Xu Guan

Biodata

Personality

Xu Guan is stern, serious, and notoriously stubborn. He manages his team with an iron hand, criticizes misconduct without leniency, and rarely changes a decision once he has made it. His authority extends beyond the first team: even angry guild members fall silent at his rebuke 28 29 32 37.

His competitiveness does not prevent him from acknowledging another player’s skill. After Zheng Xun clears Azure Mist’s marked dungeon, Xu Guan reprimands members who dismiss the achievement as luck and sends them back to training and replay analysis. He also limits their viewing of Zheng Xun’s runs because Zheng Xun makes dangerous instances look deceptively easy—not because he considers him incapable 35 41.

As captain, Xu Guan prioritizes the team’s survival, sometimes at the expense of an individual member. His acceptance of Huo Ziyan’s demotion is a political compromise intended to protect other players from the faction supporting Meng Yijia. However, he is visibly troubled when Meng disappears and refuses to casually risk Luo Mingxuan’s life in a search 37 40.

Away from official business, he is more relaxed with trusted companions. He jokes with Luo Mingxuan and tolerates Zheng Xun’s barbs while mining. Despite his strict schedule and lack of mining experience, he finds the repetitive work unexpectedly relieving 37 44.

History

Seventh Hospital Incident

A year before his confrontation with Zheng Xun, Xu Guan led Azure Mist’s first team into the S-rank Seventh Hospital instance. He assigned the newly promoted Meng Yijia to guide rookie Huo Ziyan, believing Meng wanted to prove himself as vice captain. When the two entered an operating room, their camera was destroyed; subsequent footage showed Huo escaping alone while Meng screamed inside 28.

With Meng injured, Xu Guan used the powerful Rest skill card to interrupt the instance and eject everyone. The rescue left all team members drained of strength and unconscious for several days 28.

Huo was subsequently blamed and demoted to the second team. Luo Mingxuan privately challenged Xu Guan over the decision, but Xu Guan ordered him not to pursue the matter publicly. Xu Guan understood that dirty dealings were involved; with Azure Mist’s leadership divided and Meng backed by a faction, he believed resistance would endanger members across several teams 37.

Dispute over Huo Ziyan’s Loan

When Huo was reprimanded for spending time in a materials instance, Xu Guan noticed that he had brought ore back for the first time despite mining for over a week. He correctly inferred that Huo had previously been giving the ore to someone else and pressed him to identify that person: Zheng Xun 28.

Zheng Xun arrived and asked to hire Huo on loan. Xu Guan refused, citing the captain’s right to block a player rental and pointing out that their verbal discussion created no binding agreement. His purpose was not a personal vendetta: he regarded Zheng Xun as a potential source of trouble and used Huo as leverage to keep him in check 29 30.

Zheng Xun retaliated by publicly entering Azure Mist’s marked Alice instance. Xu Guan forbade guild members from confronting him, avoiding the public backlash that an angry response before a large livestream audience could provoke. Even after Zheng Xun cleared the instance in thirty minutes, Xu Guan rejected another loan request and refused to surrender Azure Mist’s next marked dungeon in District 547 32 35 36.

District 547 Amusement Park

To prevent another marked dungeon from being taken, Xu Guan ordered the first team to enter District 547 at White Tower No. 6 the following morning. Wang Shutong warned that this rushed their usual preparation, but the decision stood. Zheng Xun then joined the expedition using General Association credentials as an accompanying reporter 37 38.

The team drew an SS-rank amusement park instance. Xu Guan assigned combat and puzzle-solving roles, led the advance through the Hanging Corpse Forest, and located a shortcut. At the exit, he covered several teammates before turning back for Yin Lexin; a look from Zheng Xun persuaded him to leave the rear to the reporter 39.

When Meng disappeared, Xu Guan faced a choice between searching blindly and continuing with the remaining team. Luo volunteered to assume responsibility for a search, but Xu Guan did not want to risk another friend. Zheng Xun’s Portable Door provided an alternative: Xu Guan trusted him to retrieve Meng and led the others toward the control room 40 41.

During the boss battles, Xu Guan trapped the shadow-like middle-aged man with rising earth and stone, enabling Luo’s Snow White to swallow him. Against the four-armed doll on the spinning ride, Xu Guan severed two arms. He survived the clear and received a reward box comparable in size to those awarded to Luo and Zheng Xun 42 43.

Mining and Negotiations

After the expedition, Zheng Xun sent Xu Guan footage of Meng’s apparent attempt to kill him with an underground mechanism. Xu Guan watched silently and did not immediately discuss it with Meng 43.

Acknowledging Zheng Xun’s help, Xu Guan offered to treat him to a meal. Zheng Xun instead requested a miner, bringing the captain to the Sand Zone alongside Huo. There, Xu Guan tried to recruit Zheng Xun with a silver contract whose financial terms he claimed would exceed Singing Sparrow’s silver+ offer. Zheng Xun refused to submit to guild rules 43 44.

Xu Guan then sought a loan arrangement for Zheng Xun’s services and offered to permit Huo’s rental. Zheng Xun rejected the proposal and ended the business discussion; no completed agreement is shown. After Zheng Xun left, Xu Guan told Huo to visit the equipment room because he had something to give him 44.

Abilities & Skills

Scepter Combat

• Wields a scepter whose gemstone button transforms half its shaft into a blade 39.
• Kills multiple attacking corpses while leading the team through the Hanging Corpse Forest 39.
• Severs two arms from the four-armed doll boss despite the unstable footing of a spinning ride 42.

Earth-and-Stone Attack

• Plunges his scepter into the ground, cracking the earth and sending sand and stones upward to imprison a fast-moving boss 42.
• Creates an opening for Luo Mingxuan’s Snow White to swallow the trapped enemy 42.

Tactical Leadership

• Assigns dedicated puzzle-solving, protection, and frontline combat duties according to teammates’ specialties 39.
• Finds a shortcut through the corpse forest and covers teammates at its exit 39.
• Adjusts formation after Meng disappears, ordering the younger members to stay close and Luo to guard the rear and keep count 41.

Observation and Deduction

• Infers Huo’s connection to an outside player from changes in his ore-carrying habits 28.
• Accurately reconstructs much of Zheng Xun’s recent financial situation and guild plans from limited information, though Huo’s initial meeting with Zheng Xun was coincidental 29.
• Habitually reviews an instance mentally immediately after clearing it, before studying its replay 43.

Equipment / Items

• Transforming scepter — Main weapon, capable of switching into a bladed form 39.
• Rest skill card — Used during Seventh Hospital to forcibly end the instance and eject all players. Its severe aftereffect left the team unconscious for days 28.
• Iron pickaxe — Used during his first mining session in the Sand Zone and stored in Cloud Space afterward 44.

Relationships

• Luo Mingxuan — Longtime friend and trusted veteran who joined the first team a year after Xu Guan. Their closeness allows Luo to challenge him bluntly; Xu trusts Luo more than the leadership-appointed vice captain 37.
• Meng Yijia — Vice captain appointed by Azure Mist’s higher-ups. Meng’s factional backing constrains Xu Guan’s handling of the Seventh Hospital incident; Xu later receives evidence concerning Meng’s conduct toward Zheng Xun 37 43.
• Huo Ziyan — Former first-team rookie whose demotion Xu accepted under political pressure. Xu initially blocks his rental, later offers to approve it, and asks him to collect an unspecified item from the equipment room 28 29 37 44.
• Zheng Xun — Initially an adversary over Huo’s rental and Azure Mist’s marked dungeons. Their joint expedition develops enough trust for Xu to rely on his rescue effort and later seek recruitment or cooperation 29 36 41 44.
• Wang Shutong — First-team puzzle specialist whom Xu assigns protection during the SS-rank expedition 39.
• Yin Lexin — Loyal first-team member assigned to guard Wang Shutong; Xu turns back to check on him during the forest escape 39 41.
• Xiao Jun — Singing Sparrow executive whom Xu suspects of supplying Zheng Xun with the marked-dungeon map. Xiao denies the accusation 36.

Notable Quotes

“When you see someone perform well in an instance and dismiss it as nothing but luck, that’s arrogance.” 35

“I won’t let personal feelings interfere with my judgment. I forbade Azure Mist’s members from watching videos of Zheng Xun in instances because the way he performs makes everything look too easy.” 41

“Of course, I’d handle it according to the rules.” — When Zheng Xun asks what would happen if he broke team rules 44