Yang Xiao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yang Xiao (杨霄)
Alias(es)	Constable Yang; Head Constable Yang; Captain Yang; Deputy General Yang 13 26 38 69
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Formerly the Xiangyun County Yamen; later the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division and Demon-Slaying Battalion 2 13 38 86
Occupation/Role	Demon Suppression Guard, Demon-Slaying Captain, Deputy General 38 69
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Body Forging Third Stage	2	His apparent cultivation when Hu Kai challenges him; his perfected Basic Blade Technique lets him defeat the stronger Fifth-Stage fighter.
Body Forging Fifth Stage	6	Equips the consummated Breath-Nurturing Method, advancing two stages and gaining Vitality Recovery.
Body Forging Seventh Layer	7	Mastering Astonishing Swan Steps and Monument Splitting Palm drives another breakthrough; he gains Shadow Swoop and Mountain-Opening Force.
Body Forging Ninth Layer	13	Consolidates his cultivation before receiving his constable appointment.
Body Forging Perfection	17	Two Body Tempering Pills bring his body to the physical limit of Body Forging and allow it to receive spiritual Qi.
One-Aperture Qi Gathering	18	Uses the Origin-Guiding Qi Gathering Art and the Spirit Swallowing prefix to open his first Aperture.
Four-Aperture Qi Gathering	18	Equips the Old Yellow Dog’s Demonic Core, opening three additional Apertures and gaining Spiritual Olfaction.
Seven-Aperture Qi Gathering	26	Continues accumulating and equipping martial arts from the County Yamen armory.
Twelfth Qi Gathering Orifice Perfection	30	The Ape Demon’s core opens his final five Apertures and grants Howling Shriek.
Liquid Condensation Early Stage	49	Equips the Myriad Rivers Return to the Sea Qi-Condensing Method and converts spiritual energy into Spirit Liquid.
Liquid Condensation Mid Stage	49	The Straw-Cloak Ghost and Painted-Skin Demon cores expand his spiritual power and open two more Apertures.
Late Liquid Condensation	60	Defeats the peak Liquid Condensation Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon despite being identified as a late-stage cultivator.
Peak Liquid Condensation / Aperture-Penetration advancement	72	Completes the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method, connecting 108 Apertures and advancing to the peak of the Aperture-Penetration Realm.
216-Aperture foundation	85	Evolves the Lotus Platform Rebirth Body with the Nine-Aperture Mystic-Penetration Method, creating the Lotus Platform Mystic Body Method.
256 Apertures	91	Equips the cores of two Tiger Demons, gaining Tiger Strength and Bloodbath while opening eighteen new Apertures.
358 Apertures; second forging of the Ten-Thousand-Forged Demon Body	104	His body surpasses that of a newly entered Mysterious Core body cultivator.
360 Apertures; peak Aperture-Opening Realm	108	The Greater Celestial Circuit Lotus Platform Body-Forging Method completes his celestial circuit and greatly improves energy refinement.
Perfected Core Condensation / Mysterious Core Realm	136 137	Myriad Apertures Melt Heaven merges all 360 Apertures into a black-and-gold Mystic Core, carrying him rapidly from initial to perfected Core Condensation.
Core-Pattern Stage body	138	The Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord’s core grants Nine-Poison Demon Essence and advances his body to the Core-Pattern Stage.

Background / History

Yang Xiao originally served as a Yamen Runner in Xiangyun County. His father had held the same position and died protecting the people, allowing Yang Xiao to take his place through the County Magistrate’s support 66.

Before his rise, Yang Xiao financially supported the Hu family and allowed Hu Qingqing and Hu Kai to treat his belongings as their own. He ends that arrangement when Hu Qingqing attempts to take his heirloom Spring Embroidery Saber for Hu Kai’s Demon Suppression Division selection. Although Hu Kai is at the Fifth Stage of Body Forging and Yang Xiao appears to be at the Third, Yang Xiao defeats him with ease 2.

Yang Xiao’s first major achievements come during the Rat Calamity at Liu Family Village and the Dog Demon crisis at Wang Village. He kills demons far above what his apparent cultivation should allow, including a Ninth-Stage Dog Demon leader and a pack of thirty-seven Dog Demons. The feat earns him 460 Merit points and leads to his appointment as the Fourth Constable of Xiangyun County 4 9 11 13.

He soon eliminates the remaining demon threats around the county. He kills the Pig Demon at Li Family Hamlet, exposes Li Tie’s collaboration with the demons, defeats the Ape Demon during the attack on the County Yamen, and later kills the Bull Demon of Three-Demon Mountain. These victories transform him from an underestimated county official into the county’s leading demon slayer 26 30 35.

The Demon Suppression Division recruits Yang Xiao for service in Qingzhou. During his examination, he defeats the instructor Xiao with a restrained counterstrike and is appointed a Demon-Slaying Captain 36 38. His first mission with Xu Qingshan is the Painted-Skin case in Heishui County, where Yang Xiao kills the Painted-Skin Demon and uncovers the preserved skins of the victims 40 47.

Yang Xiao’s reputation expands during the Guanlan River campaign. He helps capture Jiang Chen, kills the peak Liquid Condensation Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon, and strikes down the wounded Flood Dragon Lord. General Pei Xuance recommends him for promotion to Deputy General and gives him the Army-Breaking Spear 60 66 68 69.

As a Deputy General, Yang Xiao joins the Demon-Slaying Battalion and rapidly surpasses the expectations of veteran officers. He kills Bear Mountain Lord, White Ape Lord, and the peak Core Condensation Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord. His victories earn him the respect of officers who initially doubt his age and cultivation 91 96 108 116.

Yang Xiao later investigates the crisis surrounding Longwind Commandery and Black Miasma Ravine. He exposes Deputy General Han Dingshan’s failures, kills the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord, and recovers the identity tokens of guards who died in the demon’s lair so their deaths can be recorded and their families compensated 111 118.

At Sword-Hiding Mountain, Yang Xiao’s reputation earns him the honor of presenting the first weapon at the Hundred Swords Return to the Pool Gathering. The sword pool tempers the Army-Breaking Spear, while the Mind-Cleansing Cushion removes accumulated killing intent and grants him the golden Soul Cleansing trait 130 132.

After returning to Qingzhou, Yang Xiao exchanges 121 minor Merits for the top-tier Myriad Apertures Melt Heaven method. He uses it to form a black-and-gold Mystic Core, officially entering the Mysterious Core Realm in less than half a day 133 137.

Appearance

Yang Xiao is a youthful, handsome martial artist whose appearance often causes others to underestimate him. He is described as looking around eighteen or nineteen, while later encounters place him in his early twenties 52 74 133.

• Calm, composed expression even during dangerous battles.
• Often seen in the black uniform of the Demon Suppression Division 38.
• Carries the black Army-Breaking Spear, whose murderous aura contrasts with its initially plain appearance 66 130.
• His body becomes exceptionally resilient after practicing Vajra Hell-Prison Body and the Ten-Thousand-Forged Demon Body 70 71 95.
• His wounds can heal with extraordinary speed, puzzling companions who witness his recovery 60 66.

Personality

Yang Xiao is practical and direct. He evaluates people, missions, and cultivation methods according to their usefulness rather than prestige. He chooses partners because their abilities complement his own, seeks missions with high Merit rewards, and spends resources on techniques that address specific weaknesses 40 98.

He is highly independent and rejects obligations that might control his future. He refuses the Xu Family’s proposed marriage alliance because he does not want family ties to interfere with his cultivation path 135.

Yang Xiao is calm under pressure and rarely displays fear. He willingly confronts powerful demons alone when he believes delay would endanger civilians, though senior officers repeatedly criticize the danger of his decisions 31 35 112.

Despite his ruthlessness toward demons and traitors, he has a strong sense of duty. He organizes the Xiangyun County Yamen after the Ape Demon attack, protects civilians, and ensures that fallen Demon Suppression Guards are properly identified and compensated 30 116.

His public confidence conceals occasional discomfort with attention. During his procession into Qingzhou, he appears imposing to the crowd but privately feels awkward under so many stares 68.

Abilities & Skills

Equipment Slot System

Yang Xiao possesses a mysterious Equipment Slot ability that converts manuals, weapons, Demon Cores, corpses, and other items into immediate cultivation or combat benefits.

• Instantly masters compatible martial arts and cultivation methods.
• Grants traits or prefixes associated with equipped items.
• Can permanently solidify effects after specific periods or by killing qualifying demons.
• Equipment capacity increases as Yang Xiao’s cultivation realm rises.
• Prefix Synthesis combines three compatible prefixes of the same grade into a stronger prefix.
• Analysis examines cultivation methods and incomplete martial arts, revealing ways to complete or improve them.
• Plunder can seize the Pill Pattern from a suitable Demon Core, bypassing years of cultivation.
• The system has limits: some items cannot be equipped until Yang Xiao reaches a sufficient realm, and fixed slots may require stronger demon kills to unlock 6 18 49 50 72 138.

Demon-Slaying Combat

Yang Xiao’s combat style combines perfected martial arts, refined spiritual energy, and traits optimized against Demons.

• Demon-Slaying Blade Technique reveals Demons’ vital points and increases damage against them.
• Demon-Slaying Crystal Edge improves weapon sharpness, grants a 50% bonus against Demons, and allows him to release powerful saber aura.
• Monument Splitting Palm and Mountain-Crushing Strength let him shatter bones, seal meridians, and reduce backlash from powerful strikes.
• Qi Condensation Crystal provides a sharp ranged attack formed from refined spiritual energy.
• His combat ability allows him to defeat opponents several major stages above his displayed cultivation, including the Bull Demon, White Ape Lord, and Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord 7 18 39 50 96 116.

Spear Techniques

Yang Xiao uses Pei Xuance’s Army-Breaking Spear together with Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art.

• The spear can be wielded as naturally as one of his limbs.
• Mountain-Subduing gives his thrusts immense stability and force.
• The art contains five forms: Mountain-Subduing, Army-Breaking, Dragon-Pinning, Mountain-Shattering, and Sun-Piercing.
• The Army-Breaking Spear is tempered by the Sword-Hiding Mountain sword pool and becomes heavier, sharper, and more refined 66 70 72 130.

Body Tempering and Recovery

Yang Xiao’s body is strengthened through several overlapping methods.

• Vajra Hell-Prison Body refines Demons’ blood essence and Killing Intent into physical strength.
• Demon-Suppressing Prison allows him to absorb the essence of slain Demons and grow stronger through battle.
• The Ten-Thousand-Forged Demon Body brings his physique to the level of, and eventually beyond, Mysterious Core body cultivators.
• Flesh Cloak provides exceptionally tough flesh and rapid healing.
• His body can convert the poisonous miasma of Black Miasma Ravine into nourishment.
• He can withstand attacks that would seriously injure other cultivators and has survived wounds deep enough to expose bone 49 60 70 71 95 104 113.

Movement and Tracking

• Astonishing Swan Steps grants Shadow Swoop, improving agility and producing afterimages.
• Wind-Treading Wandering Dragon Steps grants Wind Riding, allowing him to borrow the wind’s force, move rapidly, briefly remain airborne, and change direction in midair.
• Wind-Chasing Scent Tracking enhances smell, tracking, movement speed, attack speed, bursts of movement, and endurance.
• Sinking Foot stabilizes his lower body and makes him difficult to knock back 7 20 50 98 99.

Senses and Infiltration

• Spiritual Olfaction allows Yang Xiao to detect faint blood, herb, and demonic scents.
• Thousand Faces lets him copy the appearance and physique of a human he has seen; at the time of acquisition, it cannot imitate Demons.
• Howling Shriek briefly disrupts an opponent’s sight and perception.
• His enhanced senses help him detect Li Tie’s suspicious scent, track Gu Han in the Spider’s Lair, and follow fleeing Demons 20 30 49 125.

Lotus Platform Foundation

The Lotus Platform Mystic Body Method creates a white lotus platform within Yang Xiao’s dantian.

• Expands his Aperture network to 216 and later 360 Apertures.
• Accelerates spiritual-energy circulation by more than 50 percent.
• Strengthens his physique and vitality.
• Helps ward off evil.
• Evolves into the Greater Celestial Circuit Lotus Platform Body-Forging Method, allowing his body to refine surrounding energy with extraordinary efficiency 85 108.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Spring Embroidery Saber — Yang Xiao’s father’s heirloom and a symbol of his independence from the Hu family 2.
• Army-Breaking Spear — Pei Xuance’s former weapon, given to Yang Xiao after the Guanlan River campaign; later tempered by Sword-Hiding Mountain 60 66 130.
• Shadowless — A famed saber acquired after the Sword-Hiding Mountain journey 132.
• Qi-Gathering Bottle — Records and stores Demonic Qi used to document demon kills and calculate Battalion Merit 96 105 133.
• Old Yellow Dog’s Demonic Core — Opens three Apertures and grants Spiritual Olfaction 18.
• Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord’s core — Grants Nine-Poison Demon Essence and advances Yang Xiao’s body to the Core-Pattern Stage 116 138.
• White Ape Lord’s core — Grants Spirit Ape Mimicry and raises Yang Xiao’s body to Perfected Core Condensation 108 138.
• Myriad Apertures Melt Heaven — A top-tier Core Condensation method that forms a Mystic Core and grants Heaven-Melting Treasure Furnace 134 136.

Relationships

• Hu Qingqing — Formerly treated Yang Xiao as a source of money and resources; their relationship ends when he refuses to surrender the Spring Embroidery Saber 2.
• Hu Kai — Hu Qingqing’s younger brother and Yang Xiao’s former rival. Yang Xiao defeats him despite appearing to be two cultivation stages weaker, later leaving Hu Kai unable to close the gap between them 2 17 35.
• Zhang Hu — Head Constable of Xiangyun County and an early mentor. He recognizes Yang Xiao’s potential, guides his advancement, and supports his promotion 2 6 11 13.
• Wang Dagui — Third Constable of Xiangyun County. Yang Xiao saves him during the Wang Village crisis, earning his lasting respect and gratitude 9 10 35.
• Xu Qingshan — Former mission partner and trusted friend. Xu provides cultivation advice and institutional knowledge, while Yang Xiao treats him as an equal despite their widening difference in rank 38 40 47 70 98 135.
• Shen Qingyang — Flag Officer who recruits Yang Xiao for the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division and later helps organize a rescue mission when Yang Xiao enters Three-Demon Mountain alone 31 35.
• Shen Jingxian — Azure Mist City’s deputy commander. He recognizes Yang Xiao’s unusual 360-Aperture foundation and warns him that his future breakthrough will require an exceptional method 104 108 109.
• Pei Xuance — General who recommends Yang Xiao for Deputy General, gives him the Army-Breaking Spear, and gifts him the Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art 60 66 69 70.
• Zhou Zheng — Deputy General and battlefield companion. He advocates for Yang Xiao’s recognition and promotion after witnessing his defeat of the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon 60 69.
• Yan Tieyi — Demon-Slaying Battalion officer and frequent companion. He is protective of Yang Xiao but increasingly regards him as the stronger fighter 87 96 112 116 132.
• Li Tie — Second Constable who secretly cooperates with Demons and delivers villagers to them. Yang Xiao kills him after defeating the Ape Demon 20 30.
• Qin Lie — Governor of Qingzhou. After Yang Xiao reaches the Mysterious Core Realm, Qin mistakes him for General Pei and briefly attempts to protect him 137 138.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiangyun County

Yang Xiao breaks from the exploitative Hu family, joins the Demon Suppression Division selection, and begins accumulating Merit through demon hunts. His victories over the Rat Demons, Dog Demons, Pig Demon, Ape Demon, and Bull Demon establish him as Xiangyun County’s strongest protector 2 35.

Entry into the Demon Suppression Division

After entering Qingzhou, Yang Xiao passes the Demon-Slaying Captain examination and gains access to superior manuals, missions, and cultivation resources. His partnership with Xu Qingshan begins during the Painted-Skin case 36 49.

Guanlan River Campaign

Yang Xiao captures Jiang Chen and helps kill the Blackwater Mystic Flood Dragon and Flood Dragon Lord. The campaign earns him the highest Merit and leads to his promotion to Deputy General 51 69.

Demon-Slaying Battalion

As a Deputy General, Yang Xiao joins the Demon-Slaying Battalion and establishes his authority over veteran Captains. He later kills Bear Mountain Lord, White Ape Lord, and the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord, gaining both recognition and powerful cultivation materials 74 75 86 96 108 116.

Longwind Commandery and Black Miasma Ravine

Yang Xiao helps expose Han Dingshan’s negligence and enters Black Miasma Ravine, where he kills the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord and recovers the identity tokens of fallen Demon Suppression Guards 111 118.

Sword-Hiding Mountain

Yang Xiao participates in the Hundred Swords Return to the Pool Gathering, where Sword-Hiding Mountain honors him as the first weapon bearer. The sword pool tempers the Army-Breaking Spear and clears his accumulated killing intent 130 132.

Formation of the Mystic Core

After rejecting the Xu Family’s marriage proposal, Yang Xiao obtains Myriad Apertures Melt Heaven. He merges his 360 Apertures into a black-and-gold Mystic Core and enters the Mysterious Core Realm, then begins exploiting Demon Cores to acquire Pill-Pattern-level power 134 138.

Notable Quotes

“From today on, the affairs of the Hu family have nothing to do with me.” 2

“I’m good at killing demons.” 52

“Cultivation is my own affair.” 135

“If I can’t even decide my own future, what’s the point of cultivating so hard?” 135

Trivia

• Yang Xiao’s advancement from an ordinary County Yamen Runner to Deputy General occurs in less than a year 66 135.
• He keeps the source of his Equipment Slot ability secret, attributing his rapid growth to talent when questioned by Fatty Sun 66.
• His 360-Aperture foundation is far beyond the Demon Suppression Division’s standard 108-Aperture method 70 108.
• He often values Demon Cores and useful materials more than public recognition, even after killing powerful Demon Lords 96.
• The Xu Family’s marriage proposal is motivated by both his cultivation talent and Pei Xuance’s favor toward him 135.