Zhu Xiaoliang

Biodata

Power Progression

• Promised breakthrough: Qi Zhaoyue offers to bring her to the Tenth Realm, Dao Comprehension Realm, within three months. This remains a goal rather than a confirmed breakthrough in the supplied chapters 23 35.

Background / History

Upbringing and Secret Parentage

Zhu Xiaoliang was sent to the Heaven Sect at five years old and became the sole disciple of its leader, Bai Yuer. By her meeting with Qi Tiannian in Chapter 15, she had seen her biological father only three times: at birth, when she entered the sect, and during that meeting. She regards him with indifference and faint disgust. Qi Tiannian states that only his imperial father and Bai Yuer know she is his daughter 15.

Her mother remains in Northern Liang, and rescuing her is Zhu Xiaoliang’s central reason for seeking greater strength. Qi Zhaoyue has heard that her mother was a Northern Liang commandery princess who fled to Great Yu during internal strife; this account is presented as a rumor rather than firsthand knowledge 23 30.

Mission to the Divine Maiden Sect

Bai Yuer sends Zhu Xiaoliang into the world to join Qi Zhaoyue’s Divine Maiden Sect and investigate her unusually rapid cultivation. Qi Tiannian separately orders her to report Qi Zhaoyue’s activities and uncover her cultivation secret. He promises to bring back her mother, posthumously name her empress, and recognize Zhu Xiaoliang as Great Yu’s legitimate eldest princess if he becomes emperor; privately, he intends to use her to expose Qi Zhaoyue’s advantages 15 16.

At the sect’s founding ceremony, Zhu Xiaoliang meets Qi Zhaoyue for the first time. Her attempt at discretion immediately falters when Qi Zhaoyue openly asks whether she has come to help or investigate. Instead of excluding her, Qi Zhaoyue offers her the sect’s first cultivation opportunity in Lotus Grotto-Heaven, conditional on a Heavenly Dao Contract forbidding disclosure—even to Bai Yuer. Zhu Xiaoliang agrees after thinking of her mother 22 23.

Cultivation in Lotus Grotto-Heaven

Qi Zhaoyue reveals that Xu Changsheng’s Divine Yang Sacred Physique is the source of her rapid advancement. Although initially embarrassed by the intimate cultivation method, Zhu Xiaoliang chooses to seek his help so she can rescue her mother. Qi Zhaoyue gives her a Lotus Seal with which she can leave before withdrawing from the decision 28 29 30.

After reaching the Ninth Realm’s peak stage overnight, Zhu Xiaoliang remains in Lotus Grotto-Heaven to cultivate and grows attached to Xu Changsheng. Meanwhile, Qi Zhaoyue presents her anticipated Tenth Realm breakthrough as proof of the opportunities the Divine Maiden Sect can offer; Meng Weiyi identifies this as a strategy to attract outstanding female cultivators 34 35 36 46.

Appearance

Zhu Xiaoliang has snow-fair skin, delicate features, and large, clear eyes. Her unadorned appearance is repeatedly compared to a pure mountain spring 22 28.

• Hair: Long and black, usually secured with a simple wooden hairpin 22 28.
• Clothing: Plain white Daoist robes 22 27.
• Adornment: Wears neither elaborate accessories nor makeup at her introduction 22.
• Distinguishing feature: Two shallow dimples appear when she smiles 25.

Personality

Raised in seclusion, Zhu Xiaoliang is candid, inexperienced in worldly dealings, and poor at hiding her thoughts. Qi Zhaoyue’s direct questioning leaves her visibly panicked, while Xu Changsheng finds her unusually easy to persuade. Bai Yuer has taught her cultivation but left her ignorant of romantic and sexual relationships 22 28 30.

Despite her generally non-contentious nature, she is proud of her aptitude and refuses to consider herself inferior to Qi Zhaoyue. Their comparison matters partly because their masters are rival sisters. Her determination to save her mother ultimately outweighs both her embarrassment and her reluctance to keep secrets from Bai Yuer 15 23 30 33.

She becomes openly affectionate and eager for praise around Xu Changsheng, taking delight in his attention and in learning ordinary household tasks. He interprets her attachment as a “daddy complex,” associating it with the lack of paternal care in her upbringing. Her later confidence and initiative surprise Qi Zhaoyue, who still imagines her as the sheltered girl who first arrived 34 37 38 50.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Heart Dao Body

An SSS-grade physique listed among her copyable talents 32.

• Not fully awakened when Xu Changsheng examines her.
• According to the accounts Xu Changsheng recalls, it can increase cultivation speed a hundredfold and enable unity between heaven and humanity; these effects are not demonstrated by Zhu Xiaoliang in the supplied chapters 32.

Dominance and Captivity Sword Heart

An SSS-grade sword heart expressed through artistic conceptions rather than a fixed sequence of techniques 32 33.

• Zhu Xiaoliang primarily develops its life-centered “spring’s birth and summer’s growth” aspect, reflecting her disposition 33.
• Its applications depend on the wielder’s experiences and outlook; Xu Changsheng considers developing different aspects after copying it 33.
• Xu Changsheng obtains this talent through his free random copying opportunity after their first intimate encounter 32 33.

Daoist Arts and Supporting Skills

• Formation-based arrival: Appears beside Qi Zhaoyue through a rotating black-and-white Eight Trigrams formation 22.
• Grain avoidance and embryonic breathing: Can go without food and use a breathing technique that removes the need for ordinary breathing, though nervousness disrupts her composure in the spring 31.
• Essence refinement: Learns to seal and refine the origin essence of Xu Changsheng’s Divine Yang Sacred Physique to increase her cultivation 28 46.
• Cooking: Learns bamboo-tube rice from Xu Changsheng, correcting the rice-to-water ratio on her second attempt 37.

Equipment / Items

• Lotus Seal — A white mark placed on her palm by Qi Zhaoyue; activating it allows her to return from Lotus Grotto-Heaven to Mount Qingliang 30.
• Wooden hairpin — Her usual simple hair accessory 22 28.

Relationships

• Bai Yuer — Master and maternal figure. Zhu Xiaoliang regards her kindness as immense and considers her family, yet accepts a secrecy condition that excludes her 23 38.
• Qi Tiannian — Biological father. She feels little affection for him; he exploits their concealed relationship to place her near Qi Zhaoyue 15.
• Her mother — The person she hopes to rescue and reunite with in Northern Liang; the decisive motivation behind accepting accelerated cultivation 23 30.
• Qi Zhaoyue — Senior martial sister through their masters’ relationship, initial cultivation rival, and later benefactor. Qi Zhaoyue recognizes their shared concern for their mothers and gives her the first Lotus Grotto-Heaven opportunity 15 23 30.
• Xu Changsheng — Intimate cultivation partner and object of growing affection. His assistance brings her to the Ninth Realm’s peak stage, while his everyday care deepens her attachment 31 34 38.
• Ye Luoxue — Fellow cultivator whom she calls “Sister Ye” or “big sister Luoxue.” She worries about Ye Luoxue’s exhaustion and covers her with a quilt while she sleeps 43 46.

Notable Quotes

“But I really want to increase my cultivation. I want to save my mother. Please, I’m begging you to help me.” 30

“Heavens, I was only at the ninth realm late stage yesterday! Master said I would need at least another two or three years to reach the peak stage!” 34