This is a direct sequel to Swallowed Star (make sure you've read it first) that feels very much like a continuation of the story. The author IET kindly reminds readers about the setting/cultivation info/Luo Feng's goals. There's still a lot of detail/references that I can't remember since I read SS so many years ago. even though I tried to reread the last few chapters of SS to refresh my memory, but IET still does a good job making it clear exactly what Luo Feng's power level is relative to others... more>> and what contributes to it.

While the narrative flow feels refined and precisely paced in a way that reminds me of IET's later works as an experienced master of the cultivation genre, it still has a clear feeling of human drama with an ambitious and sociable protagonist who adventures on his own without a master's protection, making me nostaligic for IET's older style.

I wonder when this will be officially licensed. I'd almost like to hope WW could pick it up now that they're back to doing deals with Qidian... but it's a bit tricky with how this is seriously a *direct* continuation of SS, you shouldn't read it unless you've read SS first, and the original SS's translation perhaps isn't quite up to WW standards. In the meantime, Fenrir Translation is doing a decent enough job with it, and I'm thankful for their work.

Edit 11 months later - Webnovel picked this up. There may be issues with the translation... I glanced at the start of one chapter, and saw "rarely showed a trace of helplessness" instead of "showed a rare trace of helplessness" as well as mixed tenses and another odd word choice in just the first few sentences. Actually, nowadays, MTL has improved a lot thanks to AI MTL presumably trained on cultivation novels, and in some cases, fans' edited AI MTL may read better than this official translation. Not to advocate for that or anything, but I'm just saying that I'd hoped for better from the licensor. Hopefully IET's next novel will receive a better official TL By the way, the novel just finished on Qidian with around 450 chapters (probably tens more than that on Webnovel, based on their numbering system). <<less

Disappointed compared to Swallowed Star 1.

Here's the deal. When powers are high, the way authors describe powers, especially cultivation, becomes abstract with absence of show, don't tell.

MC ranks up, looks at his X skill, and say 'it was crude'. What was crude? We don't know. Zero satisfaction from cultivation aspect.

Action? Yeah, there are good ones but the details lose to Swallowed Star 1 due to how the powers were explainable back then during fights with some sense relating to Universe. Now, they're skipped with explanation of Higher Level. Also, when... more>> going to new places, space is more stable, another way of saying 'now I can't teleport and one punch the universe, the world, and barely smash a rock'.

I feel like it just repeats. Especially his new techniques, some of them being reimagination from the first novel.

Oh, I loved his previous ocean clone, but now instead he created something far less awesome. More functional, sure, but with his level he should be able to replicate those functions he had but they're completely forgotten. And he cultivates a Dao that would soo much makes sense for him to get back those abilities of that previous ocean clone.

Only reason to continue reading for me is to see this universe continue, meaning how the plot will connect at the end with Xue Ying.

...

Edit after completing:

At the end it completes the Luo Feng's story and also link it to Xue Ying. I am not completely satisfied. I expected it to continue this universe from Luo Feng's POV, but it seems we will need another story with a new protagonist to continue, but IDK if it would be worth it. <<less