After staying up all night and working overtime for five consecutive days, Yang Zanxing, a corporate s*ave, had transmigrated into an ancient, cultivation, feel-good novel aimed at the male demographic that she had read last month. She ended up appearing for 3,000 words as the cannon fodder female supporting character who was blown to bits by the male lead for framing his sweetheart.
Yang Zanxing: “What’s this about???”
The corporate s*ave who was familiar with the plot let out a deafening cry: “My life is up to me! Not to the heavens!”
However…
Forty years ago, the shark demon had returned for revenge, the relics of the goddess were left in the secret land, the withering snake shaman had reappeared in the world, and the legendary evil sword had resurfaced…
Could the Heavenly Lord afford to lose??
As Zanxing faced the escalating difficulties of the plot, she only had one purpose—to get to the ending.
——Destiny is something that happens no matter what you do. Regardless of how you struggle, the end will not change.
——I must change it.
A story in which I decide my own life, and not follow the original work. A two-faced, c*cky younger Martial Uncle x hard working to get to the ending Martial Niece, the female lead who has a golden finger.
The shift to a cultivation and martial arts-based story is a departure from the author’s previous works. I’ve read several of the author’s earlier novels, starting with *Malicious Empress*, which I thoroughly enjoyed. , *Zanxing* is a decent cultivation novel. The author typically avoids overly drawn-out stories and provides clear conclusions.
What initially drew me to this author’s work is their ability to create intrigue and captivate interest. However, as I delved deeper into more of their works, I began to notice more flaws. The most significant, in my opinion, is the shallow and often unrealistic portrayal of characters. All of the author’s main characters tend to be somewhat of a Mary Sue, leading to scenarios that feel anticlimactic and unearned. While this can be forgivable at times, it can also be jarring and detract from the story, making it difficult to remain invested due to the excessive plot armor.
In *Zanxing*, the main character is not overly overpowered, and her plot armor is relatively thin, which is a mixed blessing. One particularly annoying aspect is how the author portrays the characters’ reactions to Zanxing’s appearance. Originally, Zanxing was described as extremely beautiful and engaged to a shallow, domineering young man from the town where the original male lead lived. Her engagement was primarily due to her looks, despite her lack of impressive family background. After obtaining a special item from a monster, she sustains injuries that leave black streaks on half of her face. Despite the magical nature of the cultivation world, where healing is possible, characters constantly refer to her as “fugly” and openly express disgust. This portrayal feels exaggerated and unrealistic, as it suggests that everyone in the world, except for a few, views her as the ugliest person alive.
Realistically, the world would be divided into those who care about her scars and those who don’t, with varying degrees of reaction. Instead, the author presents a world where nearly everyone, including the new male lead and potential love interest, treats her as if she is horribly disfigured. This constant reminder of her ugliness is grating and unnecessary, especially when it doesn’t serve a clear narrative purpose.
After reading up to chapter 245, I find that the novel is not something I would recommend, as I feel the author has regressed compared to their earlier works. The female lead, Zanxing, is not a compelling main character for several reasons:
1. **Overreliance on Plot Armor**: Her successes are not due to her own efforts or strategic thinking but because she is “special.” She consistently fights above her weight class and wins mainly because of her status as the protagonist. This reliance on plot armor diminishes the satisfaction of her victories.
2. **Contradictory Behavior**: Zanxing’s actions and decisions are often inconsistent. She tries to avoid her doomed fate by cultivating strength, yet when she realizes the “novel god” is adjusting the storyline, she retreats and tries to stay out of the spotlight, even pushing her “good luck” back to the original main character. Her existence already defies the natural order, so her fear of “natural retribution” based on a mysterious mark on her hand feels contrived.
3. **Lack of Intelligence**: Zanxing often acts without thinking and fails to plan ahead. She repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations and lacks a sense of control. Her boldness in helping others contrasts sharply with her fear of the mysterious mark, leading to a frustrating and inconsistent character arc.
Moreover, the supporting characters are equally underdeveloped. For instance, the love interest, Gu Baiying, and Zanxing’s relationship feel forced and lack organic development. Other characters, such as Mendong, Mu Cengxiao, and Hongsu, fail to add depth or interest to the story. Their actions and motivations are often shallow and clichéd, contributing to the overall lack of compelling storytelling.
In summary, while *Zanxing* has an intriguing premise, the execution falls short. The author’s regression in character development and narrative depth makes it a disappointing read, especially for fans of their earlier works.
However, changing writing styles shouldn’t mean abandoning all the elements that made the previous works great. What I love about "Ill-Fated Consort" and "Malicious Empress" are the strategic elements—the scheming, the plotting, and the intelligence of the female lead (FL). So, why does Yang Zanxing not use her head? I made it to chapter 26 and couldn’t take it anymore. But wait, it’s not just the FL. Cultivation isn’t just about physical strength and flashy moves; it’s also about mental acuity. There’s no excuse for the other characters’ behavior. It feels like I’m reading about a group of middle schoolers.
Another issue I have is how the FL handles the chauvinistic setting of the novel. She has done nothing about it, even when she had the chance. For example, with her maid and coachman, she is their master. She had multiple opportunities to make them understand that she doesn’t want to depend on a man and that her life goal isn’t to get married. But she stayed silent and let her maid go on about finding a new husband. God forbid she doesn’t. The FL wouldn’t be out of character (no one has enough sense to notice), so there’s no excuse.
In conclusion, comparison is the root of all evil. I’m upset because I’ve read the author’s previous works. Dear reader, maybe you’ll have a different experience. Give it a try.
"Okay, where do I even start? The book was a really good read. It has around 3-4 arcs that align with the description. The machine-translated version was okay and readable. The relationship between the main lead (ML) and the female lead (FL) doesn't really improve until the middle of the book. I finished reading it in a week, but the middle arc was a bit boring, so I just skipped some chapters in between. I really love this female lead; she's incredibly admirable. The author definitely knows how to write strong female characters, making the book quite enjoyable to read."
**Pros:**
- Good storytelling. The main character's (MC) travels are interesting, and the plots she goes through are engaging. The adventuring aspects are very enjoyable.
- Some pretty solid worldbuilding, especially for the generation before the MC.
- She has a strong desire to get stronger and challenge fate.
- The female lead (FL) and male lead (ML) have great chemistry and a well-developed relationship.
**Cons:**
- The MC says she wants to get stronger and challenge fate, but she often fails to demonstrate any of that.
- Instead, due to fate, she gives up several important and highly valuable opportunities to gain power as if they mean nothing. She doesn’t even try to maximize their benefits.
- The misunderstandings are frustrating. I’m over 200 chapters in, and every single character still thinks that the FL has a crush on the original male lead (ogML), which isn’t true. The FL doesn’t even bother to correct them. It’s so painful to read when you know it’s all nonsense, and so many chapters revolve around this stupid misunderstanding. There are unnecessary plot points built on something that should have been clarified hundreds of chapters ago.
- The ML also has this misunderstanding and wants to confess to the FL, but he ends up giving the ogML another extremely valuable object to help his cultivation for free.
- To be honest, I’m just so frustrated because I had high expectations for her when I started, but she constantly gives away precious artifacts and other things she worked hard or risked her life to obtain, all to the ogML for free. No wonder everyone thinks she has a crush on him when she keeps doing things like this.
To me, this is a straightforward, enjoyable action-adventure story where the main character (MC) and her team embark on various quests together, unravel the world's mysteries, battle villains, and uncover hidden truths. The tone is light-hearted, but it also includes its share of both joyful and sorrowful moments (some of which might bring you to tears). It feels very much like a classic shonen story, but with a female MC. Unlike the author's other notable novels (with the exception of "Star General"), this one lacks the typical face-slapping scenes. It’s not a story of revenge; rather, it’s about a girl destined to be cannon fodder who strives to defy her fate.
The MC, Zanxing, embodies the traits of a typical shonen protagonist—optimistic, kind, hardworking, and, let’s not forget, lucky (haha). The male lead (ML), unlike the usually ‘cold’ MLs in the author's other works, is more on the arrogant, tsundere side. By chapter 165, he has just realized his feelings, and I'm eagerly anticipating how the romance will develop.
One aspect I particularly appreciate about this novel is the importance and depth of the side characters. They each have their own roles, personalities, and motivations, and the story involves teamwork, giving everyone a chance to stand out. It’s not just a story of two people against the world.
The narrative starts a bit slowly as the author takes time to establish Zanxing's position within her sect before the adventures truly begin. However, it remains engaging throughout, and I never found it dull. I will update my review once I finish the novel.
Edit:
I have now completed the novel. I was very satisfied with the ending, especially the unexpected twist at the very end—it took me by surprise.
Unlike most cultivation novels that often sideline romance, this one has a clear beginning and end, indicating that the author meticulously planned every detail from the start. It doesn’t follow the typical pattern of targeting smaller enemies before confronting the final boss, thus subverting many common action-story tropes while still staying true to its genre.
If you enjoy action-adventure stories with a female MC, a light-hearted tone, and a touch of romance, this novel is definitely worth checking out. Even if you’re new to the xianxia genre, this book serves as an excellent starting point.
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So, I picked up this novel because of the author. I’ve been reading her novels lately and got hooked on them. Her style, or what can be deduced from reading a translation, has improved once again.
As she mentioned in her notes, this is her first attempt at a cultivation genre, and she did a fantastic job.
Zanxing, our main character, transmigrated into a book as a minor character destined to die. However, knowing her fate, she decided to change it, along with the endings of other characters in the world.
The character development is excellent, the world-building is solid, the story flows steadily, and the pacing is good.
This novel has all the elements that a hero’s journey should have.
, it was a great read.