Xu Zifeng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xu Zifeng (许子枫)
Alias(es)	Heir of the Prince of the South; Commandant Xu 56 453
Species/Race	Human; Child of Fortune 72 124 125
Gender	Male 56 60
Affiliation	Prince of the South’s household; Ji Family; Heavenly Strategy Dynasty’s military 120 275
Occupation/Role	Noble heir, commandant, and vanguard general; organizer of a covert intelligence network 60 120 419 453
Family	Son of Xu Su, the Prince of the South, and Ji Lianxiang, the Princess of the South; nephew of Ji Lianyu 60 154 453
Status	Alive; serving the imperial court and shelving his ambition to become emperor 738 740
First Appearance	Chapter 56, in the supplied excerpts 56

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Middle Six Harmonies Realm	56	First documented cultivation level. His innate divine strength and exceptional talent allow him to challenge opponents above his realm.
Special ability acquired; realm unspecified	156	Gains an unnamed ability from a rare fruit during the advance into Great Snow Mountain.
Cultivation enhancement; realm unspecified	206	Shares the Snow Leopard God’s saliva with Ma Hei and the troops, then cultivates in the forbidden land to absorb his gains.
Further growth reported; realm unspecified	233	Tells his mother and aunt that his recent adventures have made him stronger and that he expects to continue advancing. No new realm is named.

Background / History

Xu Zifeng was born with divine strength, unusually rapid cultivation, and extraordinary fortune. A reclusive expert identified him as possessing the “human-dragon aspect,” which helped convince his father that their family might be destined for the throne. His ambitions were already public in childhood: he declared that the emperor’s seat should pass to his family 72.

The Previous Emperor summoned Xu to the Imperial Capital as a hostage to restrain the Prince of the South and guard against a future rebellion. Although the emperor and the prince had grown up together, Xu’s openly rebellious aspirations made the next generation a particular concern. His father regarded the hostage arrangement as a betrayal 56 72.

In the capital, Xu adopted the reputation of a spoiled wastrel while secretly building an intelligence network. His intended strategy was to coordinate an uprising inside the capital with his father’s army attacking from outside. The deception was less successful than he believed: the Ministry of Justice and County Yamen had investigated him extensively, and the Previous Emperor had instructed them to tolerate him until his father acted 57 60 66.

Personality

Xu’s early misconduct combines calculated deception with genuine arrogance and cruelty. He deliberately provokes opponents, humiliates defeated men, and harasses women while presenting himself as a noble protected by his father’s military power. He initially treats Lin Yue’e’s resistance as something strength and coercion can overcome 57 88.

He is resourceful but prone to overestimating his schemes. Gathering secrets, identifying personal weaknesses, and exploiting rival factions are habitual tools. His confidence often exceeds his actual position: after promising revenge against Li Chen, he privately admits that he has no immediate means of carrying it out 60 61 80.

His attachment to his family becomes an important motive for military service. He fights to secure protection for his mother and aunt, but can also be possessive, removing male servants from the Ji residence in the name of safeguarding them 232 233. Later, imperial scrutiny teaches him restraint and accountability. He eventually recognizes that even his talent cannot overcome Li Chen’s power and decides that protecting his father matters more than pursuing the throne 416 453 740.

Abilities & Skills

Innate Divine Strength and Martial Combat

• Possesses divine strength from birth and cultivates several times faster than an ordinary person 72.
• Can challenge opponents above his cultivation level; his early documented realm is middle Six Harmonies 56.
• Conceals his strength by making fights appear evenly matched before abruptly overwhelming his opponent, as he does against Xue Wu 57.
• Defeats successive soldiers over three days using only physical strength and combat skills, without Meridian Arts; his deputy Liu Hao also loses badly 132.
• His combat-based cultivation technique rewards fighting, giving him a practical reason to seek frequent clashes 88.
• His strength offers no protection against Li Chen, who immobilizes him and knocks him unconscious with a single slap 57.

Fortune and Intuition

• Identified as a Child of Fortune whose luck repeatedly turns danger into opportunity 72 125.
• Finds ice spirit snow pears that help his army endure Great Snow Mountain’s cold, along with a rare fruit that grants him a special ability 156.
• Locates the Snow Eagle Court’s forbidden land through instinct; his luck also helps open its stone gate after Ma Hei’s attempt fails 193.
• Finds an antidote during the Western Expedition, allowing his troops to withstand increasingly dangerous rainforest toxins 228.
• His fortunate discoveries do not guarantee that he retains their benefits: Li Chen takes the Snow Leopard God, ending Xu’s plan to use it to support an independent army 207.

Military Command

• Has substantial battlefield experience against the southern nations and is considered among the dynasty’s strongest military talents 125 126.
• Establishes authority over distrustful troops through direct combat challenges 132.
• Leads forces deep into enemy territory, survives separation from central command, and adapts to hostile terrain and supply shortages 141 156 193.
• Earns recognized military achievements during the Northern and Western Expeditions, including charging enemy formations and killing numerous opponents 416.
• Later commands troops with greater discipline, ordering them not to disturb civilians and responding carefully to Li Chen’s strategic instructions 619.

Intelligence Gathering and Political Maneuvering

• Maintains informants in numerous residences and within the Second and Third Princes’ factions 60.
• Uses a wine shop as his intelligence headquarters, though the authorities know about it and monitor it 88.
• Collects compromising information as leverage, including concealed military offenses and powerful figures’ personal preferences 60 80.
• Attempts to obtain information about Li Chen through Ji Lianyu’s palace connections and Lin Yue’e’s association with the emperor 61.
• Uses hospitality and introductions to strengthen alliances, first with Ma Hei and later with officials and Southern Borderlands cultivators 97 465 466.
• Detects and follows a concealed stranger who has been trailing Li Chen and Lin Yue’e 740.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Light armor — Previously worn during his battles in the Southland; Xu trusts its protective quality when preparing for the Northern Expedition 125.
• Warhorse — An old companion specifically sent from his father’s domain for the northern campaign 125.
• General’s and commandant’s uniforms — Worn during military service and his return to Yueyang City, where he asks to be addressed by rank rather than noble title 453.
• Snow Leopard God’s saliva — A cultivation resource divided between Xu, Ma Hei, and their soldiers in the forbidden land 206.
• Snow Leopard God — Briefly accompanies Xu in a kitten-sized form. Xu hopes its restorative bodily products will support a powerful army, but loses it to Li Chen 206 207.

Relationships

• Xu Su, Prince of the South — Father and original partner in the family’s imperial ambitions. Xu later warns that rebellion has become less viable and ultimately resolves to discourage his father from offending Li Chen 57 125 454 740.
• Ji Lianxiang, Princess of the South — Mother. Her concern for his safety draws her toward Li Chen, while Xu remains eager to protect her and return to the Southland 154 207 208 232.
• Ji Lianyu — Maternal aunt and guardian in the capital. She handles his repeated troubles and secures opportunities intended to protect him if his father falls. Xu also secretly desires to make her an imperial consort if he takes the throne 60 115 120.
• Li Chen — Sovereign, former revenge target, and increasingly indispensable patron. Xu progresses from plotting against him to obeying him closely and competing for his favor 60 206 419 619 740.
• Ma Hei — Witch Gu Holy Land ally, protector, and campaign companion. Supports Xu’s plans while repeatedly questioning his risk-taking 97 193 206.
• Lin Yue’e — Former harassment target and frequent arresting officer. Her candid account of his misconduct embarrasses him during imperial assessment; he later acknowledges that her arrests were justified 57 61 415 453.
• Li Xian — Political rival whose confrontation with Xu leads to imprisonment. Xu and Ma Hei subsequently plot to exploit conflict between Li Xian and Li Chen 98 100 115.
• Xiao Ming — Drinking companion and later friend. They unknowingly fight each other while masked before becoming socially close; Xu also has to restrain Xiao’s disputes with Fang Qian 113 321 411 416.
• Wu Qi — Ministry of War contact and drinking companion. His defense of Xu’s military record during Li Chen’s inspection earns Xu’s gratitude 416 465 466.
• Liu Hao — Northern Vanguard deputy and fellow officer. Their relationship remains lukewarm, though they later attend the same gatherings 132 454 466.
• Fang Qian — Recurring rival. Their hostility stems partly from Fang’s friendship with Luo Yong and rivalry with Xiao Ming; they later quarrel publicly over imperial favor 416 454 740.
• Luo Yong — Former victim who remembers Xu assaulting him on Sky Blue Street. Xu cannot recall the incident because he attacked so many people while maintaining his wastrel persona 275 454.
• Yun Xu — Southern Expedition commander and his father’s longtime rival. Xu serves under him with newfound restraint and later credits him for fair treatment 419 453.
• Atad — Fellow prisoner and source of information about the north. Xu agrees to deliver food and a message to Atad’s captured brother, but privately dislikes being praised as a loyal minister 141 213.
• Li Meng — Banquet guest to whom Xu offers business introductions; he also helps the cultivators accompanying her seek military contacts 465 466.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Capital Schemes and Repeated Arrests

• Defeat by Li Chen: Xu deliberately provokes and crushes Xue Wu, then restrains Lin Yue’e. Li Chen intervenes and knocks him unconscious before Xu can rely on his father’s name 57.
• Search for a weakness: Learning that his attacker is the emperor, Xu shifts toward investigating Li Chen’s tastes and placing someone near him 60 61.
• Imperial containment: Li Chen orders Lin Yue’e to repeatedly arrest Xu when he causes trouble, using fines and short jail terms to pressure his family while generating revenue and official merit 67.
• Spring Hunt plotting: Xu recruits Ma Hei through his father’s alliance with the Witch Gu Holy Land and hopes to profit from a deadly confrontation between Li Chen and Li Xian 88 97 115.
• Clash with another Child of Fortune: Xu initially overwhelms the masked Xiao Ming, but retreats after the Saint Remnant Soul takes control and reverses the fight 113.

Northern Expedition

• Appointment: Following his strong Spring Hunt performance and Ji Lianyu’s intervention, Li Chen appoints Xu Northern Expedition Vanguard General. Xu mistakenly concludes that the Empress Dowager arranged the opportunity for her own faction 120.
• Hidden objective: His father encourages him to earn unmatched merit, remain in occupied northern territory, and build forces that could eventually attack the dynasty from the north 125.
• Winning the troops: Xu overcomes the army’s distrust by defeating challengers without Meridian Arts and establishing personal dominance 132.
• Great Snow Mountain: Separated from the main army, he leads his troops through severe cold and dwindling supplies, then discovers the forbidden land and its stores of food and spirit treasures 156 193.
• Lost opportunity: Xu persuades the Snow Leopard God to leave with him and plans to establish an independent settlement. Encountering Li Chen forces him to present his actions as loyal service; the emperor then takes the beast and ends his hoped-for military independence 206 207.

Western Expedition and Court Integration

• Unwanted deployment: Xu initially rejects Liu Hao’s invitation to the western war, but his mother and aunt seek an imperial assignment to keep him from returning south. He subsequently reports for the expedition with Ma Hei 208 213.
• Rainforest campaign: His fortune supplies an antidote against dangerous swamp gases. His army approaches the Sasanian capital before a messenger finally reaches him with news of its surrender 228.
• Merit as protection: He receives rewards and rises in official rank, while his deeper motive is to safeguard his mother and aunt through military achievement 229 232.
• Public rehabilitation: Following his father’s instructions to suspend rebellion plans, Xu cultivates officials and noble heirs, promotes the family’s loyal image, and arranges established posts for his subordinates 232 239 275.

Southern Expedition and Maturing Discipline

• Seeking another campaign: Restless in the capital, Xu asks his family to help him obtain a southern assignment. Guo Poyun also pushes him to restrain Xiao Ming and Fang Qian as a way to demonstrate better conduct 297 411.
• Imperial assessment: Li Chen takes him through the ministries, where officials detail his misconduct. Wu Qi supplies the strongest favorable testimony by recounting his genuine battlefield achievements 415 416.
• Vanguard service: Xu joins Yun Xu’s Southern Expedition and follows Li Chen’s orders closely, even maintaining formal distance from his father. He understands the appointment as an opportunity he cannot afford to squander 419.
• Return to Yueyang: Residents welcome him warmly, but he requests military forms of address and waits respectfully to meet his father. He also declines to blame Lin Yue’e for arrests made in the course of her duty 453.
• Reassessing rebellion: In private, he tells Xu Su that Li Chen’s prestige and achievements have made their old plan far harder to carry out 454.

Great Luo Campaign and Abandonment of Imperial Ambition

• Recognizing the undercover emperor: At Cold Iron Pass, Xu recognizes Li Chen as “Commandant Cheng,” preserves the disguise, and warns his deputy against questioning it 618 619.
• Executing imperial strategy: Li Chen urges stronger retaliation against Great Luo raids without giving the enemy an obvious pretext. Xu interprets this as preparation for a larger conflict and promises to handle it “beautifully” 619.
• Protecting the cover story: When Li Chen later intervenes disguised as a Great Luo shaman, Xu insists that the attacker has no connection to Commandant Cheng 642.
• Further promotion: His performance against Great Luo includes killing generals and seizing banners. He returns to court with substantial merit, a promotion, and exceptional prominence among the capital’s young nobles 738.
• Final reassessment: After arguing with Fang Qian over imperial favor, Xu follows a Wang-family survivor and witnesses the man renounce vengeance against Li Chen. Imagining his own father in the same position, Xu shelves his ambition to become emperor and resolves to urge Xu Su toward caution 740.

Notable Quotes

“You dare lay a hand on me? Do you know who my father is?” 57

“If anyone can beat me, I’ll hand him my position as commander of the vanguard! If you don’t dare fight, shut your mouths and obey!” 132

“Address me by my rank when we’re outside. I’m a commandant now.” 453