The stepwise metallogenic model established through theoretical innovation in the Jiaodong area has been successfully applied to deep exploration of the Zhaoping Fault Zone and other relevant areas. This work has achieved major prospecting breakthroughs and set a benchmark for deep gold exploration across China. As an important gold production base of the country, the Xiaoqinling area has long seen slow progress in deep prospecting activities.Comparative analysis of basic geological data indicates that both the Xiaoqinling and Jiaodong areas are located on the margin of the North China Craton. They share similar macroscopic tectonic settings and have undergone intense multi-stage magmatism, possessing great potential for deep gold mineralization. In recent years, funded by the Shaanxi Provincial Geological Exploration Fund, our project team has carried out a new round of deep prospecting supported by integrated geophysical techniques and made important progress.Through detailed interpretation of gravity-magnetic anomalies and wide-field electromagnetic data, this paper clarifies that the deep structure of the Xunmadao Fault in the Xiaoqinling area is highly similar to that in the Jiaodong area, showing an overall stepwise spatial pattern with alternating steep and gentle fault segments. Guided by the Trinity prospecting prediction theory, the deep steep-gentle transition zones of the fault are identified as the optimal metallogenic positions, and four deep prospecting targets are delineated accordingly.Subsequent deep drilling has successfully revealed altered rock-type gold orebodies within the predicted targets, with a true thickness of 10 meters and a maximum gold grade of 13.4 g/t. This study verifies the existence of the stepwise metallogenic regularity in the Xunmadao Fault Zone. The findings not only realize a major breakthrough in regional deep gold prospecting, but also provide a valuable reference for geological research and mineral exploration in areas with similar tectonic features.