Yao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Yao Yan (药岩)
Alias(es)	Xiao Yan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jieyou Pharmacy; Heaven Dou Royal Academy; Imperial Dou Team
Occupation/Role	Pharmacist; alchemist; Soul Master
First Appearance	Chapter 2
Martial Soul	Blue Silver Grass; later evolved into a blue-gold form with ice-fire immunity
Soul Power	Innate Level 6; documented as a Level 32–33 Soul Elder

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Innate Soul Power Level 6	2	Registered at Nuoding Academy with Blue Silver Grass as his Martial Soul.
Soul Power Level 8	6	Reached through a month of medicinal-bath cultivation and body forging.
Soul Power Level 10	8	Prepared to enter Star Dou Great Forest for his first Soul Ring.
First Soul Ring	9	Absorbed a Yellow Soul Ring from a Silver Branch Spruce Wood estimated at nearly 800 years old.
Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone absorption	12	Martial Soul evolved; gained stronger plant control, life energy, and potential for simulated clones.
Qi Refining stage	29	Broke through from Foundation Establishment through the Inner Elixir Technique after several fortuitous encounters.
Soul Power Level 33 / Soul Ancestor	42	Absorbed the Ten-Thousand-Year Solitary Bamboo’s Soul Ring and gained his Third Soul Skill.
Four Soul Rings	102	Revealed four rings—yellow, purple, black, and black—while resisting Dugu Bo’s pressure.
50,000-year Soul Ring	108	Absorbed a 50,000-year Soul Ring from the Thousand Shadow Ghost Vine.

Background

Yao Yan developed Healing Potion while living in Holy Soul Village, creating a reliable market for the village’s herbs and improving the villagers’ income. He traveled with Old Jack and Tang San to Nuoding Academy, where he handled the gatekeeper’s hostility and enrollment paperwork. 2

Yu Xiaogang identified Yao Yan’s Blue Silver Grass and Innate Level 6 Soul Power as a possible mutation, then attempted to accept him as a disciple for martial-soul research. Yao Yan rejected the offer, denying that his Martial Soul had mutated and later continued to refuse Yu Xiaogang’s instruction. 2 3 6

At Nuoding Academy, Yao Yan cultivated independently through medicinal baths, physical training, and study. He reached Level 10 in five months, then traveled with Li Caiyi, Zhou Qinglan, and Zhou Lie toward Star Dou Great Forest to obtain his first Soul Ring. 6 8

After secretly absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Yao Yan’s Martial Soul changed dramatically. His Blue Silver Grass became blue-gold, ordinary plants responded to his will, and he began researching simulation abilities to create controllable clone-like constructs. 12

He later graduated from Nuoding Academy and entered Star Dou Great Forest alone in search of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast for his third ring. Attacked by Di Tian and then pursued by Frost Giant Wolves, he survived with Xiao Ying’s aid and assistance from the Skywater Team. 20 24 25

Yao Yan cultivated a public reputation as the mysterious pharmacist “Xiao Yan” after his Medicinal Bath formula spread throughout the continent. Major factions sought his identity, while he used the alias to approach the Breaking Clan, obtain pharmacological knowledge, and advance plans for an Imperial Hospital. 61 62

He joined Heaven Dou Royal Academy’s Imperial Dou Team as a Soul Elder after defeating Dugu Yan in an assessment match. 95 96

Appearance

After absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Yao Yan appeared as a delicate-featured youth with fair skin, blue hair, and an upright bearing. He later commonly appeared in black formal clothing at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. 12 95

• Blue hair, which grew longer following the Soul Bone absorption. 12
• Fair skin and delicate facial features. 12
• Often conceals his evolved Martial Soul with a Simulation Soul Skill, presenting it as ordinary Blue Silver Grass. 95

Personality

Yao Yan is composed, independent, and skeptical of self-proclaimed authority. He refused Yu Xiaogang’s offers despite Tang San’s advice, preferring to develop his own cultivation methods and knowledge. 3 6

He combines maturity with calculation: he uses the identity of Xiao Yan to navigate factional politics, seeks rare pharmacological texts, and proposes institutions such as the Imperial Hospital and Spark Academy for long-term influence. 58 62 112

Despite his ruthlessness in battle, Yao Yan repays those who help him. He healed the Skywater Team after they rescued him, helped Shui Bing’er surpass her Soul Ring limit, and allowed the team to keep the Frost Giant Wolf’s Head Soul Bone. 25 28 29

Abilities & Skills

Blue Silver Grass Manipulation

Yao Yan treats Blue Silver Grass as a versatile weapon rather than a weak plant Martial Soul, shaping it into spears, vines, cages, palms, and large-scale terrain. 12 16 95

• Forms Blue Silver Spears capable of piercing and suppressing powerful Spirit Beasts. 25
• Creates thorn arrays and entangling vines for offense and restraint. 16 85
• Shapes Blue Silver Grass into a spear, stating that “every blade of grass can become a sword.” 95
• Regenerates destroyed Blue Silver Grass through its exceptional vitality. 96

Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone

The Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone evolved Yao Yan’s Martial Soul and gave him strong life-force and healing capabilities. 12

• Controls surrounding plant life and causes ordinary plants to respond to him. 12
• Heals wounds and scars through transmitted life energy. 28
• Can heal multiple people simultaneously, though excess life energy causes recipients to fall asleep. 28
• Repairs severe damage to a Martial Soul, including Snake Lance Douluo’s shattered Martial Soul. 82

Simulation and Clone Techniques

Yao Yan can use simulation to disguise his appearance or Martial Soul and can create substitute forms from vegetation. 12 29 95

• Conceals the evolved state of his Blue Silver Grass, making it appear ordinary. 95
• Simulated a disguise while assisting Shui Bing’er’s Soul Ring absorption. 29
• Escaped the Emperor Auspicious Beast by simulating a flying Spirit Beast. 92
• Creates vine figures as a foundation for clone-like combat applications. 12

Inner Elixir Technique

A Taoist cultivation method that strengthens Yao Yan’s physique, regulates Soul Power, and allows him to control external energy. 29

• Helped Shui Bing’er absorb a five-thousand-year Soul Ring beyond normal limits. 29
• Repairs meridians and suppresses violent Soul Ring energy during assisted absorption. 29
• Suppressed Dugu Yan’s poison flare-up and internal injuries. 101
• Requires extensive mental power; the Soul Ring’s age cannot exceed Yao Yan’s ability to control it. 29

Ice-Fire Immunity

By consuming Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot before tempering himself in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, Yao Yan evolved his Blue Silver Grass into an ice-fire-resistant form. 104 105

• Resists extreme ice and fire. 105
• Enhances the Martial Soul’s toughness and self-repair capability. 105

Mental Force and Fate Power

Yao Yan possesses unusual mental strength and an awakening third eye. 92 102

• Uses mental force alongside Blue Silver Grass to restrain opponents. 92
• Can incapacitate Tang San through mental power. 143
• His third eye released Golden Radiance during Dugu Bo’s test, triggering Dugu Bo’s snake poison. 102

Alchemy and Pharmacology

Yao Yan is an accomplished pharmacist and alchemist who develops medicines, medicinal baths, and body-tempering formulas. 2 45 61

• Developed Healing Potion and established a sales channel for Holy Soul Village herbs. 2
• Created the Medicinal Bath formula, which became widely known across the continent. 61
• Refined Body Tempering Pills; upper-grade pills can double cultivation speed. 45
• Identifies and harvests immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. 104

Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer

Yao Yan learned the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer from a senior blacksmith at the Pill Tower. 85

• Uses a blue-gold hammer in close combat. 85
• Defeated a ten-thousand-year Frost Bear with a fifty-first strike. 85
• Its sustained use heavily drains his Soul Power. 85

Equipment / Items

• Xiao Ying — Pet spider and Soul Beast companion; absorbs Soul Power, evolved after receiving Yao Yan’s Soul Power, and saved Yao Yan after Di Tian’s attack. 2 12 24
• Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone — Soul Bone responsible for the evolution of his Martial Soul and life-energy abilities. 12
• Storage Soul Tool — Used to carry supplies and Xiao Ying. 24
• Herb-gathering basket — Used while gathering medicinal ingredients. 12

Relationships

• Tang San — Fellow Nuoding Academy student and recurring rival. Yao Yan repeatedly defeated him in sparring and later in conflicts involving Shrek Academy. 16 122 143
• Yu Xiaogang — Wanted Yao Yan as a research subject and disciple; Yao Yan rejected him and openly distrusts his teachings. 2 3 6
• Li Caiyi — Longtime caretaker and pharmacy associate who worries deeply about his safety; Yao Yan prioritizes his relationship with her. 8 112
• Zhu Zhuqing — Close companion and romantic partner who lives and works with Yao Yan; he supports her Martial Soul evolution. 42 45 112
• Shui Bing’er — Skywater Team captain who helped save Yao Yan; he later heals her team and assists her with a five-thousand-year Soul Ring. 25 28 29
• Qian Renxue — Political ally and admirer. They discuss the Imperial Hospital and Spark Academy, though Yao Yan resists her efforts to control or recruit him. 58 80 112
• Dugu Yan — Imperial Dou Team teammate. Yao Yan defeated her, neutralized her venom, and later treated her poison-related injuries. 95 96 101
• Dugu Bo — Initially suspicious of Yao Yan’s identity, then increasingly respectful after witnessing his abilities and pharmacological expertise. 101 102 104
• Yang Wudi — Breaking Clan leader whom Yao Yan sought out for herbal texts and potential cooperation with the Imperial Hospital. 59 62
• Long Qiuer — Imperial Dou Team member with a Golden Dragon Martial Soul; Yao Yan finds her familiarity unsettling. 113
• Xiao Ying — Loyal pet and Soul Beast companion that has repeatedly aided Yao Yan’s survival. 2 24

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nuoding Academy Arc

Yao Yan enters Nuoding Academy alongside Tang San, rejects Yu Xiaogang as a master, and pursues self-directed cultivation through medicinal baths and library study. 2 3 6

Star Dou Great Forest Arc

He obtains his first Soul Ring, absorbs the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, survives Di Tian’s attack, and battles the Frost Giant Wolf pack. The Skywater Team rescues him, beginning his connection with Shui Bing’er. 9 12 24 25

Xiao Yan Reputation Arc

Operating under the alias Xiao Yan, Yao Yan’s Medicinal Bath formula attracts continent-wide attention. He leverages this reputation to contact the Breaking Clan and pursue the Imperial Hospital project. 61 62

Heaven Dou Royal Academy Arc

Yao Yan joins the Imperial Dou Team after defeating Dugu Yan, gains the trust of Commissioner Zhi Lin and Qin Ming, and becomes involved with Dugu Bo’s family and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye. 95 96 101 104

Shrek Conflict Arc

Yao Yan repeatedly clashes with Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, Zhao Wuji, and Shrek Academy. He defeats Tang San and Shrek students using clones, Blue Silver Grass, hidden weapons, and mental power. 122 125 143

Trivia

• Yao Yan’s Healing Potion ingredients were valued at about one and a half Gold Soul Coins per pot. 2
• He gave the Frost Giant Wolf’s Head Soul Bone to the Skywater Team rather than keeping it himself. 28 30
• His public identity as Xiao Yan became famous enough that Martial Soul Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Heaven Dou Empire sought information or offered recruitment. 62
• He deliberately used his battle with Dugu Yan as a way to attract Dugu Bo’s attention. 96