Xiao Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Xiao Yan was raised in the Xiao Clan of Wutan City as Xiao Zhan’s youngest son and the younger brother of Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. His brothers protected him after their mother’s death and encouraged him to pursue strength beyond the safety of the clan 2. His extraordinary cultivation speed made him the clan’s celebrated prodigy and earned him the Young Clan Leader’s Token 1 4.

After becoming a Dou Practitioner, Xiao Yan rejected a sheltered future in Wutan City. Xun’er’s gift of the Flame Manipulation Formula and her recommendation of Canaan Academy gave him both a superior cultivation path and a goal beyond the Xiao Clan 3 4. He entered the academy as an eleven-year-old three-star Dou Practitioner with Super S-grade aptitude 7.

His rise at Canaan Academy drew attention from the Alchemy Department, the Enforcement Squad, and the academy elders. Su Qian ultimately permitted him to pursue Dou Qi cultivation and alchemy simultaneously, on the condition that he could maintain both disciplines 11 12. After earning access to the Library Pavilion, Xiao Yan obtained the Mid-Earth Tier technique Nether Dragon Prison-Suppressing Song and accepted Su Qian’s offer to travel to the Central Plains 31.

In the Central Domain, he entered the Ye Clan’s sphere of influence and agreed to aid its future Pill Tower assessment. He later became a Formal Disciple of the Pill Tower, where his rapid progress and dual combat-alchemy talent placed him in rivalry with prodigies such as Cao Ying 35 42 44.

Xun’er later revealed that the Xiao Clan descended from an ancient Dou God Clan founded by a Dou Emperor. The clan’s Dou Emperor Bloodline deteriorated after Xiao Xuan’s failed attempt to restore it, leaving the surviving descendants as the comparatively ordinary Xiao Clan of the present era. The clan’s ancient inheritance remains connected to the Tou She Ancient God Jade and to the Soul Hall’s pursuit of Xiao Yan’s family 69 195.

After returning to Wutan City, Xiao Yan accepted formal recognition as the Xiao Clan’s Young Clan Leader and used his concealed Peak Dou Ling cultivation to secure the clan’s dominance over the Jia Lie Clan and Wutan City 82 92 98. His investigation into the destruction of an earlier Xiao Clan convoy subsequently exposed the Jia Ma Imperial Family’s involvement in attacks intended to seize the clan’s ritual artifacts 127 213.

Personality

Xiao Yan is ambitious, self-reliant, and intensely committed to growing stronger. He does not view talent as a reason to become complacent; instead, he actively seeks difficult opponents, wider horizons, and stronger techniques 6 21 31.

He returns kindness with loyalty and refuses to exploit people who have helped him. He declined to treat Hu Gan’s reward as a personal debt, asked that Wu Hao be rewarded for his role in rescuing Hu Jia, and vowed to repay Canaan Academy for investing in his future 12 22.

Although generally polite and composed, Xiao Yan responds harshly to deliberate humiliation, threats, and manipulation. He is willing to use deception, intimidation, and lethal force against hostile enemies, particularly in the Black-Corner Region 6 16 19 27. He nevertheless accepts responsibility when his anger causes excessive harm, as shown after injuring Hu Jia in self-defense 14.

His later experiences made him increasingly pragmatic and politically decisive. He conceals his identity, strength, and intentions when necessary, but becomes uncompromising when the Xiao Clan or his companions are endangered 101 189 193. His use of Soul Seeds to control Mu Chen and his decision to publicly execute Ya Ye demonstrate the ruthless extent of his methods against enemies he considers irredeemable 189 213.

Despite this severity, Xiao Yan remains protective of his family and friends. He repeatedly risks himself for Xiao Yi Xian, Medusa, Qing Lin, and the Xiao Clan, and he recognizes that personal strength carries a responsibility to protect those who cannot defend themselves 105 166 196 209.

Abilities & Skills

Dou Qi Cultivation

Xiao Yan initially cultivated fire-attributed Dou Qi through the Flame Manipulation Formula, a High Mystic Tier method whose quality gave him a major advantage over opponents using weaker techniques 4 7. He later adopted Venerable Yao’s Mid-Earth Tier Twin Radiance Flame Reflection Formula, accepting a temporary slowdown in exchange for a stronger long-term foundation 85.

• His fire Dou Qi strongly suppresses the Blood Sect’s sinister and toxic Dou Qi 19.
• His Dou Qi Veil enhances his strength, speed, and defense after reaching the Dou Master realm 18.
• His Great Dou Master breakthrough granted him Dou Qi projection and Dou Qi Armor 48.
• His Dou Wang breakthrough transformed his entire body into a source and reservoir of Dou Qi, allowing him to directly draw on the energy of heaven and earth 117.
• He possesses innate scarlet Dou Qi Wings after becoming a Dou Wang and can fly without relying on a flying technique or secret art 117.
• He can temporarily elevate his cultivation far beyond his actual realm through the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame 110 196.

Alchemy

Xiao Yan is an exceptional alchemist despite beginning his formal training after entering Canaan Academy. Fire Elder initially judged him capable of becoming a high-grade alchemist, while the academy allowed him to study alchemy alongside martial cultivation 11 12.

• Reached the standard of a qualified first-tier alchemist and refined the healing medicine Ice-Clear Paste 15.
• Advanced from a beginner to a second-grade alchemist within roughly a year 26.
• Uses alchemy to produce healing medicine, earn money independently, and support his training 15.
• Obtained a sixth-grade medicinal-pill formula from the Library Pavilion 31.
• His soul strength was judged sufficient to potentially refine third-tier pills while still a Peak Three-Star Dou Master 29.
• Studied under Aunt Xue in the Ye Clan, where he corrected major flaws in his ingredient handling and soul-force application with exceptional speed 38.
• Reached sixth-grade alchemist status and received high-ranking recognition from the Jia Ma Empire’s Alchemist Association 161 177.
• Used Heavenly Flame to remove Nalan Jie’s Luo Poison and refined the Recovery Purple Pill for Hai Bodong 185 189.
• His Bone Spirit Lotus Heart Flame can autonomously refine medicinal pills inside his body, allowing unusually rapid recovery during battle 198.

Soul Perception and Spiritual Attacks

His alchemist soul power gives him senses and combat options beyond ordinary cultivators.

• Detected a hidden bandit’s ambush before the attacker struck in the Black-Corner Region 16.
• Used soul power to knock out the exhausted Liu Qing and win the end-of-term tournament 29.
• Resisted Han Xian’s covert spiritual-power array and turned the sabotage attempt back on its users 26 27.
• Inherited the Spirit Refining Canon, a profound soul cultivation art that grants perception, spiritual attacks, concealment, barriers, and soul-control techniques 61 78.
• Used soul force to identify Xiao Yu’s concealed poison, calm Xiao Ning, and refine an antidote directly through a palm-based method 78.
• Formed Soul Seeds in Yun Yun and Mu Chen, allowing him to influence or control their souls 118 189.
• Developed the Spirit-Sealing Breathless Barrier, which interferes with incoming Dou Qi by using soul power rather than directly blocking an attack 134.
• Used invisible soul blades, Soul-Shocking Thorns, a Soul Greatsword, and other spiritual attacks to exploit the weaknesses of soul bodies and poorly trained souls 131 195 199.
• His spiritual strength reached the Peak Dou Emperor level by his battle with Protector Wu, vastly exceeding his six-star Dou Wang cultivation 199.
• Can use Hidden Divinity to conceal his aura and evade even powerful opponents’ perception 201.
• Captured Protector Wu’s soul within his right eye after defeating him, using the imprisoned protector as both a source of information and a psychological weapon against Yun Shan 201 205.

Heavenly Flames and Secret Arts

Xiao Yan possesses and wields several extraordinary flames, which reinforce his alchemy, physical resilience, recovery, and combat power.

• Bone Chilling Flame / Bone Spirit Lotus Heart Flame — A Heavenly Flame connected to Venerable Yao’s legacy. It protected Xiao Yan from the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King’s innate flame, autonomously defended him from Protector Wu’s soul chains, and accelerates the refinement of medicinal pills 110 198.
• Green Lotus Core Flame — One of the flames employed in the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame 196.
• Astral Thunderfire — A third flame used alongside the Green Lotus Core Flame and Bone Chilling Flame to produce Xiao Yan’s greatest temporary enhancement 196.
• Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame — A secret art that temporarily increases Xiao Yan’s cultivation according to the number and quality of flames used. It allowed him to fight at High-Rank Dou Wang strength as a Peak Dou Ling and later reach approximately Eight-Star Dou Emperor strength, though it inflicts severe backlash and has a strict time limit 110 196 199.

Combat and Tactical Skill

Xiao Yan specializes in aggressive close-quarters combat, supported by extensive body-tempering under Wu Protector. He adapts quickly during battle and places high value on experience, technique quality, resolve, and battlefield judgment rather than cultivation level alone 6 13 16.

• Defeated five-star Dou Practitioner Ge Shi in his first major peer battle using Iron Mountain Fist 6.
• Killed the Wei Brothers through disguises, false factional claims, calculated ambushes, and exploitation of their greed 18 19.
• Rescued Hu Jia alongside Wu Hao despite Blood Sect interference and a confrontation with Fan Ling 17 20.
• Defeated the stronger Liu Qing by exhausting him through repeated technique clashes, then using a concealed soul attack 28 29.
• Defeated Cao Ying’s Nine-Star Dou Master-level challenge through superior practical combat experience while deliberately holding back 46.
• Defeated Tang Huohuo’s higher cultivation through superior battle judgment before her secret technique forced him onto the defensive 51 52.
• Fought and killed the Sixth-Rank Purple Crystal Winged Lion King through sustained close combat, mobility, hidden-force strikes, and the support of Yun Yun’s containment 110 111.
• Defeated Yue Mei while deliberately restraining his strongest enhancements, using the battle to analyze the Snake-People Tribe’s soul techniques 131.
• Coordinated with Hai Bodong to kill Jia Xingtian through a decisive concealed soul attack 195.
• Exploited Protector Wu’s nature as a soul body and Yun Shan’s poorly trained soul to defeat opponents whose cultivation greatly exceeded his own 199 205.

Nether Dragon Prison-Suppressing Song

A Mid-Earth Tier soundwave Dou Technique obtained from the Library Pavilion. Modeled after a dragon’s roar, it can assault both an opponent’s body and soul, with the potential to shatter meridians and destroy spiritual essence 31.

• The technique selects its own master; numerous previous students had failed to obtain it 31.
• Xiao Yan began mastering it during the journey to the Central Plains with Su Qian’s guidance 33.
• Its training strained Xiao Yan’s voice during travel 34.

Metalstone Break

A High Mystic Tier close-combat and body-tempering Dou Technique given by Hu Gan as an academy reward 22 23.

• Designed for practitioners willing to endure intensive physical tempering 23.
• Can shatter metal, stone, iron, and jade at mastery 23.
• Destroyed Sun Shi’s Dou Qi Veil and killed him with a strike to the dantian 23.

Other Dou Techniques

• Iron Mountain Fist — Yellow Tier high-grade technique used to overwhelm Ge Shi 4 6.
• Stone Shattering Palm — Yellow Tier low-grade technique selected from the Xiao Clan’s Battle Technique Hall 4.
• Flame-Splitting Palm — Yellow Tier high-grade fire-attributed technique obtained through Xiao Zhan 4.
• Flame Sky Cleave — Fire-attributed technique used against Blood Sect cultivators, including Tall Wei and Fan Ling 19 20.
• Flame Splitting: Tsunami Ruler — A ruler technique used to wound the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King and later blast Yun Shan away from Medusa 110 203.
• Heavenly Dipper Shattering Stone Step — A high-speed movement technique that lets Xiao Yan rapidly close distance and evade stronger opponents 110 198.
• Eight Extremes Collapse — A hidden-force technique that plants successive internal shocks in an opponent before detonating them together 111.
• Taiyi Fire Net Palm — Burning Flame Valley’s Earth Tier High-Level signature technique. Xiao Yan can currently use only the first of its three sigils, the Boiling Sea Sigil 198.
• Pure Yang Cotton Hand — A close-combat technique used during Xiao Yan’s battle against Protector Wu 199.

Equipment and Possessions

• Flame Manipulation Formula — Cultivation method gifted by Xun’er 3 4.
• Young Clan Leader’s Token — Symbol of the Xiao Clan’s expectations that Xiao Yan will eventually lead it 4.
• Low-grade storage ring — Given by Xiao Zhan before Xiao Yan departed for Canaan Academy 8.
• Medicinal pills — Includes healing pills, Ice-Clear Paste, Blood-Replenishing Pills, and pills refined for the Xiao Clan 15 18 32.
• Dagger and disguises — Used during the rescue of Hu Jia and the operation against the Wei Brothers 18 19.
• Smoke bombs — Concealed in his medicine cauldron to counter Han Xian’s sabotage during the alchemy test 27.
• Black Ancient Ring — A ring connected to Venerable Yao, the Bone Chilling Flame, and the legacy Xiao Yan inherited from them 85 101.
• Black Heavy Ruler — A relic of Venerable Yao that suppresses Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi and continuously tempers his body; removing it permits him to unleash his full strength 101.
• Human-skin mask — A highly realistic disguise used during his travels and while acting as Master Yan Xiao 71 113.
• Mite’er Family token — A token from Ya Fei that allows Xiao Yan to request assistance from Mite’er Family branches 101.
• Tou She Ancient God Jade — An ancient Xiao Clan artifact that Xiao Yan returned to Xiao Zhan to reduce the risk of the clan being targeted while he traveled 69 101.

Relationships

• Xiao Xun’er — Childhood companion, confidante, and Xiao Yan’s closest longstanding emotional bond. She supplied the Flame Manipulation Formula, traveled with him to the Central Plains, secretly arranged Ling Lao’s protection over him, and later revealed the Xiao Clan’s ancient history 3 32 39 69. Their relationship is opposed by the Ancient Clan because of Xiao Yan’s status and bloodline, motivating him to pursue strength sufficient to stand beside her 73.
• Xiao Zhan — Father and Xiao Clan leader. He supports Xiao Yan’s academy ambitions, provides clan resources, entrusts him with the Young Clan Leader’s Token, and later relies on him as the clan’s foremost protector 4 8 92 209.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li — Older brothers whose departure inspired Xiao Yan to seek the wider world; they share a pact of future rivalry and reunion 2. Xiao Yan later entrusted them with the Xiao Clan’s hidden history and worked with them to expand the Desert Iron Mercenary Group 127 166.
• Su Qian — Grand Elder of Canaan Academy and a major mentor. He supported Xiao Yan’s dual cultivation, granted him Library Pavilion access, and escorted him to the Central Plains 12 29 33.
• Fire Elder — Alchemy instructor who recognized Xiao Yan’s talent early and provided the foundation of his alchemical education 11 15. He ultimately declined to make Xiao Yan a formal disciple because he believed his own instruction might limit Xiao Yan’s potential 22.
• Wu Protector — Combat instructor who identified Xiao Yan’s weak physical foundation and trained him through harsh practical exercises and Black-Corner Region missions 13 16.
• Wu Hao — Training partner and trusted friend. He protected Xiao Yan during his breakthrough and helped rescue Hu Jia from the Blood Sect 18 19.
• Hu Jia — Initially hostile after attacking Xiao Yan, but later became a bickering friend and ally after he and Wu Hao rescued her 14 19 21.
• Lin Xiuya, Qian Mo, and Yan Hao — Xiao Yan’s first close friends and roommates at Canaan Academy. Lin Xiuya especially helps him recognize weaknesses in his combat arsenal 9 21.
• Ye Zhong — First Elder of the Ye Clan and Su Qian’s old friend. He arranged Xiao Yan’s entry into the Pill Tower and relies on him as a possible answer to the Ye Clan’s decline 35 41.
• Xin Lan — Ye Clan alchemist and Xiao Yan’s study partner. Their relationship is awkward because Ye Zhong attempted to arrange a marriage between them 36 38.
• Cao Ying — Pill Tower rival. She was defeated by Xiao Yan in Dou Qi combat and vowed to surpass him through alchemy 42 46.
• Dan Xuan and Dan Chen — Pill Tower acquaintances from the Dan Family. Xiao Yan formed a more relaxed friendship with Dan Xuan and shows patience toward the timid Dan Chen 46 48.
• Venerable Yao — The master whose legacy Xiao Yan inherited through the Black Ancient Ring. Xiao Yan adopted Venerable Yao’s cultivation method, Dou Techniques, alchemical inheritance, and connection to the Bone Chilling Flame 85.
• Xiao Yi Xian — A physician and Xiao Yan’s close companion from Green Mountain Town. Their friendship began after he protected her from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and he later gave her Mad Lion’s Roar and the Purple Cloud Wings 105 106. Their relationship developed into an acknowledged romantic commitment, but Xiao Yi Xian left to master her Calamity Poison Body and avoid becoming a burden to him 208 213.
• Yun Yun — Misty Cloud Sect leader and Nalan Yanran’s master. Xiao Yan’s relationship with her began through conflict over Xiao Yi Xian’s Calamity Poison Body, but she later helped him fight the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King and ultimately accepted Yun Shan’s wrongdoing after the sect’s collapse 110 113 211.
• Queen Medusa — Snake-People Tribe queen and a powerful, initially hostile ally. Xiao Yan assisted her evolution, while Medusa later protected him against Yun Shan and the Soul Hall Protector; together, they defeated Yun Shan 134 196 205.
• Qing Lin — A young maid whom Xiao Yan rescued and encouraged after discovering her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. He treats her protectively, while she is devoted to becoming strong enough to protect him in return 154 155.
• Hai Bodong — The Ice Emperor and Mite’er Family elder. Their relationship developed from a transactional agreement over a map fragment into a close alliance; Hai Bodong fought Jia Xingtian with Xiao Yan and remained loyal despite the danger posed by Yun Shan and the Soul Hall 161 193 195.
• Ya Fei — Mite’er Family businesswoman and longtime Wutan City acquaintance. She supports the Xiao Clan through her family’s influence, assists Xiao Yan during the Imperial Capital crisis, and is the person he considers most suited to govern the reformed Jia Ma Empire 101 187 209.
• Nalan Yanran — Xiao Yan’s former fiancée and the source of the Five-Year Pact. Although he initially dismissed her challenge, he later recognized her wish to control her own future and did not regard her as an irreconcilable enemy 92 185.
• Mu Chen — Mu Clan head who outwardly reconciled with Xiao Yan but was secretly placed under his control through a Soul Seed 189 213.
• Ya Ye — Former imperial princess and one of the architects of the attack on the Xiao Clan. Xiao Yan imprisoned and interrogated her after learning her role in the theft of the clan’s ritual vessels 191 213.

Story Role

Xiao Clan and Canaan Academy

• Emerged as the Xiao Clan’s leading prodigy, reaching the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi after only six years of cultivation 1.
• Became a Dou Practitioner after Xiao Ding and Xiao Li left Wutan City, turning his brothers’ departure into motivation to seek strength and adventure 2.
• Enrolled at Canaan Academy with a Super S-grade aptitude rating after defeating Ge Shi during the academy’s newcomer initiation 6 7.
• Became the subject of a dispute between Fire Elder and Hu Gan after revealing exceptional potential in both alchemy and martial cultivation 11 12.

Black-Corner Region

• Entered the Black-Corner Region under Wu Protector’s instruction to gain real combat experience 16.
• Performed his first killing after detecting and stopping a bandit ambush 16.
• Broke through to Dou Master while rescuing Hu Jia from the Blood Sect 18.
• Killed the Wei Brothers, fought Fan Ling, and escaped only after the intervention of the mysterious Dou Emperor later revealed to be Ling Lao 19 20 39.

Academy Tests and the Central Plains

• Earned Metalstone Break after rescuing Hu Jia and later used it to defeat Enforcement Squad target Sun Shi 22 23.
• Passed both alchemy and combat end-of-term tests, retaliating against Han Xian’s sabotage and defeating Liu Qing in a brutal tournament match 27 29.
• Obtained Nether Dragon Prison-Suppressing Song from the Library Pavilion, then left Canaan Academy for the Central Plains with Xun’er and Su Qian 31 33.
• Became involved in the Ye Clan’s struggle to retain its Pill Tower standing and entered the Pill Tower as a Formal Disciple 35 44.
• Continues to draw rivalry and hostility within the Pill Tower, including from Cao Ying and Song Qing 46 50.
• Fought Tang Huohuo of Burning Flame Valley, leading to deeper involvement with the valley and access to the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame 51 52.
• Learned from Xun’er that the Xiao Clan was once an ancient Dou God Clan and that the Tou She Ancient God Jade was the object she had originally been sent to seek 69.

Return to the Xiao Clan

• Returned to Wutan City after four years away and used his alchemical knowledge to cure Xiao Yu of a concealed poison 77 78.
• Revealed his Peak Dou Ling cultivation to the Xiao Clan elders, declared his intent to destroy the Jia Lie Clan, and was formally recognized as Young Clan Leader after the Nalan Clan engagement ended 82 92.
• Helped the Xiao Clan annihilate the Jia Lie Clan and consolidate control over Wutan City, while recognizing that the clan remained vulnerable to stronger outside enemies 98.
• Investigated the Xiao Clan’s past and discovered that the Jia Ma Imperial Family had coordinated the attack on the clan convoy that killed Xiao Ting and scattered its ritual artifacts 127.
• Returned the Tou She Ancient God Jade to Xiao Zhan, believing that retaining it while traveling could expose the Xiao Clan to the attention of ancient factions 101.

Magical Beast Mountain Range and Tagor Desert

• Met Xiao Yi Xian in Green Mountain Town, protected her from Mu Li and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and formed a close traveling partnership with her 102 105 106.
• Obtained the Blood Lotus Essence, identified the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, and gave Xiao Yi Xian the High Mystic Tier Mad Lion’s Roar and the Purple Cloud Wings 102 105.
• Fought the Sixth-Rank Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to temper himself, then broke through from Peak Dou Ling to Dou Wang after a three-month cultivation process 110 111 117.
• Rescued Qing Lin, discovered her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and began guiding her development alongside Xiao Yi Xian 154 155.
• Negotiated with and later allied with Queen Medusa, becoming entangled in her evolution into a Dou Zong and her conflict with the Soul Hall 134 171 196.

Jia Ma Imperial Crisis

• Entered the Imperial Capital as the disguised sixth-grade alchemist Master Yan Xiao, treated Nalan Jie’s Luo Poison, and gained the support of the Nalan and Mite’er Clans 175 181 185.
• Crippled Mu Zhan after Mu Zhan attempted to murder him over Ya Fei, then compelled the Mu Clan to answer for the attack 186 187.
• Used a Soul Seed to secure Mu Chen’s obedience and allied with Hai Bodong in a plan to eliminate Jia Xingtian 189.
• Revealed his true identity during the Imperial Family’s attempt to assassinate Xiao Yi Xian and openly challenged Jia Xingtian 191 193.
• Killed Jia Xingtian with Hai Bodong’s assistance, only for Yun Shan and the Soul Hall Protector Wu to appear and order the capture of the entire Xiao Clan 195.
• Defeated Protector Wu through Heavenly Flame, soul attacks, the Buddha’s Fury Lotus, and a second activation of the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame, ultimately imprisoning the protector’s soul 198 199 201 205.
• Rescued Medusa from Yun Shan and, with her decisive intervention, defeated Yun Shan and helped end the Misty Cloud Sect’s attempt to seize the Imperial Capital 203 205.
• Proposed Ya Fei as the most capable person to stabilize and govern the shattered Jia Ma Empire rather than claiming the throne for himself or the Xiao Clan 209.
• Learned from Ya Ye that she had personally instigated the attack on the Xiao Clan to seize its ritual vessels, then resolved to have her publicly judged and executed 213.
• Entered seclusion in Xiao Yi Xian’s former valley to heal the corruption and damage caused by devouring souls and fighting Protector Wu 216.

Notable Quotes

“Growing stronger is my conviction. No matter what my talent may be, I will definitely become strong!” 6

“Those who treat me with courtesy will receive every bit of courtesy from Xiao Yan; those who intend to offend me, however, will receive no mercy from me!” 7

“I will become a Dou Venerable, and eventually a Dou Saint.” 73

“Xiao Yi Xian is a good girl. We... will be together. Just not now.” 213