Li Xiao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Xiao (厉枭) 43
Alias(es)	Shadow Man Li Xiao; Humorous Dart Man; Future's Child; Heaven-Gifted Dragon Mark, Half-Masked; Minister Qin 43 114 498 989
Species/Race	Human Transcendent 43
Gender	Male 103
Affiliation	Night Owl Branch; serves as its head in the post-Judgment Day era 989 1014
Occupation/Role	Transcendent combatant; Night Owl Minister 989 1014
Status	Alive 1072
First Appearance	Chapter 43: So It Was One of the Ten Kings 43

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Shadow Man Transcendent	43	Introduced as a shadow-using Transcendent pursuing a place among the Ten Kings. 43 44
Mental-power advancement	124	His confrontation with the Tyrant gives him insight; after overcoming a psychological hurdle, his mental power rises a level. 124
Unnamed awakened ability	459	Awakens a new ability after the battle with the Eagle Herder Lord, though he is severely injured. 459
Purple Dragon Mark	605	Rejects his Heart Demon's offer, purges Forbidden Aura corruption, and sees his birthmark transform into a purple dragon pattern. 605
Heaven-Gifted Dragon Mark, Half-Masked	624	Fuses with Forbidden Energy and gains control over other people's shadows, including the ability to manifest their powers through those shadows. 624
Expanded Shadow Space	810	Absorbs Godstones, enlarging his Shadow Space and allowing him to infiltrate a Mechanical Augmenter. 810
Shadow Emperor Form	989	Reveals a far stronger form while confronting a Calamity Heaven God projection. 989
Heaven of All Worlds' Reflections and All Beings: Divine Reflection of the World	1063	Activates his domain, manifesting the Black-Feather Cloak and Shadow Eight Wings. 1063
Evolved Mental Will / Shadow Eye merger	1072	His Mental Will evolves in battle; Shadow Eye: Nether Mimicry abandons Shadow Hand and merges with Li Xiao. 1072

Background / History

Li Xiao became a Transcendent before the Black Mountain expedition and introduced himself as “Shadow Man Li Xiao.” He treated the Ten Kings as the standard by which all strength should be measured and intended to defeat Tyrant Yang Jie to earn a place among them. 43 44 48

His early arrogance developed from deep insecurity. Li Xiao's right cheek bears a greenish-black birthmark covering nearly half his face; after years of inferiority, becoming a Transcendent turned that insecurity into conspicuous pride and a reliance on masks and grand personas. 103

Appearance

Li Xiao initially conceals his face behind a black mask and cultivates a cold, aloof image. Beneath it, he is described as reasonably handsome, though the right side of his face is marked by a large birthmark that later changes into purple dragon-like markings. 103 605

• Greenish-black birthmark covering much of the right side of his face. 103
• Frequently wore the Black Nether Ghost Mask to conceal his aura and appearance. 114 115
• His Forbidden Energy transformation produces purple patterns across his body and face. 605 624
• In his domain, he manifests a Black-Feather Cloak and Shadow Eight Wings. 1063
• His later Shadow Emperor Form can manifest as an immense Shadow Giant. 989 990

Personality

Li Xiao is theatrical, proud, and intensely competitive. He seeks recognition from powerful figures, especially the Ten Kings, and habitually embellishes his exploits; after the Tyrant's death, he falsely framed the event as the work of a mysterious senior who had long acknowledged his talent. 114 115 His desire to outshine Li You repeatedly drives him to charge into fights alone, even when the matchup is unfavorable. 358 359 360

Behind the bravado, Li Xiao is unusually resilient. He initially breaks down before Tyrant Yang Jie's overwhelming strength, but Bai Ye's provocation compels him to fight rather than remain a coward. 101 Later, he embraces failure and ridicule as part of becoming stronger, refuses to yield while critically injured, and makes the Way of the Strong a genuine conviction rather than a pose. 605 935 1071 1072

He has his own idiosyncratic code for challenges: he refuses to challenge women, the elderly, children, allies, the dead, and opponents he considers already defeated—leaving him with no Ten King he regards as a fair target. 871

Abilities & Skills

Shadow Manipulation

Li Xiao's foundational Transcendence ability controls and weaponizes shadows.

• Fires Shadow Darts as ranged attacks. 101 358
• Uses Shadow Shift to move through shadows and evade attacks. 358 360
• Can form Armor from shadows for defense. 358
• Can turn his body into a shadow to infiltrate spaces or avoid direct attacks. 801 813
• Can summon a Shadow Legion, making him highly effective against weaker Transcendents. 497
• Bright fire and flame-based abilities erase available shadows and severely limit Shadow Shift. 358 596

Forbidden Energy Shadow Control

After fusing with Forbidden Energy, Li Xiao gains authority over the shadows of others.

• Forces nearby shadows to detach from the ground and act independently. 624
• Can reproduce an individual's ability through their shadow, such as Li You's Magic Hand and Xiao Yi's flying swords. 624
• His Shadow Space expands after absorbing Godstones. 810

Shadow Emperor Form and Reflections

Li Xiao's later power combines shadow authority with reflected manifestations of powerful figures he has encountered.

• Activates Shadow Emperor Form in combat against a Calamity Heaven God projection. 989
• His domain, Heaven of All Worlds' Reflections and All Beings: Divine Reflection of the World, creates reflections of the world's phenomena. 1063
• Can summon an army of reflections modeled after powerful individuals he has encountered. 1064
• The feathers of his Shadow Eight Wings function as independent reflections. 1064
• Shadow Eye can interfere with his created Shadow Court and seize control of its shadows. 1064

Shadow Eye: Nether Mimicry

Shadow Eye ultimately chooses Li Xiao over its former user, Shadow Hand.

• Merges with Li Xiao after Shadow Hand's defeat. 1072
• Its recognition is tied to Li Xiao's determination and evolved Mental Will rather than external power alone. 1071 1072

Nightflow Flame

Li Xiao channels black flame through his Shadow Longsword.

• Uses Nightflow Flame to split a Calamity Heaven God projection in two. 990
• Combines the technique with a two-handed descending sword strike. 990

Way of the Strong

Li Xiao's philosophy of strength becomes a source of Mental Will.

• Treats setbacks, humiliation, and defeat as fuel for future growth. 605
• Refuses to abandon his convictions even when death appears inevitable. 1072
• His breakthrough in Mental Will directly strengthens him during his battle with Shadow Hand. 1072

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black Nether Ghost Mask — A mask Li Xiao wore to conceal his aura. He did not contain it because its condition required cutting off facial skin. 114 115
• White Dove Ring — Used to communicate with Bai Ye and allies during the Steel Brotherhood operation. 807
• Shadow Longsword — His weapon for performing Nightflow Flame. 990
• Notebook of strongman quotations — Carried during his final confrontation with Shadow Hand, reflecting his commitment to the Way of the Strong. 1072

Relationships

• Bai Ye — Mentor, friend, and the person Li Xiao credits with teaching him the Way of the Strong. Bai Ye pushes him to face Tyrant, supplies the Forbidden Energy that transforms him, and remains the person Li Xiao most readily obeys. 101 624 807
• Li You — Rival and role model. Li Xiao envies Li You's composure and reputation, imitates his mannerisms, and calls him his greatest rival in becoming one of the Ten Kings. 358 360 459
• Gao Bancheng — Traveling companion and benefactor. Gao Bancheng offers Li Xiao a manor in Myriad Wealth Capital and access to cultivation materials as a friend. 124
• Xiao Yi — Fellow combatant and friend. They fight together against the Eagle Herder Lord and later travel alongside one another in major operations. 448 799
• Qin Mingshen — Li Xiao's clone, who can take control of Li Xiao's body; when Qin Mingshen emerges, Li Xiao's eyes turn violet and his demeanor becomes calm and detached. 990 991
• Shadow Eye — A sentient power source that increasingly favors Li Xiao over Shadow Hand before merging with him. 1064 1072
• Ghost Clown — An ally whose safety Li Xiao prioritizes over continuing a fight with Purityless Thumb. 1012

Story Role / Major Arcs

Black Mountain Expedition

Li Xiao joins Gao Bancheng's expedition to Black Mountain primarily to challenge Tyrant Yang Jie, treating the paid escort work as incidental. 48 When Tyrant's power overwhelms him, he collapses in fear, but Bai Ye forces him to confront that fear; Li Xiao attacks with Shadow Darts and is badly injured. 101

Afterward, he exploits the confusion surrounding Tyrant's death to build a myth around a mysterious senior who supposedly saved him years earlier and lent him the Black Nether Ghost Mask. 114 115

Rivalry with Li You

While traveling with Gao Bancheng's caravan, Li Xiao challenges the Blackfire Raiders alone to avoid letting Li You take the spotlight. Fire Fang's fire ability counters his shadows, forcing Li You to intervene. 358 Watching Li You annihilate Fire Fang and over a hundred raiders with a single Magic Hand strike leaves Li Xiao shocked, envious, and more determined to improve. 360

Forbidden Domain Transformation

During the conflict with the Four Seasons Society, Li Xiao confronts a Heart Demon born from Forbidden Aura. He rejects its claim to be a stronger version of himself, asserting that mockery and failure have only strengthened him. 605 Bai Ye later gives him Forbidden Energy, which Li Xiao successfully fuses with to become the Heaven-Gifted Dragon Mark, Half-Masked. 624

Steel Brotherhood Infiltration

Li Xiao disregards orders to explore the Steel Brotherhood alone, then discovers Godstones intended for the Evil God Painter. 807 Absorbing the Godstones expands his Shadow Space, and he infiltrates a Mechanical Augmenter for intelligence. 810

He subsequently enters Steel Hall alone and declares that he is sufficient to face Zhou Zhenjiang, Steel Bone, Black Coffin, and Painter. 811 Painter's Fated Hit disrupts his shadow ability and sends him flying, but Li Xiao survives the encounter. 813

Judgment Day and the Ten-Year Gap

During Judgment Day, a gravely wounded Li Xiao refuses to stop fighting Lu Yao's Yinglong Mecha, continuing to attack even after his Shadow Darts are shattered and he can only throw stones. 935 Qin Chuan later recounts seeing Li Xiao rise again amid purple divine radiance and send Yinglong flying with one strike. 987

Ten years later, Li Xiao returns as Minister Qin and the leader of a Night Owl branch. He defeats a Calamity Heaven God projection with Nightflow Flame before reuniting with Bai Ye. 989 990

Shadow Hand Conflict

Li Xiao descends into the Shadow Dimension while pursued by Shadow Hand and activates his full domain. 1063 Although Shadow Hand strips away much of his Shadow Court and humiliates him, Li Xiao refuses to accept defeat or seek recognition from others. 1064 1071 His Mental Will evolves, Shadow Eye merges with him, and Shadow Hand is defeated. 1072

Notable Quotes

“Killing me will be the only glory of your life!!!”
— Li Xiao, facing Yinglong 993

“The weak see everyone as weak.”
— Li Xiao to Shadow Hand 1071

“Come on, try to kill me!!”
— Li Xiao, after his Mental Will evolves 1072

Trivia

• Li Xiao was temporarily deafened after robots used concussion grenades against him during a factory operation. 888
• His reputation for embellishing his history is so well-known that Bai Ye considers preventing him from showing off harder than killing him. 482
• Gao Jiye finds Li Xiao exceptionally easy to win over: flattery alone is enough to earn his approval. 504