Old Man Black

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Black Ox
Alias(es)	Old Man Black; Mr. Black
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jiang University; associate and junior brother of Principal Wu Canglan
Occupation/Role	Gatekeeper and guardian of the Gravity Training Tower; Transcendentalist; nominal agent for the Red Abyss World
Status	Deceased — burned himself away after wounding Adam in the Ninefold Palace 341
First Appearance	Chapter 13

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Twelfth Realm	337	Revealed as a Transcendentalist capable of contending with Fourteenth-Realm Adam through his lifelong staff technique.
Thirteenth Realm (temporary)	339	Forced a breakthrough with the forbidden Dao-Burning Soul-Ash Art, sacrificing his life and future cultivation potential to hold Adam back.
Fourteenth Realm (final breakthrough)	341	Burned everything into one final strike, briefly reaching the Fourteenth Realm and embedding a lingering destructive force in Adam before disintegrating.

Background / History

Old Man Black served for years as the gatekeeper of Jiang University’s Gravity Training Tower. He initially appeared to Ye Xiao as an eccentric, sharp-tongued elder who enjoyed exploiting loopholes: he made Ye Xiao repay a Tiger Sun Pill through a favor, then promised training time that Ye Xiao could not use without a personal Gravity Training Card 18 30.

Behind the teasing, he quietly supported Ye Xiao’s growth. He acted as Ye Xiao’s guarantor, helped arrange his opportunities in Red Cliff Fortress and the Red Abyss World, and used his influence to veto Ye Xiao’s expulsion 85. He later gave Ye Xiao the Sky-Treading Greaves and used personal favors to protect him from Primordial Pharmaceuticals and Ten Thousand Artifacts Heavy Industry 180 207.

Old Man Black knew crucial details about Ye Zhenghe’s death and the Human Alliance’s corruption. Once Ye Xiao had become strong enough to bear the truth, he explained that powerful Human Alliance members had arranged Ye Zhenghe’s death after he uncovered their exploitation of Demonic Beasts and demonic energy 245. Alongside Wu Canglan, he believed Ye Xiao could overturn the corrupt ruling order 246.

After Ye Xiao killed the Flame Demon King, Old Man Black and Wu Canglan became nominal agents for the Red Abyss World while Ye Xiao remained its true controller. This arrangement was meant to shield Ye Xiao from factions seeking to seize its resources 244 249.

He accompanied Ye Xiao into the Imperial Capital and the Ninefold Palace, where Adam targeted Ye Xiao’s Extreme Martial Body. Old Man Black confronted Adam alone, ordering Ye Xiao to flee while he bought time. He ultimately used the Dao-Burning Soul-Ash Art, reached the Fourteenth Realm in his final attack, and died after leaving Adam gravely wounded by a persistent force embedded in his body 336 338 339 341.

Ye Xiao later realized that Old Man Black had knowingly led him toward the Chaos Martial Bone fragments held by the Twelve Great Families, intending to help him assemble the Nameless Ancestor’s three ribs without burdening him with knowledge of the plan 351.

Appearance

Old Man Black usually appeared as a decrepit, white-haired old man in dusty robes, often sitting outside the Gravity Training Tower or reclining beneath a broad hat. His age-worn appearance concealed his true strength.

• Carries a long staff marked by dark-golden patterns during battle 337.
• Possesses Sun Soul Power despite his “Black” nickname 243.
• When unleashing his hidden power, his hunched back straightens, dark-golden light emerges from cracks in his skin, and his white hair turns gold 338.
• His transformed eyes become clear, with narrow golden vertical pupils 338.

Personality

Old Man Black is blunt, temperamental, and fond of needling Ye Xiao. He makes inappropriate jokes about Ye Xiao and Su Muyun, creates deliberate misunderstandings, and treats arguments with Ye Xiao as a familiar part of their relationship 23 176 180.

His harshness often conceals practical concern. He teaches Ye Xiao to be wary of deception, pushes him to seek experience beyond the school, and insists that strength is necessary before pursuing revenge or truth 30 36. He is deeply distrustful of the Human Alliance’s corrupt Transcendentalists and refuses to join them or stain his hands with innocent blood 313.

When Ye Xiao is threatened, his humor disappears immediately. He is willing to spend favors, reveal secrets, fight other Transcendentalists, and ultimately sacrifice his life to protect Ye Xiao’s future 207 245 309 338.

Abilities & Skills

Transcendentalist Combat Power

A Twelfth-Realm Transcendentalist whose combat ability greatly exceeds his stated realm.

• Fought Fourteenth-Realm Adam head-on despite a two-realm gap 337.
• Severed Sun Yi’s left arm in a separate confrontation, though he was also injured 299.
• His presence alone caused Immortal City residents to retreat and speculate that his strength was extraordinary 325.

Staff Technique

Old Man Black’s primary combat method is an exceptionally refined long-staff technique with sealing properties.

• Can enter a state of “man and staff as one,” dramatically raising his combat effectiveness 337.
• Delivered successive staff strikes that shattered Adam’s mist shield and wounded him 337.
• Used dark-golden staff light to blast open Adam’s Eerie Mist long enough for Ye Xiao to escape 338.
• His final staff strike remained within Adam as a lingering, life-threatening force 341.

Sun Soul Power

Old Man Black wields pure, blazing Sun Soul Power.

• Secretly supported Ye Xiao during the final phase of the battle against the Flame Demon King 243.
• Its heat was intense enough for Ye Xiao to feel endangered from a momentary exposure 243.
• The power manifests as brilliant golden light and appears naturally hostile to Adam’s gray mist 243 338.

Dao-Burning Soul-Ash Art

A forbidden self-sacrificial art used during his battle with Adam.

• Temporarily forced him from the Twelfth to the Thirteenth Realm 339.
• Rejuvenated his body and released his hidden dark-golden power 338.
• Consumed his life and cultivation foundation; he knowingly accepted that he would not survive once its power faded 338 340.
• Ultimately enabled his final breakthrough to the Fourteenth Realm 341.

Formation Knowledge

Old Man Black is knowledgeable about formations and the circles of high-level Transcendentalists.

• Identified the formation trapping Ye Xiao as bizarre, sinister, and beyond his own ability to construct 334.
• Rescued Ye Xiao by forcibly pulling him out before the formation could drain and absorb him completely 334.
• Helped deduce that Adam was the likely architect of the attack in Jiang Henian’s residence 334 335.

Equipment / Items

• Long staff — His principal weapon; carries dark-golden patterns and was used to wound Adam fatally in their final battle 337 341.
• Black wooden plaque — A worn plaque engraved with the character for “Ultimate”; Old Man Black crushed it before releasing his hidden power 338.
• Sky-Treading Greaves — Growth equipment gifted to Ye Xiao by Old Man Black 180 181.

Relationships

• Ye Xiao — Mentor, protector, and trusted elder. Old Man Black covertly fostered Ye Xiao’s growth, revealed the truth of Ye Zhenghe’s death, and died buying him time to escape Adam 85 245 338 341.
• Wu Canglan — Principal of Jiang University and Old Man Black’s senior brother under Long Tianyuan. They jointly supported Ye Xiao and served as nominal agents for the Red Abyss World 249 267.
• Ye Zhenghe — Ye Xiao’s father. Old Man Black respected him and saw similarities between Ye Zhenghe’s younger self and Ye Xiao 245.
• Adam — Enemy. Adam sought Ye Xiao’s Extreme Martial Body; Old Man Black fought him to the death and left him severely wounded 336 341.
• Long Tianyuan — Former teacher of Old Man Black and Wu Canglan 267.
• Elder Qian — Fellow senior at Jiang University; worked alongside Old Man Black in supporting Ye Xiao 181 207.
• Su Muyun — Ye Xiao’s companion whom Old Man Black repeatedly teased Ye Xiao about, though he also seriously addressed her concerns about spiritual energy 23 176.
• Old Man Black’s mother — Visited Jiang University seeking news of her son after his death 352.

Notable Quotes

“If I can stop you for one second, then that's one second!” 338

“I would rather march openly to my death and die for something worthwhile than be like some old, undying evil thief, lingering on to wreak havoc for a thousand years!” 338

“I want to be a hero! I want to shatter every injustice in this world, and wipe out all the evil that offends my eyes!!” 341

Trivia

• His real name, Black Ox, is rarely used; Ye Xiao notes that most people instead call him Old Man Black 250.
• Despite being called “Old Man Black,” his signature power is radiant Sun Soul Power 243.
• His teasing caused rumors that Ye Xiao and Su Muyun were romantically involved 23 176.
• Ye Xiao’s memories of Old Man Black were among those erased during the memory-loss phenomenon in the Yellow Springs Nine Netherworld 430.