I was really excited when I started reading this sequel to Swallowed Star. I first found the world building interesting but rapidly felt that the story was way too rushed while it also didn't have any kind of stake. No abducted friend, no universe on the verge of destruction, no lover to save, no mystery. Even now as we are (at least I think) nearing the end of the series, nothing that happens really feels impactful. The mc gets a new power up every five chapters after going into closed-up cultivation, that he shows by bullying someone, rinse and repeat. There is only one goal at the beginning (related to his teacher) needing the MC to take revenge. But even then, the MC was able to hide in plain sight using an alias and was never bothered until he could simply destroy his enemies. So there wasn't any tension. Also, now that I think about it, the plot feels like a repeat of the first book but reskinned, shorter, and less interesting. As I mention the first book, did you like the characters from the first series ? Well too bad. Most of them aren't even mentioned anymore or are just background characters without any impact on the plot. Well to be fair, nobody has any impact on the plot, seeing as there is no plot.