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Once Upon A Time, There Was A Spirit Sword Mountain
Type
Web Novel (CN)
Genre
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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 339 votes)
5    57% (192 votes)
4    13% (45 votes)
3    9% (30 votes)
2    5% (18 votes)
1    16% (54 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
One entry per line
N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2013
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
884 Chapters (Complete)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 362.4 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #2000
Monthly Rank: #2000
All Time Rank: #799
Reading List
[Graph]
On 4935 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #10257
All Time Rank: #1553

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

The Spirit Blade Sect was founded in the year 4233. After thousands of years of producing first rate Xiuxian geniuses, it had become one of the five biggest sects in the Ten Thousand Celestial Alliance. The head elder, Immortal Feng Yin is one of the seven Executive Elders of the Ten Thousand Celestial Alliance, with a cultivation that can shake the whole world. The Spirit Blade Sect is dedicated to peaceful development, and holds the core values of Truthfulness, Kindness and Loyalty. In order to expand the sect and bring in new blood, all heroes and geniuses have been welcomed to attend the Celestial Gathering.

Along with the descent of the Comet, a genius appeared in the Nine Continents. Wang Lu, who reincarnated from our modern world, enters the Spirit Blade Sect and embarks on the path of a hilarious peak-level expert.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Cong Qian You Zuo Ling Jian Shan
Once upon a time in Lingjian Moutain
Reikenzan: Hoshikuzu-tachi no Utage
Spirit Blade Mountain
SSM
从前有座灵剑山
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Battle Frenzy (1)
Library of Heaven’s Path (1)
Absolute Choice (1)
The Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich (1)
World of Cultivation (1)
Cheeky Sword God (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novel Supremacy - LONG LIVE THE NOVELS! (Part 1)
  2. Purple! My Top Chinese novels (Xianxia, Xuanhuan, ...
  3. Fantastic
  4. Crack Treated Seriously (on NU)
  5. Novels that I have read

Latest Release

Date Group Release
04/14/17 Webnovel c50
04/12/17 Webnovel c49
04/11/17 Webnovel c48
04/10/17 Webnovel c47
04/09/17 Webnovel c46
04/08/17 Webnovel c45
04/07/17 Webnovel c44
04/05/17 Webnovel c43
04/03/17 Webnovel c42
04/02/17 Webnovel c41
04/01/17 Webnovel c40
03/31/17 Webnovel c39
03/29/17 Webnovel c38
03/27/17 Webnovel c37
03/25/17 Webnovel c36
1234
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33 Reviews sorted by


cyndor
cyndor rated it
April 7, 2016
Status: --
Sigh... I didn’t really want to drop this but I had to. I don’t know if the author thought a turtle MC would be a way to keep this story from being like the rest, but I personally want no part in it.

... more>>
Spoiler

The way I see it Wang Lu had no reason to take that pledge and make himself a walking fortress who can’t attack. It was a s*upid school competition that they had already won and he really wouldn’t be affected if he lost to his female apprentice. Sooooooo yeah after that he is basically a turtle, worse even. Turtles can bite you if you piss them off, but Wang Lu basically can’t do shit. He has some kamikaze technique he can use and that’s it.

Wang Lu could easily have become the fastest (strongest?) practitioner in the novel, but now he’s going to be the most indestructible turtle the multiverse has ever seen. All because of a s*upid inter-school competition with no life and death stakes.

[collapse]

The reason I’m disappointed isn’t just because I don’t like the way the MC is being developed, but because of the reason that he was forced to take this road. I would honestly be less annoyed if the author just wrote ‘tough, deal with it’ instead of that ret*rded story line.

I liked the story before that point, and I’m sure the author can still write a half decent story even after that, but this is where I jump ship. <<less
82 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Zyst
Zyst rated it
April 25, 2017
Status: c58
This story defies the heavens with its humor. I seriously have laughed in real life more times than I can count while reading this.

A very lighthearted cultivation story, with a shameless MC, a shameless master, a righteous sect that is actually righteous. It's all awesome, I cannot recommend this enough to those who like humorous stories.
44 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ninthlite
ninthlite rated it
April 1, 2016
Status: c153
The main character is transmigrated from another world. He is utterly confident in his genius and skill due to him believing he is the main character. He succeeds a 100% of the time, and in my opinon it would be more interesting if he failed more. The comedy in this series is a bit of a parody of wuxias, as he repeats observations about the tropes in wuxia web novels that nobody else understands.

Edit:

The author manages to try a lot of original ideas such as food eating battles, which make... more>> the novel a slightly more refreshing read. However so far the novel has not really managed to create any tension, the story has been more like a long series of gags. Which does not mean the story has not been serious, its just the main character has never really struggled for anything, and the about every conflict has jokes thrown into it. If the author actually creates some tension in the story, then this could be one pretty good novel, however until then its just going to remain a 8/10 for me.

However the author manages to create some interesting side characters than have more than one dimension which is a rarity for xianxia/wuxia novels, so I applaud the author for that. I think a lot of readers come into this novel expecting BTTH or MGA, which this novel obviously is not. So the rating is honestly lower than I think this novel deserves, at 3.8/5 stars its criminal. I think the novel deserves something around 4.5/5 stars if you consider how inflated the ratings are on this website. (Lol that BTTH has higher ratings that this) This novel is closer to gintama than a traditional cliche xianxia.

<<less
29 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Archerreborn2
Archerreborn2 rated it
November 29, 2017
Status: c250
I have no idea how the rating for this novel can be so low. Honestly this is probably one of the best Xianxia novels currently being translated.

Especially for people who have read a lot of Xianxia novels, this story is like a breath of fresh air. It has a unique protagonist in that the main character relies on his allies to help him fight since his fighting style primarily focuses on defense. Because of this, the side characters aren't relegated to being just an audience for how cool MC is.... more>> Additionally, the cultivation progression is pretty reasonable so there isn't a high character turnover rate (at least as of right now) so the top genius generally grow alongside the main character as the story progresses.

Additionally unlike most Xianxia novels rather than straight up fights of cultivation vs cultivation, many of the fights and challenges in the story rely more on the protagonists intellect and craftiness than straight up strength. There also aren't any instances of cannon fodder arrogant young masters either, the MC's opponents rarely underestimate the MC and usually are pretty smart and pragmatic themselves.

All in all, a great story for people who like Xianxia but want something new. The MC is pretty shameless though, and as other reviews stated he is very defense focused so don't expect him to be slaughtering hordes of enemies or anything so your mileage may vary depending on that.

One thing to note though is that unlike most Xianxia, there isn't any strong pressure or calamity that continuously pushes the MC to develop so the pace and tension within the story is a lot more relaxed. Although that's not to say there are no stakes, just that instead of failure meaning death, it just means a setback. <<less
17 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Szini50
Szini50 rated it
September 3, 2017
Status: --
This could be the best novel in this genre I have ever read. The story is good (and originell thats rare) , funny (thats rare too) and action. I like the MC. I would prefer more romance but its fine. The biggest issue is... The MC's power, in this kind of novel I expect a very powerfull MC with many diffrent skills but those are the most boring and sh*t skills I have ever seen. Thats a big issue in a xianxia novel. Because a xianxian novel is all about... more>> the MC having many different interesting skills. But this time he is only a turtle. A big disappointment it could be a 5/5 (with legendary status) but its a 2/5 for me. <<less
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Reindeer
Reindeer rated it
March 9, 2017
Status: c8
I've checked out the manhua and the anime, and I think the novel is much better I guess. Especially the MC. I don't know if this is because my image of MCs in novels are perfected therefore different from it's manhua counterparts, but I just think that the MC on the manhua and the anime is very annoying to look at. Well, we're still at c8, but from what I've seen, I think my perfected MC in the novel will hopefully not be as annoying. At least I won't see... more>> the bastard smug on his face. *Cough*

Well anyway, about the novel, I guess all I can say for now is that it's really funny. The dialogues, which were heavily changed on the manhua and anime, just makes you slap your face so hard. I'm not too sure yet, but I think the MC compares the world to more like of that of a game I guess? At least the entrance exam thing part.

Well anyway, things look very promising, I will be following the story from now on.

I guess that's all, peace out <<less
15 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
MangoGuy
MangoGuy rated it
January 2, 2018
Status: c205
I can understand why this one gets low ratings from others. Me? 4/5 FOR SURE.

Firstly, this is not your run of the mill cultivation novel where the focus is on the cultivation or the world building or what not... For once, we are talking about the way immortality and mortal life can be connected.

The comedy in this one is good, to the extent where it comes under the comedy genre and not the comedy tag. SO, that is a major plus. But, this also means that for a lot of... more>> time, seemingly filler chapters of comedy sprout out. This could be one reason why people don't gave it positive ratings: They didn't start reading it for what it was, but were expecting something else.

After reading all that stuff, this felt really really fresh to me.

This is a story that actually gives a lot more importance to non cultivation stuff, at least till c202. Yes, the plot is slowly progressing where his cultivation is increasing. But still, the focus is more on the adventures and the scenarios, and not the very cultivation itself. This gives us a wonderful new perspective on the cultivator life without resorting to a modern setting. I mean, the MC actually likens a sect to a business company and he gets into sect building and stuff, giving us an insight about the way immortality works in the perspective of both mortals and immortals.

The plot armor in this series is rather thick, and self evident. AS I read this series with a mindset of just light reading, that is not a problem for me. However, if someone is looking for absolutely logic driven driven cultivation novels where the plot armor is well hidden, this is not for you.

My main issue with this series is also its biggest positive, the protagonist. The personality of the protagonist is excellent and what not.. it is unique, and his goofyness gives this series a good feel. BUT, the backstory is not clear. No, this is not a mysterious family type thingy. With his references to adventuring (repeatedly, I dare say), you think that the author mentioned he is reincarnated or what not but... zip. Based on the number of times this has been referenced and the clarity given by the author, this is one major plot hole that is rather conveniently left alone. Was he a modern being? Or is this adventuring stuff of his just a coincidence? Why do some other characters get his references? No, there is no bigger underlying mystery... the author just hoped that the readers won't bother to think about it.

Overall, this is a good fun read that is not to be taken seriously. So far, there is little to no romance, and I actually hope to see some romance, though I am scared of what would happen if the romance is not handled properly.

This is Mango approved, especially if you are a travelling person and you need a series to download and read during the long boring hours.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, but there is actually kinda like a decent counterbalance to the blatant plot armor: The MC can NEVER attack someone (After a point in the story). he can only defend. This leads to some really good mind games and overall, a better cultivation novel. I mean, this means that he can only ever be a badass with a team, and that makes it a lot more exciting. <<less
12 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
phreakinsane
phreakinsane rated it
February 6, 2020
Status: --
I really wanted to enjoy this. I started out loving it. The humor was great, the story started interesting too. The shameless teacher was funny at first, the MC started acting more and more like his useless teacher and eventually became what I would call evil and I lost all interest in him.

Having lost all desire to see him continue acts of evil, (not only sparing the lives but also empowering rapists) I started fast forwarding through the series, confirming different facts, and reaching the end I am... more>> completely disgusted with this series. After my disappointment, I found out some things I think are with mentioning for anyone else who shares similar values:

Spoiler

He ultimately remarries his lover from his former life, but she is a loose woman. Although she allegedly still loves him but has banged atleast the black guy and multiple others are implied. Not only is she a cheating whore, but they actually get married at the end of the series! I am absolutely disgusted by this. What a useless cheating whore. Dead or not. This is a value I have I know this immoral world we live in would think otherwise.

In my opinion, someone who sleeps around does not deserve to be the main love interest in any decent story! That's NOT true love nor true romance.

[collapse]

Combine this with the way the author further ruins the MC after ruining his personality then imposes the defense only rule that other reviews mention. This story is simply tr*sh I wasted time on. Not worth reading at all. 0 stars. <<less
10 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Issthlover
Issthlover rated it
September 3, 2018
Status: c540
This book truly has the most unique set a situations that I have come across. At this point I can say that I have read nearly all types of wuxias- simply awesome like issth, politically brilliant like grandmaster strategist, beautifully detailed like ztg, complicated would building dd or WOC, simple face smacking like Ira's, dark as hell like dungeon defence or ti and even books which are a waste of time like that sh*t book without 9 animals inside that sh*t guy (I don't write it's name here to share... more>> u the trouble). So all in all Street reading all of it, I still maintain, this book has the most unique situations studying with mostly innovative solutions. Give it a try. <<less
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Citizen27
Citizen27 rated it
December 19, 2018
Status: c573
I.... What... How..

I originally thought this story was just some sub par cultivation with a witty MC type of story, thought it was one of those circle jerking type of stories with a greedy MC.

But this, this... not even the comedy's the best part, and honestly I must say - please read until the western regions arc. ... more>>
Spoiler

From there it's a ridiculous wild ride into possibly one of the best plot convergences period, ohhh boy when the journey to the past begins the timeline becomes inexplicably epic... and the golden generation arc, damn, I thought it would've been impossible for the author to top the quality of this arc, then he went and created a story on par with I shall seal the heavens!!! Ouyang sheng, most badass big brother of all time.

[collapse]

And for one, let me tell you this; every story has their own plot device or armor that makes an MC BE an MC, be it their wits, godly determination, being a genius, a cheat or their background. But this one truly makes you feel despair at times, and it really converges on the edge of impossible odds - a freaking golden core versus a true immortal done right, not surviving through plot armor but collaboration and wit.

At one point, nearly nobody has any plot armor whatsoever as people start dying left and right - and the way it makes your heart palpitate within those odds are incredible.

For those patient readers, this story doesn't take long to become exciting - and it will only get better. The low rating possibly comes from how the MC isn't all that op relative to his world, after all the cultivation here is impossibly strict.
Spoiler

it's instead his master who pretty much is an MC and has plot armor as thick as bones

[collapse]
, but believe me - this is a late awakening type of MC who in my opinion has feats far surpassing what d*ck for brains like in ATG and MGA can do, and without any overuse of plot armor, but through effort.

Again, has the best past arc of all the books i've read, and believe me, i've spent over 80% of my life drowned in literature. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
goglusifer
goglusifer rated it
January 9, 2018
Status: c287
I Love this novel. I love to read different type of novel stories from different views and this one is a unique one... Comedy, arrogant character and everything else is fun to read.

I am bored with similar stories of cultivation>>Love>> weak-to -Strong... oh well!!!...

This one is unlike any other, it comes with a package of shameless and extremely intelligent pair of master and disciple, and their crooked way of doing things. Its funny which is bend with the true site of human nature and society..

Any way, I don't have time... more>> to write a review or the other points of the story right now... so I will come to the point of my comment here.

Hi translator team, If possible, could you please keep the release on time... I am really looking for new chapter as soon as possible... Hope I can read it full..

Any way, thanks Translator Team, for your effort and thanks to give us a chance to read the novel. Best of luck..

Regards,

One bookworm and sucker of good story. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Four-kung
Four-kung rated it
February 22, 2018
Status: --
I like this novel. MC is not an extreme cheater. I hate Chinese novels such as WDQK, king of God, God of slaughter, warlock of the magus-world, God and Devil World, etc.

In this novel, Treasures does not drop from the sky in the hand of MC. Also, MC does not has a item or spirits with him that can explain anything and everything. He builds and receive items from his effort or via his connections. It is much better than WDK King of God, etc.

This novel makes more sense. MC... more>> grows up by himself. He may have some support but not too much. He puts effort to his cultivation. Some chicnese novel such as Battle through the heaven, world of cultivation, WDQK, wizard world, warlock of the magus-world, etc. They have a spirit or god like AI to help. These Chinese novels are BS and nonsense.

Friends have strong connection to MC and not easily discard. Some may not be mentioned but it is in natural way. MC grows and have some missions. So his friends are not mentioned at the time. I like this aspect. I hate novels such as warlock of the magus-world and God and Devil World. They discard all friends, family and even enemies because authors have no idea to create more plots. Spirit blade mountain is better in this aspect.

MC also does not too op. I hate non-sense killing like PMG. Someone hate you = kill, insult you= kill, Someone need your treasures = kill/steal, Someone kill your friends or relatives = kill a whole sect clan, or family for revenge. This no -sense killing story is BS.

Oh and MC does not have extreme selfish and stingy personalities in the same way as MC in Korean novel. This is good. In the end, I recommend you to read this novel. There may be good and bad plots in the story but overall is ok. <<less
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
SayMrrp
SayMrrp rated it
June 29, 2017
Status: --
The MC is a troll~~~

... more>>
Spoiler

Not really a spoiler, but he's clearly a dude that got transported over from "our" world. A hardcore gamer/adventurer who plans out everything almost perfectly. His one fail so far was hilarious though.

[collapse]

He's confident and has the brains to be so. He's the type that helps his people become epic. So far, Wang Lu isn't OP, he's just strong in a different way. Lots of strategic planning and trickery.

His interaction with his Master is hilarious. They're not Master and Disciple in the traditional way.

The important characters are not flat. They're interesting and different.

The sect elders are funny~~~

EDIT (Chapter 254)

It's interesting how the MC's fights. This story is still one of the most unusual stories I've read (in a good way). The side characters have gotten more interesting! Comedy is still golden, even though there are a lot of pe*verted/s*xual jokes. I don't see any r*pe (yet), so it might just be the jokes. Even though the story is pretty light-hearted and funny, the plot can be serious too. I'm seriously hooked and waiting for the next chapter...
Spoiler

The MC isn't really a front-line attacker, more like a meat shield that attacks in a special way. More importantly, he's an adventurer and his schemes and strategies are more OP than his defense.

[collapse]

The MC is a strategist. That's his thing. <<less
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
SinsI
SinsI rated it
June 2, 2017
Status: c83
This is a kind of sitcom: Xianxia edition.

While it does suffer from the usual "power up/training" syndrome of the Xianxia genre, it has plenty of inter-personal relationship added into the mix.

MC is a big troll transmigrated into the world of immortals, and he manages to end up with an even bigger troll as his teacher.
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
DLSloth
DLSloth rated it
November 11, 2018
Status: c607
This novel is a hidden gem, looking at it's ratings. If you want a good laugh and a light hearted novel, then this is for you. This novel manages to achieve something the others don't. The plots being connected is but one of the great things in this novel. The foreshadowing is also done very good, it's like:"whoa! So this is how it is" it's near er gen's amzing foreshadowing skill. And also this is one of the few MC who really fights with their brain than their sword. It's... more>> hilarious how his schemes are more OP than his sword.

And yes, he's an unusual type of defensive battle style, cause his style was to reflect every attack of his opponent.

But honestly, im not good at reviewing so just start reading it to know more. It will not disappoint you. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
DaDeDiDoDu
DaDeDiDoDu rated it
July 27, 2018
Status: c401
It is in the nature of humans to learn from our mistakes, and Chinese Xianxia authors are no different.

From the thousands of webnovels that we have seen these past few years, a few good ones have popped up and the great majority turned out to be subpar due to a lot of reasons. Because of that, quite a number of Xianxia novels that criticizes (in a way) those crappy novels naturally appeared as a reaction by diverging from the said crappy tropes.

And here enters Once Upon A Time There Was Time, There Was A Spirit Sword Mountain. Simply put, it is a great novel because the author is aware of the many problems that we usually see in a Xianxia novel. At the same time, as other commenters have stated,... more>> it is quite dry and lacking something new. After all, we seek original enjoyment from these novels and not just a parody of the genre. Of course, that not to say the novel is pure parody, but the fantasy part doesn't really come off strong for me.

So my main point is that aside from avoiding the common pitfalls that concerns the genre, Spirit Sword Mountain lacks the "something" that will make you remember it from the hundreds of Xianxia novels you have read several years later from now. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Mori Ackerman
Mori Ackerman rated it
February 12, 2021
Status: c800
For all those saying that MC is a turtle and his master is a sl*t..... read the f**king novel... it's all resolved later on..... ... more>>
Spoiler

The MC gets rid of the demon heart oath and has one of the most powerful attack power in his stage among his peers...

His master only fools around and actually has no experience (though it seems she knows how to please women.... she basically has doesn't fool around with men) and she MC's past lover

[collapse]

This novel is by far one of the best novels I have read so far. It's humor level is godly and even during serious fight the MC's Cunningness is making experts far above him dance on the palm of his hands.

I'd like keep on praising it but I know people don't like long reviews so I'll make it short.... JUST READ THIS NOVEL.

If you dislike MC's turtle nature... just wait a little and he gets good attack abilities later on so you can enjoy it very much

But just a little side thought...
Spoiler

It can be just me but I feel a lot of Fate series ideas in this novel like.....

Aya's background story is like saber

Wang Lu's original magical ability is like Unlimited Bladeworks

And the Blood Crown arc is fully like the war for Holy Grail... Though I enjoyed it all a lot... lots of twist :)

[collapse]
<<less
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drollawake
drollawake rated it
March 5, 2018
Status: c337
What happens if you dump an expert completionist gamer in the Xianxia world?

As a parody, part of the humour comes from the MC being meta/genre-savvy and wantonly tossing out period/universe-inappropriate terms that no one else understands. Another part comes from the plethora--yes, overabundance--of s*xual analogies and metaphors (including r*pe jokes) that the MC uses. If you thought The Strongest System was offensive, then you'll probably faint from reading this.

Each arc tends to be pretty self-contained but that doesn't make them less interesting due to the MC's musings on how the... more>> world works. There isn't much of an overarching big mystery driving the entire novel apart from the MC's chosen status, and we don't even get enough clues on that for it to be interesting. After the initial sect recruitment arc, there is a lot of world-building on the relationship between mortals and immortals in the Wisdom Sect arc. As a binge-reader, the Beast Master Sect arc and the first half of the sword tomb arc seemed to drag a bit.

I found the writing to not "flow" as well as The Strongest System. It's hard to put words to it but it reminds me of the rambling and disjointed feel of the Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich. Maybe it's the constant interjections, but sometimes it feels like filler. Another contributor is the quality of translation/editing, which seemed to fall close to chapter 200 as I was binge-reading. This coincided with the arcs I felt were more draggy.

Character-wise, although we have the usual bevy of beauties following the MC, it is not a generic harem novel. They are involved in the plot and their screentime isn't focused on romance/baiting or MC-praising. <<less
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Marca
Marca
February 17, 2016
Status: --
Fun, through the elders of the sect are annoying. The MC is confident and funny. For those that dont want to read there is an anime.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Niurem
Niurem rated it
March 22, 2022
Status: prologue
This was the novel that got me started all this novel shit. I remember very well, I was at my cousins house and could hardly hang out with him and instead just sat on his bed reading this while he played god of war on ps. We're childhood friends so he wasn't mad but I really couldn't play with him because this book was that good. Love the MC, premise, twist and especially the humor. Its been a really long time since I've read this (4 years or smthng)... more>> but I really did love the humor and the story had all the positives of a Chinese novel without the boring predictable tropes. Recommend it to everyone and I hope you like it as much as I did. <<less
3 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
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