Xi Yan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xi Yan (羲炎)
Alias(es)	Grand Marshal; Most Holy Emperor; “fate-chosen emperor,” as described by [Teacher] 27 181 423
Species/Race	Higher-dimensional life-form, identified as one of the Extradimensional Demons; lives in the universe as a human ruler 558
Gender	Male 2
Affiliation	Interstellar Human Military Junta, later renamed the Sea of Stars Most Holy Human Empire 2 423
Occupation/Role	Acting Marshal → Grand Marshal → Most Holy Emperor; intended Anchor Point of the universe’s dimensional ascension 2 24 423 562
Family	Recorded as Xi Lie’s son and only descendant 2 6
Status	Alive; the Golden Throne halts his body’s aging, while his consciousness can operate through psionic and mechanical forms 342 581
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “Opening Appointment as Grand Marshal!” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Psionic awakening	167 168	Awakens after resolving his psychological conflict and connecting with the shared wishes of his citizens. Demonstrates telekinesis by lifting his wristband. According to Beta, he returns most of the gathered power to the people, retaining only a small amount.
Controlled telepathy	174	Learns to communicate mentally with Beta, Ailiveer, and Veronica, and detects Beta nearby despite its silence.
Empire-fed psionic growth	230	By age fifty, sustained feedback from the Empire has made him an extraordinarily powerful psionic user, preserving his youth and greatly extending his lifespan. His use remains primarily passive under [Teacher]’s restrictions.
Guardian Celestial Dragon bond	231	Hosgar’s formal investiture intertwines the dragon’s power with Xi Yan and the Empire.
Psionic barrier and bodily sustenance	302	After instruction from [Teacher], can shield himself from cosmic radiation and temporarily replace his body’s energy expenditure with psionic power, surviving in space without a spacesuit.
Golden Throne consciousness transfer	342 345	Transfers his consciousness into the throne’s mechanical brain. Gains enhanced computation, memory storage, networked device control, and projection-based presence; can alternate between mechanical and psionic modes of consciousness.
Nanite-body embodiment	362	Occupies a functional Nanite body in the L-Cluster and learns to control its individual Nanites. His psionic consciousness provides the adaptability required.
Combat-capable psionic form	393	Leaves the throne in a free-standing psionic form, learns attacks and defenses from the Sky Bishop, draws on the Empire’s power, and activates Curator relics.
Empire-wide Psionics Ascension	421 423	Releases his power through the Golden Throne to help trigger humanity’s Great Awakening. This is an advancement of his people rather than his first awakening; the resulting society supports consciousness transfer among mechanical, living-metal, Nanite, and psionic forms.

Background / History

Apparent transmigration and succession

Xi Yan initially believes he is an ordinary Stellaris player who has transmigrated into a science-fiction universe. He awakens after dreaming of an empire that defeats three Crises, becomes a fourth Crisis, and uses an Aetherophasic Engine. His new surroundings provide neither inherited memories nor an announced system; Cybrex Beta instead introduces itself as his personal assistant 1.

The records identify him as the son of Xi Lie, founder of the Ring World colony and former Marshal of the Interstellar Human Military Junta. Xi Lie has recently died, leaving Xi Yan as acting Marshal until his scheduled official succession in Cosmic Era 2200. Public affection for Xi Lie gives his young successor considerable goodwill, but not effective control of the government 2 6.

Reclaiming the Empire

Five regent generals retain the military and political powers delegated by Xi Lie. Xi Yan’s nominally supreme position initially leaves him handling minor administrative matters, while military orders must pass through the regents. Beta advises him to bring them under control; Ailiveer identifies potential allies, including her sister Veronica 4 5 6.

Xi Yan refuses to permanently surrender authority to the Shoigu–Gerasimov faction. He prepares upgraded frigates, presents negotiations as a possible compromise, and launches a civil war. By the end of the conflict, he has eliminated the rebel faction, secured supreme power, and gained the freedom to set imperial policies and begin interstellar expansion 12 15 24 27.

Nationalization and expansion

Xi Yan targets the capitalists who control much of the colony’s resources and exploit its workers. During a meeting over nationalization, he accepts Wang Defa’s cash and asset certificates, then shoots him and orders the military to kill the bourgeoisie and their supporters. The subsequent campaign includes public trials, killings, and the use of surviving captives in generator districts 32 33 38.

These measures earn intense support among poorer citizens whose families gain better living conditions and access to university education. Xi Yan is visibly affected by their gratitude, despite attempting to describe them as mere resource-producing tools 88 89.

His expansion program combines colonization, imported technology, reverse engineering, and population transfers. He remotely accompanies the first landing force on Amat Eiro II, acquires retired United Nations of Earth corvettes, and arranges employment for incoming workers 49 109.

The M’tok conflict and allied powers

Against the M’tok Union, Xi Yan develops an intelligence network and supports its Megacorporate Faction against the Criminal Enterprise Faction. He also cultivates the Zirick Cooperative and Nier Guardians, using trade, financial support, and military cooperation to strengthen their common position 103 109 155 157 175.

The three powers coordinate against the XT-489 Extermination Unit and the M’tok criminal enterprise. Xi Yan later consolidates surrendered alien forces into the Empire’s Third Fleet—the Community Fleet—and appoints Gorpious its commander, promising its members imperial identities and equal treatment 180 221.

After more than a decade of war, he secures Hosgar of Endless Flames as the Empire’s Guardian Celestial Dragon. In a later campaign against XT-489, he supplies allied forces and lets them retain captured resources, turning their economic incentives into a coordinated offensive 230 231 311.

Psychological crisis and commitment to rule

Years of work, fear for humanity’s survival, and guilt over military deaths undermine Xi Yan’s health. He recognizes that the people he once treated as game statistics are living individuals, yet doubts his ability to protect them. After a battle, he funds funerals and compensation but struggles when facing the bereaved 98 148 158.

Veronica’s confession helps him accept that his citizens share his ideals and willingly support him. Their conversation resolves the conflict between his ambitions and the sacrifices required to pursue them, immediately preceding his psionic awakening 165 167.

His extended lifespan does not prevent physical deterioration. As he approaches a hundred years old, declining stamina leads him to investigate genetic engineering and approve Genetic Ascension as preparation for later ascension paths. He eventually accepts the Golden Throne, sacrificing his biological body’s freedom of movement to preserve his rule 307 310 342.

The Great Khan and further ascensions

Facing the Shroud-backed Great Khan, Xi Yan orders accelerated battleship construction, adopts the Cosmogenesis agenda, and consolidates neighboring powers. He keeps Dessanu’s fleets in reserve because Big Gray is vulnerable to Shroud corruption 390 391.

Rather than rely on a prolonged psionic duel, he uses a modified Cybrex Prototype Warform and supporting warship fire against Hydra. After an Energy Arc kills her, the Shroud reanimates her corpse; Xi Yan immobilizes it with the Daedalus Seal and orders further arcs until the remaining Shroud power is destroyed 413 414.

Following humanity’s Psionics Ascension, he is crowned Most Holy Emperor. He directs research toward both nanotech and modularity ascension, with the discovery that Nanites can synthesize living metal offering a connection between the two paths 423.

Origins and dimensional mission

The Time Worm first tells Xi Yan that human civilizations across countless timelines engineered and sent versions of him into the future as humanity’s savior. It identifies his apparent game memories as encoded knowledge of the universe and claims that he alone has reached it. Xi Yan accepts the mission to build a fleet capable of protecting humanity 448 449.

A later revelation corrects this account: Xi Yan’s soul originally belonged to a higher dimension. Using humanity’s energy and the Eternal Throne’s positioning capabilities, the Time Worm summoned him into the lower-dimensional universe. His memories were distorted during the crossing and subsequently altered; the Heavenly People preserved his soul for its role as the ascension plan’s Anchor Point 558 562.

The Xi clan’s psionic mark also establishes his legitimacy as emperor of humanity. It enhances his power and functions as identity verification, linking him to the ruling lineage of the Heavenly People 565.

Galactic consolidation and the extra story

Xi Yan uses overwhelming military strength to compel the Keepers of Knowledge to apologize and open their borders. He also observes the Applied Infinity Project rewrite the universe so that pi becomes 3; this is an imperial research achievement, not an unaided personal ability 479.

During the War in Heaven, he deliberately encourages ancient rivalries to gain resources for the coming calamity. He later binds nations together through peace treaties, trade routes, Gateways, Hyperspace Relays, and infrastructure investment. As extradimensional invasion approaches, he adapts psionic weapons for consciousnesses concealed within Nanite storms 499 533 570.

In the extra story, Xi Yan and the Sea of Stars Empire enter the Honkai: Star Rail universe aboard the Horizon Needle. After the Astral Express collides with its shield, he meets its crew with Gray Tempest, offers compensation, and establishes peaceful diplomatic contact 581.

Appearance

Xi Yan initially has the handsome face of a young man. His later psionic growth preserves that youthful appearance, although it does not permanently prevent fatigue or physical decline 2 230 307.

• Eyes: Pitch-black; described as briefly revealing intense ambition beneath his gentle expression 452.
• Marshal’s uniform: White and gold 1 24.
• Informal style: Wears conspicuous dragon-patterned clothing despite Beta’s objections to its suitability for work 2 5 6.
• Protective clothing: Uses advanced soft ballistic armor beneath his uniform and sometimes oversized sunglasses 27.
• Psionic form: Emits powerful psionic fluctuations and a faint blue glow 393.
• Later demeanor: Can appear warm, smiling, and approachable rather than imposing, even when meeting another emperor 452.

Personality

Xi Yan is ambitious, authoritarian, and intensely devoted to his Empire. He refuses compromises that would weaken its future and repeatedly treats imperial interests as more important than law, morality, or his own comfort 12 46 342 360.

His cruelty coexists with genuine attachment to his citizens. Beta explicitly identifies his cold language as a mask: he suppresses his feelings to maintain the image of a ruthless ruler. Public gratitude moves him, while casualties and responsibility can leave him overwhelmed 89 98 158.

He uses absurd humor, profanity, teasing, and theatrical speeches. Early on, this behavior conceals the panic of being isolated in an unfamiliar world. Later, his eccentric conduct becomes famous enough that alien residents speculate about his next stunt 2 68 103 257.

His diplomacy is pragmatic rather than consistently friendly or hostile. He can charm alien leaders, support trusted allies, and grant nonhumans equal imperial standing, while also manipulating rivals and planning their eventual destruction. Once strong enough, he openly abandons the flattery he previously used with Fallen Empires 157 221 301 479.

Abilities & Skills

Strategic knowledge and fleet command

Xi Yan’s apparent Stellaris memories give him unusually detailed knowledge of ship configurations, technologies, civilizations, and cosmic dangers 21 307.

• Selects weapon loadouts to exploit enemy size, range, and defenses, including torpedo configurations against Leviathans and arc-emitter carrier battleships 307 389.
• Designs ships with weapons specialists and tests them through the Golden Throne and Beta 406.
• Uses superior range, harassment, and continuous reinforcement to wear down the Great Khan’s fleets 409.
• Recognizes that reality differs from the game in diplomacy, territorial scale, and mechanical restrictions 197 314 389.

Empire-sourced psionics

His psionic power arises from his connection with his people rather than a Shroud patron. [Teacher] distinguishes him from conventional Chosen Ones on that basis 181.

• Telepathy: Communicates directly with people and Beta, and exchanges thoughts with Hosgar 174 231.
• Telekinesis: Moves objects through conscious effort 167.
• Protection: Raises barriers against attacks and cosmic radiation 302 393.
• Combat: Forms psionic attacks, including a “Psionics Road Roller,” and channels the Empire’s power against Shroud creatures 393 542.
• Energy transfer: Replenishes the Sky Bishop’s expended psionic power 393.
• Anti-Shroud effect: His power is described as the Shroud’s natural bane; exposure also reduces the Sky Bishop’s fanaticism 393.
• Limits: Early awakening does not grant endless life, and later lifespan extension still leaves his biological body vulnerable to decline 181 307.

Mechanical consciousness and network control

The Golden Throne’s mechanical brain supports Xi Yan’s memory and computation, while psionic energy remains the underlying source of his consciousness 342 345.

• Controls authorized devices connected to the throne through networks or physical cables 342.
• Receives remote sensor data directly and modifies programs without a conventional interface 342.
• Appears near compatible projection devices; such projections cannot directly touch the physical world 342.
• Switches operating modes to evade different threats: psionic consciousness resists digital intrusion, while mechanical operation protects against psionic attacks 345.
• Loses the throne’s empire-wide technological perception when operating separately in psionic form 393.

Alternate-body operation

His consciousness can inhabit technological bodies rather than remaining limited to his original flesh 362 413.

• Controls individual Nanites within an occupied Nanite body 362.
• Directly pilots a modified Cybrex Prototype Warform capable of accommodating his psionic power 413.
• Uses remote robots and VR projection before achieving full consciousness transfer 49 248.

Governance, persuasion, and manipulation

Xi Yan combines centralized economic planning with personal charisma and calculated coercion 198 301.

• Uses the Orator trait during his speech to [Ashes] agents 103.
• Identifies useful technologies, reviews scientific reports, and sets research priorities 423.
• Produces a detailed recovery and logistics plan for the Holy Guardians after one minute of analysis 455.
• Exploits political divisions, material incentives, and emotional vulnerabilities to recruit allies or weaken enemies 157 301 311.
• Uses privileged knowledge of an astral rift to convince First Scion Seah that he is a prophet 282.

Higher-dimensional nature

Xi Yan’s soul originates above the universe’s dimensional level. The Time Worm attributes his existence beyond time’s control to this higher-dimensional power 448 558.

• His actions can create or overwrite timelines, according to the Time Worm 448.
• His outside origin is essential to the plan to transcend the lower-dimensional universe 558 562.
• This revelation identifies his underlying nature; it is not presented as a newly acquired cultivation realm 558.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Golden Throne — Life-support system, mechanical brain, and network interface that halts his body’s aging. [Teacher] installs psionic defenses, while Beta protects its computing systems from viruses 342.
• Wristband — Holographic display and communications interface used to contact Beta and imperial personnel 1 12 15.
• Matte-black pistol — Personal sidearm retrieved during the struggle with the regent generals 5 6.
• Soft ballistic armor — Concealed protection worn beneath his Marshal’s uniform 27.
• Cybrex Prototype Warform — Modified mechanical combat body used against the Great Khan 413.
• Blade of the Huntress — Relic weapon that makes his psionic power flow more smoothly 393.
• Entangled Relay — Curator teleportation device supplied for reaching the Great Khan 393.
• Other Curator relics — Includes the Shifting Stone, living-metal alloys, and pithstone; activated and miniaturized through his psionic power 393.
• Daedalus Seal — Can seal an L-Gate or wormhole; Xi Yan repurposes its sealing power to immobilize Hydra 414.
• Horizon Needle — Described as an emergency escape route to the Time Worm’s true body and later used to enter another universe 448 581.

Relationships

• Xi Lie — Recorded father and predecessor. His reputation, personal guards, and surviving resources give Xi Yan a foundation for reclaiming power 2 6 8.
• Cybrex Beta — Personal AI assistant, adviser, protector, and long-term companion. Challenges his emotional denial and safeguards his mechanical brain 1 89 110 342.
• Veronica Yan — Regent general, political ally, and love interest. Confesses her love and helps him confront the isolation and guilt behind his psychological crisis 6 165 167.
• Ailiveer Yan — Secretary of State and close confidante. Assists with budgets and political alliances; their interactions include teasing and later private intimacy involving both sisters 6 68 174 323.
• Yu Shuo — Captain of his personal guard and a loyal protector inherited from Xi Lie’s administration 8 27 89.
• Prigozhin — Regent general and military subordinate; carries out Xi Yan’s purge order and later trains crews as Minister of the Army and Minister of Military Education 5 33 198.
• Dias Stewart — Leader of [Ashes] and former member of Xi Lie’s personal guard. Pledges the intelligence organization’s lives to Xi Yan 103.
• [Teacher] — Shroudwalker mentor who warns him against the Shroud, teaches psionic control, protects the throne, and prepares humanity’s Great Awakening 181 182 302 342 345.
• Sky Bishop — Combat instructor sent by the Holy Guardians. Helps him develop his psionic form and becomes less fanatical through exposure to his power 393.
• Hosgar of Endless Flames — Guardian Celestial Dragon, recruited through generous treatment and formally bound to the Empire 195 231.
• Senka Vanye and Krogg — Leaders of the Zirick Cooperative and Nier Guardians; longstanding partners in military coordination and mutual defense 180 220 309.
• Gorpious — Commander appointed to lead the alien Community Fleet 221.
• Big Gray and Empire Will — Dessanu partners whose support and fleets contribute to his wider strategy; he also provides reconstruction and technological assistance 363 391.
• Miss Gray Tempest / Little Gray — Pupil in governance and diplomacy who offers to become his governor and brings valuable discoveries from a rift 360 363.
• Time Worm — Summoner, guide, and source of revelations about his origin. Treats him affectionately while withholding and altering crucial information 448 544 558.
• Hydra, the Great Khan — Shroud-backed enemy defeated through mechanical combat, fleet fire, and the Daedalus Seal 413 414.

Notable Quotes

“I love my Empire. For this Empire, I can do anything.” 46

“I’m not a villain. I’m just a ruler who loves the Empire! … Who cares about laws or morality? If it benefits the Empire, do it!” 360

“I won’t let humanity down. And thank you.” 448