Duan Xuanyu

Biodata

Power Progression

Duan Xuanyu gains system functions rather than named cultivation realms or numerical levels.

Background / History

Hostage Prince

Duan Xuanyu spent part of his childhood as a hostage in an enemy country. At Crane Terrace, a ninety-nine-step sacrificial altar, he was forced to climb in heavy shackles before being kicked down the stairs. After Su Mian rescued him, he killed his tormentor but remained afraid to descend; she held his hand and accompanied him down 32.

At seventeen, he was drugged by a noble who intended to sexually assault him. Su Mian intervened, and Duan Xuanyu beheaded the attacker. He later reveals that he had already recovered his senses when he pleaded for her help afterward: distrustful of her motives, he intended to keep her close long enough to kill her too. Her refusal to exploit him disrupted that plan 154.

His early habit of calling her “big sister” was initially calculated to make him appear vulnerable and lower her guard. Genuine trust developed afterward, and learning her name became an important memory for him 144.

Rise to the Throne

Su Mian repeatedly saved Duan Xuanyu’s life, helped him ascend the throne, consolidated his rule, and assisted against internal and external enemies. Their campaigns included escaping the Southern Borderlands, where they killed a rhinoceros together 18 24.

After returning to his country and obtaining power, he forced his father to abdicate. He regards sparing his father’s life as an act of restraint after having been sacrificed as a child 161.

Su Mian secured an unusually equal position beside him: she did not have to kneel, use a submissive form of address, or accept other wives. However, she originally cultivated his affection to complete a system task and return home, disappearing before their wedding ceremony was finished 24 139.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and athletic, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and eight-pack abdominal muscles 2 131.
• Features: Sharply defined face and dark eyes; his youthful appearance contrasts with his intimidating presence 24 147.
• Scars: Numerous scars cover his body. Su Mian prevents him from exposing them on camera because they could prompt questions about his identity 11.
• Imperial clothing: Initially appears in a black-and-gold dragon robe, the colors associated with Northern Liang 2.
• Modern makeover: Su Mian persuades him to exchange his long hair for a short haircut. A white shirt and the new hairstyle make him resemble an ordinary college student 4.

Personality

Duan Xuanyu is proud, forceful, and deeply resistant to control. He initially treats offenses against Su Mian as grounds for execution and clan extermination, requiring repeated reminders that modern law does not permit such retaliation. He is equally defiant toward his system, threatening to remove it from his own brain rather than obey its demands 4 9 30 123.

With Su Mian, he becomes affectionate, clingy, and eager to please. He readily gives her his money, follows her instructions, and repeatedly interprets her behavior as proof that she loves him—even when she is trying to discourage him. His jealousy can still become dangerous: he nearly strangles Duan Hongxu before their growing familial attachment makes him relent 6 24 36 80.

His unfamiliarity with modern life makes him easy to mislead, but he is not unintelligent or uniformly naïve. He notices women’s greater freedom, learns technology and foreign languages, and rejects his system’s simplistic assumption that making political leaders perceive him as their father would give him control over their countries 5 80 161.

His compassion extends beyond Su Mian. He donates shooting-stall prizes to an orphanage, considers Xiang Yi’s dignity when refusing to take him into the modern world, and uses his illusion ability to protect an entire group rather than only himself 39 126 167.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Combat

• Swordsmanship: Cuts a livestream camera apart with one strike immediately after arriving in the modern world 2.
• Improvised weapons: Throws a leaf sharply enough to slice off a swath of Lu Zhou’s hair 5.
• Strength: Pins a charging wild boar’s head to the ground with one hand and strikes it with his fist 18.
• Reflexes: Catches a thrown steel rebar behind his back and dodges a gunshot by tilting his head 46.
• Limits: Su Mian still considers confronting armed gunmen bare-handed too dangerous; his combat ability does not make him invulnerable 46.

Marksmanship and Ranged Support

• Wins numerous prizes with air guns at shooting stalls along a pedestrian street 39.
• Uses blunt prop arrows to interrupt attackers while Su Mian fights at close range 121.
• Accurately strikes Lu Zhou’s knee with plastic pellets from a borrowed toy gun 147.

Self-Rescue System

• Purpose: According to the system’s own account, it voluntarily bound itself to him to help him escape a certain-death ending and will uninstall once he succeeds 190.
• Repeated failures: Duan Xuanyu reports having died ten times without escaping that ending. The accumulating burden causes worsening system lag 190.
• Energy source: Visits to his own era replenish its energy and permit new downloads 156.
• Crossing conditions: Recreating earlier encounters can trigger a return, but repeating dialogue alone is insufficient; Duan Xuanyu suspects the setting also matters 154 161.
• Spacetime limit: The system says it cannot cross the parallel-spacetime barrier separating him from Su Mian’s original home 186.

Time Rewind

• Reverses events while allowing Duan Xuanyu to act differently afterward 139.
• Provides one minute in total, not unlimited reversals of up to one minute each 139.
• His first allowance is exhausted through three successive rewinds. No definite cooldown is established in the supplied account 139.

Illusion Technique

• Uses system-generated electromagnetic waves to alter selected people’s perceptions 161.
• Targets individuals or conceptual groups within a ten-kilometer radius 161 167.
• The system describes the resulting effects as permanent 161.
• During the estate incident, Duan Xuanyu asks to make victims appear maximally disgusting to perpetrators. The system interprets this as making them resemble feces, producing panic and protecting the victims despite misunderstanding his intended imagery 167.
• He rejects the suggestion of using it to make Su Mian perceive him as another beloved man, regarding that as an insult 161.

Governance and Learning

• Carries out military and economic reforms; later archaeological reporting supports his achievements and records ordinary people’s affection for him 100 156.
• Protects Yu Fei, a humble-born official who challenges powerful relatives and ministers 155.
• Studies modern society with Su Mian’s guidance and learns internet use and foreign languages with Duan Hongxu’s help 4 80.
• Wants to bring modern vehicles, firearms, and other knowledge back to develop Northern Liang 5 39.

Weaknesses

• Severe alcohol sensitivity: A single drop can leave him disoriented and unquestioningly obedient. Su Mian previously trained him to obey only her in that condition 32.
• Modern knowledge gaps: Initially lacks identification, cannot obtain a SIM card, and attempts to drive without understanding licenses or properly controlling the vehicle 5 14.
• Fear of premature death: Repeatedly failing to change his recorded ending eventually undermines his confidence; he fears dying before he can grow old with Su Mian 175.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dragon’s Cry Sword — Signature weapon carved with nine dragons. Its arrival knocks Duan Hongxu unconscious; Su Mian later confiscates it because it is a restricted weapon in the modern world 2 5 22.
• Budget Android smartphone — Initially bought by Su Mian and used through Wi-Fi with her alternate messaging account. He later obtains his own phone number 14 46 128.
• Cherry hair tie — Su Mian’s hair tie, which he wears on his wrist and affectionately calls her “leash” for him. He also uses its elastic to snap Duan Hongxu in the mouth 113 122.
• Darksteel rod, gifted to Su Mian — A half-meter weapon with floral carvings. Twisting it one way extends a blade tip; twisting it the other exposes barbs 125 130.
• Imperial jewelry, gifted to Su Mian — Remembers her fondness for jewelry and brings pieces from Northern Liang to surprise her 126 129.

Relationships

• Su Mian — Rescuer, political partner, teacher, and eventual wife. He considers her his only empress; she ultimately admits that she loves him, and they complete their interrupted wedding 24 164 186 190.
• Duan Hongxu — Sixty-seventh-generation Duan descendant who lends him a modern identity and teaches him to navigate contemporary society. Their affection coexists with rivalry over Su Mian; Duan Xuanyu eventually thanks him and offers to make him crown prince if he leaves her alone 22 80 173.
• Lu Zhou — Su Mian’s ex-boyfriend and a persistent romantic rival. Duan Xuanyu repeatedly retaliates against his interference, including cutting his hair with a leaf and shooting his knee with toy pellets 5 147.
• Xiang Yi — Trusted eunuch attendant. Duan Xuanyu first secured justice for him after a wealthy bully had him castrated, then brought him into the palace 125.
• Su Qingyan — Su Mian’s mother. Before Su Mian’s departure, she tests whether he can remain rational and fulfill his obligations to his people without her daughter 186.
• Fang Nuonuo — Dating-show partner on several tasks. He shows no romantic interest, instead messaging Su Mian and donating the prizes he wins during their outing 7 9 39.
• Yu Fei — Official he rescues and protects against powerful opponents; historical accounts describe Yu Fei’s downfall after Duan Xuanyu’s death 155.
• Prince Sheng — Imperial relative whose scheme threatens Su Mian’s reputation and supports rebellion. Duan Xuanyu orders his execution after returning to Northern Liang 125.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival and Modern Identity

Duan Xuanyu appears on the dating show seeking Su Mian and immediately destroys a camera. The crew mistakes him for a wealthy guest playing an emperor, allowing his genuine declarations of imperial identity to pass as an elaborate persona 2 19.

Lu Zhou discovers that the invited Duan heir is hospitalized and tries to expose him. Instead, the heir recognizes Duan Xuanyu and Su Mian from ancestral paintings, identifies himself as their descendant, and resumes his original name, Duan Hongxu. He allows Duan Xuanyu to use his identity 20 21 22.

Dating Show and Public Popularity

Su Mian introduces him to modern laws, clothing, phones, and social expectations. Their coordinated boar hunt and his later defense of her against armed attackers attract attention, while online audiences increasingly embrace their emperor–empress pairing 4 14 18 46.

His devotion also drives the show’s comedy: he copies flirting techniques from a male-model blogger, treats teasing as evidence of affection, and eventually turns Su Mian’s pranks back on her during their heart-rate challenge 130 132 139.

Attempts to Rewrite His Ending

After returning to Northern Liang, Duan Xuanyu executes Prince Sheng and begins using historical information to identify future threats. Killing one opponent does not clearly solve the problem: newly found accounts still describe an early death, sometimes transferring the rebellion to Prince Sheng’s son 125 126 130.

Later evidence vindicates his reforms but still records a descent into immortality-seeking and human sacrifice. He suspects the Daoist Xu Guizhen and resolves to kill him on a subsequent return. Despite outward defiance, repeated failures leave him afraid that history will always force the same outcome 156 175.

Separation, Wedding, and Finale

When Su Mian prepares to return to her birth parents, Duan Xuanyu promises Su Qingyan that he will stay rational and live for his people. He nevertheless presses Su Mian to acknowledge her feelings before she vanishes, then resolves to find a way across the spacetime barrier 186.

They are together again by the time they complete their wedding ceremony. On the dating show’s final day, they are the only successful couple. Duan Xuanyu declines an entertainment career, announcing that he will take the civil service examination under their plan for Su Mian to enter business while he enters politics 190 192.

Historical Reputation

Notable Quotes

“Anyway, you're my only empress.” 24

“My fate is mine to decide, not Heaven's.” 96

“Because in the three years since I met you, I've lived more like a human being than in all my previous years put together.” 130

“I can clearly have both my beloved and my empire. Why must I give one up?” 156