Plundering the Dao of the Immortal Journey

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Earth Immortals are cultivated from a blessed land.

Heaven Immortals move to and from the divine mountains.

I have a stalk of plum blossom, and I shall plunder the Will of the Heavens with it!

Associated Names
One entry per line
Dao Tian Xian Tu
Path to Immortality: Marauding the Heavens
盗天仙途
Related Series
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Latest Release

Date Group Release
02/18/18 Webnovel c265
02/17/18 Webnovel c264
02/13/18 Webnovel c263
02/13/18 Webnovel c262
01/31/18 Webnovel c261
01/31/18 Webnovel c260
01/31/18 Webnovel c259
01/27/18 Webnovel c258
01/26/18 Webnovel c257
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01/22/18 Webnovel c253
01/20/18 Webnovel c252
01/20/18 Webnovel c251
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19 Reviews sorted by


Trent
Trent rated it
May 16, 2017
Status: --
First off, the story’s confusing. Second, the translation’s confusing. Add them together, and I can only assume that, given the sudden changes in setting, either the MC’s teleporting everywhere, or he’s like Sun Wukong with incredible reality-defying somersaults. Someone’s an inch away from stabbing you? No problem, just roll and you’ll be invincible! Once you’re back on your feet, you’ll be fifty feet away.

Also, the MC’s backstory is ridiculous. Leaves home as a teenager, and in a year, he somehow—don’t ask how—turns ten thousand dollars into five hundred thousand. Of course, genius that he is, he doesn’t take out any insurance and loses it all. So he talks lenders into giving him fifty thousand dollars, which he somehow turns into three million in the stock market (eye-rolls). And then, “he was threatened and had no choice but to work for a giant organization as a trader and to assist in money-laundering operations.” HOW? Police apparently don’t exist, anarchy reigns, and he can’t even use his fortune to buy protection.

This is kind of contrived story gives us an indication of the author’s skill and effort put into the novel: very little.
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Tarlos
Tarlos rated it
July 24, 2017
Status: c20
The reviews of this novel are probably more interesting than the novel itself. It feels like the author is trying to be grand and deep with his writing in the first few chapters, but it just comes off as vague and weird. Vagueness does not equal depth! Almost nothing is explained and we're supposed to just go along with the strange premise:

... more>>
Spoiler

The MC has his "plum blossom" stolen by Master Xie. (I'm guessing Plum Blossom just another name for their ability? IDK it's not explained) He somehow only gives the flower and not the roots and was able to retain his ability, and at a critical moment steals energy from Master Xie. Then Master Xie kills him, and BOOM he's able to go back 10 years in time. He randomly becomes a game system and lets a random guy from earth take his body. What?! What am I reading? Is stuff being lost in translation?

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SinsI
SinsI rated it
May 26, 2017
Status: c40
MC is supposed to be seeking Immortality - but all he does is improve his Literacy/Bureaucracy skills, as well as accumulate wealth/land for his new mother and clan.

The villains are made to look extremely s*upid - whenever they plan something bad to do with MC, he gets to overhear their Plan (described in plain text down to the minute details for MC's convenience) to easily foil them.
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yinko
yinko rated it
May 23, 2017
Status: c33
When there is story happening it can get at least a little interesting, but that's really the only good thing about this.

There is an game system, but it basically only serves to provide quests in order to drive the plot. Giving him a reason to do things that make no sense otherwise. Of course that raises questions like why Those quests and who is providing guidance, but of course those things never get answered.

The protagonist himself, is pretty unlikable. At least he acknowledges that the guy in the body from... more>> before was a moron, but he feels an idiotic need to repay him anyway. Including taking on his love interest, rebuilding his clan, all that generic crap. Which is all even worse, since the very first chapter said specifically how to avoid all these problems, just tell the teacher that he a spiritual gift. All problems instantly solved.

Then, naturally, everyone around him takes advantage of his idiocy, leaving him out of the sect, kidnapping his girl, etc, and he doesn't even plan to get back at them. Just rolls over and figures that the system will solve his problems. <<less
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Gregor1422
Gregor1422 rated it
September 13, 2017
Status: c151
This is honestly a great novel. It gives off Legend of the Cultivation god vibes to be honest. Only in this one we have a system that is not as overpowered as the other novels, and yet it helps by providing something amazing on its own. I always wondered why some novels never extol the virtues of "status" properly. Yet this one does it magnificently. The fact that power of knowing if you are heading in the right direction or if you are progressing in your skill paths is powerful... more>> enough. It incites motivation, and a viable proof in front of a user's eyes that they are indeed progressing on their path. I love how the secular world is not so separated in this novel and the fact that different vocations have their own importance and are not to be neglected. Furthermore the underworld, and imperial Qi concepts are pretty amazing as well. It portrays a fantastic world while keeping proper checks and balances in place that are missing in most of the other novels.

But the best thing of all would be the fact that getting access to Qi is not easy. They are cultivating, an act that is so against the laws, that it should not be as easy as breathing in Qi and shitting out impurities. I have to say, this story is a revelation in this genre.

Yes it is slow and at times kind of boring but there is a deeper meaning available here that is hard to find in other novels in which the MC's are too busy trumping the "Young Masters" cliques. It's like reading Legendary Moonlight Sculptor's moments where Weed somehow ends up portraying that really touching moment (like the time he makes those sculptures for the parents who lost their daughter when she was young.) Or while reading Er Gen's works where he goes all philosophical on you, especially when he talks about how a father is like being a mountain.

Moments that truly touch you and make you understand that there is more to humanity than simply adhering to their base natures.

I for one am loving the fact that the MC is not a s*upid guillotine swinging dumbass that's killing everyone and their wives and kids and pets and chickens then using their eggs to make fried eggs, eating it and then shitting it on their graves before burning it down and taking a leak to put out the fire.

Great job on story writing and an even greater job in translating. Keep up the great work! <<less
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Ignus
Ignus rated it
May 19, 2017
Status: c32
An enigmatic story with both positives and negatives. My enjoyment of this story is higher than the 4 stars I gave it, because I had to factor in a few negatives mentioned below.

The first few chapters had a few to many parts that were poorly explained and confusing, but as the story progresses, things are clearing up and it is getting progressively better. Its still early at chapter 32, but if the trend continues this will be a great story.

The story is on the slower side of the spectrum, better... more>> for a more mature audience. It replaces typical Xianxia troupes of training/boasting/gore/clan conflicts with some really interesting stuff that sets this story apart. Don't want to give away spoilers,

So what sets this story apart from others?
    • MC is humble and wise
    • Cultivation system is very loose and spiritual, hinting at fate being a resource to plunder.
    • The cultivation world is tied to the cultivation system, and is painted in a different picture than most novels. Even going as far as mentioning the hypocrisies of those in the path of righteousness.
    • Romance seems to be developing well.
At the end of the day, I have really high hopes for this story. <<less
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Spiritsong
Spiritsong rated it
May 16, 2017
Status: c30
The reincarnation premise isn't fresh, but the urgency in enacting certain things before certain deadlines DO somewhat pave for the pacing of the story.

Its not a super fast story, but lengthy chapters do set a good pace that any readers can follow without saying "is this guy /MC taking a break even?" all the time.

At 30 chapters in, there isn't much explained about the world, but it is somewhat solid, and slowly built up
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pomoli
pomoli rated it
September 23, 2017
Status: c161
Great so far, I recommend it!

Pro

  • The dao isn't ridiculous like in other works, and actually gives tangible but not exaggerated powers. So no destroying mountains, moving millions of km, etc.
  • Main character is really well done, clever and thoughtful, even a really good person overall.
  • Side characters are all developed. For example, enemies actually plot, meaning no brute like charges against the MC.
  • Author seems to know where he is going.
Con

  • Slow in the beginning: it became interesting maybe after 50 chapters, and really captivated me after 100 chapters.
  • Also confusing in the beginning, but it got better quickly.
  • The romance is not the best, but not bad, it's just not the focus at all in the story, even if important.
  • Again a story where the fact that the MC coming from the modern doesn't matter at all.
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Khaossaga
Khaossaga rated it
August 30, 2017
Status: c132
Extremely good novel! The MC is very calculating and sneaky. It starts of really slow and I almost gave up on it but then boom! He starts plotting and planning like a MF boss and got me all excited.

This is not a cookie-cutter novel where the MC is a brainless idiot relying on plot armor and bulldozing through things with his cheats. If you're patient enough to go through a bunch of chapters and read an extraordinary novel then please read... if not then don't even bother starting it.
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
hatoyin97
hatoyin97 rated it
July 22, 2017
Status: c50
Is a good novel over all except that it is an extremely slow paced one...

Also Dun get discouraged by reviews which totally ignores about the fact that the novel have historical gener and politic attached to it...

And this novel is a weird mix with fantasy and realism.

The catch is realism will tick off "some" people who like reading typical xianxia/martial art gener novels.

This is one of those novel that can be a total treasure to some and sadly dislike by "some" readers.

About MC

... more>>
Spoiler

From reviews you might think MC have no purpose and personality...

Will thats not true...

The MC is a young business man with talents and ambitions who got tied downed...

He reincarnated into a body with a spiritual treasure which can only be activated by completing quests (left behind by original owner after time travel)

The reason he eagerly completed first quest is mostly because he was influenced by the memories of the original bosy.

Also the flipping reason he did not tell his teacher! Was because they might found out he was an otherworldly soul possessing a talentless body with a legendary treasure which requires to fulfill the quests which hints of the futures. Plus he have personal enemies in that respective sect and he just reincarnated and still having a hard time to control the instintual raw reaction towards certain people...

Remember he was a businessman ?

Soooo.... what do you think they like to do? Go seclusion or reckless challenge people with unknown background letting fate handles his life and death?

Ofcourse MC would first want to have a stable financial foundation. "!AS A BUSINESS MAN !"

Well to me MC is more on a cautious side and with a bit of greed and prefer a paved road than walking a road which qill 99% lead to death.

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whitespade
whitespade rated it
June 7, 2017
Status: c51
it is quite an interesting novel since I never have a novel about ancient examinations before. Easy to read and digest, still unknown where is this heading though.
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
keklel
keklel rated it
May 15, 2017
Status: c15
It's a hybrid second chance/transported to another world/game system story.

The MC died after having his OP cheat ability (ability steal) and cute waifu taken from him (he was an idiot - didn't use his ability because he was "scared of using it") and traveled back 10 years to become a game system (as in, an actual game system with a menu where you can see your stats, skills, missions and everything) for a random guy who got summoned into his old body (the random guy was a stockbroker who got... more>> hit by a car and just happened to have the same name as the MC, LOL). Then the random guy becomes the new MC and gets to do missions assigned by the original MC. I'm not shitting you, this is actually the plot of the novel.

I guess a natural question to ask would be: "why would a stockbroker want to be a scholar and write poems all day". Good question! To which there is no answer. The story... just ignores it.

As I read the novel, I felt less and less invested in the story. The reason is that there is no real sense of tension, no real conflict or sense of foreboding. The MC, from the outset, had no enemies after just killing a couple of bandits. After that it's just traveling and writing poems. That's literally all he does. Writing poems is his life for the majority of the first 15 chapters. I can't think of a more boring thing to write into a novel. There's no sense of danger or excitement at all. Nothing really to look forward to, other than his guaranteed future success as a scholar.

This is supposed to be action/adventure, right? Where did the action and adventure go? After the short fight with the bandit, there's no more action. And now he's about to find some cultivation spiritual roots, so probably more walking around and writing poems with random people, possibly more reading books and cultivation. Pretty boring if you ask me. <<less
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zdj
zdj rated it
May 6, 2018
Status: c263
This is a great novel of intrigue and martial arts, more wuxia than xianxia. But it's VERY Chinese, and I think a lot of what happens doesn't make sense unless you understand traditional Chinese culture.
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
criticalmind
criticalmind rated it
May 16, 2017
Status: c31
I'm conflicted about this one. The premise is confusing. A cultivator is about to get his soul destroyed. So he somehow gets a soul from earth to go back in time with his memories. It's like the author couldn't​ decide what to do with the MC so he added a bit of everything.

The story is alright after that, but a few poems get butchered along the way. There are also some issues with the language which is unclear at times. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the... more>> translation or the original story. <<less
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drollawake
drollawake rated it
December 21, 2017
Status: --
Summary of points:

  • Rocky start, with a baffling cultivation system thrust on the reader.
  • Interesting world-building on Sect-Court relations and how that ties in with cultivation.
  • Cool twist on transmigration, time travel, and a System.
  • Ruthless smart MC matched with capable main antagonist (which may be frustrating if you prefer curb-stomping).
  • Good pacing, but sense of resolution hampered by MC's need to be careful.
Yes, the world and cultivation system is not explained well, especially in the beginning, which is why some reviewers are confused.

To summarise the premise: The MC reincarnates into a different world, receiving... more>> a legacy from the spirit of his host from 10 years in the future. In the original timeline, the host had the innate gift of "plundering" legacies, which is very grandiosely called "Plum Blossom theft." However, he was hesitant to take full advantage of the gift and couldn't fulfill his potential. In the end, the gift was stolen by the main antagonist, who used it to become an immortal.

To unlock parts of the legacy, the host requires the MC do things he regretted not being able to do in his past life. That is why the MC has to pass examinations and take down villains he would rather avoid. Reviewers unfamiliar with the Chinese scholar archetype may be wondering why he needs to write poems, but that's part of building up his scholarly reputation to impress the people that matter in his schemes. It is also explained later on that the cultivation resources of the sect also depends on titles granted by the Imperial Court, which is why doing such things contributes to the sect.

Cons:

Spoiler
    • While the pacing has been good so far, most conflicts don't end with a satisfying sense of resolution. Because of the host's demands, the MC cannot lie lay low and keep his cards close to his chest. Each step the MC takes towards unlocking the legacy usually also results in him offending someone or revealing his movements to the antagonists. You can't really enjoy the pure satisfaction from the MC curb-stomping villains because you know that it's going to bite him back in the ass some time later. The explanation for why the host doesn't want the MC to lay low and stay safe seems reasonable to me, but it's less enjoyable to me because I like happy endings and having looses ends tied.
    • The world-building suffers because there isn't enough explanation of the concept of Imperial Qi. It's supposed to be general knowledge to people in the world but we weren't given a clear and comprehensive explanation in the beginning. Whenever bits and pieces of it comes up during the plot, it feel confusing because we didn't know Imperial Qi would be relevant until it was. That would've been fine if it was mysterious and secret knowledge, but it's not. It's frustrating because Imperial Qi comes up many times in the plot.
    • Apart from the prologue, the "theft" part of the "Plum Blossom theft" seems to never come up. So far, the MC hasn't really stolen any legacies, in the sense that someone else gets deprived of the legacy. In fact, the host requires him to actually own the item before he can extract its legacy. Hence, instead of depriving someone of their property, the MC usually buys the stuff and pays a good price to reward them. Maybe he will steal something big eventually, that hasn't happened more than 200 chapters in.
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Pros:

Spoiler
    • The MC is scheming and ruthless when he needs to be. He doesn't leave villains to crawl away like c*ckroaches (if he can help it).
    • The "system" is different because it is simply how the legacy of the host manifests itself to the MC. It's limited by the host's knowledge before he died and missions are based on the host's dying regrets. Unlike most novels with a comedic tone, missions don't pop out of nowhere for the sake of giving the MC a hard time or to give the MC a reward that coincidentally solves a problem.
    • The cultivation system is pretty cool and you can see how it affects the politics of the Daoist sects and how they interact with the Imperial Court. Spiritual energy is so scarce that most can only be gotten from either the Paradise in a sect or from the Court's Imperial Qi. But since the energy in the Paradise is limited, not everyone can qualify. The quality of a
      "Paradise" also depends on titles granted by the Imperial Court, which explains why sects recruit capable people who pass the Imperial examinations.
    • The concept of "heavenly" retribution is well-realised. Daoists get backlash from Imperial Qi when they attack officials. Imperial Qi can also be seized by usurpers of the throne, but before that happens they are suppressed by Imperial Qi. There is a strong thematic contrast between the MC sowing good karma versus the main antagonists suffering backlash.
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EienMugetsuTensho
EienMugetsuTensho rated it
December 18, 2017
Status: c243
Overall 4.5 (round up to 5)

A bit of a slow start but there are many other great novels like that. There are some harder parts to get because it focuses a lot on Chinese Poetry early on. Once he starts cultivating it gets really good. It's not just an average transmigration xianxia. The knowledge he has from the future only helps a bit with some strategy and kinda plagiarizing poems/works from his word (the author mentions sometimes that he changed the work to suit that world so it's not... more>> plagiarism).

The most recent pirate arc was awesome, he became a complete badass. (Starts around chapter 210)

EDIT c243: Stuff has really started to pick up since the pirate arc. There are still some slow chapters but its a huge improvement since about the first 100 chapters. <<less
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christinamt
christinamt rated it
November 3, 2018
Status: --
Awesome original story, with beautifully integrated Chinese traditions and history. The MC and friends aren't overbearingly arrogant and are truly characters that can be loved, admired and supported by readers.
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muhammodalamin
muhammodalamin rated it
January 31, 2020
Status: --
MC is very WEAK.

Only Machochastic readers who likes to pain themselves by reading fantasy books would read a novel with Weak MC. Look at the domineering name of the novel. Whoever reads this novel Would expect at least an OP MC. He not only had gone Ten years Back in the past with an ability to Steal Other's skills but also got his soul fused with another soul from Modern Earth. Even after all this transmigration and rebirth back in ten years, Hes very weak. Despite that I have to... more>> say the settings of this novel is very s*upid. The MC pursue the path of scholar saying that he wants to become immortal and help his family. Now all he does is read books and become the best scholar. Who the f*ck becomes strong just by reading books? The story lacks the thrilling of Action which is a big NOO for me. Reading books Can never make one strong, One must fight and seeks for strentgh and power. Knowledge is a support for strentgh. Ofcourse knowledge of martial techniques can make one stronger but not poems and esseys. Even after rebirth and all these cheat ability he only wants to work under a tiny empire as an insignificant scholar.

he doesn't deserve to have the plum blossom ability. And the name of the ability is idiotic. He's supposed to seek the path of Immortality and instead of looking for ways to become stronger he read books. And goes around Imperical city as scholar. What value is there to be a scholar? A single blade can cut through the soft flesh of those so called scholars. I'm disappointed that hes very Weak. <<less
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Setra
Setra rated it
May 21, 2017
Status: c34
I think, as a webnovel, it was a sin to not able to pique the reader's interest within 20 chapters. Partially because it was boring, another reason is the crisis is resolved in somewhat anticlimactic way. Only around chapter 26 did it manage to slightly interest me, for about 4 chapters.

It begins with some combination of second chance, reincarnation, and system (and arguably, revenge), and it was confusing. Really, you might need to read ch. 1 & 2 a few times before you understand what happened.

It's a letdown that MC... more>> with quite achievement in his previous life, assisted with future memory, also had system, didn't do something in a spectacular way. Any action he did is considerably safe. And while he's quite intelligent, he doesn't strike me as a bold person, a common trait of xianxia MC.

Another thing that's lamentable is the minimalistic feature of the system. Basically it's only there to issue mission and gives petals as a reward for mission accomplishment. As for other feature... not that I know of. As for the mission, each one needs at least several days to complete. So far there are only 5 missions with the fifth is just issued. I just feel the system is underutilized

Another thing that irked me is the constant use of "MC felt uneasy/something wrong". That's bad foreshadowing, yo.

Is there anything good about this novel? If anything, MC is quite smart, and a bit (just a bit!) of schemer. Everything else is ranged from okay to urgh. <<less
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