- #1
One word to describe this novel:Brutal.After MC retaliates against an unwanted suitor who dares to drug him, he finds out that this suitor is the Jade Emperor's son. Furious, the Jade Emperor curses MC to undergo endless reincarnations in different realms, where he is killed over and over again. In chapter 1, his master gives him a mirror that allows him to regain his original memories (as a cultivator) when on the brink of death. Given MC's wretched state as soon as he "wakes up" in a realm, MC gains his memories immediately and starts to plan: how to get the "protagonist" to fall in love with him- then kill him. For that is the requirement to shatter these realms and remove himself from these vicious cycles.You see, MC has reincarnated into these same realms over and over again, but without his memories. He remembers the heartbreak and misery of being killed and forgotten as the protagonist gets together with his captor. The "protagonist" of any given realm is extremely attractive and easily wins the love of those around him, including his featured gong i.e. captor. From the canon plot line of ARC1 and ARC2, the protagonist is imprisoned by an obsessive gong, then they later get together while MC is killed off in the process. The protagonist doesn't spare a glance for him, even if MC had helped or was loyal to the protagonist before.MC is a callous cultivator with extremely simple emotions. He is devoted to his practice and does not waste time on this thing called "love." When he remembers how miserably he was ab*sed by the protagonist and his gong, he naturally has no good feelings for them and plans for the protagonist's demise with schadenfreude.The experiences MC goes through are truly terrible, and you start to wonder, "are these characters even human to treat other human beings this way?" You seriously start to question the morals of these featured main characters. Then when the protagonists slowly fall in "love" with MC and start to treasure him, he obviously remains disgusted with them deep inside. He hates unnecessary touch of others in the first place, and having this ungrateful wretch come unto him? Simply disgusting.Spoiler
There is a plot twist on who the "protagonist" truly is, and once MC figures it out, there is even more confusion on how to feel about this character. MC, himself, remains apathetic and coldly applies this knowledge to achieve his goal.
[collapse]Yet when it comes down to the execution, you almost feel sorry for these formerly arrogant protagonists. Because MC has no true feelings toward them, he is able to stab them without blinking an eye. For him, these are just "characters" in a realm, and his indifference overwhelms his hatred for them. Even if they have progressed and attempted to treat MC better, there is no forgiveness to be found because MC's main goal has never changed. Make them fall in love with him, then mu*der them in cold blood.Perhaps there will be more character development in future chapters, but I can only express my thoughts on the chapters I have read so far.Although this novel appears to have some similarities to Certificate of Conformity, my enthusiasm for this novel is... lacking. Why? Perhaps it may be the extreme acts of brutality (torture) and callous disregard of the main characters. While CoC made me think Chen Heng was a cold blooded, ruthless MC with mu*der tendencies, I also came to love the character for his inexplicable allure and indifferent temperament. But when the MC in this novel seduces the protagonist and blatantly stabs him in the back, I feel somewhat sorry for the protagonist and feel dissatisfied with the entire situation instead. Perhaps this requirement of seducing/killing is already too ruthless for me to stomach. Moreover, the protagonists are almost irredeemable due to the acts they've already committed.Ultimately, it all boils down to: the main characters aren't very likable.This is simply my opinion, and other readers may disagree. There may be more character development in the future. However, MC's psyche has been twisted beyond repair after countless cycles of suffering, and the protagonists are no better- they are extremely hypocritical and neurotic. If you enjoy ruthless plays of MC cleverly setting up traps and luring his prey off the cliff by using himself as bait, go for it. Otherwise, this novel may be a bit more difficult for the general audience to stomach.And so concludes my review at chapter 68 (ARC1 complete, ARC2.31).