As a fan of Yuan Tong, I am very excited that now all three of his works (other two being Sword of Dawnbreaker and Record of Unusual Creatures) gets translated and potential enjoyed by more readers. Yuan Tong has excellent writing, frequently bringing up twists and turns with proper foreshadowing, and does an excellent job weaving together comedy and epic. However this novel is his first novel, and it is notorious for the first several HUNDRED chapters being discouraging to many readers, and many readers can not endure the writing to get to the good part. One of his reader wrote a reading guide so new readers of this novel can skip or skim over the first few sections and get to the good parts without missing out on anything. I tried, with my little skill in English, to translate it and put it here. Here is the Xyrin Empire reading guide by @玩命挑战者 from Baidu Tieba (T/N: Most translated names and terms are not official, if the names do not match then the ones in the novel then use the ones in the novels as standard. I mean in RUC the empire is called Xiling now it is called Xyrin?) Just about the time when Yuan Tong became a platinum author, and The Record of Unusual Creatures anime and manga started being made, many more people started to read Yuan Tong’s first book: Xyrin Empire. Because this novel’s first 560 chapters are dark history that everyone agrees on, and highly discouraging to any readers, Yuan Tong has received much criticism. Most of the ones who criticized him are not trolls, they just can’t stand Xyrin Empire’s dark history, and could not keep reading till the epic part, this makes Xyrin Empire’s true fans quite upset…. I have seen many people read Sword of Dawnbreaker and Record of Unusual Creatures, feeling they are pretty good. Then they read Xyrin Empire and their hopes collapse on the spot. Xyrin Empire is Yuan Tong’s first work, its opening can discourage 40% of Qidian’s readers. So I wrote a reading guide so people won’t miss this good novel. First, on the problems of first-person perspective: Writing in first person isn’t the issue, terrible writing in first person is the issue. Typically writing in first person can achieve results such as: attracting readers and letting them connect with the MC, more emotional appeal, more vivid, etc. Qidian does not have many good first-person novels, which formed the idea that first-person webnovels are bad. However Xyrin Empire (post Ch 600) is one of the best first-person web novel ever written, so the issue is on bad writing, not first-person perspective. Xyrin Empire’s first 560 chapters are the most controversial Ch 1 to Ch 159. I suggest everyone just don’t read it. Even when I reread Xyrin Empire I wouldn’t read that part. This part is written when the author is still a new writer. Frankly, the plot is cliche and writing is terrible. Even one of the settings---the “arcane iron” (奥铁)--- was retconned later because it conflicted with the main setting (Void Echelon---虚空阶梯). Just look up on Baidu Baike for characters and backgrounds. The plot can be basically summarized as: MC Chen Jun got an empire falling out of the sky, and became its emperor. The rest of the face-slapping, world-saving plot has no value at all. Although there is a foreshadowing in Ch 25 where a Xyrin Apostle arrived and died on Earth several thousand years ago for unknown reasons, the novel will not bring this point up until Ch 1301. Ch 160 to Ch 274, the author is writing about Azeroth, i.e. World of Warcraft fanfiction. If you are interested, you can read this arc (especially the part after Ch 218), since the author actually did a good job on the plot outline. The writing is still below average on Qidian though. Skip if you want to. This section introduces a new type of antagonists, “Fallen Apostles” (堕落使徒). The author also introduced 2 important character in this part: Visca（维斯卡）and Relena (莉莉娜). I suggest reading Ch 232 to Ch 234, because it talked about the birth of Visca, which is the cause of her erratic behavior starting from millions of years ago. It is just 3 chapters, you can do it….. Ch 275 to Ch 328, an arc about facing-slapping on Earth. The first time I read it I felt awesome. When I reread it about finishing the novel, it was horrible. Just don’t read most of it, you might go blind… The main plot involves a bunch of chuunibyou, calling themselves “Olympus”, dug out the empire’s relic from 700000 years ago. They used these trash to catalyze the creation of a bunch of people with superpowers. Feeling unbeatable, they try to take over the world and got curb-stomped by the MC and his party. The author’s writing regressed during this part, but you can still read a few chapters which bring up some important settings. Ch 275 to Ch 277 is where Ding Dang’s World Management Terminal “World Tree” (世界之树) was mentioned. They also foreshadowed Relena becoming the pope for the church of the goddess of life. Ch 283 to Ch 285, Chen Jun has a new unit under his command: “Armored Scorpion” (装甲蝎), and a new character: Armored Scorpion Commander Viga (维嘉). Ch 329 to Ch 335. Conclusion of the Olympus event. I singled it out because at this point the worst of the author’s writing has passed. The writing isn’t good but some settings are important to later plot. This is the first time mentioning of Xyrin Apostle’s special strategic weapon “Glory class planet warship” (荣耀级星球战舰). We also see Visca’s Glory here: Visca’s Fortress Planet (维斯卡壁垒星). A thousand-chapter long foreshadowing also appears: The Visca’s Fortress Planet’s planetary ring has gone missing. This foreshadowing is concluded at Ch 1584. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I suggest everyone don’t skip this part. Ch 336 to Ch 337. Slice of life stuff, not related to the main arc. Ch 338 to Ch 348. Original plot, the MCs saving a world in a zombie apocalypse. The cause of the disaster is a planetary ring fragment that crashed on the planet----Yes, this is the planetary ring we talked about a few lines ago. This arc made the missing planetary ring even more mysterious, but there are still about 1200 chapters on this ring…… Just skip if you want to, this paragraph has just summarized anything important in those 10 chapters…… Above is the dark history of Xyrin Empire, not much worth reading. Now we will enter Xyrin Empire’s anime-crossover time, and the cause of why this novel is one of the three most popular otaku novel during its early life. Many people don’t like anime-crossovers, some because they don’t like comparing different world settings, some because they think it is a type of copyright infringement (That’s why Yuan Tong is doing a Xyrin Empire remake), some just because they are not interested in anime. They just don’t like the anime-crossovers. About this type of reader, my opinion is that everyone has their own ideas. No point forcing it on anyone. Don’t read it if you don’t want to, just check out Tieba or Baike for plot summarized. I start enjoying the ACG/otaku culture because of Xyrin Empire. I never came in contact with ACG culture before this. Personally I like the anime-crossovers, although copyright infringement is an issue (Yuan Tong vomiting blood…… ). Since Xyrin Empire’s fanfiction principle is “turn around all the tragic endings because the Empire is overpowered as heck”, these fanfiction arcs are still pretty good. Ch 349 to Ch 401. Fanfiction of A Certain Magical Index. Starting from here, Yuan Tong’s writing and plot design are above average in Qidian standards. So if you are not against anime crossovers, I suggest you read them. If you really don’t want to read it, here is the important plot: Sylvia (希尔维亚) ----An important original character. She appears in Ch 362, 368, 369, 372, 378 and most of the main arcs. She was originally a Xyrin Apostle. She is also the Fallen Apostle “Bellvilles” (贝拉维拉) in the Azeroth arc. She lost her powers and memories and was lost in A Certain Magical Index world for unknown reasons. I will keep the rest of the plot secret to not spoil anything. Next we have Ruiko Saten, not OC and a secondary character, and she will not appear after Ch 722. At the end of Ch 359 she accidentally gains the power of Xyrin Apostle unit “Storm Commander” (风暴指挥官). Next is the tens of thousands of Sisters (i.e. all the Misaka clones), not OC but they will stay around for a while. In this arc, the MCs take them in to live in Shadow City in order to protect them. The MCs also built them an “Academy sector” based on Academy City. This will become the origin of the Imperial Military Academy. Ch 402, 403, 404 are slice of life chapters. Ch 405 to Ch 432. Fanfiction of StarCraft. The writing in this arc is ok, but the plot is quite erratic. I suggest you skip this one. The main arc here is the Empire coming to the Koprulu Sector to eliminate the Zergs, which are considered as a dangerous species. The Terrans and Protoss were convinced by a mysterious phenomenon called “Revelation” that the Empire are invaders. Just skip this arc. Ch 440 to Ch 445. Continuation of the StarCraft arc. This part is not related to the originals however, since the original plot would not include a black celestial body, or a Fallen Apostle’s Sovereign (君临者) Warship. From this part on Xyrin Empire start talking about problems such as “Universal Laws” （宇宙规律). I suggest you don’t skip this part. Ch 446. Slice of life chapters, don’t skip. Ch 447 to Ch 469. Original plot. Good writing, good plot. I suggest everyone don’t skip this arc. This arc is mainly about the Empire saving survivors from the fragment of a universe that was annihilated. This universe fragment is later modified into a universal law strategic weapon “Garden of Death”(离世庭园), also known as Avalon. In this arc, one of the reasons why the Fallen Apostles want to destroy the world is explained. The Empire also reestablish contact with the Galacticus Lords (星域神族) (T/N: I used this name because this is their name in RUC). Two main characters from the Galacticus Lords, Ilsen (依尔森) and Molina (莫妮娜) also appears for the first time. Ch 470 to Ch 512. Fanfiction of Fate/stay night. Well written but skip if you don’t like it, but don’t skip anything after Ch 507. Here the “Red Moon” (红月) is mentioned, something never existed in the original. After Ch 507 is where Chen Jun adventures into Red Moon to acquire its data bank (also known as the Red Moon Cube). The Red Moon is one of the Old Empire’s final creations before it went dormant, and its data banks recorded many doomsday technologies that the Old Empire researched before it reached its end. These forbidden technologies are very important to the plot. Another important plot point: after the Empire saved the world, a bunch of servants from Fate world joined the New Empire after Ding Dang negotiated with some local forces. Ch 514 to Ch 517, mostly slice of life stuff in addition to the analysis of Red Moon databanks. Don’t skip it though because there is a lot of information about one of the MCs Ling Xue. Ch 518 to Ch 537, half original half anime-crossover: the Great Transmigration Tide. A bunch of people from different universes got isekai-ed to the universe where MCs’ Earth is located (reason never explained, I think Yuan Tong forgot about it). At this point the writing is close to top notch, and the plot is hilarious, so don’t skip it. This tide also serves as the basis for Shadow City to become “The Capital of Multiverse”. Ch 538 to Ch 553. Fanfiction of Highschool of the Dead. Good writing but the plot is not interesting, so if you don’t like it, start reading from Ch 542 or Ch 544. You need to read parts after these chapters because an important character joins: Bryndis (冰蒂斯). Chen Jun also gets a new skill “Void mode” (虚空形态). This serves as the foundation when the MCs head toward the Galacticus realm and the Father God tells Chen Jun about his true identity. Ch 554 to Ch 567, slice of life, don’t skip it. Starting from the world of the Great Nebula, Xyrin Empire would become a publicly recognized Epic. Don’t skip any chapters. You can flip the pages faster but DON’T SKIP ANYTHING. Ch 568 to Ch 633. The Great Nebula. In this arc Yuan Tong did some great worldbuilding. This is the start of a legend, especially after Ch 612. This is the first time I read something in Xyrin Empire that send a shiver down my spine. Ch 634 to Ch 691. Half-original: The Carnival. This is one of the most hilarious parts of Xyrin Empire. Ch 692 to Ch 715. Fanfiction of Touhou Project and original plot: Atlantis. Previously from Ch 329 to Ch 335 the novel mentioned Atlantis. Most people think Atlantians are extinct, but there are survivors. Even as mortals, Atlantians inherited the spirit of Xyrin Apostles. Worth a read. Ch 716 to Ch 726. Slice of life chapters, don’t skip. Ch 727 to Ch 751. MCs visiting the Galacticus Lords. From here on out Xyrin Empire has no more chapters that need to be explained to read. These are epics——epics for everyone. (T/N: Also translators of the novel, can you communicate with the translators of the other two books so you can get at least consistent names and terms? They share the same universe. )
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