Mao Qiuyu

Mao Qiuyu is a senior Orthodox cleric whose career joins education, church government, and battlefield command. First introduced as the highly respected principal of Heavenly Dao Academy, he later becomes one of the Li Palace's Prefects, supports the succession chosen by the old Pope, enters the Divine Domain, and fights in the final campaign against the demons. (Chapters 46, 237, 725, 1063–1065, and 1155)

Biography

The Capital and the Orthodox Academy

Mao Qiuyu attends the Ivy Festival as one of the capital's most eminent academy principals, a presence weightier than the occasion normally requires. When Luoluo's clash with the Tianhai clan threatens to become a political incident, his protection prevents her opponents from using their status to dictate the outcome. He later shields the palace steps with pure true essence during the southern delegation's challenge, demonstrating that his authority rests on formidable cultivation as well as office. (Chapters 46, 48, 66, and 74)

At the Grand Examination, Mao studies Chen Changsheng's unusual Purification and divine sense without rushing to a partisan conclusion. His restraint becomes clearer when Zhuang Huanyu, his own academy's most celebrated student, loses: Mao accepts the result calmly but leaves displeased when church officials continue manipulating the competition against the Orthodox Academy. The death of his junior Xun Mei later breaks that composure; his trembling sleeves and tears reveal the personal loyalty beneath his ceremonious manner. (Chapters 130, 144–146, and 204–208)

The Capital's Change of Rule

After becoming a Prefect, Mao repeatedly acts as the Li Palace's stabilizing representative. He and Daoist Siyuan monitor the All-School Martial Exhibition so rivalry does not become uncontrolled bloodshed, and at the Bridge of Helplessness he refuses to declare a victor before Chen and Xu Yourong have actually fought. When Chen is endangered at Mount Han, Mao immediately rushes toward him with an Orthodox treasure, treating protection of the designated successor as an institutional duty even when obstructed by the Heavenstones. (Chapters 237, 461–472, 512–520, and 565–571)

That duty becomes decisive on the night of the coup. Mao and An Lin carry a luminous Li Palace pestle to reach the wounded Chen and help remove him from Zhou Prison, then Mao joins the old Pope at the Mausoleum of Books. Facing Han Qing, he burns true essence and cultivation despite knowing that the defense might kill him. He ultimately departs with the Pope and continues obeying his orders, making his allegiance to the established succession clearer than any attachment to the falling imperial faction. (Chapters 622–623, 656–658, 672, 677, and 682)

After the Divine Empress

Mao helps convert the old Pope's final decision into a functioning new order. He carries the Divine Crown for Chen's coronation, supports the dying Pope, assumes temporary responsibility for a Li Palace hall, and works with Linghai Zhiwang to purge clerics who abused the Cinnabar Pill system. These actions expand his role from protector to administrator: he must preserve the Orthodoxy while correcting misconduct committed under its authority. (Chapters 725–750 and 803)

Years of seclusion culminate in Mao crossing into the Divine Domain, an advance that alters the balance among the continent's supreme experts. During the northern campaign, he and Huai Ren kill a group of demon experts, wound a duke, and hold off two Demon Generals. The exertion leaves Mao heavily injured and forces him back to Mount Han, but he remains active enough to inspect its defensive array with Daoist Siyuan while recovering. (Chapters 946, 1013, 1063–1065, 1126, 1141–1145, and 1155–1156)

Appearance and personality

Mao is an older man with a long beard, and the movement of his broad sleeves repeatedly marks both his presence and his cultivation. His title, “Two Sleeved Breeze,” evokes the clean, unencumbered bearing expected of an upright official. Even in dangerous confrontations he is usually calm and solemn, allowing a raised sleeve or tightened expression to carry more force than overt display. (Chapters 74, 78, 204, and 656–658)

He is cautious in judgment but not passive. Mao watches contests closely, resists premature conclusions, and intervenes when rules or lives are genuinely at risk. His grief for Xun Mei, loyalty to the old Pope, and willingness to burn away his own cultivation show that institutional discipline does not erase personal feeling; instead, he subjects that feeling to obligations he believes preserve the Orthodoxy. (Chapters 144–146, 206–208, 512–520, and 656–682)

Abilities and cultivation

Mao begins the story among the continent's countable elites, close to the highest threshold while serving as an academy principal. He later reaches the peak before withdrawing into seclusion and successfully entering the Divine Domain. That achievement makes him capable of confronting demon nobles and Generals, but it does not remove ordinary costs: the northern campaign leaves him badly wounded and in need of prolonged recovery. (Chapters 46, 66, 946, 1013, 1063–1065, and 1141–1155)

Two Sleeved Breeze

Mao channels exceptionally pure and powerful true essence through his sleeves. A light lift can spread a protective layer over a broad flight of steps, while a sweeping motion can strike several enemies across an area. The technique's exact forms are not exhaustively described, but its recurring imagery joins defense, movement, and force projection to the calm control for which Mao is known. (Chapters 74, 656–658, and 1141)

Orthodox treasures and defensive work

As a Prefect, Mao is entrusted with major Li Palace treasures. He carries a luminous pestle while rushing to protect Chen during the coup, and later guards a hall treasure as part of the capital's defenses. These artifacts reinforce his true essence and connect him to larger Orthodox arrays, but the corpus does not identify every treasure's separate name or full mechanism. He also supervises the strategic array at Mount Han after leaving the front. (Chapters 622–623, 803, 1020, and 1156)

Power progression

Relationships

• Chen Changsheng: Mao first evaluates Chen as an examiner, then repeatedly protects him as the old Pope's chosen successor. Carrying the Divine Crown at Chen's coronation and later serving under him turn that guarded assessment into formal allegiance. (Chapters 130–146, 520, 565, 622–623, and 725–726)
• The Pope: Mao follows the old Pope during the coup and is prepared to sacrifice his cultivation at the Mausoleum of Books. He executes the Pope's subsequent instructions and physically supports him at the end of his life. (Chapters 656–682 and 725–726)
• Linghai Zhiwang: The two Prefects often act together despite their different temperaments, from public Orthodox duties to the purge of corrupt clergy and the northern campaign. Their partnership makes them complementary instruments of church authority. (Chapters 512–571, 749–750, 1013, and 1156)
• Zhuang Huanyu: As principal, Mao recognizes Zhuang Huanyu's ability and receives congratulations for his progress. He nevertheless accepts the student's examination defeat without attempting to overturn it, placing fair judgment above academy pride. (Chapters 130, 144–146)
• Xun Mei: Xun Mei is Mao's junior under the same teacher. Mao follows his final challenge at the Mausoleum of Books and openly weeps when Xun Mei dies, one of the clearest breaches in his usual composure. (Chapters 204–208)
• Daoist Siyuan: Mao and Siyuan jointly monitor dangerous public events and later inspect Mount Han's array. Their repeated cooperation reflects shared responsibility for the Orthodoxy's security. (Chapters 461–472, 633, and 1156)

Items

• Divine Crown: Mao presents the crown to the old Pope during Chen Changsheng's coronation, serving as the senior attendant who helps formalize the transfer of religious authority. (Chapter 725)
• Luminous Li Palace pestle: Mao and An Lin carry this important Orthodox treasure while rescuing Chen during the coup. Its light and power assist their intervention, but its full capabilities and individual name are not specified. (Chapters 622–623)