The novel borrows a lot of elements from “cultivation” stories popular in China and Korea, but uses different terms. I love those types of stories, but while there is constant talk about ranks and people “leveling up”, the main character spends very little time developing his powers, or learning how to use them. You would think that, with the main character being so far behind compared to others, he would need to train the most. But for the most part, he simply cheats at every challenge presented to him.
I don’t just mean “solving problems in unconventional ways”, but actually breaking the rules. In one instance, the rules which he himself defined. I can’t for the life of me figure out what his motivations are. From early chapters, it seems to be about restoring his honor, becoming a real martial artist, and finding a sense of self-worth. But that never seems to be reflected in his actions later in the book. As for his personality, it can be summed up with “doesn’t like bullies”. And with the way cheats his way through life, just to win, it makes him seem kind of petty. But we’re told he’s heroic, because he did a heroic yet pointless thing one time.
There are also some science fiction elements, which could be interesting if it is integrated well into the story, but it just seems jarring – as if I suddenly switched to a different book for a chapter.
The first several chapters are pretty solid and there are some unique worldbuilding aspects.. Some of the negative things I mentioned are only present in later chapters as well. I almost get the feeling that the first arc of the story was something the author has been working on for a while, whereas the rest of the book was maybe a bit rushed. If I were to rate the first quarter or third of the book, I would probably give it a higher score. This novel has so many great reviews, but many of them are also rating the series as a whole. So maybe it gets better in later books, who knows? After this one, I’m not personally interested in any more.