CynicalMaestro

****Review after reaching chapter 232 (or original chapter 122)*** Sigh! This novel, till the 100 full chapters that I read, comprises of less than 3 months, and that’s me being generous as I’ve lost track. It might even be a month and a half as well. And the protagonist has jumped form no-martial arts to one step away from peak of the beginner area. No-martial arts —> Skin buff (~5-6 days) Skin buff —> Refining body (~3-4 days) Refining body —> Muscle tendon (~4-5 days) Muscle tendon —> Iron bone (4~5 days) Someone who is considered talented in this regional area takes 10 year for this. That’s when they have a master beyond Iron bone realm, with generous resources and high level techniques. The protagonist, as of yet, doesn’t seem to have any other advantages other than the Daily News System. And from the news that he received only 2 have actually helped him increase his realm. So that’s 2 days worth of news. The rest of the time, it just helped him make connections or helped stay ahead of his enemies. It’s not a big deal, you can just chalk it up and say that the protagonist is insanely talented, just doesn’t know yet. Cool, cool, cool. Lazy writing, but still understandable. What’s annoying is 100+ chapters was just a month of timeframe. And the reason is the insane amount of unnecessary background information. World building is good, if you do it moderately. Or at places required. Here? Every single chapter has 60% just background information, 20% current scene information, 20% dialogue. This leads to repeated information again and again. I get it, the previous empire has fallen, the new one is also falling, is corrupt and discriminates, founded by foreign invaders. Life is bad for 364 days. And for the rest of the 1 day it’s tax collection day, so it’s worst. But I don’t need this information at every turn in a chapter. When someone eats hard bread, or when they eat 2 meals and no dinner, or when some rides a horse or a carriage with a horse instead of a donkey, or when you enter the county gate and pay bribe, or at every random injustice you encounter. EVERY VILLIAN HAS A SAD AND STUGGLING BACKSTORY! Even a cannon fodder that died within 10 episodes! Even a scumbag ra*ist has one! And you need to know it in full detail. Guess the fact that MC has a daily news system makes sense. And we have a full information system for every single character. Ummm.. phew. I will finish this review here. Maybe I’ll read on a little more, most likely not.🤷🏻‍♂️ P.S. Su Ruirui is the best! Her approach to life is simple. Anything can be eaten. This review is too long? Su Ruirui: what’s a comment? Can I eat it?🤤

***Review after reaching chapter 449 (or Original Chapter 248)*** *Sigh* Though most novel are disappointing to say the least, I expected to atleast reach pretty far into this novel. Sadly, after a full 248 chapters, I find myself thinking: “What the actual f*ck is happening?” It was all fine just 10 chapter before. How did it all fall apart like the whole cast was changed. 1. The MC was ruthless, and more than that, he was cautious. When he was sure that he can win, he’d infiltrate the enemy base, and stealthily kill a group without alerting anyone. Or when he was strong enough, he 1V20’ed and won by slaughtering everyone. Oops, no, he killed 19 of them brutally and pretended to not notice that one survived, while impersonating a false identity, so that the survivor will report just enough information before dying from serious injury. This shifting the blame. That’s the level of cautiousness that the MC employed. His ruthlessness was on par with his cautiousness. He once let the enemy he was stalking go, just ‘coz he was unsure of his kill. That guy was just 2 minor realms higher than him. I am baffled by what I just read in this chapter I am on. MC, now from an ALCHEMY sect, lacks pills for cultivation, for a realm that’s not too high, so as to make to pills too rare or difficult to acquire. It’s an ALCHEMY sect, if they don’t have the pill, they’ll grow the ingredients. If they can’t, they have enough capital to buy it. In terms of financial power, they are only behind the sects with a commerce background. But the MC, growing confident in his skills decides to RAID other sect’s treasury, who’s highest combat proper is a whole realm higher than the MC, while this powerhouse was still in the territory!! That’s the same cultivation level as his own sect! The sheer confidence and utter disregard to all possible cautiousness is just baffling. But it gets worst! He infiltrated by disguising himself as the LOVER of their promising young talent, got her drunk, and obtained all information from this drunk chick, told her that he will drop her back to her room as she is drunk, and she lets him into the sect for it, then he (controls himself from doing anything nasty to her. Yes. That exactly!), leaves her in her room and drugs the guards to sleep, who by the way are probably also higher level than him, steal not just the pills he needs, but everything that looks valuable. Whether he knew what they are or not. Just the gold was was about 10mil taels, not even counting the rest of the loot. Now you might wonder, okay, so he’s changed his nature. So what? He succeeded right? And so let me continue then… The pills he loot, the ones that he really needed, were used up in 15 days. He jumped 2 minor realms. Yay! But now he needs more. And yes, this is going exactly where you are thinking. So 15 days after his lucked out heist, which by the way caused a lot of commotion (obviously?), he now sets to loot another similar level sect. Wow. And this time…. Sigh. This time he infiltrated as the sect master himself. That certain powerhouse whose realm was the a full major realm higher, which experience and better gears by their side. He realised that the sect master was out, and chose his identity, flirted with his wife for information, goes to steal. And what do you know, the sect master is back now, and sees another of him. P.S. MC has a high level treasure on him that passively protects him when his life is in danger. And everyone knows this and of how the treasure looks. They are even plotting to attack him and steal it. Even attack his sect by uniting. Thus all aggro is on the MC. So you can image what would happen when this sect master attacks the impersonating MC. Anyway, I’ll drop this here I guess. Sorry, this went on for too long. Just disappointed ‘coz this was going really well. Smh.

***Review after reaching Chapter 1028*** Here’s the thing about this one: It has a lot of it’s lore based on Chinese mythology. And Journey To The West is just one of them. Not only Chinese mythology, but Chinese culture as well. And the matter gets worst as the MC uses other novels as references for his skills and techniques development. And yes, the inner core skill that he starts with is “supposedly” from his past life (on earth?) but being from such a mortal/science based world, makes it hard to comprehend how such techniques exist there. It’s a technique that point to immoral ascension. I am not talking about the technique after its deviations due to the “Progress Bar” cheat, but the basic technique (from earth) points to immortal ascension and a million year lifespan? What kind of science based world has this? So if you can ignore this fact or rather this origin of his inner core skill, and just assume it has a mysterious existence/immortal inheritance, that will solve most of the plotholes in this. Ofcorse that isn’t the only issue with the novel, the cheat of the protagonist itself is so complex. Essentially calling it progress bar itself feels weird at times. It’s like an [Adaptation] ability with a speed boost for faster experience, typically making things improve faster. Be it himself, or plants. Even sentient plants (plant species) can be applicable but animal based pets aren’t. If you aren’t wel versed in Chinese culture and mythology, you’ll find it exhausting and far fetched at times. But then again, it’s a cultivation novel, it’s already a far fetched story.🤷🏻‍♂️ But that will just make reading too dull and you’ll find yourself pushing through and skipping passsages just to get to the exciting part, which in later chapters, is in abundance. So you might be skipping full chapters at times. If you can ignore all that, try it by all means, it’s mid-level engaging.

That escalated too quickly. Well, I won’t complain if it saves my a**. Figuratively and literally.💀

What a coincidence. Maybe it’s the same requirements for a we*d farm?🫤

***Updated review after finishing the novel!*** So let’s continue. Everything I said earlier still held true up until the end. Though he creates a Divine Arts domain technique, but that’s just a must for all those who step into Divinity Transformation realm. And that’s it. That’s the only addition to his entire moveset. He has no changes until he reaches Mahayana. And that’s 5 major realms that he cultivates to without any extra skills. Leaving the matter aside, let it be noted that Li Qingqing is the best girl in this novel. Though Qingling is great and has a fun personality, who I personally liked uptil the where I read previously. But by the end of it, I can deny her. She waited for this dumbf*ck of an MC for 3800+ years! The MC knew her feelings, the MC had feelings for her, everyone knew it as well. All the MC did was string her along for the entire novel. She knew him since he was a Foundation Establishment realm weakling. Everytime he disappeared for decades, she’d take care of all the things for him, while focusing on her improvements as well, waiting for him to return. And he just waltz back and says “I’m back”, continues on with life like nothing until he has to leave again. Anyway, post chapter 930-ish, it’s rushed like way too much. And the final fight is like 3 paragraphs. Probably less words that these reviews as well. Pretty underwhelming end tbh. The Author may have tried to give it a good end by having female love interests meet him again after 3000 years when they ascend, but that doesn’t justify much. I’d probably rate this around 3.7⭐️/5.0⭐️ at best.

Heavenly Dao: Ha! You deserved to die. I give you the chance at ascension, and you want to ascend with your ENTIRE sect?! Am I a joke to you? Take this Life Extinguishing-Soul Annihilating Divine Thunder!

***Review after reading through half the novel*** So here’s another one. In simple words, it’s alright. There isn’t anything great. MC for most of the novel isn’t anything great. I mean yes, he’s strong and leapfrogs during fights, but there is nothing captivating as such. He’s an alchemist. Unlike other alchemists, he’s an all-rounder. But also like other alchemists, he has no other skills. It’s truly weird. Like he has a very OP Body Refining cultivation technique, but all he can do is land plain ordinary punches. He has no techniques that can compliment it. He has a well balanced and strong Five Elements cultivation technique, which has its origins during Ancient Era. The creator of the technique also used it to become an immortal. Everyone after him also had significant achievements, and are famous throughout the world. Yet, the MC has no techniques or skills he can use in pair with it to display his actual strength. He does however have another Five Elements skill/technique (not sure what exactly), which create five coloured lights and he can send them into others body, and then immobilise them. But it doesn’t do much to those with strong cultivation, which by the way constitutes to a lot of people that MC faces. Almost it can be used as a disruption. Apart from this, he has a sword skill, for sneak attacks. Yes, the MC who practices Five Elements Qi cultivation, Body Refining cultivation AND Divine sense cultivation simultaneously, has his only skill as a sneak attack skill that works at best again those within the same realm. News flash! He is anyway invincible in the same realm! He has the most underwhelming fights while being so incredibly strong. Phew! Anyway, apart from this… I guess you could say that the progress of the story is a bit bland. Everything is pretty conveniently handed to him. The place he stayed at in the beginning is attacked by beasts, and in the chaos, some human stepping stone is killed by MCs friend. UNSURPRISINGLY, this stepping stone has a very high grade sword, which is odd as he is a body and it’s the “novice area”. Also UNSURPRISINGLY, this friend gives the sword as a gift to the MC. This sword is a flawless sword which can become invisible and can be used to sneak attack. But is only against those within the same realm. UNSURPRISINGLY, a year or so later, in an auction he finds a technique which can be paired PERFECTLY with this sword, so much so that if paired with other swords, it’s not gonna work. So he gets it, but it’s incomplete. UNSURPRISINGLY, a few years later when the technique and sword is becoming unless to his realm, he finds the remains of the person who actually created the technique, and hence completely it, and also finds a broken sword and additional materials with the persons remains, which can be used to upgrade the sword to a very high level. This is just the instance with the sword skill. This is the case with all his skills. This is the first MC I have seen that never had to give up a cultivation technique or skill ‘coz they outlived their purpose. He’s just conveniently handed the means to keep cultivating the techniques he started on day one! Never having to give up and cultivate something else or something better. At the end of the day, it kills time. And its not bad in that regard. So try it if you have nothing else. It’s pretty short sized novel as well. About 400+ chapters.