(By author and member Biako).

First of all, I would like to thank Vic for this great chance to express myself and my ideas. Here I would like to discuss something I thoroughly enjoy. Reading Fantasy.

Of many works by many great writers, I felt the most attachment to stories that revolve around worlds with great expansions and adventures. Of these stories, I could name several of them that left a deep impression on me, and somehow remolded the ways I write and perceive works by others.

For the moment, I am mostly interested In Xianxia works (Wuxia). Many of us here know this genre. It is mostly about a youth who will have a fortuitous encounter with a powerful item/spirit or have a great master.

The Xianxia MC usually start from the bottom and follow a revenge story plot, toppling others and gaining new heights in their unending pursuit of the limitless martial world. They will all try to reach the top via the well known (cultivation). These main characters are mostly Edgelord losers that are easily triggered, and I understand why many western readers would dislike this culture. However, there are some fascinating stories that would make people hesitate at labeling these stories in this manner. Mainly, there are some works of Xianxia that would make people tear with sadness or joy. There are few of them out in the open and among them, some of which I deeply enjoyed.

The one I personally deem the best work of Xianxia is the work "Renegade Immortal" or "Xian Ni."

People tend to have a biased judgment of Wuxia and Xianxia stories, of them having too many means or that the main characters are supported greatly by the author. In this story, it is not the case. not by a long shot.

"Xian Ni" follows the story of "Wang Lin," a poor youth with an almost total absence of talent. How would someone like him, deemed by the heavens to reach the top of the martial world? In this story, the author makes this child's journey an arduous and an almost impossible task. Filled with death and danger, the loss of loved ones, and the ultimate challenge and confrontation of heavens, a child deemed unworthy tries to climb the stairs of heaven, unlike many of his peers who either "accept the teaching of heaven" to reach greater heights or others who try to escape through the gaps to make a future. Wang Ling stands proudly in challenge against heavens themselves. Tribulation after tribulation, test after test tests that would make any other crumble, will be broken through, by the main character's sheer will and perseverance. This story fully imposes the theme "hard work" without hard work; no matter how talented, one can never reach greater heights. Those who follow the teaching of heaven can indeed reach great heights, however, heavens will never give them the right to step over them. Only by challenging heavens themselves can one move forward. That is the path of a true cultivator, and that is Wang Ling's moto: a world filled with greed, where no one can be trusted; even the most gentle teacher can be a wolf in sheep's clothing, tempted by their own disciple's findings, a world where only the strong thrives, and the weak is trampled. Wang Ling travels through such a  world, even offending great powers in seek of his own "Dao." And never backing down from a decision. This story makes people feel immersed. I personally read through 700 chapters without stopping. At times i would sleep reading as the immersion was rather great.

This was a work that had a lot of emotions, work and a great deal of insights put in it. It explains the "Dao" of cultivators. The relationship between death and life, good and evil, right and wrong. Even Time is explained in a philosophical and intriguing manner.

However, this is not all. A huge amount of the story only covers the MC's birth planet. Once he reaches the top, he discovers that his planet was deemed as something beneath dirt! People who did great achievements were nothing but ants to others from far bigger, far stronger and more powerful planets.

In this story, the MC will end up offending a true god! How would you feel when you know that you stole something from an ancient god and that very God wrath is only quenched by the fact that he is unable to exit from a certain prison? That pressure? Could you feel it? A strong drive is that! A drive that will make you try and reach the greatest heights to just stand firm against a greater challenge. This is the way of a cultivator, to always defy. and this is what we all should do: to always stand firm, to always move forward and never back down!

Thank you for listening to this one's rambling! Please give "Renegade Immortal" a chance. Go and read it.

Next week, I will post another "review" for another story.