Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎) 1
Alias(es)	Flame Emperor (future identity) 1
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Clan; disciple of Yao Chen 1 160
Occupation/Role	Former Xiao Clan prodigy; alchemy apprentice 1 160
Status	Active 177
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Third Duan of Dou Force	1	Tested at five and a half years old; his result astonishes the Xiao Clan and establishes his reputation as its foremost young genius. 1
Ninth Duan of Dou Force	8	Reaches the ninth Duan during his childhood cultivation, approaching the Fighter realm. 8
Fighter	74	Briefly breaks through before his Dou Qi Whirlpool suddenly disappears. 74 158
Ninth Stage of Dou Qi	74	His cultivation regresses to the ninth stage after losing the Fighter realm. 74
Third Stage of Dou Might	155	Further regression leaves him publicly disgraced during the Xiao Clan’s annual test. 155
Cultivation restored	158	Removing his black ring stops the loss of Dou Qi, revealing that Yao Chen had been draining his cultivation. 158

Background

Xiao Yan possesses the soul of an adult transmigrator, but his early personality remains markedly childish: he enjoys praise, acts proudly, and sometimes throws tantrums. He is initially distant toward Xiao Zhan and his elder brothers, though this improves as he grows older. 1

At five and a half, Xiao Yan displays Third Duan Dou Force at the Xiao Clan’s cultivation test. Clan members hail him as Wutan City’s greatest young talent and expect him to lead the Xiao Clan back to Jia Ma Sacred City. He openly revels in the attention. 1

His childhood is marked by curiosity and reckless attempts to experiment with Dou Qi. He secretly enters Lin Qing’s courtyard and is subdued and spanked after being caught; later, he attempts to enter Xiao Xun’er’s room and flees in embarrassment when confronted. 3 5

After briefly becoming a Fighter, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi begins vanishing and his cultivation collapses. He spends three years unable to recover, eventually falling to Third Stage Dou Might and becoming the target of ridicule from the same clan that once celebrated him. 74 155 158

Appearance

By the time of his later annual test, Xiao Yan is described as a rather handsome youth. 155

• Originally appears as a five-and-a-half-year-old boy at the Xiao Clan testing square. 1
• Often carries the black ring given to him by Ye Yan; it houses Yao Chen’s remnant soul. 158

Personality

As a child, Xiao Yan is proud, competitive, mischievous, and easily embarrassed. Praise from the clan causes him to “hold his head high,” while Xun’er’s cold response frustrates him because he is unused to being treated without deference. 1 3

His years of cultivation regression temper him substantially. Though initially bitter and humiliated by his fall, he comes to understand the cultivation world’s harsh hierarchy and becomes more restrained. 157

After learning that Yao Chen caused his lost cultivation, Xiao Yan turns his anger into negotiation. Rather than simply reject Yao Chen, he demands concrete compensation and carefully weighs the benefits and dangers of becoming his disciple. 159

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation Aptitude

Xiao Yan is an exceptional early cultivator whose initial talent makes him the Xiao Clan’s most celebrated youth.

• Reaches Third Duan Dou Force at five and a half years old. 1
• Advances to Ninth Duan before his cultivation regression. 8
• Regains the ability to cultivate normally once Yao Chen’s influence is exposed and the black ring is removed. 158

Alchemy

Xiao Yan formally becomes Yao Chen’s disciple after learning that the remnant soul is an Eighth-Grade Nine-Color Alchemist with a Heaven Realm Soul. 160

• Yao Chen agrees to guide his cultivation and teach him alchemy. 159 160
• Lin Qing considers Yao Chen a suitable master despite warning Xiao Yan that Yao Chen’s help serves his own resurrection plans as well. 159
• With Yao Chen’s assistance, Xiao Yan is positioned to treat Nalan Jie’s Branding Iron Poison and obtain the Seven Mirage Green Spirit Saliva. 176 177

Flame Mantra

The low-grade Yellow Tier Flame Mantra is considered a potential cultivation path for Xiao Yan. 161

• The technique may evolve by refining Beast Flames and, eventually, Heavenly Flames. 161
• Yao Chen agrees to test its evolution using Beast Flames before committing Xiao Yan to it as his main cultivation technique. 161
• Lin Qing provides thirty mid- and high-tier Beast Flames for the test. 161

Equipment

• Black ring — A ring given to Xiao Yan by Ye Yan; it contains Yao Chen’s remnant soul and had been responsible for dispersing Xiao Yan’s cultivated Dou Qi. 158
• Bone Flame Ring — The ring is associated with Yao Chen and later reacts during Xiao Yan’s cultivation test. 12

Relationships

• Xiao Zhan — Father; remains deeply distressed by Xiao Yan’s regression and celebrates when his son’s talent returns. 74 161
• Ye Yan — Mother; gave Xiao Yan the black ring that unknowingly contained Yao Chen. 158
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li — Elder brothers; Xiao Ding responds urgently when Xiao Yan’s regression becomes apparent, while both brothers withdraw from Canaan Academy because of him. 74 89
• Lin Qing — Cousin and protector; exposes Yao Chen, mediates Xiao Yan’s compensation, supports his apprenticeship, and later gives him fifty thousand gold coins for cultivation. 158 159 172
• Yao Chen — Master; initially drains Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi as a test, then accepts him as a formal disciple and alchemy apprentice. 158 160
• Xiao Xun’er — Fellow Xiao Clan child; Xiao Yan initially tries to gain her favor but mishandles their first interactions and is stopped from entering her room. 3 5
• Nalan Yanran — Arranged fiancée; their engagement becomes a major political matter after the Xiao Clan’s rise, despite Yanran’s personal reluctance to marry him. 164 174
• Nalan Jie — Prospective grandfather-in-law and patient; visits Xiao Yan seeking treatment for Branding Iron Poison. 177

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiao Clan Prodigy

Xiao Yan begins as the Xiao Clan’s acclaimed genius, reaching Third Duan Dou Force at five and a half and Ninth Duan during childhood. His pride and status make him the center of attention within Wutan City. 1 8

Fallen Genius

His breakthrough to Fighter is followed by the disappearance of his Dou Qi Whirlpool. The resulting three-year regression destroys his reputation, leaves him at Third Stage Dou Might, and subjects him to public mockery. 74 155 158

Yao Chen’s Disciple

Lin Qing identifies the black ring as the source of Xiao Yan’s condition and forces Yao Chen to reveal himself. Xiao Yan negotiates compensation, then chooses to become Yao Chen’s disciple in order to pursue cultivation and alchemy. 158 159 160

Rebuilding His Future

With his talent restored, Xiao Yan begins rebuilding his resources and status. Lin Qing finances his cultivation, while Yao Chen’s alchemical knowledge gives him a route to treat Nalan Jie and strengthen the Xiao–Nalan relationship. 161 172 177