Xiao Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Former Prodigy and Three-Year Decline

Xiao Yan grew up in Wutan City as Xiao Zhan’s son and was once the Xiao Clan’s leading young genius. His cultivation subsequently fell and stagnated, while the Dou Qi he absorbed disappeared without explanation. Xiao Zhan sought physicians and grandmasters for three years without finding a cure. During this period, many clansmen belittled Xiao Yan, but his father and Xun’er continued supporting him 8 11.

Xiao Xuan’s Return

Shortly before the clan’s coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Yan encountered Xiao Xuan outside the residence. Feeling an instinctive warmth toward the stranger, he assumed Xiao Xuan was a distant clansman and invited him inside. He later tried to take the blame when Xiao Xuan interrupted a leadership meeting. Even after witnessing Xiao Xuan’s overwhelming strength, Xiao Yan initially questioned whether the claimed ancestral identity should be verified 1 2 3.

Xiao Xuan taught him the Emperor Vein Heart Sutra and exposed Yao Chen’s soul inside his black ring as the cause of his decline. Rather than resent Yao Chen permanently, Xiao Yan considered the lost years worthwhile if they secured a powerful alchemist for the clan. With his cultivation restored, he resolved to reclaim his former standing 7 8 9 11.

Public Comeback and Clan Renewal

At the clan assessment, Xiao Yan withheld his new cultivation level until his turn, then overturned his reputation with a verified Three-Star Dou Zhe result. He declined to explain the secret of his progress without Xiao Xuan’s permission and showed little interest in the renewed admiration of his peers 19 21 22.

When Xiao Mei later apologized for her treatment of him, Xiao Yan accepted. He placed their shared goal of revitalizing the Xiao Clan above his old grievances, although the previous closeness between them was not restored 24.

Personality

Xiao Yan is loyal and protective toward those he accepts as companions. He tried to shield Xiao Xuan from blame despite barely knowing him, and he was eager to share his recovery with Xun’er. His pride in his family also extends beyond personal achievement: learning the clan’s history prompted him to support its restoration 2 4 11.

Three years of humiliation made him more discerning about praise and status-driven affection. After his comeback, he recognized Xiao Mei’s renewed admiration as a response to his strength rather than unchanged loyalty. Nevertheless, he remained capable of forgiveness and refused to let past mistreatment obstruct the clan’s future 22 24.

Abilities & Skills

Atavistic Dou Di Bloodline

• His bloodline underwent ancestral reversion, giving him more than one hundred times the Dou Di bloodline concentration of an ordinary contemporary Xiao clansman 20.
• Awakening it increased his cultivation speed and the strain his body could withstand, allowing him to take Yao Chen’s specially prepared pills 20.
• Its concentration remained below that of the Ancient Xiao Clan’s direct descendants from a thousand years earlier 20.

Emperor Vein Heart Sutra

• Received directly from Xiao Xuan as a member of the clan’s direct bloodline 7.
• A high-level Heaven Tier cultivation method created by the clan’s Dou Di and refined by subsequent generations of Dou Di 7.
• Resonates with the Xiao Clan bloodline and supports rapid Dou Qi absorption 7 21.
• His extraordinary three-day recovery does not establish an equivalent pace for future advancement: Xiao Xuan specifically explained that much of it involved recultivating previously attained realms 21.

Alchemy Aptitude

• Possesses strong soul strength, which Yao Chen identified as excellent material for an alchemist 19.
• Accepted as Yao Chen’s disciple after the latter’s resurrection; Yao Chen intended to pass on his alchemical knowledge without withholding anything 19.
• His aptitude and apprenticeship are established, but no completed pill refinement or alchemist rank is documented 19.

Equipment / Items

• Black ring — Formerly worn on his finger and secretly housing Yao Chen’s remnant soul. Xiao Xuan removed the soul and took custody of the ring, ending the drain on Xiao Yan’s cultivation 8 9.
• Cultivation-enhancing pills — Refined by Yao Chen as compensation for the stolen Dou Qi; tailored to Xiao Yan’s bloodline and used to accelerate his recovery 19 20.

Relationships

• Xiao Zhan — Father and clan patriarch. Supported Xiao Yan throughout his decline, sought treatment repeatedly, and knelt before Xiao Xuan to request help 8 11.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li — Elder brothers; Xiao Zhan’s eldest and second sons. Founded the Desert Iron Mercenary Group outside Wutan City 4.
• Xiao Xuan — Returned ancestor, protector, and cultivation benefactor. Appreciated Xiao Yan’s loyalty, restored his ability to cultivate, and selected him for priority training 7 8 20.
• Gu Xun’er — Childhood sweetheart who never abandoned him during his disgrace. Xiao Yan initially believed she belonged to a Xiao Clan branch and was shocked when she revealed her Gu Clan identity 11 13.
• Yao Chen / Yao Lao — Master and former cause of his cultivation loss. Made amends through pills and mentorship; Xiao Yan accepted the arrangement without lasting resentment 8 9 19.
• Xiao Mei — Former admirer whose attitude changed after his decline. He distrusted her renewed praise after his comeback but later accepted her apology 20 22 24.
• Xiao Ning — Young clansman celebrated during Xiao Yan’s stagnation. Challenged the Three-Star Dou Zhe result and demanded a retest, which confirmed Xiao Yan’s strength 20 21.

Notable Quotes

“Father, don’t worry. This time, I’ll prove to everyone that your son isn’t a good-for-nothing. Everything I lost three years ago, I, Xiao Yan, will reclaim with my own hands.” 11