It’s Not Easy Being a Master

Description

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Shen Zhixian transmigrated into a book as a cannon fodder master who hatefully severed his disciple’s spirit root. This disciple fell into the devil’s path and returned to make mincemeat out of him.

Shen Zhixian just happened to transmigrate into the last moment of the master’s captivity, and then he was reborn again.

After rebirth, he devoted himself to fostering and supporting his disciple, only to discover later that his disciple was also reborn.

Even worse, the disciple still retained the memory of his life before rebirth.

Shen Zhixian: …Disturbed.

Afterward, he realized one truth: Being a master is a high-risk occupation. Not trivial at all!

Associated Names
One entry per line
师尊今天也在艰难求生
师尊难为
사존난위
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (16)
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun (10)
The Daily Task of Preventing My Disciple from Turning to the Dark Side (8)
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (7)
I’ve Led the Villain Astray, How Do I Fix It? (5)
Transmigrating into a Mob Character to Rehabilitate the Villain Plan (3)
Recommendation Lists
  1. BL & Baihe To-Read List - Translations Complete Pt...
  2. Best reads (ig?)
  3. Books I've read
  4. All BL Novels I've Read part (2)
  5. What I Read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
04/11/20 Xixi’s Translations extra 3 (end)
04/10/20 Xixi’s Translations extra 2
04/09/20 Xixi’s Translations extra 1
04/08/20 Xixi’s Translations c79
04/07/20 Xixi’s Translations c78 part2
04/06/20 Xixi’s Translations c78 part1
04/05/20 Xixi’s Translations c77
04/04/20 Xixi’s Translations c76
04/03/20 Xixi’s Translations c75
04/01/20 Xixi’s Translations c74
03/31/20 Xixi’s Translations c73
03/30/20 Xixi’s Translations c72
03/29/20 Xixi’s Translations c71
03/29/20 Xixi’s Translations c70
03/28/20 Xixi’s Translations c69
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156 Reviews sorted by


ReadTillYouDrop
ReadTillYouDrop rated it
May 27, 2020
Status: Completed
At first I thought this gonna be just like other master disciple relationship but that was not for long as I see their cute development <3. I think the novel is fully coherent from the beginning till the end and this show how well thought the author is. The romance is quite slow thou but very worth it at the end ?.

Plot:?????

Character:????

Translation:?????
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bmb
bmb
February 3, 2020
Status: c23.2
In the first chapter there were scum-villain vibes, but I assure you it's not the same at all.

This story has a good MC and ML, the plot is really misterious, the reborn ML doesn't easily forgive the past after a long separation which I'm grateful for...

I just read the first 23 chapters in one morning and I'm already hooked. Looking forward to more chapters!
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Sumer Sun
Sumer Sun rated it
July 7, 2023
Status: Completed
Tbh I don't understand the complains about this novel, as I personally absolutely loved the characters and the plot!!

Is it similiar to scum villain? No. The MC's and ML's personalities are different, the main plot points are different and so is them falling in love. Wheres the similarity!!?? It doesn't even have a system!!!

Jarring time skips/ sudden side characters: there were barely one or two timeskips, which weren't stated particularly, but you could understand from the text and how different everyone was acting. Plus the story is barely 90. Side... more>> characters can be introduced later and not be ELABORATED HEAVILY on, ok?

Unresolved plot points: at most, I have one question, which too can more or less be answered. And two side characters' backstory which wasnt expanded on. Other than that everything was answered and made ok. Most of the time the MC himself stepped up and splendidly handled everything.

My take:

10/10 MC character + development

I loved how calm, rational and strong Shen Zhixian is in the whole story. Easy going and unrestrained, calm and rational. It's simply refreshing.

8/10 plot:

Not a lot of complicated things were tackled, but the one big villain was resolved quite well along with a couple epic and desperate fights. Lost memories returned, position restored, evil begone, everything good. <<less
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hlebets
hlebets rated it
October 15, 2020
Status: Completed
Idk how to write reviews but if you want something sweet and adventurous (?) you should read.

MC and ML are perfect for each other, they care about each other so much, also adventure parts are really good.

Starts as shizun-disciple, but later Yan Jin starts calling him by name more../i have shizun kink sorry so that made me sad/

There's romance, but nothing explicit (´;ω;`) MC and ML get together somewhere in the middle of the novel and later are trying to heal/save the world together. There are some sweet parts though╰... more>> (⸝⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝⸝) ╯

Side characters are also interesting I want more side stories about them.

Translation is good, all in all it was enjoyable read.

I gave it 4 bc it has potential to be more dramatic and heart wrenching if it was longer. <<less
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funezcookie6
funezcookie6 rated it
May 10, 2020
Status: Completed
So first note - There is no s*x scene in any of this, despite the Yaoi tag. I was disappointed.

After chapter 40, this series gets incredibly dull and pretty much uninventive. I'll be honest, I started skimming after chapter 48. This translator deserves an award for translating such a wordy story, where half the descriptions weren't even needed.

The writing was choppy, the timeskips were choppy, the interactions between the characters were choppy. All the "sob" stories of side characters aren't worth remembering, they won't come back, nor are some really... more>> all that important to the relationship between MC and ML.

About MC - Despite him saying that he was cannon fodder, he was way too important in the story. In fact, it felt like he had a better role than the ML, who was supposed to have protagonist halo. He's incredibly empty, doing what he wants to do, and having absolutely no complaints about his disciple being in love with him. This made him a boring character, and somewhat irritating eith his descriptions of "beautiful" or "shorter than Yan Jin".

About ML - This empty puppet of a character can be described as, "MC's puppy, " because that's what he is. He has no other personality other than just liking ML because he has to like ML. Hell, I can't even say much about him other than the fact that anytime someone touched MC, he would get jealous. Or everytime useless MC gets in trouble, ML has to save him.

The most boring part of this was having to read at a snail's pace because of the length of a chapter, and the fact that half the descriptions or thoughts of a characters in many chapters weren't needed. This story really went and had to expand maybe an extra 40 - 50 chapters of its length for really no reason other than to be long.

The plot is incredibly forgettable, which is why I'm not even talking about it. The fact that MC reincarnated isn't even all that important. Seeing the MC and ML together all the time is part of what killed it for me. They have no definable personalities so they just kinda exist to be together.

Maybe later I will write a more critical and objective review with a better analysis, but for now this is what I can only muster of thinking of after losing a couole of million of brain cells, having to read this god damn bible. <<less
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KaPi
KaPi rated it
January 30, 2020
Status: c55
Dannnggg! This is very much like [Scum Villain's Self Saving System], but at the same time, they also have their differences.

Only 20 chapters in and I'm already addicted to this! The MC and ML have some sort of bittersweet love-hate relationship, but it gets better as the story moves on. There are quite a few plot holes in the original story (aka the one MC transmigrated into) and many profound mysteries about our MC that have yet to be unwound.

I am really curious to know what happens next and I... more>> hope that this novel, which I feel as if it has great potential, will continue to keep us hooked with the amazing storyline and details it contains.

Of course, I love the fact that his was made into a BL because there are so many good novels out here that just stand on their own as romance, harem or just no romance novels.

Looking forward to see what is to become of this novel!

Edit: 50+ chapters in and every chapter literally gives me the chills! Every revelation of a new fact and the character's reactions to them sends shivers down my spine. I love the creative plot and how everything fits together like puzzle pieces. It may be a little confusing for those who haven't read too many transmigration and cultivation novels, but I guarantee that for those who have, this is gold. <<less
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ChaneShriel
ChaneShriel
October 23, 2021
Status: Completed
AAHHHH DEFINITELY WORTH THE READ.

I remember that I tried reading it before but because the first few chapters were very familiar, I dropped it thinking that I've already read it.

But then I stumbled upon it again and read the comments, I just realized that this is actually a different novel.

So happy that I gave this a chance! Definitely interesting and romantic. Though I would love to see more of the love story of the side characters.
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Kefliss
Kefliss rated it
August 6, 2021
Status: Completed
This was an interesting read. As many others have said there’s really no ignoring the similarities to SVSSS but rather than a full rip off, it’s more like someone read the summary of Scum Villain and then wrote a different story based on the same main points. Luckily, it diverges quite a bit in plot and tone as the Master isn’t stressfully obsessed with death but instead becomes invested in the world. He’s not like a gamer trying to trick the plot and get ‘the good ending’. Also, there is... more>> no system which completely changes the way he interacts with the world, it’s all his own choices.

There are quite a few ‘plot holes’ that turn out to be deliberate so don’t give up on this one partway through. My one complaint is that when all the questions and mysteries are answered it’s in a rather sideways fashion and still involves a bit of guess work on the reader’s part. For some reason, even though the characters react as if things have been clearly laid out it feels as if bits of the explanation have been left out or the scenes are incomplete and quite a few things aren’t outright stated. You can get an idea of the rough shape of events but a lot of the specifics are unspoken. It’s clear the author had a fully developed plan and didn’t write themselves into a corner with their mysteries but the answers are not expressed to the reader in the best way.

In that way it’s not as good as SVSSS because it’s not as clear and the character doesn’t really analyze events and motivations, just passively notes things are weird and doesn’t really do much about it until their supernatural ‘case’ solves itself, usually with a villain bragging and outing themselves. Unfortunately, while the smaller crime solving stuff is written clearly it’s the bigger plot stuff that is messily resolved.

Overall, it’s worth a read and has some great ideas that make it stand out but the execution seems a bit rough, like maybe it was a young author without the polished skills to get the story out of their head in a fully polished and coherent way. I’m still adding it to my ‘Reread Someday’ list. <<less
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XianYiXi
XianYiXi rated it
June 1, 2021
Status: Completed
Rating: 4.7

On surface it look like your usual MC transmigration into novel but this novel is more than that. The plot twist was just Wow.

I think the author is a big fan of MXTX since the story (at first) was a bit similar to SVSSS but later it got kinda bit similar to GDC and TGCF.

The overall plot is mainly unraveling the mystery that are directly or indirectly connected to MC & ML past or previous life. It was very nice and interesting though mid part the execution got kinda... more>> boring.

Love MC. He wasn't like your typical naive, s*upid, annoying kind of MC but more like chill and independent. Love how open-minded he was, leading to smooth development in their (MC & ML) relationship.

I truly love the relationship between MC and ML. It was steady and well established over time. They were caring and considerate and quite equal. The best thing is that there was no r*pe or forced situation. Though I am sad that despite having tagged yaoi there was no smexy scene..... my greedy soul.... ah.

The side CPs; The merman story was sad....... very sad.
Spoiler

Yes, I shipped him with the bad guy Yi....... I know he's over possessive guy who bind the Merman from his freedom but I seriously feel that merman could have developed a romantic feelings for him too...... it just that Yi Possessiveness took over his love for Merman, turning their story cruel and sad. Plus I am pretty sure the Yi guy might have regretted it since we know that the trap that bound or captured Merman wasn't there plus he also kinda tried to lead MC to the place merman was (I guess).... maybe inorder to free him..... or get a company ???

I know most people ship Merman with Ten but for me, Ten is like a child and though his relationship with merman was very pure, beautiful and emotional, in my eyes it was like parents and child relationship...... it just gave me that feel. They have a pure relationship that I don't want to destroy.

If there's a second chance I hope they won't end up like that again.

[collapse]
I am very much looking forward for the si fei and cheng guy story (there's gonna be another novel about them) and the extra story about Duan and Lian........ it was not satisfying. I wish there were more.

Thanks to the translator for translating this novel ❤️. <<less
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poyopoyo
poyopoyo rated it
May 6, 2021
Status: --
chef motherfking kiss. This one is a gem! Also, stop comparing it to MXTX works I will f*cking shoot you

MC is generally chill and cunning whilst ML is a sweet protective baby. There were misgivings of course since MC was a cruel master for reasons (it's a plot twist) but once they got over that, their relationship becomes pure as hell.

Usually in these kind of danmei, MC would bemoan his straightness and ML would force them to pre-papapa. Not this one though! MC is chill and when ML confessed, he... more>> actually think about it and requested some time because he wasn't sure and ML respected his decision!

They're also protective of each other so like that's adorable.

The plot is really good too. Mysteries and conflicts aren't dragged out, side characters are fleshed out and the arcs tug on your heartstring. I especially like the plot twists, they're unexpected but make sense and doesn't leave me with a ??????? Feeling.

The ending is sweet and simple.

I just love their dynamics so much. They're so married

I'm glad I read this novel. <<less
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tofunao
tofunao rated it
April 19, 2021
Status: Completed
I really loved it >_< It's a short and simple read - the plot is not too heavy or complicated, everything gets solved in the end, and there's a lot of fluff...I really wanted to see more of their cozy life ;w;

Of course, if you're not into one or more of the things I listed, then it's not fit for you. You won't find a complex story with twists and turns or heartwrenching angst; it's just soft and sweet. Of course, there's like... death and stuff... but most mysteries get... more>> solved within 5 chapters or so.

The CP! Very cute... the MC breaks character and gets kind of sloppy after a while LOL. They're both devoted to each otherrrr ahhhhhhh(;´д`) <<less
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Saphie
Saphie rated it
March 1, 2021
Status: Completed
It is nice. Overall story is good and amusing but rather boring at some point. The reason for his transmigration is also wow.

MC is calm and is open to Ml's feelings and accepts then rather easily which is good. No beating around the bushes or something.

ML is quiet and endures. I like his transition from 'i hate shizun' to 'i will protect shizun'. No r*pes no force no nothing. It's also the MC who takes the initiative because ML is conservative.

The plot is nice but the execution is kinda boring... more>> mid part <<less
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crownprince
crownprince rated it
January 8, 2021
Status: Completed
Short and OK read. Would be great if there is more development, some of the scenes felt too short, inadequate, and lacking, while some scenes felt too long.

If I read this before some other xianxia transmigration novel (e.g. SVSSS) it might be rated higher.

Tagged yaoi but no detailed papapa scenes :' (papapa scenes doesn't affect my rating, it's just a... it'll be great if there are more detailed papapa actions :>
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L0GIC
L0GIC rated it
November 24, 2020
Status: --
AHH ITS SO GREAT. ITS REALLY GOOD T T I only recently finished the novel and oh man I can't help but miss it a bit. The pacing was great, the character development was awesome and I love the side stories and some hehe stories of the other characters. It's just that (╬ಠ益ಠ) WHY WHY WHYYYYYY

THE ENDING IS SO DAMN BITTERSWEET. COME ON, STOP CENSORING THE GOOD PARTS!! GIVE US THE DAMN DETAILS AASDNKAOSJIFDOJAOKSLDJSLKAJD. SKSKSKSKKSKSS YOU WONT EVEN KNOW THEY WERE DOING IT UNTIL YOU SEE SOME OF THE DESCRIPTION... more>> OF SOME KINDA RAGGED BREATHING AND A PUSH AND PULL OR YOU HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF (ノಠ益ಠ) ノ彡┻━┻

EVEN THE SIDE STORY ABOUT DUAN YUAN-- OYYYY GIVE US THE DETAIL TOO! Seriously, I mined expecting diamonds but only came out empty handed and falling into a pit of lava T T What is this, a c*ckblock????

Seriously, ITS REALLY GOOD T T JUST AUTHOR-NIM, WHYYYYYY.. STOP TEASING US! THIS IS TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH FOR MY HEART AND SOUL T T

Overall, its great T T. Just watch out.. They give you so much expectations.. MGA PAASA!!!

(ノ╬ಠ益ಠ) ノ彡┻━┻

Anyways, I recommend it. It's great T T. <<less
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YukiSuou
YukiSuou rated it
November 11, 2020
Status: Completed
I think that the best part of this novel is that it lacks the usual unhealthy relationship. This novel is intriguing and interesting to read, you'll find yourself continue to read.

Love how the MC is accepting of the relationship without the usual panic regarding his "straightness".
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Dilandau
Dilandau rated it
September 6, 2020
Status: Completed
While I enjoyed the story as a casual read without much thought, it felt a bit soulless in its execution. The MC/ML have an entire lifetime of misunderstandings and harsh feelings to work through, but it’s all collectively swept under the rug with a convenient scapegoat plot point instead of being further explored and teased out with more intricate intrigue. I suppose it’s one thing to go down the checklist of your plots and subplots and make sure they’re closed off properly, but to do it at the expense of... more>> the story’s depth is somewhat heartless.

The events don’t have too much of a connecting string between them, and since my tastes tend towards plot progression that’s more like a domino effect knocking down more and more successive pieces until the bigger picture is revealed, this sort of episodic sectioning is quite boring to me. There is a bigger picture, sure, but it’s quite removed from the individual events that take place so I’m entirely unable to emotionally invest in most of the miscellaneous events that happen between BIG PLOT POINT A and B since they honestly feel quite unimportant despite how long they’re drawn out.

The MC is interesting and fun to read (when not mired in the methodical and mechanical process by which this author proceeds through equally factory-churned events) but the ML is hardly memorable and not just because he’s “taciturn” (which is code in this story for having the personality depth of an oil blotting sheet). I kept waiting for something more from the ML as I find the surface impression held a lot of potential for further nuances, but the author played it quite safe with the ML’s development and as a result I hardly remember him as a character and more of a role that exists solely to love the MC. The extras were quite promising in their exploration of the characters, but that’s something that should have been more present in the story proper and integrated into more scenes and events.

In short, it was fairly boring aside from the beginning interest and the second half or so when more of the underlying story is revealed, but since it’s technically smooth I can’t fault it so much. For what it is, I still enjoyed the story as a whole and it’s definitely something I wouldn’t mind chewing slowly through on the side while waiting for other pieces to update. <<less
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BillionJellyfish
BillionJellyfish rated it
July 12, 2020
Status: Completed
The beginning was relatively light with comedic undertones, but then I got bored at the later half.

I've read many cultivation novels, with many tropes/scenes being rinse and repeat. The romantic development of a disciple x master in this story isn't new. Maybe because the ML is too bland with the typical black belly, overbearing, and cold male lead vibe which I've read countless times before that I lost interest in this one.

Overall:

It's a good casual read, nothing especially new.
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rhianirory
rhianirory rated it
May 5, 2020
Status: Completed
the editors worked hard and it's not bad for a mtl translation, though the story itself had issues. I can see what the writer was trying to do but the plot is loose, the story is choppy, the time skips/ flashbacks were abrupt and often happen with no warning, and I don't understand ... more>>
Spoiler

why the modern world was brought into the story when he's from the cultivation world and always has been. Why is the modern world mentioned there at all when it has nothing to do with the actual story? It's not like the MC used his modern knowledge, at all, for anything other than referencing the book he read in order to stay alive. And even the mention of that little cheat just vanishes after a while so I think the author just forgot about it.

[collapse]

I also had a really hard time differentiating between when they were stuck in illusions and when they were exploring a secret realm or just adventuring. They do seem to get stuck in illusions a lot for a story that's only 70-plus chapters long. The MC is always needing the ML to rescue him but he gets better later in the story, though he still acts like he's twelve instead of his actual age. The descriptions of people and places are also really vague, other than the MC being beautiful and the ML being manly and handsome, we don't have any details and don't know what anyone looks like. There are fluff moments and it's nice to have a non-yandere partially blackened ml, which makes for a rare change to this type of ml. <<less
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Icycle
Icycle rated it
April 30, 2020
Status: Completed
Entertaining Xianxia Shonen Ai story. I can understand the comparison to other novels, but I think the MC helps to bring this book to life. It's got a couple plot twists and at less than 80 chapters, it's not overbearing.
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Staringatastar
Staringatastar rated it
April 22, 2020
Status: Completed
A really fun rebirth story that had a pretty interesting twist on why the rebirth happened. I quite liked the arc-style storytelling, though it was a bit sad that there were so many opportunities for expanding side-stories that weren't pursued. I could have read another 20 chapters of extras if they existed. There certainly was enough material to fill another 20 chapters at least. That's probably a testament to how nicely the world was developed.
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