Xiang Geng

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xiang Geng (向庚)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Feng Clan; Dark Canal outpost at Dendrobium Village
Occupation/Role	Outpost steward and guard captain
Status	Active 74
First Appearance	Chapter 32

Background

Xiang Geng is the son of Xiang Yuan, one of the Feng Clan's five great stewards. Xiang Yuan was formerly Dendrobium Village's elder and headman; after retiring, he recommended his son for the outpost position. The Feng Clan considers Xiang Geng one of the talents it has deliberately cultivated. Before age forty, he had already reached the peak of the Body Refining realm. 32

He oversees the Dark Canal outpost and Grain Courtyard in Dendrobium Village, managing guards, patrols, supplies, and the canal's unusual activity. He reported that guards who ate the abnormally large Green Carp gained strength, with several directly reaching the Tough Blood realm at the cost of persistent nosebleeds. 32

Appearance

Xiang Geng is robustly built, with notably sharp eyes. 32

• Carries himself with the bearing of a seasoned martial steward. 32 35
• His guards address him as Captain Xiang. 35

Personality

Xiang Geng is loyal, deferential, and conscientious in carrying out Feng Xiu's orders. He accommodates Feng Xiu at the outpost, personally arranges his medicinal bath and training site, and handles purchases and correspondence without delay. 32 40 41

He is observant and cautious around matters beyond his authority. Although the Dark Canal's monsters and Feng Xiu's hints about the reservoir unsettle him, he avoids pressing for secrets Feng Xiu chooses not to share. 32 43

His practical outlook extends to money and cultivation. At the Wild Market, he warns Feng Xiu against overpriced manuals, and he repeatedly advises against cultivating incompatible force methods without accounting for impurities in blood and qi. 37 40 47 80

Abilities & Skills

Peak Body Refining

Xiang Geng had reached the peak of the Body Refining realm before age forty and was regarded by Feng Xiu as the Feng Clan's strongest practitioner below Blood Burning. 32 35

• Neutralized Feng Xiu's early attacks through parries, redirections, and precise footwork during their sparring match. 35
• Continued fighting after Feng Xiu's strikes dislocated his arm, resetting the joint and resuming the exchange. 35
• His qi-and-blood potential had reached its limit by the time Feng Xiu developed the Nine Heavens Lock, making that secret art unsuitable for him. 53

Martial Arts

Xiang Geng cultivates three independently acquired techniques: Furious Tiger Art, Withering Glory Fist, and Layered Wave Palm. He bought them with his own funds in his early years and does not regard them as a unified system. 74

• Identified Feng Xiu's Eight Trigrams Stance and evaluated the destructive force of his full-body whip kick. 35
• Taught Feng Xiu practical palm applications, including using the heel of the palm to cripple or kill opponents of a similar level. 35
• Explained the principles of the Wind Chasing Step, focusing on coordinating qi and blood in the feet with the ground's counter-force. 41
• Warned that mixing multiple force methods can obstruct circulation and accumulate impurities in blood and qi. 40 47
• Estimated that nine types of force were the practical limit for a Blood Burning practitioner pursuing a qualitative transformation toward Innate Qi. 80

Dark Canal Operations

As steward, Xiang Geng directs the outpost guards and responds to threats around the Dark Canal and Tang Reservoir.

• Organized men to drain and burn a pool of anomalous Green Carp fry on Feng Xiu's order. 34
• Took the lead against the Fish Mother, recognizing that it was vulnerable to blades and warning the group about the slippery fish roe it produced. 34
• Ordered the guards to conceal the true circumstances of their encounter with the Fish Mother and compensated an injured guard with additional martial resources. 35
• Maintains patrols around the Dark Canal, though he proposed filling it in to reduce the burden on the guards. 43

Wild Market Knowledge

Xiang Geng knows how to access and navigate the Wild Market on the border of Yulin and Pingyang Prefectures. 35 36

• Possesses an iron token accepted by the market's gatekeepers. 36
• Can identify obvious counterfeit martial manuals. 37
• Guided Feng Xiu in purchasing the Bone Refining Claw and later obtained the Wind Chasing Step manual. 36 41

Relationships

• Feng Xiu — His young master. Xiang Geng serves as Feng Xiu's outpost steward, guide, sparring partner, and martial adviser; Feng Xiu later promises to cultivate his future by promoting him and supplying resources for a Blood Burning breakthrough. 32 35 41 74
• Xiang Yuan — His father, one of the Feng Clan's five great stewards and the retired elder/headman of Dendrobium Village. Xiang Yuan recommended Xiang Geng for his present post. 32
• Feng Shouzhuo — Fellow Feng Clan martial artist. Xiang Geng joined Feng Shouzhuo and Han Che in an unsuccessful attempt at a three-person Dragon Snake Joint Strike. 73 74
• Han Che — Fellow Feng Clan martial artist. Their incompatible force methods disrupted the attempted Dragon Snake Joint Strike. 73 74
• Dark Canal guards — Subordinates under his command. He leads their patrols, directs their operations, and protects them from scrutiny after dangerous incidents. 34 35 43

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dark Canal Outpost

Xiang Geng receives Feng Xiu at Dendrobium Village, briefs him on the oversized Green Carp and the guards' unexpected cultivation gains, and supports Feng Xiu's decision to remain at the outpost. 32

He then guides Feng Xiu through the Dark Canal, helps investigate the Green Carp fry, and fights alongside him against the Fish Mother. 33 34 35

Wild Market Expedition

After Feng Xiu seeks new martial arts, Xiang Geng introduces him to the Wild Market and escorts him there. He uses his experience to assess manuals and market prices, though Feng Xiu ultimately spends more freely than Xiang Geng recommends. 35 36 37

Feng Xiu's Cultivation at Dendrobium

Xiang Geng assists Feng Xiu's Bone Refining Claw training by procuring medicinal ingredients and establishing a bamboo-forest workshop. He also teaches the principles of Wind Chasing Step and advises against the Tyrant Fist's blood-gate approach due to its long-term effect on blood-qi circulation. 40 41 47

Dragon Snake Joint Strike Trial

Feng Xiu summons Xiang Geng to attempt a three-person Dragon Snake Joint Strike with Feng Shouzhuo and Han Che. The three forces fail to merge; Xiang Geng's distinct martial system is identified as a major reason for the imbalance. 73 74

Feng Xiu subsequently orders Xiang Geng to request whatever resources he needs and break through to Blood Burning as soon as possible. 74