Duan Zhixing is fictionalised as a character in the
wuxia novels
The Legend of the Condor Heroes and
The Return of the Condor Heroes by
Jin Yong. In the novels, Duan Zhixing was the ruler of Dali and one of the "Five Greats", the five most powerful martial artists in the
wulin (martial artists' community), alongside
Wang Chongyang,
Huang Yaoshi,
Ouyang Feng and
Hong Qigong. His nickname was "Southern Emperor" () and his most powerful skill is the Yiyang Finger (), which allows him to project streams of energy from his fingers. He also learnt the First Heaven Skill (), a
neigong technique, from Wang Chongyang in exchange for teaching the latter the Yiyang Finger. When the events of the first novel take place, Duan Zhixing has abdicated and become a Buddhist monk known as "Reverend Yideng" (). He makes his first appearance when the protagonists
Guo Jing and
Huang Rong seek help from him after Huang is critically wounded, and he uses his immense
neigong to heal Huang of her internal injuries. Towards the end of the novel, he shows up again to subdue the villainous Qiu Qianren, whom he saves from death and takes as an apprentice to reform him. Yideng makes brief appearances in the second novel. By then, Dali has been conquered by the
Mongol Empire as part of the
Mongol conquest of China. Yideng appears in Passionless Valley to help the protagonists
Yang Guo and
Xiaolongnü deal with the villains Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi, and briefly participates in the
Battle of Xiangyang against the Mongols. At the end of the novel, he retains his position as one of the "Five Greats" in the
wulin but his nickname changes to "Southern Monk" (). ==Notes==