I recommend not giving up on the somewhat sluggish first arc even if the pacing of the story does not 'improve'. The author's writing style may be a little casual and not at the breakneck speed of most QT novels, but this allowed the author to explore further and deeper into the overarching story. The initial 'random' plot setup of the specific world is not very important beyond how the differences in each arc can tease out a few more clues about our protagonists' pasts.
This inevitably makes the plot of each individual arc a little less interesting. However, how these arcs interweave with each other and the main character's growth over time are prioritized and it shows. The pace may start and end slow, but it is very consistent throughout. Many QT novels seem to suffer from burnout where they start strong but then the author either attempts to extend the story further despite running out of steam or they have a very sudden or cliché ending that cannot match the previous momentum. This story sidesteps these traps and ends very naturally.
The unfortunate side of choosing to write a story so centralized on the characterization and relationship between only a few characters is that you will not like the story if you cannot get invested into the protagonists. That is not to say that other arcs skimp out on the side characters. I liked both girls that appeared in the final world quite a bit and learned enough about each of them by the end of the arc to feel that way. I admit I did not feel so strongly about the protagonist in the first few chapters. This is definitely a story where it takes time to learn enough about the character to warm up to them, which is why I recommend reading a little further if you do not outright hate Xu Yin. The end of the first arc is what hooked me to continue.
Spoiler
I was very surprised that XY would choose to give up the mission when his lover passed away. He seems to be a salted fish at the beginning of the arc but in actuality he just has nothing he feels strong enough about to work for. He is cynical. His lack of desire to 'act' mutes most of his personality. The system piques his curiosity with this second chance and he becomes much more lively by the end of the arc only to give up on returning to reality for his (as far as he knows) virtual lover. The world building of the first arc does not have much depth? The protagonist is very clear about this and knows from beginning to end that this is not a real world. This emphasizes just how much of a lack of connection he felt to reality. He felt he got a lifetime with the person (?) he loved and felt satisfied DESPITE this level of clarity.
This decision of his felt pretty revealing and the impact continues to echo as he chooses to follow his partner to the next world as his desire to survive ignites. From then on the couple continues to improve further in every arc. The system says the goal is to strengthen his 'soul' enough to handle resurrection. It's pretty clear the story delivers on this premise irregardless of how haphazard the mission objectives may be.
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There is also something I really liked about the final extras, but it is hard to put a finger on the specific aspects I loved. They felt different from many of the other standard QT extras I have read. I just know that I enjoyed them and they made me laugh a lot at some of the unexpected antics of family and friends.
