Xuan Zi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xuan Zi (玄子)
Alias(es)	Elder Xuan; Taotie Douluo; Gluttonous Douluo
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Shrek Inspection Group
Occupation/Role	Shrek Academy elder; leader of the Shrek Inspection Group 3
Status	Alive; severely weakened by lasting Demonic Power injuries and later stripped of Soul Power by Qian Jue's Word Magic 36 46
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Cultivation and Condition

Period	Cultivation / Condition	Notes
Star Dou Great Forest incident	Rank 98 Super Douluo	Possesses a nine-ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red Soul Ring; his martial soul is the Taotie Divine Bull. 3
After Qian Jue's return	Rank 98 on the surface; combat ability reduced to Soul Douluo level	Qian Jue leaves indelible Demonic Power in his body, creating a hidden injury that prevents him from using his true Super Douluo strength. 36
Ming Dou Mountains crisis	Incapacitated	Qian Jue's Word Magic collapses his remaining Soul Power and leaves him unable to move. 46

Background / History

Encirclement of Qian Jue

Ten years before Qian Jue's reappearance, Xuan Zi participated in an encirclement against him at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest alongside Mu En and other Super Douluo. Mu En had originally intended to recruit Qian Jue for Shrek, but Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe acted on their prejudice against darkness-attributed martial souls and turned the meeting into an attack. 5 8

This failed attempt leaves Qian Jue with a lasting vendetta against Shrek and, particularly, Xuan Zi. 5

Star Dou Great Forest defeat

Xuan Zi arrives late to an Inner Court hunting expedition after the disciples have already been devastated by the 100,000-year Bloodthirsty Dragon Lizard and rescued by Qian Jue. Enraged by Qian Jue's presence and criticism of his leadership, he attacks with Taotie Devours Heaven. 3

Qian Jue destroys the attack effortlessly, suppresses Xuan Zi, and uses Word Becomes Law to disperse his Soul Power and force him to kneel. Zhang Lexuan intervenes before Qian Jue can execute him. 3 4 Xuan Zi is then beaten unconscious while Zhang Lexuan is taken as collateral for Shrek's demanded ransom. 5 6

Mu En's death and Shrek's leadership

During Qian Jue's assault on Sea God Island, Xuan Zi helps evacuate surviving students and elders while Mu En confronts Qian Jue with the Golden Tree's power. 20 21 He remains convinced that Mu En will prevail, but witnesses Mu En sacrifice himself in an attack that appears to destroy Qian Jue. 21 23

Before dying, Mu En entrusts Shrek to Xuan Zi. Overcome by guilt, Xuan Zi blames his own weakness for Mu En's sacrifice before the Sea God Pavilion elders urge him to take responsibility for the damaged academy. 23

Qian Jue's return

Three years later, Qian Jue reappears during the Death's Hand incident. Xuan Zi again attacks him after finding the Shrek team devastated, but his Taotie Devours Heaven is shattered and he is defeated in a single strike. 28 29

Qian Jue kills Dai Yueheng before Xuan Zi and reduces Ma Xiaotao from Soul Emperor to level 29. The helplessness of witnessing both events breaks Xuan Zi's resolve. 30 When Qian Jue uses Word Spirit: Manipulation to order him to kill Ma Xiaotao, Xuan Zi expends his remaining will to divert the attack from her throat to her shoulder. 31

Ming Dou Mountains trap

Xuan Zi embraces Tang Ya's story of a divine inheritance realm, hoping its immortal herbs can heal both Ma Xiaotao and his own hidden injury. He even considers luring Qian Jue into the realm to kill him. 37

He dismisses Huo Yuhao's warnings about the site, helps spread news of the supposed inheritance, and seeks an alliance with Chen Hai once the gathered factions arrive. 38 40 43 The realm is Qian Jue's trap: Xuan Zi is unable to save Ma Xiaotao from the black vortex and must plead to Chen Hai for aid. 44 45

Appearance

Xuan Zi is an elderly man whose age and injuries become increasingly visible after his repeated defeats by Qian Jue. 8 36

• Often carries and drinks from a wine gourd. 8 28 40
• Appears disheveled when rushing to the Death's Hand cave. 28
• Is later covered in bandages while recovering from Qian Jue's injuries. 36
• Transforms into a massive Taotie Divine Bull through his Martial Soul Avatar. 3

Personality

Xuan Zi is impulsive, prideful, and quick to answer provocation with force. He rejects Zhang Lexuan's attempt to stop his first battle with Qian Jue and repeatedly attacks despite the overwhelming difference in strength. 3 28

His confidence is undermined by repeated humiliation. After Mu En's death, he becomes guilt-ridden but still accepts responsibility for Shrek's survival and organizes the academy's evacuation during the Sea God Island battle. 21 23

He is deeply protective of Shrek's younger generation, particularly Ma Xiaotao. He begs Qian Jue to spare the students, suffers a shattered Dao heart after Dai Yueheng's death and Ma Xiaotao's crippling, and resists manipulation long enough to prevent a fatal blow against her. 29 30 31

His desperation to restore Shrek's strength also makes him reckless. He readily trusts Tang Ya's fabricated inheritance story, ignores warnings of danger, and prioritizes the promised cure and divine opportunity over caution. 37 40

Abilities & Skills

Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul

Xuan Zi's martial soul is the Taotie Divine Bull, also described as the Godly Taotie Bull. 3 45

• Grants him the strength and Soul Power of a Rank 98 Super Douluo before his lasting injuries. 3 36
• Allows him to manifest a mountain-sized Martial Soul Avatar. 3
• His bloodline and martial soul instinctively recoil when Qian Jue's Word Magic suppresses his power. 46

Taotie Devours Heaven

Xuan Zi's signature offensive technique creates a massive devouring vortex through his Taotie Divine Bull Avatar. 3

• Pulls in surrounding trees, rocks, and even light with overwhelming suction. 3
• Can form a black-hole-like devouring attack when used at full power. 28
• Has been shattered by Qian Jue on multiple occasions before it can affect him. 3 28

Super Douluo Willpower

Despite severe injuries and mental collapse, Xuan Zi retains enough resolve to resist complete control briefly.

• Under Word Spirit: Manipulation, he burns his soul to shift his compelled strike away from Ma Xiaotao's vital point. 31
• His resistance is insufficient against Qian Jue's Word Becomes Law and Word Magic. 4 46

Relationships

• Qian Jue — Mortal enemy. Xuan Zi participated in the failed encirclement against him ten years earlier and is repeatedly defeated, humiliated, and manipulated by him. 5 28 31
• Mu En — Senior and master of Sea God Pavilion. Mu En entrusts Shrek Academy to Xuan Zi with his final message before dying against Qian Jue. 23
• Zhang Lexuan — Shrek Inner Court disciple who shields Xuan Zi from Qian Jue's execution attempt and pleads for his life. 4
• Ma Xiaotao — Grand-disciple-like junior whom Xuan Zi watched grow up. He is devastated by her crippling and forcibly attacks her under Qian Jue's manipulation, narrowly avoiding a killing blow. 30 31
• Yan Shaozhe — Fellow Shrek elder and participant in the attack on Qian Jue ten years earlier. 8
• Tang Ya — Xuan Zi promises her an exceptional promotion to Shrek's Inner Court after accepting her false account of the Ming Dou Mountains secret realm. 37
• Chen Hai — Potential ally sought by Xuan Zi during the Ming Dou Mountains crisis; Xuan Zi later calls on him for help against Qian Jue's vortex. 43 45

Notable Quotes

“Elder Mu will win.”
— Xuan Zi, during Mu En's battle with Qian Jue 21

“I can't do anything. Elder Mu died before my eyes, and I was powerless to stop it.”
— Xuan Zi, after Dai Yueheng's death and Ma Xiaotao's crippling 30

Trivia

• Qian Jue repeatedly mocks Xuan Zi's habit of leading teams carelessly while eating chicken legs. 3 5
• Qian Jue exploits Xuan Zi's forced attack on Ma Xiaotao to make Shrek students suspect that he is a Holy Spirit Cult infiltrator. 31
• Although he retains the outward cultivation of a Rank 98 Super Douluo after the Death's Hand incident, his hidden injury limits his actual combat strength to that of a Soul Douluo. 36