Tian Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Tian Yan witnessed Tian Meng threaten and betray her mother during childbirth. The experience left her deeply insecure and convinced that greater strength was the only reliable protection against betrayal and helplessness 17.

She became Jingni, Web's Heaven-Level Killer, and operated under the outward identity of a graceful Farmer School woman. Her gentle appearance conceals a reputation as an assassin feared for killing numerous powerful and high-born targets 16 23.

After the previous generation of Jingni died, Web's higher-ups took Tian Yan back and trained her as the second-generation Jingni. She inherited her mother's title before secretly infiltrating the Farmer School 16.

Jiang Lin drew Tian Yan's Bronze Three-Star Summoning Card and summoned her through a Bronze Gate. Although she agreed to remain by his side temporarily out of regard for the mysterious woman who selected him, she immediately established that she would not accept his commands or surrender her freedom 16 17.

Her search for an independent way to overcome the seal eventually took her away from Jiang Lin for five years. During that absence, she developed a separate martial-cultivation path and later stole books from Spirit Hall's archives, apparently seeking information on removing the seal. Spirit Hall pursued her, and Jiang Lin ultimately found her near death in the Death Desert 37 40 55 58.

Appearance

Tian Yan presents herself as an elegant, gentle-looking young woman rather than the dangerous assassin she is known to be 16.

• Fair skin, soft brows and eyes, and striking beauty 16
• Long black hair arranged in a bun 16
• Dark blue cloak, snow-white fur scarf, and moon-white cross-collared robe 16
• Refined, noblewoman-like Farmer School disguise 16
• Her eyes turn pure gold when Autumn-Water Clear Eyes is active 25

After receiving the Vermilion Ghost Mask, Tian Yan adopts a disguise resembling her former Web assassin attire, but in crimson rather than its original coloring 57 58.

• Red hair, initially described as shoulder-length during the transformation and subsequently tied high 57 58
• Crimson ghost-face mask and fitted crimson ichthyosaur-scale armor 58
• Red fishnet stockings and ichthyosaur-shaped high heels 58
• A deadly allure accompanied by a bloody, baleful aura 58
• Later changes into a fitted black outfit covering her body to avoid attracting attention at the hotel 59

Personality

Tian Yan is independent, observant, and difficult to intimidate. She refuses to serve Jiang Lin without compensation, negotiates aggressively even when he holds information about her seal, and treats strength as a necessity rather than a luxury 17.

Her guarded nature contrasts with the warmth she shows Little Dragon Girl. After recognizing Long'er's purity, Tian Yan becomes notably gentler with her, while remaining suspicious of Xiao Wu's hidden identity 19 21.

When provoked, Tian Yan is coldly ruthless. She executes Xiao Chenyuan after he harasses her, exterminates the City Lord's attacking guards, and dismisses political status as meaningless before overwhelming strength 23 25 27.

She also displays a worldly, teasing side. She embarrasses Little Dragon Girl through suggestive conversation, laughs at Jiang Lin's awkwardness, and questions his claim that Xiao Wu is merely a classmate 19 21. Her suspicious question about “Jingjing” similarly turns Jiang Lin's wish for peace and quiet into a teasing insinuation about another woman 36 37.

Her insistence on autonomy leads her to confront Jiang Lin when she realizes he intends to delay revealing the seal-removal method. Rather than accept indefinite dependence, she leaves while keeping their agreement valid 37.

Beneath her composure, Tian Yan retains a deep fear of abandonment. While unconscious after her near-fatal injuries, she calls for her mother and begs not to be abandoned again 55. After awakening, she emphasizes that she repays kindness and pledges her life to Jiang Lin for saving her. Her subsequent conduct becomes sufficiently reliable for him to remove the first seal, although he continues to judge her loyalty cautiously 57 65.

Her affection for her companions persists through the separation. Once recovered, she asks to reunite with Long'er and the others, and openly looks forward to seeing Little Dragon Girl and Xiao Wu in Suotuo City 57 58.

Abilities & Skills

Twin Martial Souls

Tian Yan possesses two Cross-World Reward Martial Souls, a rare advantage that gives her both exceptional perception and overwhelming destructive power 17.

• Autumn-Water Clear Eyes — perception-focused Martial Soul.
• Heaven-Swallowing Salamander — enormous combat-oriented Martial Soul phantom.
• Her summoned Martial Souls do not react to Soul Rings, preventing conventional Soul Ring advancement 31.

Tian Yan tests Soul Ring absorption after killing a two-thousand-year soul beast, but neither Martial Soul responds. She initially suspects her seal, then has Little Dragon Girl attempt absorption from another similarly aged beast; the Frost Dragon Soul also fails to respond. Jiang Lin consequently surmises that summoned companions increase their strength by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth instead 31.

Autumn-Water Clear Eyes

Autumn-Water Clear Eyes enables Tian Yan to perceive what ordinary Soul Masters cannot.

• Identifies Xiao Yan's true body among one hundred illusionary copies of Myriad Phantom Images 20.
• Makes the movements of one hundred charging guards appear slowed, allowing precise use of her threads 25.
• Detects Xiao Shan's fortified underground secret chamber roughly 150 meters beneath the City Lord's Manor 27.
• Its enhanced state is credited with allowing her to find Xiao Shan despite his refined-iron concealment 27.
• Her original perceptive talent could discern the flow of qi through the meridians of Wei Zhuang and others before its enhancement in this world 20.
• Cannot distinguish Jiang Lin, disguised by the Smiley Mask, from the real Jiang Chen. Both appear identical to her Martial Soul, demonstrating that its special sight can be defeated by sufficiently powerful disguise equipment 72.

Tian Yan also detects Meng Shu's concealed presence during the confrontation with Chao Tianxiang and recognizes that he is too powerful for her to defeat or escape from while protecting Jiang Lin 35.

Web Life-Taking Sword

Using the Jingni Sword, Tian Yan releases pink mist that becomes razor-like translucent threads.

• Weaves the threads into a net around one hundred City Guards and kills them in a single attack 25.
• Can pierce and drain targets through defenses, including Xiao Shan's Blackflame Shield 27.
• Reclaiming the threads from corpses restores her weakened aura and slightly strengthens it 25.

Life-Severing Finger

Tian Yan channels this technique through her thread-based assault.

• Extinguishes Xiao Shan's flames after his Hellfire Tornado destroys the first wave of threads 27.
• Penetrates his defensive shield and drains his life force inside the underground chamber 27.

Heaven-Swallowing Salamander

Tian Yan can manifest an immense, half-real phantom of the Heaven-Swallowing Giant Salamander and command it directly 25 26.

• Its appearance darkens the sky and terrifies enemy soldiers before it attacks 25.
• Crushes nearly seven hundred City Guards in a single assault, causing the surviving troops to flee 26.
• Pursues and kills Commander Ye Xiao after he attempts to escape with his Black Eagle Martial Soul 26.
• Summoning it heavily drains Tian Yan's soul power, leaving her pale and temporarily weakened 26.

The phantom is described as thousands of zhang long, with mountain-sized limbs and a tail that blocks the sky and sun. Its movements generate powerful gales 25. During its pursuit of Ye Xiao, it also kills the two Level 35 Soul Venerable deputy generals whom he throws into its path 26.

Black Water Rebirth Art

A recovery technique that gathers ambient soul power to restore Tian Yan after exertion.

• Restores her soul power after the Heaven-Swallowing Salamander battle 26.
• Functions more effectively in this world than it did in her original one 26.
• Fully replenishes her soul power after approximately half an hour of recovery following the City Guard battle 26.
• Her cultivation method begins operating automatically in the spiritually rich environment of the Star Dou Forest 30.

Sealed Cultivation

Tian Yan's growth is restricted by a Triple Seal imposed upon her arrival.

• The first seal is stated to unlock when her favorability toward Jiang Lin reaches 50 17.
• Her favorability falls from 40 to 37 after she misunderstands why Jiang Lin brought her to the academy guardhouse 18.
• Jiang Lin claims to know another way to increase her strength and potentially remove the seal, but withholds the method until she completes their agreement 17 30.
• After five years away, her favorability is 45 and her Soul Master level remains 59, despite substantial progress in martial cultivation 40.
• Jiang Lin's life-saving intervention raises her favorability from 45 to 60, satisfying the first-stage requirement. The system nevertheless asks for Jiang Lin's authorization, revealing that eligibility does not automatically remove the seal 57.
• Jiang Lin initially declines removal and tells Tian Yan that her future actions must demonstrate the sincerity of her pledge 57.
• During the following year, he removes the first stage after observing satisfactory conduct. Her favorability later reaches 65; the second stage requires 60 and is marked ready to unlock, but he continues withholding its removal 65.

Tian Yan's earlier bypass is a separate mechanism from Jiang Lin's later removal of the first seal. Hidden System Clause 12970 allows a summoned character whose desire for strength reaches an extreme to receive one opportunity to bypass a seal. Clause 17863 limits each summoned character to one such opportunity, leaving the remaining two seals in place 40.

Martial Cultivation

Tian Yan finds an alternative path through martial cultivation while her Soul Master advancement remains sealed 40.

• Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm — corresponds to Level 71 Soul Saint, but grants actual combat power equivalent to Level 81 Soul Douluo 40.
• Heaven-Man Realm, First Stage — recorded alongside her Level 71 Soul Saint cultivation after the first seal is removed; her overall combat rating reaches Level 91 Titled Douluo 65.

After years of independent attempts, Tian Yan concludes that martial breakthroughs are possible but that she cannot otherwise make progress toward undoing the seal. Following her rescue, she places her hopes for its removal in Jiang Lin 57.

Other Techniques and Defensive Skills

• Thousand Illusions Mind-Bewitching Formula — listed among Tian Yan's techniques, though its specific effects are not demonstrated in the supplied accounts 17 40 65.
• Spiritual barrier — creates a translucent barrier that diverts falling rain around her 19.
• Aura concealment — the Notting Academy headmaster observes that both Tian Yan and Little Dragon Girl conceal their auras to an extraordinary degree 22.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Jingni Sword — one of the King of Yue's Eight Swords; used to channel Web Life-Taking Sword and Tian Yan's pink thread techniques 25.
• Crystal chair — an improvised weapon Tian Yan uses to execute Xiao Chenyuan after killing his guards 23.
• Vermilion Ghost Mask — three-star Bronze equipment given to her by Jiang Lin after her rescue. It alters her appearance, conceals her aura, and generates armor according to her thoughts, increasing her combat strength. She uses it to recreate a crimson version of her Web assassin attire and later to change into a less conspicuous black outfit 57 58 59.
• Spirit Hall archive books — Spirit Hall identifies Tian Yan as the thief who stole books from its archives. Jiang Lin infers that she sought a way to break her seal through them 55.

Relationships

• Jiang Lin — summoner and conditional ally. Tian Yan agrees to perform three acts for him in exchange for the method to increase her strength; she later declares the City Guard operation her first move 17 25. She refuses to retrieve Xiao Shan's storage tool unless it counts as her second act, and later leaves when Jiang Lin will not reveal the method immediately in exchange for her two remaining favors 28 37. Their relationship changes after he rescues her from near death: she pledges her life to him, while he makes seal removal contingent on her future conduct. He subsequently removes the first seal but continues withholding the second 55 57 65.
• Little Dragon Girl — close companion. Tian Yan quickly softens toward Long'er after recognizing her kindness and purity; the two share lodging and support one another in battle 19 20 26. Tian Yan bids her farewell when leaving, and Long'er continues missing her during the five-year separation. After recovering, Tian Yan eagerly seeks their reunion 37 42 57 58.
• Xiao Wu — travelling companion. Tian Yan is initially suspicious of Xiao Wu, but Xiao Wu later helps support Tian Yan during her recovery 21 26. Tian Yan looks forward to seeing her again in Suotuo City, and the reunited women share cheerful conversation at the Rose Grand Hotel 58 61.
• Tian Meng — source of Tian Yan's lasting trauma after threatening and betraying her mother during childbirth 17.
• Her mother / the previous Jingni — predecessor whose assassin title Tian Yan inherits. Tian Yan's unconscious pleas during her rescue reveal enduring longing for her mother and fear of being abandoned again 16 55.
• Xiao Chenyuan — hostile City Lord's heir who attempts to coerce Tian Yan and Little Dragon Girl into drinking with him; Tian Yan kills him after instantly defeating his guards 23.
• Xiao Shan — Notting City's lord and father of Xiao Chenyuan; Tian Yan kills him in his underground secret chamber 27.
• Spirit Hall — hostile organization that pursues Tian Yan over the theft of archive books. Lian, Ophelia, and Kurint attempt to capture her and Jiang Lin, but Jiang Lin kills them while protecting her 55 57.
• Jiang Chen — fellow summoned companion. Tian Yan cannot distinguish her from Jiang Lin's masked impersonation, and Jiang Lin later entrusts Jiang Chen with protecting Tian Yan and the rest of the group during his solo departure 72.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Summoning and agreement — Jiang Lin draws Tian Yan from the Bronze Card Pool. She refuses to become his subordinate, but accepts a deal to act three times in return for information on breaking her seal 16 17.
• Early integration with Jiang Lin's group — Tian Yan's favorability drops after the guardhouse misunderstanding, but she later meets Little Dragon Girl and becomes part of the group's temporary living arrangement 18 19.
• Notting Academy confrontation — Tian Yan exposes Xiao Yan's true body during his illusion technique, allowing Little Dragon Girl to cripple him with a Frost Dragon attack 20.
• Notting City retaliation — After Xiao Chenyuan harasses her, Tian Yan kills him and his guards. She then faces the City Lord's 1,500-man response, destroys the City Guard force, kills Commander Ye Xiao, and assassinates Xiao Shan underground 23 25 26 27.
• Dispute over further assistance — After Xiao Shan dies, Tian Yan refuses to retrieve his storage soul tool unless Jiang Lin counts it as her second act. Little Dragon Girl retrieves it instead, leaving Tian Yan with two favors outstanding 28 37.
• Star Dou Forest journey — Tian Yan travels with the group to obtain Soul Rings, where they discover that summoned characters cannot absorb Soul Rings. She later detects Meng Shu's concealed presence and admits he is too strong for her to escape from 30 31 35.
• Departure and independent cultivation — Concerned by Jiang Lin's rapid growth and his refusal to explain the seal-removal method, Tian Yan demands either immediate disclosure in exchange for her remaining favors or permission to leave. Jiang Lin chooses the latter, and she departs while keeping their agreement valid. Over five years, she bypasses the first seal through martial cultivation and reaches Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm 36 37 40.
• Near-death rescue in the Death Desert — The system alerts Jiang Lin that Tian Yan is about to suffer irreversible destruction of her soul and spirit. He spends 5,000 Collapse Points to reach her through a spatial passage and uses the supplied Healing Art card, stopping her death countdown with only three seconds remaining. As he carries her to safety, her unconscious pleas reveal her fear of abandonment. Spirit Hall pursuers then confront them over her theft of archive books 54 55.
• Life-saving pledge and disguise — After Jiang Lin defeats the Spirit Hall pursuers, Tian Yan awakens and pledges her life to him. Her favorability rises to 60, but he postpones removing her first seal. Following several days of recuperation, he gives her the Vermilion Ghost Mask, and they leave the desert for Suotuo City 57 58.
• Suotuo City reunion — Tian Yan looks forward to seeing Little Dragon Girl and Xiao Wu again. At the hotel, Jiang Lin intervenes when Vilant approaches her with an unwanted invitation to drink. She subsequently rejoins the group's relaxed conversation and daily life at the Rose Grand Hotel 58 59 61.
• First seal removed — During a peaceful year in Suotuo City, Tian Yan's satisfactory conduct persuades Jiang Lin to remove the first layer of her seal. She reaches Level 71 Soul Saint and Heaven-Man Realm, with combat power equivalent to a Level 91 Titled Douluo. Her second seal becomes eligible for removal, but Jiang Lin continues observing her loyalty 65.
• Smiley Mask test and Jiang Lin's solo departure — Tian Yan's Autumn-Water Clear Eyes fails to expose Jiang Lin's impersonation of Jiang Chen, while Little Dragon Girl recognizes him through familiarity. Jiang Lin then leaves alone on an undisclosed matter, placing Tian Yan and the other companions under Jiang Chen's protection 72.

Notable Quotes

“Kid, don't get any ideas about using me as a free bodyguard. If you want me to act, you'd better offer something that interests me.” 17

“Little Salamander, kill them all!” 26

“Do you know how many people far nobler than you have died by my hand? Enough to fill an entire prison!” 23

“Jiang Lin, you'll have to handle this matter yourself. I'm no match for the person hiding in the shadows. I can't even take you away and escape.” 35

“Mother, Yan'er misses you so much. Please, don't abandon Yan'er again—” 55

“Jiang Lin, I, Tian Yan, have always repaid kindness. Since you saved me, this life of mine belongs to you from this day onward!” 57

---