Yao Chen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Yao Chen rose to Peak Dou Zun despite his weak Yao Clan bloodline and became publicly renowned as the continent’s foremost alchemist. He won a Pill Gathering and gained access to the Pill Tower’s inner circle. Through Xuan Yi, he learned about the tower’s mysterious ancestor—a ninth-grade pill that had gained sentience 4 44 46.

At some point after leaving the Pill Tower, Yao Chen was pursued by the Hall of Souls. By his first appearance, he had lost his physical body and survived as a soul within Xiao Yan’s ring. He retained pill recipes, Dou Techniques, cultivation methods, and miscellaneous possessions from his hurried departure 1 4 46.

Among those possessions was the Flame Mantra, obtained from ruins in the Central Plains. Yao Chen believed the ruins’ owner had been, at most, a Half-Saint; only after Xiao Xuan examined the method did he learn of its connection to Tou She Ancient God 4.

When Yao Chen emerged to offer Xiao Yan an apprenticeship, Xiao Xuan interrupted him. Unable to detect or measure the newcomer properly, Yao Chen abandoned his boastful manner and apologized. Xiao Xuan subsequently arranged for Xiao Yan to become his disciple and rewarded him with a replacement body. Yao Chen regarded this as the gift of a new life and promised to teach Xiao Yan without reservation 1 4.

Personality

Yao Chen takes pride in his reputation and enjoys asserting his seniority. His introduction includes dismissing the Jia Ma Empire’s Pill King as unworthy of comparison with him, and he later sidesteps Xiao Yan’s question about whether he ever reached Dou Sheng. Against genuinely superior experts, however, he is pragmatic, courteous, and quick to recognize the limits of his position 1 6 46.

As a teacher, he combines demanding standards with teasing affection. He values Xiao Yan’s resilience more than talent alone, criticizes achievements that depend too heavily on Heavenly Flames, and expects him to win the Alchemist Grand Meeting. He also enjoys watching his disciple encounter challenges that undermine his confidence 27 45 48.

His devotion to alchemy outweighs his pride. He openly accepts Mo Xuan as an instructor, invites other alchemists to observe their exchange, and becomes absorbed in refining even low-grade pills after receiving new insights 46 47 48.

Abilities & Skills

Alchemy

Yao Chen possesses extensive refining experience, precise heat control, and detailed knowledge of medicinal ingredients and Heavenly Flames 16 47.

• High-tier expertise: He is described as a ninth-tier alchemist and states that Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills are within his capabilities 4 46.
• Demonstrated refinement: Produces a peak seventh-tier Mind-Calming Pill during his exchange with Mo Xuan 47.
• Flame cauldron: Forms a refining cauldron directly from flame 47.
• Medical support: Uses medicinal pills to strengthen Xiao Yan during Heavenly Flame refinement 30.
• Current limitations: His replacement body is not a perfect match, and his soul has not fully recovered to its prime. An attempted batch of Eighth-Tier Spirit Recovery Pills also fails shortly before completion 16 47.

Bone Spirit Cold Flame

Yao Chen possesses Bone Spirit Cold Flame, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, which he obtained only after considerable effort 5 16.

• Uses it for pill refinement and prepares it defensively when threatened 1 47.
• Lends wisps to Xiao Yan, enabling him to incorporate it into Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus 42 43.
• Can sense the Nether Poison Flame within Xiao Yi Xian, aided by his own Heavenly Flame and superior cultivation 44.
• Deeply values the flame as an alchemist’s tool, although he considers surrendering it to repay Xiao Xuan if necessary 16.

Soul Techniques

Yao Chen’s soul arts extend beyond alchemy to the tangible manifestation of soul power 44.

• Spirit Ascension Method: Improves a pill’s quality during its final formation; raises his Mind-Calming Pill to the peak of the seventh tier 47.
• Spirit Fusion Secret Technique: Identified among his established alchemical arts 44.
• Spirit manifestation: Possesses methods of giving soul power tangible form. Xiao Yan’s Spirit Manifestation Spike is identified as a technique learned from him 44.
• Further development: Mo Xuan advises him to study the Spirit Ascension Method more deeply, emphasizing the unexplored potential of the soul 47.

Technique Creation and Instruction

Yao Chen adapts resources to support Xiao Yan’s training rather than relying solely on inherited techniques 27 42.

• Creates Purple King Azure Wings from an old shed skin obtained from the Amethyst Winged Lion King, combined with a Heavenly Flame. The resulting Flying Dou Technique lets Xiao Yan rival a Dou Zong in speed 42.
• Guides Xiao Yan through gathering rare resources and subduing the Green Lotus Core Flame 27.
• Helps Fa Ma approach the sixth tier through casual instruction 41.

Protection and Battlefield Judgment

As a Dou Zun, Yao Chen serves as Xiao Yan’s principal safeguard during his travels 27.

• Allows dangerous sparring to proceed while maintaining that he can prevent fatalities 42.
• Pulls Xiao Yan from the aftermath of his explosive clash with Medusa 43.
• Recognizes the danger of Xiao Yi Xian’s Woeful Poison Body from having previously encountered a possessor who ravaged the Central Plains 44.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Replacement body — Created by Xiao Xuan from primordial Qi of heaven and earth using Emperor Realm Soul power as a framework; restores Dou Zun-level combat capability but is not perfectly suited to Yao Chen 4 47.
• Storage Ring — His former refuge as a soul body; holds pill recipes, Dou Techniques, cultivation methods, and assorted possessions 1 4.
• Flame Mantra — Acquired from Central Plains ruins and later chosen as Xiao Yan’s cultivation method after Xiao Xuan reveals its connection to Tou She Ancient God 4 5.
• Cloud Ridge Cauldron — Obtained by Yao Chen during Xiao Yan’s training and subsequently used by his disciple; remains suitable even for sixth- or seventh-grade alchemists 50.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Disciple and protected junior. Yao Chen formally accepts him after receiving his replacement body, promises to treat him as his own, and comes to particularly admire his resilience 4 27.
• Xiao Xuan — Benefactor and overwhelming superior. Restores Yao Chen’s body, entrusts him with Xiao Yan’s instruction, and assigns him to protect the Xiao Clan 4 6.
• Xiao Zhan — Allied clan leader. Requests Yao Chen’s assistance with the Xiao Clan’s expansion; Yao Chen advises caution because of the Hall of Souls’ reach 17.
• Fa Ma — Longstanding recipient of his alchemical guidance. Observes a disciple’s etiquette toward Yao Chen and is consequently treated as Xiao Yan’s senior brother 41 45 49.
• Mo Xuan — Alchemical instructor and exchange partner. Yao Chen initially mistakes him for a possible Pill Tower expert, then gains important insights from his unconventional refining method 46 47 48.
• Xuan Yi — Former Pill Tower connection who told him about the Pill Tower Ancestor. Yao Chen believes she has likely become a Pill Tower Giant 46.
• Yun Shan — Collaborator in Xiao Yan’s arranged trials. Secures Yao Chen’s agreement not to disrupt the preparations surrounding the Alchemist Grand Meeting and Three-Year Agreement 48 49.
• Medusa — Avoids taking sides against her in Xiao Clan disputes, but remains ready to protect Xiao Yan if their confrontation becomes genuinely dangerous 41 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiao Clan Protection and Flame Training

• Takes responsibility for the Xiao Clan’s safety while Xiao Xuan leaves to gather resources 6.
• Receives the Green Lotus Core Flame for Xiao Yan and objects that refining it at Dou Shi is too dangerous 16.
• Accompanies Xiao Yan on his travels, helps him successfully subdue the flame, and joins the search for further Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragments 27.
• Recommends acting behind the scenes rather than openly seizing the Jia Ma Empire, citing the Hall of Souls’ widespread influence 17.

Imperial Capital Battles

• Declines to settle Xiao Yan’s dispute with Medusa directly, but lends him Bone Spirit Cold Flame and oversees their fight 41 42.
• Rescues Xiao Yan from the explosion, then receives orders to supervise his cultivation immediately before Xiao Yan breaks through to Dou Wang 43.
• Predicts Xiao Yi Xian will defeat Xiao Yan because of the combination of her Nether Poison Flame and Woeful Poison Body; prepares to intervene when her poison power escalates 44.

Mo Xuan’s Alchemical Instruction

• Accepts Mo Xuan’s refining challenge and invites Xiao Yan and the others to watch 46.
• Presents a peak seventh-tier Mind-Calming Pill, then witnesses Mo Xuan produce an eighth-tier version by preserving and combining the ingredients’ medicinal properties and spirituality without flame 47.
• Experiences a breakthrough in understanding and subsequently immerses himself in practical refinement and discussions with Mo Xuan 47 48.

Alchemist Grand Meeting Preparations

• Learns privately that the Jia Ma Empire is already under Xiao Clan control, while Xiao Yan still believes he must overcome its factions 45.
• Sends Xiao Yan to the Alchemist Grand Meeting before his Misty Cloud Sect visit, presenting it as preparation and an opportunity to build his reputation 45.
• Knows Yun Shan has arranged unusually difficult competition and agrees not to interfere, despite telling Xiao Yan that anything short of victory would disgrace his tutelage 48 49.

Notable Quotes

“Senior, I will remember your great kindness. From now on, I will treat Little Yanzi as my own and hold nothing back from him.” 4

“It's just a little scuffle. With me watching, they won't die.” 42

“It's just the Alchemist Grand Meeting of a small empire. If you can't take the championship, I might as well expel you from my tutelage.” 48