Xiao Yan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Abandoning Scholarly Pursuits

Xiao Yan originally hoped to place first in the imperial examinations. His childhood sweetheart and betrothed entered the Heavenly Mountain Sect in the Northern Realm, where she became a highly valued genius disciple. When she returned and asked to end their engagement, he abandoned scholarship for martial arts in anger 21.

He enrolled in Lu Guying’s Class One at Tianyang Martial Dao Academy. Recognizing that he had begun martial training relatively late, he spent his free time reviewing lessons and practicing rather than resting 25.

Early Academy Life

While practicing with Murong Xue, Xiao Yan became involved in a fight after Yin Tianqi arrived with three followers and insulted her. Liu Sidao initiated the clash by throwing a stone, and Xiao Yan and Murong Xue joined him. Lu Guying broke up the fight and punished the students with a thousand sword thrusts and a thousand punches while holding horse stances 25.

Watching afterward, Zheng Jianxin considered Xiao Yan too rigid, whereas Zhang Qingyuan attributed that rigidity to his scholarly upbringing. Zhang bet that Xiao Yan would reach Sixth Rank within a year: success would oblige Zheng to accept him as a direct disciple; failure would leave Zhang washing Zheng’s underwear for a month 25.

Xiao Yan’s early results did not match Zhang’s expectations. Lu Guying omitted him from his list of geniuses, and he failed to qualify for the three-month assessment’s top hundred. He nevertheless helped competing classmates by carrying their belongings and handling errands. Murong Xue encouraged him when he became discouraged about his lack of progress 31 34 35.

Personality

Xiao Yan is exceptionally persistent. He practices after classes, during travel breaks, and even when unable to sleep at the Bright Moon Sect. Although slow progress makes him anxious, he repeatedly steadies himself and continues working 25 42 48 52.

His cheerful manner conceals considerable insecurity. He envies stronger classmates and remains preoccupied with proving himself to his former fiancée. That fixation also keeps him from pursuing Murong Xue romantically, despite knowing how she feels 35 50.

His scholarly education informs both his judgment and his moral convictions. He hesitates to disturb an unknown power that might endanger others, then risks his life when he believes it could threaten ordinary people. Even after defeating Old Man Heavenly Fire’s attempted possession, he bows to the corpse, acknowledging the cultivation he received as a kind of teaching 53 55.

Abilities and Skills

Nine Yang Divine Skill

Xiao Yan cultivates the Nine Yang Divine Skill, producing yang-attributed internal energy and later Nine Yang True Qi 53 55.

• Resistance to cold: Circulating his internal energy warms him after he awakens in the cave 53.
• Defense against possession: The art’s supreme-yang nature counters sinister souls and helps protect his consciousness from Old Man Heavenly Fire 55.
• Initial cultivation difficulty: Although he senses energy clearly and follows the formula accurately, sluggish meridians initially make gathering internal power unusually slow 42.

Heavy-Sword Combat

On Lu Guying’s advice, Xiao Yan adopts a heavy sword and repeatedly practices the Hurricane Sword Technique 48 52.

• Momentum-based strikes: Channels internal power into his arms and uses borrowed force and momentum to strengthen his swings 48.
• Adaptable defense: Incorporates sword principles into punches and kicks, uses slippery terrain to evade attacks, and employs the heavy sword as a shield 52.
• Limits before his breakthrough: Li Qinglong’s superior speed and internal power prevent him from effectively deploying his practiced attacks, leaving him largely on the defensive 52.

Willpower and Resistance to Possession

Xiao Yan survives Old Man Heavenly Fire’s assault through determination and the protection of Nine Yang True Qi, despite having no dedicated method for cultivating mental power 55.

• Holds out until the weakened remnant soul is worn away completely 55.
• Suffers severe mental exhaustion afterward, losing consciousness despite remaining physically healthy 55 56.

Heavenly Fire Inheritance

Destroying the remnant soul leaves Xiao Yan with pure, intensely hot cultivation and fragments of Old Man Heavenly Fire’s knowledge 55.

• Gains memories concerning flame use and martial arts insights 55.
• Retains a large reserve of cultivation that has not yet been fully assimilated 56.
• The supposed heavenly fire loses its sentience when the remnant soul is destroyed; it is revealed as a disguise for the old martial artist’s surviving consciousness and True Qi 55.

Scholarship and Deduction

Xiao Yan uses historical knowledge and careful questioning to investigate the cave and expose the possession scheme 53 55.

• Notices inconsistencies in the entity’s claimed origins and explanation of Old Man Heavenly Fire’s name 55.
• Recognizes that his rapidly increasing True Qi should have depleted his bodily reserves if it truly came from his own cultivation 55.
• Feigns a desperate attempt at mutual destruction to panic the entity before confronting it with his deductions 55.

Equipment

• Heavy sword — Adopted on Lu Guying’s recommendation; used for Hurricane Sword Technique practice and as a defensive shield against Li Qinglong 48 52.

Relationships

• Zhang Qingyuan — Headmaster and early supporter. After Zhang rescues him, Xiao Yan privately resolves never to let him or the academy down 25 55 56.
• Lu Guying — Class One homeroom teacher. Initially considers him unexceptional but advises him to use a heavy sword 31 48.
• Murong Xue — Longstanding family friend and devoted supporter. She openly likes him, but he initially regards her as a younger sister while remaining focused on his former fiancée 35 50.
• Liu Sidao — Classmate and friend whom Xiao Yan often follows. Encourages him before the Bright Moon Sect match and celebrates his eventual breakthrough 35 52 56.
• Former fiancée — Unnamed childhood sweetheart and Heavenly Mountain Sect disciple. Her request to break their engagement motivates his turn to martial arts 21.
• Zheng Jianxin — Initially doubts his prospects; agrees to accept him as a disciple after learning that he has reached Fourth Rank and fulfilled the cultivation wager 25 59.
• Li Qinglong — Bright Moon Sect outer chief who accidentally knocks him off a cliff during their match. Later helps care for him and apologizes 52 56.
• Old Man Heavenly Fire — Ancient martial artist whose remnant soul attempts to possess him. Xiao Yan destroys the soul but acknowledges the inherited cultivation by bowing to its corpse 55.

Story Role and Major Arcs

Study Tour

Xiao Yan joins Zhang Qingyuan’s ten-student study tour after showing marked improvement in internal cultivation. He continues training with his heavy sword during the journey, attracting the attention of a passing blue-robed swordsman. When the injured swordsman later reaches their shelter, Xiao Yan helps with his treatment and confirms that his condition is stable 48 49.

The students subsequently witness Lin Li’s lethal confrontation with Zhang Qingyuan. Although frightened by the attackers’ killing intent, Xiao Yan remains with his classmates rather than retreating 50.

Bright Moon Sect Challenge

Seeking to restore their standing after Ma Shou defeats Xu Kun, the Bright Moon Sect’s outer disciples mistakenly identify Xiao Yan as the academy’s second-year chief. Xiao Yan accepts Li Qinglong’s challenge despite his companions’ doubts and the disparity in their strength 51 52.

He withstands more than thirty exchanges through evasion, defense, and stubborn endurance. Li Qinglong then unleashes Moon Falls and Stars Sink, overwhelming him and sending him over a cliff into a deep pool 52.

Old Man Heavenly Fire’s Cave

An underground river carries the unconscious Xiao Yan into a hidden cave containing a dried corpse and a message about a sealed heavenly fire. While he cultivates nearby, an apparently sentient flame enters his dantian and causes his power to surge dangerously 53.

Believing that it intends to kill him and might threaten others afterward, Xiao Yan plunges into the cold pool. Its explanations and his unexplained growth in True Qi lead him to deduce that it is actually Old Man Heavenly Fire’s remnant soul preparing his body for possession. He exposes the deception, survives the ensuing mental battle, and gains the defeated soul’s cultivation 53 55.

Rescue and Return

Zhang Qingyuan repeatedly searches the pool and reaches Xiao Yan just as he collapses. The search moves the other students and Bright Moon Sect members, strengthening their loyalty to the headmaster 54 55.

After waking, Xiao Yan explains the attempted possession with Zhang’s encouragement. Di Yunjie verifies the vast True Qi reserve in his dantian, and his classmates celebrate his advancement to Fourth Rank. Once recovered, he continues the tour; after the group returns, Zheng Jianxin agrees to take him as a disciple 56 58 59.

Notable Quotes

“My body is mine to command! Get out!” 55

“Headmaster, I was useless. I made you worry.” 56

Trivia

• Zhang Qingyuan identifies Xiao Yan as the likely “protagonist-tier” disciple because his name, broken engagement, and subsequent fortuitous encounter closely resemble a martial-story protagonist’s trajectory. This remains Zhang’s interpretation rather than a title Xiao Yan uses 21 53 54.
• Despite his sudden advancement, Xiao Yan is not the academy’s confirmed second-year chief before the cliff incident; the Bright Moon Sect disciples mistake him for Liu Sidao 52 54.