Yan Tieyi

Biodata

Appearance

Yan Tieyi is described as looming like an iron tower. He carries a broad saber, and an iron-black sheen appears over his fists when he circulates his body-refining technique 93 99 114.

• Bearing: Moves with heavy, steady steps; in Azure Mist City, they made the bluestone paving tremble 101.
• Weapon: A broad saber used alongside his unarmed fighting 93 102.

Personality

Yan is straightforward and openly competitive. He initially brings Yang Xiao to the Mystic Bone Sect to give the younger deputy general experience, then reacts with rueful astonishment when Yang kills Bear Mountain Lord alone. When Yang later surpasses his demon-kill tally in Azure Mist City, Yan concedes without protest 87 96 105.

He takes both duty and his companions’ safety seriously. Yan challenges Han Dingshan over his failure to protect Longwind Commandery, orders his arrest, and insists that his crimes and the casualty records be brought before General Lu. At Black Miasma Ravine, he fights beside Yang Xiao but refuses to pursue the Scorpion Lord into poisonous terrain he cannot withstand 111 112 114 115 117.

Despite his confidence, Yan recognizes the importance of preparation and his own limitations. Before entering Azure Mist City, he leads his companions to the encampment to learn the situation. At Black Miasma Ravine, he considers fighting outside the poisonous terrain the limit of what he can safely attempt 99 115.

Yang Xiao’s rapid growth also becomes a spur to Yan’s own cultivation. After the Sword-Hiding Mountain mission, he acknowledges that he has remained at the peak of the Aperture-Opening Realm too long and resolves to begin Core Condensation 132.

His eagerness to fight persists after his breakthrough. He restrains his immediate desire to test his newfound strength out of respect for General Lu’s residence, but volunteers to accompany Lu against a Core Illumination Realm demon. Lu considers him prone to charging into danger and refuses, directing him to stabilize his cultivation and guard Longwind Commandery instead 185.

Abilities & Skills

Body Refining and Iron Armor Technique

Yan can reinforce his body with surging blood qi and an iron-black luster. He withstands a direct clash with Bear Mountain Lord’s paw, though the force drives him backward 93. His Iron Armor Technique also gathers baleful impulses in his flesh and bones; Sword Pool Qi later relieves some of that accumulated strain 131.

• Shields his fists with an iron-black sheen when preparing to fight the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord 114.
• Cannot simply shrug off the Scorpion Lord’s venom: a splash corrodes his arm to the bone, forcing him to seal the surrounding meridians 114.
• Uses his body-refining strength to resist the Jade-Ridge Silkweaver Spider’s pull, but cannot overcome the Core Condensation demon’s strength and must be rescued by Yang Xiao 124.

Saber Combat

Yan fights with a broad saber, combining physical force with saber energy 102 114.

• Injures Red-Faced Fox, drives back Green Snake Demon, and wounds Stone Bull Demon during the fighting in Azure Mist City, but the demons escape under cover of poisonous mist 102.
• Cuts through part of the Scorpion Lord’s venom attack, though droplets still strike his arm 114.

Mystic Core Cultivation

After half a month of secluded cultivation in Longwind City, Yan successfully condenses a Mystic Core. Lu Changgeng’s inspection finds the newly formed core steady and restrained, with its mystic light neither scattering nor wavering, indicating a solid foundation. Although the breakthrough increases his strength, Lu instructs him to stabilize his cultivation before taking on greater dangers 184 185.

His breakthrough draws spiritual power into a vortex above the residence, producing a phenomenon spanning six or seven li that subsides after several hours 184 185.

Emergency Treatment

Yan can administer emergency treatment to wounded companions. After the Sword Mantis battle, he checks Xue Chong’s pulse, seals several acupoints, and applies medicinal powder to his chest wound, barely stemming the bleeding before Lu Chenyue helps move him 129.

Power Progression

Equipment / Items

• Broad saber — his principal weapon 101 102.
• Qi-Gathering Bottle — receives a distress signal from another deputy general during the Azure Mist City operation 102.
• Deputy General token — identifies his authority when he arrives at the Longwind Commandery garrison on official business 110.
• Lu Changgeng’s sword and sword case — mission cargo entrusted to Yan and Yang for the Hundred Swords Return to the Pool gathering. Yan carries the sword case when leaving Sword-Hiding Mountain and heads back to Longwind Commandery to return the sword 120 132.
• Sword-delivery documents — Lu Changgeng provides a family letter, a brass Sword Talisman identifying the bearers, and the Demon Suppression Division’s invitation. Yan presents the invitation when registering at Sword-Hiding Mountain 120 121.

Relationships

• Yang Xiao — fellow deputy general and frequent mission partner. Yan first treats him as a promising younger fighter, then comes to respect his far greater combat strength; his anger when Yang enters Black Miasma Ravine alone stems from concern for him 87 95 115 116 132. Yang’s achievements motivate Yan to pursue Core Condensation. During Yan’s seclusion, Lu Changgeng withholds reports of Yang’s further victories out of concern that the comparison might obstruct Yan’s cultivation 132 184. When confronting Xuan Zhen, Yang later remembers Yan among the people who helped and accompanied him on his path through Qingzhou 245.
• Zhou Zheng — fellow deputy general who joins Yan and Yang on the Mystic Bone Sect and Azure Mist City operations 95 99.
• Meng Jiu — fellow deputy general who works alongside Yan during the Mystic Bone Sect and Azure Mist City operations and shares in explaining demon-aura merit accounting to Yang Xiao 87 96 99.
• Shen Jingxian — deputy commander whose orders Yan carries out when investigating Longwind Commandery’s missing reports 105 110 111. Yan regards Yang’s safety during the assignment as a responsibility entrusted to him by Shen 116.
• Han Dingshan — Longwind’s stationed deputy general. Yan exposes his reliance on a pact with the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord, orders him restrained, and delivers him for judgment 111 112 118.
• Lu Changgeng — general to whom Yan reports Han’s case; Lu later entrusts Yan and Yang with a sword-delivery mission to Sword-Hiding Mountain 118 119 120. After Yan condenses his core, Lu approves of his foundation but refuses his offer to accompany him against a Core Illumination Realm demon, instead assigning him to guard Longwind Commandery 184 185.
• Lu Chenyue — Sword-Hiding Mountain peak master and an existing acquaintance who greets Yan by his alias, “Iron Armor.” He arranges access to the Mind-Cleansing Cushions, accompanies Yan and Yang during the Sword Embryo pursuit, and guides them into the Sword Pool’s secret grounds 121 122 124 131.
• Xu Qinglan — Lu Chenyue’s disciple and the renowned Sword-Hiding Fairy. Yan recognizes her reputation, instinctively tidies his appearance on seeing her, and returns her greeting with unusual solemnity. He later helps bring her and the other wounded survivors back to Sword-Hiding Mountain 121 122 129.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Mystic Bone Sect: Yan helps plan the fight against Bear Mountain Lord and intervenes to protect the sect master. He is stunned when Yang Xiao kills the demon alone 88 93 95.
• Azure Mist City: Yan drives off several of the Seven Demons of She Mountain, kills the Golden Toad Demon, and then acknowledges that Yang’s five kills have won their informal contest 102 105.
• Longwind Commandery: Acting under Shen Jingxian’s orders, Yan investigates the garrison’s stopped reports, arrests Han Dingshan for dereliction of duty, and accompanies Yang to Black Miasma Ravine. After Yang kills the Scorpion Lord, Yan brings Han and the casualty records before General Lu 110 112 114 117 118.
• Sword-Hiding Mountain: Yan accompanies Yang to deliver Lu Changgeng’s sword. During the search connected to the stolen Sword Embryo, Yang pulls him free of a spider demon’s web. At the Sword Pool, Yan’s accumulated strain eases; on the return journey, Yang’s rapid growth prompts him to reconsider his own stalled cultivation 120 124 131 132. After Yang kills the spider, Yan removes the remaining silk from him. He later witnesses Yang’s victory over the Sword Mantis, confirms Gu Han’s death, and helps Lu Chenyue bring the wounded survivors back to the mountain. On parting from Yang near Qingzhou, he heads toward Longwind Commandery to return General Lu’s sword 125 128 129 132.
• Core Condensation and frontier defense: Yan spends half a month in seclusion in Longwind City and successfully condenses his Mystic Core. Lu Changgeng keeps reports of Yang Xiao’s extraordinary victories from him and praises the stability of his newly formed core. With General Pei occupied at the Canglan River and a Core Illumination Realm demon threatening the frontier, Yan volunteers to accompany Lu, but is ordered to remain behind, stabilize his cultivation, and guard Longwind Commandery 184 185.
• Yang Xiao’s confrontation with Xuan Zhen: Yan is recalled among Yang’s Qingzhou companions and benefactors as Yang resolves to stand up for those threatened by Xuan Zhen 245.

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