Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Romance
Pages: 395
Series: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (LN) #1
Rating:

Synopsis:

Wei Wuxian was once one of the most outstanding men of his generation, a talented and clever young cultivator who harnessed martial arts, knowledge, and spirituality into powerful abilities. But when the horrors of war led him to seek a new power through demonic cultivation, the world’s respect for his skills turned to fear, and his eventual death was celebrated throughout the land.

Years later, he awakens in the body of an aggrieved young man who sacrifices his soul so that Wei Wuxian can exact revenge on his behalf. Though granted a second life, Wei Wuxian is not free from his first, nor the mysteries that appear before him now. Yet this time, he’ll face it all with the righteous and esteemed Lan Wangji at his side, another powerful cultivator whose unwavering dedication and shared memories of their past will help shine a light on the dark truths that surround them.

The first volume of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation has a lot of fun elements, and I did enjoy the interactions (past and present) between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji — it’s really funny how Wei Wuxian teases him and gets under his skin in the past, and how he turns the tables in the present. I can see a lot of potential in that relationship, especially if I’m reading clues about their past correctly.

That said, this book does the mother of all infodumping, and the transitions between past/present aren’t that well managed. I’m not sure I quite followed all of the infodumps, if I’m honest: I’m kinda letting it wash over me, in hopes it’ll start to come together later (as has often happened to me with danmei, and with other non-English-language works with a large cast or complicated stories in the past). In some chapters there are pages of pure exposition, and it’s a lot.

I am intrigued by some of the other characters, too, and by some of the worldbuilding; I’m curious to know more about why Wei Wuxian became so reviled (and why some people still clearly think he did good things), and what the bigger story is going to look like. So I’ll definitely read more, but with the caveat that volume one (at least) isn’t the most polished.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)