Xu Deling

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xu Deling (许德翎)
Alias(es)	Ling’er; Master Ling; Phoenix Goddess; Fairy Phoenix Plume / Phoenix Plume Fairy 161 250 282
Gender	Female 75 161
Affiliation	Xu Household; Firecloud Valley; Heavenforged Sect 75 250 274
Occupation/Role	Artifact refiner; core member of the Xu Household; personal disciple of True Sun and disciple of Flame Dragon. Previously named Firecloud True Person’s legacy disciple and successor 250 275
Generation	Third generation of the Xu Household 275
Parents	Xu Mingwei and Yang Ronghua 75
Recorded Age	Sixteen in Chapter 161; seventy-one in Chapter 275 161 275
Spiritual Root	True spiritual root; recorded purity of 35% before Foundation Establishment 75 197
Latest Documented Realm	Nascent Soul; explicitly identified as early-stage during her subsequent travels 607 611
Status	Alive; returns to Yunxi after improving her divine abilities 647
First Appearance	Introduced at the Xu Household’s Year Sacrifice following her birth 75

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Innate cultivation aptitude identified	75	Born with a true spiritual root and Red Eagle Spirit Eyes; recognized as the household’s greatest cultivation prodigy at that time.
Qi Refining, fifth layer peak	158	Close to breaking through to the sixth layer.
Qi Refining, seventh layer early phase	161	Reaches this level at sixteen; receives priority access to High-Grade Qi-Gathering Pills.
Qi Refining perfection	197	Divine sense transforms into spiritual consciousness. Her 35% spiritual-root purity makes her a priority candidate for Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment	198	Successfully breaks through after Xu Chuan addresses the lingering emotional knot surrounding Wu Shunan. Ordered to conceal her realm as eighth-layer Qi Refining.
Foundation Establishment, fourth layer peak	224	Expected to reach the fifth layer within another two or three months.
Golden Core-level spiritual consciousness	265	Possesses awareness comparable to an early Golden Core cultivator while still at Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment perfection; first phoenix transformation	275	At seventy-one, survives Flame Phoenix essence blood through a Nirvana Secret Art. Gains a Flame Phoenix spirit body, Flame Phoenix Spirit Eyes, and a top-tier seventh-grade bloodline.
Golden Core, second layer	288	Achieves divine ability core formation after purifying and crystallizing her magic power. Uses the Elder Golden Core Swallowing-Heaven Art to advance directly to the second layer.
Golden Core middle stage	323	Continues developing Fire Emperor’s True Eyes and strengthening her bonded Chongming Bird.
Golden Core, sixth layer late phase	514	Her cultivation becomes the benchmark Xu Chuan catches up to during his own advancement.
Golden Core late stage	523	Confronts Bai Sha with strength no weaker than his own despite remaining below Nascent Soul.
Pseudo-Nascent Soul	590	Returns to the Heavenforged Sect with a nine-pattern Dao nascent soul.
Nascent Soul	607	Refines the Xiantian Essence of Burning Fire, strengthens her bloodline, body, magic power, and divine soul, then breaks through in the Blackwind Mountains under Xu Chuan’s protection. Becomes the Xu Household’s second Nascent Soul cultivator.

Background / History

Early life and first love

Deling’s birth marks an important succession milestone for the Xu Household. Xu Chuan discovers her exceptional aptitude during the Year Sacrifice, but worries that conspicuous prodigies could attract danger. She spends much of her childhood following Xu Mingshu, whose clothing and bearing influence her own 75 161.

Initially curious about alchemy, she is directed to prioritize cultivation. She later studies artifact refining under Wu Mingsheng and, within nearly three years, consistently produces low-grade magical artifacts at a higher success rate than his three other disciples 122 160.

At sixteen, Deling admits that she loves Wu Shunan. Xu Chuan permits her to choose her husband, but requires him to marry into the Xu Household. Shunan ultimately refuses because he is the Wu Household’s only heir. After their tearful farewell, Deling devotes herself to cultivation and refining. She later attends his wedding and sincerely congratulates him, ending their romantic relationship 161 179 187.

Before her Foundation Establishment attempt, Xu Chuan challenges her claim that she has completely let go. He explains that Shunan may have withdrawn to avoid obstructing her immortal future. Deling subsequently establishes her foundation, though only a few family members learn of the breakthrough 198.

Firecloud’s successor and the Azure Dragon inheritance

Deling joins the household’s trade expedition and demonstrates her growing skill by refining Windfire Boots in the Ge Household’s workshop. The journey exposes her to unfamiliar artifacts, customs, and the different ways cultivation clans operate 164 169 173.

Xu Chuan later secures her apprenticeship to Firecloud True Person. Impressed by her talent, Firecloud publicly names her his legacy disciple and heir. Deling remains in Firecloud Valley to study artifact runes, with refining profits divided 60% to the Xu Household and 40% to the valley 250.

During the Skyreach Secret Realm expedition, she fights alongside Xu Chuan and Moyue against a mutated Jade-Eyed Frost Toad. She then passes the Azure Dragon Sect’s artifact-refining assessment, obtaining rare materials, an inheritance extending to top-tier magic treasures, and tokens associated with both the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird sects 253 254 255.

Heavenforged Sect and phoenix transformation

Firecloud brings Deling to the Heavenforged Sect to settle a century-old rivalry with Rong Tianyang. Her refining achievements culminate in the Heaven-Flipping Seal, made for Xu Chuan. Its successful completion wins her a place in the Flame Phoenix Blood Pool and attracts competing offers of discipleship 271 272 274.

Deling accepts True Sun’s offer only after he accommodates her wish to remain close to her family, including authorizing a regional Heavenforged branch. In the blood pool, an ancient spirit bird’s remnant consciousness gives her Flame Phoenix essence blood. She nearly dies, but survives through nirvana transformation. Flame Dragon becomes her second master to teach bloodline control, while True Sun oversees her refining 274 275.

Her subsequent rise makes her the Heavenforged Sect’s Phoenix Goddess and Foundation Establishment chief disciple. Initially described as the southern region’s second-ranked prodigy, she later earns recognition as Southern Heaven’s foremost heavenly pride. Her fame contributes to the Xu Household’s clan fortune and strengthens its political position 279 282 283.

Clan conflicts and the Vermilion Bird legacy

Deling repeatedly intervenes in the Xu Household’s conflicts. In the Primordial Battlefield, she defeats Lu Qingxue, recruits her as a companion, rescues Zhang Xuanzhi, and helps force Sky Wolf True Lord to retreat. Later, she supports the destruction of the Xue Household by breaching its formation with Moyue’s borrowed spear and sealing the battlefield; she also joins the attack on Heavenly Three City 419 420 527.

At the Vermilion Bird secret realm, the Crimson Flame Demon General attempts to seize her body. Deling fights with dangerous power-boosting methods but is gravely injured. Xu Chuan’s protective preparations prevent possession, and his intervention secures her escape. She then gives a carefully constructed account to conceal the family’s gains from investigating powers 558 559.

Deling shares the Vermilion Bird Treasure-Refining Art with the Heavenforged Sect. Xu Chuan prepares another rebirth opportunity using spirit blood and a sixth-tier fruit, with the Chongming Bird offering its assistance. She later develops Vermilion Bird True Flame, reaches pseudo-Nascent Soul, and finally forms her Nascent Soul after refining the Xiantian Essence of Burning Fire 559 560 564 590 607.

Nascent Soul-era craftsmanship and travels

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Deling becomes a trusted refining partner of the Blackflame Phoenix Clan. Her customized treasures demonstrate their value in combat, and her commissions help the Xu Household acquire rare fire seeds 615.

After forging the Dragon-Elephant Cauldron for Ye Fan, she searches the Buddha-Burying Ancient Plain for a suitable dragon-elephant soul. Traveling in disguise with Chongyuan, she survives both a confrontation with the Qiao clan and a Bloodbone Sect ambush. Her discoveries lead to the use of a Primordial Dragon Elephant remnant soul as the cauldron’s artifact spirit 632 633 634 636.

Appearance

Deling has sharp, blade-like brows and eyes, dark pupils, a prominent nose, and thin, pale lips. Her features combine Xu Mingwei’s sharpness with Yang Ronghua’s beauty. Even without cosmetics, she possesses an authoritative bearing 161.

• Early attire: Narrow-sleeved crimson gauze robes embroidered with gold branches; black hair tied in a high ponytail with madder-red silk 161.
• Family influence: Her style imitates Xu Mingshu, not the reverse, despite outsiders later assuming otherwise 161 446.
• Phoenix manifestations: Later appears in fitted scarlet-gold clothing, with a Fire Phoenix phantom behind her and golden flames flowing through her eyes 331.
• After transformation: Develops a more formidable, distant aura while remaining openly affectionate toward Xu Chuan 279.
• Travel disguise: Adopts the appearance of a young man during her Western Region journey 633.

Personality

Deling places her family at the center of her ambitions. She regards Xu Chuan as the household’s unifying figure and trusts him as grandfather, teacher, and confidant. Even when powerful sects seek her talent, she judges their offers by whether they allow her to remain connected to the Xu Household 179 250 274 279.

Her craftsmanship is patient rather than hurried: she continues broadening her command of low-grade artifacts instead of immediately pursuing higher grades. Romantic disappointment strengthens her commitment to cultivation, and she later treats finding a Dao companion as a matter of fate rather than a goal 160 179 324 611.

Although uninterested in fighting for prestige, she acts decisively when relatives or allies are threatened. She can be playful with family, firm with unwanted suitors, and ruthless toward attackers. Her public disclosures are carefully limited, particularly regarding her treasures and Xu Chuan’s concealed strength 183 266 324 420 565 633.

Abilities & Skills

Artifact Refining

Deling specializes in rune inscription, customized equipment, and combining artifact functions with formations. Mortal forging helps her master the “human-artifact unity” state, while the Five-Spirit Casket inspires her interest in collaboration with formation specialists 187 197.

Craft Milestone	Chapter	Achievement
Consistent low-grade magical artifacts	160	Surpasses the success rates of Wu Mingsheng’s three other disciples.
Human-artifact unity	187	Reaches a 93% success rate with low-grade magical artifacts; creates the Heavenly Origin sword set and Red Thread needle set.
Fine-grade artifact production	203	Supplies the household’s core members with fine-grade artifacts in quantity.
First successful magic treasure	274	Completes the Heaven-Flipping Seal while still at Foundation Establishment, combining second-tier and supporting first-tier runes.
Two-pattern magic treasures	289	Can forge fine-grade treasures with two auxiliary patterns.
Fourth-tier artifact refiner	471	Produces her first high-grade magic treasure; subsequent high-grade success rate rises to 80–90%.
Top-tier magic treasures	599 615	Confirmed capable of forging them; after three years of commissions, success approaches certainty.
Artificial artifact spirit	636	Refines a Primordial Dragon Elephant remnant soul into the Dragon-Elephant Cauldron’s spirit over two months.

• Thousand Temperings: Bestowed by Xu Chuan. Allows her to bypass the usual stage of slowly building a qualifying success rate after her first high-grade treasure 161 471.
• Heavenly Craft Creation: A later top-tier talent that improves refining comprehension, enhances materials and treasures, and increases the chance of special artifact traits 632.
• Artificial spirits: Learns the method from Murong Yun. Such spirits improve flexibility and ease of control rather than directly increasing a treasure’s power 632.
• Limits: Complex designs, scarce materials, and rune inscription can demand substantial time, magic power, and spiritual consciousness 274 471 502.

Fire Cultivation and Phoenix Bloodline

Her Young Hao True Yang Art is identified as the Foundation Establishment portion of the Red Emperor Fire Sovereign Art. She later cultivates its Golden Core volume, described as a supreme fire method reaching Mahayana 250 265.

• Original gift: Red Eagle Spirit Eyes, visible when her eyes briefly resemble those of an Azurefire Eagle 75 108.
• Flame Phoenix spirit body: Gives fire cultivation speed comparable to heaven-spiritual-root aptitude and increases fire techniques and divine abilities by 30% 275.
• Breakthrough benefits: The spirit body and top-tier seventh-grade bloodline each provide a recorded 10% boost to Golden Core breakthrough 275.
• Vermilion Bird development: Later cultivates Vermilion Bird True Flame and possesses a bloodline suited to the Xiantian Essence of Burning Fire 564 607.

Fire Emperor’s True Eyes

Her signature ocular divine ability develops alongside her innate spirit eyes. At Foundation Establishment, she uses it to overwhelm Wang Chuan and then defeats Yun Yi during the Cloud Lake Gathering 266.

• Fully grasps its basics before core formation 287.
• Reaches minor accomplishment after refining a Fire-Swallowing Toad’s inner core 294.
• Brings her Fire Phoenix divine ability to great accomplishment during Golden Core middle stage, aided by an ancient true-spirit feather and its blood 420.
• Combines ocular power with phoenix flames to wound the Crimson Flame Demon General 558.
• Continues refining the ability after becoming an established Heavenforged Sect senior 495.

Other Divine Abilities

Ability	Documented Uses or Mastery
Fire Phoenix Transformation	A principal combat specialty; creates powerful phoenix manifestations and works with the Fire Phoenix Plume 556 565.
Fire Phoenix Rebirth Secret Art	Temporarily fights at near-Nascent Soul strength when paired with a high-grade Blood Soul Pill; carries dangerous lasting risks 558.
Heavenflame Battle Armor	Defensive divine ability taught by Xu Chuan 289.
Vermilion Bird True Flame	Reaches minor mastery through refining practice 564.
Red Emperor Sword Art	Initially rivals a perfected inferior divine ability when paired with her Red Emperor Sword; later reaches major mastery 564 647.
Blazing Vermilion Bird	Developed after refining the Xiantian Essence of Burning Fire. Strong enough to impress Xu Chuan, though defeated by his Xiantian Withering-and-Blooming Finger 607.
Samadhi True Flame	Reaches minor proficiency, substantially increasing her combat strength 643.
Spirit Transmutation	A difficult secret art usable with Samadhi True Flame; reaches minor mastery 581 647.
Blazing Flame Heavenly Light Escape	Masters the basics of this mid-level escape divine ability 647.
Karmic flame true intent	Its embryonic form reaches 90% completion; basic comprehension remains one step away 647.

Spiritual Consciousness and Treasure Control

Her unusually strong spiritual consciousness supports both precision crafting and combat. Using the Thousand Spirits Art, she can divide it into eighteen strands and simultaneously control multiple high-grade lifebound treasures 471.

• Refines a hundred wooden plaques at once and remotely carves their inscriptions 334.
• Uses a spiritual-consciousness secret art to help interrupt Sky Wolf True Lord’s casting, causing backlash 464.
• Combines three high-grade lifebound treasures with phoenix and ocular abilities to break Flame Dragon’s perfected defensive technique 472.
• Limit: Her masters caution that this combined combat approach consumes enormous magic power 472.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Personal Equipment

• Windflame Wings — High-grade treasure for flight and escape. Its full power initially exceeds what she can unleash 471 527.
• Fire Phoenix Plume — Upgraded high-grade lifebound treasure that merges with her phoenix manifestation to increase its power 471 556.
• Bright Sun Mirror — High-grade lifebound treasure combining offense and defense 471.
• Red Emperor Sword — Forged specifically to accompany the Red Emperor Sword Art 564.
• True Spirit Feather — Carries fire-phoenix essence and a trace of true-spirit blood; obtained from the Heavenly Pride cave-heaven and kept secret 283 420.
• Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird tokens — Rewards from the artifact-refining assessment; the Vermilion Bird token may grant access to related legacy trials 255.
• Demon-Slaying Spear, borrowed — Moyue lends it with demonic power and a strand of his consciousness. Deling uses it to breach the Xue Household’s third-tier formation 527.

Notable Creations and Repairs

• Windfire Boots — Combine wind and fire for a speed burst approximately 70–80% greater than ordinary Windwalking Boots; given to Xu Mingyuan 169.
• Heavenly Origin / Red Thread — Sets of nine swords and thirty-six flying needles respectively; Heavenly Origin is awarded to Ren Xiaoyao 187.
• Heaven-Flipping Seal — Low-grade magic treasure combining suppression, sealing, offense, and defense; made for Xu Chuan and later presented to him 274 279.
• Heavenly Water Sword — Two-rune ice artifact made for Xu Deyue’s Heavenly Water Sword Art 264.
• Mysterious Tortoise Shield — Repairs Mo Wentian’s high-grade defensive treasure, supporting goodwill between the households 448.
• Withering-and-Blooming Needle — High-grade treasure made for Xu Chuan using branches of a withering-and-blooming tree 471.
• Flame-Frost Wheel — Xu Chongfei’s high-grade lifebound treasure; later upgraded to a top-tier treasure using extreme-yang and extreme-cold materials 495 647.
• Little Huntian — Dark-gold staff for Xu Jingwu, weighing 98,000 jin 537.
• Great Black Heaven armor — Joint project with Xu Mingxian. Conceals Jingwu’s identity and resists early- and middle-stage Nascent Soul consciousness probes, though stronger probing may eventually penetrate it 537.
• Flame Phoenix sword / Flame Phoenix Mirror — Customized treasures for the Blackflame Phoenix Clan; the mirror both defends and summons an attacking fire phoenix 615.
• Dragon-Elephant Cauldron — Heavy fire-aligned treasure for Ye Fan, with vibration-and-sound attacks. Its extreme weight and control costs motivate the addition of an artificial artifact spirit 632 636.
• Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella — Repairs Xu Chuan’s damaged treasure and improves its sword formation 466.

Relationships

• Xu Chuan — Grandfather, principal supporter, and confidant. Guides her cultivation, bestows refining talents, protects her from possession, and guards her Nascent Soul breakthrough 161 198 558 607 632.
• Xu Mingwei — Father. Protects the secrecy of her innate gifts and directs her to give the Windfire Boots to Xu Mingyuan 75 108 169.
• Yang Ronghua — Mother, whose beauty Deling strongly resembles. Deling warmly reunites with her during a visit to Dongxi 161 373.
• Xu Mingshu — Aunt and childhood role model; influences Deling’s dress and bearing 108 161 446.
• Xu Mingxian — Fifth aunt and technical collaborator. Works with her on resource purchases and specialized artifact–formation projects 197 283 342 537.
• Wu Mingsheng — Early artifact-refining teacher. Regards Deling as his favorite disciple and predicts she will surpass him 160 187.
• Wu Shunan — First love. Their relationship ends because he will not leave the Wu line to marry into the Xu Household 161 179 187 198.
• Firecloud True Person — Legacy master. Publicly names her his heir, secures opportunities for her, and supports her advancement to stronger teachers 250 271 274 302.
• True Sun — Heavenforged Sect master responsible for her refining instruction. Makes substantial concessions to preserve her family ties and regards her as the sect’s future 274 275 590.
• Flame Dragon — Second Heavenforged master; teaches control of her phoenix bloodline and defends her against outside coercion 275 558 559.
• Four-Winged Chongming Bird / Little Red — Companion hatched during her first phoenix transformation; forms an equal spirit pact with her and later offers to share her rebirth 275 559 607.
• Xu Deyue and Ye Fan — Close family and combat allies. Deling protects Ye Fan after his injury and equips both with tailored treasures 264 266 471.
• Lu Qingxue — Rival turned traveling companion. Deling defeats her before proposing cooperation in the Primordial Battlefield 419 420.
• Yan Yue — Romantic admirer whom she firmly discourages; later remains connected to the Xu Household and Heavenforged circles 266 446.
• Feng Yue — Blackflame Phoenix Clan friend and advocate for Deling’s customized treasures 615.
• Chongyuan — Loyal traveling companion who supports her during confrontations and ambushes in the Western Region 611 633.

Notable Quotes

“Whatever he hopes for, I will do everything I can to achieve.”
— On Xu Chuan’s hopes for her future 250

“Finding a Dao companion also depends on fate. I'll simply let things take their course.”
— During family teasing about marriage 324

“When I was young, I swore to devote myself wholeheartedly to pursuing the Immortal Way.”
— Reassuring Chongyuan that romance is not distracting her 611