Huo Qiuliang

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Exile and Snow Cedar

Huo Qiuliang describes himself as an “exiled freak” and says that he and others were exiled to a remote county town. By the school incident, he has only recently joined Snow Cedar and has rarely seen his teammates fight 16 23.

He has previously sparred with an Eighth Art Hunter. His description of nearly being “skinned alive” explains his later apprehension around Han He, whose inheritance clashes with his own abilities 25.

School Incident and Recruitment

After He Siying defeats an Evil Sin, Huo Qiuliang checks her condition and is astonished that she could react immediately despite losing roughly a day of memories. He subsequently joins the others at the boys’ dormitory 16.

Assigned to explain the hidden world to the survivors, he introduces Shi Yu and Han He to Gifted, Heirs, and Netherworlds. When they discover Huang Qingyang’s final note, he carefully takes it for safekeeping and leaves them time to grieve before returning 17 18 19.

While escorting Shi Yu home, he tells their taxi driver a sensationalized account of a cult operating at the school, encouraging vigilance without explicitly revealing Evil Sins. At Shi Yu’s apartment, he explains allowances, Netherworld classifications, and the Staircase system 21 22 23.

When Shi Yu reveals that he has ten steps, Huo Qiuliang warns him to claim seven instead: powerful officials could seize and manipulate someone with such potential. Their subsequent ability exchange ends with Shi Yu making him sneeze and suffer stomach trouble. Huo Qiuliang then pretends to leave but stays hidden to investigate Shi Yu’s abilities further 23 24.

Curtain-Caller Investigation

During a hospital visit with Shi Yu and Han He, Huo Qiuliang challenges an impostor nurse’s explanation for Hu Zihao’s treatment. The nurse, Li Yan, attacks Hu Zihao before the group subdues her. Huo Qiuliang later explains why the Curtain-Callers are targeting the newly awakened boy 25 27.

At the abandoned factory, he helps Liu Yiyi interrogate Li Yan by keeping her conscious and increasing her resistance to pain. When an attempt to describe her recruiter triggers a mutation, he realizes that the Evil Sin has seen through their questioning. Liu Yiyi shields him and Shen Bai before destroying the threat 36 38 39.

Newcomers and Training

Shen Bai assigns Huo Qiuliang extra training after realizing that he questioned Shi Yu about information the newcomers were not required to disclose. Huo Qiuliang later decodes the encrypted letter approving Shi Yu, Han He, and Hu Zihao’s admission to Snow Cedar 29 45.

During his punishment run, he deceives himself into ignoring exhaustion and maintains an almost mechanical pace. Shen Bai stops him; once the effect fades, he collapses and loudly promises to stop prying. Shen Bai nevertheless trusts that he would never reveal his teammates’ information to outsiders 50.

Appearance

• Build: Lean, with slender arms and long fingers; approximately Shi Yu’s age 21 23 50.
• Skin: Cool-toned and pale 23 50.
• Eyes: Unusually pale brown. While using self-deception during training, his pupils become as pale as weak tea and carry a faint, moonlight-like glow 23 50.
• Clothing: Wears a baggy hoodie during physical training 50.

Personality

Huo Qiuliang is talkative, theatrical, and socially perceptive. He readily identifies what another person wants to hear and steers conversations accordingly. With Shi Yu, he shifts between mock indignation, exaggerated helplessness, and polished courtesy to keep the exchange going 21 22 24.

His curiosity frequently overrides his restraint. He probes Shi Yu’s potential, hides in his apartment to observe his abilities, and eagerly seeks Shen Bai’s assessment of him. He also devotes extensive time to researching Evil Sins, Curtain-Callers, inheritances, and Staircases while searching for something he has not yet found 23 24 42 43.

Beneath the scheming, he is considerate and loyal. He recognizes Shi Yu and Han He’s grief, gives them privacy, and protects Shi Yu’s secret rather than exploiting it. Shen Bai explicitly considers him trustworthy with information about their own people 18 19 23 50.

He harbors a pronounced hatred of Evil Sins and hopes someone will eventually destroy them all. His usual levity briefly gives way to gloom when He Siying speaks about killing them 16 23.

Abilities & Skills

Thin Moon — Staircase of Lies

His Staircase specializes in cognition, perception, curiosity, and unease rather than straightforward physical attacks 23 32.

• Cognitive distortion: Affects people and intelligent creatures, misleading their senses and interpretation of events 32 50.
• Concealment: Makes his apparent position and actions unreliable. Shi Yu mistakes a plush toy’s leg for his wrist while he is elsewhere in the apartment 23 24.
• Detection interference: While hiding, he evades Shi Yu’s superficial use of Thought to check whether anyone remains inside the house 24.
• Combat claims: Says that he has little direct combat ability and needs protection, though Shi Yu regards this helpless presentation as an act 32.

Curiosity and Unease

He can stir curiosity or place an unease-inducing power on something unknown, making others instinctively avoid it 32.

• His demonstration draws Shi Yu’s attention toward his closed hand despite an instinctive urge to look away 23.
• The combined curiosity and unease become intense enough that Shi Yu sweats, trembles, and forgets to breathe 24.
• He ends the demonstration and rapidly dispels the lingering emotions after taking Shi Yu’s wrist 24.

Self-Deception and Support

He can manipulate his own perceptions as well as those of others 36 50.

• Alters his cognition to reduce dizziness during Liu Yiyi’s motorcycle ride, though he still arrives severely nauseated 36.
• Suppresses his awareness of fatigue during training; the effect does not prevent visible exhaustion or collapse once released 50.
• Keeps Li Yan conscious and more resistant to pain during interrogation 39.
• Possesses a constitution stronger than an ordinary person’s as a second-rank Gifted, despite lacking a specifically physical Staircase 36.

Research and Decoding

• Explains Netherworld types, Gifted advancement, and the risks surrounding unusually talented recruits 19 22 23.
• Studies supernatural case information and reviews the file for the recovered Taint, Residual Illusion 43.
• Decodes the heavily encrypted approval letter concerning Snow Cedar’s three recruits 45.

Relationships

• Shi Yu — New teammate and the principal target of his curiosity. He protects Shi Yu’s ten-step secret but repeatedly tries to uncover his abilities, earning retaliation and extra training 23 24 29 42 50.
• Liu Yiyi — Snow Cedar’s captain. Their familiar relationship includes teasing and reprimands; her reckless motorcycle riding genuinely terrifies him 33 34 36.
• Shen Bai — Deputy captain and disciplinarian. Supervises his punishment while trusting him not to betray teammates’ confidential information 29 50.
• He Siying — Teammate whom he calls “Sister Ying.” Checks her safety after the school battle and later tells the newcomers about her exceptional unarmed combat record 16 48.
• Han He — Teammate whose Hunter inheritance makes him uncomfortable. Huo Qiuliang recognizes that they will need to work on getting along despite their abilities’ incompatibility 25 42.
• Hu Zihao — New teammate whom he finds more innocent and easier to impress than Shi Yu. Helps explain the Curtain-Caller threat after the hospital attack 27 32.

Notable Quotes

“Like I said, only idiots sell out people like themselves. Unfortunately, there are quite a few idiots.” 23

“Someone who can slaughter every last Evil Sin... brutally.” 23