Xiao Hongchen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Hongchen Household and Early Training

Xiao grows up under Jing Hongchen’s supervision alongside Meng Hongchen. Before academy enrollment, their grandfather prioritizes cultivation and Soul Tool theory over extensive practical development. Xiao nevertheless becomes the main explainer when the three children study introductory engineering texts together 9 20.

His reunion with Bao Liang begins with a dispute over twenty meat buns bought three years earlier. Bao Liang demands two thousand Gold Soul Coins through an extravagant interest calculation and a claim for mental anguish, prompting Xiao’s refusal to surrender his money 4.

After overhearing that Meng’s cold poison could threaten her life by age twenty-five, Xiao begins cultivating frantically. He wants to become strong enough to protect her and help Bao Liang obtain the immortal herbs needed for her treatment 16.

First Combat and Soul Tool Research

Xiao initiates his first Soul Fight with Bao Liang because he believes Soul Engineers must learn actual combat rather than merely operate weapons. Bao Liang systematically destroys his equipment, forcing him to concede. Xiao rejects an offered draw and promises a rematch after rebuilding his arsenal 17.

The defeat drives him into late-night research, culminating in his unusually advanced handmade Soul Cores. He then helps Bao Liang troubleshoot a magnetic attraction bomb; Jing Hongchen assists them in producing Level 2 and Level 3 versions before sealing their laboratory to make them concentrate on cultivation 18 22.

During their forest expedition, Xiao provides economical rear-line fire support and protects Meng’s flank. He later agrees to act as bait for a metal-attributed Soul Beast, chooses the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear for his Third Soul Ring, and receives its External Soul Bone 26 27 28.

Forging and Academy Enrollment

Kong Deming accepts Xiao as his disciple after Bao Liang’s forging ideas reveal a new direction for Soul Tool development. Xiao’s ability to perceive metal’s microscopic structure makes him uniquely suited to testing those ideas, even among the Level 9 Soul Engineers present 39 40.

After demonstrating Hundred Refinement, Xiao continues into Thousand Refinement. Two and a half years later, he enters the academy through special admission and shares a three-floor villa with Meng and Bao Liang. He occupies the first floor and joins Class A, which accommodates students above level fifty 43 45 52.

Continental Tournament

Selected as a core member of the Sun Moon team, Xiao becomes its most visible round-robin fighter. Fighting without Battle Armor, he defeats a seven-person team with one volley from 128 floating cannons. He continues sweeping team and individual matches, using Milk Bottles to replenish Soul Power, though repeated performances eventually leave him fatigued 69 80.

Against Mingdu Academy, he slows the match to demonstrate coordinated Soul Tool tactics and explains how their energy flows should connect. During the final against Shrek, his Martial Soul amplifies the team’s turrets, making him a priority target for Ma Xiaotao 96 110.

When Meng later surrenders under Ma Xiaotao’s attack, Xiao immediately shields her with his body and fully released Martial Soul while Bao Liang intercepts the attacker. The Sun Moon team wins the championship and returns to a mass welcome outside Mingdu 119 121.

Later Research

Xiao continues refining his combat engineering, eventually incorporating Dark Gold Dreadclaw into massed cannon fire. His experiments also cause household mishaps: one destroys the residence’s Soul Guidance Lamps and disrupts Jing Hongchen’s and Meng’s experiments 150 164.

Appearance

• Eyes: Differently colored blue and green eyes, repeatedly emphasized during his confrontations with Bao Liang 52 53.
• Early build: Notably thin despite already possessing two Soul Rings 10.
• Martial Soul possession: Golden light surrounds him, while his left-arm External Soul Bone shines dark gold 52 53.
• Academy clothing: Wears the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy uniform 52.

Personality

Xiao is proud of his talent, competitive, and fond of presenting himself as an exceptional young master. He enjoys public displays of overwhelming firepower, privately finding the tournament audience’s astonishment addictive. His confidence can still falter: Huo Yuhao’s simulated hundred-thousand-year rings briefly unsettle him before Bao Liang exposes the bluff 27 73 80.

His pride does not prevent him from acknowledging defeat or working hard to improve. He refuses to call his first loss a draw and responds by studying deep into the night. His ambition also has a protective purpose: after learning about Meng’s condition, he intensifies his cultivation and quietly compiles Soul Power-control notes to help her develop a self-created skill 16 17 18 23.

He often hides affection behind teasing or embarrassment. He turns away when thanking Bao Liang for helping Meng, yet gives practical assistance, keeps dangerous abilities secret, and repeatedly stops Bao Liang from causing scenes with his whip 21 22 70 121.

Abilities & Skills

Three-Legged Golden Toad

His Martial Soul specializes in metal perception and manipulation, later developing Ultimate Gold 25 40 45.

• Metal-rich environments and battlefields are especially suitable for its Mimicry Cultivation 25.
• Its metal sense can distinguish microscopic grain arrangements and hidden impurities, enabling precise forging 40.
• Ultimate Gold gives his Soul Tool attacks exceptional penetration, overwhelming opponents’ defensive equipment during academy matches 52.
• During the Shrek final, removing his Martial Soul’s amplification would reduce the team turrets’ power by at least thirty percent 110.

Soul Skills

Counterattack Defense

Gold Condensation gains an additional defensive function through the combination of his Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear ring and right-paw External Soul Bone 28.

• Creates a dark-gold defense comparable in toughness to the source beast, with damage reflection 28.
• Initially triggers a Dark Gold Dreadclaw counterattack after sustaining sixteen attacks of any kind 28.
• Allows him to control the counterattack’s range and form; further cultivation and Soul Bone growth can lower its activation requirement 28.
• By level fifty-two, the shield is described as having eight uses with two hits per use, while the counterattacking claws’ number and range have doubled 45.
• In forest training, his barrier withstands an eight-thousand-year Soul Beast’s charge while Gold Boiling reflects damage 32.

Gold Resonance

An ultimate innate ability acquired through his Martial Soul’s evolution to Ultimate Gold 54.

• Makes all metal within one hundred meters resonate; more metal produces a stronger effect 54.
• Coordinates nearby Soul Tools so they activate rapidly together 54.
• Produces shockwaves capable of warping space and redirecting Bao Liang’s punch 54.

Artillery and Combat Engineering

Xiao’s chosen specialty is suppressing enemies through overwhelming cannon fire 19.

• Forms temporary Soul Tools around prepared Core Arrays instead of assembling every component beforehand 80.
• Can deploy 128 floating cannons within a few breaths; a larger 256-cannon formation takes approximately thirty seconds in his academy duel 53 80.
• Adjusts formations for different opponents and uses Milk Bottles to sustain consecutive battles 80.
• Can fire hundreds of Level 6 piercing shells carrying Dark Gold Dreadclaw 150.
• Prolonged fighting remains exhausting: continuous forest combat slows his attacks, and the tournament’s repeated matches eventually fatigue him 27 80.

Forging

His precise metal perception makes him central to the development of improved Soul Tool materials 40 43.

• Completes Hundred Refinement of Heavy Silver and later achieves consistent Thousand Refinement with three feet of spiritual light 43 45.
• Co-develops the Ripple Resonance Method with Bao Liang and helps advance Ji Juechen’s sword toward Spirit Forging 58.
• Can detect whether Battle Armor’s metal and Soul Tool matrix connect seamlessly, making him the first prototype’s ideal tester 69.
• His Ultimate Gold evolution initially damages his forging aptitude. Absorbing the Three-Legged Golden Toad ring restores compatibility, allowing reliable Level 8 Soul Tool production 105 115.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Right-paw External Soul Bone — From his first Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear; produces five blade-shaped claws and grants Dark Gold Dreadclaw 28.
• Full left-arm External Soul Bone — Covers his left palm, arm, and shoulder blade; helps protect him from Bao Liang’s attacks 45 53.
• Three-Legged Golden Toad torso bone — A 71,000-year-old Soul Bone obtained alongside his Sixth Soul Ring 70.
• Prototype Battle Armor — Raises his strength by nearly a whole tier, letting him match a level-sixty-nine Power Attack Soul Emperor without Ultimate Gold 69.
• Full-body training Soul Tool — Bright-silver, close-fitting protective gear made by Jing Hongchen, with an initial weight of four hundred jin 13.
• Storage Soul Tool — Stores weapons, Core Arrays, and other supplies; his early version is worn on his wrist 17 53.
• Early combat arsenal — Includes a ray gun, armguard, shield, spear, dagger, and throwing darts; Bao Liang destroys his available weapons during their first duel 17.
• Milk Bottles — Replenish Soul Power during his tournament sweeps 80.
• Red Dust Protection — Jing Hongchen’s Level 9 defensive Soul Tool, entrusted to him for the bait operation; automatically blocks a potentially fatal blow 27.

Relationships

• Meng Hongchen — Younger sister. Her cold poison becomes a major reason for his pursuit of strength. He researches control techniques for her and physically shields her during the tournament 16 23 119.
• Bao Liang — Childhood friend, rival, research partner, and Meng’s fiancé. Their constant teasing accompanies shared cultivation, bomb development, forging research, and repeated sparring 4 13 22 58 123 150.
• Jing Hongchen — Grandfather, guardian, and early instructor. Supplies his training equipment, supervises Soul Hunting, and supports his engineering ambitions 9 13 27.
• Kong Deming — Master and childhood idol. Accepts him as a disciple and obtains forging references for his research 39 41.
• Ji Juechen — Teammate and forging collaborator. Xiao recognizes the unusual union of Ji’s spirit and sword, explains the risks of reforging it, and helps develop it further 58.
• Ye Yulin — His grandfather’s longtime friend, addressed as Grandpa Ye. Xiao admires his famous high-altitude Soul Tools 18.

Notable Quotes

“You can have my life, but you won't get my money!” 4

“We can't go onto a battlefield someday knowing nothing but how to hide behind a gun emplacement and press a switch, can we?” 17

“Draw, my foot! A win is a win!” 17

“Just like Grandpa, I'll suppress everything with the strongest firepower. Whoever the enemy is, I'll blast them with a cannon. If one shot isn't enough, I'll fire another.” 19