Yan Shaozhe

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yan Shaozhe (言少哲)
Alias(es)	Bright Phoenix Douluo; Flaming Phoenix Douluo 31 125
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shrek Academy; Sea God Pavilion
Occupation/Role	Former Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department; former next-generation heir of Sea God Pavilion
Cultivation	Rank 95 Super Douluo; remains stalled at this rank 124 166
Martial Soul	Bright Phoenix 27
Family	Cai Meier (wife); descendant of Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui 53 123
First Appearance	Chapter 27

Background / History

Yan Shaozhe was discovered and raised by Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo. His Bright Phoenix Martial Soul was considered highly compatible with inheriting Mu En's legacy, but Mu En judged Yan's temperament to be flawed. Though nearly a century old, Yan remained stalled at Rank 95 because his disposition did not match his martial soul. 27

The narration later reveals that Yan is a descendant of Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui. Ye Xishui concealed the child she had with Long Xiaoyao, leaving him unaware of that part of their shared history. Yan's own memories include losing his father in his youth and the pride he felt when his talent earned him admission to Shrek Academy and Mu En's discipleship. 123 124 157

His past romantic relationships became a lasting source of regret. Yan triggered the evil attribute within Feng Ling's martial soul, causing her to become an Evil Soul Master, but spared her when he should have killed her. His relationship with Cai Meier also alienated Xian Lin'er, who refused to share him with another woman and turned to Qian Duoduo. An earlier attempt to have Xian Lin'er and Cai Meier accept a shared marriage had greatly angered Mu En. 52 124

By the freshman assessment, Yan served as dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, overseeing both the outer and inner courts. He personally observed the final rounds and took an interest in Jiang Yue, an unaffiliated spiritual-attribute Soul Elder with an exceptional soul-ring configuration. 31 32

Yan initially considered investing academy resources into Jiang Yue's development, but found the rarity of suitable spiritual-attribute soul beasts troublesome. After Jiang Yue's freshman championship, Yan limited the promised fourth-ring reward to a soul beast below ten thousand years. Du Weilun, rather than Yan, subsequently offered to personally lead a hunt if Jiang Yue located a suitable spiritual-attribute soul beast under twenty thousand years old. Yan himself did not wish to undertake the effort of finding an appropriate beast. 35 36

During Jiang Yue's second-year assessment, Yan saw Jiang Yue reveal a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring. Suspecting that Mu En had secretly accepted Jiang Yue as a disciple, he confronted his master. The incident enraged and severely harmed Mu En, who subsequently removed Yan from his dean position and stripped him of his status as Sea God Pavilion's next-generation heir. 51 52

After Shrek Academy's tournament defeat, Yan continued cultivating within the Golden Tree but failed to overcome his Rank 95 bottleneck. Memories of his relationships and mistakes interfered with his attempts, while he worried that failing Mu En's test would permanently cost him his leadership and succession prospects. 124

When the Holy Spirit Cult attacked Shrek Academy, Yan joined its defense. Feng Ling seized Ma Xiaotao, and Yan pursued her and Zhongli Wu in his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul Avatar. Zhongli Wu inflicted a severe chest wound that forced him out of his avatar state. The Golden Tree's subsequent release of Sea God's Light erased the enemy's attack and rapidly healed Shrek's wounded, but Ma Xiaotao remained in Feng Ling's hands. Feng Ling later completed her corruption into an Evil Soul Master. 125 126 153

Personality

Yan is deeply protective of Ma Xiaotao, treating his disciple like his own child and refusing to harshly reprimand her despite her reckless request to compete while afflicted by evil fire. His concern centers on the possibility that her condition could worsen and turn her into an Evil Soul Master. 47 48

He is also possessive of the Martial Soul Department's talent and openly dismissive of the Soul Tool Department. He resisted Qian Duoduo's attempts to recruit spiritual-attribute students and opposed the idea of transferring Martial Soul Department students before academy rules permitted it. 32 33

Mu En considers Yan's temperament his central weakness, while Jiang Yue views Yan's refusal to honor the freshman-assessment soul-ring reward as proof that Shrek Academy cannot be trusted while Yan remains in power. 27 43

Yan's failed cultivation attempts reveal insecurity, regret, and a reluctance to confront his own deficiencies. He blames his bottleneck on the quality of his ninth soul ring rather than fully accepting the importance of understanding his martial soul. Feng Ling's criticism wounds him precisely because it repeats Mu En's earlier assessment and because he recognizes its truth. 124 126

His concern for Ma Xiaotao can nevertheless override caution. When Feng Ling abducts her, Yan attacks two superior opponents despite the danger and pleads that Feng Ling leave his disciple out of their personal history. 126

Abilities & Skills

Bright Phoenix Martial Soul

Yan possesses the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, a powerful phoenix-type martial soul regarded by Mu En as suitable for inheriting his legacy. 27

• His title, Bright Phoenix Douluo, is also rendered Flaming Phoenix Douluo. 31 125
• His martial soul is stated to burn away much of his family's more extreme nature, though it has not corrected his character flaws. 37
• During cultivation within the Golden Tree, Yan and the phantom of his martial soul absorb surrounding light elements. 124
• Its light can weaken Evil Soul Masters less powerful than Yan by roughly twenty percent, provided he continuously releases the martial soul and illuminates them. His Rank 95 cultivation limits his ability to sustain this effect. 125
• The Bright Phoenix possesses the light attribute, but not the Holy Angel's divine attribute. Its suppression therefore weakens an Evil Soul Master's abilities rather than absolutely countering their sinister energy. 125

Rank 95 Cultivation

Yan is a Rank 95 soul master and one of Shrek Academy's highest-ranking figures. 27 31

• He has remained at Rank 95 for many years. 31
• Mu En believes Yan might have reached Rank 97 or Rank 98 with a martial soul better suited to his temperament. 27
• He remains unable to break through after his dismissal and supervised cultivation. Advancement beyond Rank 95 requires deeper insight into one's martial soul, which he has not attained. 124
• Yan possesses no hundred-thousand-year soul ring. 132
• His continued stagnation is later cited as an example of how access to heavenly treasures cannot compensate for insufficient martial-soul understanding. 166

Martial Soul Avatar

Yan can transform into a Bright Phoenix through his Martial Soul Avatar. He uses this form to pursue Feng Ling and Zhongli Wu after Ma Xiaotao's abduction, but Zhongli Wu's scythe severely wounds him and forces him to revert. 126

Managing Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire

Yan supervises Ma Xiaotao's cultivation and attempts to prevent her evil fire from overwhelming her mind. His available methods include external aids such as the Profound Ice Bed. He hopes to find the legendary Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, a sufficiently powerful ice-attribute soul master, or a suitable partner who can help resolve her condition. 47 48 124

Power Progression

Chapter(s)	Cultivation / Development	Details
27, 31	Rank 95 Titled Douluo	Possesses the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul and has already remained at Rank 95 for many years; Mu En attributes his stagnation to his temperament. 27 31
52	Supervised reflection and cultivation	Mu En removes his leadership and succession status, placing him under personal supervision; restoration depends on passing Mu En's test. No cultivation breakthrough is confirmed. 52
124	Rank 95 Super Douluo; failed breakthrough	Cultivates with the Golden Tree's light elements but remains unable to overcome his bottleneck or gain the necessary martial-soul insight. 124
125, 126	Combat abilities demonstrated	Uses light-based suppression against Evil Soul Masters and his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul Avatar; is severely wounded by Zhongli Wu while attempting to rescue Ma Xiaotao. 125 126
132, 166	No confirmed advancement	Has no hundred-thousand-year soul ring and is still cited as stalled at Rank 95 despite access to cultivation resources. 132 166

Relationships

• Mu En — Master and former mentor. Mu En considers Yan talented but flawed in temperament; after Yan's confrontation over Jiang Yue, Mu En removed him from his positions and personally placed him under supervision. Restoration of Yan's succession status was made conditional on passing Mu En's test. 27 51 52
• Ma Xiaotao — Disciple. Yan regards her as a daughter and tries to prevent her evil-fire condition from endangering her life or sanity. He risks his life attempting to prevent Feng Ling from abducting her, but cannot stop her capture. She later becomes an Evil Soul Master under Feng Ling's influence. 47 48 124 126 153
• Cai Meier — Wife. After Yan's removal, Cai Meier became acting dean of the Martial Soul Department. His past womanizing remains a source of tension despite her rarely questioning him about it. 52 53 124
• Xian Lin'er — Former lover. Their past relationship is noted amid Yan's conflict with the Soul Tool Department. She refused his desire to share a husband with Cai Meier and subsequently turned to Qian Duoduo. 48 52 124
• Feng Ling — Former lover and later enemy. Yan triggered the evil attribute in her martial soul and then spared her. Her love became hatred and possessive obsession, compounded by her evil phoenix's craving for his Bright Phoenix essence. She abducts Ma Xiaotao both for the disciple's potential and to hurt Yan. 124 126
• Long Xiaoyao — Ancestor. Yan descends from Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, whose shared child Ye Xishui concealed from Long. 123 157
• Ye Xishui — Ancestor. Her concealed relationship and child with Long Xiaoyao form part of Yan's family history; she also possesses a Bright Phoenix Martial Soul. 109 123
• Zhang Lexuan — Fellow disciple under Mu En's line. Mu En appointed her temporary vice dean after dismissing Yan. 52
• Jiang Yue — A talented student Yan considered nurturing, but whose promised soul-ring reward Yan restricted. Yan later suspected Mu En had accepted Jiang Yue as a disciple after witnessing his ten-thousand-year fourth ring. 35 36 51
• Qian Duoduo — Rival vice dean from the Soul Tool Department. The two argued over the recruitment and departmental ownership of spiritual-attribute students. 32 33
• Xuan Zi — Fellow Shrek elder and battlefield ally. Xuan Zi encourages Yan's suppression of the invading Evil Soul Masters and joins his attempt to rescue Ma Xiaotao. 125 126
• Zhongli Wu — Enemy and Holy Spirit Cult leader. He regards Yan as a thorn in the cult's side and severely wounds him during the attack on Shrek Academy. Although Zhongli Wu notices something familiar in Yan's features, he does not identify its cause. 125 126

Story Role / Major Arcs

Freshman Assessment

Yan personally oversees the freshman-assessment finals as Martial Soul Department dean. He identifies Jiang Yue as an unusually valuable spiritual-attribute talent, but hesitates over the resource cost of securing an appropriate high-level soul ring. 31 32

After Du Weilun presents Jiang Yue's verified recommendation letter, Yan burns it and remarks that even successfully forging such a letter would demonstrate ability. He nevertheless prefers that Jiang Yue's background has no problems. 32

Soul-Ring Reward Dispute

Following Jiang Yue's championship, Yan restricts the academy's promised fourth-ring reward to a thousand-year soul beast. This decision destroys Jiang Yue's trust in Yan and becomes the main reason Jiang Yue refuses to commit to Shrek's reserve team. 35 43

Du Weilun considers the restriction unfair and believes the additional effort required to find a suitable spiritual-attribute beast would be worthwhile, but lacks the authority to change Yan's decision. He offers his own assistance if Jiang Yue obtains accurate information about a suitable beast below twenty thousand years old. 35

Ma Xiaotao's Tournament Request

Yan refuses Ma Xiaotao's demand to displace the Soul Tool Department's main-team member without conditions. Although he agrees to let her seek qualification, he remains concerned that her evil fire makes tournament participation unsafe. 47 48

Ma Xiaotao ultimately does not participate. After Shrek's defeat, she confronts Yan over her exclusion, while he reiterates the danger of her evil fire despite her progress toward Rank 67. 124 132

Fall from Office

After seeing Jiang Yue's ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring, Yan urgently approaches Mu En to determine whether Jiang Yue is Mu En's disciple. The resulting conflict causes Mu En severe distress; Yan is dismissed as dean and loses his position as Sea God Pavilion's designated successor. 51 52

Zhuang Lao estimates that the incident shortened Mu En's remaining lifespan by at least three years, reducing the time available for Xuan Zi to reach Limit Douluo and secure the academy's future. Mu En orders Yan to reflect on his problems under personal supervision, with the possibility of restoring his succession status only after he passes a test. 52

Stalled Cultivation and Past Regrets

While cultivating within the Golden Tree, Yan repeatedly recalls his father's death, his acceptance by Mu En, and his failed relationships with Feng Ling, Xian Lin'er, and Cai Meier. His attempt to advance ends in failure, and he remains Rank 95. His fixation on his ninth soul ring's inadequacy contrasts with the underlying need to understand and align himself with his martial soul. 124

Holy Spirit Cult Attack and Ma Xiaotao's Abduction

Yan senses the invaders' evil presence before he can suppress Ma Xiaotao's latest evil-fire flare-up and rushes outside. He contributes his Bright Phoenix's light-based suppression to Shrek's defense against Zhongli Wu's force. 124 125

Feng Ling captures Ma Xiaotao and taunts Yan over his cultivation and their former relationship. Yan attacks in his Martial Soul Avatar, with Xuan Zi coming to his aid, but Zhongli Wu's scythe cuts across his chest and knocks him out of the transformation. The Golden Tree's Sea God's Light subsequently neutralizes Zhongli Wu's sweeping attack, suppresses the Evil Soul Masters, and heals the academy's wounded. 126

Yan's feared outcome for his disciple later occurs: Feng Ling causes Ma Xiaotao's evil fire to take root, turning her into a genuine Evil Soul Master with an ultimate-fire phoenix martial soul. 153

Trivia

• Yan is described as the strongest member of Shrek Academy's next generation after Xuan Zi and the older elders. 53
• Despite losing the deanship, he remains influential through his marriage to Cai Meier and his status within Shrek Academy. 53
• Qian Duoduo calls him “Yan the Skinflint” during their argument over tournament slots and spiritual-attribute students. 33
• His Bright Phoenix shares a martial-soul lineage with Ye Xishui, although she never cultivated that martial soul. 109 123
• His stalled cultivation is used to illustrate the distinction between possessing abundant cultivation resources and genuinely understanding one's martial soul. 166