He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan' Ages
Okay so when figuring out how old He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan are it's kinda up in the air.
All that you can find when you search is that says is that they're older than 200+ years. This leads people to believe their around 200 years old but with further searching you find that there are inconsistencies with this.
However, upon reading the books and examining all the evidence, I personally think they fall in between 400-600 years for a few reasons.
(Which doesn't contradict the previous statement)
First the Water and Wind masters are two of the most prominent and powerful gods, both elemental which are important aspects of the heavens. They have high status and an overwhelming amount of texts, temples, and plays about them across regions.
This takes time to grow, while being elemental masters would probably help them move up the ranks quickly, it still takes time. Especially Shi Wudu who is the one of the highest ranking gods in Heaven. In book 4 he's beginning his third heavenlv tribulation, which are rare.
In the heavens 200 years is like a baby. Influence can sway, and power can come and go, quickly changing. Given there influence, power, and stable foundation it's safe to say that they have been around for a while.
(Also Shi Wudu is friends with Pei Ming and Ling Wen two of the most powerful and older, while still prominent, gods in the heavens)
Secondly, is He Xuan's lifetime.
First there was his mortal life. Upon dying (around age 17-20), he would have needed to gain strength as a ghost. We see how this take Hua Chung some time to fully develop (sped up by the anger he felt).
We don't know when He Xuan discovered the truth, some say he may have used Hua Chung’s connections and thats how he got in debt, it's also aluded to that Jun Wu may have passed it to him as a way to get rid of Shi Wudu.
He probably spent some time snooping on Shi Wudu and trying to piece things together. After becoming fully formed he would have had to gain more strength and then make his way to Mt. Tanglu. He spent 12 years there before he won and was born a calamity.
Upon becoming a supreme, he then had to establish a domain, becoming a ghost king, creating his Demon Lair, and laying claim to the south sea, and beginning a beef with the Water Master.
[Hua Cheng also tells us how he hunted down and killed some people, Shi Wudu used these as examples on his false documents]
When he consumes the Revered of empty Words is unknown. Whether he did this before becoming a supreme or after we're not sure.
Regardless of the timeline of events:
- He had to discover the whole truth about what happened to him and how. If he didn't already know.
- And then hunt down and consume The Reverend of Empty Words. Along with other ghosts.
[ I personally believe this had to have happened after he became a calamity as he would have needed immense power to absorb The Revered since it is a creation/clone of Jun Wu]
- He then had to orchestrate a plan.
- He sent out dozens of clones to spy in the heavens to gather info
- And also find someone who was going to ascend and figure out how to change places.
- Then follow them so at the exact moment of ascension he could switch places with the real Earth Master - (Ming Yi, who he kept prisoner for like years upon years).
- Then begin the process of befriending Shi Qingxuan, while also fulfilling his duties as the Earth Master.
- He probably also put off the revenge plan and kept remaking it as he actually became friends with Shi Qingxuan.
- It also is found upon searching online that He Xuan was impersonating the Earth Master for centuries - one of the inconsistencies mentioned earlier.
Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi have what appears to be a friendship and relationship that is built on years, not just decades, but of centuries.
Jun Wu sent Ming Yi (He Xuan) to spy on Hua Cheng, its believed a minimum of ten years but possibly for a few decades.
Jun Wu tells Xi Lian in book 2, that Hua Cheng has a spy in the heaven for years - which is vague.
The other supporting evidence is:
- The ceremony in He Xuan’s home town The Blood-Soaked Fire Social is an annual ceremony based of the legend of He Xuan.
- Plus Mount Tonglu only erupts ever few centuries and Jun Wu tells Xi Lian in book 5, that the last few times the heavens have been able to block the entrances, to stop ghosts from entering.
- And Hua Cheng talks about how Black Water will sleep for months at a time.
While you can argue this all can fit into 200 years it doesn't seem as reasonable.
So in conclusion, either He Xuan is the most productive man alive to get alll of that done in 200 hundred years.
Or I think that the 400-600 year time line fits He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan much better.
