World of Cultivation

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An unknown disciple from a small sect battling against the strongest in the cultivation world! The long journey working at cultivation, the realization of destiny, and the chance to reach the apex of the world.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Zuo Mo is a zombie faced low level cultivator in a minor sect of a little world. Ever since he was picked up by the sect leader two years ago, he has no memories of his earlier life except a recurring nightmare. Navigating the rigid class structure and intricacies of the cultivation world, as one of the lowest possible of the lowest class, Zuo Mo’s dream is to earn money, and lots of it, through being a spiritual plant farmer. A chance occurrence reveals that someone powerful had changed Zuo’s features and erased his mind. The money grubbing zombie decides to set out on a journey of cultivation to find out answers. Fate colludes with chance, the drums of war are beating, the ghost of his past is coming…

Associated Names
One entry per line
Tu Chân Thế Giới
WoC
Xiuzhen Shijie
修真世界
Related Series
The Avalon of Five Elements (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
I Shall Seal the Heavens (24)
A Will Eternal (22)
Ze Tian Ji (9)
Transcending the Nine Heavens (9)
Undefeated God of War (9)
Cheeky Sword God (8)
Recommendation Lists
  1. NO Romance
  2. My next 5 out of 5 !!!
  3. Wow there's a manhua version (ML)
  4. Novels That I Have Read Over The Years
  5. Novels that I have read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/16/18 Dreams of Jianghu c915 (end)
03/15/18 Dreams of Jianghu c914
03/14/18 Dreams of Jianghu c913
03/13/18 Dreams of Jianghu c912
03/12/18 Dreams of Jianghu c911
03/11/18 Dreams of Jianghu c910
03/10/18 Dreams of Jianghu c909
03/09/18 Dreams of Jianghu c908
03/08/18 Dreams of Jianghu c907
03/07/18 Dreams of Jianghu c906
03/06/18 Dreams of Jianghu c905
03/05/18 Dreams of Jianghu c904
03/04/18 Dreams of Jianghu c903
03/03/18 Dreams of Jianghu c902
03/02/18 Dreams of Jianghu c901
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KKristen
KKristen rated it
January 31, 2017
Status: Completed
This is one of the best novels I have read.

EDIT: This IS the best Chinese fantasy novel I have ever read. Nothing has ever come close to this. Now that the series is over, I am extremely worried that nothing ever will.

-- TL;DR --

... more>> This story is not for the faint of heart (or those with short attention spans). It is a very long, extremely detailed, well-written, and one of the smartest LNs you will ever read. If you make it through, it's absolutely worth it.

And now for the very long and detailed review that this novel deserves...

-- SUMMARY --

With no memory and an expressionless face, Zuo Mo lives a simple life as a weak farmer for a small sword sect until an unforeseen incident forces him to embark on the path of cultivation. Everyone wants him to fight and become powerful -- but ge just wants to keep his little life and earn money! As a continental war between races approaches, this zombie-faced protagonist unintentionally gains fame and struggles to keep his fortune.

-- CHARACTERS --

Main Character: Zuo Mo is extremely simple and practical, and this makes him complex in the way he handles situations and problems. He lacks talent, so he makes up for it with stubborness and hard work. He is also delightfully shameless, cowardly, or blunt (but not unrealistically so), and this makes his antics unpredictable and hilarious. He has some lucky encounters and help (like all main characters do), but he doesn't have "cheats" and in the end, it all comes down to his own hard effort and the interpersonal connections he's made along the way.

Supporting Characters: Pu Yao seems like your typical "Spirit Advisor" -- an over-powered super-expert from another place/time. However, unlike normal characters, he doesn't like to help Zuo Mo and is more of a life-threatening burden than a helpful advisor at times. He's moody and doesn't like to share spells, is constantly withholding information, takes Zuo Mo's money without permission, etc. When he helps, it always comes at a painful price. He is also practically useless when it comes to actual combat or defense. His relationship with Zuo Mo develops and changes slowly over time.

Zuo Mo's bros are bros for life. They are important later on in the story and are stronger than Zuo Mo in some areas, and weaker in others. They aren't the typical friends that end up much weaker than the main character -- Zuo Mo literally would not be successful (and would have a hard time surviving) without them.

Pets: Zuo Mo ends up with several pets that all have their own personalities. They tend to stay on the sidelines of the story until needed, but they're always around and never forgotten. They're also unique because even though they're loyal to Zuo Mo, they can also be unhelpful, arrogant, or consume resources.

Side Characters: Most side characters introduced early on aren't forgotten (unless they are in an entirely different part of the world), and new side characters quickly develop into important players in the story. The side characters all have their own personalities and development. The author does a great job at juggling many side characters at once and making sure they all pop up frequently.

I particularly appreciate how the author has a knack for introducing a character as a weak "nobody, " and then over a long period of time, almost without noticing it, that character will develop into a major supporting role and leader in their own right.

Villains: It is a LONG time before the story identifies any real antagonists. The minor antagonists/enemies that appear in each arc are unique and not bad, but you don't start to get hints of a major antagonistic force until Zuo Mo really starts to understand the bigger world.

I think this is a good thing -- a major plot point in the story is "war, " and realistically it's hard to know specifically who the "good guys" or "bad guys" are. Zuo Mo's group might not even be the "good guys"...

-- WRITING --

It is obvious that the writer is VERY smart and has put an incredible amount of thought into how everything works in a practical way.

Everything is extremely detailed and you will understand how everything works in a way you never have before, whether it's how a spell is cast, how different elements work with each other, how pills or formations are structured, etc.

People don't just "gain enlightenment/legacies" or "level up" and instantly know how to control their newfound powers/bodies. It takes a lot of practice and time.

The author is good at taking stereotypical LN tropes and changing them in a more realistic way. For example: the usual all-powerful spirit advisor would easily give advice, spells, and information to the main character, but Pu Yao is generally unhelpful, malicious, and steals Zuo Mo's money.

This novel has some of the smartest and most practical ways of fighting. Here are some examples of problems that are tackled:

- How do you defend against someone who is much stronger than you?

- How can you defeat a single high-leveled opponent with multiple low-leveled fighters?

- How should group battle tactics be used to outwit a group of equal strength?

- What are the downsides of using unconventional ("cheat") powers?

- How do you build a fortress single-handed?

- How do you manipulate marketing, advertis**ents, and the disburs**ent of news?

- How can hundreds of little spells defeat a few strong spells?

- How do you train a real battle strategist vs a strong fighter? What is the strategic difference between a solo powerhouse and a trained battalion?

- What technology can you develop to raise more crops if you don't have enough farmers?

- How can you make thousands of people truly loyal to you?

-- TRANSLATION --

The translation quality is excellent and the translators are great at capturing the right feeling, conveying the humor, and explaining the many difficult/detailed parts of the story.

There is a lot of new Chinese vocabulary that you will have to learn. You get used to it later on, but in the beginning all the new words can be confusing.

New chapters are released consistently and frequently.

The translators' notes are actually really helpful for understanding things you might have missed or parts you were unclear on.

-- MY EXPERIENCE --

I started this light novel a few months ago, and it took all the way until now to get to chapter 506 (the newest chapter). Usually I binge-read my novels in just a few days, but for some reason reading this novel took an extra long time. I kept pausing and not reading it for a few weeks, then picking it back up, then pausing again. Then I blitzed through 200 chapters at once in the end.

It's not that this novel was bad, or boring -- it just moved SLOW in the beginning. It doesn't really start to take off until Zuo Mo starts traveling on his own, and once he pairs up with "Lil Miss" it starts getting more and more exciting. In earlier chapters, I just thought the concepts were interesting, but in later chapters, I was much more invested in the characters, story progression, and world-building. Later on, I frequently found myself saying out loud in surprise, "This author is so smart!"

It's a great series, but it requires patience. If you are looking for instant gratification, quick power-ups, and an OP, bloody main character, you won't find it here. Also, don't look here for romance. You won't find anything more than a minor foot-fetish.

But if you're looking for a really well-crafted, detailed story with a bit of dry humor, this might be for you.

-- UPDATE: THE ENDING --

Dear translators at Dreams of Jianghu, WanderingGummiOfDoom, Brian, and all the rest of the team,

Thank you so much for the translation!!! I am so impressed by your commitment to consistent, quality releases. I can't believe it's over... I feel like I have a huge hole in my heart. That feeling where it'll never be the same as the first time I read World of Cultivation... I don't know if any other Chinese fantasy novel will ever match up.

I was shocked to see the ending come up so quickly even though I knew that it was coming. But I kind of appreciate that about the author's style... he doesn't waste words and filler chapters on people's reactions after the battle is won. He only gives you enough information so that you know (or can guess) everything you need to know, and leaves the rest up to your imagination.

I think I'm spoiled by other novels in which the author spends AGES describing EVERY little detail and EVERY side character's reaction to EVERYTHING. I've come to appreciate Fang Xiang's writing style that gives you "just enough." I noticed that I spend so much more time outside of the novel daydreaming, imagining what happened, mulling over plot points and words unsaid. It might not be for everybody, but it really made the characters and story stick with me even more.

Thanks again for all of your hard work. I appreciate all of you so much for your hard work. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for sharing this incredible story with us.

-- Kristen <<less
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Raneday
Iris Lazuli rated it
December 15, 2016
Status: c450
Most people complain about WoC due to it's slow pace development but tbh I don't really agree with them 'cause even from the start of it's already interesting, the character development is good and Fang Xiang didn't just made them just to be forgotten on the next few chapters like the typical troupe of the genre. Also Zuo Mo ge is not your usual MC that believes that his face is greater than the other 'cause Ge only wants some jingshi so if it's not profitable and it will lead... more>> to their life being in jeopardy then Zuo Mo won't hesitate to escape or to amend with them. What's more he's naming sense is also something that we need to watch out for XD <<less
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SorrowSong
SorrowSong rated it
August 1, 2016
Status: c323
I started this series because I was bored and was looking for something new. A weekend of binge reading later I had to remove some series off my reading list because they could not compare. At all.

That is not to say that this novel is without flaws; because it has quite a few of them. I would say that the major success of this series is that it manages to have the flaws compliment the work in a way that sets it apart from others in the genre. IMHO this... more>> is definitely one of those series that you should bookmark and read as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed. <<less
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kedar080340119014
kedar080340119014 rated it
May 15, 2016
Status: c201
For a xianxia LN, you could say that it is somewhat different and does not follow the regular path that usual Xianxia LNs do. This is mostly attributed to the unusual MC. For me, this LN is a bag of mixed good and bad. I like to think that I am a patient man and I really am. I like reading and have read a lot of fiction and non-fiction novels. However, World of Cultivation is too slow. I started feeling this right off the first chapter, however, I still... more>> read till chap 201 and will continue to read further. However, it still does change the opinion that WOC is just too slow. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, author tries to extend the length of chapters by elaborating on spells and techniques too much and it just starts to feel boring after first few times. Some of the chapters are just author rants about pill refining, formations and sword scriptures which I cannot make head or tails of. Secondly, 200 chapters in out of 900 chapters and still there is no trace of story development. I cannot understand where the story of the LN is going at all. Don't get me wrong, there is a plot. The main plot is to find the history of MC (who are his parents, family etc). However, after initial mention of this in first few chapters there is no further development at all till now.

If you like OP MC or MC who likes to fight head on with cultivation progress story then you will definitely not like this LN. The MCs cultivation development is very slow and he does not like to fight and when he fights, he does not fight head on. Till now the LN just feels like a slice of life Xianxia novel.

Even though I have dissed a lot on this LN. It has one VERY VERY strong point. That is the MC. The MC is hilarious. If you are smart and like subtle humor, then, you will enjoy following the shenanigans of MC and humorous situations he is put in to. His 'Zombie' face in certain situations is hilarious. I will not lie, the only reason that I kept reading this LN till now is for MC and this clever and subtle humor. This shows author is talented (at least in writing style if not story...). Hopefully, the author in later chapters can start unfolding the story little bit.

This LN is worth a read if u are patient reader and like this kind of subtle humor. Otherwise, my advice is to skip this one. All I can say is that, this LN is not for everyone. <<less
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rdawv
rdawv rated it
February 23, 2016
Status: --
Review of Ch.163.

It is difficult to simply say "you must read this". The core of any novel in the genre is the MC, and perhaps to some readers the MC of "World of Cultivation" might not seem appealing. You have a MC with a paralyzed, zombie-like face; someone who prefers to keep to himself and only went down the cultivation path because it's the road to an easy life. But as usual, circumstances forced him to do things when he preferred to not get involved at all, that his advantages... more>> are fueled by money, money and more money. He prefers a simple existence, but realizes that being rich and powerful are required. Personally, I feel the closest MC in feel and style to Zuo Mo would be the MC of "I Shall Seal The Heavens", Meng Hao.

Other than the mystery of his face and origin, there isn't a plot revealed yet, so I'll leave that aside for the future. The translator has done very well in conveying the subtle humor of the text. It is very nicely written, not the simple "he did this, that happened, everyone died" type of sentences that you see in average stories. The characters are not bland, the action very well described.

What is currently available is a good read. <<less
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Master_x01
Master_x01 rated it
May 15, 2017
Status: --
This is sadly other of those novel which begun good but went downhill at some point...

Seriously, this story had a good worldbuilding, a good pace (albeit somewhat slow sometimes), a good MC, it was very detailed and the rest of the cast were good (thing you do not found easily in a xiaxia) but after some point all that hit the drain.

At some point the story stoped of being detailed and become a jumpy story going from here to there skipping parts as if they werent important and if the... more>> autor was in the mood, he will tell about it, and if youre lucky he will show it.

At some point the MC stopped of being a funny over-greedy zombie face that won most of his battles using his head and become just another ruthless xianxia/shonen abomination MC that win every battle using his muscles and pulling power ups out his ass meanwhile.

At some point the side characters stopped of being important and they just were forgotten once their usefulness to the current MC's problem ended, sometimes in abrupt manner... One chapter they were there and the next one they were already forgotten and they were lucky if the MC had another problem that required of their help.

So many thing that could have been explored with the cultivation system in this story... And all that was let aside... and that without saying about some plot points...

Seriously speaking... Enjoy the thing til the Desolate Wood Rift or whatever is called because some time after that the story will begin to go downhill. <<less
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cutterline
cutterline rated it
December 10, 2017
Status: Completed
You might see a lot of 5 stars but clearly that review doesn't represent the true quality of the novel, most of them haven't finished reading the whole novel. IMO, overall it is a 3. This is a good novel. It is quite refreshing because there are huge recurring casts which is pretty rare for cultivation novel and the way it's delivered is quite interesting. The introduction setting is a bit out of the norm and the main character development includes some of the supporting characters which is quite nice.... more>> I wouldn't say the writing as perfect but it is good enough. Why? Because in later chapters, the author bit more than he could chew, the cast became too huge and you can see the author stumbling to keep up with the numbers. The writing quality is just not as stellar quality as earlier chapters. Some supporting characters that suppose to be there in the scene just vanishes into thin air without having any action or dialogues. This in one of the novel where I kinda hoped the author could have written more, not just 915 chapters. He could have had easily extended it to 1100-1200 chapters because the final arc is clearly rushed and some backstories and plots are left on loose end. When I read it, I was like 'just like that, no further explanation? The hell!'. It is not a really satisfying feeling. I get the vibe that the author was tired, in a slump, and just wanted to finish the series. Information repetition still exists just like majority of the genre, this is not really annoying as there aren't much of it. The introductory part is slow (mention this as some hate it). The humor is so-so. Mary Sue, OP, and lucky MC, as the usual norm in the genre. Maybe there are some other minus part that I missed. Overall this is quite decent read but leaving you feel unsatisfied if you don't like loose end. <<less
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Trent
Trent rated it
March 29, 2017
Status: c562
Yea, World of Cultivation is a great novel. Its characters are varied and three-dimensional, and it actually has plot and planning behind its arcs. It’s a story, a tale, a journey, more than a regular fast-paced cultivation novel (for the most part). It's often humorous. And the translator’s superb, which makes everything 1.5x better.

It's not perfect, no. For one thing, there’s no avoiding that the story is sometimes boring. For readers who’ve grown used to the constant excitement that most cultivation novels try to provide, World of Cultivation can be... more>> too humdrum.

Another issue is the perhaps too large cast of characters. Sometimes, this means that you won’t see a named character for dozens or hundreds of chapters, and you might forget about him or not care who he is when he reappears. Other times, the author will entirely remove interesting characters from the plot, in an attempt to keep everything manageable. Characters aren’t always able to stay in-character, either; it sometimes feels as if the author wants to show that a character isn’t one-sided, or insert some humor, but ends up making the character too easily riled up or surprised.

Finally, the cultivation system is somewhat unreliable, and Zuo Mo and his allies get powerups as often as any other novel’s MC. If Zuo Mo enters a fight, it’s basically a given that he’ll level up during it. However, the new strength or abilities he shows can’t necessarily be trusted, as the author will sometimes realize that he made Zuo Mo too overpowered, and will quietly reduce his gains afterwards. And there are other issues common to cultivation novels. Still, even though the MC’s abilities might not be relevant for long, they’re all well thought out and described, and exciting when put into play.

There are a few other problems, but they’re not worth complaining about. Even the aforementioned negatives are entirely outnumbered by things worth praising, and are the result of the author’s ambition rather than laziness. World of Cultivation is a rare and memorable novel, well worth reading and appreciating. For enjoyment purposes, I'd probably give it 4 stars, but for what it does and achieves, it's totally a 5. <<less
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Bayart
Bayart rated it
January 13, 2017
Status: c915
Spoiler

After finishing World of Cultivation, the novel gives the bitter impression of a rushed work. While the first part takes a lot of time (rightly so) developing characters and setting up the world and its intricacies, the later part falls short of tying it up.

Characters are left on the wayside, plots points and major background mysteries aren't given any outlet, and when they are it is in a very anti-acclimating way. The systems set up initially (cultivation system, battle formations, crafting, fighting techniques) are ignored and any fight or progress is explained with a shorthand.

It feels like at some point the author just decided to get it over with the novel and glossed over everything he introduced.
The way the novel is brought to its conclusion is saddening, if not aggravating.

Up to the breaking point (which would be the first timeskip, around chapter 745), the novel is a good 4.5, but after that it's a 2.5.

[collapse]
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Fluffums
Fluffums rated it
December 1, 2016
Status: c445
I normally dislike slow-starting stories, and I don't like any of the author's other works. This one, though. This one's amazing.

The main character loves money, but it isn't the only thing he cares about. He's cunning, but he's not infallible. He's courageous, but not reckless. He has a a cheat, but doesn't rely on it, and he has a "old teacher that follows him around but no one else can see" but the 'teacher' is more of a... well, you'll see. In short, World of Cultivation avoids most of the... more>> pitfalls of xianxia stories.

It has character development, world-building, action, schemes, military confrontations, and some slice-of-life. There's something to like for pretty much anyone, so give it a try. <<less
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oblueknighto
oblueknighto rated it
June 6, 2016
Status: c915
A must read. The characters don't just get stronger, they improve themselves.

Honestly one of the best Chinese novels I've ever read. It has interesting characters and interesting interactions. The cast does expand as the novel starts to explore more of the world but it's still easy to follow them as the author writes memorable POV chapters letting you learn about the different characters motives and feelings. Unlike many novels where the side characters are just mentioned by name and then dismissed this novel focuses on every factions they introduce. The... more>> s*ave they saved from greedy sects? The bad guys who got defeated? The novel makes the characters go through twists and turns, making a mystery of what's next and you really never really know how things are going to turn out.

A fantastic adventure novel.

Now that its ended I'll really miss reading daily chapter. A fantastic novel with a fantastic translator. <<less
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chekanalia
chekanalia rated it
May 15, 2016
Status: c245
Amazing, funny, can't wait to see where it is going!! I like that it is not cliche xianxia and there are no one-dimensional characters littering the place. I really like Lil' miss... the mystery in this book is killing me! It really became Wu Kong formation school haha :D
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Giagantic
Giagantic
June 28, 2018
Status: --
Read up to about 400-500 and dropped it due to various gripes that I have had throughout.

The novel is certainly introduced in an interesting and somewhat unique manner being centered around a disfigured protagonist whom is also a struggling farmer (farming cultivation centered plants) and has no memories of his past. Issue is that I found the author extremely inconsistent in several ways.

  1. The author can't seem to decide which direction the MC is heading towards, at one point he dabbles in Sword Arts and through the help of his tormenting mentor achieves a modicum of success in it despite his lack of talent in said Arts. Next he finds out that he is actually talented in formations and other more unorthodox Arts but even these get thrown to the wayside later. At one point he is acclaimed as a genius in formations and a few chapters later reneges on this promise and focuses on another area. Even later he switches again, and again seemingly forgetting everything prior to said new interest.
  2. The above wouldn't be an issue if it is argued to be a characteristic of the MC due to indecisiveness but the issue is that this lack of direction and constant shifts happens throughout the story. There is multiple abrupt shifts in focus in the story that are done extremely poorly. At one point he is a farmer, next he is a formation expert, then following that he starts fostering a War General and dabbling further in various mixed arts. The much later switches to a forger profession. I am find when MC and plots involve multiple proffessions but in this case it seems extremely haphazard. Power is also subject to this seemingly inconsistency which is even moreso applied to the plot of the story which can't seem to decide where it is heading and details and plots losing any sort of effectiveness as it progresses due to bitting off more then the author could handle. (Examples: Crane Girl whom torments MC, Yao Arts / Mo Physiques / etc fade into oblivion, the way politics are handled is lazy with its potential squandered especially in concerns to the relationship between the various powers, many plots are unexplained and from what I read elsewhere never fully discussed)
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Calanar
Calanar rated it
June 10, 2017
Status: c591
This novel is awesome.

Army building is seriously the best kind of novel genre/part that exists, it just feels so heroic.

The things I don't like are somewhat important. Everything else in this novel is great.

  1. I don't like, or more like I don't care at all, about the MC's origins... he should just build his army and live a happy life through countless battles with his brothers.
  2. Why the hell are there arcs where the MC is roaming alone, or only with a small amount of brothers... its so boring. It seriously annoys me. For example, right now he is in some kind of city with only a hundred of his brothers/sisters and he tries to comprehend some things... ugh... boring as hell. I'd, once again, rather like him to create a larger empire through battles and spend time with his brothers and his girl...
  3. Why can't he say awesome things while facing the enemy...I mean he does sometimes, but thats really rare. It would be so much cooler if he did, even though it would become more cliche... like I care its awesome.
  4. Can he please... PLEASE... finally heal his girl... like what the hell, that thing is going on for waaay too long now. I think their interactions are cute and all and I like her, but its so uninteresting after some time.
  5. That money grubber thing. Boy was that sh*t annoying at the start of the novel and for the next 200 chapters afterwards. It gets better, but I dropped the novel three times because of this character trait, until I finally read past it a few days ago.
I would strongly recommend you to read this. The first 200? chapters are mostly annoying, but it gets better. Much better.
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grrman
grrman rated it
December 30, 2016
Status: c473
Very enjoyable novel. One of the most unique MC that I have seen thus far, and I think the biggest draw is how grounded he is. He isn't the generic OP character that most novels have, instead he truly personifies the "jack of all trades, but master of none". His small plot armors never detract from the story, and I really enjoyed the antagonistic "teacher" that the MC has.

The novel has great humor, especially as you move on into the meat of the novel. The side-characters are a highlight because... more>> the writer often takes the time to flesh out their personalities and motivation. The world isn't huge like most other novels that span multiple realms, so instead the writer has the time to build the world thoroughly and foreshadow. As many people have said, the novel starts off slowly. That's not to say everything becomes an immediate payoff later, but there is frequent enough action that you are left with cliffhangers at a consistent rate. This is one of the few novels that I have never hesitated to read as soon as a new chapter is released (and the translator is amazing at getting it out every day with no exceptions) which especially impressive considering it is over 400 chapters in. The only possible criticisms could be a lack of romance (personal preference, but I don't any has truly been necessary), a lasting villain, or a full explanation of the various power levels (but the author does a good job of explaining things when they are needed). I haven't reread the novel in a while (which I might now do), but currently it checks off every other box: action, tactics, training, great supporting characters, and most importantly: lovable MC.

Edit--

Now that I've done a reread, I think the best part of the novel is that the POV changes allows for very fleshed out side characters and great build up of tension. WoC is built off not just loving the MC, but as the novel progresses, loving all the characters that join him. It takes a while for the novel to pick up steam, but it's definitely worth it. The author does a great job making a relatively contained, but extremely rich world so it's not like say CD where you are just chasing after the MC while he leaves everyone else behind. I love seeing how the MC matures, and changes the way he interacts with the same characters. <<less
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SAzraf
SAzraf rated it
March 16, 2017
Status: --
This is easily one of the best novels I've ever read. So many martial arts novels out there have a protagonist who continually gets stronger via Dragon Ball Z power up until half the time they rule the world with a harem. In comparison, this guy starts off as a ling plant farmer who wants to make money, as mentioned in the summary. His strength grows as he first wants to make money and then to find out his history.

Because of various events he ends up drawing a group around... more>> him and rather than loner protagonist taking on world it becomes a group helping each other. This isn't a quick power up story either - more than half the time he's weaker then his opponents or in a group battle and strategy has to be used rather than requisite brutal beatdown, though those occasionally happen too. Some of the members of his group are technically stronger then he is, to say nothing of some of his enemies and there are many situations where strength won't cut it and the group has to use their heads. Even in the latest chapters he's just trying to keep his own people safe and earn money rather than going looking for trouble, but in the chaotic dog eat dog martial arts world how can things be so easy? I've gotten a laugh out of his thinking process and some of the situations he's stumbled into. You definitely won't regret reading this novel. <<less
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forgotusername
forgotusername rated it
November 23, 2016
Status: c436
I got baited by the awesome description, where sword cultivators are trying to stop him from being the best farmer haha.

At first the world building confuses me, river and whatnot. It makes more sense and easier to imagine once you get further down the story. Love the main character, he's a very realistic guy, everything is about jingshi (can be Meng hao's shi di). Love how his actions are misunderstood by others, can give you a good laugh time to time.

This is a great novel if you want a good... more>> laugh, pretty good world building, great fighting scene and tactics. Side characters try their best to not be 1 Dimensional (Except this one insect dude). Apparently the MC is not OP in the novel (According to other characters), but I do find him plenty OP haha. It has a slow romance but it's great, cause it's an awkward love :) *Feet fetish LOL*

Well, in conclusion, it's a great read 10/5. Hope there will be a day where he smash people to death by jingshi itself.. <<less
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wowprohunt
wowprohunt rated it
October 25, 2016
Status: c408
Very well written novel.

MC is very ugly, which in itself is a refreshing change from the countless 'fair like a maiden' cliches.

MC is a genuine coward at heart and thus very practical with his way of life. He is also really smart and thus not limited in imagination at increasing power and protecting himself. His different thinking often resulting in unexpected rewards. Funny moments are numerous and well placed and the plot development is often unexpected and thus engaging.

Overall a very good story. Translation is quite good too.
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Mizura
Mizura rated it
September 25, 2016
Status: c915
The story was entertaining enough for me to read the whole thing (in Chinese). The positive aspects:
- Hilarious scheming MC
- The MC 'outsources' many of his tasks, so instead of reading just about him, you get to read about his companions kicking ass too (strategist, item manufacturing etc.)
- A nice mix of combat and other types of plotting (like production)
- Pretty good worldbuilding with the three races and an accompanying history
- Decent amount of foreshadowing

On the other hand, the story ends with the... more>> mother of all rushed endings:
- Many characters whose development you'd have looked forward to... don't get developed at all at the end (what happened to the beast-raising guy?)
- Key plot points just get rushed or forgotten (seriously? The MC's background?)
- Key confrontations at the end are rushed. It smelled rather of hypocrisy in the second half too.
- Really? 915 chapters and you could only afford half a chapter of epilogue? It was so short that I was sure there was a sequel somewhere (there wasn't)

Overall, read it if you enjoy the style, but don't read it expecting a great ending. <<less
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Ironman96
Ironman96 rated it
December 29, 2020
Status: Completed
Amazing novel at the beginning until roughly the introduction of a new power system or a little before that (~middle of the story, ch400-500) where the plot dives into a f*cking cliff and the novel proceeds to end horribly. It literally feels like 2 different stories, one in the beginning and another at the middle-end, no semblance between the two.

What an amazing start to this novel, we get Zuo Mo, a hilarious "zombie" type person who is trying to survive his way in the cruel world by being a greedy... more>> "ling" farming, craft making, and formations (acts just like Weed from Moonlight sculptor). We see him stumble upon a cheat of 2 grandpas inside his mind, both with their own unique powers, and they teach MC for a price (they don't just hand out power for free and the interactions between the 3 are hilarious and some of the funniest scenes in the novel come from this). We see MC grow here from a farmer and fight using formations and schemes, he is still weak at this point and the novel has the best fights at this point because Zuo Mo has to scheme smartly to win against stronger forces.

How does Zuo Mo survive in this cruel world you ask? He goes about it smartly and makes a group of either fellow farmers, fellow sect members, or random people and teaches everyone what he has learned from the 2 grandpas and here we reach slightly before the middle of the story where the plot becomes amazing and the fights are so cool. My favorite fight in the entire novel was here where MC and his entire group all using formations and building a literal fortress to fight against 1 super strong person.

The whole cast is super likable at this point and then we arrive at the middle of the story where MC has his own group with everyone and the MC becoming stronger with unique power from the 2 grandpas and in the middle of a war between 3 races. How does the author proceed from here you ask, simple, he throws the whole previous plot into a garbage bin and introduces a whole new power system that MC stumbles upon (shen power).

All the immediate races in the world "somehow" learn shen power from MC and the fights become garbage at this point. MC no longer attacks with formations or schemes, he literally starts punching people to death. Like wtf, we had such a cool MC using farming, unique items, formations, and schemes to kill people, now he just punches people. All the previous techniques he learned (the ~1000 unique yao techniques are never used again, formations are never used again, farming is not discussed again, no new item crafting), it literally just becomes a brawl. It gets even worse when the author previously introduced powerful "sky mo" weapons and unique one-use talismans which MC used at one point, however, they are never brought up again either. MC's 2 grandpas who were important figures in the world and previously powerful people become useless as there is a new power system and they have no clue what to do. The plot moves super fast at this point as the MC is in a war and author introduces a bunch of new army people and characters on different sides of the war (we had such a likable cast and they get thrown aside for new characters in the war who we don't care about and never knew previously).

Then we come to the ending, oh boy, the "big bad" loses in one chapter and he fights a side character (not the MC) and loses in like 1 paragraph, then we get like 2 paragraphs and the novel ends. Whole characters and plot lines left open, the war suddenly ends.

What a huge disappointment the second half the novel was, if you read this, I suggest stopping around the introduction of shen power as the novel is truly great until that point and feels super rushed afterwards.

Also I liked the "pinyin" words and got used to them, although it was a bit challenging at first, but the translator did well. <<less
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