This is a story I had lots of mixed feelings about.

First, the start is really generic and cliche. The author tries to evoke certain emotions in the reader, but he screwed up the pacing of the beginning, so I read it pretty much apathetically while wondering if I should just drop the shit. I decided to give it a chance and trudged on, and it got better, but after

... more>>

Spoiler

tanuki waifu dies

[collapse]

it got so damn generic and boring gradually (yes, it worsens over the next, what, 100-200 chapters after that part in spoiler) that I eventually dropped it because it became no different from any other cliche cultivation novel. Plenty of cliche tropes, predictable developments, plot that doesn't really evoke any interest in the reader, such things.

It's a bit of a pity, because the protagonist is a bit likable. He's also very generic positive xianxia protagonist, though, and I really wonder what relevance his being a transmigrator has because I haven't seen any in those 340 chapters I read (we literally get told he transmigrated and that he was an orphan, but he might as well have been reborn after living in another fantasy or cultivation world, coz he's nothing a modern person should be like). However, again, he's very generic, and he doesn't even have much of a goal (let alone any leading plotline, there isn't even much of a progressive plot in terms of what the protagonist wants... he's just being led by the events).

Speaking of it, I was disappointed by alchemy in this novel. It's quite an interesting theme if done right, but the author didn't really bother to put much effort into it, be it in terms of mechanics or relevance to the plot. There's like 3-4 pills in the first 100-200 chapters, and they're all the same kind of pill but of different levels, and the protagonist doesn't really do much alchemy.

Also, f*cking author is one of those b*tches who write a harem but can't write about relationships (yes, I'm f*cking angry at him when I think about it), so they delete the love interest (s) from the story, and she (they) become irrelevant. First waifu got removed pretty quickly, but we had the second waifu

Spoiler

who accompanied MC in the form of a tanuki, but we all knew she'd transform into a beauty later... btw, the author got a hella close shave with furry fetish here, I honestly expected some furry crap to come up, but fortunately nothing of the sort happened

[collapse]

being dangled in front of our noses, so it was easy to put up with it. However, when the second waifu was pretty much ready to get shipped for good with MC, the author did it again. f*ck the author. He deleted her from the story, and she only got two brief appearances that were pretty much MC dreaming about her in the next 100-200 chapters.

And can you guess what happens when MC reunites with first waifu after chapter 300 or so? Well, of course she gets deleted from the ongoing plot as well, and we get some random characters including a random love interest no one f*cking asked for, coz we want the protagonist to develop the previous ship formerly... but no, there was some random development to make it seem reasonable that the author is putting it off. The only good thing about it all is that the author seems to have learned his lesson, and wrote better in TDG (then again, TDG wasn't exactly good in this aspect, either, so you can imagine by comparison what this one is like if it's quite a bit worse...).

As for other characters, nothing special there, either. Some of them are fine, but when you think about it, they're quite generic too, including even the comic relief characters. I can't say I really liked any of them, and now that I am trying to recall at least one that felt really relatable, interesting, or compelling, well, surprise, I can't recall any...

Since we're talking generic cultivation novels, then of course the protagonist must have a cheat, right? Actually, he goes and picks up quite a few of cheat-level items. I don't really know what to think, those items are kind of acceptable, and MC is kind of acceptable as a genius, but kind of unremarkable too.

Well, since I mentioned cliches, let me list a few:

Spoiler

Martial tournaments, underdog MC showing everyone who's boss, old grandpas in items, fighting across realm if you're MC only, masochistic training, MC having unique ability no one else can have, arrogant guys who die coz they look down on everyone and made a mistake at last, no one really knows what love interests look like, events like places to explore appear just when MC has free time and is nearby, MC can always manage to come at last minute to say the day... and so on.

[collapse]

This ended up being quite a bit of a rant, so sorry for that (but I won't edit my nagging lol). I had some hopes for this novel coz while its start was big meh, the next 100-150 chapters were just a bit above average, so I thought I finally found a good read, but welp, not really.

I don't think I can recommend this, unless you haven't really read many cultivation novels yet (you won't be put off by the dumb cliches this way). <<less

Dammmm, here we go again. Must say I'm scared but also excited as hell for Mad Snail's new novel. We all now that Mad Snail is a great author, but the downside is that he is capable of discontinuing (almost, like 1 chapter a month) great novels. It doesn't matter to me if this novel will continue and I will always be hopeful.

Lets goo Nine Heavenly Star Art!

3.5/5*

EDIT: I do think that TDG had a better start than this novel, but I still would like to see where it goes.

(*) = edited

I'm disappointed, that's the only thing I can say.
I was bored and looking for novels to read when I came across this one by the same author of TDG and Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed The World, but it's more of the same xinxia without being celebrated, in the beginning it was interesting especially when the subject was the protagonist's clan. I enjoyed watching him strengthen the clan in many ways, but after that it was just downhill.
damn why does the protagonist have to be so dumb? The emperor of the country is in front of me trying to be friendly with me, should I at least be polite? (Damn what does it cost to be polite? I'm not asking you to get down on your knees and lick your shoes but at least act like a normal person) no the MC has to be a rude motherf*cker because yes, when you see this you understand why the protagonist has more enemies than friends (I wish the emperor would just say f*ck him and try to kill him right there or at least punish him in some way, but unfortunately that didn't happen because apparently an emperor accepts a 17-year-old teenager being rude to him for no apparent reason) continuing the MC makes enemies left and right because unfortunately nobody in this world knows how to talk, and we got to the part where I am currently the part where sh*t happens and I'm going to say here all the sh*t that happened on that island it was TOTALLY AND EXCLUSIVELY the MC's fault that an arrogant and impulsive f*cking kid who goes into dangerous places because yes, back to the subject he goes into a dangerous place that has an evil spirit being nurtured and even though he knows it can give sh*t he's still there and then another much stronger person arrives (and who has already met the MC before) and starts to fight with the spirit in that what does our genius MC do? Instead of leaving there so as not to be injured by a fight between two powers (which he has even seen happen before) he decides to stay the reason he is risking his life and that of other people? BECAUSE HE WAS CURIOUS, in that sh*t happens the entrance to the cave they were in is sealed and in the search for another way out they are caught in the middle of the fight and two of the characters dear to the MC "Die" (I put "die" because they don't they really die and yes they are saved by the treasures they had, but in that the waifu is "trapped" in the treasure and can't get out) and after that the MC gets pissed and stuff and starts blaming others and the blame is mostly by being a curious motherf*cker. After solving the evil spirit and he bumps into other "enemies" and provokes them for no reason (again) and almost dies (He would die if he wasn't saved again by the potential he was fighting with the spirit) and in that his enemy runs away. Then you who are reading this and possibly a person with at least a functional brain like me think that the MC will heal and get out of there and go back home as soon as possible right? After all, the enemy can come back with reinforcements to kill you, but no, he has to spend a month training techniques in that place, he couldn't go back home first and train the techniques there, right? But seeing what happens next you understand what's going on, the empire where the MC lives is being invaded and the author has to find a reason for the MC to come back at the last possible moment to save the day, I honestly don't know what these authors of xanxia have to keep using that cliche so many times, WHY why can't the MC just be there to avert the tragedy? Why does he always have to be the last to arrive?
This concludes my rant I wanted to write more things but unfortunately this text is already too long T-T
(Google Tradutor)

Uninteresting plot, even worse than TDG in term of motivation and plot driven devices. The MC is crippled for 3 years and unexpectedly gain super plot armor back. That's how the story begins. What's worse is there are no overarching goal like TDG (try to change the tragic future, etc). This is just an MC who cultivates for sake of cultivation novel. Along the way, he'd help solve his family/friends problem here and there, but that's about it.

The plot writing is also too messy. There are too many things happening... more>> at the same time, and most are quickly skipped over. This is a very badly written.

I gives this 2/5 since, although the plot and writing is bad, but the MC is at least leveled head (in comparison with other novel), so that's the only plus I give to this novel. <<less

it has Strikingly similar early set -up as BTTH -

turned to tr*sh from genius.

three years of suffering from clansmen

beauty with mysterious background who is good to MC

what I mean to say, those 3 points I said should not be a reason to drop this novel because MC's advantage (cheat) is different then BTTH, world set up is also very different... and most of all it's work of mad snail and it is finished in RAW so we can expect a good translated story.

I've seen a good story go bad, but this one surpassed itself.. It started well, but then it got terrible. The MC has become a complete idiot. The story felt like it was being written by a 13 year old boy. With no reasonable explanation for what happens other than the inconsistencies. I confess that it is difficult to believe that it is the same author of TDG. Did he write this story when he was 13 and save it to publish later? Hahaha

Having read to chapter 140...

The start was really generic. I was considering dropping it despite it being by the writer of Tales of Demons and Gods, which was one of my favorites.

Anyway, despite my initial bad impression, and despite the fact that the MC seems to grow way too easily (a bit like TDG, but without the reincarnator coolness)... Yes, despite such things, I'm hooked. And I want more.

It's definitely enjoyable enough after a while, and I do want to see what happens next. The chapters aren't coming out fast... more>> enough! <<less