Xiao Yan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xiao Yan (萧炎)
Alias(es)	Third Young Master of the Xiao Clan; Yan’er, used by his father 1 22
Gender	Male
Origin	A soul from Earth, reborn as Xiao Zhan’s youngest son in Wutan City on the Dou Qi Continent 1 186
Age	Reaches fifteen during the passage of several years; Xun’er later calculates his combined former-life and current-life age as nearly forty 123 180
Affiliation	Xiao Clan of Wutan City 1
Occupation/Role	Cultivator; Yao Lao’s disciple and apprentice alchemist 152 158
Cultivation Realm	Dou Zhe; no subsequent ranked advancement is specified in the supplied chapters 152
Status	Alive; leaves Wutan City to gain experience independently 185 188
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “First Glimpse of Another World” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ninth-stage Dou Qi — former peak	28	Retrospectively identified as his cultivation level before losing his strength.
Dou Qi lost	6 18 27	His accumulated Dou Qi disappears. The source is subsequently revealed to be Yao Chen, who has been siphoning it from inside his ring.
Cultivation restored	27 28	After Yao Chen is forced out of the ring and stops draining him, newly gathered Dou Qi remains within his body. Several days of cultivation produce a noticeable recovery.
Third-stage Dou Qi	56 62	Remains around the third stage while supplying Dou Qi for Yao Lao’s recovery and medicine refining. The clan testing stone confirms third-stage Dou Qi, ranked low.
Dou Qi cleared through purification	128	Yao Lao explains that his previous Dou Qi has been treated as waste energy and purified away. Xiao Yan feels a purer vitality in his body but must restart cultivation.
Third-stage Dou Qi regained	130	Cultivates intensively in the cave and stabilizes at the third stage before the annual clan assessment.
Dou Zhe	151 152	Confirmed after his strenuous training with the Heavy Mysterious Ruler. Becomes eligible to choose a cultivation technique and selects the Flame Mantra.

Background / History

Xiao Yan was an ordinary student on Earth before an accident brought his soul to the Dou Qi Continent. Born into the Xiao Clan as Xiao Zhan’s youngest son, he retained memories of Earth’s language, technology, entertainment, and family life. The continent’s unfamiliar culture left him withdrawn despite his exceptional cultivation talent 1 64.

His early isolation was compounded by grief for his lost mother. Inspired by Aladdin’s Magic Lamp, he briefly wished that a genie inside his ring could bring her back. Xiao Zhan, troubled by his son’s detachment, persuaded him to take a carriage ride through Wutan City. There, Xiao Yan recognized a bicycle and inadvertently spoke its Earth name, beginning his contact with another transmigrator, Xiao Yi 1 2.

Xiao Yan distinguishes his experience from body possession: he insists that he was reincarnated and began life again. Although he initially denies sharing Xiao Yi’s identity as a transmigrator, he eventually speaks openly about Earth with him and later reveals his former life to Xun’er 22 43 180 186.

Appearance

Xiao Yan is described as handsome, with a face that still bears traces of boyhood during his confrontation with Hai Bodong 69 107.

• Clothing: Appears as a black-clad youth and uses a black robe to conceal his identity at the Mittel Auction House 102 107.
• Ring: Habitually wears the ancient Black Ring that houses Yao Chen 18 25.
• During his decline: Develops sunken, bloodshot eyes and pronounced dark circles while exhausted and despondent over his lost cultivation 10.
• During intensive training: Becomes slightly gaunt after cultivating in the cave without regard for food or sleep 130.

Personality

Xiao Yan initially responds to his displacement with secrecy and emotional distance. He avoids other children, gives his father curt replies, and prefers cultivation to recreation. Xiao Yi’s arrival breaks through that reserve, provoking embarrassment, curiosity, and anger that Xiao Zhan rarely sees in him 1 2.

His pride is closely tied to cultivation and public recognition. The loss of his strength leaves him devastated, while the prospect of another humiliating clan assessment makes him willing to let Yao Lao falsify his result. He is particularly sensitive to ridicule, rejection, and challenges to his standing within his family 6 62 63 185.

Self-preservation sometimes conflicts with his conscience. He justifies abandoning Yao Chen by arguing that his own safety must come first, then questions whether rescuing abducted children is too costly or unrealistic in this world. Xiao Yi’s warning about abandoning moral limits, reinforced by Yao Lao, leads him to accept responsibility for the children’s treatment and safety 31 48 49.

Despite his frequent quarrels with Xiao Yi, Xiao Yan helps him when he is feverish and retaliates against academy seniors plotting revenge on him. He also confronts Hai Bodong over his father’s humiliation despite the enormous difference in their strength. His stubbornness becomes a training asset: he perseveres under the Heavy Mysterious Ruler and pursues his ambition to become a Dou Di 76 107 151 156 177.

Abilities & Skills

Dou Qi Cultivation and Close Combat

Xiao Yan possesses exceptional natural talent, and his speed of cultivation impresses both Xiao Zhan and the people of Wutan City 1.

• Rebuilding cultivation: Recovers after both Yao Chen’s siphoning and a later purification that removes his existing Dou Qi 27 128 130.
• Dou Qi reinforcement: Channels Dou Qi into his legs for explosive movement and into his arms for defensive blocks and rapid punches 181 182 184.
• Barehanded blade-breaking: Catches and snaps Nalan Yanran’s sword, though his hand is left bloodied 143 144.
• Improved fighting ability: His later exchange with Xiao Yi produces fist afterimages, visible air disturbances, and cracks in the ground; Yao Lao explicitly notices his improvement 184.
• Early limitation: After losing his cultivation, he is easily restrained by Xiao Ning’s followers 12.

Flame Mantra

Xiao Yan chooses the Flame Mantra after repeated box selections and coin tosses point him toward it. He accepts it even after his final proposed condition—a coin landing on its edge—is not met 152.

• Starting grade: Yellow tier, low grade; initially inferior to the Xiao Clan’s cultivation technique 152.
• Evolution method: Its grade and power rise by successfully devouring heavenly flames, with no stated upper limit 152.
• Acquisition difficulty: Xiao Yan recognizes that heavenly flames are rare and may already be controlled by powerful owners or factions 152.
• Danger: Yao Lao warns that a failed absorption can destroy both body and soul, and describes previous practitioners as having died attempting the technique 152.
• Documented limit: The supplied chapters show his selection of the technique, not a successful heavenly-flame absorption.

Gu Ling Flame Fist

During the Black Sand Alliance battle, Xiao Yan punches a Dou Shi with a fist covered in pale white flame emitted from his ring 116.

• Application: The flame ignites the enemy’s face and forces him to abandon his attack and flee 116.
• Source: The decisive power belongs to Yao Lao, not Xiao Yan’s own cultivation. Yao Lao explicitly rebukes him for taking credit for the attack 116.

Suction Palm and Fire-Blowing Palm

Xiao Yan combines two low-level Dou Techniques to manipulate a small porcelain bottle during Jia Nan Academy’s recruitment 177.

• Suction Palm: Draws the bottle toward the senior students with an invisible pulling force 177.
• Fire-Blowing Palm: Applies an opposing push while Suction Palm remains active 177.
• Combined application: The conflicting forces shatter the bottle in midair, dispersing pale blue-green powder over the gathered seniors 177.

Alchemy and Soul Perception

Yao Lao begins Xiao Yan’s alchemy instruction with Fire Control. After repeated failures, Xiao Yan succeeds in extracting medicinal liquid by extending his soul power into the cauldron 158.

• Ingredient processing: Uses soul perception to guide purification and extraction 158.
• Formula conception: Devises Ghost Claw Itching Powder, intended to weaken a victim’s fingers and cause itching; Yao Lao reprimands its poisonous purpose 158.
• Herb assessment: Later discusses medicinal herbs’ age and quality knowledgeably enough to impress a shopkeeper 170.
• Limit: No formal alchemist rank is established in the supplied chapters. The fifth-grade pill he offers the Mittel Family is refined by Yao Lao 101 102.

Earth Knowledge and Writing

Xiao Yan retains Mandarin and recognizes familiar Earth concepts, although his practical technical knowledge is less extensive than Xiao Yi’s 2 22 83 89.

• Cultural knowledge: Remembers school lessons, mythology, games, music, and Ultraman 1 22 49 59 123.
• Technology recognition: Identifies bicycles and guns and describes cars, computers, mobile phones, and the internet to Xun’er 1 83 180.
• Story writing: Writes booklets based on memories of another world, intending to share them with Xun’er 186.
• Manual copying: Spends five days copying the Jade Pivot Void Danger Scripture for Xiao Yi; this does not establish that he cultivates it himself 173.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Ancient Black Ring — Houses Yao Chen’s remnant soul and enables communication with him. It is initially the means through which Yao Chen steals Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi 18 25 27.
• Heavy Mysterious Ruler — Yao Lao’s training weapon, forged from meteoric iron and unusual crystals and weighing over a thousand jin. Suppresses Dou Qi circulation and reduces agility rather than amplifying power; Xiao Yan can initially barely lift it 147.
• Flame Mantra scroll — The evolving cultivation technique selected upon reaching Dou Zhe 152.
• Secondhand Medicine Cauldron — An old, pitch-black cauldron purchased with his snack savings, alongside basic ingredients, to begin learning alchemy 158.
• Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill — A fifth-grade pill provided by Yao Lao and presented to the Mittel Auction House as payment for intervention on the Xiao Clan’s behalf 101 102.
• Handwritten story booklets — Personal writings drawn from his Earth memories and intended for Xun’er 186.

Relationships

• Xiao Zhan — Father and Xiao Clan head. Supports him through his cultivation collapse, adopts Xiao Yi to provide companionship and protection, and eventually encourages him to gain experience beyond Wutan City 6 7 8 15 185.
• Xiao Yi — Adoptive elder brother, fellow transmigrator, recurring rival, and reluctant ally. Their relationship combines constant brawling with cooperation in rescuing children, cultivation, and mutual protection 10 12 38 49 123 177.
• Yao Chen / Yao Lao — Ring-dwelling soul and teacher. Initially exploits Xiao Yan by draining his Dou Qi and considering interference with his soul origin; later reflects on his wrongdoing and teaches cultivation, combat training, and alchemy 27 42 147 152 158.
• Gu Xun’er / Xiao Xun’er — His closest early companion and romantic attachment. Defends and protects him, but becomes uneasy after realizing the age implied by his former-life memories. Their farewell remains restrained and unresolved 3 11 31 116 180 188.
• Ling Ying — Xun’er’s guardian. Restricts Xiao Yan’s proximity to her and becomes a focus of his resentment over their separation 11 31 181.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li — Elder biological brothers. Entrust him with an urgent letter for their father and later seek redress for what they perceive as Xiao Yi’s mistreatment of him 8 84 121.
• Nalan Yanran — Fiancée whose attempt to end their engagement provokes a confrontation. Xiao Yan agrees to end it but rejects her condescending terms and resolves to defeat her at the Three-Year Agreement 143 156.
• Xiao Ning — Clan rival who helps bully him during his decline, later tries to reconcile after his cultivation returns, and is eventually defeated by Xiao Yan 12 35 135.
• Xiao Yu — Clan relative who offers to help him enter Jia Nan Academy and accepts his explanation of Xiao Yi’s contributions to the family 173.
• Hai Bodong — Powerful Mittel-associated figure whom Xiao Yan openly challenges. His sudden offer to guard the Xiao Clan makes both Xiao Yan and Yao Lao suspicious of his motives 107 108.
• Er Ya and the rescued children — Children whose care Xiao Yan accepts after questioning the consequences of rescuing them. He helps treat their injuries, buys provisions, comforts Er Ya, and participates in returning them to their families 49 55 60.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Fallen Genius and the Ring’s Secret

Xiao Yan’s promising cultivation abruptly collapses, leaving him vulnerable to clan bullying. Xiao Zhan brings Xiao Yi into the family partly to keep him from withdrawing further. Xiao Yi’s improvised exorcism forces Yao Chen out of the Black Ring, exposing the being responsible for the loss 6 7 8 12 18 27.

Although Xiao Yan initially portrays Xiao Yi as an attacker, he later defends him before the clan council and promises that renewed cultivation will prove the ghost has been expelled. His recovery begins immediately, but distrust drives him to discard the ring and move to a secluded courtyard 20 26 27 30 31.

Rescuing and Caring for Children

Disturbed by the abuse of children, Xiao Yan turns to Xiao Yi because their shared Earth upbringing gives him hope that Xiao Yi will understand his anger. After the rescue, he worries about the cost and danger of caring for them. Xiao Yi and Yao Lao challenge his reasoning, and he commits to their treatment and safe placement 38 48 49.

The brothers suspend their feud to buy provisions and help the children recover. Xiao Yan’s efforts culminate in their return to their families, which gives him a tangible sense of satisfaction rather than a cultivation reward 55 60.

Clan Assessment and Staged Exorcism

With Yao Lao absorbing part of his cultivated Dou Qi, Xiao Yan remains at the third stage. His plan to falsify a sixth-stage test result fails when the clan requires all accessories to be removed. Xiao Zhan subsequently orders both brothers publicly punished 56 62 64.

A later staged exorcism offers a public explanation for his cultivation troubles. Xiao Yi uses the performance to retaliate against him, and Yao Lao’s appearance allows Xiao Zhan to recognize the extraordinary teacher behind his son 69 70 71.

Black Sand Alliance Crisis

When the Xiao Clan faces the Black Sand Alliance, Xiao Yan carries his brothers’ urgent letter home and seeks information about his father’s negotiations. He then delivers Yao Lao’s fifth-grade pill to the Mittel Auction House to secure outside assistance 84 89 102.

He confronts Hai Bodong for belittling the clan’s predicament and later uses Yao Lao’s flame to repel a Dou Shi attacking Xun’er. After the victory banquet, he questions Xiao Yi about the experiences behind his unusual detachment 107 116 119.

Purification, Engagement Conflict, and Training

After several years of cultivation and quarrelling with Xiao Yi, Xiao Yan is brought to a prepared cave. His Dou Qi is subsequently purified away, forcing another restart. He regains third-stage Dou Qi before the assessment and later defeats Xiao Ning 123 128 130 135.

Nalan Yanran’s attempt to dissolve their engagement prompts him to demand the right to repudiate her publicly. He breaks her attacking sword barehanded, then adopts the Heavy Mysterious Ruler as a training burden. Upon becoming a Dou Zhe, he chooses the dangerous Flame Mantra and begins studying alchemy 143 144 147 152 158.

Recruitment, Disclosure, and Departure

During Jia Nan Academy’s recruitment, Xiao Yan secretly pranks senior students who are planning revenge against Xiao Yi. His subsequent disclosure of his Earth life to Xun’er instead creates emotional distance when she interprets his soul’s age as nearly forty 177 180.

He blames Xiao Yi for the renewed prominence of his transmigrator identity, and their ensuing fight escalates into a destructive aerial duel. Xiao Zhan ends it by dragging both boys away by their ears and urges them to venture beyond the clan. Xiao Yan volunteers to leave, then parts quietly from Xun’er while she, Xiao Mei, and Xiao Ning head toward the academy’s Teleportation Point 181 182 184 185 188.

Notable Quotes

“I’ll never be as useless as you! I have my own goal, and that’s to become a Dou Di! Before that, I’ll defeat Nalan Yanran fair and square at the Three-Year Agreement and wipe away the shame of our Xiao Clan!” 156

“How many times have I told you! I was reincarnated! Reborn! I didn’t cross worlds through Body Possession! I started life all over again! You can’t count my age like that!!” 186