Record of the Missing Sect Master

Description

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A major event happened recently to the demonic sect – their powerful sect master suddenly went missing.

Everyone comforted each other: “Don’t worry, the sect master must be out pursuing fun, and so on.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

They waited.

Waited and waited.

Waited and waited.

Waited and… Everyone slammed the table: “We’ve waited so long! The sect master must have met with a mishap! Look for him!!” Numerous disciples therefore ran rumbling down the mountain.

On a certain day of the month, a certain sect master opened his eyes and thought in confusion: Hey, who am I?

Associated Names
One entry per line
Giáo Chủ Lạc Đường Ký (Tiếng Việt)
Jiao Jhu Zou Shih Ji
ท่านประมุขหลงลืมฟื้นรัก
教主走失記
教主走失记
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Thousand Autumns (6)
The Founder of Diabolism (4)
So What If You’ve Been Reborn? (3)
Copper Coins (2)
The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love (2)
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. All BL Novels I've Read part (2)
  2. Liz's Collection : BL { Historical [cultivation / ...
  3. Favourite BL must read
  4. Best danmeiss
  5. Historical/xianxia/wuxia BL

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/12/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c120 (end)
09/11/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c119
09/10/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c118
09/09/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c117
09/08/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c116
09/07/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c115
09/05/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c114
09/03/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c113
09/02/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c112
08/31/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c111
08/29/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c110
08/29/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c109
08/27/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c108
08/26/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c107
08/25/20 Shrimp Chips Translations c106
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81 Reviews sorted by


JelloBoy
New JelloBoy
March 14, 2024
Status: c120
I really enjoyed this story! It was well-paced, well-written, and well thought out. Characters had depth and nuance to their actions, villains had all kinds of motivations behind their plots, and the side characters left me laughing out loud at their antics. The romance plot didn't have too many ups and downs, but was heartwarming and playful -- the mystery/revenge plot on the other hand was full of thrilling ups and downs, with some genuine surprises along the way
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Attica
Attica rated it
September 2, 2018
Status: Completed
Once upon a time, there was a boy with loving parents, adorable siblings, and an all-around happy family. His future was bright thanks to his great talent, until one day a group of villains ruthlessly butchered his family. The young boy desperately escaped and managed to find refuge, until one day that same group of villains came by and wrecked that refuge too.

... Yeah, you can imagine what the motivation of our MC might be.

And indeed, if I had to describe Record of the Missing Sect Master in a single... more>> sentence, I'd say it's "The Count of Monte Cristo where the Count gives himself amnesia and assumes a different identity to publicly pursue the villains who took everything away from him."

Revenge is a dish best served cold--That's a principle that this novel understands extremely well.

And the best part is, this epic revenge story is also gut-bustingly hilarious, with a colorful cast of quirky characters and a multitude of wonderfully awkward situations.

1) Story

The story starts with Ye You, the leader of a prominent demonic sect, losing his memory. His amnesiac self encounters a man named Wenren Heng, who claims to be his older disciple-brother from 10 years ago. One thing leads to another, and the two of them end up working together to unravel a conspiracy that spans the entire Wuxia world. Any more than that is spoiler territory~

I will guarantee you that just like all great revenge stories, Record of the Missing Sect Master does a superb job weaving numerous characters and plotlines, building up suspense and then releasing it in immensely cathartic reveals. The wonderfully foreshadowed plot twists kept me so hooked, I binged the entire book in 3 days (I literally couldn't stop reading and finished the last half of the novel in one session!!!) Pretty much my only problems with the story would be that 1) With all the manipulations and mindgames it can sometimes get a little hard to keep track of who's exactly doing what, and 2) Why isn't the story longer so we can get more time with all the characters???

2) Characters

Ye You as an MC walks an incredibly delicate and awesome line between "real" and "acting". He has so many faces, and yet you can recognize all of those faces as part of a coherent whole. He's jawdroppingly badass with a genius intellect, so it's of course extremely satisfying when he always chooses the perfect moment to slap his enemies' faces. Yet we also get to see him in his most vulnerable moments, especially when he trusts Wenren Heng enough to reveal that Ye You is still that innocent determined child at heart.

Wenren Heng, the ML, similarly has many faces and sides. He shows a different side of himself to everyone he meets, which really reinforces how he feels like a real human being. You can think of him as the equivalent of the "Mercedes" character in the Count of Monte Cristo, if Mercedes had remained faithful to the Count over all those years and then worked alongside him to pin down the vile criminals.

The two main characters serve as perfect counterparts to each other, where Wenren Heng gives Ye You a stalwart ally who will follow him to the grave and a safe space to show his human weakness, and Ye You gives Wenren Heng the opportunity to see the truth and the chance to pursue justice. And both are absolutely hilarious on their own, so when they get together... their combined shameless antics can reach the clouds.

Now for the supporting cast... I LOVE PRETTY MUCH EVERY SIDE CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL. Every single character had their own unique quirky personality, badass time in the spotlight, and hilariously awkward moments where they played the straight man. Pretty much every single "good" side character was extremely likeable. I loved every single one of the eccentric Demonic Sect Elders, I loved all the adorably dorky younger generation characters, I loved all of Ye You's helpers (especially since those helpers always had awesome entrances)... yeah I could go on forever.

And even the villains felt like real human beings. This is because the novel had a compelling recurring theme - everyone is capable of love. Even the villains, as disgustingly horrible as they were, had loved ones who they treasured. In fact, if they didn't have loved ones, Ye You would not have been able to exact his revenge. (Like all great revenge stories, there's always that backdrop of tragedy even in the most satisfying moments ;___;)

3) Overall Enjoyment: This is of course entirely subjective. But as I previously mentioned, I literally finished the second half of this novel by reading 14 hours straight. My heart hurt at the reveal of the tragic past events, I smiled when Ye You and Wenren Heng talked things out and got together, I gasped at the unexpected plot twists, I cheered at all the moments of Ye You and co. being awesome, and I of course couldn't stop laughing at the hilarious antics resulting from wonderful character interactions. This novel was just pure unadulterated joy to read, and I give it my highest recommendations. <<less
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emiliers
emiliers
June 14, 2020
Status: Completed
So, uh, translator here! And now that I've finished, here's an edited review!

I think this novel is quite good! It's pretty easy to translate!

... OK, in all seriousness, I'm legitimately, genuinely impressed by the way that the author has written this story. It's not really so much a wuxia as a well-constructed mystery, and I'm sure it'll be a blast to reread this now that I've finished, since there is so much good, unexpected foreshadowing in places the readers least expect it. (I'm, uh, currently doing a thorough edit now... more>> to make sure I've fixed all the mistakes, since I began this without reading ahead. Apologies for any errors I might inadvertently have let slip through at this point in time.)

I've also been honestly surprised and pleased with some of the plot twists and narrative choices that the author makes in this story. (Though, if you read my translator's comments, you can certainly read about plot points I was displeased about, haha.) Most of them are very clever, and she never tends to drag out a misunderstanding or keep the reader in the dark for too long, making the whole suspense/dramatic irony portions much less frustrating than I find most stories that try to do the same things. It's a rare thing to see a mystery that's not driven by misunderstandings/red herrings, especially when the protagonist starts off with amnesia.

Spoiler

And, for those who are hesitant regarding the amnesia plotline, don't worry. Ye You actually regains his memories fairly early on (chapter 28, to be exact), and while he acts as if he's still missing his memories for a while, it steadily becomes less of a major plot issue between our two main characters.

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The author is also really good at drip-feeding the readers dramatic reveals, especially in the later parts of this novel, all the while saving the best, most shocking twists for the climax. And, again, they never feel too frustrating to wait for since you're continuously learning new information and reacting to new events in the narrative, so it never feels like a hokey attempt to drag out the suspense. (Or, it feels like it only in very small increments, haha.)

Also, a lot of the side characters are really fun (especially fun for me to translate their dialogue; Ding Xilai is Best Boy and this is Absolute True Facts™), even as they're not really developed, or fleshed out, or really change in the narrative. They're a bit like the stock characters in Dickens novels but actually fun to be around.

Another thing I like about this story is that, unlike other BLs...

Spoiler

The MC and ML actually get together fairly early! Like, not-even-quite-halfway-through-the-novel early! (I think it's somewhere in the late 40s and early 50s, so around the one third mark.) So there's not much will-they-won't-they here, other than some of the beginning chapters. Once Ye You regains his memories, the author basically moves their relationship forward very briskly. While I might not be a big fan of how some of their earlier interactions went, I do enjoy the fact that their relationship isn't dragged out. It's certainly refreshing when most BL tends to focus on the "getting together" phase!

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As for the criticism... Well, Wenren Heng (the ML) is a bit more overbearing than I expected when I started this. (He's the doting/kind-on-the-surface type, but can get overbearing when pushed, though he generally respects Ye You's wishes.) He never crosses the line for me (and I have a very firm line) but he does get close at times, and I kind of prefer the doting type. (Ye You seems to be into the overbearingness though, so I guess more power to him?)

And, it definitely feels that some of Ye You's "clever guesses" seem to come out of left field, especially at the beginning. It feels a bit out of place both diegetically and extra-diegetically, as people seem to just accept his conclusions really easily, even when they felt like massive leaps of logic. (And extra-diegetically... Ye You's still amnesiac, so why does it feel like he knows the script already?) In other words, Ye You's conclusions/guesses never felt organic enough for me to buy, though it becomes less of an issue later (once he regains his memories, for obvious reasons).

There were also a few bits at the ending that I felt would've been better served with more closure (especially for some of the side characters). While I don't dislike where most of the characters ended up, it definitely feel like some characters were given short-shrift and I'm not just talking about my best boy Ding Xilai. There was even one character who was unceremoniously put on a bus for fifty chapters, and then given only a scant few appearances at the end! I noted above that the side characters were very much like fun-to-hang-with Dickensian stock characters, and that's both a plus and a minus. They're so fun-to-hang-with that the readers want to see more of them, but as stock characters, they aren't really meant to get much screentime, unfortunately...

But, in the end, the above criticisms are all generally small enough that they don't really affect my overall enjoyment of this story. And, as the translator, the bad probably seem worse to me, while the good will also probably impress me a lot more than the average reader. (Since I'm taking in all the little bits of foreshadowing by having to pay attention to every word.) So, uh, no rating for that reason! I'm biased! I can't be objective enough here!

TLDR; more of a mystery-solving adventure than an action wuxia. pretty fun if you like that kind of thing. especially if you're into being surprised at the (very well foreshadowed) twists! some of the side characters are also really cute.

P.S. I started translating this in January 2020, so any reviews left before then is either about the raws or the previous, MTL translation. Hopefully my translation is better than a machine's, at least!

EDIT: OK, now that it's been over two years since I finished translating, I'm reading over folks' reviews, and nearly all of them are very good. Thank you for leaving them! Even with the ones who disliked this story, I can 100% see where they're coming from. So if you're on the fence and want to hear something besides abject praise (especially from the very biased me), scroll down to some of the longer two/one-star reviews -- most of them have very good critiques. <<less
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Chipmunkch33k5
Chipmunkch33k5 rated it
July 18, 2021
Status: Completed
Absolutely worth the high ratings, enjoyable to the very end. I even didn't want it to end... just a few more extras at least (╥﹏╥)

Main Character: Exquisite (ꈍᴗꈍ)

Love Interest: Tall, Cold, Handsome and le*d (≧▽≦)

Main Cast: Beautifully Complex and Entertaining (~‾▿‾) ~

Side Characters: Funny, Pitiful ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

Main Villains: Absolutely Horrible (ノಠ益ಠ) ノ彡┻━┻

Mini Villains:..... Not bad except for one, that one can go f*ck themselves with a cactus dildo ತ_ತ
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dona
dona rated it
March 9, 2019
Status: c13
Perhaps it´s still too early to judge but I really doubt it will get any better. The beginning was interesting. We have this intelligent sect master who is recovering from amnesia and we get to follow his journey as he tries to uncover the truth behind his accident.

Problem is, it´s a little dull and boring. For some reason I can´t focus when the story leaves MC and jumps to other characters. I still can´t remember who´s who. It´s like reading a list of grocery. All the side characters have the... more>> personality of a pot of plant, they´re just there for the sake of unravelling what happened to MC, none of them feel real so who cares about them?

And the plot is just as overused as in a lot wuxia novels. Only MC has potential to make this novel interesting. But even MC´s issues and antics are starting to drag. Like I don´t even care who made him amnestic, I just wanna know what kinda badass demonic sect master he was, but instead the author insists on this "journey" where ML drags MC around like a helpless, clueless child. Which he is right now. <<less
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morikotto
morikotto rated it
March 23, 2019
Status: c7 part1
i really do appreciate the effort the translator has gone to, but I literally cannot understand half of it. I feel like i'd fare better reading an mtl and it's disappointing, because the story seems really interesting.
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Aila
Aila rated it
September 29, 2020
Status: Completed
This is one of those revenge stories with ridiculuosly OP protagonists that the antagonists don't stand a chance at all.

Nothing interesting happens for the most part (plot-wise) and just when things do start getting serious, one of the antagonists die way to easily and then bam! Anticlimatic end.

And man, the people of Jianghu really needs to start using their brains cuz when even sect leaders and elders are easily led around the nose like little kids who can't think for their lives then uhh... ¯_ (ツ) _/¯

Also is it just... more>> me but I feel like the ML is just an accessory to remind people that yes, this is indeed BL. For the most part he's just a bystander (with inside information) and watches how MC 'cleverly' weave through his plots to checkmate the white piece. And when MC do act he's left behind to deal with things. Uhhh... maybe I'm just used to reading novels where there are TWO protagonists (eyes Golden stage) so yeah.

Author also has propensity to overuse ideas like:

Spoiler

1. MC falling in water (not just once, not twice, but thrice!!!) And somehow not one find it suspicious how he managed to survive those when everyone thought he lost his martial arts.
2. Plans involving people falling from cliffs
3. Kidnapping the children of the antagonists
4. Antagonists that have unrequited loves and project those feelings to that person's relative who have similar face with them
5. Antagonists who love to feed drugs that brainwashes a person to the orphans of the families they killed—cuz clearly nothing will go wrong with it! How unfortunate they didn't take Villainy 101.

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BanniNotBunny
BanniNotBunny rated it
May 28, 2021
Status: c115
MUST READ

MUST READ

MUST READ

... more>> MC

You will find one of the best MC of BL novels. Cunning, Heavenly looks, Strong, Powerful, Smart, Self-made, Independent, Hilarious, Sarcastic etc etc. I love him. He doesn't need a ML to highlight himself unlike other BL novels.

ML

He is just there for the sake of it. Just a decoration; can be ignored hahaha well you can't otherwise it won't be a BL novel😅. But seriously his role is even less than an 18th tier side-character of this novel (😈)

Side-characters

Among the best of side-chacraters in BL novels. Love them. This is the best demonic sect I ever came across in all the novels- from their leader to the members, all of them are awesome.

Plotline

It's a revenge kinda novel.

Mystery solving plotline to uncover the lies behind an incident and punishing the culprits.

Comedy

10/10

Totally recommended.

Note : It doesn't have explicit smex scenes. But it's fine because the plot is good. <<less
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Xian-laoshi
Xian-laoshi rated it
September 14, 2020
Status: Completed
The novel goes beyond what the synopsis imply.

It does not only tackle the journey of MC trying to retrieve his memory, but rather, it's about being part of a "chess" game and unravelling deep-rooted sinister secrets that shook the foundations of their world.

The plot is simply too intriguing, exciting, baffling, and amazing. Plot-wise, this novel is a good, hidden gem worth digging.

... more>> Now, let's about the characters...

-MC-

Nicknames (yes, because his real name was only revealed in the latter half of the story) : Ye You, Ah-Xiao, Sect Master Ye, Sir Xiao

First of all, I love him. Truly. Absolutely. He's intelligent, clever, humorous in a poisonous way, and capable. He is almost everything you won't hate.

-ML-

As soon as he realized that the MC lost his memories, Wenren Heng immediately introduced himself as the MC's senior brother. He's a gentle and good, or rather, an okay character, as he always supported and took great care of the amnesiac and headache-inducing MC. Although truthfully, he's not presented to be as impactful as other characters in this book.

-Demonic Elders and other cannon fodder characters-

Humorous. That's basically the summary of their existence in this book. They are here to bring hilarity.

Next, let's talk about the leading characters' relationship...

ML is the perfect boyfriend material out there, kind of par with Lan WangJi for me (in terms of attentiveness towards the MC). However, what makes me wary is the calculation under their every word in the first half of the novel. Their probing towards each other's thoughts and attitudes infuriates a pure reader like me whose only wish was for them to talk in a simple, honest manner.

Aside from that, their relationship is great and sweet, other than some minor non-con (?) mentions and events of s*xual (?) harassment.

In terms of execution, I truly don't like the downplaying of some significant matters. For instance, regarding how the thoughts of other seemingly unimportant characters, their attitudes, and how a certain ML character really does have feelings for another were presented. I get that it's for fueling the mystery but, author-sama, give us more clues, please!

---

I sacrificed deadlines and school requirements just to binge read this (don't be like me), so you can imagine how, a good novel sucker like me, great this novel is!

Come on, stop reading reviews and start reading this now! <<less
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amruta
amruta rated it
October 28, 2020
Status: Completed
Interesting story about revenge. The translation is a bit clumsy but don't let that stop you from enjoying the story.

The MC is seriously OP. ML kinda felt flat to me. Other than doting on the MC and supporting him whole-heartedly, there's not much to him. ML is a respected figure in the jianghu, but I did not see any of it in him.

The side characters are great. The plot slowly revels itself. But the ending is rushed. The gradual flow suddenly speeds up and inevitably misses a few details. The... more>> villains are just plain greedy for power and are cold and ruthless. But the resolution seemed a bit lacking.

The side character stories were left untold and that's a loss.

Overall, a great read but missing something. <<less
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mucheng
mucheng rated it
September 10, 2020
Status: Completed
4.5/5

First of all, I am a sucker for anything wuxia. Mix that in with a mystery novel and revenge - you've got me hooked :) The ending and reveals (both big and small) had me surprised and it was really cool to see how ingenious the author was with placing small hints throughout the chapters to tease readers with the answers. Oftentimes, when you think you've gotten the answer, you realize (sometimes much later on) that everything is not as it seems. MC and ML were both highly capable, intelligent,... more>> and individual beings with an agenda of their own - honestly, some of the plot points reminded me of some of the mystery elements of mdzs except they were much more intricate, much more tied together, and (dare I say it) better done in terms of execution and creativity. The side characters were (mostly) very wholesome and funny, and added a lot to the depth of the book.

However, I'm giving this 4.5 instead of 5 stars because I felt like there were a lot of character development that was lacking given the grand scale of the plot. I think the translator did an excellent job with pointing out some elements that had issues and content warnings, and I want to commend them for that! I wish the main cp's relationship was... healthier?? More trustful?? They made some progress throughout the book but I really felt like even at the end they hadn't quite solved the issue of trusting each other. With so many side characters adding to the development of the story, I wish the author had fleshed out a lot of little side stories more - I think there was a lot of important content in side character reactions to the events going on that could have added a lot more (realistic) content to understanding the issues going on. Especially with the concept of guilt - it's tossed around a lot, but a lot of the plot points and characters involved kind of just fall off without much resolution.

Overall, recommend for a great time discovering the well-thought out, riveting mystery of what the fourth Demonic Sect Elder's name is ヽ (o^▽^o) ノ <<less
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Leviathan.James
Leviathan.James rated it
November 25, 2022
Status: Completed
To be honest, I almost didn't finish reading this novel. As a whole, it was boring, predictable, and failed to capture my curiosity or interest. For simplicity's sake, I've divided this review into three parts: characters, plot, and romance.

Characters: The characters in this novel are two (sometimes even one) dimensional. They all lack depth and each one embodies a select few traits in all their interactions. The author will often tell us that characters have contradictory traits to how they're portrayed (as though trying to give them more depth), but... more>> since the characters never show these supposed traits the attempt to create more dynamic personalities fails. All the characters, even the main character, suffer from selective s*upidity when the plot or situation demands it. Sometimes even when there's no reason for a character to be completely oblivious, they randomly will be. The author puts no effort into building relatable or understandable characters, instead cranking out cookie-cutter "good guys" and "bad guys." Slightly more effort was placed on rounding out the villains, but all supporting characters are as flat as pieces of paper.

Additionally, the MC in particular portrays some very distasteful traits. One example that immediately jumps to my mind is how he treats (and in general how the author portrays) an inters*x character. Not once, but TWICE, the MC tells other characters that this particular character is "not a woman" even though she clearly identifies as and presents as a woman. This is straight-up offensive. If someone identities as a woman, than she's a woman; it doesn't matter what's in her pants. And the fact that the main character is the one invalidating another's gender identity is not only offensive but indicates that the author does not understand gender identity and promotes the invalidation of others. If it was a villain who said something like that, that would be one thing because we know the villain is wrong and we'll see them beaten down sooner or later. But the main character? This was in extremely bad taste. And not a single other character corrected him on this, tacitly condoning his words and actions.

Plot: Record of the Missing Sect Master is a cat-and-mouse revenge story, however the author fails to provide the readers with any reason to care about this plot. We learn early on that there are two mysterious players behind the scenes: the black piece and the white piece. Almost immediately, we learn who the black piece is. However, despite knowing who the black piece is, we're not told why the game is happening or what the goal is (other than vague revenge for an unspecified past wrong). As a result, there's no emotional investment in the plot. I honestly couldn't bring myself to care one way or another about what happened or how it would end. Additionally, the identity of the white piece is extremely obvious. I was able to guess their identity as soon as the main players were introduced and really only finished reading the book to confirm whether or not I was right. I had hoped my conclusion was a red herring, because it was just too obvious, but unfortunately, I was right.

Furthermore, while most of the plot is conceivable, the beginning of the game makes no sense. The board is set by the black piece, who wants revenge on the white piece for reasons that aren't explained until painfully late in the story. However, the first move is made by the white piece. This doesn't make any sense. The black piece should have been the one to make the first move, since it was their game that they were trying to set in motion. It was the black piece that created the book everyone wants to get their hands on in the beginning, but only two characters knew that the book had been found or where it was being held. Neither of those two characters were the white piece (if they had been, then the white piece wouldn't be trying to get the book because they'd already have it). The white piece then uses this terrible poison that hasn't been seen in 20 years to drawn a bunch of people to the location of the book (that they don't know about) in order to create a distraction so they can steal the book (that they don't know about). This move (of using the poison) enrages the martial arts experts of the world and sets them on this massive chase to hunt down the white piece, something the white piece wouldn't have wanted to trigger. It makes no sense. If the black piece had released the poison to draw people over and set things off, that would make sense. However, we're repeatedly told that no, the white piece did it. This is completely nonsensical.

While this is by far the largest plot hole in the story, it's not the only one the story suffers from as there are repeated incidents where things happen that follow this same contradictory vein. The tale abounds with contradictions, wild leaps in logic that aren't supported by the characters' best interests or motives, and moments that leave you wondering if the author properly planned the story or just winged it.

Romance: While I have no problems with non-con and dub-con when done properly, I personally find it distasteful when unhealthy relationships are portrayed as being healthy. There's far too much of that plaguing all forms of media, and it makes it difficult for people to recognize red flags when they appear in real life. Many people don't have real-life healthy relationships to model their own relationships off of, so they turn to media to identify what's healthy and what isn't. This novel is a prime example of an unhealthy romance being portrayed as ideal.

The supporting cast in Record of the Missing Sect Master repeatedly reminds the readers that the MC and ML are so perfect together, as though the author wants to gaslight us as soon as we start to notice the red flags being aggressively waved in our faces. Aside from the unhealthy possessiveness displayed by both characters (they both indicate in their narrations that they want to lock the other up in order to "protect them" (i.e. Remove their free will and/or keep others from ever seeing them again)), there are serious consent issues throughout the book. This ranges from kissing someone who is unconscious and who the character is not in any kind of romantic relationship with to initiating sexy times to distract the other party from conversations the first party doesn't want to have to straight-up r*pe (in the past; and yes, the "incident" 10 years ago was r*pe. If you don't believe me, look up consent and alcohol).

Conclusion: Now, all of this isn't to say this book is a burning pile of dung. There were moments I enjoyed. There were times I chuckled. Shrimp Chips Translations did well on the translation. However, this is a far cry from a novel I would recommend to others. It had an interesting premise and if heavily revised, it could be quite good. It's just not there right now. <<less
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saphire8626
saphire8626 rated it
March 27, 2022
Status: Completed
this book was so funny... the story is an elaborate chess game between the main character, Yeyou, and the villains that he wants to take down. Yeyou seems to have lost his memory, and the reader and he discover at the same pace (for the first 20%) that we're in an elaborate chess game.

after that, he regains his memory, and in classic unreliable narrator style, he outwits character after character, retroacctively pointing out details and clever predictions he'd made; the villains are totally outwitted.

this is a revenge story. secrets are... more>> unveiled one after another, and almost no one is who they seem to be - every character is like a russian doll, who has secret after secret hidden within their past. Yeyou's own identity is a secret.

something I notice is that the societies portrayed in chinese novels are often power-based hierarchies, separated by one's socioeconomic status. the weak are often the penniless and family-less, and the powerful are often those who have wealthy families and connections. in this society, most characters' spend their whole lives working to become powerful, because then they would be secure; they would not be used, abused, killed, manipulated, poor, struggling or powerless. the good characters work hard or are exceptionally gifted; the villainous characters attain power or stay in power through the blood, lives and work of others.

as with many chinese novels, the main character has a strong case of special snowflake syndrome -- he is the most powerful character in the novel. he never makes a single misstep and he's always neatly traps the villain with his next move.

this was one of the few novels where I enjoyed the side characters far more than the main character. there were some really interesting side characters who were forced to confront a lot of things..

the demonic sect's sect elders are so cute... and I really loved the other demonic sect master... I need spin-offs...

all in all, I liked this, but didn't love it <<less
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secondthots
secondthots rated it
April 26, 2021
Status: c82
I like the dynamic between main CP. I love even more the demonic sect members; I think they're the raddest of the bunch. Plot precedes romance, but the former feels kinda lacking imo. I don't know what it is, but I can't seem to immerse myself in the mystery. I do love MC's personality tho; I think he's sharp, capable, & charming. But the storyline is just subpar when compared to the cast of characters
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isolis
isolis rated it
April 25, 2021
Status: Completed
Make sure you are reading the translation done by Shrimp Chips. The other translator used MTL, which was nearly impossible to understand. That's probably what tripped up some of the early reviewers who couldn't get very far into the novel.

This story was fantastic. You will LOVE the characters. MC is not only super intelligent but also a grade A troll, super mischievous and charming. All the Elders in his Demonic Sect are unique and hilarious as well -- so loveable! The other side characters are also very... more>> engaging, and their stories are also full of quite surprising twists and turns. The romance between the MC and ML was also super fluffy. ML is incredibly doting on MC, and MC will do anything to protect his senior bro -- you really feel their love for each other (as do the rest of the characters in the novel haha!)

The plot is amazing. The author did a great job with world building and weaving an intricate game of cat and mouse between MC and his hidden enemy who is also incredibly intelligent. I loved the mystery and the action. To be honest, there aren't a lot of these BL wuxia novels that have been able to surprise/trick me in regards to who the true villain is, but this one did. The game was much bigger than I'd suspected. It was pretty refreshing. It was a compelling read from beginning to end. Definitely recommend! <<less
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Charmian
Charmian rated it
November 7, 2020
Status: Completed
I loved this novel throughoutly.

It is one of those very very few revenge stories that I genuinely liked and couldn't wait to be fulfilled.

I don't think there's a single chapter that was boring to me. I like how the plot slowly unfolded, bits and pieces of the story reveiling part by part.

... more>> The MC, Ye You, really grew on me, I liked his personality a lot, although he may seem a bit overpowered, but that didn't bother me too much while reading.

There's the BL part too. Well, I didn't feel its presence too much. Yes, there is Ye You's and Wenren Heng's love story, but it was more of a sub-story that threads through the main revenge story.

It's just a shame that the side characters didn't get as much attention as they should have. There's quite a few of them who didn't even have a proper name until far into the story.

But ohwell, nothing's perfect. What matters is that the novel's great overall and I'll gladly recommend it = ̄ω ̄= <<less
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Nagma
Nagma rated it
November 1, 2020
Status: Completed
This is so so so good😭😭😭 LOVED IT!!!!! Definately in my top 10 or maybe 20 {i read alot heheh}.

Anyone who is thinking of reading this pls just go and read the first few chapters coz I know the reviews gives u so much mix feelings i've been there u'll get the gist of it and I swear u will love it!!!

Even tho its a revenge and mystery type of a novel but the theme is not dull or depressing at all its bright and exciting to read!! Our main... more>> pair is obviously so so good And the side characters are gold shdgfkjf seriously I was always anticipating the sect elders to appear they are hilarious and so so interesting i really wanted to know their individual stories or how they met the MC but sadly the author didnt wrote it explicitly😥 , the scarred man unfortunately we dont get to know his name, Xie Junming I absolutely loved him, Ding Xilai he was the best boy , other than the villains that I thought I knew who it was but the authors later reveal shocked me all the side characters were superb👌

The pace of the novel is good too nothing drags on. All the major plot reveal makes you feel so excited loved it!!

The traslator did a SUPERB job too i saw some1 saying the translation is a bit sloppy like are you kidding me the first few chapters the translator was complaining jokingly or not about it being difficult BUT the translation quality was always awesome {i really loved all the notes the translator left before and after the chapters it always made me read the chapters more enthusiastically u'know what I mean} so THANK U VERY MUCH FOR ALL UR EFFORTS im so so grateful😘

And yes definately recommended so pls go give this try😊 <<less
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Devrai
Devrai rated it
October 11, 2020
Status: c120
Story 2, 5/5

Translation 5/5

Not sure why people like this book that much. -.- Have you ever read a good story bevore?

... more>> I realy want to summarize the story and give my opinion but I don't even know how to start.... so I'll give only my opinion.

It's rather boring. That thrilling mystery others told about? Not realy there... That "comedic genius"? Well I did sometimes smirk... but that was far and in between... so no real laughing.

It's an OK story if you are bored and need something in between but don't hope for anything like "Founder of Diabolism".

This Story let me rather hanging... I can't explain it but I never felt like I'm IN the story... it felt like a jumble. The author wasn't able to make this world real to me and they changed their own perspective so much that you never got a deep feeling for anything. Also the whole lovestory.... I get what the writer wants to say... but I didn't feel it.

I would not recomend that story if you realy want a "good" story... its just a fill-gap. <<less
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QCY
QCY rated it
September 18, 2020
Status: Completed
Quite a relaxing read, despite the novel being crime/mystery solving, because the MC was the one plotting and pulling the strings behind the scenes. There was enough humor (the humor that causes you to fall speechless) sprinkled throughout so that it became a rather light-hearted read even with some nasty hidden secrets getting revealed.

Overall, the plot was excellent, world building well done, and there was some character development. I liked the romance in this novel the most, because it portrayed an ambiguous prod-out-the-other-party's thoughts as well as subtle teasing that... more>> made it enjoyable.

Definitely should read. <<less
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SongBao
SongBao rated it
August 21, 2021
Status: Completed
a MUST READ NOVEL.

And I'd say that Shrimp Chips Translations did a good job translating the novel so thank you~ Definitely deserved 5/5 rating
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izayaYY
izayaYY rated it
May 16, 2021
Status: Completed
This is one of those plots that fits well the proverb: "Revenge is a dish best served cold".
This is a plot-driven story. Complicated plotline with MC YeYou, as clever strategist, tries to catch a big boss villain, and everyone is a chess piece on his WeiQi board. It is naturally a plot-driven narrative, which am not a fan of. For three-quarters of this novel, it is mostly a cat-and-mouse game between the 2 protags, between the 2 protags and the righteous faction, and also between the 2 protags and... more>> the villains. The story got progressively more convoluted with plenty of characters who are acting, pretending and lying all the time, plenty of red herrings and foreshadowing, coincidences, traps, meticulous plans and midway through all this confusing mess, I almost gave up.
But author did manage to tie all this together in a tight little bundle and bring it all to a satisfying and grand finale. Indeed the end chapters and extras were the ones I enjoyed the most. So basically, it's a good read if you enjoy the complicated process of revenge, of attack and counterattack, of mind games and strategising. All this careful strategy makes sense if you consider the villains are as powerful and smart as MC. <<less
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