Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Third Young Master; Child/Son of the Plane
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Clan
Occupation/Role	Xiao Clan direct descendant; nominal disciple of Xiao Ze; disciple of Elder Yao
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dou Qi, Third Stage	2	Tested at the annual Xiao Clan ceremony and publicly ridiculed for his fallen cultivation.
Dou Qi, Fifth Stage	12	Regains the ability to store Dou Qi after meeting Elder Yao; rises two stages within half a month while keeping the progress secret.
Dou Qi, Sixth Stage	24	Reaches the sixth stage after roughly a month and a half of renewed cultivation, aided by Elder Yao and the Xiao Clan’s improved resources.

Background / History

Xiao Yan was formerly regarded as a Xiao Clan genius, but by the annual Testing Ceremony his cultivation had fallen to the third stage of Dou Qi. He endured open ridicule from the clan while remaining composed and withdrawn; Gu Xun'er alone approached him with concern afterward 2.

When Nalan Yanran and Elder Ge Ye arrived to dissolve her engagement to him, Xiao Yan rejected the proposal and refused to let a Qi Gathering Pill settle the insult to his clan. He wrote a letter of divorce instead, declaring that the matter would be remembered as the Xiao Clan divorcing a wife—not Nalan Yanran annulling an engagement 4 6.

Xiao Ze intervened and imposed a three-year pact: Xiao Yan would challenge Nalan Yanran at the Misty Cloud Sect after three years. Although Xiao Yan initially believed the gap between his third-stage Dou Qi and Nalan Yanran’s three-star Dou Zhe cultivation was impossible to bridge, he ultimately accepted the arrangement 7 8.

Afterward, Xiao Yan encountered Elder Yao, whose guidance allowed him to retain Dou Qi again and resume cultivation. His renewed confidence turned the three-year pact from a hopeless burden into a goal he believed he could achieve 10 11.

A dispute with Jialie Ao led Xiao Yan to defend Gu Xun'er despite his inferior strength; he was badly injured and left unconscious. Xiao Ze healed him with a third-grade Spirit Recovery Pill, and Xiao Yan later accepted Xiao Ze as a nominal disciple while retaining Elder Yao as his primary teacher 13 15.

During the Xiao Clan’s campaign against the Jialie Clan, Xiao Yan volunteered to accompany the expedition as the Young Clan Head. He did not enter the battle, instead observing events and considering the clan’s safety and future 17 18.

Appearance

Xiao Yan is a youthful boy with delicate features, a youthful face, and short black hair 2.

• Often described as carrying a cold, restrained expression during confrontations.
• His eyes frequently reveal determination when thinking of the Xiao Clan’s restoration and the three-year pact 8 10.

Personality

Xiao Yan possesses strong self-respect and refuses to submit when the Misty Cloud Sect attempts to use status and compensation to force the dissolution of his engagement. He openly challenges both Nalan Yanran and his own clan elders when he believes they are disregarding his dignity or the Xiao Clan’s honor 4 6.

He is also realistic about his weakness. Rather than immediately embracing Xiao Ze’s proposed three-year pact, he admits that his current cultivation leaves him unable to contend with Nalan Yanran. Once he regains the ability to cultivate, however, his insecurity gives way to determination 7 10.

His impulsiveness can override caution, particularly when others insult Gu Xun'er. His confrontation with Jialie Ao leaves him severely injured, though the incident also reflects his loyalty and unwillingness to tolerate humiliation directed at those close to him 13.

Abilities & Skills

Dou Qi Cultivation

Xiao Yan resumes cultivation after Elder Yao’s presence stops the loss of Dou Qi from his body 11.

• Progresses from the third to fifth stage of Dou Qi within half a month 12.
• Reaches the sixth stage of Dou Qi after approximately a month and a half 24.
• Is expected to reach the ninth stage and potentially return to the Dou Zhe realm with a Qi Gathering Pill if his progress continues 24.

Determination Under Pressure

Xiao Yan continues to pursue the three-year pact despite beginning with a vast cultivation gap against Nalan Yanran 7 10.

• Refuses the Misty Cloud Sect’s proposed annulment and compensation 4.
• Publicly asserts the Xiao Clan’s right to divorce Nalan Yanran instead 6.
• Voluntarily joins the campaign against the Jialie Clan as its Young Clan Head, though he does not fight in the battle 17 18.

Equipment / Items

• Ring containing Elder Yao — houses Elder Yao’s soul, whose guidance enables Xiao Yan to cultivate normally again 10 11.
• Taixiao Sword — examined the Tier 6 sword Xiao Ze entrusted to Xiao Zhan for use against the Jialie Clan; Elder Yao identifies the sword as containing a strand of Xiao Ze’s sword qi 17.

Relationships

• Xiao Zhan — father and Xiao Clan patriarch; supports Xiao Yan’s decision during the broken-engagement dispute and worries deeply over his future 4 8 14.
• Xiao Ze — recognized by Xiao Yan as the Xiao Clan ancestor; established his three-year pact with Nalan Yanran, healed him after his injury, and accepted him as a nominal disciple 7 14 15.
• Elder Yao — Xiao Yan’s teacher and hidden soul companion; restores his path of cultivation and urges him to accept Xiao Ze’s guidance as well 10 11 14.
• Gu Xun'er — childhood sweetheart; shows concern after his failed testing, and Xiao Yan is injured while defending her from Jialie Ao’s insults 2 13.
• Nalan Yanran — former betrothed; their broken engagement becomes a three-year pact requiring Xiao Yan to challenge her at the Misty Cloud Sect 4 7.
• Jialie Ao — young master of the Jialie Clan; defeats and severely injures Xiao Yan during a marketplace conflict 13.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Decline and Testing Ceremony

Xiao Yan’s third-stage Dou Qi result exposes his fall from former genius to object of clan-wide mockery 2.

Broken Engagement and Three-Year Pact

He rejects Nalan Yanran’s attempt to annul their engagement and becomes bound to challenge her in three years 4 7.

Return to Cultivation

With Elder Yao’s assistance, Xiao Yan regains the ability to store Dou Qi and rapidly begins recovering his lost cultivation 10 12.

Jialie Clan Conflict

After being beaten unconscious by Jialie Ao, Xiao Yan is healed by Xiao Ze and becomes his nominal disciple. He later joins the Xiao Clan’s assault on the Jialie Clan as an observer and prospective successor 14 15 17 18.

Notable Quotes

“From this day forward, the entire Gama Empire will only speak of my Xiao Clan divorcing a wife, not of her, Nalan Yanran, annulling an engagement!” 6