Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Family; Jia Nan Academy Alchemy Department
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; alchemist; Xiao Family disciple
First Appearance	592

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ninth Stage Dou Qi	599	Reached at age ten after beginning Qi cultivation at four.
Fighter	599	Advanced at age eleven; regarded as a Xiao Family prodigy.
Five-star Fighter	596	Tested one rank beneath Bai Ge's five-star Battle Master.
Seven-star Fighter	612	Reached after consuming an Essence Condensing Pill; used the mid-tier Mysterious Grade skill Explosive Flame Fist.
Six-star Fighter	662	Revealed a Fire-Wood Constitution during Jia Nan Academy's entrance examination and was recruited by the Alchemy Department.
Eight-star Dou Master	724	Entered Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy top five, primarily due to stronger competitors being eliminated.
Dou Ling	796	Returned to the Jia Ma Empire after three years to fulfill his agreement with Nalan Yanran.
Five-star Dou Huang	948	Participated in a later competition but lost to Wang Chen.

Background / History

Xiao Yan was a transmigrator who began cultivating Dou Qi at four years old. He reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi by ten and became a Fighter at eleven, establishing himself as a rare Xiao Family genius 599. His early success fostered considerable inner arrogance: he looked down on male peers while being overly attentive to girls around him, earning resentment that later contributed to others mocking him 597.

After Xiao Xun'er arrived at the Xiao Family, Xiao Yan attempted to approach her room at night. Bai Ge stopped him, knocked him unconscious, beat him, and hung him from a tree 593 594. Bai Ge thereafter repeatedly outpaced or obstructed Xiao Yan, including maintaining a cultivation rank above him at the annual test and reinforcing Dou Qi Pavilion barriers to frustrate his technique selection 596 611 613.

Nalan Yanran's visit to end their arranged engagement became a major turning point. Xiao Yan objected angrily despite the Bai Di Sect's compensation offering significant benefits to the Xiao Family. He ultimately accepted the dissolution only after demanding a duel with Nalan Yanran three years later 599 601.

At Jia Nan Academy, Xiao Yan's Fire-Wood Constitution identified him as a potential alchemist. He accepted Xu Han's invitation to join the independent Alchemy Department and later held First-Rank Alchemist status 662 704. He returned to the Jia Ma Empire after three years to fight Nalan Yanran at Bai Di Peak 796.

Personality

Xiao Yan is ambitious, competitive, and highly sensitive to being surpassed. Bai Ge's consistent superiority and close relationship with Xiao Xun'er leave him jealous and irritated 596. He is determined in battle and refuses to surrender even after being wounded by Nalan Yanran's Wind's Extreme: Meteor Kill 801.

His confidence is frequently tied to his talent, cultivation, and personal pride. During the engagement dispute, he viewed Nalan Yanran's decision as an affront to his dignity, while Xiao Xun'er regarded his attitude as hypocritical 600. Despite this immaturity, he can remain composed under pressure, as shown when confronting Bai Di Sect guards and fighting through obstacles on his way to the Three-Year Agreement 796 797.

Abilities & Skills

Fire-Wood Constitution

Xiao Yan possesses strong Fire affinity with a Wood attribute, a combination considered rare and suited to alchemy 609 662.

• His Fire attribute tested strongly at the Xiao Family's Dou Qi Pavilion 609.
• The Fire-Wood Constitution earned him direct recruitment into Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department 662.

Alchemy

Xiao Yan is an alchemist who continued his studies at Jia Nan Academy.

• Joined the Alchemy Department after Xu Han recognized his potential 662.
• Held First-Rank Alchemist status, granting him free travel through the Imperial Capital's Flight Transport Station 704.
• Sought to improve his alchemy practice while preparing for the Three-Year Agreement 704.

Explosive Step

A movement Dou Technique used for rapid evasion.

• Allowed Xiao Yan to evade Nalan Yanran's aerial attacks and repeated Wind's Extreme: Meteor Kill strikes 799 801.
• Could not completely protect him against a dense barrage of wind attacks; he was eventually struck in the abdomen 801.

Explosive Flame Fist

A mid-tier Mysterious Grade Fighting Skill.

• Learned during the Dou Qi Pavilion incident 612.
• Used at full strength against a reinforced light barrier but failed to damage it 612 613.

Shi Huo Saber

A saber wielded with Fire-attribute Dou Qi during the Three-Year Agreement.

• Used to launch attacks against Nalan Yanran 799.
• Xiao Yan preferred swords due to influences from his past life despite choosing a saber 799.

Nether Phoenix Nirvana Art

A secret technique activated through crimson Flame Marks covering his body.

• Used black flames and hand seals to heal his abdominal injury during the duel with Nalan Yanran 802.
• Forms part of his trump card alongside the Nine Nether Flame Demon Body 801 802.

Relationships

• Bai Ge — Rival and recurring source of frustration; Bai Ge repeatedly surpasses, provokes, and covertly obstructs Xiao Yan's progress 594 596 611 613 1016.
• Xiao Xun'er — Xiao Family girl toward whom Xiao Yan is affectionate; she becomes disgusted by his hypocrisy during the broken-engagement dispute 593 596 600.
• Xiao Zhan — Father and Xiao Family Patriarch; encourages Xiao Yan's Fire attribute and struggles between protecting him and prioritizing family interests 600 609.
• Nalan Yanran — Former fiancée and opponent in the Three-Year Agreement; her decision to end their engagement drives Xiao Yan to challenge her to a duel 599 601 796.
• Xiao Mei — Supports and cheers for Xiao Yan, though he remains preoccupied with Xiao Xun'er 596 612.
• Xiao Ning — Rival within the Xiao Family who provokes and mocks Xiao Yan 595 607.
• Xu Han — Alchemy Department instructor who recruits Xiao Yan after recognizing his Fire-Wood Constitution 662.
• Yao Chen — An eighth-grade peak alchemist and Dou Zun in soul form whose guidance provides Xiao Yan with pills, Fighting Skills, and cultivation support 983.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiao Family Prodigy

Xiao Yan is introduced as a gifted young cultivator whose talent and self-assurance make him prominent within the Xiao Family. He is outshone by Bai Ge at the annual cultivation test, where Bai Ge deliberately remains one rank above him 595 596.

Dou Qi Pavilion Incident

As compensation connected to the broken engagement, Xiao Yan receives a second chance to enter the Dou Qi Pavilion and is publicly credited with obtaining an Essence Condensing Pill and a Qi Gathering Powder for the family 608. After consuming an Essence Condensing Pill, he reaches seven-star Fighter but cannot break the secretly reinforced barrier blocking his desired technique 612 613.

Jia Nan Academy and Alchemy

Xiao Yan enters Jia Nan Academy with a six-star Fighter cultivation and a Fire-Wood Constitution. His potential as an alchemist earns him admission to the Alchemy Department 662. He later reaches the Outer Academy top five as an eight-star Dou Master, though the result is attributed largely to favorable circumstances 724.

Three-Year Agreement

Three years after Nalan Yanran ends their engagement, Xiao Yan returns as a Dou Ling and travels to Bai Di Peak to honor his challenge 796. He defeats a nine-star Great Dou Master disciple in one saber strike, battles through the sect's hostility, and confronts Nalan Yanran 797.

During the duel, he uses the Shi Huo Saber and Explosive Step but is wounded by Nalan Yanran's Wind's Extreme: Meteor Kill. Refusing to surrender, he reveals Flame Marks and activates the Nether Phoenix Nirvana Art to heal himself before proposing a decisive final exchange 799 801 802.

Central Continent Competition

Xiao Yan later appears in a competition at five-star Dou Huang. He qualifies for the second round but loses to Wang Chen, demonstrating that his strength is insufficient to contend for the championship 948.

Trivia

• Xiao Yan's entry into the Dou Qi Pavilion was an exception to the Xiao Family's one-entry rule, granted because of his “outstanding contribution” connected to the broken engagement compensation 608.
• Bai Ge covertly intercepted most of the medicinal ingredients Xiao Yan found in the Pill Realm, leaving Xiao Yan confused by his unusually poor luck 1016.