Xiao Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Xiao Yan remembers living on Earth before transmigrating to the Dou Qi Continent. He was once the Xiao Clan’s celebrated genius and its first member in a hundred years to reach Dou Zhe before his coming-of-age ceremony. His cultivation later disappeared, turning admiration into ridicule 5 21 33.

The decline lasted three years because Yao Chen, whose soul inhabited his black ring, absorbed his Dou Qi. Yao Chen also delayed revealing himself to test Xiao Yan’s response to adversity. Despite bullying and neglect, Xiao Yan retained his concern for his clan and especially cherished Xiao Zhan and Xiao Xun’er, who had remained beside him 2 3 4.

Nalan Yanran’s public attempt to break their engagement became the immediate catalyst for his renewed pursuit of strength. Xiao Yan issued a written repudiation and made the Three-Year Agreement. Shortly afterward, Hun Tiandi offered to share his instruction with Yao Chen: Hun Tiandi would teach cultivation, while Yao Chen would teach alchemy 2 5 14.

Appearance

Xiao Yan is a slender, handsome youth with flowing black hair and dark eyes, frequently dressed in white robes 5 16 18.

• Oversized ruler: Carries the Heavy Xuan Ruler on his back when not concealing it in his Storage Ring 5.
• Disguise: Uses a black robe and bamboo hat with black gauze to hide his face during auction-house visits 8.
• Reconstructed body: Closely resembles his original body, but initially has an additional trace of gloom between its brows and jade-white hands 34.
• Hun Tiandi’s influence: Deliberately imitates his master’s white-robed bearing and aloof composure 5 44.

Personality

Xiao Yan’s ambition grows from a desire to protect his dignity and the people he cherishes. Initially interested in becoming a regional powerhouse, he begins aspiring to Dou Sheng after witnessing Hun Tiandi’s strength. Hun Tiandi’s later assessment that he possesses Dou Di potential further strengthens his confidence 2 5 21 43.

He distinguishes between genuine enemies and people who merely slighted him. Although he kills Liu Xi and participates ruthlessly in the destruction of the Jia Lie Family, he considers revenge for every petty insult beneath him. He later protects and treats Xiao Ning, despite their earlier confrontation 12 14 16 20.

Loyalty and promises matter deeply to him. He chooses the difficult, uncertain Flame Mantra largely to fulfill his promise to restore Yao Chen’s body. His attraction to Xiao Yi Xian troubles him because he believes pursuing it would betray Xiao Xun’er’s steadfast support 19 28 34 43.

Rapid success sometimes makes him overconfident. An ambush in Qingshan Town forces him to recognize that he has begun treating weaker opponents carelessly, even though Yao Chen’s protection has made him unusually secure 25.

Abilities & Skills

Flame Mantra

An evolving cultivation method obtained through Yao Chen. It begins at Low-grade Yellow Tier and advances by devouring spirit flames or Heavenly Flames; Yao Chen describes its potential growth as theoretically indefinite 5.

• Allows Xiao Yan to refine and accommodate different flames within his cultivation 5 15 43.
• Initially suffers from limited cultivation speed and Dou Qi quality, making powerful techniques difficult to sustain 19.
• At High-grade Earth Tier, produces much purer Dou Qi and coats his meridians with devouring energy that absorbs much of the Sea Heart Flame’s assault 34 43.
• Does not completely eliminate the danger of Heavenly Flame refinement: the Sea Heart Flame’s final resistance still causes pain 43.

Flame Arsenal

Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus

A self-created technique formed from the Peach Blossom Flame and Divine Crow Flame. At Dou Zhe, its explosion matches a One-Star Da Dou Shi’s strike 15.

• Devastates the Jia Lie Family compound and engulfs its Second Elder 17 18.
• Each use consumes roughly one-third of his Dou Qi; Xiao Yan assesses that he can use it at most twice in a battle 15.
• Incorrect spacing can catch him in his own explosion 15.
• Becomes unavailable when both constituent beast flames are destroyed alongside his original body 38.

Flame Splitting Wave Ruler

An Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique given to Xiao Yan by Yao Chen upon reaching Dou Zhe. It channels flame-enhanced attacks through the Heavy Xuan Ruler 17.

• Combines with Earth Flame to kill a Tier 2 Kui Wood Wolf, an opponent stronger than an ordinary Dou Shi 27.
• His first attempt against the Jia Lie Family’s Da Dou Shi Second Elder fails to overcome the strength gap; Yao Chen must prevent him from crashing into a wall 17.
• Later becomes efficient enough for repeated use against a Dou Wang 46.

Earth Flame

A Black-tier High-grade fire-control technique received from Xiao Zhan among the Jia Lie Family’s spoils. It normally converts Dou Qi into flame to amplify the user’s strength 19.

• Xiao Yan bypasses the conversion step by using flames already within his body, reducing consumption 19.
• Provides adjustable enhancement; stronger boosts increase Dou Qi expenditure 19.
• Produces explosive bursts of movement comparable to some Mid-grade Black-tier movement techniques, though without their agility 25.
• Through Earth Flame Counterattack, lets him harness the Nihility Devouring Flame’s properties even while its intelligent core ignores him 36.

Eagle Wings

An Advanced Black-tier Flying Dou Technique learned from a jade slip found in Nalan Jie’s Storage Ring 28.

• Creates two branch meridians in the back, allowing flight before Dou Wang 28.
• Learned through an overnight training session 28.
• Used to pursue the Imperial Family’s Dou Wang elder into the sky, overturning the elder’s assumption that Xiao Yan could not follow him 46.
• Xiao Yan avoids using it in the Netherworld because he applies Yao Chen’s warning that flying in the Magical Beast Forest provokes surrounding beasts 37.

Devouring and Soul Strengthening

The black flames produced by his transformed Dou Qi inherit the Nihility Devouring Flame’s ability to consume other substances 36 39.

• Concealment: Devour his emitted aura, allowing him to move unnoticed among Netherworld forces 36.
• Soul nourishment: Convert consumed soul bodies into exceptionally pure soul power without contaminating his own soul 36.
• Cultivation nourishment: Fully absorb the energy in Heavenly Treasures 36.
• Anti-resurrection: A forcibly extracted wisp destroys five Netherworld Generals whose ordinary defeats merely cause them to revive 37.
• Limit: The energy returned from those Generals exceeds what he can withstand and renders him unconscious 37.

Alchemy

Trained by Yao Chen, Xiao Yan first earns money by refining Healing Medicine in Wutan City. After his soul strengthens in the Netherworld, he attempts higher-tier medicine independently 2 39.

• Develops a new refining approach that burns away impurities while preserving useful medicinal material 39.
• Successfully makes a top-grade second-tier Healing Medicine, exceeding his then-current alchemy tier 39.
• Feeds the medicine to the unconscious Yun Yun 39.
• Discovers that energy returned from devoured ingredients can accelerate the healing of his own wounds 39.

Soul Lock and Rune Techniques

Hun Tiandi begins teaching Xiao Yan the Hall of Souls’ Soul Lock technique and introduces the Hun Clan’s rune cultivation system during their voyage into the void 49.

• Only introductory instruction is documented; no completed rune technique or demonstrated mastery is shown 49.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heavy Xuan Ruler — Oversized weapon used for flame-enhanced strikes and Flame Splitting Wave Ruler 5 17.
• Hun Tiandi’s Storage Ring — Blood-bound storage containing cultivation supplies, medicinal resources, pills, and the Peach Blossom Flame 2 4 5.
• Black Ring — Houses Yao Chen’s soul. Xiao Yan retrieves it after his death and hangs it around his neck again 2 38.
• Two Protective Talismans — Gifts from Xiao Xun’er and Xiao Yi Xian; block an ambush in Qingshan Town 15 18 25.
• Pill Furnace — Used for his medicinal refining, including his independent second-tier Healing Medicine attempt 19 39.
• Beast Flame Map — Xiao Xun’er’s map identifies four flame locations and supplies information for the search on Xiao Yi Xian’s behalf 22 23.
• Soul Hall Protector Token — Issued by Hun Miesheng when appointing him Flame Protector 47.
• His mother’s necklace — A keepsake he would hold while grieving alone on the mountain 3.

Relationships

• Hun Tiandi — Cultivation master, benefactor, and model for his ambitions. Supplies resources and Heavenly Flames, then personally takes him into the void for further training 2 42 49.
• Yao Chen / Yao Lao — Alchemy master and protector. Initially responsible for his cultivation decline, but becomes someone Xiao Yan deeply cherishes and promises to resurrect 2 4 34.
• Xiao Zhan — Father and Xiao Clan chief. Supports him through his decline; Xiao Yan treasures their bond and repeatedly seeks to ease his worries 3 11 20.
• Xiao Xun’er / Gu Xun’er — Childhood companion and romantic attachment who remained beside him during his lowest years. Her departure with the Tou She Ancient God Jade damages his trust and leaves him contemplating a future confrontation 3 28 48 49.
• Hun Xian’er / Xiao Yi Xian — Senior sister under their shared masters, traveling companion, and growing romantic interest. Xiao Yan helps her search for a flame suitable for alchemy 8 9 23 28.
• Xiao Ning — Older cousin and former rival. Xiao Yan injures him during their duel, then later rescues him from clan bullies and treats his damaged meridians 5 6 20.
• Nalan Yanran — Former fiancée and opponent in the Three-Year Agreement. Her public rejection fuels his determination, although he later views the humiliation with greater detachment 2 14 27.
• Qing Lin — Xiao Yi Xian’s young herbal assistant and their traveling companion. Accompanies them from Wutan City toward the Magical Beast Forest before being sent to the Central Plains 13 23 44.
• Yun Yun — Nalan Yanran’s teacher. Xiao Yan witnesses her battle with the Amethyst Winged Lion King and later treats her while she is unconscious 27 29 39.
• Hun Miesheng — Hun Clan senior who oversees his passage through the Netherworld and appoints him a Hall of Souls Protector 32 37 47.
• Blood River — Assigned to supervise the Hall of Souls branch until Xiao Yan reaches Dou Wang 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return to Prominence in Wutan City

After a year of training, Xiao Yan publicly demonstrates Two-Star Dou Zhe cultivation and defeats Xiao Ning. His restored strength overturns the clan’s treatment of him, but also makes former tormentors fear retaliation 5 6 19.

He ambushes Liu Xi, takes his Storage Ring, and stages the killing to implicate the Ao Ba Family. After refining the recovered Divine Crow Flame, he joins the Xiao Clan’s raid against the Jia Lie Family, impersonating Xiao Zhan and using his Fire Lotus to break the remaining resistance 12 14 16 17 18.

Rather than turning against every clansman who mocked him, he publicly rescues Xiao Ning. This reassures the clan while exposing how quickly its members abandon an injured relative 20.

Beast-Flame Expedition

Xiao Yi Xian’s poison-altered Dou Qi makes her attempts at alchemy dangerous. Xiao Yan stops her from refining pills with her own power and accompanies her on a search for an external flame, also seeking life-and-death experience to stabilize his cultivation 22 23.

In Qingshan Town, he destroys the Myriad Medicine Pavilion’s resistance and survives an ambush through his talismans. In the forest, he kills a Tier 2 magical beast, learns Eagle Wings, and struggles with his growing feelings for Xiao Yi Xian 24 25 27 28.

Death, Netherworld, and Resurrection

During the conflict around Yun Yun and the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Yao Chen takes control of Xiao Yan’s body to intervene. Tong Xuan subsequently attacks those aligned with the Hun Clan, crushing Xiao Yan’s body and leaving a remnant soul that is collected through a spatial passage 30 31.

Hun Miesheng tells him that he has reincarnated twice. At the Three-Life Stone, however, a formation activated by the Nihility Devouring Flame places him in an illusion presented as previous-life memories 32.

• He experiences marriage to Xiao Yi Xian and raises three children: Xiao Xiao, Xiao Yinyin, and Xiao Xian 33.
• The apparent life spans a century before Gu Xun’er appears demanding the Tou She Ancient God Jade 33.
• These events belong to the formation-induced experience, not his documented present-day family 32 33.

The Nihility Devouring Flame restores his soul, constructs a new body, and fuses with him. Stranded afterward, Xiao Yan survives by exploiting the flame’s devouring properties. When consuming five Netherworld Generals leaves him unconscious, Hun Miesheng sends him through a Spatial Passage 34 35 36 37.

Flame Protector

Back in the living world, Xiao Yan recovers his belongings, independently refines medicine for Yun Yun, and reunites with Xiao Yi Xian and Hun Tiandi. His master then gives him the Sea Heart Flame 38 39 41 42.

Following the fusion, Xiao Yan faces an Imperial Family Dou Wang as a test. He sustains repeated attacks, follows the elder into the air with Eagle Wings, and kills him with the Sea Heart Flame. Hun Miesheng subsequently appoints him Flame Protector 43 45 46 47.

Journey into the Void

Hun Tiandi announces Xiao Yan’s potential to become a Dou Di and arranges the Xiao Clan’s relocation to the Soul Realm. Xiao Xun’er’s departure with the clan’s jade leaves Xiao Yan emotionally shaken, while the relocation ties his family’s future to the Hun Clan’s survival 48 49.

Xiao Yan leaves aboard a Spatial Ship with Hun Tiandi to seek the tenth-ranked Nine Nether Wind Flame in the Endless Abyss. Hun Tiandi considers lower-ranked flames insufficient to meaningfully advance the already High-grade Earth-tier Flame Mantra 49.

Notable Quotes

“I never want to suffer today's humiliation a second time!” 2

“I'm not trying to take revenge on anyone... I just want everyone to know that you can humiliate me, but you must never trample on everything I cherish!” 5

“More skills never weigh you down.” 27