Yao Chen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yao Chen (药晨)
Alias(es)	Venerable Yao
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Star Cloud Pavilion; later associated with the Xiao Clan
Occupation/Role	Peak Grade 8 alchemist master; Xiao Yan's teacher; mentor to Xiao Yixian
Status	Active as a soul body; his soul power was restored to its peak state
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Dou Zun; Grade 8 peak alchemist master	3	His strength and alchemical standing during life; originally a powerhouse of the Central Plains.
Severely depleted soul state	4	Could not reliably refine even a Grade 7 pill before restoration.
Soul recovery nearing completion	10	Absorbed soul-nourishing herbs supplied by Lin Hai and recovered roughly ninety percent of his soul power.
Peak soul state restored	16	Regained the condition and confidence to refine an eighth-tier Supreme Pill.
Four simultaneous Grade 8 refinements	26	Refined four highest-quality Supreme Pills at once, pushing his alchemy to a personal milestone.

Background / History

Yao Chen was formerly a peak Dou Zun from the Central Plains' Star Cloud Pavilion and a Grade 8 peak alchemist master. After losing his body, he survived as a soul concealed within Xiao Yan's black ring. To sustain himself, he absorbed Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for three years, causing Xiao Yan's cultivation regression. 3

Lin Hai exposed Yao Chen's identity and the reason for Xiao Yan's lost Dou Qi. Yao Chen admitted his guilt and accepted Xiao Yan as his disciple, promising to compensate him through cultivation and alchemy instruction. Lin Hai also compelled him to pass on the Burning Decision, which he had originally intended to withhold until testing Xiao Yan further. 3 4

Lin Hai supplied Seven Illusion Clear Spirit Saliva, two Iron Thread Soul-Restoring Flowers, and extensive alchemical materials to restore Yao Chen's soul. The recovery allowed him to resume high-grade refinement, beginning with fifth- and sixth-grade pills before returning to eighth-tier alchemy. 5 7 10 16

After Xiao Yixian joined the Xiao Clan, Yao Chen diagnosed her Woeful Poison Body and became one of her principal instructors. He identified the need for three Heavenly Flames to fundamentally control her condition and devised the process through which she refined the Nether Poison Dragon Fire safely. 14 18 20 21

Lin Hai later captured Yao Chen's rebellious former disciple, Han Feng, and placed him under Yao Chen's authority as forced labor for low-tier pill production. Yao Chen suppressed his immediate desire for revenge and treated Han Feng as a means of atonement. 28

Appearance

Yao Chen usually manifests as an elderly, slightly translucent soul form. His appearance becomes increasingly lifelike as his soul power recovers. 3 6 10

• Sage-like elderly features and an ethereal bearing when first emerging from Xiao Yan's ring. 3
• Initially fragile and translucent due to severe soul depletion. 4
• Nearly indistinguishable from a living person after absorbing the soul-restoring herbs. 10
• His soul form becomes translucent again after major eighth-grade refinements because of the immense expenditure of soul power. 26

Personality

Yao Chen is proud of his alchemical accomplishments and vast experience, but Lin Hai's knowledge and overwhelming strength repeatedly force him into humility and caution. He addresses Lin Hai with formal deference, eventually pledging to serve him after receiving repeated aid for his recovery. 4 26

Despite having drained Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, Yao Chen feels sincere remorse over the harm he caused. Once accepted as Xiao Yan's teacher, he becomes committed to repaying that debt through rigorous instruction and resources. 3

He is also pragmatic and emotionally restrained. When Han Feng is delivered to him, Yao Chen's murderous rage gives way to cold acceptance of Lin Hai's decision to keep Han Feng alive as an alchemical laborer. 28

Abilities & Skills

Eighth-Tier Alchemy

Yao Chen is a Grade 8 peak alchemist master whose restored soul state enables him to refine high-tier pills and manage complex pill lightning. 3 16

• Refined fifth-grade Dou Ling Pills and sixth-grade Imperial Extreme Pills after his recovery. 15
• Successfully refined an eighth-tier Supreme Pill that generated near-seven-colored pill lightning. 16
• Used the Bone Chilling Flame to create and control four flame cauldrons simultaneously. 26
• Refined four highest-quality Grade 8 Supreme Pills in a single session. 26
• Considered attempting ninth-grade refinement once his soul power and materials were sufficient. 10

Soul Perception and Medicinal Knowledge

As a soul body and veteran alchemist, Yao Chen possesses refined perception of medicinal ingredients, spiritual treasures, flames, and unusual constitutions. 14 18 20

• Identified Xiao Yixian's Woeful Poison Body and recognized signs of its eruption. 14
• Determined that the Nether Poison Dragon Fire was compatible with Xiao Yixian's poison body. 18
• Immediately recognized the compressed Ice-Ridge Cold Spring Essence Bead and its exceptional purity. 20
• Evaluated the quantity and grade of herbs and monster cores needed for successive pill refinements. 5 7

Mentorship

Yao Chen serves as Xiao Yan's cultivation and alchemy teacher, while also instructing Xiao Yixian in pharmacology, flame control, and Dou Techniques. 3 14 25

• Guides Xiao Yan's cultivation and supports his progress toward the three-year pact with Gu Yuan. 33 37
• Teaches Xiao Yixian medicinal-herb identification and poison-fire control. 16 25
• Directed Xiao Yixian through the use of the Pulse-Protecting Pill, Ice Spirit Pill, and Cold Spring Essence during her beast-fire refinement. 20 21

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black ring — Yao Chen's original refuge as a disembodied soul; worn by Xiao Yan. 3
• Bone Chilling Flame — His forest-white flame, used for high-level pill refinement. 16 26
• Medicine cauldron — High-grade cauldron used to refine the Supreme Pill. 16
• Spatial storage rings — Used to receive and manage the vast quantities of herbs provided by Lin Hai. 16 28
• White jade talisman — A spatial-marked emergency talisman entrusted to Yao Chen by Lin Hai for the Xiao Clan's protection. 37

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Teacher and disciple. Yao Chen once absorbed Xiao Yan's Dou Qi to sustain his soul, then accepted him as a disciple and vowed to repay the harm through wholehearted guidance. 3
• Lin Hai — Benefactor and superior. Lin Hai exposed Yao Chen's secrets, restored his soul with rare herbs, and directs his high-tier alchemy. 4 5 26
• Xiao Yixian — Student. Yao Chen diagnoses her Woeful Poison Body, teaches her pharmacology and flame control, and guides her successful refinement of the Nether Poison Dragon Fire. 14 20 21
• Han Feng — Former disciple and betrayer. Han Feng is captured by Lin Hai and placed under Yao Chen's control to refine low-tier pills as punishment. 28
• Haibodong and Haiye — Indirect ally. Yao Chen's alchemy supports Haiye's pill supply, while Han Feng handles much of the organization's lower-grade production under his supervision. 28 31

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiao Yan's Apprenticeship

Yao Chen's exposure as the soul inside Xiao Yan's ring explains Xiao Yan's cultivation decline. His formal acceptance of Xiao Yan as a disciple establishes the foundation of Xiao Yan's new cultivation path. 3

Soul Restoration and Pill Refinement

Lin Hai's resources restore Yao Chen from a weakened soul fragment to peak condition, enabling him to produce increasingly valuable pills and become a major source of high-grade alchemical support. 4 10 16

Xiao Yixian's Poison-Fire Training

Yao Chen provides the medical knowledge and technical guidance needed for Xiao Yixian to begin controlling her poison body through the Nether Poison Dragon Fire. 14 18 21

Supreme Pill Production

He refines multiple Supreme Pills for Lin Hai's exchanges and long-term plans, culminating in the simultaneous refinement of four Grade 8 pills. 16 26 27

Han Feng's Punishment

Yao Chen becomes Han Feng's overseer after Lin Hai captures the traitorous disciple. Rather than immediately killing him, Yao Chen supervises his forced alchemical labor. 28 29

Notable Quotes

“From this day forward, your teacher will compensate you double for everything you lost in those three years!” 3

“I am willing to serve you, My Lord!” 26

Trivia

• Yao Chen initially intended to test Xiao Yan's character for years before imparting the Burning Decision, but Lin Hai forced the decision early. 4
• He was stunned by Lin Hai's ability to identify a secret cultivation technique that Yao Chen had never disclosed, even to Venerable Feng. 4
• Although Han Feng's betrayal provokes Yao Chen's immediate killing intent, he ultimately accepts Lin Hai's plan to make him atone through pill refinement. 28