NovelPantheon

Xu Mu

Master Monk of the Way of EmptinessswordsmanFive-Eyed Temple

Xu Mu is the Buddhist name taken by Yu Mujian, a Yu family swordsman whose youthful defeat by Li Tongya shapes his later pursuit of a concealed killing stroke. His return to Moongaze Lake turns that old lesson into a violent effort to sever his worldly attachments. (Chapters 144,761–764)

Biography

A lesson concealed for decades

As Yu Mujian, he challenges Li Tongya during a gathering of the lake’s families and becomes frustrated when his sword attacks are easily deflected. An insult to the Qingsui Sword Immortal prompts Tongya to strike back, forcing Yu Xiaogui to intervene. Tongya takes Mujian’s sword as a punishment but tempers the humiliation with advice: sharpness must be controlled and a blade’s strength lies in concealment. Mujian later brings an apology and market invitation to the Lis, moved by Li Xuanxuan’s flattering account of Tongya’s opinion. He leaves his family, travels north to fight devil cultivators and eventually enters Buddhism, continuing to ponder the lesson for decades. (Chapters 144,147,761–762)

Returning as Xu Mu of Five-Eyed Temple, he admits using cultivators to gather information and reveals his former identity to Xijun and Xuanxuan. Claiming readiness to reclaim his sword, he challenges Tongya’s successor and follows Xijun onto the lake. Ximing’s suppression and Xijun’s prepared water formation force him to reveal golden defenses, illusions and the empowered True Form of Suxikong. He finally draws the blade he has concealed throughout the fight, unleashing the accumulated stroke to sever his past. Xijun answers with Qingche Sword and its ancestral sword image; Xu Mu breaks apart, leaving Copper Cache severed. The Five-Eyed Merciful One recognizes his death and the failure of the True Form to reincarnate. (Chapters 761–765)

Appearance and personality

He first returns as a clean-faced monk with a hoarse voice, then grows hair and takes on the broader build of his prime before fighting. The True Form of Suxikong gives him a golden body, four arms and four eyes. His youthful pride develops into an intense fixation on Tongya’s lesson and the culmination of his sword stroke. (Chapters 761–763)

Abilities and cultivation

Xu Mu uses white mist, golden rune defenses, a talisman-assisted escape and three sword-bearing doubles. Ximing’s Radiant Origin Pass erodes his protection, while Xijun’s perception exposes the true body among the illusions. By invoking Suxikong he manifests an empowered golden form and gains strength to push back the Pass; Xijun judges this to involve borrowed power. His concealed sword stroke reaches the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment combat force, but that comparison does not establish an exact cultivation rank. The Five-Eyed Merciful One’s estimate of Sword Essence is likewise uncertain. (Chapters 762–765)

Relationships

  • Li Tongya: Defeats and advises him; the lesson becomes his lifelong fixation. (Chapters 144,761–763)
  • Yu Xiaogui: Intervenes to save him during the youthful duel and sends him to apologize. (Chapters 144,147)
  • Li Xuanxuan: Receives his apology and recognizes him on his return. (Chapters 147,761)
  • Li Xijun: Tongya’s successor and the opponent who kills him. (Chapters 762–764)
  • Li Ximing: Suppresses him during the final battle. (Chapters 762–764)

Items

Tongya retains Mujian’s original sword until he can control Sharp Qi. Xu Mu later carries Copper Cache, forged from Yan Mountain copper and tempered with northern waters and fire. Its blade and scabbard are so seamlessly joined that his early attacks conceal the fact that the blade remains sheathed; it is broken in the final exchange. (Chapters 144,762–764)