I'm reading the manhua and novel side by side just to understand what's going on. The manhua art is absolutely dazzling—every panel looks like a masterpiece. But dear god, why is everything so red? Half the time my eyes are fighting for survival.
The biggest issue is that the manhua cuts out so many details that the first few chapters feel unnecessarily confusing. I was genuinely close to dropping it, but I kept pushing because I wanted to understand why everyone hypes this story so much.
Also, let's be real for a second: this is way more of an adventure/fantasy/martial arts story than a romance. The romance is beautiful, but it feels like 20% romance and 80% cultivation, politics, immortals,ghosts, heavenly officials, and ancient Chinese martial arts lore.
As someone who's not Chinese, a lot of the terminology is hard to grasp. Concepts like ascension, the Heavenly Realm, cultivation, spiritual powers, and the hierarchy between immortals and mortals aren't explained clearly enough for newcomers. The story seems to assume you already understand Chinese mythology and xianxia culture.
I'm enjoying it more now that I'm cross-referencing the novel, but I honestly wish the author had made the worldbuilding a little more accessible for international readers.
I'm reading the manhua and novel side by side just to understand what's going on.
The manhua art is absolutely dazzling—every panel looks like a masterpiece. But dear god, why is everything so red? Half the time my eyes are fighting for survival.
The biggest issue is that the manhua cuts out so many details that the first few chapters feel unnecessarily confusing. I was genuinely close to dropping it, but I kept pushing because I wanted to understand why everyone hypes this story so much.
Also, let's be real for a second: this is way more of an adventure/fantasy/martial arts story than a romance. The romance is beautiful, but it feels like 20% romance and 80% cultivation, politics, immortals,ghosts, heavenly officials, and ancient Chinese martial arts lore.
As someone who's not Chinese, a lot of the terminology is hard to grasp. Concepts like ascension, the Heavenly Realm, cultivation, spiritual powers, and the hierarchy between immortals and mortals aren't explained clearly enough for newcomers. The story seems to assume you already understand Chinese mythology and xianxia culture.
I'm enjoying it more now that I'm cross-referencing the novel, but I honestly wish the author had made the worldbuilding a little more accessible for international readers.
Still reading. Still confused. Still invested.