Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Third Young Master; Little Yanzi; Yan'er 2 5 9
Gender	Male
Age	15 7 8
Origin	Earth; transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent eleven years before the opening 1 2
Residence	East courtyard of the Xiao Clan, Wutan City 1 35
Affiliation	Xiao Clan; disciple of Yao Chen 2 8
Occupation/Role	Cultivator, alchemy student, and Lucky Jar merchant; formerly a barbecue seller on Earth 1 16 33 45
Public Cultivation	Third Stage Dou Qi, deliberately maintained as a false impression 1 3 8
Actual Cultivation	Dou Huang; the system initially announces One-Star “Dou Emperor” 2 3 8
Status	Alive; operating under a disguise during his auction-house dealings 45
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
One-Star Dou Huang, rendered “One-Star Dou Emperor” by the system	2	Clears Happy Match level 911 in five minutes. Further levels require an update, which he postpones to conserve data.
Dou Huang; subsequent star rating unspecified	9	Yao Lao reports two recent cultivation increases. Combined with the fight against Steward Mo, they overload Xiao Yan's Dou Shi-level body and nearly kill him.
Flame Mantra — Yellow Tier Low Grade	18	Converts his Dou Qi after Yao Lao transmits the cultivation method.
Divine Flame Mantra	18	Completes a second conversion using Yao Lao's system-rewarded method, gaining compatibility with heavenly flames, Dou Techniques, and five-element cultivation methods.
Eight Extremes Collapse → Eighteen Extremes Collapse	18	Learns the Black Tier High Grade original, then receives its Earth Tier Low Grade replacement. His insufficient physical strength prevents him from using it immediately.
Howling Fire Cloud Palm — Advanced Yellow Tier	30	Successfully fuses Shattering Fire Palm, Cloud-Covering Palm, and Howling-Breaking Palm into one technique.

• The early passages alternate between Dou Huang and Dou Emperor when describing his current realm. They do not establish a later exact star rating 2 8 9.

Background / History

On Earth, Xiao Yan held a Huaqing doctorate and a DabeI master's degree but could not find employment after graduation. He entered his father's barbecue trade, then lost both his father and his savings following his father's hospitalization. Left with more than a million in debt, he expanded his business over the following year, repaid the debt, and bought a house 1.

His transmigration occurred while he was sitting on a hotel toilet and opening Happy Match. His phone accompanied him and became the Magic Phone system. Eleven years later, he still relied on his knowledge of the original Battle Through the Heavens plot, believing that preserving its course would secure his future rise 1 2.

Before the opening, he had cultivated secretly while maintaining the appearance of a declining genius. He concealed his strength at a clan Dou Qi test because a Gu Clan expert was watching him. The appearance of other system users subsequently made his reliance on the original plot increasingly unreliable 1 4.

Appearance

Xiao Yan is described as a youth with sharply defined features, a resolute gaze, and fair hands 4 18 45.

• Usual clothing: A gray robe during the engagement dispute 4.
• Training injuries: Spiderweb-like blood-red marks after his cultivation overload, followed by extensive bruising during body conditioning 9 18.
• Merchant disguise: A black hooded robe, concealed aura, and an old man's voice. Ya Fei notices that his youthful hands do not match the voice 38 45.

Personality

Xiao Yan treats secrecy as a practical defense. He withholds his cultivation even from Xiao Xun'er because revealing his strongest advantage would encourage hidden enemies to prepare more carefully. He also investigates suspicious claims rather than trusting fellow Earth transmigrators: he refuses Immortal Chen's tea, checks the man's origins through Pain, and recognizes holes in his accusations against Yao Chen 25 26 27 29 31.

His confidence in the system initially leads him to underestimate the danger of a weak physical foundation. After nearly dying, he accepts painful conditioning and asks Yao Lao for additional training. His commitment leaves his bed unused and his bathtub stained with medicine and blood 9 18 35.

He is affectionate toward Xiao Xun'er and willing to disregard public ridicule for her comfort. When spectators mock him for carrying her on his shoulders, he reassures her rather than putting her down to preserve his reputation. He later promises to become the one protecting her 23 29.

Abilities & Skills

Magic Phone System

• Phone-based interface: Initially contains Scan, App Store, and Happy Match; originated from the phone that accompanied his transmigration 2.
• Data resource: Data is obtained through system rewards and cultivation-realm advancement, and is required for downloads and Happy Match updates 2.
• Downloadable systems: Xiao Yan has downloaded a possession system by the time he examines Nalan Yanran. Its practical use is not shown in the supplied passages 4.

Happy Match

• Cultivation rewards: Clearing game levels raises his cultivation; level 911 grants the announced One-Star Dou Emperor realm 2.
• Update requirement: Advancement through a major realm triggers a version update before further levels can be played 2.
• Physical limitation: System-granted cultivation does not automatically produce a body capable of supporting it 9.

Scan

• System detection: Identifies downloadable systems attached to targets. Nalan Yanran's scan produces an unidentified system costing 496 MB 4.
• Limited information: A detected system can appear with both its name and description hidden behind question marks 4.
• Daily limit: Three attempts per day; an attempt is spent whether or not he downloads anything 4.
• No cloud storage: A result cannot be saved for a later download. He must scan the target again 4.
• Negative results: Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Mei produce no downloadable-system result, undermining his suspicions about them 15 27.

One Qi Transforms All Things

• Appearance effects: Improves his appearance and produces impressive phenomena, though Xiao Yan initially finds it of little practical value 4.
• Injury concealment: Hides the blood-red marks left by his physical collapse; this conceals their appearance rather than establishing that they have healed 9.
• Aura concealment: Helps disguise his cultivation during his visit to the Mittel Auction House 38.

Divine Flame Mantra

• Fusion scope: Can fuse heavenly flames, Dou Techniques, and cultivation methods associated with metal, wood, water, fire, and earth 18.
• Fusion interface: After eighty-one minor circulation cycles, prompts him to insert material; inserted material ceases to exist after fusion 20.
• Demonstrated technique fusion: Combines three palm techniques without losing their individual effects 30.
• Unconfirmed possibility: Xiao Yan considers fusing the method with his system, but the supplied passages do not show him doing so 20.

Eighteen Extremes Collapse

• Type: Earth Tier Low Grade close-range offensive Dou Technique 18.
• Full mastery: Conceals eighteen layers of force; stacking all eighteen can rival a High-grade Earth-tier technique 18.
• Restriction: Requires considerable physical strength despite relatively modest Dou Qi demands. Xiao Yan begins body conditioning because his Dou Huang cultivation alone is insufficient 18.

Howling Fire Cloud Palm

• Grade: Advanced Yellow Tier 30.
• Effect: A single palm strike can release the power of Shattering Fire Palm, Cloud-Covering Palm, and Howling-Breaking Palm 30.
• Creation: His first documented successful three-technique fusion, performed using techniques selected for matching attributes 30.

Alchemy Training

• Instruction: Studies under Yao Lao, including a day spent listening to pill-refining lessons while his teacher processes a large quantity of materials 16.
• Foundation treatment: Relies on Yao Lao's medicinal preparations and training advice to repair the mismatch between cultivation and physical strength 9 18.
• Unestablished rank: Gu Ni considers whether the disguised Xiao Yan is an alchemist but finds his spiritual perception unusually weak; no personal alchemist tier is confirmed 39.

Lucky Jar Business

• Distribution: Can recruit downlines and set their earnings split 33.
• Stock control: Purchases merchandise for the jars; stocked items influence what customers are likely to receive 33.
• Revenue use: Sales earnings fund additional stock and prize draws 33.
• Personal draws: His own prize draws are unrestricted by the merchandise selection imposed on customers' jars 33.
• Expansion plan: Intends to recruit numerous distributors and diversify stock rather than depend on a small entertainment-focused selection 33.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Storage Ring — Stores his possessions and houses Yao Lao's soul 7 25.
• Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid — Used in medicinal baths to strengthen his body; Yao Lao supplies numerous bottles, including third-grade liquid 18 20.
• Lucky Jars — Merchandise used in his distribution and auction ventures 33 39 45.
• Azure Scroll containing a Pill Formula — Purchased by Xiao Zhan and presented to Xiao Yan's disguised merchant persona 45.
• Black hooded robe — The visible component of his auction-house disguise 38 43.

Relationships

• Xiao Zhan — Father and fiercely protective clan leader. He intervenes against Ge Ye and later buys medicinal resources and a Pill Formula to help his son, unaware that the disguised recipient of the formula is Xiao Yan himself 5 40 45.
• Xiao Xun'er — Childhood companion and romantic interest. She defends him against Nalan Yanran's assumptions and Xiao Ning's threats; Xiao Yan responds with affection and a promise to protect her 6 13 28 29.
• Yao Chen / Yao Lao — Teacher, rescuer, and source of cultivation methods and alchemy instruction. Xiao Yan promises to deal with Han Feng and find him a replacement body, although he remains alert to the possibility of his teacher abusing system rewards 8 9 18.
• Nalan Yanran — Fiancée whom he repudiates during the engagement dispute. Her insistence on marrying him turns the conflict into a Three-Year Agreement involving marriage into the Nalan Family if he loses 4 5 6.
• Xiao Mei — Cousin whose persistent attention and later coldness make him suspect an altered identity. Repeated scans detect no downloadable system 1 9 16 27.
• Ling Ying — Xiao Xun'er's hidden guardian. Xiao Yan initially conceals his strength because of Gu Clan surveillance; Ling Ying later protects him at Xun'er's request and responds to warnings about Immortal Chen 1 30 32 33.
• Pain — Xiao Clan subordinate whom Xiao Yan uses to investigate Immortal Chen's arrival and the disappearance of the previous stall owner 26 27.
• Steward Mo / Tang San — Hostile transmigrator who plans to replace him and pursue the women associated with his future. Xiao Yan overwhelms him with Dou Qi, prompting a plea for mercy 3.
• Immortal Chen — Earth transmigrator who tries to separate him from Yao Lao and obtain his Storage Ring. Xiao Yan recognizes the deception and investigates the planned trap 25 27 31.
• Jia Lie Ao — Schemer with a thought-eavesdropping system that fails against Xiao Yan for an unexplained reason. He nevertheless alerts Ling Ying to Immortal Chen's intention to harm Xiao Yan 22 32 33.
• Xiao Ning — Cousin and rival for Xiao Xun'er's affection. Threatens to cripple Xiao Yan at the coming-of-age ceremony, but is defeated by Xun'er 28.
• Ya Fei — Prospective business partner who helps devise tiered Lucky Jar sales. She detects inconsistencies in his disguise and suspects a powerful teacher behind him 45.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hidden Strength and the Engagement Dispute

• Steward Mo's attempt to seize his identity forces Xiao Yan to reveal his real strength privately, overturning the assumption that he is a Third Stage Dou Qi cultivator 3.
• Nalan Yanran's unexpected cultivation and detected system reveal that other people are also disrupting the original plot 4.
• Xiao Yan delivers a repudiation letter, rejects her Qi Gathering Powder, and refuses to accept that the Three-Year Agreement guarantees his defeat or marriage into her family 4 6.

Apprenticeship and Foundation Repair

• Rather than immediately accepting Yao Lao's offer, Xiao Yan pressures him into explaining his Hundredfold Apprenticeship Return System 7 8.
• The subsequent physical collapse redirects his training toward foundation repair, medicinal baths, and strenuous body conditioning 9 16 18.
• His fusion experiment produces Howling Fire Cloud Palm, demonstrating a practical use for the Divine Flame Mantra beyond its promised flame compatibility 30.

Immortal Chen's Trap

• Immortal Chen uses Earth-origin entertainment prizes and fabricated warnings about Yao Chen to build trust and encourage Xiao Yan to surrender his ring 25 26.
• Pain's investigation finds that Chen arrived three days earlier and that the original stall owner disappeared. Xiao Yan suspects murder and estimates that Chen possesses a Dou Huang-level trump card 27.
• At Chen's countryside hut, negotiations stall because neither party will surrender his advantage first. By the following documented encounter, Xiao Yan is examining the jar system and Ling Ying finds Chen lying on the floor 31 33.

Mittel Auction House Venture

• Five days away from home, Xiao Yan enters the auction house in disguise and proposes selling Lucky Jar distribution rights. The appraiser initially declines 38.
• He instead consigns three jars containing different grades of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, using the auction to generate earnings for new stock 39 40.
• His competing bids drive the Jia Lie Family's purchase of a Black Tier High Grade Dou Technique to 700,000 gold coins before he withdraws 43.
• He and Ya Fei reach a preliminary agreement for five jar varieties priced between 100 and 10,000 gold coins, with delivery planned for several days later 45.

Notable Quotes

“Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Never bully a young man for being poor!” 6

“Xun'er, from today onward, I'll be the one protecting you.” 29