Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Soul Forging Village; Xiao family 2 3
Occupation/Role	Secret pre-awakening cultivator of the Burning Art 2
Status	Alive 3
First Appearance	Prologue 1

Background / History

Xiao Yan appears in recurring dreams of a boundless, lifeless plain, where he enters an ancient stone hall lined with pillars bearing different powerful flames. At its end, he touches a colossal stone statue, witnessing the defeat and sealing of a blood-haired man who calls him “Xiao Yan.” A phantom bearing the same flame mark as Xiao Yan then explodes into light and transmits the Burning Art, Eight Extremes Collapse, and Flame Splitting Wave Ruler into his mind. The transfer overwhelms him with pain until he loses consciousness. 1

In his current life, Xiao Yan lives in Soul Forging Village with his father Xiao Zun, mother Qin Yu, and younger sister Xiao Ling. He is unusually quiet and mature for a child, rarely interacting with children his age or troubling his parents. 2

Before arriving in this world, Xiao Yan lived on Earth. After his biological parents died, he and his older sister were placed in an orphanage and later adopted by a couple whose home became the source of their suffering. His sister eventually died by suicide; consumed by despair and fear, Xiao Yan followed her into death after taking poison. 2

The visions from the prologue continue to appear in his dreams after his reincarnation. Drawn by the Burning Art received through them, he begins cultivating it alone at night near the village entrance. Unlike ordinary people, who can only perceive soul power after awakening a martial soul at age six, Xiao Yan can sense and absorb ambient energy before his awakening. 2

At age six, Xiao Yan goes with Xiao Zun to Soul Forging Village’s Martial Soul Hall to undergo the annual Spirit Awakening ceremony alongside six other children. 3

Appearance

Xiao Yan is a young boy with an appearance marked by unusual hair, scars, and a distinctive flame mark.

• Silver-white hair. 2
• Frost-white skin. 2
• Several conspicuous scars across his body. 2
• A flame mark on his brow, identical to the mark borne by the phantom in his dreams. 1

Personality

Xiao Yan is quiet, self-contained, and notably mature for his age. Since infancy, he has rarely cried or behaved like an ordinary child, often staring into space or muttering to himself. 2

The trauma of his previous life continues to affect him, yet he remains resilient when confronting frightening visions and the pain caused by the inheritance of flame arts. His curiosity also outweighs his caution: despite distrusting the inexplicable Burning Art, he tests and cultivates it in secret. 1 2

He is deeply protective of Xiao Ling, indulging her and quietly caring for her when she sleeps. 2

Abilities & Skills

Burning Art

Xiao Yan cultivates the Burning Art, a technique transmitted through the light phantom in his dreams. 1 2

• Can perceive ambient energy before awakening a martial soul. 2
• Can absorb that energy and use it, although Xiao Yan is unsure whether it is this world’s soul power. 2
• Cultivates in secrecy at night, usually while seated in a tree outside Soul Forging Village. 2
• Its origin is tied to his recurring visions and the flame-marked phantom. 1 2

Inherited Flame Arts

The phantom’s transmission also grants Xiao Yan knowledge of additional techniques. 1

• Eight Extremes Collapse — received as part of the mental inheritance; no use has yet been shown. 1
• Flame Splitting Wave Ruler — received as part of the mental inheritance; no use has yet been shown. 1

Physical Agility

Despite his young age, Xiao Yan can quietly leave his home at night, vault over the courtyard wall, climb a large tree, and return before morning. 2

Relationships

• Xiao Zun — Father. Xiao Zun helps care for Xiao Yan during his fever and brings him to the Martial Soul Hall for Spirit Awakening. 2 3
• Qin Yu — Mother. She nurses Xiao Yan through a fever and recognizes that he has been unusually quiet and well-behaved since infancy. 2
• Xiao Ling — Younger sister. Xiao Yan dotes on her, promises to protect her, and cares for her while she sleeps; she idolizes him and wants to stay close to him. 2
• Blood-haired man — A defeated, resentful figure encountered in Xiao Yan’s vision. The man claims that the Soul Clan’s thousand-year plan was defeated by “Xiao Yan” before being sealed within a cocoon of fire. 1
• Flame-marked phantom — A faceless phantom with a brow mark identical to Xiao Yan’s. It transmits the Burning Art and other flame arts to him before disappearing. 1

Story Role / Major Arcs

Flame Hall Vision

Xiao Yan explores the ancient hall of strange flames, activates the giant stone statue, witnesses the blood-haired man’s sealing, and receives an inheritance of flame arts from the phantom. 1

Life in Soul Forging Village

As a child in Soul Forging Village, Xiao Yan recovers from a fever, reveals his close bond with Xiao Ling, and begins secretly practicing the Burning Art acquired through his dreams. 2

Spirit Awakening

Having reached age six, Xiao Yan attends the village’s Spirit Awakening ceremony at the Martial Soul Hall. 3