Chen Xuan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Xuan (陈玄)
Alias(es)	Xuanzi / Xuan Zi; Taotie Douluo; “Chicken Leg Douluo”
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Sea God Pavilion; Shrek Inquisitorial Legion
Occupation / Role	Sea God Pavilion elder; Vice Commander of the Inquisitorial Legion; Zhang Lexuan’s master; commander of Shrek’s Sun Moon Empire front 3 35 62
Status	Alive; preparing for war against the Holy Spirit Cult 62
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Rank 98 Super Douluo	1–2	Transmigrates into Xuanzi’s body, inheriting its Rank 98 cultivation, nine Soul Rings, and Godly Taotie Bull martial soul.
True Taotie martial-soul evolution	58	The Life Gold within the purified Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife is devoured by the Godly Taotie Bull, purifying its bloodline and evolving it into the true Taotie.
Dual Soul Cores	58	Mu En’s Dragon Dan enables Chen Xuan’s first Soul Core to split into a golden Yang Core and an azure Yin Core, completing his dual-core formation.
Enhanced nine-ring configuration	60	Displays three black, five red, and one extraordinary azure-green million-year origin-life Soul Ring; the evolved Taotie manifests alongside sun-and-moon imagery.

Background

Chen Xuan was originally a young viewer of the Douluo Continent anime who harshly mocked Xuanzi for wasting his Rank 98 strength. While walking home, he was struck by lightning and awakened in Xuanzi’s elderly body, retaining his own consciousness while inheriting Xuanzi’s memories and cultivation 1.

Recognizing that he had arrived before several future tragedies—including the destruction of Zhang Lexuan’s family and the collapse of Beibei’s family—Chen Xuan resolved to use Xuanzi’s authority rather than repeat the original owner’s failures. His initial plans included protecting Beibei’s parents, reforming Shrek’s Soul Tool development and Inquisitorial Legion, and rescuing Zhang Lexuan before disaster struck 2.

Appearance

Chen Xuan initially inhabits Xuanzi’s nearly two-hundred-year-old body, presenting himself as an imposing but unkempt elder. After the Life Gold and Half-Life Tree transformation, he regains the appearance and vitality of a man around thirty 1 59.

• Initially has a rough elderly physique, deep voice, grizzled hair, and wide elder’s robes.
• Often carries or eats chicken legs, even during official business 3 6.
• Can disguise himself convincingly as a frail, ash-smeared old beggar by concealing his Soul Power and altering his posture 25.
• After rejuvenation, has sharp brows, youthful features, and bluish stubble along his chin 59.

Personality

Chen Xuan is blunt, irreverent, and easily provoked by incompetence—especially when students are treated as expendable. He responds to negligence with immediate, practical action, using his cultivation and seniority to force reforms rather than waiting for consensus 3 4.

His harshness is tempered by genuine protectiveness. He intervenes in Beibei’s parents’ lives, refuses to sacrifice Inner Court students to reckless missions, and becomes deeply attached to Zhang Lexuan after witnessing her generosity toward a person she believed was helpless 10 13 26.

Despite his responsibilities, he retains the tastes and mentality of his younger original self. He enjoys fine food, wine, music, teasing trusted companions, and openly resents being trapped in an old man’s body before his rejuvenation 23 24 59.

Abilities & Skills

Rank 98 Cultivation and Godly Taotie Bull

Chen Xuan possesses the inherited cultivation of the Rank 98 Taotie Douluo. His Godly Taotie Bull martial soul carries a trace of Taotie’s bloodline and naturally suppresses dragon-type martial souls 2.

• Releases Soul Power pressure powerful enough to force a Titled Douluo to his knees 14.
• Reveals nine Soul Rings while confronting the Rank 97 Evil Soul Master Duanmu Yao 17.
• Uses overwhelming physical strength to cripple Dark Thunder Douluo with a single punch 18.
• After absorbing Life Gold, his martial soul evolves into the ancient true Taotie 58.

Earth-Attribute Soul Skills

Chen Xuan uses earth-based Soul Skills to control terrain, restrict movement, and overwhelm enemies with sustained bombardment 18.

• First Soul Skill — Creates mud-and-stone tentacles to bind opponents.
• Third Soul Skill — Raises a heavy stone wall capable of blocking Harrier Feather Blades.
• Fourth Soul Skill — Applies crushing gravity to force airborne enemies downward.
• Fifth Soul Skill — Summons a wide-area barrage of meteor-like earth spheres that can shatter a Super Douluo’s defensive barrier.

Taotie Devouring

The Taotie martial soul can devour an opponent’s Soul Power, physical strength, and life force. Chen Xuan uses it to rapidly drain Duanmu Yao after pursuing him from the battlefield 19.

• Devours Life Gold from the Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife, triggering the Taotie’s evolution 58.
• Can draw out and destroy harmful energy; the Taotie’s absorption pulls Miasma from Mu En’s body during the Dragon Dan breakthrough 58.
• Its evolved form can manifest independently as Little Black Dog, an intelligent half-blooded Taotie with an immense appetite 59 60.

Domains and Defensive Techniques

Chen Xuan can combine powerful defensive and territorial abilities against multiple high-level enemies.

• Heaven-Mending Light Barrier — Blocks Zhongli Wu’s death-infused scythe strike and protects Chen Xuan while he is surrounded 18 19.
• Taotie Domain — Strengthens his devouring presence in battle 19.
• Earth Domain — Expands his control over the battlefield’s earth element 19.

Perception, Concealment, and Instruction

Chen Xuan can accurately assess Soul Power, identify unstable cultivation, and conceal his own aura while traveling. He also possesses extensive practical knowledge of high-level cultivation and combat 22 23 27.

• Detects Lu Yun’s unstable Titled Douluo aura before recognizing him 23.
• Conceals his Rank 98 cultivation to enter foreign territory as an ordinary traveler 22 56.
• Identifies Lu Yun’s cultivation bottlenecks and teaches him to use Wind Concealment, silent attacks, and precise wind blades 27 32.
• Uses careful observation and staged encounters rather than exposing his identity prematurely when evaluating Zhang Lexuan 22 25.

Notable Items

• Sea God Pavilion Internal Affairs Token — Entrusted to Chen Xuan by Mu En, granting authority to investigate hidden agents, suspend the Inquisitorial Legion, mobilize personnel, and direct Soul Tool funding; later transferred to Song Yunzhi 22.
• Storage Soul Tool — Used to carry supplies and conceal the sealed Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife during his journey to the Star Luo Empire 56 57.
• Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife — Purchased for 100,000 Gold Soul Coins. Its cursed remnant was purified beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, after which its Life Gold was consumed by Chen Xuan’s martial soul 57 58.

Relationships

• Mu En — Senior colleague and trusted leader. Mu En supports Chen Xuan’s institutional reforms, entrusts him with Internal Affairs authority, and provides the Dragon Dan that enables his dual-core breakthrough 4 22 58.
• Zhang Lexuan — His only personal disciple. Chen Xuan is moved by her kindness, protects her family, arranges for their relocation near Shrek City, and expects her to become a future pillar of Shrek 26 35.
• Lu Yun — Former Shrek Inner Court student and current Heaven Dou border guardian. Chen Xuan mentors him after Lu Yun reaches the Titled Douluo realm, while Lu Yun loyally investigates and protects the Zhang Family 23 31 32.
• Xian Lin’er — Soul Tool Department dean and principal ally in Chen Xuan’s modernization campaign. He expands her department’s funding, staffing, recruitment, and responsibility for Legion equipment 5 6 13.
• Qian Duoduo — Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department. Chen Xuan works with him and Xian Lin’er to address the department’s shortage of instructors and equipment makers 6 7.
• Yan Shaozhe — Initially clashes with Chen Xuan over Soul Tool funding and the Martial Soul Department’s privilege, but cooperates in the purge of corrupt Legion personnel and later helps implement academy reforms 5 15 38.
• Song Yunzhi — Sea God Pavilion elder entrusted with Chen Xuan’s investigative, Legion, and funding responsibilities while he searches for Zhang Lexuan 22.
• Lin Huiqun / Elder Lin — Head of Treasure Gathering Pavilion. She assists Chen Xuan with financial investigations, Legion equipment reserves, and recruiting Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire 10 13.
• Little Black Dog / Little Taotie — The corporeal manifestation of Chen Xuan’s evolved Taotie martial soul; proud, gluttonous, and fiercely offended by comparisons to Luo Sanpao 58 59 60.
• A-Huang — Chen Xuan’s dog. He cares for A-Huang at home and promises to bring it meat bones from the Star Luo Empire 56 57.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Changing Xuanzi’s fate — Upon transmigrating, Chen Xuan resolves to prevent the tragedies and institutional failures associated with Xuanzi’s original future 1 2.
• Inquisitorial Legion reform — He exposes reckless mission assignments, mandates supervision and Soul Tool equipment, investigates embezzled pensions and procurement fraud, and suspends field operations for two years 3 4 13.
• Soul Tool modernization — Chen Xuan redistributes academy resources, introduces mandatory Soul Tool education, recruits engineers from the Sun Moon Empire, and argues that Shrek must learn from technological rivals rather than depend on tradition 5 7 38.
• Defense of Shrek City — He uncovers Evil Soul Master infiltration, battles Duanmu Yao and several Titled enemies, cripples Dark Thunder Douluo, and confronts Zhongli Wu before Shrek’s reinforcements arrive 17 18 19.
• Cleansing Shrek — After the attack, he commits to a covert purge of infiltrators throughout Shrek’s administration while maintaining the Legion’s suspension and Soul Tool reforms 21 22.
• Zhang Lexuan’s recruitment — Chen Xuan investigates the Zhang Family, indirectly eliminates the Zhao Family threat through Lu Yun, reveals his identity to the Zhangs, and accepts Zhang Lexuan as his sole personal disciple 26 31 35.
• Quest for Life Gold — He infiltrates the Star Luo Empire, purchases the Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife, and uses its purified Life Gold to evolve the Taotie martial soul, form Dual Soul Cores, and restore his youth 56 57 58 59.
• War mobilization — With Mu En restored, Chen Xuan accepts command of Shrek’s force advancing toward the Sun Moon Empire in the campaign to eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult and remaining Evil Soul Masters 62.

Notable Quotes

“When they go to war in the future, what will they use to withstand the Sun Moon Empire’s soul cannon fire? Their lives?” 5

“Whether your talent is good or not is something heaven determines. But for me, temperament is even more important than talent.” 22

Trivia

• Chen Xuan mocked Xuanzi as a useless Rank 98 “Chicken Leg Douluo” immediately before transmigrating into him 1.
• He can eat extraordinary amounts of chicken legs; on one occasion, he ate eight drumsticks and accepted five more for the road 3.
• He kept the purse Zhang Lexuan gave him while he was disguised as a beggar, treating it as a reminder of her kindness 26.
• He repeatedly compares Lu Yun’s Wind Spirit Crane to a domesticated chicken when criticizing its noisy movement and weak attacks 31 32.