Xu Zhenchuan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xu Zhenchuan (许镇川)
Alias(es)	Deputy Hall Master Xu
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Tai Xuan Sect; Law Enforcement Hall
Occupation/Role	Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall; formerly an Archives Room disciple
Status	Captured and detained by Gu Changyue, Gu Qinghe, and Li Sanshun 53
First Appearance	Chapter 35

Background and History

Xu Zhenchuan participated in the sealing of the Imperial Old Infant Case twenty-one years before the present story, while still an Archives Room disciple. His early access to the case later enabled him to manipulate its records and pursue the fifteen missing imperial infants. 38 41

Six years before the main events, he used Gu Changyue's discarded private seal to requisition fifty-eight catties of Blood-Vein Black Iron. At the Ding-Character Furnace, he forced miners Chen Jiumu, Yuan Fu, and Luo Dashan to cast fifteen counterfeit Blood Tokens based on an old register of imperial infants. 36 37 38

When the fifteenth token could not be completed after the Earth-Fire failed, Xu Zhenchuan left it buried beneath the furnace. He branded the miners with Fire Contracts, imprisoned them in the mine, and kept them alive as the keys to the furnace's lower level. 36 37

He also forged mine documents and a cliff-fall case file to conceal the black-iron theft. Zhou Huai's investigation into the irregularity led to his disappearance. 35 38

Crimes and Schemes

Forgery and Evidence Manipulation

Xu Zhenchuan repeatedly exploited official seals, orders, and case records.

• Forged Gu Changyue's private seal to requisition black iron and issue mine documents. 36 38
• Created counterfeit Blood Tokens connected to the Imperial Old Infant Case. 36 37
• Used forged orders to justify the Law Enforcement Hall's seizure of authority and later its occupation. 46 53
• Prepared a false confession implicating Gu Changyue in the Old Infant Case. 37 38
• Attempted to frame Gu Qinghe through planted sword fragments, a forged message talisman, and the staged death of Fang Shao. 40

Silencing Witnesses

After the Ding-Character Furnace evidence surfaced, Xu Zhenchuan and Bai Chongshan activated a registry targeting fifteen people connected to the old case.

• Maintained Fang Shao as a hidden assassin for six years; Fang Shao carried a Soul-Devouring Tooth Restriction that destroyed his soul upon capture. 39 40
• Sent two ninth-level Qi Refining assassins after Li Jiu to seize the Seal of Destiny. 43
• Ordered the theft of the Mystic-15 Sealing Sword, which could open the Imperial Sealing Vault. 41 42
• Directed infiltrators to burn the Law Enforcement Peak archives and remove the Imperial Old Infant Case files, mining ledger, armory transfer files, and Gu Changyue's furnace-sealing order. 46 47

Attempted Coup

Xu Zhenchuan launched a coordinated power grab after Qi Shouxuan entered the Imperial Sealing Vault, Gu Changyue remained suspended, and Gu Qinghe was confined to the Quiet Room. 46

• Activated the Law Enforcement Grand Array through forged authorization and attempted to seize the sect's three array eyes. 45 46
• Used Old Dark Patrol Guards and forged documents to block mountain paths and demand the surrender of peak tokens. 46
• Ordered the burning of archive records that could expose his role in the Old Infant Case and West Mountain conspiracy. 46 47
• Publicly accused Gu Changyue and Gu Qinghe of treason using an Imperial Treason Order. 48
• Escaped the Judgment Platform through a prearranged secret passage after the evidence turned the Law Enforcement disciples against him. 48

Abilities & Skills

Forgery and Institutional Manipulation

Xu Zhenchuan possesses extensive knowledge of Law Enforcement Hall procedures, archives, seals, and array authorization.

• Forged official seals, escort orders, mine requisitions, transfer orders, and disciplinary documents. 36 38 46 53
• Used an old escort order to falsely claim authority over the Law Enforcement Hall. 53
• Coordinated split-route orders for infiltrators so that separate documents formed part of a Black Mountain crest when assembled. 47 48
• Exploited the temporary absence or suspension of senior sect figures to seize administrative control. 46

Covert Operations

He maintained a network of loyalists, assassins, and Old Dark Patrol Guards.

• Kept Fang Shao alive under a false death record and equipped him for assassination operations. 39 40
• Ordered subordinates to infiltrate archives, steal sealed weapons, open dungeons, and seize array positions. 41 46 47 53
• Used Soul-Devouring Tooth Restrictions to prevent captured operatives from revealing information. 40 47
• Coordinated with Bai Chongshan in efforts to silence witnesses and gain control of the Imperial Old Infant Case materials. 41 45

Fire Contracts and Furnace Control

Xu Zhenchuan used the Ding-Character Furnace to bind and contain witnesses.

• Branded Chen Jiumu, Yuan Fu, and Luo Dashan with Fire Contracts tied to their essence and blood. 36
• Kept the contracts' control array beneath the Ding-Character Furnace. 36
• Used the furnace's Earth-Fire and Blood-Vein Black Iron to manufacture imitation Blood Tokens. 36 37

Equipment and Resources

• Ding-Character Furnace control token — Used to access and operate the furnace where the imitation tokens were cast. 38
• Imitation Blood Tokens — Fifteen counterfeit tokens cast from Blood-Vein Black Iron; fourteen were removed from the furnace, while the fifteenth remained sealed below it. 37 38
• Forged official orders and seals — Included mine documents, sect-sealing authorization, archive-transfer orders, and a six-year-old escort order. 36 46 47 53
• Soul-Devouring Tooth Restrictions — Lethal restrictions embedded in operatives such as Fang Shao to prevent interrogation. 40
• Old Dark Patrol Guard network — A covert force used to enforce his forged orders, control arrays, and occupy the Law Enforcement Hall. 46 48 53

Relationships

• Gu Changyue — Former superior and primary target of Xu Zhenchuan's forgeries; Xu framed him for the black-iron theft, Old Infant Case, and Zhao Chong's transfer. 36 38 48 53
• Gu Qinghe — Adversary who uncovered the Ding-Character Furnace conspiracy; Xu attempted to frame her for Fang Shao's assassination attempt. 37 40 53
• Li Sanshun — Investigator and opponent whose actions repeatedly exposed Xu's operations, thwarted his coup, and blocked his final escape. 43 46 48 53
• Bai Chongshan — Co-conspirator in the witness-silencing campaign and the wider struggle over the Old Infant Case and Imperial Sealing Vault. 41 45 53
• Bai Cheng — Loyal subordinate who guarded the Ding-Character Furnace and attempted to stop Li Sanshun and Gu Qinghe from retrieving evidence. 37 38
• Fang Shao — Assassin maintained under a falsified death record and fitted with a lethal soul-devouring restriction. 39 40
• Chen Jiumu, Yuan Fu, and Luo Dashan — Miners imprisoned for six years under Fire Contracts after being forced to cast the counterfeit Blood Tokens. 36 37
• Zhao Chong — A key witness whose knowledge threatened Xu's concealment of the Old Infant Case; Xu repeatedly sought to have him silenced or removed. 38 39 53

Capture

After escaping the Judgment Platform, Xu Zhenchuan attacked the Law Enforcement Hall and used a forged escort order to claim that he had been restored to authority. 52 53

Gu Changyue, Gu Qinghe, and Li Sanshun exposed the escort order as another fabrication by comparing the genuine half-token against the No. 11 imitation token. During the ensuing confrontation, Li Sanshun sealed Xu's escape routes with earth-elemental power, Gu Changyue struck away his attempt to use a Soul-Devouring Tooth, and Gu Qinghe bound him with her Sealing Chain. 53