul power to amplify his soul skills. 14
• Increases casting speed and metal-control ability. 14
• Carries substantial soul-power expenditure. 14 15

Soul Guidance Artillery Tactics

Xiao Hongchen’s primary combat method is battlefield suppression through overwhelming multi-tool firepower.

• Controlled sixty-four Soul Tool cores that became Energy Gathering Cannons against an assassin. 28
• Controlled 128 Level 5 Soul Tools against Chen An. 43
• Deployed eighty-one cannon barrels during a tournament match. 61
• Uses Beam Cannons, Flash Cannons, Binding Shells, and other auxiliary projectiles to restrict evasive opponents. 43
• Sustained artillery barrages rapidly consume his soul power. 15 62 189

Equipment

• Crimson Gold Battle Armor / [Supreme] — Battle Armor capable of withstanding attacks such as the Dragon Emperor Quaking Domain; much of its core and components were crafted by Xiao himself, while Xu Tinglan supplied spirit-forged metal and Jing Hongchen completed it. 188 189
• Wall of Resilience — Peak Level 6 defensive Soul Tool, able to resist attacks from a Level 7 Soul Tool and briefly block a Soul Saint’s offense when used by a Soul King. 43 105
• Energy Gathering Soul Cannon — Level 4 cannon used during the freshman competition. 15
• Soul Guidance Direction-Changing Armor — Leg armor that improves his already strong jumping mobility. 14
• Milk Bottle — Used to replenish soul power during tournament battles. 62 189
• Spirit-forged metal — Activated with Xiao’s essence blood, producing a Golden Toad phantom; used for his tailored Soul Tool and Battle Armor development. 173

Relationships

• Xu Tinglan — Roommate, rival, teammate, and close friend. Their competitive relationship begins at Sun Moon Royal Academy; Xiao frequently relies on Xu’s judgment and leadership. 6 25 84 191
• Meng Hongchen — Younger sister and frequent teammate. They tease and argue constantly, but show clear concern for each other in battle. 6 14 53
• Jing Hongchen — Grandfather and Hall Master of Mingde Hall. Jing takes pride in Xiao while holding Xu Tinglan as an even higher benchmark. 14 80 90
• Ma Rulong — Rival within the Sun Moon Team. Xiao challenged him after bearing resentment over a past humiliation. 43
• Chen An — Opponent defeated by Xiao’s superior defense, artillery control, and battlefield interference. 43
• Beibei — Tournament opponent whose strongest attack was resisted by Xiao’s Battle Armor. 188 189
• Dai Luoli — Tournament opponent whose externally assisted Martial Soul Fusion Skill overwhelmed Xiao before Xu Tinglan intervened. 189 190

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sun Moon Academy Freshman Period

• Meets Xu Tinglan as his new roommate and immediately identifies him as a potential rival. 6
• Trades Soul Tools for Xu Tinglan’s flawless metal, recognizing that his own metal purification is a weakness. 8
• Faces Xu Tinglan and Jiang Nannan alongside Meng Hongchen in the freshman competition; expends immense power but loses. 14 15
• Breaks through to Soul Ancestor after training harder in response to the defeat. 25

Sun Moon Team Competition

• Challenges the main team and defeats Chen An using 128 Level 5 Soul Tools and layered artillery suppression. 43
• Serves on the Sun Moon Team with Meng Hongchen as a two-person group, leveraging their sibling coordination and Martial Soul Fusion Skill. 53
• Demonstrates Soul King-level artillery tactics by deploying eighty-one cannon barrels and defeating the Tianyan Team without using his fifth soul skill. 61 62
• Supports Xu Tinglan during the Continental Youth Soul Master Tournament and celebrates the Sun Moon Team’s victory. 96 103

Academy Exchange and Later Development

• Leaves for Shrek Academy as part of the exchange program, a departure that leaves Xu Tinglan and Xiao melancholic about their separation. 118
• Returns stronger and later reaches rank sixty-nine. 172
• Receives spirit-forged metal personally activated with his essence blood for his Soul Tool development. 173

Tang Sect Tournament Battle

• Reveals seven optimal soul rings and uses his Battle Armor to defeat Beibei in the first individual match. 188 189
• Is nearly killed by Dai Luoli’s Three-Eyed Howling Heaven Record, which pierces a Ninth-Grade defensive Soul Tool; Xu Tinglan blocks the final strike. 189
• Accepts responsibility for the loss, but Xu Tinglan concludes that Xiao was effectively fighting two opponents due to the hidden assistance involved. 191

Mystic Armor Soul Engineer Regiment

• Helps arrange the three hundred members of the Mystic Armor Soul Engineer Regiment. 228
• Serves as one of the regiment’s captains alongside Meng Hongchen, Xi Yue, Snow Empress, Jiang Nannan, Ye Nongfeng, Lan Xiu, and Ma Rulong. 228
• Produces standardized Battle Armor for Yixin Association members who meet rare-metal contribution requirements. 228

Notable Quotes

“I, Xiao Hongchen, am a level thirty-two Soul Elder!” 7

“My motto is: invincible among my peers.” 7

“The so-called term ‘external objects’ is nothing more than the prejudice of you Soul Masters.” 189

Trivia

• Xiao Hongchen’s control over soul power is identified as a weakness, making high-quality purified metal particularly valuable to him. 8
• He views metal as his “true love,” yet immediately becomes infatuated with a beautiful new student. 31 32
• His sister considers his public boasting embarrassing and childish. 7
• He once proposed burning Shrek Academy’s Golden Tree after learning that Huo Yuhao had infiltrated Sun Moon Academy in disguise. 169