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The Path Toward Heaven
Type
Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 218 votes)
5    62% (136 votes)
4    9% (19 votes)
3    4% (8 votes)
2    7% (16 votes)
1    18% (39 votes)
Language
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
One entry per line
N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2017
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
1047 Chapters (Completed)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
No
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 114.5 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #6937
Monthly Rank: #7414
All Time Rank: #1351
Reading List
[Graph]
On 1964 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #11814
All Time Rank: #3576

Description

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

I am the sword.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one dares take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, no one can take ten steps.
Killing a man amidst a thousand miles, ten steps? Not possible!
I am the sword, the sword is me,
On the path towards heaven, each shall wield their own.

Associated Names
One entry per line
PTH
大道朝天
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Emperor’s Domination (1)
Hunting for a Delicious Wife (After) (1)
Major General Spoils his Soul-guiding Wife (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. No Romance, No Harem, Just A Driven Protagonist
  2. Masterpiece novels
  3. novels where male mc don't have harem (or romance)
  4. For me
  5. Below the Cut

Latest Release

Date Group Release
12/18/17 Webnovel c66
12/17/17 Webnovel c65
12/16/17 Webnovel c64
12/15/17 Webnovel c63
12/14/17 Webnovel c62
12/13/17 Webnovel c61
12/12/17 Webnovel c60
12/11/17 Webnovel c59
12/10/17 Webnovel c58
12/09/17 Webnovel c57
12/08/17 Webnovel c56
12/07/17 Webnovel c55
12/06/17 Webnovel c54
12/05/17 Webnovel c53
12/04/17 Webnovel c52
123…5
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33 Reviews sorted by


Jed1
Jed1 rated it
November 17, 2017
Status: c702
Too many 1 star reviews already. Do they hate it because of Qidian or are they too lazy to even attempt to comprehend the greatness of this story and its lazy MC?

Mao Ni has done a great job already as usual of his works. He always takes a really slow approach with his stories, but I thoroughly enjoy it just as I do Ze Tian Ji. I prefer slower stories with a great plot and interesting well-developed characters over super fast action-packed stories with little to no plot with thousands... more>> of plot holes and very generic characters.

Mao Ni does a really good job at developing his characters even though it can take a lot of time as his stories are slow after all. There are characters that start out undesirable only to slowly over time become so much more interesting until they become one of the best characters in the story. This is one of the reasons Mao Ni is one of my favorite authors.

To really finish this review off I will say do not worry about things that you do not understand in the story. It is a slow story and we are not supposed to understand everything. Over time the overall plot will be revealed and things will slowly start to unravel. This author definitely likes it when his readers try to speculate what everything means. I find it fun to speculate in a story as it really, at least for me, shows how invested I am in a story.

So, should you read The Path Toward Heaven? Absolutely!

Even if you don't like slow stories you should at least give this one and Mao Ni's other novels a try. <<less
50 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
orario
orario rated it
December 22, 2018
Status: c12
I'm too much of a filthy casual for this elitistic garbage.

I don't have the patience to read a few tens or hundreds of chapters before anything note-worthy happens.

The first 5-6 chapters were complete drivel. You won't even know who was the MC supposed to be. I especially loved how the sheep in the comment section were having an org*sm over how "mysterious" the novel is. Let me translate that for you: they didn't understand sh*t but tried to act like they're awed at the author's skill in making them feel... more>> s*upid.

The rest of the chapters I've read simply continue to present us drivel about the daily and incredibly boring life of a lazy MC that does nothing the entire day but sleep on a wooden chair.

No, I'm not exaggerating.

Even after he got accepted into a sect, the MC continued the same routine: sleep the entire day on the wooden chair and have his boy-toy servant even fetch him water to drink because he was too lazy to get up from the chair and take it himself.

That's all I had to say. If you like boring sh*t that tries to be mysterious, go ahead and read it <<less
43 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Marvoch
Marvoch rated it
February 1, 2018
Status: c110
Let's be clear: the translation is quite horrific in all its parts, it can't even claim a 5. I'm not a native speaker, but I can feel safe saying that it would be tr*shed by every English teacher: the grammar is all over the place and there are consistent incorrect spellings due to total lack of editing. I must admit that it is still readable enough to be understood, even if I can't say it's enjoyable by any means, I've seen worse. But then there is the true fallacy of... more>> the work of the team, and in this kind of novel, it's truly a huge problem: they don't stick to the inworld terminology they have chosen. In some cases, when it's minor stuff, it's not problematic, only annoying, but when we're dealing with toponyms, associations and cultivation terminology, all quite important in the novel, that really impede the ability of the reader to understand many details, sometimes even major ones, impoverishing the original work, that it's quite the hermetic one. I found it simply insulting to the author.

If you can deal with this, like many others do, the novel it's quite interesting. I found it intriguing even if it's not my cup of tea, so I can say for sure that's well written. The protagonist is quite unique: he stands on his own, but doesn't trample the others, he sees the world from above, for right reasons, but doesn't force himself on the others, he makes others influence his choices, but he's not dependant on them, he teaches others and learn from them. Besides this, he has his reason for his superiority, not dependent on some kind of lucky find, like in the 90% of the cases with xianxia. All over, a well-written character, quite interesting and quite lively, even in his lifelessness. The other important characters, three, for now, are also very well written and unique in their own way. The world building it's quite yet undeveloped, and I don't expect much expansion in this sense since the novel revolves around the sects' world (and this is why this kind of novel it's not my cup of tea). For the plot, I can't evaluate it for now, since the real events the author seems to wish to narrate have not yet been put in motion, and, for now, the protagonist is simply still immersed in his mysteriousness, so we don't much of him. I trust the author, so I aspect this to turn as a good novel, but for now it's still simply a well-devised work that lacks of its substance, and that survives thanks to the strength of the characters that animate it. <<less
16 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
CantBeBothered
CantBeBothered rated it
September 11, 2018
Status: c292
Just what you'd expect from a Mao Ni novel. Engaging plot, interesting characters, and beautiful narration. Out of Mao Ni's novels, I'd put this above Way of Choices and Joy of Life, while it's a tie with Nightfall (I haven't read The Outcast).

Rather than reviewing, I will address some of the criticisms raised by the others.

  1. The MC is too lazy
Not quite. This is a reincarnation story. Now, imagine you've completed an RPG, and then started another playthrough with a very similar character. Obviously, you would do a lot of side... more>> quests, and even on the main quests, you wouldn't pay attention to the dialogue (unless there's choice for multiple endings of course). You wouldn't scramble around for weapons and armor like you did on the first playthrough, coz you know better. And most of your boss fights end in very few moves because you're familiar with the mechanics. Well, that's exactly what the MC is like: too bored with side quests, too strong for low level boss fights, and smart enough to avoid the higher level bosses at lower levels.

2. The narration is too slow.

Duh! It's a Mao Ni novel.

3. The plot is confusing.

Perhaps. However, you don't have to know everything to connect to the story. The enshrouding mystery actually adds to the plot.

4. The MC has little screen time.

This, I think, is probably the best thing about this novel. You see, there are at least a dozen characters in the novel that could just as well be the MC if the author decides to swap MCs. In fact,

Spoiler

there's about 20 chapters where the MC disappears, and I still enjoyed the novel. Maybe even a bit more than when the MC was around if I'm being honest.

[collapse]

Seriously, ignore the actual MC. Read the story to be of several potential MCs and you'd have a much better time enjoying the novel. <<less
15 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
kaalv
kaalv rated it
November 26, 2017
Status: c44
This novel is unfortunately getting unfair ratings because it was picked up by QI and people cant let go of all the drama.

However, I don't think the novel deserves a high rating either. The novel is marred with poor editing and grammar. Mao Ni's other novel, Ze Tian Ji (ZTJ), has a translator that is much better at translating Mao Ni's flair into english. The pacing isn't as good as ZTJ, none of the characters introduced so far really mean anything to me. I'm not sure who the protagonists could... more>> be said to be between the female lead and one of the two male leads but either way it goes I don't care at this point because I don't understand their motivations, too much is left unsaid. ZTJ made you feel things for even the smallest side characters and so far this novel can't make me feel anything for anyone. I'm disappointed but I'll continue to read in the hopes that it gets better. <<less
13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
pomoli
pomoli rated it
December 23, 2018
Status: c388
This is quality Xuanhuan, I recommend it.

Pro

  • MC is amazing, and it shows later in the story: he's old and really wise, not like the reincarnation stories where MC is behaving like a dumb teen while supposedly old.
  • All characters are interesting and kept being developed after 300+ chapters, which is better than the easily forgotten ones we see often in these stories. Few characters are dumb or rash, instead all of them have plans, and you sometime wonder who is the actual enemy.
  • The world is interesting and gives an impression of mysteriousness.
  • Good writing style, few repetitions.
Con

  • The first 100 chapters or so are difficult to get into IMO, mainly because the MC seems really detached. And then after it becomes amazing.
  • No romance, though we'll maybe have a bittersweet one.
12 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Dancing_Rain
Dancing_Rain rated it
December 12, 2018
Status: c239
A very different type of Xianxia. There are uncommon MC and supporting characters.

The best part? All of the characters are multidimentional. I agree with the comments. They had realistic personality. Even the villain (maybe? He did try killing his own young sister) had his own principle and still confident with his belief till he died.

  1. Mc;he characteristic of MC is really cool. Lazy but overpower. Maybe some thought he was indifferent. But that was just his own belief of 'cause and effect.' he never said right or wrong to the action that his close people did. Never interfere with their choice. He is like an immortal watching the world. Detach to the world.
  2. Romance; with the character of MC I doubt he will ever fall in love. Just kidding! With his treatment to Zhou Layue we know that he was caring in his own way. Harem? For now there's none.^o^ only love interests. I hate harem so I'm glad that Jing Jiu never show lust or act like a horny teenage boy. *Cringed*
  3. Story;The beginning might be boring but I think it's quite warm hearted when I remembered now. MC and Liu shishi (?) live in peace. It was the most memorable memory for Liu. I really love his characters. So loyal and behave seriously when he was with MC (even though he wanted to say thank you and show his real thought and emotion. He always held back because he knows his young master will disliked it.)
  4. This novel is full of mystery that can crack your head off. But you do not need to think of them hardly. Like what one of the character said. If you don't understand just ignore it. You will never understand.
12 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Synn
demon sealer rated it
September 16, 2018
Status: c296
MC is not lazy!

being lazy is just a gimmick author threw; he is more like an wise old man who has seen everything and becomes indifferent to events unlike your typical self righteous leads

only thing I honestly dislike is it feels quite similar to his previous work, ze tian ji

anyhow wish more people pay attention to this gem; you don't need fights every odd chapters, we have enough of those already
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ninthlite
ninthlite rated it
January 29, 2018
Status: c108
I gave the authors other work ZTJ 2/5 stars in a rather popular and negative review of the novel. I feel like the author somehow found my review, translated it to the chinese, then took many of my points and fixed them in this new novel.

The author seems to be focusing on a small number of side characters to develop and give interesting personalities. Additionally the main character is also relatively interesting for a xianxia novel while avoiding many of the cliches that overpowered old men protags encounter. The pacing... more>> has been greatly improved by reducing character bloat and increasing the action in the novel.

Hopefully the story will stay consistent, and not end up having dozens of side characters like ZTJ, which just led to bloating of the novel. <<less
10 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Bena
Bena rated it
December 14, 2017
Status: c62
This is such a refreshing novel, just like MaoNi's other books. If you ever need to take a break from the typical xianxia novels, this is your book. It is confusing in the first few chapters but it will start to make sense later on due to the slow-pace (about same pace as western novels) and well-designed plot. Like MaoNi's other novels, there is mystery, which will keep you guessing constantly throughout the story. Also the characters are well designed!! Not your typical Mary Sue MC Vs. love... more>> rivals... you will literally fall in love with the characters as they are unique in their own way. <<less
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Gsichtselfmeter
Gsichtselfmeter rated it
June 1, 2020
Status: c840
Marvelous. This is one of the few exceptional novels around. The author (or the TL) manages to create an almost ephemeral style of describing things that perfectly fits the MC. He is only focused on cultivation and not interested in the worldly. It perfectly reflects in the writing.

Beyond that you get a thought-through world, interesting characters and overall a novel that doesn't feel random but calculated. The schemes are deep, they are foreshadowed hundreds of chapters earlier, and they make perfectly sense.

The "villain" is one of the coolest characters and... more>> has a deep agenda, it is really fun to follow him around.

Note: After ~750 chapters the first half of the novel ends and the second starts. It is different, and I didn't read enough of it, so my review is only for the first half. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Class Heaven
Class Heaven rated it
September 18, 2018
Status: c299
Feels like novel that have a mature thought process

I dont know about others but iam totally hooked up in this novel.

A refreshing novel, something expected From Mao Ni. Excellent characters, a little like Emperor's Domination MC but more handsome less active high laziness less arrogant. Great Plotlines to boot... Looking Forward to more
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
optjam
optjam rated it
November 18, 2018
Status: c300
Imo, one of the best novels I've read so far. I love the character development and the storyline so far. Everything is mysterious, but it does get explaines down the line. The world around the MC is fun to experience.

Unlike many MCs that ... more>>
Spoiler

go through reincartion and completely change their dao and way of life, the MC actually sticks to his old style and follows it completely. Even in one of the recent chapters about love interests, he does not follow in typical MC steps. He tells them how it is and the expectation they should not hold for him.

[collapse]

If you are looking for romance.. So far, there has not been any. The MC strays away from that because of his path. I love ghe storytelling. It's definitely the type of novel that takes it slow. Reminds me of Ze Tian Ji, but I am liking this alot better so far because of the multi dimensional characters. <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
morrrie
morrrie rated it
February 17, 2021
Status: Completed
I feel somewhat conflicted when it comes to this novel. The "first half" of this was great, and then the weird twist happened, and the setting flipped itself upside down. I do not really dislike what came after that twist, but I didn't really like it either. It felt as if all the things I liked about the novel were left behind and I was led to a world I did not really expect nor did I ask for when I started reading this novel. But considering it was Mao... more>> Ni, I thought that I might as well go ahead and read it to the end, and so I did read it completely. Compared to the "first half", it definitely felt lacking, but in my opinion, it still was good. The pacing issue, in particular, became too obvious but the payoffs were alright. The world we were introduced to in the "second half" was in itself worth pondering about. The new characters were also alright and the conclusion was good enough.

Now let's talk about the "first half" of the novel, it all started in an ambiguous manner, there were things that seemed to make no sense whatsoever, a certain level of mystery was there constantly but there was no payoff in sight and it did seem like a long winding path with no end in sight, but fortunately, I had read enough Mao Ni novels to understand where this kind of writing style usually leads to in his case, so I kept my patience and kept reading and it really did pay off after all. I think in the form of Immortal Taiping Mao Ni has crafted his most intriguing "villain" ever and ironically in the form of Jing Jiu Mao Ni has probably crafted his most active MC ever, even though what Jing Jiu did for most of the "first half" of the story was lying down in a bamboo chair. Unlike his other books, here Mao Ni had given us an MC who seemed the laziest of all his MCs but was actually the one who was really most involved and active from the start compared to his other MCs. But the thing is that you will not realize this at all till one-quarter of the book is already over and this wait might prove to be a real turn-off for many people, but it was alright for me.

Now in the name of philosophy, we had some aspects of Buddhism entwined in the story and it really wasn't that too much but what made it special was that the story and our MC stayed true to this philosophy till the end of the novel and this was definitely a highlight. There was politics in between but it was to a level where it made the story only more interesting.

Like in other Mao Ni novels, there were some great side characters in this story and they shined sometimes just as much if not more than MC.

This novel definitely felt somewhat close because of how well I could really connect to Jing Jiu and the outlook he had towards the world, it was not obvious at first but slowly after reading hundreds of chapters the feeling was definitely there. The more I read this story the more I felt like Mao Ni was definitely not trying to write a typical Xianxia here but he definitely seemed more interested in exploring life from the eyes of "Immortals".

There are many aspects to this novel that will only come to light after reading for a while but it definitely was worth it in the end.

Worth a read. <<less
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Yesquatch
Yesquatch rated it
March 10, 2020
Status: c505
At some point in most Eastern Fantasy have a statement about the Dao of selfishness or the Dao of not caring about the others. If people die in front of the MC, they would poster and say I don't care about what happens to people I don't know, and that is my Dao. Or the MC might be an ruthless person, who follows the Dao of slaughter. But these statements in most stories are just excuses to create a particular kind of hero (e.g. The Insane MC who kills all)... more>> or to justify a particular plot point.

This story goes into some detail about the philosophy of the various character. Fights and deaths follow from deeply thought out actions by the various characters. I might even go so far as to say, that the characters make rational or emotionally coherent choices. The pace is slow - not in terms of story development, but - in terms of there being a significantly lower use of the Dao of Filler.

And that is why this is one of the best, if not the best web novel I have read. [OK, first couple of chapters are bizarre.] <<less
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kurousagi4242
kurousagi4242 rated it
November 7, 2018
Status: c815
While many people may not like the scheming and the laziness of the MC I must disagree with them. Mao Ni's novels always seem to be if you read it you gotta be ready to be in it for the whole ride to understand it. In my own humble opinion, the beauty of this novel from the well thought out schemes.

As with any story how you use the devices really affects how the story comes out. The cultivation while not prevalent still maintains a clear presence throughout the story so... more>> far as it completely changes how characters: 1) Plan schemes 2) React to schemes and 3) Execute schemes. It makes the scheming unique in a way although that might just be me.

Although the MC does seem lazy he actually does put forth the effort when it comes to important things like his cultivation level or doing things for his sect. His motivations are very clear and some chapters explain his detachment from problems or fights for the most part.

And although there was a really large chunk of the novel where he was not actively present I think what Mao Ni did with those chapters was good. A story doesn't always have to revolve around the MC there are other characters with their own stories who can craft their own legends. I think this is what makes Mao Ni's novels great it makes the characters feel real or at the very least less one dimensional.

(PS The translation definitely does need help)

Edit:

Spoiler

So I recently caught up with the novel and though I still love it I am quite peeved by the creative decisions and the change of pace and the fact he basically got rid of the whole cast after ascendence. The new characters don't feel as good mainly because they don't have the HUNDREDS OF CHAPTERS it took to grow and nurture the cast we know and love. Overall it is still a relatively good series. The scheming which was unique to this story though feels less planned out after Taiping died.

[collapse]
<<less
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ashycre
ashycre rated it
October 2, 2018
Status: c267
A great read so far! Story is intriguing. It keeps building piece by piece. The world is very much alive. No lose-train-win cycle. It's quite enjoyable to see things from past chapters staying relevant and coming together.

MC doesn't do much fighting, which I think makes much sense considering his condition and philosophy. On the other hand, we get to enjoy the other characters grow as they interact with MC. Pretty much a lot of recurring characters deserve to be MC in their own story line.

... more>>
Spoiler

For example, one character is told pretty much like a typical wuxia novel MC who was just really lucky since he was born. Accidentally learning great cultivation scripture and kept stumbling upon great magical treasures. Others were born with great innate talents or met great teachers in quest for revenge.

[collapse]

Spoiler

People keep saying that MC is lazy but he's actually not lazy just apathetic to things. The laziness is only from other people's perception since it was mentioned in the beginning that the way he cultivates is different this time around after reincarnation attributed to his current body. And if I recall correctly, he even mentioned that he didn't do things since eventually history repeats itself. The MC is already mature and not as gungho and idealistic as the younger practitioners, represented by Guo Nanshan's talented group.

[collapse]
<<less
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sleib
sleib rated it
April 15, 2018
Status: c148
For now, this a gem! I love MC, he reminds me of MC from emperor's domination (but less op, less arrogant, lazier and more indifferent). While some ze tian ji fans (i love ze tian ji too) might be disappointed because this novel is simply different, it's undeniable that this is a very good novel. It has good action, interesting characters and world, great MC and some elements of mystery. Also unlike ze tian ji this one is not extremely slow paced, and that's a great pro for me.
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Raydark
Raydark
March 31, 2018
Status: c50
Well, I haven't read a lot, but it is promising just like ZTJ, but maybe a little faster... Not as insufferably disciplined and a goody-two shoes tho. But the main reason I want to write this comment is cuz I wanna ask Jed1 if he really was satisfied with ZTJ. Cuz I damn well wasn't! Do you really feel that ending was satisfactory? I'm now too scared to commit to anymore of his novels.
6 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
vixcturi
vixcturi rated it
February 15, 2021
Status: --
I give this novel ☆ (1 star/5)

Easiest way to describe this novel : Seemingly Profound

This is an extremely slow and boring novel to say the least.

... more>> People that are impressed by this type of story are the same people that could be conned into religious cults or swayed by the beautiful words of a swindler.

My biggest pet peeve about this novel is its plot can actually be summed up to a word: Prevarication.

The author says a lot while not actually saying anything at all.

It offers mystery without actually having anything mystifying in the plot at all.

It confuses inaction with being profound and meaningful, uses seemingly profound sentencing to hoodwink readers into thinking they’re reading something beyond comprehension and therefore superior to anything as out there.

If there is anything I hate more in novels, it’s plot that sound literary, deep and profound but say nothing at all, and do continuous figure eights.

What I mean by that is the plot never evolves, never moves forward and goes round and round in a circle till your confused, and where the author intentionally deceives gullible people into thinking your confusion is a lack of their own intelligence and not the dimwitted and conniving nature of the plot and author who never takes the plot anywhere and spouts a bunch of garbage every few paragraphs.

I have no idea why this tr*sh of a novel receives so much praise. It’s confusing to say the least. <<less
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