Cultivation Chat Group

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One day, Song Shuhang was suddenly added to a chat group with many seniors that suffered from chuuni disease. The people inside the group would call each other ‘Fellow Daoist’ and had all different kinds of titles: Palace Master, Cave Lord, True Monarch, Immortal Master, etc. And even the pet of the founder of the group that had run away from home was called ‘monster dog’. They would talk all day about pill refining, exploring ancient ruins, or share their experience on techniques.

However, after lurking inside the group for a while, he discovered that not all was what it seemed…

Associated Names
One entry per line
CCG
Tu chân nói chuyện phiếm quần
Xiu Zhen Liao Tian Qun
修真聊天群
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
My Disciple Died Yet Again (16)
My Daoist Life (9)
Red Packet Server (8)
Side Character Transmigrations: The Final Boss is No Joke (4)
The Almighty Martial Arts System (4)
The Strong, The Few, True Cultivators on Campus (4)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Jame's - Cultivation
  2. Really Nice
  3. My favorite novels
  4. Um Actually, I Read the Manhwa
  5. want read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/09/17 Wei Translation c143
09/03/17 Wei Translation c142
09/01/17 Wei Translation c141
08/29/17 Wei Translation c140
08/26/17 Wei Translation c139
08/26/17 Wei Translation c138
08/16/17 Wei Translation c137
08/12/17 Wei Translation c136
08/11/17 Wei Translation c135
08/08/17 Wei Translation c134
08/06/17 Wei Translation c133
08/05/17 Wei Translation c132
08/05/17 Wei Translation c131
08/01/17 Wei Translation c130
07/30/17 Wei Translation c129
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Bagelson
Bagelson rated it
October 20, 2016
Status: c585
Having read ahead a bit, I'll have to say that this is a really good story, and I'm finding it hard to put down. It really has everything you'd want in a series; comedy, action, tractor racing, space travel.

Comedy is perhaps the major theme throughout, almost always funny, and frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. A lot of the humor is tsukkomi style, and well written, so if that's your thing you should check it out.

Action exists, but it is often rather sparse, and half the time the MC doesn't have anything important... more>> to add to the scene. That style might drag out a bit sometimes, but for the most part the writing makes up for it, and also the added realism with a low level cultivator in often fairly high powered battles - because most low leveled cultivators don't get to leave their sects.

But speaking of levels, we get to the only significant criticism I have: pacing. I don't mean the pacing of the writing (which is phenomenal) and plot progression, but rather the in-story timing. The MC does in a few months what takes other cultivators years. It's all justified in story, but that somehow doesn't quite jive with a setting where powerful cultivators spend centuries in seclusion to level up. But I can see where the author is coming from, since it's a modern setting you don't want to go speculating too far into the future, or you'll need to come up with political and technological development for the next centuries. Also, the effect is strongly compensated for by the fact that the story is in no way rushed. A few months in the story takes hundreds of chapters to cover, which almost makes the MCs advancement speed seem slow to the reader.

An important part of the plot progression speed is cheats, a vital part of any xianxia style novel. The MC does frequently luck out and get stuff he wouldn't realistically have obtained otherwise, but here I find it handled better than in most novels of the genre. The results of the cheats are often very small, and for the most part the MC doesn't get anything that's unheard of, just stuff that's good. It's also balanced out by the fact that the MC also frequently suffers bouts of equally terrible luck (though often as comedic relief), and when he does get something really good it's balanced out by drawbacks.

Spoiler

For example, somewhere after chapter 500 the MC gets his cheatiest ability yet, which is essentially the LN staple Appraisal skill. Way OP, right? Except every time he appraises something he suffers a corresponding injury, a small cut for appraising mundane bandages, thousands of wounds all over his body plus internal injuries for appraising a cultivator a few levels above him. The ability also frequently triggers spontaneously at inappropriate moments.

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Another significant balancing factor is karma, which is a very real and very central part of the setting. What is sown will bear fruit, both in terms of actions and relationships, which forms a very different social dynamic from what you'd see in your average mu*derhobo xianxia. Most characters are very polite to each other, and our MC gets a lot of respect for the work he does and his achievements. There are bad eggs, of course, from ghost cultivators to sea urchin warriors and devils from outer space, but all that is also well reasoned within the setting. It all results in a funny and fairly relaxed read. It's not a story about the MC being the OPest of OP, but of him gradually progressing in a positive environment, with amusing and heartwarming characters.

Edit @ch1106: This was and remains one of my favourite series ever, and in my opinion one of the funniest and certainly the freshest cultivation story out there.

Most of my previous review still stands, with one notable change. The MCs cheats do gradually grow more OP. However, they remain incredibly entertaining.

In any way, this is very clearly not a conflict focused story. Fights happen infrequently, and are usually quickly and humorously resolved. Take this more as a slice of life story.

There is an overarching plot gradually developing, though where it's headed is anyone's guess. There's a bunch of candidates for main villain, but they can be hard to tell apart from the comic relief. In fact, most things in this story develop very gradually, such as character development and romance.

Spoiler

As for romance, the MC has at least proven he is not totally dense, but the situation remains "complicated". I have good hopes that we'll actually get somewhere within another 1000 chapters.

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Other than this, there is a gradually growing cast of interesting characters that still remains involved. A few do fall by the wayside, but only minor characters. <<less
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Fluffums
Fluffums rated it
November 13, 2017
Status: c1540
Spoiler

My conclusion: If you like xianxia, read this novel. If you don't like xianxia, read this novel.

I want to start by appreciating the main character of this story. He's an honest-to-goodness good person and he treats other people like they're also good. That's such a rarity for xianxia that this novel is worth reading for that alone.

What else sets this novel apart? A cast of memorable characters, for one. Cultivators in this world have obsessions, confidence, and shamelessness (because you don't say "I'm gonna be immortal!" if you don't have those things). So everyone Song Shuhang meets is interesting. Song Shuhang himself, aside from being a Nice Guy, has the great habit of speaking/acting before thinking no matter who or what he's dealing with... With actual consequences.

Another thing the novel does well is humor. I highly recommend reading other xianxia before reading this because a lot of the jokes are based on the difference between what you'd expect from xianxia and what actually happens. It's not totally necessary because the author's pretty good at setting up jokes though.

The story itself is just the main character's path to immortality, like any xianxia. However, it's not driven by revenge and arrogant young masters and face slapping and saving beauties. If anything I'd say it's driven by adventure and exploring the mysteries of heaven. The pacing is excellent, too. It seems really fast, mainly because one thing happens right after another, but it's not skipping anything. The explanations don't feel overdone. The world is interesting enough that both Shuhang and I feel like exploring it more.

Finally, the harem. Just kidding, there's no harem. Shuhang's a bit too busy to think about that sort of thing and the women who are interested in him... are also busy because they're not the kind of characters who stop having their own lives after they fall in love. Cultivators live a long time so there's no need for them to rush into a relationship with someone they've only known for a few months, after all. It's not completely devoid of romance, and at least one fairy maiden will go on the attack (again, something extremely rare in xianxia).

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Yipie
Yipie rated it
May 18, 2016
Status: c3
Fun read. MC isn't 'rushed' in to the Xianxia world, but is slowly s**ked in to that world. The Chat Group is the way to communicate with group, but it doesn't just keep to that. Definitely waiting for more of this work. TL is also doing a really good job IMO.
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Captain_Ironfoundersson
Captain_Ironfoundersson rated it
October 22, 2017
Status: Completed
'Never be normal'

Its a novel where you won't get your normal dose of wish fulfillment harem and face smacking galore. Instead we have a novel where cultivators love to play Farmville, trolling/pranking each other, taking selfies and anything that has nothing to do with cultivation. 'Journey before destination'

CCG is focusing on the adventures (or misadventures, to be precise) of the MC and his relationship with multitude characters (family, friends, enemies and bystanders) instead of the quest to be the strongest. The MC is cultivating mainly just to look... more>> cool, without the usual plots of 'a suppressed/underestimated genius of a lowest of the low family/school/sect striving to prove himself' or 'going to upper realm after conquering lower realm and start from the bottom again'. 'In culture there is no first, there is no seniority in learning'

Cultivation level is detailed and properly structured. Each stage has specific and different requirement in order to get promoted to the next stage. Each stage also comes with distinctive changes to the body, strength and abilities, rather than just pure strength. And more importantly, a cultivator needs to master the skills and abilities before being able to use them at all. A specific attention is given on how the MC (sometimes together with the members of the chat group) is learning new skills and abilities, how to use a seemingly useless skill and ability, or having discussions on certain issues. There is no one that claims himself as omnipotent and all-knowing in the novel, even the ones that already standing in the apex of All Heavens and Myriad Realms. Learning is a continuous process, and there is always someone better. 'Practical and Realistic'

The MC is a True Neutral. His position is carefully neutral, but he does not continually balance his morals in a Yin-Yang or fanatical fashion. He does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to Good vs. Evil or Order vs. Chaos. He thinks of good as better than evil – after all, he would rather have good neighbours and rulers than evil ones. Still, he isn't personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. The MC is concerned with his own well-being and that of the group or organization which aids him. He may behave in a good manner to those that he considers as friends and allies, but will only act maliciously against those who have tried to injure him in some way. For the rest, he doesn't care. He doesn't wish ill on those he doesn't know, but he also do not care when he hear of evil befalling them. Better for others to suffer the evil than the MC and his allies. If an ally is in need, the MC will aid him, out of genuine love or because he may be able to count on that ally a little more in the future. If someone else is in need, he will weigh the options of the potential rewards and dangers associated with the act. If an enemy is in need, he will ignore him or take advantage of his misfortune. 'The first to be enlightened is the senior'

Seniority generally based on cultivation stage instead of age, with exceptions for acquaintances or those in the same organisation (school, sect etc.). An 800 years old Fifth Stage will address a much younger 400 years old Sixth Stage as a 'senior' without losing any face. As such, we won't get the cliché dialogs like "Junior, you dare!" or "Die, junior!"

'Know your enemies and know yourself, a hundred battles a hundred wins'

Underestimating the enemy is a big taboo in the novel. Doing a full background check or sending probing attacks on the target no matter how insignificant the target seems to be before personally taking any action is the norm rather than an exception. Threat level also being updated regularly as needed, especially during a battle. <<less
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neokorp
neokorp rated it
November 5, 2016
Status: --
Currently in chapter 46.

A college guy got accidentally invite into a chat group full of cultivating individuals. From the loner to the big ass sec leaders and members. As a normal guy what would be your first impression? Yep, this people are mentally ill but at least the chat is fun to read so better stick around. (I would do the same.)

Things to like:
1. Not a pu*sy MC yet.
2. Comedy gold.
3. Misunderstanding done fkin right.
4. Females doesn't just spread their legs for the MC and... more>> go kya kya.
5. No overpowered MC because of some plot armor cliche.
6. The might actually aligned more on alchemy this time around. Please take note: "Might".
7. I can actually relate to the MC and put myself on his shoes. <<less
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Kluzie
Kluzie rated it
May 24, 2016
Status: c138
Spoiler

I am actually reading ahead ahem actually "listening" by using Google TTS to translate the Chinese characters to read out either Mandarin or Cantonese on my Android phone. This light web novel is slow moving with light fun (have not found any harem till now) for growing adults. The MC is a goody boy who would help anyone as his motto but will kill to keep his friend and family safe. Spoilers alert: He learnt the xiuchen from his chat group via a USB device that was sent in by a flying sword. He brewed out the simplified basic alchemy formula using an electric steamboat (hotpot). He acquired a spiritual bead with a seal spiritual ghost to help him in his cultivation. The author is damn creative in applying the common sense why the spiritual masters are all using modern devices instead of spending spiritual powers to communicate. The spiritual masters are all FarmVille addicts (they would steal from the MC farm and then offer goodies or advise to him. Good reading/listening before bed.

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Zackarotto
Zackarotto rated it
July 19, 2017
Status: c435
When I started reading this, I had been having trouble figuring out what novel to get into next after several false starts with other novels which I just couldn't take to. I think that a single premise that immediately jumps out at you is often worth more than all the five-star reviews on Novel Updates combined, because Cultivation Chat Group's premise just can't be ignored.

There are a number of reasons I hold this series in high regard. From the start, it hinges on the misunderstanding that the protagonist Song Shuhang... more>> actually "belongs" with these high-level cultivators (similar to the great manga Mx0), and I was initially worried that the series would lose its charm when the initial misunderstandings were inevitably corrected. But turns out to be just as funny when he begins to cultivate in earnest. There are chapters that read like something out of a more traditional cultivation novel, to be sure, but it remains creative. Being surrounded by powerful figures of the seventh stage while the hero is only in the first cultivation realm also gives the novel a very unique perspective.

Most crucially, Song Shuhang doesn't leave his "mortal life" behind: he still attends classes and spends time with his college friends, like a super hero with an alter-ego. I'm not at all surprised to find out that I like stories about immortals best when the mortal world isn't left behind. SS is a very likable protagonist, too: he likes to help his friends out, and even his insecurities as a cultivator feel very down-to-earth and relatable, such as his wanting to learn elegant sword techniques that give him a noble and scholarly disposition, but constantly finding fate with Buddhist monk skills and bloodthirsty sabers instead. Poor guy!

The mortal perspective also means you don't see the author skipping forward 6 months or 2 years or 100 years in closed cultivation, as he's capable of filling all these spaces in the timeline with interesting events. (By chapter 400, it's been maybe 2 months since the start of the novel.) This requires more planning ability, as the author has to plan out how long things take in between breaks in the school calendar and such instead of just making the hero train until it's time for something else to happen. I feel that I like this kind of pace a lot more, especially in a comedy.

Most characters are defined through their gimmicks, but I don't think this is a bad thing at all in a comedy, all the more so when considering that many "serious" cultivator novels don't really bother to develop their characters anyway. (Venerable White alone has three or four wacky traits, and I've died laughing at a number of his escapades, like when he breaks everything in the house and Song Shuhang just feels that everything from the refrigerator to the television just seems "different", because all the broken appliances have been replaced by illusory formations.)

This is a top-shelf series, highly recommended, especially now that the QI/Webnovel dot com translations go back to chapter 1 instead of simply picking up where former translators left off. The current translations are in excellent shape, and new readers don't have to worry about switching and getting confused by new terms and names for characters, like I did. <<less
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mrttao
mrttao rated it
January 29, 2017
Status: c75
This is the best cultivation story I have read this far.

It is a modern day xianxia fusion with lots of humor. The MC is actually likeable and is not a moron nor a psychopath.
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Naufal88
Naufal88 rated it
June 13, 2016
Status: c5
So Hilarious ? With both of xianxia and misunderstanding elements, this novel could burst my stomach so hard!

Translator, please work hard ?

... more>> Edit @c2060 :

Hello my friends, follow reader of CCG. Greetings.

I've read this until chap 2000+ and I could tell this :

This novel really have slow pace but also super fast pace. Why?

1. The story is based slice-of-life genre xianxia, there's almost no time skipping, maybe only for few day, or few hour. It's not kinda xianxia novels out there. So this factor is making this novel seems like have slow pace.

2. The cultivation speed if MC make everyone stunned, because how fast MC in breakthrough of his cultivation, and how he push his fellow senior (chat group) along his cultivation. Take senior white as example, when he's sixth stage, he need 150+ years only to breakthrough to seventh stage, but after he meets MC, senior white cultivation speed is kinda frightening, only need 4+ month to breakthrough to eight stage.

And the humor still as funny as ever even after reach chap 2000. <<less
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Arvinkarl
Arvinkarl rated it
May 1, 2018
Status: c266
I dont usually write a review but I just have to write one because this novel is too overrated. I dont even know how a lot of people liked this ... more>>
Spoiler

It has a slow and boring start where the only thing worth remembering is that he got added to a strange chat group, became a cultivator and thats it everything else feels like filler where the author just tries to be funny and adds a bit of fight which is so boring I want to skip them. The side characters are just there to try to be funny and makes more problem to the MC. The plot is so dumb I have to skip most of them and I still under understand what was happening even if I skip 2-3 chapters and yes its not repetitive but its not interesting either, its just keeps getting more boring as I read this novel. The tags are also misleading like the clever protagonist and the fast cultivation cause let me tell you the MC is not a clever at all he makes a lot of dumb mistakes that I got so frustrated reading it and the cultivation speed is slower than a f*ckin turtle im already at chapter 266 and the MC is still at first stage and 266 chapters might not seem that much but that is just so slow that the tag shouldnt be there. I dont advise reading unless you like stories where 90% of the content are like fillers

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App
App rated it
May 20, 2016
Status: c3
Looking promising so far, I read novels for dialogue rather than action and this series is all dialogue (at least so far)

Here's hoping it stays interesting into the double digits and is received well enough that it makes it there in good time.
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dahlys
dahlys rated it
July 22, 2018
Status: c2222
If you like Konosuba you'd probably like this, it is absolutely hilarious. Cultivation Chat Group is a parody of xianxia novels and most of the novel is spent overturning people's impression of cultivators. They enjoy modern conveniences (why use magic when you have a smartphone?) and are so bored out of their minds (due to their long lives) that they spend all day and night gossiping online.

Story and Writing

The story moves at a snail's pace for the first 100 chapters or so, but struggle through it and the pacing improves.... more>> After 1000 chapters the pace speeds up even more. There is an underlying main plot but it is not particularly important, as nonsensical comedy is the main point here. This novel is meant to be read with a light heart and not taken seriously at all. The arcs are kept fresh and interesting for the most part, and describe how these long-lived cultivators integrate themselves into the modern world and have fun mixing magic with technology. There aren't any large timeskips where the MC goes and secludes himself for hundreds and thousands of years, instead we have an almost day-by-day description of the MCs life as a beginner cultivator (2100 chapters and not even 7 months have passed).

Another point that I find outstanding is the quality of the writing despite CCG being a webnovel (I read the original, untranslated version). I don't see much repeated vocabulary (e.g. 20+ occurrences of "suddenly", "instantly", "at his cultivation level" in 1 chapter, I'm looking at you ISSTH, HN1F) and elementary school level writing. S*upid situations where the enemy looks down upon the MC and boasts about themselves don't exist unless it is a deliberate parody. The writing is clear and creative, though often long-winded (okay, so the author makes money by the number of words written, all Chinese webnovel authors are long-winded on purpose). Overall, it is at least obvious that this author does not have a limited vocabulary problem and checks his work before uploading.

Characters

What makes this series good are the well-developed, likable, wacky characters, be they friends or enemies. There is no absolute good and evil and everyone has a reason for doing what they do. Named characters aren't constantly being killed off or rendered irrelevant. Despite the large number of characters, they remain memorable unlike many other xianxia where by the end of the story you'll only remember the MC and (hopefully) his wives. Everyone has an actual personality although it may be cliched or forced at times.

The MC Song Shuhang starts off as a generic normal boring good guy, but he turns out to be extremely easily influenced and grows a lot throughout the story (not always in a beneficial way to himself). He is not your typical determined shonen/xianxia MC, he is a happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to have fun and stay alive but keeps stumbling right into important, world-shaking events. I'd say he is quite similar to Linghu Chong of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. He is forced by the plot setting (modern day era only) to level up at a ridiculous rate in the novel timeline (which is not by any means realtime, in realtime he is the slowest leveling xianxia MC ever), but doesn't realize that he himself is OP as his enemies are always more OP than he is. He is a "lucky protagonist" but his luck is contrived as the whole modern day setting thing wouldn't work at all if he wasn't nonsensically lucky.

Conclusion

CCG is a much needed breather from serious novels with lots of plot and serious characters with lots of passion. It's silly, ridiculous, and really funny. Sometimes we need to read nonsense for the sake of nonsense, because it is truly entertaining~ <<less
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hjmumby
hjmumby rated it
October 31, 2016
Status: c46
This is a breath of fresh air. No revenge, no reincarnation, no tr*sh from a powerful family, just a guy who gets pulled into the cultivation world by accident through a group chat. I've always wanted to read a light hearted xianxia where the MC isn't trying to mu*der everyone who pisses him off.

I would highly recommend this!
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forgotten
forgotten rated it
March 4, 2018
Status: c1785
Between 4 and 5 stars,

Read raws up to chapter 1785 gonna name some of the Pros and Cons first and more detailed opinion later.

(Warning: I really often get stuck on flaws and the more I like a novel the more flaws standouts to me)

Pros:

    • Unique, this is genuinely one of the most unique Chinese cultivation novels I have read and a lot of stuff is done better different and so on. This alone is a huge reason to give it a try.
    • No tragedy or Drama, there are almost never any "heavy" moments which I personally appreciate a lot.
    • Author, for the most part, is self-aware of everything he is writing about and there are few of the issues most other xanxia novels have.
    • Not repetitive, most events are unique and different there are no of the cliche bs of "I'm maxed lvl here I go to the new area to annoy young masters there, oh I'm maxed lvl, here again, imma go to next area to annoy young masters there"
    • It is in general fun and casual read, the type of novel I enjoy reading the most.
    • Fights aren't annoying, monotonous or dragged out
    • The protagonist is lucky yet not lucky or at the very least not luckiest in this novel.
    • Characters have their own unique traits and aren't forgotten after a single arc related to them like in other novels and they casually appear from time to time.
    • Mysteries, if you like it there is a lot of stuff in this novel you're gonna be guessing, making theories for and in general wondering about for a long while. (at least up to 1.8k chapters there are still a lot of unanswered questions)
Cons:

    • Constant jumping of events... it would be fine if it happened to some degree but its just never-ending cycle of stuff happening. The author jumps from one thing to another so often that its hard to keep track of things going on... Tbh in almost 1.8k chapters, there are very few events/grudges etc that came to the end that its absurd. The protagonist is still dealing with enemies he made in first hundred of chapters. Which in the end will make this novel either span for god knows how many thousands of chapter (which isn't that bad) or the author just gonna rush all events at some point, to finish it without loose ends. Giving people unsatisfactory and rushed conclusion to the decent story.
    • Incompetence, And it's probably only me but once I started to pay attention to this, it's ridiculous

      how much trouble Protagonist gets into because of his own or other peoples incompetence which makes a repetitive reason of why he gets into trouble. Unimportant spoilers gonna rephrase it to make even less "spoiler-ish":
      Spoiler

      Evil guys (lets say non-human) are doing evil stuff Protagonist finds out that there are humans who are helping evil guys do evil stuff to other humans and MC decides to fallow him and finds out even more important stuff, he even himself knows that it would be a good idea to inform seniors in the group since he alone cant do much. he gets his phone out and notices that "human" who is helping evil guys do evil stuff crossdresses at that moment and he decides against informing seniors about crucial information because and this is what he said himself "I don't feel comfortable speaking about cross-dressing" dude wtf >.>

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    • Authors "need" to abuse protagonist/make him into a joke. At first, it was funny, but the more I read the more annoying it got in later chapters it got better (or I got used to it and started to ignore it) but this was really one of the things that got on my nerves... MC gets ability lets make it into the joke, gets the item to make it into a joke (tho most of the abilities and items got some benefits to be looking like its less or not the joke at all later in the story)

      he isn't at fault but let him be the scapegoat

      and suffer for it. To be fair I know its made for comedy and maybe lot's of people found it funny... but I'm writing a review from my POV and it wasn't funny it was annoying as hell I would give some examples but most of them can be considered as spoilers.
    • Slow, it's not annoying slow where author repeats the same sentence in different words over and over again making chapter has 0 new information or story progression but still it's slow and some people might dislike it (1.8k chapters = 6months in the story)
In the end, I would recommend this novel, despite all the flaws that annoyed me it is still one of the more enjoyable reads I have read in long while. All the cons can be taken with grain and salt because as I mentioned earlier no matter how great of the story it is, the flaws will always stand out to me.

P.S This review is purely my personal opinion so use it at most as a reference rather than facts.

P.S p.s English isn't my native language so don't be too harsh on me for my mistakes.
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newbage
newbage rated it
April 4, 2017
Status: c91
Bottomline up front: This novel is a thoroughly good read! It is one of my favorite light/web novels, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Cultivation Chat Group (CCP) is a refreshing twist on a xianxia / wuxia story. Unlike the vast majority of them, it is set in the modern day, with the MC stumbling into the chat group of real cultivators by chance. Through a complex, yet believable, series of events involving real-world modern goings-on (cell phones, google maps, push-to-talk messaging, and a young, sheltered cultivator who just got off a flight and doesn't know how to use GPS) he realizes the truth and is given the opportunity to begin cultivating himself. The lead up to this is neither rushed nor belabored, providing a good introduction to the world, the MC's situation, and his character before thrusting him into the world a cultivation.

The series breaks many of the annoying tropes of Chinese xianxia. The MC is well rounded, thoughtful, and moral. He's a university student, and unlike in most light novels, his background isn't just for show. He has non-cultivator friends and family, as well as modern, real-world sensibilities and concerns. The characters around him -- both cultivators and non-cultivators -- are also fairly fleshed out, with believable motivations and realistic thoughts, behaviors, and reactions. There is also realistic interplay between traditional cultivation and modern history, society, and technology.
Spoiler

At some point in the story, one of the masters of the cultivator chat group tells the MC about a thread specifically created to help cultivators adapt to the modern world, since many of them would have been in closed door cultivation for centuries or decades -- suddenly coming out and finding technology and culture drastically changed. One part of the thread gives a cautionary tale of an unfortunate master cultivator, and proscribes a safety checklist in order to avoid facing a similar dilemma. Said cultivator apparently went into extended closed door cultivation, only to have the deserted area he sealed himself off in coincidentally become a nuclear testing site decades later. Even with with the ridiculous number of grandmaster-level defensive formations he had set, he barely escaped with his life -- sustaining severe injuries that required decades to recover from, and psychologically traumatizing him.

The novel is littered with well-thought little details such as the one described in the spoiler, which really attempts to answer questions as to what sorts of challenges and scenarios cultivators might face in the modern world. They also help to give us a realistic idea of how the cultivators' abilities might stack up against modern technology.


Unlike most cultivation novels, there is a is a good deal of light-hearted humor that does not rely on slapstick. Neither is there any harem building, or unrealistic ero / romance. Morover -- and this is the best part IMO -- it eschews the idea that becoming a cultivator somehow necessarily turns people into rutheless, sociopathic/psychopathic a**holes. The MC is good-natured, and though they each have their own quirks, all of seniors in the cultivation chat group are good-natured as well. That's not to say the MC is a dickless coward or a loser. Nor is he some self-righteous a holier-than-thou crusader. Rather, this goes back to how well-written he is as a character. He's a good-natured, modern university student, and acts the way a REAL ACTUAL PERSON with decent morals might act. As a complementary feature, the author seems to reject the notion that only ruthless pricks can get ahead. The MC is a decent person that will help out passers by if the opportunity presents itself. And he is often actually rewarded for it either by the recipient of his assistance, or by serendipity.
In the most recent arc, the MC is searching for the injured leader of a group that tried to kill him and steal his stuff. The leader is currently in hiding, and the MC is worried that he if gives the leader too much time to heal-up and regroup, they'll come back and harm him or his family. He's is on the subway en route to investigate a lead that one of his friends dug up for him. A little girl on a trip with her parents ends up getting attached to him and refuses to let him go -- much to the apologetic embarassment of the parents. So being the good Samaritan he is, the MC decides to stay with them until their stop instead of ripping the kid off himself and leaving. He ends up missing his station by 3 or 4 stops. As a result, he bumps into the quarry he's looking for, who actually set up the lead his friend found as a decoy, and would've actually gotten away if the MC had gotten off when he intended. At this point, the narrator all but straight up says that the idea that nice-guys don't have good things happen to them is bullshit. Amen brother, amen.
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The releases are somewhat slow and inconsistent. With potentially days or weeks going by between releases. Neverthless, it still averages out to about 3 chapters a week, with the author sometimes releasing multiple chapters in one go. With that in mind, I definitely recommend CCP to anyone looking for a well crafted and thoughtful cultivation story with 3-dimensional characters, a likeable MC, and believable cultivation mechanics.
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ryiryi
ryiryi rated it
December 21, 2017
Status: c1617
Spoiler

Read up to c1617, the story still ongoing. So far the plot had been advancing at rapid pace, the MC quickly reach 5th stage, due to his "Song-freeload-group-heavenly-tribulation-Shuhang, one of his many many nickname, there so much new ideas popping up along the way and most are comedic in nature. It fills with mini-arc and one of them make me laugh so hard that I thought im gonna die from it.

I can't help liking the MC despite how ridiculous the situation he falls into. In a normal xanxia story I would've drop this type of story but the way the plot inter-weave with modern society make so much sense that it look almost believable. :P

This is probably the only Xianxia where I wish every characters in the Cultivation Chat Group can show up often, I don't even mind if there is other sub-plot involving other supporting characters being the main cast.

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archigoel
archigoel rated it
August 15, 2016
Status: c630
I have read ahead using systranslate and IMHO, it one of the best Books out there. Especially if you have already read a lot of xianxia, this would be like a breath of fresh air. It is humorous in nature and author has written this beautifully.
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JammingJay
JammingJay rated it
May 21, 2016
Status: c4
This is the funniest story I've read in a long time. The translation is great!
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omgitsaray
omgitsaray rated it
December 11, 2018
Status: c427
I guess I'm one of the minority that feel this novel is only okay. It started off rather interesting but as the novel continued, the humor seemed rather forced or not that funny to me anymore.

The author created these all powerful cultivators into local people that you can meet at a barber shop, each with their relatable flaws and plusses. Author did a great job on that point but when it comes to the storyline, there doesn't seem to be any. It's just characters being added and funny things happen... more>> around them like a sitcom. One event can be dragged out for 40+ chapters with our MC being dragged into it against his will, just like the many other events. He's similar to a leaf thrown into an ocean without anyway of controlling his life, and then powering up from them as a side note.

Here's a hypothetical scenario: MC and group is going to Cultivator X's birthday party. Along the way, one of their party members starts a fight with a friendemy of theirs they hadn't met for a long time, and this goes on for 2 chapters. Then some demons are plotting to take over and that takes up 10 chapters. And then someone else joins their group to the birthday party and starts chatting about random stuff for another 3 chapters. When the group finally gets to the party venue, there will be 20+ chapters of preparation, people chatting, and sudden invasion of plant zombies. So 50 chapters in, the birthday party still hasn't started yet.

It would be great if the story focused a bit more on MC's real life (family and friends) instead of pushing it to the back burner and focusing so much on the cultivation group adventures of his. 400+ chapters into the novel and he's just at the second level of cultivation, but only 1.5 months have passed by. Of course, there's no need for him to level fast or level up at all, because he's surrounded by super cultivators most of the time. <<less
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GonZ555
GonZ555 rated it
January 28, 2017
Status: c75
Funny and refreshing series that easily breaks commonsense-chan little by little~
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