Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Xiao Huohuo; Yan Xiao (disguise) 12 157
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Family; Jia Nan Academy; Starfall Pavilion 155 198 326
Occupation/Role	Dou Qi cultivator, alchemist, and disciple of Yao Chen 89 161
Status	Active 497
First Appearance	Mentioned as a nine-year-old Dou Qi Stage Eight prodigy 6; encountered directly in Wutan City 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dou Qi Stage Eight	6	Recognized as a nine-year-old prodigy in Wutan City. 6
Dou Qi Stage Six	12	His cultivation regresses after losing his Dou Qi Cyclone; Chen Guan identifies him at Stage Six. 12
Nine-Star Dou Master	151	Obtains the Wind Fury Dragon Flame and uses it while fighting an Iron Rock Savage Elephant. 151
Three-Star Da Dou Shi	161	Revealed to have reached Nalan Yanran's level during their Three-Year Agreement duel. 161
Temporary Dou Huang-level combat power	162	Draws upon Yao Chen's power to confront Yun Leng; this is not his permanent cultivation realm. 162 164
Eight-Star Dou King	277	Zi Yan notes that Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran are both Eight-Star Dou Kings. 277
Dou Huang	326	Returns after training at Starfall Pavilion with a Dou Huang aura. 326
Two-Star Dou Zong	381	Refines an Energy Core in the Heavenly Tomb. 381
Five-Star Dou Zong	381	Reaches Five-Star Dou Zong after ten further days of cultivation in the Heavenly Tomb. 381
Dou Venerate	392	Advances from Dou Zong to Dou Venerate over the half-year span corresponding to three years inside the Heavenly Tomb. 392

Background

Xiao Yan was celebrated in Wutan City as a child prodigy, reaching Dou Qi Stage Eight at nine years old. His standing collapses when his Dou Qi begins disappearing, leaving him the subject of public ridicule and wagers over how far his cultivation will fall. 6 12

On the day his engagement is annulled by Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan angrily establishes the Three-Year Agreement. That night, Yao Chen reveals himself as the cause of Xiao Yan's lost cultivation and accepts him as a disciple, setting Xiao Yan back on a path toward strength. 88 89

He first encounters Chen Guan in Wutan City while investigating a string of crippling attacks. Xiao Yan does not recognize Chen Guan at the time and dismisses him as too weak to be responsible; they formally reconnect years later while traveling together. 12 125

The Xiao Family is later attacked by black-robed intruders searching for an Ancient Jade. Many family members are left in an apparent state of death, while Xiao Yan's father disappears. Xiao Yan eventually learns that Cloud Mist Sect Great Elder Yun Leng led the attackers to the family. 155 158

Appearance

Xiao Yan is most often seen in black clothing with a large black ruler strapped to his back, a combination recognizable enough for Chen Guan to identify him at a distance. 151 195

• Carries the Mysterious Heavy Ruler in battle. 161
• Wore a dark ring around his neck during his early decline; Yao Chen resides within it. 12 89
• Uses disguises and the alias Yan Xiao when avoiding detection. 157

Personality

Xiao Yan is fiercely proud and reacts strongly to humiliation. Nalan Yanran's annulment drives him to make the Three-Year Agreement in anger, while the destruction of the Xiao Family turns his desire for strength into a personal vendetta. 89 158

Despite his impulsiveness, he is persistent and capable of restraint when stakes are high. He endures the Heavenly Tomb's passage despite severe injury, accepts that he cannot follow Chen Guan into the Third Layer, and continues seeking opportunities to restore the Xiao Clan. 383 365

His loyalty centers on Yao Chen and the surviving Xiao Family. He accepts assistance from Chen Guan and the Jia Ma Empire's major powers only after securing their agreement to protect and conceal the remaining Xiao clansmen. 167

Abilities & Skills

Dou Qi Cultivation

Xiao Yan rebuilds his cultivation after years of regression, progressing from the Dou Qi stage to Dou Venerate through training, Heavenly Flames, Energy Cores, and the time differential of the Heavenly Tomb. 89 381 392

• Uses the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, a Heavenly Flame ranked above the Green Lotus Core Flame. 151 152
• Rapidly advances by refining Energy Cores in the Heavenly Tomb. 381
• Pursues the Heavenly Tomb as a means to obtain strength for the Xiao Clan's future. 365

Ruler Techniques

Xiao Yan fights primarily with the Mysterious Heavy Ruler and combines it with fire-based Dou Techniques. 161

• Flame Splitting Wave Devouring Ruler — An Earth Tier Dou Technique used against Nalan Yanran during the Three-Year Agreement. 161
• Uses the ruler to fight physically powerful magical beasts such as the Iron Rock Savage Elephant. 151
• Can channel Heavenly Flame through the ruler to amplify his attacks. 161

Alchemy

Xiao Yan is an alchemist trained under Yao Chen and competes in the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Grand Meeting. 159

• Refines a Tier 3 pill during the Grand Meeting's final assessment. 159
• Receives the Flame Manipulation Art from Chen Guan, which improves the handling and fusion of flames. 206
• Uses alchemy and pill sales to earn Fire Energy while studying in Jia Nan Academy. 198

Yao Chen's Assistance

Yao Chen can temporarily take control of Xiao Yan's body or lend him power, allowing Xiao Yan to confront opponents far beyond his permanent realm. 162 164

• Yao Chen's possession grants Xiao Yan Dou Huang- and near-Dou Zong-level combat power. 162 165
• The Bone Chilling Flame protects Yao Chen's Soul Body against Soul Hall techniques. 165
• Yao Chen's intervention is restricted because revealing his survival risks attracting the Soul Hall. 151
• Xiao Yan can deploy an additional Soul Body as an unexpected defense against Protector Ling. 165

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mysterious Heavy Ruler — His signature heavy weapon and the focus of several ruler techniques. 161
• Dark Ring — Contains Yao Chen's Soul Body. 12 89
• Wind Fury Dragon Flame — Heavenly Flame acquired before his clash with the Iron Rock Savage Elephant. 151
• Flame Manipulation Art — Fire-control Dou Technique given to him by Chen Guan. 206
• Eighth-Level Energy Core — Left to him by Chen Guan before their separation in the Heavenly Tomb. 383

Relationships

• Yao Chen — Master and mentor. Yao Chen's absorption caused Xiao Yan's early regression, but he later becomes Xiao Yan's teacher and principal source of guidance. 89 151
• Chen Guan — Initially an unfamiliar bystander in Wutan City; later an ally, benefactor, and occasional source of pressure. Chen Guan helps protect the Xiao Family survivors, supports Xiao Yan's revenge against the Soul Hall, and accompanies him into the Heavenly Tomb. 12 158 365
• Nalan Yanran — Former fiancée and opponent in the Three-Year Agreement. Their duel leaves both severely injured, with Nalan Yanran acknowledging Xiao Yan's victory. 88 161 162
• Xiao Family — His birth family and chief motivation. The family's destruction and his father's disappearance fuel his hatred of Yun Leng and the Soul Hall. 155 158
• Xiao Xuan — Legendary ancestor of the Xiao Clan. Xiao Xuan asks Chen Guan to bring Xiao Yan back to the Heavenly Tomb after Xiao Yan reaches Seven-Star Dou Venerate. 388
• Gu Xun'er — Connected to the Xiao Family and addressed by Xiao Yan as “Cousin Xiao Yan” in the Ancient Realm. 371

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Cultivation Regression — Falls from prodigy status as his Dou Qi disappears, then becomes Yao Chen's disciple after the engagement annulment. 6 89
• Three-Year Agreement — Challenges Nalan Yanran at the Cloud Mist Sect, reveals his growth, and turns the duel into an opportunity to expose Yun Leng. 161 162
• Cloud Mist Sect Conflict — Kills Yun Leng and becomes a central figure in the plan to draw out the Soul Hall's Protector Zhu. 163 165
• Xiao Family Aftermath — Secures protection for surviving Xiao clansmen through an alliance of the Imperial Family, Cloud Mist Sect, Mitel Family, and Alchemist Guild. 167
• Jia Nan Academy — Enters the Inner Academy to pursue the Heavenly Flame within the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda. 195 198
• Heavenly Tomb Expedition — Travels with Chen Guan to claim the Xiao Clan's rightful Heavenly Tomb opportunity, raises his cultivation through Energy Cores, and seeks the legacy of Xiao Xuan. 365 381 388
• Ancient Clan Dispute — Joins Chen Guan and Xiao Chen in confronting the Ancient Clan over its treatment of the Xiao Clan and its inheritance. 474

Notable Quotes

“The Three-Year Agreement, I will definitely win!”
— Xiao Yan 152

“Yun Leng, old dog, come down and face your death!”
— Xiao Yan 162