Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Xiao Yanzi
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Family; Jia Nan Academy; Pan Gate; Xiao Sect
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; Alchemist; leader of the Xiao Sect
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dou Qi: Third Stage, Low Rank	6	Remained stuck at this level for three years after once being renowned as a prodigy.
Dou Grandmaster	28	Reveals the strength to effortlessly deflect Jia Lie Nu’s strongest attack and defeat him.
Five-Star Dou Practitioner	34	States his recent advancement while meeting the Jia Nan Academy recruitment team.
Dou Practitioner	38	Reveals his realm alongside Lin Qingyun during Instructor Ruo Lin’s assessment.
Dou Master	70	Breaks through while also becoming a Rank 2 Alchemist.
Dou Spirit	261	His enraged aura after learning of the Xiao Family’s disaster indicates he has entered this realm.
One-Star Dou Emperor	381	Emerges after subduing the Fallen Heart Flame and spending a year in the magma world.
Dou Zun	437	Breaks through after overcoming a Pill Tribulation during the Pill Gathering.

Background / History

Xiao Yan is a member of the Xiao Family and the son of its patriarch, Xiao Zhan. He was once a celebrated prodigy in Wutan City, but his cultivation stagnated for three years, reducing him to the target of public ridicule during the clan’s annual test. Despite the humiliation, he resolves that neither the label of genius nor waste defines who he is 6.

Lin Qingyun, whom Xiao Yan calls Brother Yun, is a few months older and an adopted member of the Xiao Family. Xiao Yan admires Lin Qingyun’s intelligence and accomplishments, though he also feels inferior to him as another transmigrator 1. Their bond remains central to Xiao Yan’s decisions: Lin Qingyun defends his honor when Nalan Yanran seeks to dissolve their engagement, while Xiao Yan later insists that the mysterious Elder helping him must also assist Lin Qingyun 8 10.

The cause of Xiao Yan’s stagnation is eventually revealed when an ancient Elder emerges from his ring and explains that he had been absorbing Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for three years. Xiao Yan accepts the Elder as his master in order to regain his strength and prepare for the three-year agreement with Nalan Yanran 10.

After training in the Monster Beast Mountain Range and traveling with Lin Qingyun, Xiao Yan pursues Heavenly Flames to accelerate his growth. He acquires the Mysterious Yellow Flame, later risks infiltrating the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower to reclaim the Fallen Heart Flame, and ultimately subdues it after a year in the magma world 127 263 381.

When the Xiao Family is attacked and his father and eldest brother are taken, Xiao Yan becomes determined to rescue them and retaliate against the Hall of Souls. He later accepts leadership of the Xiao Sect from his second brother, Xiao Li, and directs its forces toward aiding the Jia Ma Empire against the Hall of Souls 261 383.

Appearance

Xiao Yan is a tall, youthful man generally associated with black clothing. At the annual clan test, his long bangs conceal his brows; later appearances describe him in a black robe 6 262.

• Dark eyes and a clean, youthful face 6
• Wears a black ring that houses the Elder’s presence 6 10
• Uses cyan luminous wings when aided by his master’s power 128

Personality

Xiao Yan initially carries the bitterness and inferiority of a fallen prodigy, but he does not remain withdrawn. He faces ridicule with restraint and ultimately decides to let go of his former reputation rather than be defined by it 4 6.

He is loyal, protective, and highly motivated by those close to him. He supports Lin Qingyun, protects Xiao Xun’er from those who bully her, and places his family’s safety above his own comfort 10 238 261. His drive for strength can become desperate: even after being warned of the danger, he persists in attempting to obtain the Fallen Heart Flame in order to rapidly improve 262 263.

In combat, Xiao Yan is adaptive and strategic. He evaluates his own chances honestly, exploits openings, and combines techniques, weapons, and external power when necessary 232 239.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

Xiao Yan studies under the Medicine Elder and develops into an exceptional alchemist.

• Becomes a Rank 2 Alchemist alongside his Dou Master breakthrough 70.
• Is recognized as a Third-grade Alchemist in Black Rock City 128.
• Refines two pills in a single furnace at the Pill Gathering, an unprecedented feat, and shares the championship with Lu Mu 437.

Heavenly Flames

Xiao Yan wields Heavenly Flames as both a cultivation resource and a combat asset.

• Obtains the Mysterious Yellow Flame 127.
• Seeks and eventually subdues the Fallen Heart Flame, reaching One-Star Dou Emperor in the process 263 381.
• Uses the Heavenly Flame Three Profound Transformations to temporarily enhance his strength; the technique is acknowledged to be harmful and unsustainable 239.

Close-Quarters Combat

Xiao Yan primarily favors fists and palms over weapon fighting, turning his fists, elbows, and other body parts into weapons during rapid close-range assaults 39.

• Heartbreak Fist
• Mountain Splitting Palm
• Through-the-Back Fist 39

Weapon Techniques

Though not principally a weapons specialist, Xiao Yan employs powerful weapon-based techniques when necessary.

• Uses an iron sword during the test against Instructor Ruo Lin 39.
• Wields the Mystic Heavy Ruler against Fu Ao 239.
• Uses the Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler to split the combat stage and defeat Fu Ao’s attack 239.

Telekinetic Manipulation

As a Dou Practitioner, Xiao Yan demonstrates the ability to attract and expel objects telekinetically—an ability Instructor Ruo Lin considers characteristic of at least a Dou Grandmaster 39.

Borrowed Power

The Medicine Elder can enter Xiao Yan’s body and lend him power.

• Grants him a major boost in speed and flight through his cyan wings 128.
• Controls Xiao Yan’s body to help him escape the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower 265.
• Allows him to display a Five-Star Dou Zong aura when confronting Xie Biyan 396.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black ring — the vessel from which the Medicine Elder emerges 6 10.
• Mystic Heavy Ruler — used to counter Fu Ao’s trident 239.
• Ten Tiger Eagle Beasts — ten tamed Level 4 Mo Beasts supplied by Xiao Li for the Xiao Sect’s campaign 383.

Relationships

• Lin Qingyun — Adopted Xiao Family brother and closest companion; Xiao Yan admires him, fights beside him, and relies on his guidance during crises 1 10 261 398.
• Medicine Elder — Master who had unknowingly drained Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi for three years before training and protecting him 10 263 396.
• Xiao Xun’er — Close companion who comforts him after the annual test; Xiao Yan vows to make those who bully her pay 6 238.
• Xiao Zhan — Father and Xiao Family patriarch; Xiao Yan’s disappearance from home concerns him, and rescuing him becomes one of Xiao Yan’s main motivations 20 261.
• Xiao Li — Second brother; entrusts the leadership of the Xiao Sect to Xiao Yan and supports his capability 261 383.
• Nalan Yanran — Former fiancée whose engagement dissolution and three-year agreement drive much of Xiao Yan’s early pursuit of strength 8 70.
• Wu Hao — Ally from Jia Nan Academy; reunites and fights alongside Xiao Yan during the Jia Ma Empire war 391.
• Lu Mu — Fellow Pill Gathering champion and acknowledged rival; Lu Mu declares his intent to eliminate Xiao Yan in the future 437.
• Xiao Chen — Protects Xiao Yan during the confrontation with the Soul Ghost Old Man 489.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Fallen Prodigy and the Three-Year Agreement

Xiao Yan endures the humiliation of being stuck at Third Stage Dou Qi, then becomes embroiled in Nalan Yanran’s attempt to dissolve their engagement. The incident establishes his need to regain strength and face the future agreement 6 8.

Apprenticeship Under the Medicine Elder

After discovering that the Elder in his ring caused his stagnation, Xiao Yan accepts him as a master. He trains to reclaim his talent and negotiates for Lin Qingyun to benefit as well 10.

Jia Nan Academy and Inner Courtyard

Xiao Yan enters Jia Nan Academy, challenges Instructor Ruo Lin alongside Lin Qingyun, and later builds influence within the Inner Courtyard through Pan Gate and its conflicts with rival factions 38 232 239.

Fallen Heart Flame

Driven by the need for power and revenge, Xiao Yan infiltrates the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower. Though forced to retreat initially, he ultimately subdues the Fallen Heart Flame and returns as a One-Star Dou Emperor 263 265 381.

Xiao Sect and the Jia Ma Empire War

Xiao Yan becomes leader of the Xiao Sect and commits its strength to the defense of the Jia Ma Empire against the Hall of Souls and invading forces 383 391 396.

Pill Gathering

Xiao Yan reaches Dou Zun, survives a Pill Tribulation, and becomes joint champion after refining two pills simultaneously 437.

Trivia

• Xiao Yan dislikes being called “Xiao Yanzi” and has repeatedly told Lin Qingyun not to use the nickname 1.
• He considers Lin Qingyun a major source of motivation to continue growing stronger 70.
• Before challenging the White Gang, he estimated only a roughly thirty percent chance of defeating Bai Cheng without using major trump cards such as the Buddha’s Rage Fire Lotus and Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler 232.