Zhang Xuan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhang Xuan (张悬)
Alias(es)	Little Six; Sixth Junior Brother; Sect Leader; Lord Zhang; Xu Ming (assumed identity) 1 5 33 38
Species/Race	Human; initially an ordinary mortal without cultivation 30
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Celestial Master’s Mansion, of the Way of Great Peace; Demon Suppression Bureau’s Azure Dragon Guard through impersonation 3 5 32
Occupation/Role	Fourteenth Celestial Master; posing as an Azure Dragon Guard company commander 5 41
Status	Alive; seeking a cure for fatal spiritual-energy accumulation 9 36 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “Me, the Celestial Master?” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mortal without spiritual roots	2 9	Born without spiritual roots. The Ordination later explains that accumulated spiritual energy will make his body burst unless he becomes a cultivator.
Celestial Master’s Ordination inherited	3 5	Receives the lineage’s supreme inheritance from Zhang Jingzhi and becomes the fourteenth Celestial Master.
Personal Inner Landscape accessed	8	Enters his own black-lake landscape and communicates with the Ordination through its blood moon.
Palm Thunder first cast	10	Produces pale-blue lightning after reading the Divine Path manual once; casting immediately exhausts his frail body.
Nether Candle Mystic Eyes acquired	18 19	Obtains a twelve-hour activation of mystic sight to survive the ruined temple’s dangers.
Innate Supreme Unity Divine Thunder cast at greater power	22 23	Uses a complete incantation and hand seals to summon purple lightning, breaking the ghost domain at severe bodily cost.
Mystic Eyes confirmed at level 1	26	Recorded experience is 121/1000. Observation earns experience; status analysis and karmic tracing remain future unlocks.
Ordination upgrade initiated	36	Killing the fallen Phoenix-Cry Mountain God brings spiritual essence to an upgrade threshold. The process takes twelve hours without interrupting use.
Mountain Suppressor trial accessed	48	Spends question allowances to enter the artifact’s training trial. Its ability-stealing function remains locked.
Four Divine Path Forms mastered through repeated trials	49 50	Endures 531 deaths in twelve trial hours, improving technique precision and mental resilience enough to believe he has a fighting chance against a Ghost King-level enemy. No cultivation-realm breakthrough is documented.

Background / History

Childhood and Uncertain Identity

According to Jiang Jiu, Zhang Jingzhi adopted Zhang Xuan as a child and raised him specifically to inherit the Celestial Master’s Ordination. His lack of spiritual roots was a requirement for succession rather than a reason to exclude him 2.

Zhang Xuan begins the story without accessible personal memories. Although unfamiliar expressions such as “TV drama” and “idol drama” come naturally to him, he cannot explain their meaning or source. His ability to understand the Ordination’s Chinese characters—distinct from the world’s usual Wei script—also raises questions about his origins 1 7 46.

Succession and the Poisoning Mystery

Zhang Xuan awakens in the Celestial Master’s Mansion and is told that his master has died. Jian San declares the death a suicide, but Zhang suspects poisoning and questions the disciples’ haste to appoint a successor. He persuades Jiang Jiu to use Palm Thunder on Zhang Jingzhi’s chest, unexpectedly reviving him long enough to transmit the inheritance 1 2 3.

Zhang Jingzhi appoints him the fourteenth Celestial Master before dying. Zhang notices that the poisoning repeatedly slips from his awareness and suspects his master’s rule-making power within the Inner Landscape suppressed the subject 5.

After Lin Youwei’s visit, Zhang discovers deadly poison and a note reading “Cut the grass, uproot the roots” in his own clothes chest. The evidence makes him fear that he poisoned his master, but his missing memories prevent him from establishing his guilt. He subsequently considers whether the evidence and succession were arranged to manipulate him 6 7 8.

Escape and the Search for a Cure

When Zhang begins bleeding from all seven facial orifices, the Ordination tells him he has twenty-eight days to live. Without spiritual roots, he can accept every kind of spiritual energy, but cannot safely refine the accumulation. Zhang Jingzhi’s death removes one possible remedy; the remaining solution is a Marrow-Washing Body-Refining Pill 8 9.

Following the Ordination’s instructions, Zhang retrieves a Daoist manual and broken jade pendant from beneath a patriarch’s statue, then escapes westward. His senior disciples watch him leave and reveal that they fear a “monster” connected to his continued presence in the mansion; its nature is not explained 9.

Phoenix-Cry Mountain

Zhang joins Monk Sanjie after learning how dangerous solitary travel through Great Zhou has become. Their partnership is initially practical: Zhang needs protection and local knowledge, while Sanjie regards his thunder arts as evidence of exceptional Daoist skill 13 14.

At Phoenix-Cry Mountain’s ruined temple, Zhang obtains mystic sight and identifies the Two-Faced Buddha Head as both a corrupted treasure and a possible ingredient for his cure. He deliberately encourages Meng Changxi’s greed, intending to use the parasitized man to carry the treasure out of the temple 18 20 30.

Xu Ming’s intervention disrupts that plan. Zhang turns to the Ordination for exact instructions, follows its predicted timing, and attacks while Xu Ming’s dying sword freezes the Corpse Buddha. His thunder destroys the monster, and he secures its Buddha Treasure, though the effort leaves him severely depleted 28 29 31.

Bureau Impersonation and Yandang Mountain

Zhang takes Xu Ming’s uniform and identification token. With Sanjie’s help, he also acquires control of the dead operative’s jade pendant and messenger. The disguise supplies official authority and an identity to a man with no registration, travel permit, or memories 31 32 33.

After burning the mountain temple, Zhang buries Gouwa’s wooden horse as a memorial to the boy and his grandfather. Their kindness moves him to pursue the people responsible for the sacrifices. The Ordination’s subsequent pill-gathering plan requires him to kill Xu Shang, impersonate Xu Ming, and deliver half the Buddha Head to Xuan Feng; these remain instructions rather than completed deeds in the supplied chapters 33 38.

In Zhao Village, Zhang and Sanjie kill a Painted Skin impersonating Zhao Dafu. Zhang then distinguishes the ghost’s feeding from murders committed by human bandits. He accepts Ji Anning’s beast-fang pendant as payment for avenging her mother, later trains in Mountain Suppressor, and confronts the Yandang Mountain bandits with his newly refined Golden Light technique 41 42 43 46 50.

Appearance

Zhang Xuan is tall, lean, and upright, with a narrow waist, broad back, handsome face, and distinguished bearing 33.

• Facial features: Brows sweeping toward his temples and a straight, prominent nose 33.
• Hair: Medium-length hair, which he ties back with a red cord 42.
• Original clothing: Daoist robes worn before he assumes the Bureau disguise 13 31.
• Bureau attire: Azure Dragon Crown, fitted black clothing embroidered with Cloud-Thunder Patterns and golden Eight Trigrams Totems, a scarlet cloak, and jade belt 33.
• Signs of depletion: After excessive thunder use, his face becomes pale, the skin around his eyes bluish, and his breathing and steps noticeably weak 38.

Personality

Zhang Xuan is suspicious, observant, and openly afraid of death. He questions convenient explanations, tests apparent allies, and prefers plans within his actual capabilities. Small inconsistencies—warm soup after a long journey, a chest’s reduced interior space, or an untouched corpse—often become decisive clues 7 18 36 42.

His caution coexists with opportunism and calculated risk-taking. He exploits Jiang Jiu’s ambition, Meng Changxi’s greed, and Xu Ming’s assumptions about powerless mortals. He is willing to impersonate an official despite the prescribed punishment, treating authority as a useful tool rather than an unquestionable moral right 2 25 30 31.

His irreverence includes sarcasm, bawdy thoughts, and a taste for comfort. He nevertheless shows gratitude and loyalty: he follows Sanjie into danger despite protesting, honors the dead old man and Gouwa, and reassures Ji Anning that his promise remains binding 6 33 36 38 47.

Zhang’s growing enjoyment of violence troubles him. He admits feeling exhilarated by blood and killing, and acknowledges that both sympathy and a desire to kill influenced his agreement to avenge Ji Anning’s mother. In a dream, Zhang Jingzhi urges him to distinguish righteous force from passive withdrawal 46.

Abilities & Skills

Celestial Master’s Ordination

An inherited source of answers and guidance accessed through the Inner Landscape 5 8.

• Chinese-character comprehension: Lets Zhang ask precise, open-ended questions rather than relying on the yes-or-no phrasing he observed from his master 7 8.
• Predictive guidance: Provides a five-step plan with exact breath counts that enables him to defeat the Corpse Buddha 31.
• Limited daily use: Has three daily question allowances. Certain functions can consume allowances in advance, leaving him unable to activate the Mystic Eyes the following day 48 50.
• Secrecy restrictions: Questions exceeding its current threshold can provoke a dangerous response instead of an answer 9.
• Upgrade mechanism: Gains enough spiritual essence from the fallen mountain god’s death to initiate an upgrade 36.

Inner Landscape

Zhang’s inner realm appears as an immense black lake beneath a blood moon, unlike his master’s bright, green-tinted landscape 4 8.

• The blood moon displays the Ordination’s messages 8 38.
• Mountain Suppressor later manifests there as a towering black structure bound by inscribed chains 48.
• During the tower trial, twelve internal hours equal four hours outside 49.

Nether Candle Mystic Eyes

Mystic sight that identifies hidden supernatural properties and measures danger to Zhang himself 20 25.

• Inspection: Displays names, categories, realms, statuses, and treasure information 20.
• Illusion penetration: Reveals the temple’s living-flesh construction and lets Zhang move through its illusions without being deceived 21 24.
• Threat assessment: Color ratings reflect both an opponent’s danger to Zhang and hostile intent, not simply overall strength 25.
• Leveling: Observation accumulates experience; at level 1, detailed status analysis and karmic-origin tracing are not yet unlocked 26.
• Activation limit: Initially granted for twelve hours and dependent on his available Ordination allowances 18 50.

Palm Thunder and Innate Supreme Unity Divine Thunder

The fourth Divine Path Form, associated with the Five Thunder Righteous Arts. Zhang initially casts its Palm Thunder application after a single reading 10 23.

• Burns hostile flesh tendrils, breaches the ghost domain, and strikes the Corpse Buddha’s lifebound treasure 21 23 28.
• Can eradicate the karmic obstruction contaminating the Buddha Treasure 30.
• The full incantation and hand seals increase its power, although Zhang recognizes that they are not strictly required for casting 22.
• Without cultivated spiritual power, casting consumes bodily vital essence. Repeated use damages his vitality and leaves him vulnerable 29 30.
• In the trial, directing all his available energy into this technique permits two consecutive casts 49.

Golden Light Incantation

The first Divine Path Form combines bodily protection with combat enhancement 37 49.

• Creates a golden barrier capable of stopping the trial Corpse Buddha’s blood threads 49.
• Sharpens his senses and greatly improves speed and stamina 49.
• Lasts approximately one incense stick when given his full available energy 49.
• Allows him to deflect a bandit’s saber with two golden-lit fingers 50.

Gen Mountain Suppresses the Peaks

The second Divine Path Form uses the caster’s body as a furnace and cauldron to manifest three suppressing mountains 37.

• Restrains the target but also immobilizes the caster 37.
• Duration depends on the opponent’s strength; in the trial, it holds the Ghost King-level Corpse Buddha for roughly the time needed to drink a cup of tea 49.

Chaotic Stars Fall

The third Divine Path Form is an escape technique with an unpredictable destination 37.

• Offers an emergency contingency when defeat appears imminent 49.
• May transport the user into another dangerous situation 37.
• Zhang’s measured trial limit is five consecutive uses when committing his energy to this technique 49.

Mountain Suppressor Training

Mountain Suppressor’s trial recreates the slain Corpse Buddha as an opponent, allowing Zhang to practice under overwhelming pressure 48 49.

• Trial deaths restore his original condition, including energy spent on techniques 49.
• Death and injury feel real despite the absence of lasting danger 48 49.
• Repeated resets let him test limits and combine all four forms without real-world recovery periods 49 50.
• His eventual mastery follows 531 deaths, not a demonstrated increase in cultivation realm 50.

Investigation and Tactical Deception

Zhang compensates for his lack of cultivation and early martial foundation with deduction, concealment, and planning 25 30.

• Reconstructs Meng Changxi’s likely connection to grave robbers and manipulates his greed to move the Buddha Treasure 24 30.
• Exploits black dog blood to corrode Xu Ming’s protective barrier 27.
• Separates bandit murders from ghost predation because the mutilated victim’s body has not been eaten 42.
• Finds sword use unexpectedly natural during his first documented sword kill; the reason remains unexplained 41.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Divine Path—Collected Essentials of Daoist Arts — A complete Mystic Gate inheritance containing a qi-refining method, thirty-six Daoist arts, and twelve talismans. Its spiritual-power requirements sharply limit Zhang’s use of it as a mortal 10 37.
• Mountain Suppressor pendant — Broken jade marked “Suppress,” identified as an incomplete Immortal artifact and Spirit Treasure projecting an ancient cauldron fragment. It can imprison slain powerful beings’ souls; borrowing their abilities through its Heaven-Stealing Seal remains locked, with its current reach limited to the lower six realms 9 37 48.
• Two-Faced Buddha Head — The Corpse Buddha’s recovered lifebound treasure and a principal ingredient for the Marrow-Washing Body-Refining Pill. The Ordination instructs Zhang to preserve its fallen face and deliver the other face to Xuan Feng 30 38.
• Demon-Slaying Sword — Used to kill the Painted Skin impersonating Zhao Dafu 41.
• Xu Ming’s uniform and identification token — Taken from the dead operative to support Zhang’s Bureau impersonation 31 33.
• Azure Phoenix Jade — Rebound to Zhang by Sanjie. Its modified formation warns him when headquarters attempts to locate his messenger 32.
• Little Qing — The captured Long-Beaked Messenger, a mechanical falcon subsequently bound to Zhang 29 32 38.
• Beast-fang pendant — Ji Anning’s keepsake from her mother, accepted as payment for Zhang’s promise of vengeance 43 47.

Relationships

• Zhang Jingzhi — Adoptive master and predecessor, the thirteenth Celestial Master. Transmits the Ordination before dying; later appears in Zhang’s dream as a guide concerning violence and righteousness 2 5 46.
• Jiang Jiu — Third senior brother. Helps revive Zhang Jingzhi and seeks the deputy leadership through flattery; Zhang remains suspicious of his motives and hidden skill 2 5 6.
• Jian San — Second senior brother. Declares their master’s death a suicide and drives the hurried succession, deepening Zhang’s distrust 1 7.
• Lin Youwei — Zhang Jingzhi’s widow. Zhang suspects her embrace concealed a search of his room and notices green scales behind her ear; her nature remains uncertain 6 7.
• Monk Sanjie — Traveling companion and principal combat ally. Protects Zhang, helps establish his Bureau disguise, and provides care during his physical depletion 13 23 32 47.
• Little Qing — Soul-linked messenger. Zhang’s death would kill it after approximately one incense stick; its death would seriously damage Zhang’s soul 38.
• Meng Changxi — Temporary companion whose greed Zhang deliberately exploits. Betrays Zhang and Sanjie before becoming the Corpse Buddha’s vessel 23 28 30.
• Xu Ming — Hostile Bureau operative whose final sword attack creates Zhang’s opening against the Corpse Buddha. Zhang subsequently takes his equipment and identity 28 31 33.
• Gouwa and his grandfather — Compassionate apparitions encountered at the mountain temple. Zhang memorializes them by burying Gouwa’s wooden horse 20 33.
• Ji Anning — Bereaved youth who joins Zhang’s party. Recognized by Zhang as a girl, she receives his promise to avenge her mother; he later reassures her that he will keep his word 43 46 47.
• Xu Shang and Xuan Feng — Targets of the Ordination’s proposed infiltration plan. Zhang is instructed to kill Xu Shang and win Xuan Feng’s trust using half the Buddha Treasure; no completed encounter is documented here 38.

Notable Quotes

“I'm afraid of death, and I'm afraid of trouble.” 47

“Company commander of the Azure Dragon Guard, Great Zhou's Demon Suppression Bureau! Here under orders to slay demons. All uninvolved persons, stand back!” 41

Trivia

• The lineage’s second patriarch is also romanized as Zhang Xuan, but his Xuan uses the character meaning “mysterious.” Zhang Jingzhi explicitly rejects the disciple’s excited assumption that the patriarch is connected to him 3.
• Calling the inheritance “System” produces no answer; addressing it as the Celestial Master’s Ordination does 8.
• His claim that he was born able to see the netherworld is an improvised cover story, not an established childhood ability 21.