Qin Xuanji

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Upbringing on Mist-Flow Island

Qin Xuanji is Qin Zhaonan’s youngest daughter and Qin Xuanque’s cherished younger sister. Her father built Mist-Flow Island into the East Sea’s third leading power, supported by sworn brothers and subordinate island lords rather than a single extended clan 128 272 274.

She practiced Whale-Breathing Skill from childhood and consumed numerous natural treasures. Because its fierce internal energy could injure her or others if mishandled, the island master suppressed that energy with a secret art and instructed her to release it cautiously 125.

Her education included extensive reading in the Xingzhi Labyrinth and lessons from her father about human motives. She also enjoyed leaving the island in disguise as a child 278 279 285.

West Lake and Shangguan Sheng

Qin Xuanji first introduces herself to Cao Jinxing while dressed as a little beggar. She recognizes his Bashé Bag and correctly identifies him as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, despite his concealed aura. Their fishing encounter becomes a treasure hunt beneath West Lake, with her Sea-Gathering Secret Art helping them investigate the waters 122 123 124.

When the expedition brings them into conflict with Shangguan Sheng, she releases her sealed power rather than abandon Cao Jinxing. After learning that Shangguan Sheng has exploited her sympathy, she attacks without hesitation. Together they overcome his vine techniques and force him to recite the Absorbing Power Great Method; Qin Xuanji then kills him with a stone to the throat 125 127.

Famous Qin Gathering

Her original mission was to return the Nine Heavens Circlet-Pendant Qin to the Chess and Sword Music House. Her father intended her to lose deliberately to a younger disciple, restoring the instrument without humiliating either side. After discovering the Music House’s wrongdoing, she questions whether returning it would amount to helping a tyrant and decides to attend without surrendering it 128 130.

Before the gathering, Aiyixiamu nearly kills her after she intervenes to save others. An unidentified archer rescues her, and Cao Jinxing subsequently finds her and treats her injuries. She then enters the gathering with him posing as her elder brother, “Qin Xuan Shu” 130 131.

At the gathering, she challenges the Music House, prompting Shan Qingcheng to use five Self-Sacrifice Needles to raise his power to Tongyou. During the later fighting in Hangzhou, she wounds the delirious Aiyixiamu with sound blades and places herself in front of Cao Jinxing to attack with Sky-Surging Qi 135 146.

Before Cao Jinxing leaves Hangzhou, she accompanies him to Lingyin Temple to return the Green Ivy Net, gives him a bodhi-seed bracelet, and promises to find him again in the capital 148.

Reunion and Zhang Sanfeng’s Gifts

During their separation, Qin Xuanji encounters Zhang Sanfeng meditating on Heavenly Capital Peak’s Crucian Carp Ridge. He teaches her the song “Rootless Tree” and guiding exercises, then gives her a pill, a blank parchment scroll, and a jade pendant. He explains that great turmoil is approaching and that they are connected by fate 259.

She later returns toward Zhejiang after hearing of trouble along the southeastern coast, initially fearing that her Heaven-Swallowing Whale has caused it. After reuniting with Cao Jinxing, she opposes Wan Heqing’s attempt to approach him, breaks free of the Fire Charm Technique, and smashes Wan Heqing’s potion bottle with her qin 257 258.

Qin Xuanji shares Zhang Sanfeng’s gifts and teachings with Cao Jinxing. They study “Rootless Tree” together, and she looks after him during the journey to Taizhou while he works out its martial principles 259 265.

Taizhou and Cao Jinxing’s Recovery

When Taizhou faces a Wokou attack, Qin Xuanji fetches the Heaven-Swallowing Whale as a nonhuman ally. After Cao Jinxing exhausts himself using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art, she catches him, carries him aboard the whale, and takes him east with Gyuki escorting them 267 270.

On the way to Mist-Flow Island, they explore Li Shaojun’s cave on Fanggan Island. She identifies the hidden Nethersea Jujubes as a possible treatment for his damaged meridians. His recovery also helps raise her cultivation to Tongyou Eighth Layer 272 273.

Their arrival home causes a confrontation when Qin Xuanque attacks Cao Jinxing to test and warn him. Qin Xuanji shields her injured guest, rebukes her sister, and threatens to leave with him. Shi Yi mediates, and treatment is arranged at the Cloud-Swallowing Mist-Spitting Tower 274.

Duanmu Nan’s Betrayal and the Sea Market

Qin Xuanji recognizes that Duanmu Nan’s persistent courtship is motivated by ambition rather than affection. When he abruptly accepts her rejection and invites her to Rare Beast Island, she and Cao Jinxing identify the invitation as a likely murder trap 278 279.

She prepares firearms and poison, brings Gyuki for protection, and arranges for Duanmu Nan to receive a poisoned letter disguised as an apology from Qin Xuanque. At Héluó Fish Lake, she shelters the residents, confronts the traitorous retainers, and deflects hidden weapons when Huang Siyuan’s ambush begins. Duanmu Nan is incapacitated when Heartbreak Powder and Power-Dissolving Powder activate 279 281.

Later, she visits Crouching Flood Dragon Island’s sea market disguised as “Hua Qianshu.” She spots Vermilion Fruit on the treasure list and leaves the auction with Cao Jinxing after he secures it 285 295.

Family Approval and Separation

During the Yuzhang crisis, Qin Xuanji and Qin Xuanque doubt Leng Hongzhi’s report that the island masters have been trapped. Cao Jinxing confirms that he has been hypnotized and identifies the report as bait intended to lure out Gyuki. Qin Xuanji accompanies Cao Jinxing on Gyuki while he investigates through Xiangjun’s false body 298 299.

Following the crisis, Qin Zhaonan accepts Cao Jinxing as her prospective husband despite his existing marriage agreement with Huang Fangling. Cao Jinxing promises to ask his Big Brother to formally propose the marriage 308 309.

Qin Xuanji agrees to remain on Mist-Flow Island while he investigates disturbances in the Central Plains. Before his departure, she entrusts him with Zhang Sanfeng’s Chaofeng Jade Pendant and blank parchment, suspecting that the gifts were intended to reach him through her 309.

Appearance

Qin Xuanji’s true appearance is described as exquisite and ethereal, striking even beneath ragged beggar’s clothing 123.

• Beggar disguise: Uses a mask and artificial sores and scars to conceal her features 123.
• Black clothing: Wears a black dress and carries a qin case when attending the Famous Qin Gathering 131.
• Hua Qianshu disguise: A Rooted Face gives her stern, masculine features; she completes the disguise with black men’s clothing 285.

Personality

Qin Xuanji is playful, curious, and generous. She repeatedly teases Cao Jinxing about his inability to catch fish and treats treasure hunting as an adventure. Seeing a rare object match the descriptions she has memorized interests her more than possessing it 123 124 147.

Her trusting disposition is not the same as an inability to recognize manipulation. She understands Duanmu Nan’s ambitions by fourteen and later explains that she usually avoids disputes because she cannot be bothered to quibble. When his schemes threaten Cao Jinxing and her family, she becomes commanding, prepares poison, and exposes his betrayal publicly 278 279 281.

She is softhearted but capable of lethal resolve. Shangguan Sheng’s abuse of her sympathy provokes fearless, increasingly ruthless attacks. Her early combat inexperience nevertheless leaves her briefly flustered when he begins draining her internal energy 127.

In love, she is openly affectionate and fiercely protective. She personally supervises Cao Jinxing’s medicine, refuses to let her family mistreat him, and tells Qin Xuanque that she will marry no one else. She also worries that revealing her calculating side might change his feelings; his acceptance reassures her 277 279.

Abilities & Skills

Whale-Breathing Skill

An internal cultivation art and palm system modeled on giant whales, ocean waves, and yin-yang currents. Qin Xuanji has built her foundation with it since childhood 125.

• Overwhelming palm force: Shatters Shangguan Sheng’s vines and later overwhelms Huang Huaishu and Huang Huaishan together 125 282.
• Dripping Water Force: Concentrates power into a swift finger strike aimed at a single point 127.
• Sky-Surging Qi: Delivers a towering, wave-like palm strike; used against Shangguan Sheng, Aiyixiamu, and the concealed masonry in Li Shaojun’s cave 127 146 272.
• Power-draining countermeasures: The art contains methods to resist absorption techniques, though her lack of experience prevents an immediate response to Shangguan Sheng 127.
• Sealed reserves: Her accumulated internal energy was initially suppressed for safety and could be released using Golden Needles 125.

Sea-Gathering Secret Art

An unusual art distinct from ordinary martial arts, used to gather fish and investigate the water 123 124.

• Catches Golden Babies within seconds, even on bare hooks 123.
• Uses gathered fish to guide the West Lake treasure search 124.
• Duanmu Nan was not entrusted with this art by her father 278.

Qin and Sound Attacks

Qin Xuanji can channel attacks through an ancient qin 146.

• Produces invisible sound blades capable of cutting deep wounds into Aiyixiamu’s back 146.
• Uses her qin to shatter Wan Heqing’s potion bottle 257.

Movement Techniques

Her original lightness technique is Golden Carp Riding the Waves, derived from Mist-Flow Island’s Fish-Dragon Transformation 130.

• Its emphasis on intricate variations does not suit her preference for direct movement and explosive power 142.
• Initially has mediocre lightness skills despite her strong internal energy and palm techniques 130.
• Shows clear improvement after beginning Demonic Shadow Doppelganger 142.

Poison Resistance and Use

Qin Xuanji is described as immune to poison during the battle with Shangguan Sheng 127.

• Her blood counteracts the Fukuda Family’s Soul-Confusing Pill in Gyuki 272.
• Uses Heartbreak Powder and Power-Dissolving Powder against Duanmu Nan through a poisoned letter 281.

Treasure Identification and Scholarship

Her extensive reading allows her to identify weapons, medicines, formations, and natural treasures 123 147 278.

• Identifies the Heaven-Covering Formation as part of the Eight Formation Diagram and explains its relationship to He Shi Bi and the eight forces of nature 135.
• Recognizes historical weapons and explains the effects and grades of captured medicines 147.
• Identifies Nethersea Jujubes and recognizes their value for Cao Jinxing’s otherwise difficult-to-treat injuries 272 273.
• Her knowledge has limits: she has only a partial understanding of pre-Qin qi refiners and cannot uncover the secrets of Zhang Sanfeng’s blank parchment 273 309.

Taiji Guiding Exercises

Zhang Sanfeng personally teaches her guiding exercises recognizable through Taiji’s principles of countering speed with slowness and striking second but landing first 259.

• Also learns his song “Rootless Tree” and shares it with Cao Jinxing 259.
• The supplied account does not establish that she comprehends its complete immortal-martial method herself 265.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Nine Heavens Circlet-Pendant Qin / Nine Skies Ringing Jade Qin — Seven-stringed ancient qin entrusted to her for the Famous Qin Gathering; she refuses to return it to people she considers unworthy 128 131.
• Golden Needles — Used to release the internal energy sealed in her extraordinary meridians 125.
• Rooted Face — Disguise mask used for her Hua Qianshu identity 285.
• Chaofeng Jade Pendant — A He Shi Bi pendant given by Zhang Sanfeng; later entrusted to Cao Jinxing because of its connection to the Qin Mausoleum 259 273 309.
• Blank Parchment Scroll — Another gift from Zhang Sanfeng, also called a “Wordless Heavenly Book”; she cannot discover how to use it and passes it to Cao Jinxing 309.
• Nethersea Jujube Tree — Gifted by Cao Jinxing and planted near her bedchamber on Mist-Flow Island 273 277.
• Bodhi-seed bracelet — Gives it to Cao Jinxing before his departure from Hangzhou 148.

Relationships

• Cao Jinxing — Romantic partner and intended husband. Their West Lake partnership develops into mutual protection and love; he promises a formal marriage proposal after winning her family’s approval 123 127 270 277 309.
• Qin Zhaonan — Father and childhood martial instructor. He dotes on her, teaches her Whale-Breathing Skill, and initially objects to the complications created by Cao Jinxing’s existing marriage agreement 133 303 308 309.
• Qin Xuanque — Protective eldest sister. Her treatment of Cao Jinxing causes a serious quarrel, but the sisters reconcile after Xuanji explains her experiences and determination to marry him 274 277 278.
• Shi Yi — Addressed as Second Uncle. Mediates the confrontation on her return and recognizes Cao Jinxing’s sincerity toward her 274 275.
• Heaven-Swallowing Whale, “Little Hei” — Loyal sea companion and mount. Waits offshore rather than return home without her and answers her summons to help Taizhou 258 267 270.
• Gyuki — Alien-beast ally. Her blood frees it from the Soul-Confusing Pill’s effects; it escorts her and Cao Jinxing and protects her during the Rare Beast Island ambush 270 272 281.
• Zhang Sanfeng — Elder benefactor who teaches her guiding exercises and “Rootless Tree,” and entrusts her with several mysterious gifts 259.
• Duanmu Nan — Rejected suitor and family retainer whose ambitions she recognizes long before his betrayal. She poisons him after identifying his plan to collaborate with the Huang Family against her 278 279 281.
• Huang Fangling — Cao Jinxing’s previously promised partner. Qin Xuanji learns of Huang Fangling’s sacrifices for him and understands why his earlier commitment complicates their own marriage 274.

Notable Quotes

“Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't understand.” 278

“I'm not a child anymore. I like him. I love him. I decided long ago that I would marry no one but him in this life!” 277

“I'll wait for you.” 309