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.

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.

Saber Combat

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

• Injures Red-Faced Fox, splits Green Snake Demon in two, and wounds Stone Bull Demon during the fighting in Azure Mist City 102.
• Cuts through part of the Scorpion Lord’s venom attack, though droplets still strike his arm 114.

Equipment / Items

• Broad saber — his principal weapon 101 102.
• Qi-Gathering Bottle — carries 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.

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.
• Zhou Zheng — fellow deputy general who joins Yan and Yang on the Mystic Bone Sect and Azure Mist City operations 95 99.
• Shen Jingxian — deputy commander whose orders Yan carries out when investigating Longwind Commandery’s missing reports 105 110 111.
• 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.

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.