Xiao Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

• A handsome, refined young man 25.
• Two years older than Lu Zhaoming 29.

Personality

Xiao Chen initially presents himself as a courteous gentleman. He thanks Hong Ni for serving tea and insists that her position as a maid does not excuse him from treating her politely. He attributes the difference between himself and his military-born father to their different upbringings 25.

His politeness coexists with a pronounced sense of superiority. Xiaoyun finds his aristocratic bearing especially noticeable, while he dismisses Lu Zhaoming as an unsuitable opponent before they fight. At the capital’s reception, he seeks a spectacular victory that will impress the princess, the empress, and Great Qi as a whole 30 31.

He also uses social pressure against opponents. By inviting Gu Yuan into an eight-against-one contest, he puts the empress’s representative in a position where refusing would appear cowardly, while accepting offers little credit for victory and considerable disgrace for defeat 31.

His composure collapses after losing to Gu Yuan. He vows revenge, then orders Hong Ni punished despite her concern for his injuries. Lu Yunshu condemns his behavior as taking his anger out on someone else; Gu Yuan likewise finds his inability to accept defeat inconsistent with the original protagonist’s stronger resolve 33 34 35.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Martial Physique

A rare martial constitution also possessed by the founding emperor of Great Li. Hong Ni and Lü Luo regard it as superior to the True Essence Martial Physique and believe its bearer cannot lose against someone at the same cultivation level 31.

• Its existence is a closely guarded secret until Gu Yuan identifies Xiao Chen’s Heavenly Martial Clone before the crowd 33.
• Its reputed superiority does not hold against Gu Yuan’s Martial God Physique: Xiao Chen loses despite having the higher cultivation realm 33.

Heavenly Martial Clone

Xiao Chen condenses true essence into a duplicate of himself as his trump card 33.

• The clone matches his Fifth Grade aura and strength 33.
• It shares his mind, allowing coordinated attacks that increase his effective strength severalfold rather than merely doubling it 33.
• Gu Yuan destroys it with one punch after activating the Martial God Physique. The destruction of the condensed true essence causes Xiao Chen intense pain 33.

White Tiger Howling at Heaven Art

The martial art that established the King of Qingzhou’s reputation. Xiao Chen uses it to shape his true essence into a white tiger and deliver a powerful fist attack 33.

• His display is powerful enough that spectators compare its might to Gu Yuan’s dragon roar 33.
• Gu Yuan withstands his full-strength strike head-on, overcoming the attack despite being Sixth Grade 33.

Heavenly Mandate

Gu Yuan’s system identifies Xiao Chen as possessing the fortune of a heavenly mandate 30.

• The system explains that this makes Xiao Chen naturally opposed to Gu Yuan, accounting for their immediate mutual aversion 30.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Original Game Storyline

In the storyline Gu Yuan remembers, Xiao Chen is the male protagonist and Princess Huai’an is the female protagonist. Their eventual alliance is central to Qi Yueli’s defeat; Huai’an helps the Qingzhou heir kill her sister 3 7 14.

Xiao Chen originally obtains the Mo Clan Mechanism Book from Meixiang and gives it to the King of Mozhou, securing Mozhou’s support for Qingzhou. Gu Yuan disrupts this development by becoming Meixiang’s sworn elder brother and taking possession of the jade box containing the book 27.

Other remembered developments include Ning Yan becoming the protagonist’s life-and-death brother and Hong Ni and Lü Luo dying in the final battle against Qi Yueli. These are events of the original plot, not outcomes already reached in the altered story 6 30.

Proposed Marriage to Huai’an

The empress dowager seeks an imperial decree betrothing Huai’an to Xiao Chen during the provincial heirs’ visit for the Heavenly Longevity Festival. Huai’an rejects the match so strongly that she asks Gu Yuan to castrate him; Gu Yuan refuses and directs her to Qi Yueli instead 14.

Gu Yuan interprets the marriage as part of Qingzhou’s rebellion preparations: the princess and empress dowager would provide political legitimacy for a campaign against the empress. Qi Yueli agrees to cancel the match, disrupting his expectation that it will bring the original leads together 14 15 16.

Before leaving Qingzhou, Xiao Chen is told about the intended marriage by his father. Winning Huai’an’s heart remains one of his objectives upon reaching the capital 30.

Journey to Qi Capital

Xiao Chen travels with Hong Ni and Lü Luo. Masked attackers ambush his carriage, but Hong Ni kills them without his needing to step outside. He suspects the attack was deliberately arranged and continues toward the capital 25.

At the reception, he exchanges distant greetings with Gu Yuan and faces an immediate challenge from Lu Zhaoming. Lu Yunshu intervenes before the two heirs fight 30.

Defeat at the Capital Gates

When Huai’an offers her jade pendant as a sparring prize, Xiao Chen challenges all seven other heirs simultaneously, then invites Gu Yuan to join them. Gu Yuan instead declares that he will fight all eight 31.

Xiao Chen waits while Gu Yuan defeats Lu Zhaoming and the six remaining heirs. Lü Luo advises him that defeating the eventual victor will still secure the fame he wants 32.

His Fifth Grade cultivation, White Tiger Howling at Heaven Art, and Heavenly Martial Clone all fail against Gu Yuan. After destroying the clone, Gu Yuan beats him helpless and repels Lü Luo’s Third Grade intervention 33.

Upon awakening, Xiao Chen orders Hong Ni to kneel and has Lü Luo strike her, leaving her badly injured outside the city. He enters the capital with Lü Luo’s support, while Lu Yunshu sends Lu Ling to treat Hong Ni 34.

Mechanism Book Scheme and Suspicions

Xiao Chen subsequently directs Hong Ni and Lü Luo to approach Meixiang and steal the Mo Clan Mechanism Book 45.

At the same time, Hong Ni begins questioning her loyalty after receiving a letter alleging that Xiao Chen arranged the Mu Clan massacre to make her serve him. The allegation differs from Gu Yuan’s account, which identifies the King of Qingzhou as responsible for her family’s destruction 35 45.

Both attendants later come under scrutiny because they visited Jiaozhou’s heir, Long Ye, before his unexplained death. Gu Yuan suspects Qingzhou’s companions supplied him with a sorcery medium, but the provided account does not establish Xiao Chen’s direct responsibility for the killing 46 47 50.

Relationships

• Xiao Ye — Father and King of Qingzhou. After Xiao Chen’s defeat, he worries that his son’s damaged reputation and the blocked marriage will undermine their arrangements in Qi Capital 37.
• Gu Yuan — Rival whose system identifies them as naturally opposed. Gu Yuan’s overwhelming victory turns Xiao Chen’s intended public triumph into humiliation 30 31 33.
• Princess Huai’an — Intended marriage partner and courtship target. She rejects the arrangement and openly cheers for Gu Yuan during their fight 14 30 33.
• Hong Ni — Childhood attendant and Third Grade deathsworn. Her devotion begins to waver as she investigates the destruction of her family 30 45.
• Lü Luo — Childhood attendant and Third Grade deathsworn. She advises him during the contest, attempts to rescue him from Gu Yuan, and carries out his punishment of Hong Ni 30 32 33 34.
• Lu Zhaoming — Hostile rival from Shuzhou who repeatedly seeks to test Xiao Chen’s strength; their provinces have a longstanding grudge 29 30 31.
• Ning Yan — Acquaintance who welcomes him to Qi Capital; remembered by Gu Yuan as his future life-and-death brother in the original storyline 6 30.