Sword Xia of the Shu Mountains《蜀山劍俠傳》by Huanzhu Louzhu 還珠樓主 (lit. Master of Returning Pearl Loft) was published between 1932 and 1948 and is one of the most influential wuxia novels of all time. Many of the elements in this novel became standard tropes of the wuxia genre. It is also the forefather of the modern xianxia cultivation novel. Huanzhu’s cultivation system became the standard, fusing the Daoist quest for transcendence with the Buddhist reincarnation cycle and tribulation system, as well as the Confucian virtue of humaneness 仁 and the chivalrous xia 俠 archetype. At over 4.1 million Chinese characters, it is also one of the longest wuxia novels, though it remains unfinished due to the civil war in China. So the first cultivation novel was also eunuched—rather fitting.

The story follows multiple protagonists as they gradually gather together, fighting heretical sects and spirit elementals on their way to founding the Mount Emei Sect. Most outstanding among these protagonists is Li Yingqiong, who begins the novel as a girl with no martial arts abilities, and through the course of the novel cultivates to become a transcendent (aka immortal).

In this novel, plants, animals, and monsters can all become human and cultivate to transcendence, or lose their primordial spirit (aka nascent soul) and have to start all over, or be obliterated completely after failing their tribulation. Grotto-heavens and magic treasures abound, and we see the beginning of sects as major organizations in wuxia novels with important roles in the plot, such as Emei, Qingcheng, Mount Hua, Wudang, Mount Huang, Snowy Mountain, Kongtong, Kunlun, and Wutai, as well as the emergence of what would later become the archetypal eccentric beggar character. There are miraculous drugs, sword kinesis, and battles between mythical beasts, and heretic cultivators trying to cheat their way to a faster transcendence. In short, pretty much all of the elements one normally sees in the typical xianxia cultivation webnovel.

Ten years later, Yuan Fengchun, starting as a farmer, toiled diligently, earning a bountiful harvest year after year. Suddenly, he discovered that within his heart, a ancestral tree had sprouted. Irrigating the tree with spiritual fluid would allow it to thrive, benefiting the Yuan family bloodline. Each year's bountiful harvest would continuously accumulate spiritual fluid to irrigate the tree. Different harvests yielded varying amounts of spiritual fluid. The lowest level saw a bountiful harvest of grain from the fields. Next, there were achievements in martial arts, official careers, and spiritual realms. Of course, the highest level was the expansion of the Yuan family and the success of their descendants. As the Yuan family's wealth expanded and their fame spread, the ancestral tree towered over the sky, stretching for miles. Its shimmering fruit, from immortal fruits to magical elixirs, was ready for the picking. With the pursuit of "harvest" as their guiding principle and the "ancestral tree" as their foundation, the Yuan family, through countless springs and autumns, nourished their bloodline...

[Animals, no human characters, no CP, family portraits]

Mo Chu was reborn as a black snake, possessing the clan's guardian spirit beast system. He became bound to the Liu family's ancestor and became a worshipped spirit beast. He shared the Liu family's prosperity, helping the family grow and becoming stronger himself, ultimately making the Liu family's name, known as the beast-taming Liu family, resound throughout the universe.

Ordinary people can't enter the entertainment industry?

Sorry, I'm an immortal!

Other stars are asked what their specialties are: singing, dancing, rap, playing basketball.

My specialties: fortune-telling, beauty, weight loss, massage, healing, flying with a sword...

The three wonders of the Tang Dynasty: Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Pei Min's sword.

A Chinese major student traveled through time and space and became Pei Min, the only sword saint recognized by the country in history. With a three-foot-long sword, he was invincible under heaven. He could reach up to the sky and recast the poetry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

A Blue star teenager Yang Ming, by chance, came to the world of Blood of Youth. He tried for several years, to step into the free realm. Then resisted the attacks and killing of the dark river organization, save Zhao Yuzhen and Li Hanyi. Zema River Lake dream, leaning on the sword to sing. In this world, Yang Ming left a legend of his own! ...

[The gods descended, and the disaster began] When the practitioners of the gods invaded the earth, super powers and hot weapons became the last resort of mankind! Can Gou Chen and Adam, the only two super power academies on earth, take on the future of mankind? What kind of background does China, known as the chosen country, have? This is the carnival of the godslayer! The boy who got the ability to replicate, with a mortal body, holds the power of the world, and will eventually kill the gods! [Sanjiu Sound Domain]

Main characters: Ji Qianming, Zhao Qixue

[No System] [Mortal Style] [Decisive Killing]

Fang Yi traveled through time, treading the path of the devil, only to

reach the stage of forming an elixir. Reincarnated after death, he returned to the path of medicine, curing illnesses and saving lives, promoting health and longevity, and earning a reputation

far and wide. The path to

immortality was treacherous, with demonic cultivators rampant. Fang Yi made friends, cultivated peacefully, refined puppets, and sacrificed corpses, gathering "talents" and accumulating foundations.

...

Over a hundred years later, the demonic path invaded, and evil cultivators

blocked the way. "Hehehe, Fang Yi, medical practitioners are not good at fighting.

Submit to me immediately, and you will survive." A verdant treasure banner, brimming with medicinal fragrance, shed wisps of life, shielding Fang Yi.

"Hahaha, this place is deserted, and a mere medical instrument still yields!"

"Desolate?" Fang Yi's eyes shone darkly.

The treasure banner, transformed from life to death, ghostly figures filled the sky, and the corpse puppets howled like a demonic kingdom.

Yinsha Master: "A magical weapon emanates ghostly energy, a medical banner of ten thousand souls?"

The Bone Demon: "The Yin Vein refines corpses, so they're not good at fighting?"

Nine Corpse Wanderer: "Sacrificing human puppets, is that good for others?" Fang Yi,

a gentleman like jade, smiles without a word, the aroma of medicinal herbs lingering in his ears.

...

Time cuts through the prodigies, leaving the path to immortality shrouded in enchantment.

Fang Yi has become an immortal in the eyes of the righteous ancestors, the demonic giants, and the demon spirits.

Eras pass, time rolls, countless prodigies rise and fall.

Only Fang Yi remains unshakable, ascending step by step to immortality.

In the world of Zongwu,

not only are there numerous nations,

but also all the powerful sects of the Jianghu coexist on this continent.

Su Chen, having traveled to this world,

has become a renowned villain. He

has burned temples, beaten protagonists like Zhang Wuji, Guo Jing, and Chu Liuxiang, stolen treasures from imperial palaces, and even molested stunning beauties like Huang Rong, Lin Shiyin, Yan Fei, and Shi Feixuan, all listed on the Hundred Flowers List.

However, none of these were Su Chen's doing;

he was simply framed by the system. His fate as a villain forces him to continue on his path