Xiao Hongchen

Biodata

Background / History

Xiao Hongchen is Jing Hongchen’s grandson and Meng Hongchen’s older brother. His grandfather, the master of Mingde Hall, publicly predicted that Xiao’s future achievements in Soul Tools would be no less than his own. Jing also regarded him as the Hongchen Family’s future successor 32 33 37.

Jing asked Xuan Ziwen to accept both siblings as personal disciples. Xuan agreed only on the condition that they pass tests he designed. Xiao performed well on the basic tests, but struggled when the difficulty increased. His final assessment involved inspecting a Soul Tool Sword containing deliberately introduced engraving flaws 35 36.

The Soul Tool Sword Dispute

When Meng brought Xu Tianming and Ye Guyi to Xuan’s workbench, Xiao initially avoided confrontation because he could not identify the visitors’ backgrounds. Meng deliberately withheld Xu’s identity as the Fourth Prince, hoping a disagreement would give her an opportunity to intervene as a peacemaker 32.

After inspecting Xuan’s sword for fifteen minutes, Xiao declared it flawless. Xu’s claim that he had found at least three problems provoked Xiao into mockery: he threw ten Gold Soul Coins at Xu’s feet as a “tip” and demanded that he step back. He subsequently threatened to have Jing exclude Xu from studying at Mingde Hall if Xu could not substantiate his claim 33 34.

Meng rebuked her brother for invoking their grandfather’s authority. Xiao interpreted her defense of Xu as disloyalty and threatened her with punishment under the family rules. When Xuan confirmed Xu’s first observation and began investigating the remaining claims, Xiao accused them of staging the examination to deny him a discipleship. Ye Guyi ended his tirade by slapping him 34 36.

Defeat by Xu Tianming

Enraged by the slap, Xiao activated both Soul Skills and sent a metal sword toward Ye Guyi’s head, disregarding Mingde Hall’s prohibition on fighting. Xu intervened and melted the weapon. When Xu revealed a purple First Soul Ring and black Second Soul Ring, Xiao briefly became frightened, then convinced himself that the rings were an illusion 37.

Xiao committed all his remaining metal powder to a three-meter sword. It pushed against Xu’s flames, but Xu’s Sun-Shattering Strike shattered it and continued toward him. His Level 4 Defensive Soul Tool Array activated automatically and blocked the otherwise fatal blow. Xiao survived, soaked in cold sweat and stunned by his defeat in front of Jing, who had arrived but remained a spectator 37 38.

Appearance

• Described as a dashing young man 32.
• Wears the same Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy uniform as Meng Hongchen 32.

Personality

Xiao’s confidence rests on both his exceptional talent and his grandfather’s influence. He initially exercises caution around unfamiliar visitors, recognizing that admission to Mingde Hall implies either ability or a powerful background. However, a public challenge to his Soul Tool expertise quickly overwhelms that restraint 32 33 34.

He reacts poorly to contradiction and humiliation. Rather than accept Xuan’s confirmation of Xu’s findings, he alleges a conspiracy; rather than acknowledge Xu’s unusual Soul Rings, he dismisses them as illusions. His anger after Ye Guyi’s slap escalates into an explicitly lethal attack 36 37.

Xuan judges Xiao’s temperament and observation to be serious weaknesses despite his talent. Xiao also equates family loyalty with taking his side, treating Meng’s opposition as a disgrace deserving punishment 34 36.

Abilities & Skills

Three-Legged Golden Toad

His Martial Soul enables him to control metal 36 37.

• Forms and directs metal swords through Soul Power 37.
• Can combine his entire supply of metal powder into a three-meter sword 37.
• His larger sword resists Xu’s flames long enough to advance, but is destroyed by Sun-Shattering Strike 38.

Soul Tool Expertise

Xiao demonstrates strong aptitude in basic Soul Tool assessments, but his advanced observational skills remain inadequate 35 36.

• Performs well on Xuan Ziwen’s initial tests 35.
• Fails to identify any deliberate mistakes in the examination sword despite watching its manufacture and inspecting it closely 33 36.
• Has no confirmed Soul Engineer rank in the provided chapters.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Metal powder — Material carried for constructing weapons through his Soul Skills; he exhausts his available supply to form the giant sword 37.
• Level 4 Defensive Soul Tool Array — Automatically blocks Xu Tianming’s potentially fatal finishing strike 38.
• Level 2 “Milk Bottle” — Replenishes his Soul Power during the duel 38.
• Storage Soul Tool — Used to retrieve the ten Gold Soul Coins he throws at Xu’s feet 33.

Relationships

• Jing Hongchen — Grandfather and supporter; praises Xiao’s potential and seeks a personal discipleship for him under Xuan Ziwen 33 35.
• Meng Hongchen — Younger sister; her refusal to support his confrontation with Xu leads him to accuse her of betraying the family 32 34 36.
• Xuan Ziwen — Examiner and prospective master, not a confirmed personal master. Xiao addresses him as “Teacher Xuan” but later accuses him of arranging a fraudulent test 33 35 36.
• Xu Tianming — Opponent in the Mingde Hall dispute and subsequent duel; defeats Xiao with Sun-Shattering Strike 33 38.
• Ye Guyi — Slaps Xiao after his threats and accusations; becomes the target of his retaliatory sword attack 36 37.