Ziyao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ziyao (子耀)
Alias(es)	Second Young Master of the Imperial Sand Star Gate; youngest prodigy of the Star Dragon Sanctuary 25 28
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Imperial Sand Star Gate; Dragon Martial Clan; Star Dragon Sanctuary
Occupation/Role	Clan disciple and heir of the Imperial Sand Star Gate; member of the Star Luo National Team 24 184
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 24

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Twin Martial Soul awakening	25	Awakened the externalized beast martial soul Earth Dragon Gabudo and the tool martial soul Earth King Dragon Blade at age six.
Soul Elder	25	Reached the Soul Elder realm at age eight and possessed three purple soul rings.
Level 35	28	His cultivation had stagnated for over a year after Zi Yu's death; this was his level before the Sky Screen reward.
Level 44 / Soul Sect	28	Broke through the trauma surrounding Zi Yu's death and gained nine levels of soul power, becoming a Soul Sect at ten years old.

Background / History

Ziyao was recognized as the Imperial Sand Star Gate's most gifted descendant and one of the Dragon Martial Clan's youngest geniuses. At six, he awakened twin martial souls; by eight, he had reached the Soul Elder realm despite Gabudo being an externalized martial soul. 25

During the Wild Release survival trial on Beast Summoning Mountain, Ziyao fought an 8,000-year-old Explosive Rock Dragon alongside his older brother, Zi Yu. The brothers brought the beast down together, but it launched a final self-sacrificial attack. Zi Yu shielded Ziyao and was killed; Ziyao then beheaded the dragon with the Earth King Dragon Blade before collapsing from exhaustion. 26

Zi Yu's death left Ziyao consumed by guilt and stripped him of confidence, halting his cultivation for more than a year. When the Heavenly Pride Ranking revealed his past and awarded him power, he confronted those memories, accepted Zi Yu's wish for him to carry on, and resolved to become the strongest clansman of the Imperial Sand Star Gate. 25 28

Ziyao was ranked eighth on the Heavenly Pride Ranking at nine years old. 24 26 He later represented the Star Luo National Team alongside Lan Tianhua in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, where the pair defeated Thousand Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy despite facing its full seven-member lineup. 184 188

Personality

Ziyao is openly emotional and earnest. At nine, he could not hide his excitement upon reaching the Heavenly Pride Ranking, and he is quick to defend the people he respects, particularly Luo Xiaoyi and Kaifeng, against Dongfang Mo's dismissive remarks. 24 46

Zi Yu's death initially made him fearful of moving forward and convinced him that he had taken the life his brother should have had. After facing this grief, he became determined, confident, and fiercely motivated to honor their shared promise rather than remain trapped by guilt. 28

He is competitive but values his companions. Dongfang Mo's criticism motivates him to improve, while his admiration for stronger teammates drives him to train so that he will not hold the group back. 28 57 63

Abilities & Skills

Twin Martial Souls

Ziyao possesses two earth-aligned martial souls, awakened at age six. His combination of a beast soul and a tool soul enables his self Martial Soul Fusion Skill. 25 187

• Earth Dragon Gabudo — An externalized beast martial soul that can fight independently alongside Ziyao. 25
• Earth King Dragon Blade — A deep-brown, dragon-patterned long blade with a faint golden sheen. 25
• His earth-element soul power is considered particularly effective at breaking defensive formations. 184

Earth Dragon Gabudo

Gabudo is Ziyao's externalized Earth Dragon martial soul. Its combat abilities include lightning-based attacks used during the Wild Release Trial. 25 26

• Second Soul Skill: Burrowing Lightning Armor — Covers Gabudo's horns in lightning armor. 26
• Third Soul Skill — Fires a condensed lightning beam from Gabudo's horns. 26
• Can coordinate with Ziyao's blade techniques and allied attacks against stronger soul beasts. 26

Earth King Dragon Blade

Ziyao's tool martial soul specializes in destructive earth-element blade attacks. 25

• First Soul Skill: Sand-Extinguishing Waterfall Strike 25
• Second Soul Skill: Prison Sand: Flying Blaze Slash 25
• Third Soul Skill: Ground-Crouching Chain Strike 25
• Its three displayed skills can be released in succession to carve a deep trench into the ground. 25

Ring Fusion

Ziyao has mastered the rare technique of Ring Fusion despite his age. He fused the second and third soul rings of the Earth King Dragon Blade, combining Prison Sand: Flying Blaze Slash and Ground-Crouching Chain Strike into a single enhanced strike. 187

• Repelled the ice-and-fire-empowered Thousand Strike Spear head-on. 187
• Amplifies a soul skill by merging the soul power and skill power of multiple soul rings. 187
• Significantly drains his soul power when used alongside his self Martial Soul Fusion Skill. 188

Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Desolate Land Sandstorm

Ziyao combines the projections of Gabudo and the Earth King Dragon Blade, channeling their fused power into the ground and transforming the battlefield into a black-sand maelstrom. 187

• Unleashes desolate, annihilating sand across a wide area. 187 188
• Overwhelmed Thousand Spirit Academy's entire seven-person team, leaving all members unconscious. 188
• Causes substantial soul-power exhaustion; Ziyao was visibly sweating after ending the technique. 188

Relationships

• Zi Yu — Older brother and former fellow prodigy of the Imperial Sand Star Gate. Zi Yu sacrificed himself to protect Ziyao during the Wild Release Trial; Ziyao later resolves to fulfill their shared dream in his brother's stead. 25 26 28
• Kaifeng — Supportive senior companion who encouraged Ziyao before the Heavenly Pride Ranking, comforted him over Zi Yu's death, and praised his tournament victory. 24 25 188
• Luo Xiaoyi — Respected companion and role model. Luo Xiaoyi calmed Ziyao's conflict with Dongfang Mo, taught him that partners should face enemies together, and welcomed his return to cultivation. 24 28 63
• Lan Tianhua — Teammate and encouraging senior companion. She fought beside Ziyao against Thousand Spirit Academy and offered to help him cultivate and treasure hunt after his breakthrough. 28 184 188
• Dongfang Mo — Rival within the Dragon Martial Clan. Dongfang Mo's arrogance repeatedly provokes Ziyao, who vows to surpass him. 24 28 46
• Bainuo — Fellow Star Dragon Sanctuary prodigy. She identified Ziyao and Lan Tianhua as the appropriate pair to face Thousand Spirit Academy, trusting Ziyao's earth-element power to break its defenses. 184

Story Role / Major Arcs

Heavenly Pride Ranking

Ziyao appears as the eighth-ranked Heavenly Pride, astonishing observers because of his age, twin martial souls, and cultivation history. The ranking's review exposes the Wild Release Trial and Zi Yu's death to the continent. 24 26

Breaking Past Shackles

The Sky Screen reward forces Ziyao to revisit the guilt that stopped his cultivation. Through a manifestation of Zi Yu in his memories, he accepts his brother's sacrifice and advances from level 35 to level 44. 27 28

Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament

Ziyao and Lan Tianhua serve as the Star Luo National Team's opening pair against Thousand Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy. Ziyao first uses Ring Fusion to knock away the Thousand Strike Spear, then deploys Desolate Land Sandstorm to defeat all seven opponents. 184 185 187 188

Trivia

• Ziyao and Zi Yu were once called the Twin Stars of the Imperial Sand Star Gate. 25
• His Earth Dragon Gabudo is an externalized martial soul, a type described as absent from the Douluo Continent for ten thousand years. 25
• Ziyao considers himself the weakest among the six Star Dragon Sanctuary prodigies and is determined not to burden them. 57