Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Flame Emperor (original future); Lord of the Endless Fire Domain (future self); “Soul Palace Xiao Yan” (alternate-world counterpart) 44 46 47
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Heavens Chat Group 1
Occupation/Role	Dou Qi cultivator, pill refiner, and disciple of Yao Lao 30 35 37
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Da Dou Shi	3 3	Described himself as a “mere Da Dou Shi” while reacting to Su Lin’s time-travel treasure.
Two-Star Dou Ling	35 35	Reached this level with assistance and opportunities gained through the chat group; had already defeated Nalan Yanran in the three-year agreement.

Background / History

Xiao Yan was originally a modern person who transmigrated in 2009 into the Dou Qi world. When the Heavens Chat Group appeared, he initially suspected a business scam and was baffled by Ye Fan’s claim of reaching another planet only a year after Xiao Yan’s transmigration. 1

After Su Lin revealed that the members’ lives corresponded to stories in another world, Xiao Yan accepted the possibility quickly. Su Lin uploaded Battle Through the Heavens and warned him not to use Buddha’s Fury Lotus against the Misty Cloud Sect, as it could bring disaster upon the Xiao Clan. Xiao Yan accepted the warning while remaining confident that he could defeat Nalan Yanran without it. 2

He became an active supporter of cross-world cooperation, contributing practical items for Su Lin’s first interworld journey and recognizing that Cross-Boundary Talismans could be used to escape danger, recover, and return stronger. 3 25 He later joined the Heavens Chat Group’s first in-person gathering at Water Mirror Peak, where he sampled familiar Earth snacks, experimented with immortal cultivation, and chose to remain on the path of battle qi. 29

When Yao Lao awakened during the gathering, Xiao Yan introduced him to the chat group but concealed the existence of Battle Through the Heavens. He and Yao Lao exchanged alchemy knowledge and medicinal resources with the other members, helping establish Water Mirror Peak’s medicinal fields. 30

By the time of his next visit to Water Mirror Peak, Xiao Yan had reached Two-Star Dou Ling and won the three-year agreement against Nalan Yanran while suppressing his strength to roughly her level. He returned to Wutan City afterward, prepared for possible retaliation from the Misty Cloud Sect and the Soul Palace’s involvement. 35

Appearance

At the first offline gathering, Xiao Yan appeared as a young man with ordinary but pleasant features. He carried a massive ruler across his back. 29

• Carries the Heavy Xuan Ruler. 2 29
• Has an outwardly unremarkable appearance despite a notably agreeable presence. 29

Personality

Xiao Yan is skeptical, blunt, and practical. His first response to the Heavens Chat Group was to assume it was a scam, but he adapted quickly once its reality became clear. He evaluates new tools by their usefulness in battle and survival, such as immediately recognizing the tactical value of escaping to another world through a Cross-Boundary Talisman. 1 25

He is confident in his own strength and willing to take aggressive measures against threats to himself, Yao Lao, or the Xiao Clan. Although warned not to use Buddha’s Fury Lotus against the Misty Cloud Sect, he remained certain he could defeat Nalan Yanran through his own abilities. He later jokingly proposed dropping a Fire Lotus on Zouken Matou and immediately fleeing back to his own world. 2 29

Xiao Yan is intensely loyal to Yao Lao and views reviving his teacher as one of his foremost goals. He is also deeply attached to Gu Xun’er; seeing his future self’s life with her makes him openly excited, jealous, and emotionally transparent. 27 44 47

He frequently teases other group members—especially Shirou Emiya—about romance, harems, and alternate futures. The same behavior makes him an easy target when the group exposes his own romantic history or alternate selves. 30 32 46

Abilities & Skills

Dou Qi Cultivation

Xiao Yan follows the battle-qi path and declined to replace it with Water Mirror Peak’s immortal cultivation system after briefly testing it. 29

• Advanced from Da Dou Shi to Two-Star Dou Ling. 3 35
• Defeated Nalan Yanran in the three-year agreement while limiting his displayed strength. 35
• Fights with the Heavy Xuan Ruler. 2 29
• Possesses Buddha’s Fury Lotus, but was specifically cautioned against using it against the Misty Cloud Sect because of the danger to the Xiao Clan. 2
• Can channel power into the Dayan Pearl, activating its external projection mode. 46

Pill Refinement

Xiao Yan refines medicinal pills under Yao Lao’s guidance and has become an important contributor to the group’s resource exchanges. 3 30

• His concentration while pill refining is significant enough that Yao Lao had to stabilize his flames when the chat group distracted him. 3
• Exchanged alchemy knowledge, pill formulas, and medicinal herbs with Ye Fan, Han Li, and Yao Lao. 30
• Refined a special commissioned medicinal pill for Ye Fan and Han Li beside Water Mirror Peak’s lake. 37
• Sought additional aged medicinal herbs after his existing supply began running low. 35

Cross-World Cultivation Knowledge

Xiao Yan readily studies unfamiliar systems without abandoning his established path. 29 36

• Tested Water Mirror Peak’s cultivation method but found battle qi more suitable for himself. 29
• Received Zhongli’s Adeptal Power purification method alongside the other members. 37
• Discussed Heaven-and-Earth Flames and intelligent medicinal pills from his world during the group’s hotpot gathering. 43

Equipment / Items

• Heavy Xuan Ruler — massive ruler carried on his back. 2 29
• Ring housing Yao Lao — the ring-bound elder is Xiao Yan’s teacher and most important companion. 30 44
• Dayan Pearl: Reflection — briefly used to observe parallel versions of himself; after his future self strengthened it, Xiao Yan passed the enhanced pearl back to Su Lin. 46 47

Future Self and Parallel Counterparts

Soul Palace Xiao Yan

The Dayan Pearl revealed an alternate Xiao Yan dressed in black and addressed by Yun Ling as a Soul Palace Protector. This counterpart sought Heavenly Flames with Yun Ling’s assistance and displayed a villainous demeanor that embarrassed the current Xiao Yan. 46

Lord of the Endless Fire Domain

A future Xiao Yan appeared through the Dayan Pearl surrounded by countless Heaven-and-Earth Flames and immense spiritual power. He identified the Heavens Chat Group as the cause of an independent branch in his past timeline, though he believed all branches would eventually converge. 46 47

• He described himself as both “the beginning of the past and the end of the future.” 47
• He used Heavenly Flames to strengthen the Dayan Pearl, allowing it to endure longer instead of breaking after opening a passage once. 47
• He entrusted his younger self to Yao Lao, giving Yao Lao emotional confirmation that taking Xiao Yan as a disciple had left him with no regrets. 47
• In the Endless Fire Domain, he acknowledged that the Great Thousand World still held paths, dangers, and opportunities beyond his understanding. 48

Relationships

• Yao Lao / Yao Chen — teacher and ring-bound mentor. Xiao Yan relies on his guidance in battle and alchemy, introduced him to the chat group, and vows to revive him in the future. 2 30 44 47
• Su Lin — fellow chat-group member who supplied future knowledge, warned Xiao Yan about Buddha’s Fury Lotus, and hosted him at Water Mirror Peak. 2 29 46
• Gu Xun’er — Xiao Yan’s beloved. His feelings for her remain unchanged across past, present, and future versions of himself. 32 47 48
• Nalan Yanran — opponent in the three-year agreement; Xiao Yan defeated her after reaching Two-Star Dou Ling. 2 35
• Ye Fan — fellow chat-group member and frequent teasing partner; the two trade jokes about each other’s romantic histories and ambitions. 30 32 47
• Shirou Emiya — chat-group companion whom Xiao Yan repeatedly teases about romance and alternate “routes.” 30 32
• Queen Medusa and Little Cai — figures currently near Xiao Yan during his preparations against the Misty Cloud Sect and Soul Palace. 35

Notable Quotes

“Every moment of mine is spent preparing to revive my teacher and cleanse my sect. I will quell the Soul Clan's chaos and battle through the heavens!” 44

“How can you lose with a fed Dragon right in your face?!” 48

Trivia

• Xiao Yan and Ye Fan both miss familiar Earth food; Xiao Yan specifically requested hotpot and soup dumplings from Su Lin. 24
• He jokingly claimed that, without the three-month restriction on interworld travel, he could simply cultivate elsewhere until reaching Dou Di and return “unrivaled.” 25
• “Soul Palace Xiao Yan” refers to an alternate counterpart shown by the Dayan Pearl, not Xiao Yan’s current timeline. 46