Xue Zhao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xue Zhao (雪曌), a human name she chose after awakening her martial soul 18.
Alias(es)	Snow Empress; Xue A Liang; A Liang; “Sister A Liang” to Ye Guyi 10 18.
Species/Race	Heavenly Snow Woman transformed into a genuine human body 18 24.
Gender	Female 9 18.
Age	Recorded as six years old at martial soul awakening; her previous cultivation accumulated over nearly seven hundred thousand years 10 34.
Affiliation	Far North; Heavenly Profound Academy’s Young Heaven Class 18.
Occupation/Role	Sovereign of the Far North in her former identity; academy student and deputy class monitor in human society 18 21.
Martial Soul	Snow Woman, possessing ultimate ice 19 20.
Public Background	Registered as an orphan from Xuebian Village, adopted by Xue Dou after her parents reportedly died in a Far North beast tide 10.
Status	Alive; returns to the Far North during the academy vacation and reunites with the Ice Empress 36.
First Appearance	Appears as A Liang during the village awakening ceremony 9.

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Innate full soul power	9	Awakens the Snow Woman martial soul under village-patrol Soul Master Wu Haichao.
Rank 11 — One-Ring Soul Master	20 31	Absorbs a 422-year Arctic Snow Leopard ring and obtains Snowfall in the Freezing Heavens. Her initial post-absorption rank is disclosed retrospectively.
Rank 14	19	Introduces herself at the start of term; matches Qin Xu’s soul-power rank.
Rank 17	27 28	Reaches this rank after her first Mystic Water Pill; defeats rank-13 Meng Xin in practical combat.
Rank 18	29	Advances after taking a second Mystic Water Pill and renews her challenge to Qin Xu.
Rank 20	31	Reaches the second-ring threshold one week before Qin Xu; waits for Ye Guyi and Vielvi so the four can seek rings together.
Rank 23 — Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster	34	Absorbs a 3,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion ring in under three hours, obtaining Thousand Ice Spears and matching Qin Xu’s rank.

Background / History

Transformation and village life

As the Snow Empress, Xue Zhao ruled the Far North. With a heavenly tribulation approaching that she did not believe she could survive, she considered becoming human and restarting her cultivation. She discovered a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus, but contact between its energy and her aura triggered the tribulation before she could seek the Ice Empress’s protection. She transformed immediately to escape it 18 36.

The snow lotus gave her a genuine human body that concealed her soul-beast origins even from powerful human cultivators. The transformation also prevented her from awakening her own martial soul or condensing her own soul rings, making external awakening and soul-beast hunting necessary 24.

She lived in Xuebian Village as A Liang, under the care of Granny Dou. Wu Haichao’s awakening ceremony revealed her Snow Woman martial soul and innate full soul power, bringing her to the attention of the Black Dragon Duchy 9 10.

Admission to Heavenly Profound Academy

Xue Zhao initially resisted special admission to the academy, preferring to remain inconspicuous near the snowy plains. Granny Dou’s hope that schooling could change her future softened her resolve, though Xue Zhao privately insisted that Qin Feng had forced her to agree 18.

She and Granny Dou moved to Yongdu City, receiving a house and Gold Soul Coins from the royal palace. Xue Zhao subsequently entered the academy, while Wu Haichao looked after Granny Dou outside its grounds. She shared Apartment No. 3 with Ye Guyi, defeated her in a fight, and secured her recognition as “Sister A Liang” 18 22.

Rivalry with Qin Xu

Xue Zhao declared herself the Young Heaven Class’s strongest student and demanded recognition as its leader. When Tian Zilai nominated Qin Xu as class president, she objected that they both possessed rank-fourteen soul power and challenged him to decide the position through combat 19 20.

Despite controlling the arena with a blizzard and ranged ice attacks, she lost when Qin Xu’s dragon roar disoriented her and allowed him to restrain her. She accepted a deputy-monitor position but continued pursuing the main position, planning to reach two soul rings first and defeat him in a rematch 20 21 22.

Their rivalry developed into regular sparring and increasingly friendly banter. Her rapid cultivation, ultimate ice, and sophisticated elemental control strengthened Qin Xu’s suspicions that she was the Snow Empress 27 29 31.

Second ring and return to the Far North

During the second-ring expedition, Xue Zhao rejected several ice beasts before specifying that she wanted a powerful species at least three thousand years old. A suitable Ice Jade Scorpion appeared after killing the Snow Ape the party had intended to hunt; she killed the scorpion and absorbed its ring 34.

She privately concluded that the scorpion had probably been sent by Bing’er to search for her. Its appearance revived her longing for the Far North, which she had left seven years earlier 34.

At the end of the school year, she departed under the stated purpose of taking Granny Dou back to Xuebian Village. She then reached the Far North and summoned the Ice Empress, explaining why she had transformed alone. Although she intended to return to her human friends, she refused the Ice Empress’s offer to sacrifice herself as a soul ring and promised to help her survive her four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation once her strength recovered. They set out together for Ice God Lake 36.

Appearance

• Human form: White-haired, with an exquisitely beautiful face, slender eyes, and pale-blue irises; initially carries an expressionless, aloof demeanor 18 19.
• Village clothing: Wears patched clothes despite her striking appearance and formidable presence 9.
• Martial soul released: Grows taller, her white hair reaches her ankles, and her bearing becomes ethereal and imperious. A faint mist gathers around her as the ice element becomes active 20.
• First soul skill active: Her eyes turn pure white and a thin layer of white light covers her body 20.

Personality

Xue Zhao retains a sovereign’s pride and instinct for leadership. She initially understands human rank through comparisons with the Far North’s territorial rulers and considers becoming a grand duke herself once she is strong enough. She is blunt, impatient with formalities, and unwilling to concede leadership merely because Qin Xu has inherited status 18 20.

Her cold exterior conceals strong attachments. Granny Dou’s wishes influence her school admission, she protects Ye Guyi, and her friendships eventually give her a reason to return to human society. Qin Xu’s praise can make her blush, while good food persuades her to temporarily tolerate the nickname she otherwise rejects 18 22 27 30 36.

She takes a pragmatic view of survival and soul hunting, contrasting with Ye Guyi’s compassion. That harsh outlook does not extend to accepting the Ice Empress’s self-sacrifice 33 35 36.

Abilities & Skills

Perfect Human Transformation

The hundred-thousand-year snow lotus enabled Xue Zhao to restart cultivation in a genuine human body without exposing her original nature 24.

• Conceals her soul-beast identity from the powerful humans around her; Qin Xu suspects her through accumulated clues rather than detecting her aura 20 24.
• Prevents independent martial soul awakening and self-condensation of soul rings 24.
• Leaves her constrained by her current body’s strength, a limitation she resents after losing to Qin Xu 20.
• Her physique test estimates a second-ring endurance limit of 3,500 years 31.

Ultimate Ice and Elemental Control

Her Snow Woman martial soul possesses ultimate ice, with control precise enough to impress Qin Xu as far beyond that of an ordinary six-year-old 20 27.

• Creates and launches icicles without using her first soul skill 20.
• Coats her hands and arms in frost to counter Meng Xin’s flame-covered charge 27.
• Uses ice spikes to surround and immobilize a fallen opponent 27.
• Switches between ranged attrition and close combat rather than relying on a single fighting style 20 27.

Snowfall in the Freezing Heavens

Her first soul skill creates heavy snowfall and freezing mist, functioning as a domain-type ability 20.

• Initially affects the space within ten meters of her; its range expands with growth 20.
• Dramatically improves her speed, reflexes, and efficiency in using ice elements under snowy conditions 20.
• Conceals her within the blizzard while she retreats and attacks from range 20.
• Does not prevent Qin Xu’s dragon roar from reaching and disorienting her 20.

Thousand Ice Spears

Her second soul skill instantly creates dozens of ice spears for a concentrated area attack 34.

• Combines with Snowfall in the Freezing Heavens to suppress enemies through sustained offensive pressure 34.
• Despite its name, its documented early use produces dozens of spears rather than a thousand 34.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Hundred-thousand-year snow lotus — Used to achieve her perfect human transformation 24 36.
• Mystic Water Pills — Receives two cultivation pills through Qin Xu; the first helps her reach rank seventeen and the second raises her to rank eighteen 25 28 29.
• Apartment No. 3 — Shares the specially provided academy residence with Ye Guyi; unlike other students, the two have the apartment to themselves 22.

Relationships

• Ice Empress / Bing’er — Deeply attached companion from the Far North. Xue Zhao reassures her that transformation was not abandonment, rejects her proposed sacrifice, and promises to help her survive her next tribulation 34 36.
• Xue Dou / Granny Dou — Adoptive grandmother whose hopes persuade Xue Zhao to attend the academy. Xue Zhao remains concerned about her care after moving into the dormitory 10 18.
• Qin Xu — Classmate, class monitor, and persistent rival. Their competition develops into friendship and bashful affection; he suspects her true identity and seeks her affection partly for the influence she could bring 20 24 27 31 36.
• Ye Guyi — Roommate and sister-like friend who calls her “Sister A Liang” after losing to her. Xue Zhao is protective of her and questions Qin Xu when she fears he may have mistreated her 18 29 30.
• Vielvi — Friend and fellow deputy monitor. They share gossip, curiosity about Qin Xu’s secrets, and concern for Ye Guyi 21 24 30 34.
• Wu Haichao — Conducts her awakening, accompanies her relocation, and looks after Granny Dou in Yongdu City 9 18.
• Tian Zilai — Homeroom teacher who accepts her challenge to the class-president nomination and later appoints her deputy monitor 20 21.
• Qin Feng — Helps arrange her recruitment and captures the Ice Jade Scorpion used for her second ring. She initially blames him for her reluctant academy admission 10 18 34.
• Qin Tianji — Welcomes her into Qin Xu’s family circle and invites her to call him “Great-Grandfather” 31.

Notable Quotes

“I'm Xue Zhao. Rank fourteen. Snow Woman Martial Soul. … I should be the strongest person in this class. Everyone should acknowledge me as their leader!” 19

“Hostile? I'm not. I just want to be the boss.” 22

“At least three thousand years old, and a powerful species. Those are my only two requirements.” 34