Xiao Hongchen

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xiao Hongchen (笑红尘)
Alias(es)	Xiao'er
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hongchen Family; Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy reserve team
Occupation/Role	Soul master; Soul Engineer; metal forger; reserve team captain
Status	Active
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Innate Soul Power Rank 9	5	Awakened the Three-Legged Golden Toad, a martial soul carrying divine beast bloodline.
Rank 20 / Great Soul Master	6 34	Reached Rank 20 after meditating alongside his siblings and consuming a second Mystic Water Pill; later identified as a Great Soul Master.
Soul Ancestor / four soul rings	71 114	Absorbed the Blazing Gold Beast soul ring and broke through to Rank 42; subsequently demonstrated all four soul skills in battle.
Near Soul King	108	Reported to be close to advancing to Soul King.

Background / History

Xiao Hongchen is the eldest son of Yi Hongchen and Liu Yueming, and the older brother of Meng Hongchen and Yan Hongchen. His Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul and Rank 9 innate soul power made him a celebrated prodigy, contributing to an arrogant and highly competitive temperament that Yi Hongchen periodically sought to restrain. 3 5

Yan Hongchen's twin martial souls and innate full soul power initially left Xiao conflicted: he was sincerely happy for his younger brother, but also felt envy, jealousy, and regret over the gap in their talents. 5 He nevertheless accepted responsibility for the family and later recommitted himself to surpassing Kong Deming's disciple through metalworking and Soul Tool development. 33 59

At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Xiao became the first of his group to pass the first-rank Soul Engineer assessment. 47 He later succeeded in Thousand Forging Heavy Silver, marking a major step in his forging path. 80

Xiao travelled with Yan Hongchen to the Jingyang Mountains to obtain his fourth soul ring. After helping eliminate a Golden Wolf pack with Soul Tool cannons, he absorbed the Blazing Gold Beast's soul ring and advanced to Rank 42. 69 71 The brothers subsequently fought Evil Soul Masters alongside Ye Guyi, an encounter that included Xiao's first kill. 73

He became captain of the academy reserve team and demonstrated overwhelming artillery-platform tactics in training and selection matches. 116 Together with Yan and Meng, he forms the Hongchen siblings' tournament trio, also called the Red Dust Trio. 131

Appearance

Xiao Hongchen is described as notably handsome, with a lean but muscular physique developed through years of metal forging. 108 110

• His martial soul manifests as the phantom of a Three-Legged Golden Toad. 80 114
• His External Soul Bone alters his eyes into emerald eyes with golden pupils, accompanied by golden markings extending from the eye toward the temple. 127
• He can deploy metal wings when protecting allies or engaging in aerial combat. 120

Personality

Xiao is flamboyant, proud, and intensely competitive. He sees no reason to remain beneath his peers and openly declares his ambition to surpass Kong Deming's disciple. 59 His confidence can make him argumentative or boastful, but he also recognizes the need to take strong opponents seriously. 132

Beneath that pride, he is deeply protective of Yan Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. He worries when Yan acts alone, carries him home after he collapses, and immediately places himself between Yan and a hostile Ye Guyi during a critical soul-spirit fusion. 49 111 120 He also responds well to sincere guidance, ultimately redirecting his focus from pursuing Ye Guyi toward Soul Tool research and forging. 75

Abilities & Skills

Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul

Xiao possesses a metal-attributed martial soul with latent divine beast bloodline, granting him unusually strong physical foundations and metal-based combat potential. 5 36

• Its bloodline enhances his body and recovery. 36
• Soul Power naturally flows through his legs, helping activate leg soul-bone skills. 131
• He can fight powerful opponents directly in close quarters using his fists, feet, elbows, knees, shoulders, and head. 124

Metal Control

His first soul skill allows control over metal. 49

• Manipulates metal spheres, Soul Tool components, and cannon arrays. 49 114
• Can support control-oriented tactics by directing metal around opponents. 49

Golden Shaping

Golden Shaping enables Xiao to alter metal into combat forms. 7 49

• Used alongside Metal Control to form a metal hedgehog-like beastified defense. 7
• Combines with Golden Affinity to create flexible metal-based offense and restraint tactics. 49

Golden Affinity

Golden Affinity allows Xiao to liquefy his body into liquid metal, substantially reducing physical damage. 49

• Can negate a significant portion of physical attacks when mastered. 49
• Provides a means of evasion, retreat, and repositioning. 49
• Can be combined with metal manipulation to bind or immobilize opponents. 49

Phantom Body

Phantom Body makes Xiao's body ethereal. 128

• Grants immunity to physical attacks.
• Reduces the effect of mental attacks by half.
• Does not protect against energy attacks. 128

Rift-Sundering Golden Eyes

Xiao's External Soul Bone is a pair of altered eyes acquired through a metal-attributed soul spirit that also developed a spiritual attribute. 125 127

• God-Piercing Golden Arrow — an attack released through the External Soul Bone. 125
• Enhances his perception and supports his Soul Tool combat. 127
• Gives him golden divine markings around one eye. 127

Soul Tool Artillery Platform

Xiao specializes in large-scale, long-range Soul Tool bombardment and artillery formations. 37 115

• Deployed 64 cannons during a spar with Su Tong. 110
• Deployed 96 cannon barrels while demonstrating his four soul skills. 114
• His cannon coverage impressed Ma Rulong, who considered it beyond what many sixth-rank Soul Engineers could achieve. 114
• Used a Super Energy-Concentrating Soul Cannon to severely injure the Illusory Snake. 126

Martial Soul Fusion Skills

• Mortal Longing — fusion skill with Meng Hongchen; powerful but consumes large amounts of soul power. Yan Hongchen's Source Gathering Reflux can reduce its consumption. 32 36
• Phantom Water Golden Body — fusion with Yan Hongchen, who merges into Xiao's body and grants a major increase in available soul skills and overall combat capability. 35 115
  • The fusion was assessed as capable of crossing at least two realms in power. 36
  • Xiao cannot use soul-bone skills while maintaining this fusion. 36

Forging and Soul Engineering

Xiao is a dedicated Soul Engineer and metal forger, entrusted with advancing the Hongchen Family's metalworking inheritance. 59 127

• First among his peers to pass the first-rank Soul Engineer assessment. 47
• Created Thousand Refined Heavy Silver through Thousand Forging. 80
• Produced third-grade long-range support Soul Tools, including Paralysis Rays. 108
• Provided materials for Meng Hongchen's ice-and-fire dual Soul Tool swords. 108

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Soul Tool cannons — deployed in extensive artillery arrays. 71 114
• Soul Tool hammers — used for metal forging. 80
• Evil Orca left leg bone — grants Evil Orca Axe; its first stage, Mirror Condensation, can forcibly restrain a target. 131
• Flying Soul Tool — used in aerial training and combat. 131

Relationships

• Yan Hongchen — younger brother, combat partner, and source of guidance; they share Phantom Water Golden Body and protect one another closely. 35 115 120
• Meng Hongchen — younger sister and Mortal Longing fusion partner; the two bicker playfully and train together. 32 36 125
• Yi Hongchen — father and sparring mentor; Yi critiques Xiao's lack of mobility and supports his future as the family’s Soul Tool heir. 7 127
• Liu Yueming — mother; worries over his dangerous journeys and provides protection for his travels. 69
• Jing Hongchen — grandfather; encourages Xiao's forging path and supports his development as a Soul Engineer. 59
• Ye Guyi — ally whom Xiao initially considered pursuing; he later chose to focus on his work instead. 73 75
• Ma Rulong — official team captain and combat rival; Xiao defeated him alongside Yan Hongchen during the reserve-team lineup match. 115

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Martial soul awakening aftermath — struggles with envy over Yan Hongchen's exceptional talent while affirming his responsibility as eldest brother. 5
• Family fusion training — develops Mortal Longing with Meng Hongchen and Phantom Water Golden Body with Yan Hongchen. 32 35
• Forging path — regains his pride, accepts the task of developing new metals, and completes Thousand Forging. 59 80
• Jingyang Mountains expedition — obtains his fourth soul ring from the Blazing Gold Beast and reaches Rank 42. 69 71
• Academy reserve team — serves as reserve captain and displays formidable artillery tactics. 114 116
• Red Dust Trio — helps Yan and Meng defeat Ma Rulong's three-person team through coordinated artillery, support, and aerial combat. 131

Trivia

• Xiao's fourth soul skill came from the Blazing Gold Beast. 71
• He is considered the strongest flier among the Hongchen siblings when using flying Soul Tools. 131
• Yan Hongchen believes Xiao's greatest future lies in Soul Tools and metalworking rather than romance. 75