Mu Tianmiao.

Mu Tianmiao established the Order and sits as its Shadow Sovereign, heading the body in which Soul works as a Shadow Edict.

Beyond being a martial artist without equal, he judged people more sharply still. Over four decades, masters arrived one after the next, and his rules ended up governing the Wulin as a whole. By his own stated creed the Order is only the Order, with no second title: it slays the people no one else is able to slay, rescues the people no one else is able to rescue, and weighs good and evil on a single scale.

Mu Xiaokui is his daughter, and Soul and Zuo Shang are both his adopted sons.

A net over the Wulin, begun by three

Three people founded the Order. In a matter of decades it spread like a net over the Wulin, and people outside still cannot tell how it really operates.

Mó Yuan against Lóng Mingyu in a duel

Mó Yuan recalls him from long ago, when Mó Yuan was locked in a duel with Lóng Mingyu, the finest of the Lóng Clan; within ten paces of the pair, sword intent was so thick that weaker masters dropped dead on the spot. Mu Tianmiao strolled into the middle of it and courteously requested that they halt. Even at that point his sword could stand against either man; the Order alone was still young.

How the Bastion of Mó and the Lóng Clan collapsed

About thirty years prior to the story, the Order destroyed the Bastion of Mó, striking from inside and outside alongside the Lóng Clan. In under a month, it aimed a series of plots at the Lóng too, spreading discord until the clan turned on itself, broke into minor houses and disappeared from the Wulin. In Mó Yuan's own words, Mu Tianmiao confined him in a place that nobody can get to.

Mu Xiaokui, Soul and Zuo Shang

His one daughter was Mu Xiaokui, and he adopted Soul and Zuo Shang as sons. Xiaokui adored swordplay from an early age. While her father discussed his ideals, she was allowed to make up pretexts to pull Soul away to train, leaving Zuo Shang behind to keep the father company.

Soul received a warning from him: the Sha-Chi in his blood from birth is easily provoked by outside forces, and anger could make it turn on him. He also told Soul of Soulrend Cliff, where masters lost their minds and butchered each other as a bell rang in tune with the Sha-Chi within them. Zuo Shang wanted to know the origin of the Sha-Chi Soul carried from birth, but all he got in reply was that both boys had extraordinary talent, that their bloodline could not be ordinary, and that an answer might still turn up, though it should not be hurried.

Spoilers: his murder and what followed

Mu Tianmiao was killed, and according to the Order it was Soul who did it. Zuo Shang assumed the seat and dispatched masters and Shadow Wardens to track Soul down. When Mó Yuan asks whether the former Sovereign died at his hand, Soul replies that it was complicated, but yes.

With Zuo Shang in charge, the supreme token, which had commanded the Order in Mu Tianmiao's time, no longer held any power; Mu Xiaokui passed it on to Soul.

Fairness is Mu Tianmiao's own creed. He keeps to the rules that the Wulin acknowledges and declines to pit good against evil. In his voiced lines he tells a newcomer to regard the Order as home, and he talks of creating a fresh future for the Wulin, soaked in blood as it is.

Mó Yuan describes a harder figure: one whose cruelty surpassed his sword skill a hundredfold and who calculated each word. He was polite even in standing between two duelists.

The Tianmiao Sword is the name of his blade. Following Soul Tempering, the Wild Oriole Blade was joined to it, and the combination is named Tianmiao · Wild Oriole. With the long blade holding the opponent's weapon down, the short one darts through the gap. The full strength of the Tianmiao Sword has yet to be brought out.

Addressed to a newcomer

“Now that you've joined the Order, think of this place as your home.”

Spoken by Mu Tianmiao.

“The Order has no shortage of talent.”

Spoken by Mu Tianmiao.

Regarding Soul's strength

“A mysterious power lies within you that has been restless since the day you were born.”

Spoken by Mu Tianmiao.