Ancient or Cultivation BL reads that will make you feel you didn't waste your time. This list is apart of a series classified by genre; other lists of this series include Thriller/Action, Fluff, and Modern/Transmigration novels. I tried to include both known and unknown novels to give more diversity to the reading list. Honest note--not a big fan of ancient settings. I've judged quality by reviews and seeming plot. ... more>>

So what is my subjective version of a quality BL of this list?

-No/little plot holes & well developed plot

Capable MC and ML  (not aggravatingly s*upid and knows when to respect each other but also put their foot down at the right moments). 

 -Lasting impression. I made this list by memory so if it's not on here...Chances are it's not worth remembering for the list.

-Makes me think--especially applies to this genre since I usually read this genre for the court schemes and palace intrigues. 

-Make me cry, laugh, yell or gasp. Perhaps all at the same  time. 

*****I have also included BL novels that have high expectations from me. The higher the expectations, the higher the stars. Hence, "***, **, *."

PS. Novels I've read are the only ones rated according to number. The rest (unread) are just listed randomly.

 PSS. There are always exceptions on this list that don't fit the requirements. But it's not bad to explore out of your comfort zone.  <<less

List to help readers find new promising and refreshing novels! ... more>>

Promoting novels with 30 and fewer chapters & ratings > 4.0 

b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b <<less

why do you even look for knife bro. treasure your life more. treasure your kokoro more. QAQ... more>>

Warning:
- I don't read BE (some might be BE-ish tho :haroldface:)
- I only add titles where I've experienced the knife, or know there would be knife for sure (ex: mudaoli's novel)
- degree of knife sharpness varies for each person. you might agree with this list, you might not. 
- I have low pain tolerance :haroldface: 

my scale of pain, ranged from 'not really hurts' to 'it haunts me every time I see kite': 
1-3: wooden rice spoon (getting hit by one hurts okay)
4-6: paper cut (hidden but suddenly you feel pain)
7-8: knife. be wary. 
9: you're almost ascending via 刀道
10: machete. you've already reached godhood of 刀道. congratulations.  <<less

Perfect for us masochistic fools who just wants to experience pain 'cause thus is living *sigh*

Just some rebirth novels I find interesting. Feel free to leave suggestions!

I am loosing sight of all the stuff I read and liked or want to read still ? so ... Mostly cultivation stuff or historical. I have no standards and tend to read almost everything to have an excuse to procrastinate :,) So check the NU tags please.... more>>

It is mostly (!) sorted by how much I enjoyed it(I I finished it). To be read are at the very bottom, on hold (for various reasons ) in the middle.

Comments, Suggestions and additional warnings are welcome! (Like saying "Hippo What.The.f*ck. 'Series x not angst?! Are your feelings dead?!'" to which the answer is "Yes, they are" So I rely on others to tell me if I didn't pick up on the angst)

Removed cause I yeeted them like a hot potato(or "a list can only hold 100 but other ppl might enjoy and i wanna remember i dropped em"): 

-I've led the villain astray how do i fix it

-The protagonist is in the right position to get along with the villain <<less

Chinese BL novels/manhuas  + some Korean manhwas/novels getting adapted to live action (that I've read/heard of/know of) in 2022 (and some are later)... more>>

Let's read them all before the adaptations are here~~~ 

(01/22 edit: ahaha it might be hard now cuz of that situation with the translators, but at least here's a list for (potential) adaptations) <<less

My Favorite Chinese Historical  Novels >.< This list consists of both BL and Straight novels with a rating above 4.0~... more>>

Note: Recently, some of the translation teams have taken their works down (dead links on the content section)  from NU (because NU has grown a lot) however most of them if not all have their own sites and the novels are still available there! So if you search the novels online you can still find them! ;)

P.S. There is also a part 2 with more novels and hidden gems for everyone to read! If interested the second list can be found on my account :)  <<less

Just the ones that caught my eye or were recommended frequently. Will have to look into them later, so PLEASE NOTE that I have not vetted all of these or anything! Many are ongoing, but there are also quite a few that are completed.... more>>

This may be a good source for people who want some novels that are not typically suggested, which is exactly what I was looking for.  <<less

Lots of scheming and imperial drama with exceptionally 'wise' emperors, more often than not. ... more>>

[Read the tags.] <<less

No description.

I’m fussy with my BL! Interesting plots, engaging chemistry, not too stereotypical....All in all these are novels that have me emotionally invested in the characters. ... more>>

There will, of course, be spicy ones.... <<less

List of BL which I want to read or have read already. Four to five novels at the beginning are arranged according to rank. I... more>> had difficult time deciding first 2 ranks. They both are absolutely amazing! There is one or two books in the reading list which isn't BL but it's a great read.  <<less

The reading list I want to read, I have no opinions at the moment, just sounds interesting.

BL set in ancient times and either ML or MC are part of the royalty/nobility... more>>

*Novels listed are those I've read or planning to read*

Includes at least one of the following:

* Either ML or MC is the Emperor or part of the Imperial Family or Royalty or something similar

* Either ML or MC is a court official or part of the court or something similar

* Either ML or MC is part of the nobility or something similar

*Either ML or MC is part of the Imperial Harem or something similar

* Story must be set in the Palace or involved with it or something similar to it

* Has Palace Intrigue, Palace Politics, Harem Politics, etc. <<less

BL cnovels that I'm interested in, with English translations that are either complete OR ongoing with fairly regular updates (not dropped). Only fantasy, historical, & sci-fi, no modern setting.... more>>

Sorted by author's name. Notes include author, translator, and number of chapters (total and translated). I made this list for my own reference because the NU "chapters" stat is useless if there is more than 1 translation, or a group posts updates with multiple chapters at once, etc... Plan to update ongoing chapter numbers monthly (current as of April 2021).

unlike my GL list this isn't supposed to be comprehensive (bc there's a lot more BL out there) just to represent my own interests <<less

Wuxia, Xianxia, Danmei and such genres. Mostly historical, includes transmigration/reincarnation.... more>>

Feel free to recommend <<less

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patiently waiting online for the complete english translations~

A list with characters who are fond of plotting against their enemies, are uncovering great schemes and/or of characters who are caught in the schemes of their enemies. ... more>>

Stories with big schemes that will make your mind blow and your head dizzy.

Top 17 are some of the most scheming protagonists imo, only the first three are ranked according to whom I belive are the most schemming of all, the other ones were hard to decide qwq, though they are more or less ranked too. Those guys are really cunning...

The ones more at the bottom are, either not soooo schemming or not really schemming at all, they were caught in other people's schemes and conspiracies, don't know if it would be convinient to point them out to differenciate. <<less

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As the list name says

all completed !! just a heads up that some of here might not exactly have a historical setting but got just a bit elements of... more>> it. feel free to recommend/suggest some good stuff you got there !! <3 <<less

This list contains the ongoing novels, for completed ones refer the ‘established BL’ list.