Yan Shaozhe

Biodata

Background / History

Mu En adopted Yan Shaozhe. Ye Xishui refers to this precedent when explaining why she expects Mu En to accept Gu Ming into the Sea God Pavilion without discovering his Holy Spirit Cult allegiance 8.

By Gu Ming’s enrollment, Yan Shaozhe heads Shrek’s Martial Soul Department and has Ma Xiaotao as his disciple. Concerned about the evil fire that has troubled her for years, he considers whether Gu Ming’s Ice Soul state could suppress it 18 19.

Personality

Yan Shaozhe is openly stingy but insists that his decisions reflect fairness and proper procedure. When seeking to secure Gu Ming for his department, he wants the lowest possible cost and refuses to offer rewards before the freshman assessment. He becomes irritated when Du Weilun points out how miserly this appears 19.

He strongly favors traditional Soul Master cultivation over Soul Tools. His admiration for Gu Ming quickly becomes possessive: he wants to prevent the Soul Tool Department from recruiting the boy and is unhappy when Xuan Zi offers to take him as a disciple 19 20.

His assessments can be dismissive when a student’s apparent aptitude does not fit Shrek’s established approach. Despite Du Weilun’s praise for Huo Yuhao’s contribution to his team, Yan regards his single-ring body martial soul as low-grade and unsuitable for the academy’s teaching philosophy 24.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Investigating Gu Ming

Yan instructs Du Weilun to observe Gu Ming. After the freshman nearly kills a four-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider, Du brings him a recording of the fight 16 18.

• Combat ability: Yan praises Gu Ming’s techniques and experience, judging that he could have handled the battle even without the Tianjing Sword’s exceptional sharpness 19.
• Righteous power: He calls Gu Ming’s aura the purest righteous power he has seen during his tenure as dean 19.
• Attribute potential: He notices an aura resembling an ultimate attribute in Lightning Flash 19.
• Possible aid for Ma Xiaotao: He wonders whether Gu Ming could maintain Ice Soul long enough to suppress her evil fire; this remains speculation 19.

Dispute over Gu Ming’s Future

To prevent another department from claiming Gu Ming, Yan convenes a Sea God Pavilion meeting and proposes making him a permanent Martial Soul Department core student. Xian Lin’er rejects the proposal, accusing him of monopolizing outstanding students while leaving her department with weaker candidates 19.

Mu En instead proposes making Gu Ming the Pavilion’s Holy Son, conditional on passing the necessary assessments. Yan initially urges caution, then agrees while asking that Gu Ming be barred from studying Soul Tools. Mu En overrules that restriction: Gu Ming must choose his own path, without either department obstructing or forcing him 19 20.

Freshman Assessment

Yan attends the final to evaluate Gu Ming’s potential. After hearing Du Weilun’s report, he dismisses Huo Yuhao as a prospect, although Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’s unexpected Martial Soul Fusion Skill draws his attention during the match 23 24.

Yan personally finalizes the post-assessment core-student list. Huo Yuhao receives only provisional core-student status, while the other listed students receive full status; Du Weilun cannot change the decision 25.

Relationships

• Mu En — Adoptive guardian and senior authority. Yan seeks his approval for Gu Ming’s placement but must accept his ruling on the boy’s freedom to study Soul Tools 8 19 20.
• Ma Xiaotao — Disciple. Yan compares Gu Ming’s promise with hers and hopes his Ice Soul power might address her longstanding evil-fire problem 19.
• Du Weilun — Subordinate and adviser. He monitors Gu Ming at Yan’s request and alerts him to the risk of losing the boy to the Soul Tool Department 16 18 19.
• Gu Ming — Highly valued recruitment prospect whom Yan wants to retain exclusively in the Martial Soul Department 19 20.
• Xian Lin’er — Rival department dean. She challenges his recruitment scheme and his dismissal of Soul Tool education 19 20.
• Xuan Zi — Fellow Pavilion elder whose offer to mentor Gu Ming frustrates Yan’s own interest in the boy. Both initially judge Huo Yuhao poorly 19 24.
• Huo Yuhao — Student Yan considers unsuitable for Shrek’s training approach; Yan’s finalized list grants him only provisional core status 24 25.

Notable Quotes

“That way, we can keep the Soul Tool Department from snatching him away while retaining him in the Martial Soul Department at the lowest possible cost. Two birds with one stone.” 19

“A powerful Soul Master doesn't need Soul Tools.” 20

Trivia

• His stinginess is compared to an “iron rooster” that will not shed a single feather. He regards this frugality as inheriting the virtues of Shrek’s first dean, Flender 19.