Let’s start with what I liked. The worldbuilding. The lore. The culture. The history. This book was rich with all of those things. The way the chi worked and how you ‘leveled up’ was interesting and I would love to go even deeper into just that element. The fact that each move of battle had its own names, ‘Dragon Unsheathes Its Claws’–fascinating and again, I could read a whole book just on these different combat poses and moves. I loved how cultivation could take you in so many different directions, from elemental to healing. It was fascinating. There was no lack of depth in the worldbuilding and culture.
Now to the problems I had. Our main character Long Wu Ying is a simple peasant at the start, but that soon changes. He almost has no personality and it changes little throughout the book. At the end, you could say he’s more courageous. But otherwise, I found it rather flat and a little unbelievable. He seems to rise up the ranks with ease with everything piled against him. In the some battles, he literally has broken bones, pounded to the ground, yet he can think with clarity. I think the author could’ve done more by giving Wu Ying a few more flaws, give him a harder time.
I also didn’t love how women were portrayed here. Yes, there were a few female cultivators, but almost all the focus of women was regarding their body shape, their beauty, them as a distraction. That didn’t set well with me.
I want to read the next book because of the world, magic system, and lore, but I’m not too sure I will.