Xiao Zhan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Zhan (萧战)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Xiao Clan, Wutan City 1
Occupation/Role	Clan head 1
Family	Father of Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Xiao Yan; adoptive father of Xiao Yi 8 9
Status	Alive; continuing to manage the Xiao Clan 187
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “First Glimpse of Another World” 1

Background / History

Finding Xiao Yan a Companion

Xiao Zhan was proud of his youngest son’s exceptional cultivation talent but troubled by his isolation, unfamiliar speech, and strange writing. Hoping to draw him out, he took Xiao Yan on a carriage ride through Wutan City. Their encounter with the bicycle-riding Crazy Ghost revealed that the two boys shared a language Xiao Zhan could not understand 1 2.

He investigated Crazy Ghost and learned that the boy had no known family or origins and lived in a shack in the western slums. Although wary of his crude behavior, Xiao Zhan noticed that he elicited embarrassment and other lively reactions from the normally detached Xiao Yan 2 3.

After Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi vanished, Xiao Zhan feared that his son would face ridicule and bullying. His elder sons were away, and he did not consider relying entirely on Xun’er’s protection a lasting solution. He therefore offered Crazy Ghost shelter, cultivation resources, and adoption in exchange for remaining beside Xiao Yan, while forbidding his filthy fighting methods 6 7.

Xiao Zhan secured the elders’ approval despite recognizing their competing schemes. He also hoped the unconventional newcomer would challenge the clan’s stagnant internal politics. The adoption ceremony established Crazy Ghost as Xiao Yi, formally making him Xiao Zhan’s adopted son 8 9.

Cultivation Recovery and Clan Discipline

Xiao Zhan personally accompanied the family physician during Xiao Yan’s examinations. When Xiao Yan complained about his new companion, Xiao Zhan saw the argument itself as an improvement over his former silence and defended Xiao Yi’s usefulness against the clan’s bullies 15.

He accepted Xiao Yan’s explanation that Xiao Yi had confronted a ghost stealing his Dou Qi, allowing Xiao Yi to remain under supervision while Xiao Yan tested whether his cultivation would recover. When genuine Dou Qi returned, Xiao Zhan celebrated with a clan banquet and publicly announced his son’s recovery 26 28.

His support did not exempt either son from punishment. Following a marketplace brawl, he confiscated Xiao Yi’s fortune-telling earnings and ordered confinement for the participants. Later, Xiao Yan’s third-stage and Xiao Yi’s second-stage Dou Qi results provoked him into ordering twenty public paddle strokes for each son 36 63 64.

Concerned about Xiao Yan’s slow progress, Xiao Zhan approached Xiao Yi about the supposed haunting. During the ensuing staged exorcism, he recognized the spirit from Xiao Yan’s ring as a powerful Alchemist who was effectively acting as his son’s teacher. He chose not to expose the performance and endorsed the explanation that Xiao Yan needed to remain at three-stage Dou Qi until fifteen 65 66 69 70 72.

Black Sand Alliance Crisis

An urgent letter from Xiao Ding and Xiao Li prompted Xiao Zhan to strengthen estate security and withdraw personnel from the clan’s outside mines and market districts. The Jia Lie and Ao Ba families seized several undermanned mines, and the Xiao elders blamed him for the losses. Xiao Zhan nevertheless maintained the restrictions to protect the clan’s younger members 85 86.

He rewarded Xiao Yi for using a fabricated Water Monkey corpse to frighten the youngsters away from the Cool River. Meanwhile, he considered whether conflict between the Black Sand Alliance and the rival families could allow the Xiao Clan to recover its influence, but doubted that the three families could withstand the alliance’s stronger experts 87.

After young members of the rival families were abducted, Xiao Zhan urged their heads to prepare ransom rather than endanger the captives through a rash attack. He also sought paid assistance from the Mittel Family. During negotiations, he recognized a disguised Xiao Yan but concealed that recognition; the intervention helped obtain Ya Fei’s promise to arrange support 88 100 101 102 103.

When Hai Bodong mocked the ransom preparations and Xiao Yan challenged him, Xiao Zhan immediately shielded his son and pleaded for forgiveness. Hai Bodong’s sudden change of attitude only heightened his suspicion, leading him to send Xiao Yan away before organizing the expedition 107 108.

At the Magnetic Crystal Mine, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li’s appearance from the enemy camp caused the other family heads to suspect Xiao Zhan of collusion. During the battle, he directed Xiao Li to protect Xiao Yan and Xun’er, then used a modified bronze bell to amplify Furious Lion Vajra against a Dou Ling opponent. After victory, he led the effort to excavate the sealed mine entrance and free the captives 110 112 115 118.

Broken Engagement

Before the Misty Cloud Sect’s visit, Xiao Zhan feared that the Xiao Clan lacked the strength to protect its dignity. He arranged a mushroom-picking contest for the younger generation while worrying about Xiao Yan’s response to the impending confrontation 138 139 140.

Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran requested the dissolution of Xiao Yan’s engagement, offering compensation. Xiao Zhan questioned their timing and became furious when Nalan Yanran cited the Xiao Clan’s decline as a reason the marriage was unsuitable. He later attempted to ease the dispute before Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran settled on a three-year duel 142 145.

After their departure, Xiao Zhan supported another supposed exorcism, this time using a talisman-covered greatsword made from the clan’s front gate. He subsequently ordered Xiao Yi to take responsibility for the trouble caused by dismantling that gate 145 146 151.

Strategic Books and the Ancient Jade

Before departing, Xiao Yan entrusted Xiao Zhan with handwritten books, including the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Their accounts of timing, terrain, psychology, and economical victories broadened Xiao Zhan’s understanding of how the clan might survive and prosper. He recognized their potential without believing strategy could erase an absolute disparity in strength 186 187.

The following morning, Xiao Zhan gave Gu Xun’er the Ancient Jade as a token of affection. Privately, he felt relieved to pass on the danger and secrets associated with it 187.

Appearance

Xiao Zhan has a stern, resolute face and later descriptions emphasize his weathered features and authoritative bearing 1 70.

• Clothing: Wears a dark robe during his visit to Xun’er and formal attire for a meeting outside the estate 82 89.
• Posture and movement: Walks with measured steps and maintains an upright bearing, even after a sleepless night 82 140.

Personality

Xiao Zhan is an affectionate but demanding father. He worries about Xiao Yan’s happiness as well as his cultivation, sets aside clan work for medical examinations, and risks bringing an unpredictable outsider into the family to provide companionship. Yet concern and pride can become severe anger: poor cultivation results lead him to punish both Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi publicly 2 7 15 63 64.

As clan head, he is politically perceptive and pragmatic. He recognizes the elders’ self-interest, accepts temporary economic losses for security, and prefers paid cooperation with the Mittel Family to assistance he regards as humiliating charity. His concern for reputation also shapes his decisions, from prohibiting Xiao Yi’s filthy combat methods to defending the clan during the engagement dispute 7 8 86 88 142.

His sternness coexists with amusement and financial opportunism. He laughs at Xiao Yi’s handling of the clan’s bullies and privately rationalizes confiscated fortune-telling money as clan funds that can ease his own financial pressure 15 37.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation and Dou Qi

Xiao Zhan can exert oppressive Dou Qi pressure and pulverize a wooden armrest with his palm. His demonstrated aura silences the martial arena and prevents a hostile elder from voicing mockery 63.

The supplied chapters contain conflicting descriptions of his realm; no breakthrough is documented.

Realm description	Chapter	Context
Dou Wang	63	The narration describes the pressure he releases during the cultivation test as that of a Dou Wang expert.
Below Dou Ling, exact realm unspecified	87	Xiao Zhan believes the three family heads together would have little chance against a single Dou Ling.
Da Dou Shi	187	Explicitly stated to have been stuck in this realm for years.

Furious Lion Vajra

A high-level Xuan-class sonic Dou Technique that gathers Dou Qi in Xiao Zhan’s throat and releases it as a concentrated roar 115.

• Produces a visible pale-yellow sound wave and a faint lion-head phantom behind him 115.
• Can be directed into a hollow bronze bell to amplify the attack into a powerful energy wave 115.
• Used to support Hai Bodong against a Dou Ling expert during the mine battle 115.

Leadership and Negotiation

Xiao Zhan oversees the clan’s business reports, discipline, defenses, and relations with other Wutan City powers 8 36 86 100.

• Enforces security withdrawals despite opposition from the elders 86.
• Calms rival clan heads and prioritizes hostage safety during ransom discussions 100.
• Coordinates battlefield protection and the excavation of trapped clansmen 112 118.
• Identifies practical value in Xiao Yi’s unconventional schemes and Xiao Yan’s strategic writings 8 87 187.

Observation and Discretion

Xiao Zhan notices connections that others overlook and sometimes protects them by remaining silent 70 102.

• Recognizes the unusual flame and soul form as signs that Xiao Yan’s supposed ghost is a powerful Alchemist 70.
• Identifies Xiao Yan beneath a concealing black robe without exposing him to Ya Fei 102.
• Treats Hai Bodong’s abrupt friendliness with suspicion rather than assuming it is harmless 108.

Equipment / Items

• Ancient Jade — A dangerous inheritance tied to a secret concerning the Dou Di. Xiao Zhan suspects it is the reason the Gu Clan placed Xun’er with the Xiao Clan; he eventually gives it to her 65 187.
• Hai Bodong’s icy metal triangle — Examined and stored in a brocade box until its origin and purpose could be determined 120.
• Xiao Yan’s handwritten books — Entrusted to him before Xiao Yan’s departure. The collection includes the Thirty-Six Stratagems 187.
• Modified bronze bell — An Ao Ba Family bell temporarily used to amplify Furious Lion Vajra; prepared and positioned by Xiao Yan, Xiao Li, and Xiao Ding 115.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Youngest biological son and a major source of both pride and anxiety. Xiao Zhan tries to protect him from isolation, bullying, and powerful outsiders 1 6 107 108.
• Xiao Ding — Eldest biological son. His experiences away from home and urgent correspondence influence Xiao Zhan’s plans for clan security 8 85.
• Xiao Li — Second biological son. Xiao Zhan relies on him to protect Xiao Yan and Xun’er during battle 8 112.
• Xiao Yi / Crazy Ghost — Adopted son, initially recruited as Xiao Yan’s companion. Xiao Zhan alternates between appreciating his ingenuity, punishing his misconduct, and trusting his ability to survive trouble 7 9 36 87 100.
• Gu Xun’er — Treats him as “Uncle Xiao Zhan.” He considers the potential benefit of her marriage to Xiao Yan while remaining concerned about her family’s interest in the Ancient Jade 65 82 187.
• Yao Lao / Yao Chen — Xiao Yan’s concealed teacher. Xiao Zhan recognizes his role without openly identifying him and hopes his presence will secure Xiao Yan’s future 65 70 88.
• Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa — Rival family heads and reluctant allies against the Black Sand Alliance. Their cooperation remains strained by accusations and mutual distrust 90 100 110.
• Ya Fei — Mittel Family contact who promises to arrange assistance during the kidnapping crisis 102 103.
• Hai Bodong — Powerful Mittel-affiliated expert. Xiao Zhan treats him respectfully but becomes alarmed by his interest in Xiao Yan 107 108.
• Nalan Yanran — Xiao Yan’s former fiancée. Her explanation for dissolving the engagement provokes Xiao Zhan’s anger over the clan’s humiliation 142 145.

Notable Quotes

“To be honest, this is mostly for my own selfish reasons. Consider it a transaction. My Xiao Clan can provide you with a place to stay, and even some cultivation resources. In return, all you need to do is stay by Yan’s side. What do you say?” 7

“From this day onward, you are my adopted son and a member of the Xiao Clan.” 9

“Cultivation is like rowing against the current—if you do not advance, you fall back!” 64