Xu Shilan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xu Shilan (徐诗兰)
Gender	Female
Age	76; retains a youthful appearance through advanced technology from her era 44
Affiliation	Unified Human Government maintenance worker; Wu Pifu and Yamadai's partner; head of the Xu Family; organizer within Wu Pifu's Dream World exploration team 11 41 731 732
Occupation/Role	Former citizen; convicted criminal, con artist, and arms dealer; maintenance worker; former and restored head of the Xu Family; strategist and commercial organizer 11 12 732 748
Legal Status	In her original timeline, she was sentenced to 800 years for fraud, theft, murder, selling weapons to the Human Revolutionary Union, war crimes, and massacre crimes; her punishment followed her unauthorized use of the Xu Family's Destruction Authority to avenge Xu Wanfang 11 344
Status	Alive; initially restored through a medical treatment pod after being killed in the Yijia Funeral Manor battle, then later restored again through Wu Pifu's spacetime rewind after her subsequent death 29 41 722 725
First Appearance	Chapter 11

Background / History

Xu Shilan was formerly a citizen of the Unified Human Government before becoming a convicted criminal and maintenance worker. Unlike Wu Pifu and Yamadai, she is not a “Future Person” revived from cryogenic suspension. 11

She was born into the Xu Family, one of the Eleven Families with Main Brain authority. Her father was a Level Seven citizen and presidential candidate, while Xu Shilan herself was raised to assist her younger brother in managing the family's affairs and participating in the civilization-level decisions made by the Eleven Families and Thirteen Singularity Company. She consequently had little of an ordinary or carefree childhood. 72 756

Her younger brother, Xu Wanfang, was a latent Superbrain ability user who joined the Human Revolutionary Union and piloted the advanced mech Fireglow during the Earth Offensive and Defensive War. He died when the four Singularity Tech corporations fell, evaporating alongside “Black Hole.” Xu Shilan later pursued vengeance connected to his death, using the Xu Family's Destruction Authority without authorization and incurring her severe sentence. 19 50 344

During Wu Pifu's later spacetime rewind, Xu Shilan encountered an alternate-time Xu Wanfang who remained alive. She described him as exceptionally capable, burdened by responsibility, and more naturally suited to lead humanity than the other Superbrains she knew. 693

She possesses firsthand knowledge of the Thirteen Singularity Technology Groups’ unethical experiments, including a project that used total quantum-level annihilation, clones, and simulated personalities to seek information from the afterlife. The Fourth War interrupted the experiment before its outcome became known to her. 42

Appearance

Xu Shilan is a voluptuous woman whose posture, expressions, and movements project an unusually seductive charm, even while wearing a fully covering standard maintenance-worker uniform. 11

• Appears far younger than her actual age of seventy-six due to technology from her era. 44
• Carries herself flirtatiously and often teases her companions, though her demeanor can shift quickly to seriousness. 16 19
• Wore the close-fitting maintenance-worker uniform while traveling through Dream Worlds. 46
• Wu Pifu and Xu Rongyu's martial perception identified her as a virgin during their stay at Yijia Funeral Manor. 19

Personality

Xu Shilan is intelligent, inquisitive, and highly pragmatic. Soon after meeting Wu Pifu, she records information on contamination, erosion, and parasitism, treating Dream World survival as a problem to be understood rather than merely endured. 13 She repeatedly contributes strategic observations, including the proposal to target the source of the paper people rather than fighting them indefinitely. 23

Despite her flirtatious manner, she remains remarkably composed around supernatural horrors. Wu Pifu notes that she and Yamadai recover their composure even when Xu Rongyu begins to break down under the strain of encountering ghosts. 18 She is also willing to confront allies directly when their plans seem unrealistic or wasteful. 41 42

Her brother’s death remains a deep wound. When Chu Minghao discusses abandoning his former idealism, Xu Shilan angrily condemns people whose ambitions inspire others to sacrifice themselves for causes that ultimately destroy them. 49 She also grieves that her brother erased all images of himself from her memories before his death so that she would not be saddened by remembering him. 72

Xu Shilan possesses considerable political, administrative, and commercial acumen. She is comfortable assigning duties, assessing factions' interests, and leaving combat or labor to her more suitable companions. After returning to the Xu Family, she quickly centralized authority and began dismantling its existing power structure. 731 732 748

Although she was raised amid obligation and privilege, Xu Shilan values the comparatively free and relaxed life she shares with Wu Pifu and Yamadai. She enjoys cooking, desserts, and rest while still maintaining regular training, considering their time together among the happiest periods of her life. 756

Abilities & Skills

Soul Level 2

Xu Shilan’s status panel lists her as having Physical Body Level 1, Soul Level 2, and Inspiration Level 1. Soul Level 2 is rare among the maintenance personnel Wu Pifu has encountered, though its specific effects are not yet explained. 12

• Her Soul Level is higher than Wu Pifu’s and Yamadai’s initial Soul Level 1. 12
• She has no documented cultivation art or martial realm at the time of her initial status assessment. 12

Power Progression

Chapter	Advancement	Details
12	Initial assessment	Physical Body Level 1, Soul Level 2, and Inspiration Level 1; no known cultivation art or martial realm. 12
55	Shadow Puppetry acquired	Received a cultivation method associated with Guo Jing; its contents include Body-Splitting and Harvesting-related occult arts. 55 56
58, 66	Shadow Puppetry manifested	Can detach and control her own shadow, rapidly send it over distance, and progress toward controlling living creatures' shadows and souls. 58 66
749	Physical enhancement	A Dream World reward increased her measurable strength by approximately 250 kilograms. 749
752	Combat application refined	Her Shadow Puppetry can manipulate shadows, intimidate spiritual consciousness, and control opponents' bodies; against ordinary people, it is highly rapid and broadly lethal. 752

Shadow Puppetry

Xu Shilan later acquires and cultivates Shadow Puppetry, an extraordinary path with occult applications. Its source material discusses Body-Splitting and Harvesting and includes arts such as Beast-Crafting, Vase-Crafting, Skin-Painting, God-Invoking, Corpse-Raising, Yin-Folding, Spirit-Worshipping, Soul-Summoning, and Sacrifice. 55 56

• Can separate and manipulate her own shadow, allowing it to travel independently at high speed. 66
• Can advance from controlling her own shadow to controlling the shadows of other living creatures and, further still, living souls. 66
• Her cultivation method includes means of refining living-soul artifacts. 66
• Uses Shadow Puppetry to manipulate shadows, pressure spiritual consciousness, and interfere with enemies' physical bodies. 752
• Her shadow can absorb and dispose of small objects, such as a broken bowl. 751

Technical Knowledge

Xu Shilan understands advanced Unified Human Government technology and can explain its practical applications.

• Explained that title advancement eventually grants citizens a microquantum share of the Main Brain, enabling storage and limited delivery of supplies and carbon-based nanites. 41
• Identified the medical base station’s Anomaly Removal Instrument and explained its capacity to alter matter at the fundamental-particle level. 44
• Used the instrument’s limited energy allocation to produce gold, with a full month’s allotment capable of creating roughly twenty kilograms. 44
• Possesses knowledge of the Thirteen Singularity Technology Groups and their post-death experimentation. 42
• Drew on Fourth War experience and technical knowledge to manufacture N5-type high-explosive charges with Yamadai for the Ghost Fan Tower operation. 59
• Used celestial observations and improvised measuring instruments to determine that the Ocean Dream World was not Earth. 734

Strategic Planning and Analysis

Xu Shilan consistently evaluates threats, resources, and long-term shelter-building opportunities.

• Proposed breaking the circular opening through which the Unborn Mother influenced the world, aiming to eliminate the paper people at their source. 23
• Recognized that the paper people were rapidly strengthening by consuming ghosts and living victims. 25
• Supported Wu Pifu’s decision to upgrade his maintenance-worker title, emphasizing its future strategic value. 41
• Recommended establishing shelters in deeper Dream Worlds to gain access to stronger cultivation arts. 45
• Planned to use gold, legal identities, and purchased buildings to establish shelters in Bianliang. 46
• Correctly identified the implications of Xu Zhenshan's core followers being eliminated and the resulting danger to Xu Rongyu's position. 25
• Proposed using Wu Pifu's “people from the heavens” reputation to preserve both the Pirate and Order factions' willingness to cooperate rather than provoking an unnecessary conflict. 746
• Planned an Ocean Dream World commercial network using trade routes, supernatural shells, spices, rare foods, and the ability to cross otherwise prohibitive ocean currents. 748
• Designed a sustainable two-way trade system between Redemption Land and the Ocean Dream World to generate truth points for both sides. 757
• Recognized that Wu Pifu's team needed a formal exploration group and power base rather than operating solely around his individual strength. 731

Field Support

Although not a trained martial artist, Xu Shilan contributes to group survival through preparation and direct support.

• Prepared meals for the group while they occupied Yijia Funeral Manor. 19
• Helped organize defenses and traps around the funeral manor. 19
• Fought tiger-ghost illusions using torches alongside Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu. 26
• Worked with Yamadai to distract and weaken the Half-Paper Man, enabling Wu Pifu’s attempt to reach the opening in the sky. 28
• Fought and trained against minor pirate- and Order-faction vessels during the Ocean Dream World expedition. 752
• Her Shadow Puppetry is especially effective against ordinary opponents, often incapacitating them in a single strike. 752

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xuanhua Prefecture and Yijia Funeral Manor

Xu Shilan enters the Dream World with Wu Pifu and Yamadai as an inexperienced maintenance worker seeking survival and a means to earn resources. She initially asks Wu Pifu to teach them martial arts, but accepts his warning that improperly transmitted cultivation methods could be fatal. 12 13

At Yijia Funeral Manor, she assists in preparing defenses against paper people and ghosts. Her suggestion to strike at the Unborn Mother’s connection to the world shapes the group’s eventual plan to launch Wu Pifu toward the circular opening above them. 19 23

During the final battle, she holds the line against tiger’s ghosts with Lin Heier and later joins Yamadai in distracting the Half-Paper Man. She is fatally injured during the effort. 26 28

Death, Hibernation, and Recovery

After the battle, Wu Pifu finds Xu Shilan dead, with a crushed chest, dislocated throat, and no breathing. He purchases the funeral manor and establishes a special shelter in an attempt to save her. 29

Wu Pifu transports her to Gaia and places her in hibernation to preserve brain function. Later, after accessing a medical base with sufficient carbon-based nanites, he restores her injuries and wakes her. 30 31 41

Peace Hotel and Bianliang

Following her recovery, Xu Shilan becomes one of Wu Pifu’s principal partners in expanding the group’s influence. She endorses his title upgrade, produces gold to finance construction, and manages practical concerns such as labor, land, staffing, and accounts for Peace Hotel. 41 44 45

In Bianliang, she advocates purchasing buildings and establishing shelters using the group’s gold reserves. She is also reunited with Chu Minghao, a Level Seven citizen and former university classmate. 46 48

Reunion with Chu Minghao

Xu Shilan identifies Chu Minghao as a Fourth War hero, a Level Seven citizen, and the man she nearly entered a political marriage with. 48 She initially presses him on why his authority has not been used to help Gaia’s stranded maintenance personnel, then reacts with anger when his ideals recall the fate of her brother and others who followed charismatic leaders into destruction. 49

After Chu Minghao leaves the Great Song Dream World, Xu Shilan, Wu Pifu, and Yamadai are named National Preceptors and immortal disciples under the Immortal-Mortal Oath. 55

Shadow Puppetry and Ghost Fan Tower

Xu Shilan obtains Shadow Puppetry following the Great Song events and immediately treats its obscure occult information as a serious threat. Her analysis of the Golden Warriors' children's souls leads her to connect their construction to an energy or control system. 55 56

When the group receives Ghost Fan Tower's invitation, Xu Shilan reveals a colder, murderous side and works with Yamadai to manufacture advanced explosives from locally obtained materials. 59

Death Return and Spacetime Rewind

During a later encounter with death, Xu Shilan confides her fear to Wu Pifu and entrusts him with a golden sphere that becomes Death Return before vanishing into the haze. 72

Xu Shilan and Yamadai subsequently die in the battle against the Hearer Body, leaving Wu Pifu to continue alone through numerous Dream Worlds. After becoming sufficiently powerful, Wu Pifu performs a spacetime rewind that restores both of them to life and creates a closed spacetime loop. 722 725

Upon learning what Wu Pifu endured and the scale of the rewind needed to save them, Xu Shilan recognizes the depth of his efforts and resumes their partnership. 725

Restoration of the Xu Family

After her revival, Xu Shilan investigates Xu Ruonan's disappearance and determines that Xu Ruonan likely fled after removing large quantities of Xu Family resources. 729 731

As Xu Wanfang's direct-line sister and the Xu Family's former head, Xu Shilan reclaims authority with little resistance. She rapidly consolidates control, reorganizes the family, and dismantles its former power structure. 732

Ocean Dream World and Commercial Expansion

Xu Shilan joins Wu Pifu and Yamadai in using the Dream Compass to enter the Ocean Dream World. Her astronomical analysis establishes that the world is not Earth, while her caution prevents the group from prematurely leaving their ship during an anomalous situation. 734 753

She develops the group's commercial strategy, using Wu Pifu's strength as deterrence while she negotiates with nobles, merchants, and captains. Her purchases and organization help assemble a major fleet around the refitted Dog Egg and lay the foundation for a Territory-type Sanctuary. 748 763

After the group gains access to trade with the Ocean Dream World, Xu Shilan advocates a sustainable two-way exchange with Redemption Land rather than short-term exploitation, treating commercial development as a source of long-term truth points and civilizational growth. 757

Organizational and Political Work

Xu Shilan assists in establishing the organizational framework around Wu Pifu's growing influence. She commands Night Watchers and engineering personnel brought from Redemption Land, while working with Chu Yuyan to establish credible policies, symbols, and administration for their Ocean Dream World operations. 766

She continues to guide Wu Pifu toward considering his team’s interests and the broader needs of humanity rather than focusing solely on combat. 731 768 772

Xu Shilan later applies to establish a high-mobility security company for the Unified Human Government. When the government, major families, and Night Watchers resist the proposal over competing interests, she works with Wu Pifu as he mediates a joint-ownership arrangement. 906

Relationships

• Wu Pifu — Fellow maintenance worker, life-and-death companion, and partner. Xu Shilan relies on his Dream World experience, supports his long-term decisions, and is saved by him after dying at Yijia Funeral Manor. She later entrusts Death Return to him, and he eventually performs a spacetime rewind to restore her to life. 12 30 41 72 722 725
• Yamadai — Fellow maintenance worker and frequent sparring partner in conversation. They cooperate in defense and planning, though she regularly challenges his bluntness and battlefield-focused thinking. After her return, Xu Shilan directs him to accompany and protect her while she manages the Xu Family and commercial affairs. 28 41 46 731 752
• Xu Wanfang — Xu Shilan's younger brother, a latent Superbrain and former pilot of Fireglow. In her original timeline, his death during the Earth Offensive and Defensive War drove her vengeance; in the spacetime-rewind timeline, she sees him alive as an exceptionally capable leader burdened by responsibility. 19 50 693
• Chu Minghao — Former university classmate, Level Seven citizen, Fourth War hero, and near-political-marriage prospect. Xu Shilan holds him partly responsible for the ideals and conflicts surrounding her brother’s death, but later cooperates with him in supporting humanity and establishing Ocean Dream World trade. 48 49 757
• Xu Ruonan — Xu Shilan's cousin and former acting head of the Xu Family. Xu Shilan considers her former position in the family insignificant and recalls Xu Wanfang warning that Xu Ruonan possessed a twisted desire for status and authority. Xu Shilan reclaims the family after Xu Ruonan flees with its resources. 725 729 731 732
• Lin Heier — Ally in the Peace Hotel faction and fellow defender during the paper-people crisis. Xu Shilan addresses her as “Sister Lin” after revealing her own age. 26 44
• Xu Rongyu — Fellow survivor and Peace Hotel collaborator; Xu Shilan assesses the danger his loss of family connections creates after Xu Zhenshan’s death. 25 45
• Chu Yuyan — Chu Family member and political collaborator. Xu Shilan works with him on organizational credibility, Night Watcher deployment, and the Ocean Dream World’s political-commercial framework. 766
• Huang Rong — Wu Pifu's companion and a fellow member of his wider group. Alongside Yamadai, Xu Shilan helps unseal True Martial Lineage members Es and Zhang Xuer while Wu Pifu is away. 899

Notable Quotes

“A false teacher may give you ten thousand volumes of books, but a true teacher gives only a single sentence.” 45

“But we're partners now. I don't believe you wouldn't help us.” 41

“Why not enjoy it?” 756