Yao Lao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yao Lao (药老)
Alias(es)	Medicine Venerable; Teacher
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Master of Xiao Yan and Xiao Yang
Occupation/Role	Eighth-tier alchemist; cultivation and alchemy mentor
Status	Soul entity residing in the Bone Flame Ring; recovering his damaged soul
First Appearance	An unidentified entity within the Bone Flame Ring 2; identified as Yao Lao 3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Peak Dou Wang-level combat strength	18	States that his unrecovered soul can likely wield the strength of a peak Dou Wang and can contend with a Dou Huang temporarily through experience and insight.
Capable of protecting against a Dou Emperor	28	Following recovery aided by the Soul Recovery Flower, he claims that Xiao Yan and Xiao Yang need not fear even a Dou Emperor; he can refine fifth- and sixth-tier pills without difficulty.
Able to contend with a Fighting Sect	49	The Soul Nourishing Technique greatly accelerates his recovery, restoring enough strength for him to contend with a Fighting Sect.

Background / History

Yao Lao spent at least a year concealed within Xiao Yan's Bone Flame Ring, absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi to recover his weakened soul. Xiao Yang identified the ring as the source of the dissipation, forcing Yao Lao to reveal himself and acknowledge what he had done 2 3.

After Xiao Yang and Xiao Yan negotiated compensation for the lost year, Yao Lao accepted both as disciples. He initially required them to reach the Dou Zhe realm before formally learning alchemy, but immediately supplied the formula and refining plan for his self-created Foundation Building Spirit Liquid to strengthen their foundations 4 7.

He is the former Medicine Venerable and considers the treasures of a Dou Huang tomb unremarkable by his former standards. Nevertheless, he personally guided his disciples through the back mountains and tomb, protecting them from threats while identifying herbs, mechanisms, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques 13 17 20.

Xiao Yang later gave him the Soul Recovery Flower from Wang Tianming's tomb, allowing Yao Lao to recover further. He became increasingly invested in Xiao Yang's future, offering to trade his own pill refinement for the Ice Soul Snow Lotus needed for the Marrow Cleansing Pill 19 28.

Yao Lao revealed that the Burning Mantra could evolve through devouring flames and that three Heavenly Flames could potentially create a body capable of housing his soul. Although this offered him a path toward resurrection, he still advised Xiao Yang to choose the safer Earth-tier cultivation method and left the final choice to his disciples 40.

Appearance

Yao Lao manifests as an elderly phantom outside the Bone Flame Ring. Though a soul entity, he can make physical contact when examining others with his soul power 4.

• Described as looking like a ghost when passing through solid doors 8.
• Has a withered old face 40.
• Usually appears floating beside Xiao Yan or Xiao Yang 7 32.

Personality

Yao Lao is exceptionally proud of his alchemy, dismissing the strongest alchemists of the local empire as insignificant compared with himself. He is prone to smug boasts and treats valuable techniques or high-grade pills with casual confidence 4 7 8.

Despite this arrogance, he is a conscientious teacher. He monitors his disciples during punishing physical training to ensure they do not suffer internal injuries, refuses to let them depend on his power, and teaches that strength only truly belongs to the person who earns it 9 28.

He respects his disciples' privacy and autonomy. Though suspicious of Xiao Yang's unexplained improvements, he chooses not to pry; likewise, he does not pressure either disciple into cultivating the Burning Mantra for his own resurrection 33 40.

Yao Lao also has a teasing, gossipy side, particularly when discussing Xiao Yan's engagement to Nalan Yanran and his relationship with Xun'er 35.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

Yao Lao is an eighth-tier alchemist whose accumulated knowledge covers pill formulas, medicinal ingredients, cauldrons, flame control, and alchemical techniques 37 68.

• Created the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, an auxiliary cultivation medicine usable during the Dou Qi stage 4 7.
• Can refine the sixth-tier Marrow Cleansing Pill, though his weakened condition requires the Black Demon Cauldron for the task 37.
• Can refine fifth- and sixth-tier pills after recovering strength; he states that seventh-tier refinement is limited by ingredients and his ability to endure pill lightning 28.
• Personally teaches both disciples fire control, wood-and-fire attribute integration, medicinal extraction, and pill refinement 42 43 91.
• Wrote a Grade 8 Alchemy Manual containing his alchemical experience, techniques, and fire-control methods for Xiao Yang 68.

Soul Perception and Soul Recovery

As a soul entity, Yao Lao can perceive conditions inside others, detect concealed objects, and extend his senses across an area.

• Examines disciples' attributes, meridians, foundations, and soul conditions through soul power 4 32 46.
• Identifies hidden mechanisms in Wang Tianming's tomb and recognizes alchemical techniques used to create a concealed map 13 20.
• Can suppress groups of Fighters and Battlers with soul pressure 29.
• Cannot efficiently search an entire city for one specific person while his soul remains unrecovered 31.
• Begins practicing the Soul Nourishing Technique after Xiao Yang gives it to him, accelerating the recovery of his damaged soul 46 49.

Bone Chilling Flame

Yao Lao wields the Bone Chilling Flame, a white flame that radiates extreme cold rather than heat 36.

• Defeats a Tier 3 Crimson Flame Snake with ease while escorting his disciples 17.
• Instantly incapacitates Valor, a Dou Ling, when Valor attempts to seize Xiao Yang as a hostage 36.
• Can shape the flame into a whip, leaving severe charred wounds with a single strike 36.

Combat Training and Instruction

Yao Lao develops both Xiao Yan and Xiao Yang through practical, physically demanding instruction.

• Teaches Eight Extremes Collapse, a high-grade Profound-tier Dou Technique 8.
• Oversees physical tempering by striking both disciples with carefully controlled Dou Qi, maximizing stimulation without causing serious internal injury 9.
• Guides their practice of Treading Snow Without Trace by observing their internal Dou Qi circulation 23.
• Makes the two disciples perform their first killings so they will not hesitate in future life-or-death battles 30.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Bone Flame Ring — Yao Lao's residence while in soul form; worn by Xiao Yan and later temporarily carried by Xiao Yang when Yao Lao accompanies him 4 57 83.
• Black Demon Cauldron — Yao Lao's medicinal cauldron, ranked eighth on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking 37.
• Soul Recovery Flower — Given to Yao Lao by Xiao Yang to improve his recovery 19.
• Soul Nourishing Technique — A soul cultivation method Xiao Yang shares with him, allowing his damaged soul to recover through soul resonance 45 46.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Disciple and original bearer of the Bone Flame Ring. Yao Lao first absorbed Xiao Yan's Dou Qi to recover, then accepted him as a disciple and became his primary cultivation and alchemy teacher 3 4 42.
• Xiao Yang — Disciple whose generosity and extraordinary growth increasingly earn Yao Lao's concern and admiration. Xiao Yang gives him the Soul Recovery Flower and Soul Nourishing Technique, both aiding his recovery 19 46.
• Nalan Yanran — Knows of her as Xiao Yan's fiancée and teases Xiao Yan over the engagement and his closeness with Xun'er 35.
• Xiao Yi Xian — Explains the dangers of the Woe Poison Body and shares an incomplete Poison Pill method that may allow it to be controlled 74.

Trivia

• Yao Lao initially describes accepting Xiao Yang as taking on a second disciple for the same trouble as one: a “buy-one-get-one-free deal” 4.
• He refuses to reveal his background when first accepting the two disciples, only later being identified as the former Medicine Venerable 4 13.
• His past included an unsuccessful attempt to save a friend with the Woe Poison Body; the required Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva could not be found before that friend died 74.