Yao Lao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yao Chen 2
Alias(es)	Yao Lao (药老); Venerable Yao 1 2
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Yao Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans 17
Occupation/Role	Renowned alchemist; Xiao Yan’s teacher and protector 2 4
Status	Physical body destroyed; survives as a remnant soul and seeks resurrection 2 53
First Appearance	Appears from the ring left to Xiao Yan by his mother 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Former Dou Zun	1 2	Held this cultivation realm before his disciple’s betrayal and the destruction of his physical body.
Severely weakened remnant soul	1	Absorbs Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi to sustain himself. Using soul power visibly weakens his illusory form, although he can still restrain Xiao Yan and overwhelm him within his sea of consciousness.
Stabilized remnant soul	2	Confirms that his soul has stabilized, but remains unable to gather the materials needed for resurrection himself.
Recovery sufficient to stop drawing Dou Qi	4	After three years of nourishment, tells Xiao Yan that he no longer needs to supply him with Dou Qi. No recovered combat realm is specified at this point.
Recovered Dou Zong-level strength	52 53	His recuperated soul strength reaches the Dou Zong level. While possessing Xiao Yan, he defeats Queen Medusa without using killing blows.

Background / History

Yao Chen was once among the foremost alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent. His most trusted disciple, Han Feng, betrayed him and joined his enemies in an attack that destroyed his body. A remnant of his soul escaped into a ring, where he spent years asleep before awakening in need of nourishment 2 3.

The ring eventually belonged to Xiao Yan, whose fire-and-wood Dou Qi was particularly compatible with Yao Lao’s damaged soul. When twelve-year-old Xiao Yan detected the absorption and attempted to destroy the ring, Yao Lao revealed himself. His apologies and assurances failed to overcome Xiao Yan’s fear of possession, so he surrendered a portion of his soul origin as a safeguard: destroying it would grievously injure him, but would not kill him 1 2 56.

Yao Lao initially offered alchemy instruction and cultivation guidance in exchange for help restoring his body. Xiao Yan refused the dangerous commitment. Their eventual agreement allowed Xiao Yan to seek the necessary materials only when he judged the risks acceptable. Yao Lao privately remained cautious about teaching everything he knew until he had assessed the boy’s character 2 3.

After three years of observation, Yao Lao accepted Xiao Yan as his disciple and committed to teaching him without reservation. Their relationship became deeply affectionate, despite persistent disagreements over Xiao Yan’s concealment, pragmatism, and preference for unconventional safeguards 3 4.

Resurrection

• Method: A Bone-Growing Blood-Fusing Pill can reconstruct his flesh and restore his life 2.
• Requirements: Several exceptionally rare materials and powerful Heavenly Flames as the refining fire source 2.
• Practical threshold: Yao Lao considers Dou Emperor strength necessary for Xiao Yan to gather the materials with reasonable safety 12.
• Xiao Yan’s commitment: Xiao Yan promises to begin preparing for the resurrection within the three-year training period, while retaining his original safety conditions 3 12.

Appearance

Yao Lao appears as a white-bearded elderly man in an illusory soul body 1.

• Floats outside the ring when manifesting 1.
• His figure becomes fainter when his depleted soul expends power 1.
• Can project a towering, imposing form within Xiao Yan’s sea of consciousness; this is a spiritual manifestation rather than his ordinary appearance 1.

Personality

Yao Lao prizes openness, sincerity, and honorable conduct. He rejects forcibly taking another person’s body even as a means of survival, and sold the Dou Techniques he considered incompatible with his principles. Initially, Xiao Yan’s calculating temperament displeases him, but he comes to recognize that the boy’s refusal to make false promises reflects integrity rather than disloyalty 1 3.

His generosity is tempered by experience. Han Feng’s betrayal makes him reluctant to take another disciple, and he initially plans to limit his instruction until Xiao Yan proves trustworthy. Later, he supports trading the new flame-refining method for substantial benefits rather than distributing it freely 3 35.

Time with Xiao Yan brings out a mischievous streak. Yao Lao teases his disciple about romance, deliberately leaves his cultivation visible to Ling Ying, and admits to engineering earlier incidents involving Xiao Yu because Xiao Yan behaved too much like an old man. Beneath the teasing, he consistently praises Xiao Yan’s diligence and composure during serious cultivation 17 18 21 53.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy and Instruction

Yao Lao possesses extensive alchemical knowledge and offers Xiao Yan his complete Heaven-Piercing Alchemy Technique 2.

• Teaches pill formulas, cultivation methods, and Dou Techniques 2 12.
• Uses his old medicinal reserves to support Xiao Yan’s early training without attracting attention 12.
• Provides the guidance and pill supply that support Xiao Yan’s rapid cultivation and advancement to fourth-tier alchemy 16.
• Knows the Concealment Breath Pill formula, although his personal dislike of hiding means he does not initially think to teach it 29.
• Knows of a special Poison Pill refined with Heavenly Flames that might resolve the fatal drawback of the Woeful Poison Body 21.

Soul Power and Perception

Even in his weakened state, Yao Lao can directly manipulate and examine spiritual phenomena 1.

• Immobilizes Xiao Yan and stops his hammer with soul-power restraints 1.
• Demonstrates overwhelming spiritual pressure inside Xiao Yan’s sea of consciousness 1.
• Reads reactions in Xiao Yan’s soul form that reveal his continued distrust 1.
• Detects approaching opponents and identifies Hai Bodong’s unusually powerful soul 27 50.
• Sets up a formation to contain Xiao Yan’s breakthrough aura 16.
• Limit: His perception is not infallible. Xiao Yan senses danger in the magma lake before Yao Lao’s recovered Dou Zong-level Soul Perception detects it 52.

Consensual Possession and Combat

With Xiao Yan’s permission, Yao Lao can control his body to provide mobility, concealment, and overwhelming combat strength 39 50 52.

• Sneaks Xiao Yan over Black Rock City’s wall without drawing attention 39.
• Conceals their presence from Hai Bodong’s Dou Emperor-level Soul Perception 50.
• Knocks out two Snake-People Dou Wangs at the entrance to the Heavenly Flame site 52.
• Defeats Queen Medusa while deliberately avoiding lethal blows; his former Dou Zun experience makes him more formidable than an ordinary Dou Zong 53.
• Projected capacity: Xiao Yan expects Yao Lao to unleash Nine-Star Dou Zong strength once Xiao Yan reaches Dou Emperor. This is an anticipated capability, not a completed advancement 50.

Bone Spirit Cold Flame

Yao Lao wields the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, ranked eleventh among Heavenly Flames 53.

• Gives Xiao Yan a wisp of its essence as a life-saving trump card 3 4.
• Covers Xiao Yan’s body with it during their descent into the magma lake 52.
• Destroys several Dou Wang-level Two-Headed Fire Serpents with separated wisps 52.
• Originally retained only about twenty percent of the flame’s power through conventional devouring; decades of nurturing later restored it to roughly forty or fifty percent 33 53.

External Flame Refining

Yao Lao successfully tests Xiao Yan’s proposal to tame a flame’s violent spiritual nature with soul power before absorbing it into the body 33.

• Refines a wisp of Purple Flame into a docile state within a few breaths after finding the correct technique 33.
• Determines that Xiao Yan’s refined Purple Flame retains at least seventy percent of its original power, compared with the usual ten to twenty percent from conventional devouring 35.
• Recognizes the method’s potential to make flame acquisition far safer for alchemists 35.
• Initially proposes a profitable exchange with the Pill Tower, but later questions whether such a valuable and safe method should be traded away 35 53.

Knowledge of Bloodlines and Constitutions

• Ancient clans: Recognizes the significance of Xiao Xun’er’s background and considers whether Wutan City’s Xiao Clan descends from the Ancient Eight Clans 17.
• Woeful Poison Body: Identifies Xiao Yi Xian’s constitution, its rapid growth, and the eventual danger of accumulated poison 21.
• Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils: Recognizes Qing Lin’s eyes after experiencing faint dizziness and explains their connection to the Medusa Clan’s former dominance over snake clans 45.
• Heavenly Flame clues: Identifies the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment near Qingshan Town and points out another fragment in Hai Bodong’s shop 24 50.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mother’s ring — The ring left to Xiao Yan by his mother serves as Yao Lao’s refuge and dwelling 1 2.
• Heavy Xuan Ruler — A weapon Yao Lao owns and recommends to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan rejects it because its distinctive appearance would make him easier to identify 26.
• Medicinal reserves — Supplies used for Xiao Yan’s early alchemy lessons and cultivation; the low-grade ingredients are exhausted by the time they begin purchasing replacements 12.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Disciple, host, and prospective helper in his resurrection. Their guarded bargain develops into a deep teacher–disciple bond; Yao Lao protects him while repeatedly challenging his secrecy and teasing him about romance 1 3 4 21.
• Han Feng — Former trusted disciple whose betrayal led to the destruction of Yao Lao’s body. His actions shape Yao Lao’s caution about accepting another student 2 3.
• Xiao Xun’er — Yao Lao recognizes her exceptional background and deliberately allows Ling Ying to observe Xiao Yan’s cultivation, hoping to provoke interesting interactions between the two youngsters 5 17.
• Xiao Yi Xian — Identifies her Woeful Poison Body and explains a possible remedy. Encourages Xiao Yan’s alliance with her while privately anticipating romance 21.
• Yun Yun — Urges Xiao Yan to rescue her, later teases him about their relationship, and recognizes her potential to become a Dou Zun 26 29 30.
• Queen Medusa / Cai Lin — Defeats her through consensual possession of Xiao Yan, holding back because his disciple intends to recruit her 53 56.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arc	Yao Lao’s contribution
Xiao Clan training	Establishes trust through soul-origin leverage, accepts Xiao Yan as his disciple, and supplies instruction, pills, and a protective flame wisp 1 3 4.
Three-Year Agreement preparations	Supports intensified training and agrees to pursue Dou Emperor strength as the foundation for both confronting the Misty Cloud Sect and gathering resurrection materials 11 12.
Magical Beast Mountain Range	Designs a trial focused on understanding people’s hearts, protects Xiao Yan during combat training, and helps establish the alliance with Xiao Yi Xian 21 26.
Purple Flame refinement	Tests Xiao Yan’s external refining method and evaluates its safety, retained power, and commercial value 33 35.
Stone Desert City	Identifies Qing Lin’s extraordinary pupils, warns Xiao Yan about Hai Bodong, and helps uncover the old man’s attempted map-fragment deception 45 50.
Green Lotus Core Flame expedition	Handles the guards and fire serpents, defeats Queen Medusa, and stands watch while Xiao Yan refines the Heavenly Flame 52 53.
Further cultivation planning	Explains the Green Lotus Platform’s stored fire energy and estimates that the available resources could raise Xiao Yan beyond Five-Star Dou Emperor, potentially to Seven-Star Dou Huang 56.

Notable Quotes

“Even if it meant dying, I would never commit such a vile act as possessing another!” 1

“Let time reveal our hearts. In the days to come, you'll slowly learn what sort of person this old man is.” 1

“Since I'm asking for your help, naturally I cannot insist that you disregard your own safety and venture into those dangerous places no matter what. That would be far too unfair to you.” 3