The Founder of Diabolism

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As the grandmaster of demonic cultivation, Wei Wuxian roamed the world, hated by millions for committing acts of necromancy. Overthrown by the powerful clans he had attempted to subjugate, Wei Wuxian is supposedly killed by his shidi in order to save the cultivation world.

Restored to life in the body of Mo Xuanyu, the local cut-sleeve lunatic, in order to exact revenge on his abusive relatives, Wei Wuxian quickly finds himself spiralling back into his old life when he’s taken away by the cold-hearted, stern, and ultimately quite boring Lan Wangji – who might be harbouring warmer feelings than contempt. Perhaps of the…romantic kind?

But despite his new beginning, Wei Wuxian begins to unravel a decade and a half long mystery that is set to undo the very fabric of the cultivation world as they know it.

A mysterious, action-packed thriller of a ride, this is a journey you won’t want to miss!

Associated Names
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Related Series
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Recommendations
Heaven Official’s Blessing (27)
The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (25)
The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love (13)
Every Day the Protagonist Wants to Capture Me (10)
The Legendary Master’s Wife (9)
Pulling Together a Villain Reformation Strategy (9)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Highly Recommended Danmeis (Best Reads!)
  2. BL + GL
  3. Read it
  4. Plan to read
  5. "Vamos partilhar a vida boa juntos"

Latest Release

Date Group Release
02/06/24 Glows Flower Love c6
02/06/24 Glows Flower Love c5
02/06/24 Glows Flower Love c4
02/04/24 Glows Flower Love c3
02/02/24 Glows Flower Love c2
02/02/24 Glows Flower Love c1
05/23/17 enxiao c11
05/13/17 enxiao c10
04/26/17 enxiao c9
03/26/17 enxiao c8
02/28/17 enxiao c7
02/04/17 enxiao c6
01/23/17 enxiao c5
01/15/17 enxiao c4
01/08/17 enxiao c3
Write a Review
540 Reviews sorted by


hy-d-ra
hy-d-ra rated it
January 21, 2020
Status: Completed
FOREVER NUMBER ONE.

I came to appreciate one thing - the story can be the moving force in a BL novel and romance can be a part of it, yet not take main stage. In BL there can be stories that will send a message. I've read/seen/listened to all adaptations. Surprisingly, each adaptation is like a part of a whole, yet can be treated as a separate piece that complements the story.

MXTX brilliantly weaved the elements of xianxia, detective, horror, drama and romance together. Comes forth her main trick, simingly unrelated... more>> events slowly, but surely, lead to an avalanche finale. Recognizable by now love to show past and present. And let's not forget, boi MXTX loves ghost/gory parts :) Her imaginative style helps you dive headfirst into incredible world of cultivation, but also the story doesn't leave you indifferent:

  • Narrow path with just heart. This is most dear to me. The story heavily stresses on how hard is the struggle of one person against everyone can be, but WWX consciously chooses this path, because he chooses to be truthful with himself and his choices. And he bears the consequences.
  • Our past defines our future. WWX lived two lives. His past is an inseparable part of what he is. He lived through struggling with his past and he lived through accepting it. Acceptance is one of the moving things that truely touched me.
  • Let me walk this path with you. The romance that exists in this story, I have no idea how you can not like it. The relationship between LWJ and WWX is one of the dearest to my heart. What I came to appreciate is the fact that it's not simple. They never started with love at first sight, they held mutual attraction and respect for each other, there also was a clash of principles that couldn't be avoided, there was also pressure from outside. In the end it was too late. No one from them is perfect, they made many mistakes they regretted, but the secon chance they were given they didn't want to mess up, thus next path they decided to take, no matter how narrow, they walked it together.
  • No one is perfect. I think the greatness of characterisation in MXTX novels is that she is able to bring good and bad sides of a character. Even if it's a main character, he's not without faults. Even if it's a villain, he's not without reason. They can be repuslive, yet you're able to understand their motivation. And in reverse, good characters can take actions you do not agree with.
All in all, MDZS is a wild ride, rolling from past to present, from war to peace, from drama to happiness. I came to love it for its' depth and creativity. I've read it few times (only now decided to post review heh) and I think not the last time. And I will always be impatient for all her new works. <<less
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Catladycult
Catladycult rated it
November 12, 2021
Status: --
As a lot of people, this was my introduction to wonderful danmei. I watched the drama first, and was captivated by the story. It had been a while since I watched a good drama. So I came in to read the book. I enjoyed it a lot, squealed with the cute scenes and especially with drunk lwj.

Then I got to the point where ... more>>
Spoiler

MC gets harassed in the forest and gets his first kiss stolen

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And ok, it made me uncomfortable but I moved past it. I forgot about it forcefully to enjoy the rest of the story. But it quickly became apparent that "restraint" is a recurring theme in this story, and I get it,
Spoiler

lwj had the hots for wwx his whole life, but come on, he was fantasizing about raping of all things...

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That restraint theme could have been done better, without so much reliance on smut.

All in all, I enjoyed it, but now that I've had time to process it after being exposed to other works in the same genre, I can say that it's pretty average. It's got a solid plot going on, an ok romance with an exceptional confession scene. The smut I could have done without.

The relationship, as mxtx loves to write, is unbalanced and perhaps not healthy.

Out of the characters, I love wei wuxian. It's lwj I mostly have issues with. He isn't developed enough. <<less
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anotherworld20
anotherworld20 rated it
December 18, 2020
Status: Completed
I will be honest in here....
This is my FIRST BL novel, I finished it back in April 2020 (of course because that untamed)

Back then I was so PURE....I am searching on google " Why girl like Boylove ? " because I don't understand WHY ?

and fast forward to today...I proudly say that I only read BL novel....

About the story.... this is my first... what can I said ? first time is always special
This made me fall in love with reading novels... I never stop since then...
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Bibliofille
Bibliofille rated it
April 7, 2018
Status: Completed
Initially I did enjoy it, even through the confusing bits and the 2-4 names PER CHARACTER (seriously, courtesy names are such a pain)...I did manage to get through it. But the more I read the less interesting it became. The story itself had potential, but it was too short to be an epic and too roundabout to be a clean short. Thus it ended up settling somewhere in the middle of mediocrity. Honestly, all these 5-star ratings are far too generous.

Overall I thought the two main characters and their relationship... more>> was charming. Even the protagonist himself has a lot of personality and interest. I also think the detective-mystery elements for a Danmei novel is quite unusual and refreshing (albeit the mystery itself is very basic and forthtelling). But the storytelling lacks focus and objective, and the writing super clunky. It just goes wherever it wants without much forethought, flow or cohesion...

I'm kind of amazed that the series got both an anime and a manga. Of all the good novels in the sea, this one got an odd amount of attention. From start to end there were too many superfluous characters and detail. It was written with the skills of a grade-schooler... If you enjoyed it, fine. But... seriously, there's a lot better out there. <<less
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cutekittensmeow
cutekittensmeow rated it
July 1, 2022
Status: c32
Maybe I'm too s*upid for this novel but I found it to be a struggle. There's too much going on but nothing is actually happening so I can't stay engaged enough to figure out who everyone is and what timeline they are in.

There's too many characters with too much backstory. Why do I need to read a five paragraph family history about some dead guy who'll never be brought up again? I don't need to know what this dead man's mother's first counsin's dog's favorite toy creator's daughter said 100... more>> years before he did something interesting. It's not world building, it's rambling.

Most of the story is flash blacks. At chapter 32 I'd estimate 2/3 of what I've read has been about the MC's previous life. Why not just start the story in the previous life instead of constantly switching back and forth with no rhyme or reason? Even though we keep getting flashbacks there's no clear narrative or timeline for what happened in the past, it's just all fragmented pieces revealed at random while the characters cryptically discuss things that haven't been revealed to the audience yet.

I don't even know what's important or not because I can't keep the timelines straight, much less the characters. Especially the characters because they are all related to each other and have very similar (and multiple) names, titles, and descriptions but also go through major changes throughout time.

I also don't know what the point of the story is after 32 chapters. Is there an antagonist at all? Is there any conflict? Is this a Xianxia slice of life where a couple travel around not being challenged by anything? What even is this novel?

I don't like the writing and I'm confused about why this novel is so popular. Does it get better after 50 chapters? After 100? Where is the interesting story the other reviewers promised? <<less
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karwasama
karwasama rated it
August 20, 2019
Status: c126
In reading this, I hope y'all realize that whatever I have to say will never give justice to just how good this novel is. This was absolutely phenomenal, a story that will never compare to any other, and it has everything you would ever want in a book (romance, evil ghosts, sword fighting, magic - the list goes on and on).

Let me break it down for you before I gush on for another 3000 words about how much I loved Mo Dao Zu Shi.

Plot Summary: Wei Wuxian, the son of... more>> servant who gets adopted by the leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, learns cultivation alongside his shidi, Jiang Cheng, and becomes renown for his genius/talent. The two are sent to the Gusu Lan Sect to further their studies and that is where they meet Lan Wangji, the male lead. Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji bicker throughout their youth until the oncoming battle against the oppressive Wen Sect arises, in the midst of which Wei Wuxian begins to cultivate the demonic path. As a result, the Four Sects turn on him and kill him, only for him to come back to life thirteen years later in the body of Mo Xuanyu. By coincidence Wei Wuxian meets Lan Wangji again, and the rest of the novel depicts their story as they try to solve the mystery of a disemboweled corpse but end up discovering something much more sinister.

What I liked about the novel:

Plot. My god was the plot amazing.

I think with BL a lot of novels suffer from pushing the more 'fan-service' aspects over the actual story-line. Needless to say, Mo Do Zu Shi did not suffer from this at all. Everything was planned out perfectly, with every single detail being relevant and leading to something else. For example, the twist at the very end was shocking, but when I went back to reread this novel, I realized all the clues were already there.
Spoiler

I kind of felt s*upid at the end for not realizing that Nie Huaisang was the mastermind behind it all. I mean, it was his brother that was mu*dered and no matter how incompetent and kind he may be, who wouldn't want revenge? Also, the thing with the dead cat and acting like he didn't know Mo Xuanyu even though he should have and so on was clearly there in the novel; I feel like I could have connected the dots on my own. Regardless, it kind of gave me shivers how the author planned for this so well.

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There was literally a connection for everything that happened. At one point, Wei Wuxian becomes 'arrogant' and stops carrying his sword around after cultivating the demonic path, but when the reveal to why he does that happens it will literally make you go 'oh my god! So that's why this happened...' and then you'll figure out his motives for his other actions as well.

All in all, this novel had like no filler moments that didn't have any significant meaning, and I never got bored once while reading the entire thing. If that doesn't meet the plot was phenomenal, I don't know what will.

The. Character. Development.

Mo Dao Zu Shi made me empathize with everyone, no matter how heinous their crime was. I hated some of the antagonists, loathed them from the bottom of my heart, but at the very least I understood why they felt like they had to do what they had to do, and often that dislike was tinged with pity. It wasn't because 'oh boohoo the villain had a sad childhood' either - it was because each of the villains were human, and they were unfortunate enough to be thrust into circumstances where their humanity would be tested and broken. Xue Yang, for example. Oh my god, where do I even start with this little gremlin.
Spoiler

Although he did have a somewhat tragic childhood and this did contribute to him become what he did, it was his time with Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing that really got me emotional. He is undeniably a horrible character who mu*dered hundreds at a mere grievance, and him forcing Xiao Xingchen to kill the villagers is absolutely unforgivable. But I think, despite his aggressive intentions at first, Xue Yang really did come to value his experience with the two. Above all, he seemed like someone who was intensely lonely and used evil to fill that hole inside him, and being with Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing did that better than any killing could ever do. However, I think he realized it was probably too late to have a change in heart and that's why he continued doing what he did - it was just in the end he still couldn't let Xiao Xingchen leave him. The black candy in his fist made me cry. : (

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Jin Ling's words kind of sum it up perfectly: "He didn't know why, but he felt like he couldn't hate or blame anyone. [name of a person], [name of a person], [name of a person]—every one of them should be responsible to some extent for the deaths of his parents, every one of them gave him a reason to loathe them with all he had. But it also seemed like every one of them gave him a reason that made him unable to do so."

Of course, Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng's character development was good as well. It's just that most novels don't bother with it for side characters, but the way the author for Mo Dao Zu Shi managed to develop everyone equally and still retain the audience's interest impresses me a lot.

The romance was healthy, adorable, and honestly, relationship goals.

What can I say? Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are perfect together. As a ML, Lan Wangji isn't overly forceful to Wei Wuxian and is super considerate to his wants and needs. You will literally never find a more devoted lover - he pined after him for thirteen years, playing Inquiry (asking spirits about Wei Wuxian's whereabouts) and hoping for Wei Wuxian to come back. Lan Wangji also doesn't hesitate to put himself in harms way to save him, and sacrifices so so so much to lessen his burden.

Wei Wuxian is really oblivious to all Lan Wangji's feelings at first. In fact, I think he was oblivious to his own feelings as well, since he would always call Lan Wangji 'handsome' and tease him for attention as a teenager. It's only in the later parts of the novel that he actually understands what his emotions mean, but nevertheless throughout the novel he returns Lan Wangji's devotion fully.

And that confession scene.... you guys will have to read for yourself how that played out... but I have only two words: freaking hilarious.

What I didn't like:

Nothing. There is not a single thing in the novel that I did not love.

Mo Dao Zu Shi is the first of many for me, and it is also the first novel where I have absolutely nothing to critique. It is absolute perfection all on its own, and to change any part of it would be a travesty. If forced to find a fault, the only thing I could say I am upset with is the fact that it is over.

Mo Dao Zu Shi is the only novel I have ever given a 5.0/5.0 rating to, and probably will remain that way in the future. The sheer quality of the plot, character development, and world building is unparalleled. I have no other words. I just want to thank the author and the translators from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to read this piece of art, and all of you readers out there for giving them the support. <<less
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Gluttony
Gluttony rated it
June 2, 2017
Status: --
You can tell just from the 11 released chapters that this is a fantastic novel. It's humorous, the romance is developing so naturally and the plot and world building is absolutely amazing. If anything, people who aren't a fan of gay romance can be as equally engaged in this. I'm so eager for someone to commit to translating this and release regular chapters. From what I've heard around from people who can read Chinese, the novel has excellent reviews so I know I'm in for a great ride.
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petalfy
petalfy rated it
July 16, 2021
Status: Completed
The novel is well-written, the story and character building is absolutely phenomenal- it's just an extremely perfected novel.

I've been holding back on writing a review, since there are already so many, but couldn't resist giving this novel one more good review. I think everything's already been said in the other reviews. I recommend for readers that love novels with plot, as for readers that don't... still give it a try.

The thing I think I love most about this novel (and MXTX works in general- her work is amazing!) is that... more>> everything comes back around in the end. Every little detail, every event, everything just connects and works. Although I'm aware that MXTX has a knack to edit her chapters after official publications, I don't think this takes away from her beautiful writing skills.

As for the main characters... I love them so much! Everyone has their flaws and hasn't been their best, which I think makes them very human. MC has a shameless personality, albeit quite childish on occasion, but his character still had lots of depth. The ML is the cliche cold strong character externally, but I feel that he's actually really different from the average cold ML character that you see in most novels. He, too, is an extremely in-depth character and he is so so cute and loving. You can tell how much he adores the MC, especially since his suffering after the MC's (spoiler!) initial death was so highlighted in the novel. It made me really feel for him as a character.

And here's another plus (for me, at least) : ML is played by Wang Yibo in the drama adaptation, The Untamed. Literally my all-time male god, I literally had to delete the fan-girling paragraph that I typed just now.

Onto the side characters... there are so many important figures in the novel, no one is 2-dimensional. Although there are so many, they are all extremely memorable and, in my opinion, it's hard to mix them up. Maybe except if you aren't familiar with Chinese names, but luckily I'm of Chinese descent and can differentiate names, so it's not too hard. Another thing that might be kind of hard for non-natives is that the translation group (amazing, by the way) tends to do direct translation from Chinese to pinyin for titles (ways of address, not chapter titles) rather than finding an English alternative. I personally prefer it like this as I can understand, but it might be hard to pick up on for other who can't. I recommend either conducting some research via online searches, or reading various translation notes. If you don't mind or can grasp them easily, just read. Don't think too much into it, it's honestly not a big deal, I just wanted to provide suggestions to those who may find it hard to progress forward without being confused.

One more thing I ought to mention: this novel is very flashback-heavy. Sometimes it's easy to get lost and confused between present and past, especially for skimmers out there. My advice is to just read this at a slow pace and try to keep up with scene divisions.

The plot in general, it's bittersweet. There are many sad moments, happy moments, nostalgic moments, intense moments. The point is, expect to feel every single emotion while reading this. No joke, it'll keep your mind lingering. Mine constantly thought about this story at least once a day for over a year. That feeling will for sure come back once I reread... though my obsession currently still lasts.

Sorry... didn't mean to write so much! I tend to be a rambler so I'll keep my conclusion short. Read this novel, I had no regrets and I'm sure you won't have any either. If you have a hard time reading things that are plot-heavy, there are other alternatives for consuming this lovely story. Watch the drama, the donghua, or read the manhua. This novel will forever stay etched into my heart as one of my top favorites. <<less
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MizoreRoxy
MizoreRoxy
August 17, 2020
Status: Completed
Have yet to find another complete novel like this. The ML is not over possessive, and is actually calm and kind. He controls himself and doesn't force the MC then blame/gaslight him (MC). I really like him. He is stoic but clearly loves the MC a lot even though he acts unaffected. No obsessive love with justified and unnecessary r*pe and gaslighting is a delight.

The MC is powerful but not overpowered. He's wild and carefree but smart and vengeful.

... more>>
Spoiler
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The 1st evil guy didn't have much of a background but the second one did and was a complicated villain unlike typical novels. Apparently the flashbacks are confusing for some people so you may want to watch the live action adaptation before reading it. It also have a donghua and a manhua.

So read it if you are good at understanding flashbacks, sick of all the overpowered and s*upid MCs with possessive rapist MLs, and reincarnation.

Also not full of all the glorification and air of superiority of the Chinese. A lot of other novels focus on image a lot but this is mostly action, adventure, drama, with a little bit of fluff throughout along with ending smut. <<less
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asmallmango
asmallmango rated it
August 10, 2020
Status: --
honestly thought this was going to be some enemies-to-lovers action but it turns out that the ML is just gay and the MC is just dumb. Good for them!!

my only real gripe is the disjointed nature of the 'flashbacks' are a bit of a pain, but they're really not too much of a problem
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sunshineincarnate
sunshineincarnate rated it
February 2, 2020
Status: Completed
One word: masterpiece.

In this review I'll be listing down some of the things that I loved about the novel. It's quite long, but bear with me. Spoilers are hidden away under the spoiler tag.

First of all, I read this novel back in December 2018, when it was still being translated. It’s been awhile, but the novel left a huge impression on me and remains one of my favourite novels to this date. Although I'm Chinese myself, this was my first Chinese xianxia novel and I didn't know what to expect, but it exceeded all of my expectations. The plot, characters, their development, relationships, mystery, comedy, fluff, angst— it’s altogether captivating, heartbreaking and endearing. If you’re a sucker for a strong MC, devoted ML, fleshed-out side characters, a good amount of fluff, angst and comedy in a historical fantasy setting, this is the novel for you.

1. Plot. Mystery really kept this novel going. After the MC is incarnated into a new body, the MC and ML essentially embarks on a journey to solve a mystery, meeting new and old family and friends along the way, and unknowingly connect the loose strings of the past and reveal truths were purposely kept hidden or buried. I’ve seen people complaining about the large amount... more>> of flashbacks and how it “disrupts” the story— but the flashbacks are important in letting readers understand the MC’s past, his relationship with the ML and other characters, and what led to the MC’s downfall. Rather than disrupting the flow of the story, it adds to the intricacy of the plot and builds character depth in not just the MC and ML but also in many of the side characters. The flashbacks aren’t boring either; it's filled with fluff and comedy (as it describes the MC and ML's younger days), with angst later on. There's never a dull moment in this novel— it's pretty fast-paced yet compelling, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will leave you slack-jawed.

One plot-twist in particular was what really cemented this story as one of my favourites, because it will break your heart, and I never saw it coming:

Spoiler

Chapter 89. Wei Wuxian's sacrifice towards Jiang Cheng— I won't elaborate anymore because it's a major spoiler and it's better for you to find out yourself to for the sake of the shock value, but I happened to read this chapter in the middle of the night and literally cried myself to sleep.

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2. Characters. Where do I begin? This isn’t your typical black-and-white story where the villains are inherently evil and the protagonist is a saint— hell, even the summary described the MC as a wretch hated by millions. If you’ve read the author’s other works, you’ll know that her characters are, more often than not, morally ambiguous, which is what makes them so compelling and humane. There are ‘villains’ but they’re not just there to do evil, rather, they resort to evil due to the circumstances and upbringing. The author does a good job in crafting relatable characters, evoking empathy and building an emotional connection between the novel and the readers when it comes to the characters and their actions.

The MC, Wei Wuxian, is by far my favourite MC to-date, because he’s written so amazingly. Wei Wuxian is described as many things in the novel— shameless (by the ML), charming in his youth (by onlookers), sweet (by his Shijie), annoying (by his Shidi), strong and mischievous (by his juniors), a trickster (by his teacher), evil (by the rest of the world), but most of all— he is selfless. Although the novel is written in the POV of the MC, you'll find that you don't truly know him until he lets you. (I learned this the hard way when I got to chapter 89, so buckle up!). That's what I adore about MCs like him, because he's not a flat, boring MC with all of his attributes laid out right in front of your eyes in the beginning; rather, as you dive into the novel, what you think you may know about the MC is hidden beneath complex layers and between the lines of the novel, until his reasons are revealed. Wei Wuxian employs an almost silly, happy-go-lucky attitude in his day-to-day life, which leads to many people not taking him seriously, but behind that facade he's a genius, too kind for his own good, and always trying to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders just so that the people around him won't suffer. He has plenty of faults too, but that’s what makes him so relatable and likeable.

The ML, Lan Wangji, is, for lack of a better phrase, ultimately true to himself. I've seen people question Lan Wangji's character, complaining that he's too cold, lack personality, or “only there to be the ML”, but here's why they're wrong. Coming from a sect that's known for its rigid rules and righteousness, the ML is known as a virtuous and upright person, cold and distant, because those rules are all he's known his entire life. Cue the MC, who's actions and character is the personification of everything that the ML has been taught is the black to his white, and the ML realises that following the rules and being righteous isn't always the best way to go about things— that is, sometimes, doing the best thing means breaking the rules, and it's not necessarily wrong nor borne out of selfish desires, rather, it's just being true to yourself and acknowledging your humanness, regardless of whether it's right or wrong. That being righteous doesn’t solve problems, and burying and suppressing oneself doesn’t stop one’s heart from beating.

In my opinion the ML does a good job in acknowledging himself and his heart and growing into who he is in his adult years, especially coming from such a rigid sect. He's not just cold— he's a romantic, calm, strong, surprisingly petty, cute when he's drunk (he's got very iconic drunk moments!), vulnerable at times, devoted, and drops the occasional dry humor. The ML is also one of, if not the most, crucial character to the MC's development and growth.

Spoiler

When other people were praising the MC due to their fear of offending him, the ML was the only one who boldly criticised the MC. When others left the MC to defend for himself and even led a siege against him, the ML was the only one who stayed and defended him. He’s the only one who stuck with the MC through thick and thin, and the only one who tried his best to understand why the MC did what he did— even if the MC wasn't aware of his love, or if it was morally wrong to side with the MC. Because love knows no bounds, and Lan Wangji is but a man in love.

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MC and ML's individual characters are like fire and water; they're the definition of opposites attract but they balance each other out nicely. MC is outspoken, boisterous and lively, whereas ML is aloof, uptight and cold. MC loves drinking alcohol and ML gets piss-drunk after one sip. MC needs someone who is willing to shoulder his faults with him and catch him if he falls (literally and figuratively), whereas ML needs someone who can bring him out of his cold shell and teach him how to smile.

Spoiler

The author mentioned that it's love at first sight for ML. MC is endlessly oblivious, but since the novel is in the MC's POV you can see that he's often talks about how handsome the ML is, lol.

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The spoiler below describes the extent of MC and ML's relationship growth from their first meeting to the ending of the novel:

Spoiler

During MC and ML's first meeting, MC's first words to ML was, "Can you pretend you never saw me?" because the ML caught him sneaking alcohol into ML's sect, which banned alcohol. In the final main chapter of the novel, MC's last words to ML was, "Lan Zhan! Look at me! Look at me now!" and the last narration of the novel is "From then on, he [ML] could never move his eyes away again."

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3. You'll grow to love the side characters too.

4. The lessons learned. This novel has taught me many things: communication is key, your background doesn't define who you are, even the worst villains have their reasons, the power of the words "ge ge", among other things.

All in all, this is a must-read. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. <<less
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Montero
Montero rated it
June 19, 2023
Status: --
Here I was expecting a spicy mystery plot with some BD*M CNC p*rn attached. This is the version mom had at home.

MDZS is a tepid, meandering and disjointed road trip story, served with a side of M/M smut roughly as lifeless as the corpses the protagonist manipulates. I refuse to call it romance, because as we will see in a minute, MDZS does not have anything even mildly resembling a coherent romance arc. Set in mystical ancient China, the oft-vaunted worldbuilding feels more a product of its adaptations than anything... more>> concretely laid down in writing. At best, tidbits of the setting raise more questions than they answer, but not in a way that makes one feel the author is aware of those questions and has something cool waiting for you. Attempts at narrative tension fall flat in the face of overbearingly powerful main characters, who spend most of the novel sleepwalking from location to location, blasting apart whatever cardboard opposition the author pulls from the aether. No matter how implausible or anticlimactic it might be to explain, which she does in patronizing levels of detail via lengthy infodumps, all of her narrative hooks come back to literally the same one/two bad apples. Worry not, gentle reader. In the world of MDZS, systems are not at fault for the failings of humanity. It is okay. You can go back to sleep once the bad man's rapidly cooling body is interred.

I had always labored under the vague assumption that MDZS was MXTX's best work, having a rather poor impression of her political views in SVSSS and having already sampled TGCF's terrible pacing and characters, but now I've come to realize that almost everything I'd enjoyed about it was some form of adaptational change made in The Untamed or the donghua. Those strong and interesting female characters in the sausagefest world of chinese BL? Had their roles vastly expanded in The Untamed and are essentially disposable pawns in the novel. That ML with his gentle smiles and love of rabbits? Barely a character. A violent, r*pey, childish as*hole presented as the 'perfect lover' in the novel. It's tempting to somehow mentally backfill the many improvements into the original work, as some kind of headcanon on what MXTX 'really meant to do' or something, but I can't quite conjure the wishful thinking necessary. I've read enough of her works to know better by this point.

That's not to say there's nothing to love, here. It was generally a good time whenever the Jiang siblings (particularly Jiang Cheng) were on page. Jin Guangyao manages to be remarkably adequate (and even iconic) for as little time as he gets to establish himself. Nie Huisang stands out as the most relatable, down-to-earth side character
Spoiler

when he isn't busy manipulating a mentally ill gay man to his death

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, generally seeming just as tired with the stuffy, macho cultivator world as I was as a reader, even if the book never really covers what hidden depths he might have. It isn't pure misery p*rn, and it doesn't push the angst into melodrama. The small cast of the Yi City flashbacks were compelling as a standalone piece, too, with Xue Yang's response to his own lower-class victimhood (essentially declaring 'f*ck cultivators, they're all a**holes') being a real standout.

Jiang Cheng, the protagonist's sect brother and childhood friend, is probably the best characterized of the bunch. His character certainly gets the most attention from the author, even if she spends just as much time disparaging him for being more flawed than her leads. Unfortunately, the narrative seems to have missed the part where those flaws are what make Jiang Cheng's complicated relationships with the rest of the cast such an interesting part of the book. He is, for better or worse, the only character who has some kind of personal involvement in just about every plot point in the book. If he isn't physically present for the events, then his presence is still felt either by being fierce (and sometimes abusive) uncle to the young Jin heir, Jin Ling, or by Wei Wuxian's memories of their tumultuous relationship. He even manages to inject some life into otherwise dead characters simply by being present in their vicinity, which is no mean feat for a novel featuring literal necromancy.

You may notice that the main couple are nowhere to be found in this list of enjoyable characters. Yeah, there's a reason for that. Now, this isn't my first rodeo, and I've read enough self-insert stories when I was twelve to know when I'm looking at one now. Despite initially liking him well enough, our protagonist, Wei WuXian (henceforth WWX) gets increasingly treated as the moral centerpiece of the story, with the way the narrative frames a character being largely decided by how much they align themselves with him. If you like and trust that WWX is the good boy he says he is, you're good. Otherwise, prepare to be treated like ranting, nameless cannon fodder. WWX himself seems interesting as a grey, womanizing necromancer, but it is steadily revealed that these fun traits are false rumors, and he was always a vapid, virg*nal, misunderstood good boy (despite being responsible for thousands of deaths, largely through his own self-righteous incompetence).

If you take WWX's aesthetic trappings at face value, you might come away with the impression of him being some kind of intelligent, proactive trickster archetype, but WWX spends most of the story mindlessly following a breadcrumb trail someone else engineered for him and falling ass-backwards onto narrative hooks that he is not emotionally invested in. If he needs to look smart, it's like everyone else suddenly takes a bunch of s*upid pills. They start making mouth-breathing statements like 'WWX! You scum! Who are you to decide what's black and what's white!?' to which WWX responds, with maximum smarm, 'no u.' The only reason he survives this process without being sworded in the face is through the relentlessly indestructible hand of his love interest, Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji (henceforth LWJ) is a plank with a bank account and a raging hard-on. Much like a plank, he is rigid, in every way a man can be. His main personality trait is 'stoic'. His others are 'rich' and 'tall'. I guess he inherited his money, so he doesn't need to be kind, funny or creative. His nakedly apparent purpose in the narrative is to protect WWX from physical threats, dogs, and to get drunk in order to transform into his gropey alter ego whenever MXTX had a frisky moment during the writing process. The narrative tries very, very hard to make you think that he and WWX had some kind of enemies to lovers relationship in the past, but as with WWX's tortured trickster antihero schtick, the secret twist is that that their dynamic was never even half as interesting as that. Noticing a theme here? LWJ spends the majority of his time in the plot effortlessly deflating major threats into minor or inconsequential ones by being as close to this setting gets to a god of war. Thrill as he... reveals that writing combat is not the author's strong suit.

The problem with LWJ is that he has no goals or motives or emotional connection or even fear of consequences for anything in the plot aside from WWX, and therefore has little to say to the characters he hangs around with. Otherwise, he is a loose collection of contradictory 'hot' traits, kinks and wish fulfilment. He is a nerdy, rule-abiding, upright and refined good boy with flawless cultivation technique. But that's boring and unsexy, so he's also a rule breaking, devil may care, physically threatening bad boy, whose technique is to sword things real hard. He is a violent and grim loner to the point of terrifying dogs on sight, with no personal connections, yet is respected and loved wherever he goes. He is slim and muscular and tall and dark and handsome, with a seemingly unlimited credit card, but nobody ever flirts with him, because that would be competition for WWX. He never loses a fight, ever, and any emotions he feels must be relegated to subtext, lest we develop too much empathy for him and he stops being a s*x object.

There's nothing wrong with him being wish fulfilment of a dommy man, per se, but LWJ is so threadbare otherwise that I can't help noticing when he's written solely to appeal to MXTX's libido. He was sort of cute as a teenager, back when he was allowed to become flustered without being perceived as weak, and therefore unsexy to the teen audience of this book, but he grew up into the most boring man alive. Popular headcanons such as him playing Inquiry for WWX's soul for thirteen years attempt to rescue him from the tr*sh pile, but those were penned by writers with a far better grasp of romantic tension. We don't ever see snapshots of him pining for thirteen years, or trying alcohol to cope with grief - the alcohol motif is entirely wasted on comedy and teasing more lackluster noncon scenes when it could have been an emotional anchor for the couple as a whole. It is insane to me that we get so much material of LWJ drinking but neither he nor WWX have opinions on wine or drinking culture beyond 'Emperor's Smile b gud becuz Gusu is da best'. It's actually offensive, how often LWJ comes close to having characterization but draws back into blank nothingness. Mostly though, the man we actually get in the novel is so silent and expressionless that one can comfortably forget he is in the room, and since the author is unwilling to follow one of the many obvious roads-not-taken, I'd call that a blessing.

Phew. Haven't talked about the juniors yet. Wish there was more to say about them, but their theme regarding parental figures not being perfect arbiters of justice does come off as a bit trite, to be honest. It's a theme that's at war with the aforementioned protagonist-centered morality, so it comes off as 'well, of course the juniors are in the right - they like WWX!' rather than any kind of coherent message about authority figures being flawed people. The authority figures hate WWX, after all, and that's an unforgiveable sin in this book.

Jingye is the snarky one (greatly appreciated, if basic), Shisui is the boring one (no his reveal did not help there), and Jin Ling is the one with a personality (or he at least spends enough time in Jiang Cheng's AoE buff for some of it to rub off on him). Jin Ling was fine as the glue that binds the otherwise random plot together through his many uncles, but the one thing I remember being disappointing was the scene in which Jin Ling rebukes toxic masculinity and cries openly. This would be admirable and topical messaging, but I feel the author's clear discomfort with the idea of adult LWJ ever crying or showing vulnerability (which is always subtext lest he be seen as 'weak' and therefore unsexy) makes for a poor counterpoint, and undermines the message.

If I failed to mention a character here, it's safe to assume I didn't care for them. I feel bad for Jiang 'Food Dispenser' Yanli and Wen 'Fridged Too Soon' Qing, but they're bit parts, treated as utterly disposable by the narrative, and if you want a version of MDZS with women who matter, you'll need to watch The Untamed instead. If I noticed anything about the way MXTX views women, it's very clear that whatever she thinks, women are explicitly separate from men. They are very much NOT combatants or equals in cultivation to men in her mind.

The one exception, Madam Yu (WWX's adoptive mother), is framed by the narrative as a horrible, jealous, physically abusive harpy as recompense for her competence in battle and for being a woman who defies gender roles and prefers the company of women (cough). Her emotionally abusive, gaslighting partner is treated as a guy who is 'doing his best'. They're both abusive, but the framing is quite sexist. Thankfully, due to the dearth of feminine viewpoints in this novel, it doesn't come up as often as in other, similarly sexist chinese novels. Unless you count WWX as a woman, which... would be prescient of you, considering where this review is going.

But speaking of 'womanly matters', let's talk romance. This is nominally a M/M romance book, after all. Imagine two drunk people at a club, sitting in a booth seat, away from the noise of the crowd. Both are drunk, and don't really know each other, but the drunk stranger next to them is hot and they're vibing in relative quiet. One of them gets a little frisky, 'loses control' of his 'masculine urges' and decides 'hey, what if I just... put my hand in his pants? What if I just DID that?' and then the other guy turns out to be drunk enough not to protest too much and they have relatively fulfilling, if boring, s*x. That'd be fine. What makes it weird is when you put one of them in an enormous, impractical white dress. Mistletoe is hanging above the booth. An inexplicably present small boy carring a pair of rings on a pillow trips as he passes the booth, and now everyone's peering in, and one of their brothers is cheering them on, and the villain is giving them awkward looks as he fiddles around waiting for them to stop banging and foil his evil plan... and then the club miraculously converts into a conservative church scene and they get married ever after. That'd make the whole 'just vibing until we f*ck' thing really weird and uncomfortable, right?

Adjust for cultural signifiers of romance (red robes instead of a white dress, for example) and... that's MDZS's 'relationship arc' in a nutshell. It's a random events plot where any scene could happen at any time, but with a strange lack of simmering tension between the participants, usually requires one or both to be drunk for anything 'romantic' to happen, and someone ends up doing an allusion to marriage. There's no push/pull to their dynamic. WWX teases and... LWJ, blank-faced, pins him to the ground. Basically, WWX is a brat, and LWJ is too s*upid and insecure to put him in timeout to get WWX to respect his authority, instead just giving WWX whatever he wanted. It's pretty sad. What kind of dom is that?

Like, just make WWX a slinky powerbottom; he's clearly got a knack for tease and denial. And LWJ shrinks away and gets flustered and h**ny from it whenever the author forgets put him in macho chimp mode. LWJ, when he's allowed a glimmer of personality, reads as a man aching to get spanked for 'breaking the rules'. Then she remembers he's meant to be the dommy one and tries to course correct, because romance authors have never heard of the radical notion called 'being a switch'. Those 'Dom Wei Ying' moments were the few times when the romance actually seemed viable in this book as a perfect continuation of their teenaged dynamic, but it's clearly not what the author intended from the way she wrote this. She seemingly feels that WWX being submissive is so obvious that it requires no effort put into characterizing him to be so, even though that's not the character she ended up writing outside of select (and boringly mechanical) s*x scenes. It's almost like she's a domme who likes telling quiet, macho men to fix her clothes and pay for her every want and need, but is in denial about it or something.

Now, it's well established that BL relationships are often written using a heteronormative framework, with the 'bottom' acting in place of a woman, thereby allowing readers to explore hetero tropes without having to see a woman they identify with placed in threatening situations. Needless to say, the top/bottom = dom/sub equivalence present in BL is more accurate to heteronormative gender roles than anything most gay couples do, but that's beside the point. The point is that subtextually, WWX was always written as a woman, and gives up his signifiers of manhood (cultivation, ability to physically fight)
Spoiler

to Jiang Cheng partway through the novel,

[collapse]
and only then is the romance arc allowed to progress into the physical.

It's an interesting window into MXTX's conception of gay men. They're a disposable stand-in, a face for her to wear (much like WWX wearing the flesh of the genuinely queer, abused, voiceless and dead Mo Xuanyu) for her to explore her relationship to forceful but attractive men, and if you doubt me, read the s*x scenes in MDZS and SVSSS and tell me how I'm wrong. I dare you. There is barely a pretense of WWX being male, and that pretense goes out of the window the second LWJ's pen*s is involved. What MXTX would have you believe is WWX's bu*t is referred to as a 'slit' multiple times, and becomes wet with arousal at one point in the extras. It is truly absurd. If you asked me, I'd say MDZS is the book where she grapples with whether she wants to dominate the dommy men, in defiance of gender roles (see also WWX's dream in the Incense Burner chapter where the roles are reversed, and he is happy), and eventually comes down on the side of wanting to be a submissive, if kinky, tradwife. All this to say... MDZS may be nominally about gay men, but it is far from a queer-friendly work. It is, at best, exploitative of queer people in the interests of exploring the fantasies of straight women, as is the case for most BL. At worst, it has some very nasty things to say about what acceptable victimhood looks like, if one compares WWX's treatment by the narrative to 'his' foils, Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao. It even at times seems to hint that homosexuality is a transmissable disease that WWX acquired from Mo Xuanyu.

Ah, that got heavy. Let's talk about something a little lighter, like worldbuilding and narrative. Literally lighter, in this case, because the setting of MDZS might as well just be a group of people larping in a big field, in just about any country, and what details we do get are strange. Honestly, from what my partner has said about Naruto as a franchise, this felt more like that setting than anything ancient or chinese, which is interesting to me, as I know MXTX is a fan of Japanese properties like Thunderbolt Fantasy and other shonen fair. Why is JGY wanting to socialize cultivation through the watchtower system bad, again? Why do cultivators buy their swords from what seems an awful lot like a cultivation department store adjacent to Carp Tower? Who makes all that, and why are they not a political entity in and of themselves (thus mirroring the position of irl merchant classes) ? What is blood magic, and why does blood seem to hold some special powers that are separate to cultivation? Is that demonic cultivation? Why are the Lan clan presented as simultaneously perfect and admirable, while also violently patriarchal and in many ways just as bad as the people the narrative presents as evil and worthy of contempt? Every time we'd go to read MDZS, we'd walk away with dozens of questions like this but also an ever-growing knowledge that none of them would ever be satisfyingly answered, because they're the background radiation of the book and MXTX seems blind to the implications there. MDZS is, in many ways, a book that constantly promises to come up with something, to say something, but always backs off to the safe and expected, or worse, nothing at all.

This lack of cohesion is mirrored in the narrative. It's less an episodic series of arcs connected by a core mystery plot, and more like she had no idea how to get to her ending from her beginning, and sprinkled in oodles of her one-shot fanfics in the hopes of distracting us from the break point in the middle. That break point, by the way, can be traced by an abrupt jump in characterization from 'WWX is NOT into LWJ, no he isn't~' to 'WWX straightfacedly plans to marry LWJ at the family shrine', with seemingly no personal development or even internal thought on the matter. MXTX does seem to be reasonably good at writing one-shots. Yi City was definitely a stand-out part of the book precisely because it is very self-contained. But where Yi City connects to the rest of the narrative is clumsy and convoluted at best. Every plot point is like that. Good, or at least acceptable in a vacuum, but a tonally dissonant mess when placed next to one another.

As a result, nobody really has a character arc over the course of the book, they just suddenly snap into the position the author needed them to be in for the next scene. The book flashes between past and present seemingly as an attempt to confuse the reader and thereby disguise the audible clunk where beginning and ending fail to meet in the middle. It seemingly serves no other useful purpose. A skilled writer, meanwhile, might have used this opportunity to recontextualize the characters in interesting and nuanced ways. Maybe develop them themes beyond 'don't judge a book by its cover' or 'maybe governments aren't always right', 'one person's hero is another man's villain'... God, really plumbing untapped depths there. Blue's Clues better watch their backs - MDZS's gunning for their target demographics. Where's the deep, masterpiece of angst that has people raving, or was that another adaptational choice made in the Untamed?

What passes for a main plot, meanwhile, is a plodding fetch quest engineered by a background character, in which our hapless protagonists obediently follow a literal disembodied hand telling them where to go. After a spate of skyrim questing in the backwoods, and much flashbacking trying to convince us the skyrim questing was relevant, they wander back into the plot by happenstance just in time to hear about how all ills in their lives were cause by this one super nasty socialist guy.

The reveal of said bad things being caused (implausibly) by this one bad dude does not happen naturally. It's a ginormous infodump that occurs in the last 10% of the book, and it's far from the only time MDZS's plot points are relayed to us in repetitive summary form. The writing style, while simplistic and easy to read as some have praised, often has this dreadfully patronizing tone to it where it will explicitly drop all pretense of being a story and tell you how you're meant to feel about a character, or drop a whole segment of exposition on you, then dissect its own subtext in front of you like you're five. '<Description of named character doing action.> Character name was doing <action> because he was feeling <Sad, etc>' is a common enough method of describing things to become extremely grating, even when a character's motivations are opaque enough that I feel it warranted an immersion-breaking explanation directly aimed at the reader.

Interestingly, Jiang Cheng almost never gets this treatment, and he's notably the one character whose inner feelings are usually signposted by his body language or word choice without the didactic breakdown of exactly what the author wants you to think of him. Combined with her apparently unconscious motif of having JC be compared to her love interest, and the writing's unusual (read: the normal level of) subtlety regarding his feelings, and it really reads like JC has a massive crush on WWX. It does not seem to be intentional, but it's definitely funny, given JC was a much better developed character (and better love interest, particularly in the Enemies to Lovers sense and in terms of narrative tension) in every regard compared to LWJ.

So essentially, we have a dull, uninspired setting, with an incoherent plot, flat, lifeless characters who we are actively discouraged from empathizing with, and a 'radical' message that involves killing the one bad apple and leaving the objectively terrible, dystopian values of the cultivation world completely unchallenged. It has threads of a thousand better novels in it, to the point where we spent most of our time reading it going 'Oh, if they'd done X instead, I would have loved that' or 'wow, WWX has so much weird chemistry with <character who is not LWJ>' or 'WWX totally should've spanked LWJ there' but none of it matters in the end. It's bursting at the seams with the implications of depth, but I think that if the author were aware of that, she would not have penned a work with such a profound lack at its core.

It's fertile ground for fix-it fanfiction; for other, better writers to come along and reimagine the incoherent and broken elements of the setting, as we've seen with other heavily flawed series like Harry Potter, Supernatural and Naruto. It's like there's something about the incompleteness that calls to fans to fill that void with their own headcanons, and it's rather telling that The Untamed and the MDZS donghua made the adaptational changes they did beyond the obvious concessions to censorship. Sadly, to tell a coherent, impactful and well-paced story, something about the original clearly had to change.

It will be interesting to see how this shapes the genre and whether MDZS stands the test of time in the wider public consciousness. It's clear that it's struck a chord with its core audience, who like the book for what it is well enough. If this is your first BL novel, or first big fantasy work, or other important firsts, it's going to feel fresh, and groundbreaking and like an undiscovered literary masterpiece. If it helped you, good, and I hope you will continue to explore other Chinese works. Perhaps some works by gay men and women, or works from other cultures in the M/M romance category, and broaden their horizons. I only hope said audience will, in time, be inspired to put just as much work into advocacy for the rights of real LGBTQ+ people across the world, as they did in heaping praise upon a work that kills us off and implies we're a contageous disease. <<less
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miaLahel
miaLahel rated it
March 8, 2022
Status: Completed
I wanted to like this story, I really did. It was okay when I finished it at first, maybe about 4 stars, but then as I thought about it more and analyzed it both in my head and referring to text, I just disliked it more and more. It really depends on the values of the person reading, and here is why I say this:

[MC character writing, relationships with others]... more>>
Spoiler

It's so frustrating, because one of the points I get hung up on the most is WWX's (wei wuxian) relationship with JC (jiang cheng). (Note: I'm not a JC apologist, he really is an ass, but this is about WWX character and their relationship.)

    • golden core - JC never asked for it? JC isn't a monster, if he knew that it would come from WWX and WWX would suffer, he wouldn't have taken the offer. This is the situation of someone forcing something they deem "good" on you in their best intentions, and because it was in their best intentions the person it was forced on is forced to be appreciative for it.
    • WWX is framed as the good person, the good soul, a fun and goofy personality but when it came to defending his brother he never did, but then there's the WWX apologists that insist he was wronged the entire time.
    • JC actually went out of his way to defend WWX several times... especially during that meeting/dinner (I forget) and that's just casually brushed aside, completely thrown out the window when people are deadset on saying JC didn't care about WWX
    • WWX always does thing for "fun" that leads to consequences and... guess who cleans them up? Not him. It's his bro. And then the one time he does need to clean up his mess (even if it couldn't be controlled) he came this person that was so damaged, thinking he has it the worst.

WWX character writing

    • He is written as the golden child, this person that can do no wrong and this is further enforced in that his boyfriend is a yes man (further explored later)
    • So he dies in agony and grief his past life, then he wakes up with all his memories and he's a happy go lucky man? It's like he has no emotions. This could've supported if the beginning was altered to be that he forget he forgot who he was, and then there was a moment his conscious mind comes back to him. And there's no confusion of identity, when he's in a new body? It's common that there isn't any identity crisis, but with such a popular novel I thought it would be a little deeper in exploring this
    • There's no character development from the beginning of the novel to the end. Only younger self and older self.
    • he himself has done a lot of wrong, but he makes no apologies. only the people around him to, apologizing to him, but conflicts are instigated from both sides. It's not who started what, or who did worse, both sides need to apologize, and WWX didn't.

Lack of women

    • must I say more

Lan Zhan

    • classic romantic loyal lover
    • yes man
    • his character is essentially devotion to this one boy from his youth and he yearned and didn't give up for 13 years. seems a little exaggerated that he doesn't have his own life
    • nothing changed about him. not even off-screen character development. not more talkative, not different speech patterns, still just the same, stoic, cold, but oh so handsome cool man
    • he has... no thoughts on WWX's new body? Like no positive, no negative, no hesitant thoughts, not even during s*x. interesting.

Wen Ning character writing

    • I liked him at first, he was cute and stuff, but then it changed after more of the story is revealed
    • his reaction to being resurrected from the dead was not written - was he surprised? in denial? identity crisis? there was no coping.
    • Him revealing the golden core further enforcing that WWX can do no wrong, enforcing that JC should (keyword: should) be grateful for WWX's sacrifice even though JC probably wouldn't have wanted it
[collapse]

[Romance]
Spoiler

I used to think their relationship was cute, in how they helped each other, but their relationship seems shallow

    • LZ yes man
    • Miscommunication to bring them together
    • LZ r*pe fantasies (not to be r*ped, but to r*pe)
    • incense burner extras holy god
    • there's no realistic consequences to their relationship, everyone is so accepting because wangxian are heros, but there's no difficulty???
    • good relationships are based on how the other brings out the good quality in the other, and how they bring out the best of themselves for the other, but their character developments and relationship development has been so flat, their only hurdle (in the nearly romantic relationship) was dubious consent and miscommunication
[collapse]

[Story]
Spoiler
    • A lot arcs that aren't in the past seem irrelevant, stories of other people, and don't relate to the ending. There's no factors that threaten WWX identity enough, or anything that really brings a thrill.
    • Honestly what I can sum it up best (tho kind of inaccurate) : crack treated seriously
[collapse]

There are some good points to this story, but a lot of the good points have been killed off and/or are women :]

Verdict: If you value romance and the power of love, path to happiness through love, this may be for you. But if you're looking for a good story that comes full circle, different parts of the story connecting with the rest, relationship hurdles, tests, inner troubles, this may not be for you. <<less
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Alberu_cale
Alberu_cale
October 7, 2020
Status: --
Obvious this nivel deserve 10 stars if I can give that!! I love it so much, my emotions been played. I cries, smile like crazy person, and falling in love. This is the best BL novel that I read. I really love Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. Both of them are so in love and totally bold, hahahaa.

Actually, I hope I can see Wei Ying interaction with Jiang Cheng again. They have so many to talk about, yet the chances dont come.

But I still love it, this is the best... more>> BL novel I read so far

😍😍😍 <<less
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Cindi01
Cindi01 rated it
September 25, 2020
Status: Completed
Ah, this is the a book I read which made me regret reading it. Really, I wish had never seen this book at all...... so that I can jump into this masterpiece once again.

This novel is seriously addictive and no one can escape this epic filled with love, devotion, heartbreak and angst etc. I mean this book got me feeling for almost all the main characters (including the antagonist). I will stop here cause if I don't, I will end up writing an exam- worthy book report for this.
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HuffleSeok
HuffleSeok rated it
June 25, 2020
Status: --
The story did not work much on me, was expecting much more from all the hype. The only thing that kept me going on was the amazing character development of Jiang Cheng and the arc with the blind dude.
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Devrai
Devrai rated it
January 12, 2020
Status: Completed
Just love it!

It's one of those storys where you eagerly want to reach the end to finally know the whole picture while also desperatedly not wanting to end it... ever. And when you have read the last sentence of the last extra, you might feel like just starting over again whishing you could read it for the first time again.

5/5 for everything including translations.
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optionalpanda
optionalpanda rated it
September 1, 2019
Status: Completed
Many people refer to Mo Dao Zu Shi as the gateway drug of Chinese danmei novels, but for me it is not just the gateway; it is also the ultimate reason to stay and discover more. Not only did it show me the light, but it is also one of the most wonderful stories I have ever had the pleasure to read, with a truly memorable and beloved cast of characters, a captivating, action-filled plot and a glorious and heartwarming romance at its center.

I could wax poetic about this novel... more>> for days, but I should start with Wei Wuxian, our charming, irrepressible hero. I don't think I will ever find another MC I love more; he is bright, intelligent, ridiculously brave, never without mischief and always smiling and laughing. His personality endears him to so many, including the male lead, Lan Wangji, but what I loved best about him was his approach to life. Throughout the events of the novel, we gradually discover just how much Wei Wuxian has suffered, to the point where the fact that he is able to keep smiling is a miracle in itself. And yet, he does - not because he's foolish or overly forgiving, but because to him, there is no reward in holding onto hatred; the trials he goes through will one day become experiences to laugh over. He is only human and therefore not perfect, but he never makes excuses for his mistakes and instead accepts them head-on. Wei Wuxian is a character that deserves respect and the real heart and soul of the story.

Lan Wangji is no less wonderful, although much like his personality, it takes considerable reading between the lines to realize just how deep his feelings run and how much he has grown as a result of his experiences. On the surface, he is the polar opposite of Wei Wuxian; he appears ice-cold, overly restrained and devoid of flexibility. But at the heart, they are very similar in the way they take care of those around them and their straightforward approaches to life. Those tired of cold, distant male leads will be glad to find out that Lan Wangji actually defines warmth and enduring love; his depth of devotion to his special person is actually heart-wrenching.

All this combines to create one of the most beautiful romances I ever have come across; it is slow-burn and fleshed out gradually as it becomes apparent just how far back their story stretches, but the journey there is extremely tender, touching and well worth it. Best of all, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are equals in strength, abilities and intellect and their relationship is built firmly on a foundation of friendship, trust, mutual respect and depth of feeling. One's devotion is rewarded by the other's outpourings of honest love and affection. It's hard to even imagine WangXian separately, because they are so much a part of each other.

The novel is more than just the romance, however, as inextricable as that aspect is from the story. The plot is action-packed and thrilling, set in a world full of cultivators, martial arts and reanimated corpses. Those who love mysteries will love this, as the suspense of what happened will keep you on the edge of their seat - what starts off as a seemingly-simple mu*der mystery with a dead body (or at least part of one) turns into an intricate web of intrigue that ties together both the past and the present. There is a whole cast of well-developed characters aside from Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji that contribute to making this such a wild ride, as well; it'll be hard not to love characters like Wen Ning, Lan Sizhui, Jiang Yanli and Jin Ling, and even the more controversial figures are written so well that you can't help but find their stories fascinating.

In summary, Mo Dao Zu Shi is an amazing story; don't expect to be able to put it down once you pick it up. This is a truly special story of second chances - for Wei Wuxian to live, and for Lan Wangji to love. It is frequently exciting, often touching and sometimes even heart-wrenching, but at the end of the day you will be absolutely satisfied at this emotional roller coaster ride of an adventure. And if you find it difficult to say goodbye to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji at the end of it all (as I do), you can always take comfort in the knowledge that there are four wonderful adaptations waiting for you - audio drama, manhua, donghua and live action! Besides, who knows? With any luck, the author may one day write new extras and spin-offs, so that the story never truly ends. <<less
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kisa-chan
kisa-chan rated it
September 5, 2018
Status: Completed
THIS. IS. SUCH. A. GEM.

It doesn't even focus that much at BL at all well maybe in a subtle way..., and the main point of it all is the story. It's like, romance is just the sub-plot of it, or like, a bonus. I cried, I laughed, it kept me guessing as I read along the way. The WHYs and HOWs was just so intriguing it kept me going until I MTLd to the end and side stories.

Some may find the flashbacks irritating for being long-winded, but that's where the... more>> story is based on. It explains the current characters' actions and I personally enjoyed reading those flashbacks because I get to understand the feelings of those characters a little better. I say 'a little better' because their feelings aren't always explicitly exposed and narrated, some may be only hinted at and the author leaves it up to you on how you interpret some of them.

Basically, I'm telling you that if you've got some spare time, read this. No regrets at all. And the length of the whole story is just perfect, I believe. Just a little past a 100 chapters. <<less
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Missunicorn
Missunicorn rated it
January 12, 2021
Status: Completed
Be warned before you read this, once you read it you will not forget it, this book is a life changer full of love, hate, comedy and just everything, be ready to take on the feeling of being sad after it ends because you will want more but I can't even express how much this book is worth reading♥️♥️♥️
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