Xuan Zi

Biodata

Background / History

Earlier expedition disaster

Xuan Zi previously led twelve Inner Court disciples on an expedition in the Star Dou Great Forest. After becoming separated from their teachers, the disciples encountered a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and eight died. The four survivors became outstanding Inner Court students; one obtained the beast's soul ring and soul bone. Xuan Zi remains visibly distressed when the incident is discussed 185 222.

He wanted to resign after that failure, but Lexuan knelt and refused to rise. Unwilling to hurt her further, he retained his position 222.

Interest in Gu Qingnian

Wang Yan's report first draws Xuan Zi's attention to Gu Qingnian's Six Eyes martial soul and exceptional soul rings. Xuan Zi identifies eyes-and-brain martial souls as the highest tier of body martial souls, infers that Gu Qingnian possesses a second martial soul, and orders Wang Yan to protect and monitor him 41 42.

During the freshman tournament, he takes particular interest in Gu Qingnian's techniques and requests seats for all his remaining matches. When Gu Qingnian receives a God-Given Soul Ring, Xuan Zi recognizes it, orders the academy's alert protocols activated, and helps guard him during absorption 53 54 62 64.

Du Busi subsequently arrives with Body Sect experts to claim Gu Qingnian as his disciple. Xuan Zi leads Shrek's defenders and rejects the claim. Although their cultivation is equal, Du Busi gains the advantage through his superior soul rings and body martial soul, sending Xuan Zi flying several thousand meters 67 68.

Disputed mentorship

At Sea God Pavilion meetings, Xuan Zi repeatedly proposes taking Gu Qingnian as his successor. He offers to lead future soul-ring hunts and protect him from the Body Sect, while arguing that the Martial Soul Department could develop a suitable body-martial-soul cultivation method 77 78.

His attempts to declare the relationship unilaterally do not establish an apprenticeship. Gu Qingnian questions the claim, Xian Lin'er intervenes, and Mu En ultimately directs Gu Qingnian to continue studying in both departments. Mu En also instructs Xuan Zi to assist appropriately when needed 107 108 113.

Xuan Zi later helps suppress eight attackers' attempted self-destruction after their defeat by Gu Qingnian. Elder Lin's praise of the boy's domain skill renews their competition over his prospective mentorship 122 123.

Reserve-team selection and training

Xuan Zi delays the reserve-team selection until Gu Qingnian returns. He first holds a rule-free melee with six winning places, then offers the remaining place through a five-minute challenge against Gu Qingnian. The tests examine cooperation, strength, character, adaptability, and team organization 169 177 178 184 185.

After announcing the secret reserve team, he questions Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong about their tactics. Huo Yuhao's demonstration surprises him and overturns his earlier dismissive assessment of the student's potential 54 187.

In subsequent practice matches, Xuan Zi handicaps teams selecting Gu Qingnian and later requires him to lead the six other reserves against Ma Xiaotao's team. He restricts Gu Qingnian's ability to fight everyone alone, making leadership—not merely individual strength—the focus of the second match 199 204.

Inspection mission and resignation

While leading the tournament party with Wang Yan, Xuan Zi explains that Inner Court disciples serve as Shrek Watchers, confronting Soul Masters who harm others. He warns the reserves that inspection missions are dangerous and unpaid, offers them the choice to withdraw, and accepts their unanimous decision to join 208 209.

During the bandit-suppression mission, Xuan Zi remains outside drinking because he trusts the students' strength and Wang Yan's supervision. The Death Messenger's corpse explosions exceed his expectations and inflict devastating casualties. He enters the cavern, removes poisonous blood, seizes the enemy with suction, and subsequently pursues Gu Qingnian after the boy gives chase 218 219 221.

Xuan Zi accepts responsibility, asks the surviving students to follow Wang Yan, Ma Xiaotao, and Gu Qingnian, and rushes the critically injured back to the academy. Once their conditions stabilize, he announces his intention to resign and withdraw from Sea God's Pavilion. Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er urge him to remain, emphasizing his importance to Shrek 221 222.

Appearance

Xuan Zi is an elderly, conspicuously unkempt man whose habitual drinking and eating make him immediately recognizable 41 169.

• Hair: Tangled and disheveled, often covering much of his face 41 169.
• Clothing: Torn, grease-stained robes; an originally white robe has become grayish brown 41.
• Eyes and voice: Unusually bright eyes and a hoarse, aged voice 41.
• Signature pose: A wine gourd in his left hand and a chicken drumstick in his right 169.
• Martial-soul changes: Tawny hair, rapidly enlarged muscles, and long spiraling horns 219.

Personality

Xuan Zi's absentminded, drunken manner conceals close attention to promising students. His eyes brighten at Gu Qingnian's unusual talent, and he enjoys watching students react to revelations that previously shocked the academy's elders 41 178.

He is possessive about prospective disciples and unapologetically persistent. He calls Gu Qingnian his disciple without agreement and protests when Elder Lin expresses the same interest. His preference for martial-soul cultivation also leads him to favor the Martial Soul Department, a bias Xian Lin'er openly challenges 77 107 108 123.

Despite his pride and teasing behavior, student deaths affect him deeply. He becomes tearful over the earlier expedition disaster, takes personal responsibility for the Death Messenger mission's losses, and remains resolved to resign even when colleagues defend him 185 221 222.

Abilities & Skills

Godly Taotie Bull

His martial soul grants enormous physical transformations and powerful yellow radiance 67 219.

• Full transformation: Takes the form of a creature over thirty meters long, with a sheep's body, eyes beneath its armpits, tiger fangs, human claws, and enormous ox horns 67.
• Combat manifestation: Enlarges his body and muscles while producing spiraling horns; its release makes the cavern's air seem to congeal 219.
• Soul rings: Possesses one hundred-thousand-year ring among his nine rings 67.
• Limitation: Requires long periods of eating. Xuan Zi considers this a liability for inspection command, although Xian Lin'er argues that it does not diminish his abilities 222.

Soul Power Control

Xuan Zi uses soul power for direct combat, restraint, rescue, and protection.

• Defensive force: Produces an enormous dark-yellow hand to stop Gu Qingnian's attack after his initial soul-power response intensifies it 110.
• Remote restraint: Pulls the Death Messenger toward him with powerful suction 218.
• Suppression: Helps disperse eight captives' self-destruction buildup and seal their powers and mouths 123.
• Student rescue: Draws endangered combatants out of assessments and uses white light to subdue students after the melee 174 176.
• Poison removal: Floods the cavern with white light, evaporating the corrosive poisonous blood 218.

Martial Soul Analysis

He recognizes exceptional martial-soul traits, ring ages, and combat applications.

• Explains that a body martial soul's strength depends on the importance of the bodily organ involved 42.
• Identifies the significance of Gu Qingnian's ring configuration and infers a second martial soul 42.
• Recognizes a God-Given Soul Ring and an Ice Jade Scorpion from their manifestations or descriptions 62 109.
• Assesses Gu Qingnian's opposing-force attack and estimates its effectiveness against higher-ranked opponents 110.
• Judgment limit: Initially undervalues Huo Yuhao, then revises his opinion after observing his tactical performance and experiencing his soul skill 54 183 187.

Assessment and Field Leadership

• Designs free-for-all and team assessments to test emergency responses, cooperation, command, and adaptability 169 184 185.
• Adjusts practice rules to prevent Gu Qingnian's individual strength from replacing team leadership 204.
• Explains the Shrek Watchers' responsibilities and obtains the reserves' consent before their first mission 209.
• Flies at exceptional speed while carrying injured students back to Shrek Academy 221 222.

Equipment / Items

• Wine gourd — A purplish-red drinking vessel carried regularly, usually in his left hand 41 169.
• Chicken drumstick — His characteristic accompaniment to wine, carried even while overseeing student assessments 54 169.
• Robes — Ragged and grease-stained; burst apart when his body expands during martial-soul release 219.

Relationships

• Gu Qingnian — Prospective successor whom Xuan Zi repeatedly tries to claim as a disciple. He protects, evaluates, and trains him, but no accepted apprenticeship is established 42 64 108 204.
• Wang Yan — His disciple's disciple. Xuan Zi values Wang Yan's martial-soul research but does not allow him to address him as grandmaster 208.
• Mu En — Respected senior whose rulings Xuan Zi follows. Both are interested in Gu Qingnian as a potential successor 78 113.
• Yan Shaozhe — Works with him on student evaluation and training; later strongly opposes his resignation 165 183 188 222.
• Xian Lin'er — Challenges his departmental bias and unauthorized claims of mentorship, yet defends his contributions after the mission disaster 77 108 222.
• Elder Lin — Fellow senior elder who teases him about competing for Gu Qingnian and becomes another prospective mentor 77 123.
• Huo Yuhao — Initially dismissed as insufficiently promising; later earns Xuan Zi's admiration through tactical judgment and his soul skill 54 183 187.
• Du Busi — Combat rival and competitor for Gu Qingnian's discipleship. Defeats Xuan Zi in their clash despite equal cultivation 67.
• Lexuan — Persuaded him to remain after the earlier Star Dou Great Forest disaster by kneeling and refusing to rise 222.

Notable Quotes

“If there are no problems, I'm claiming this boy!” 42

“Victory and glory belong to you. Defeat and disgrace belong to me alone...” 221