Apparently these are very popular in China and give insight into the Chinese character. They tend to be about 4000 chapters long and are posted on the web like webcomics.
Quote:Cultivation stories basically discuss the idea (often using the cultural idea of ‘cultivating’ to gain immortality) via progressing one’s soul / body / state of being. This can happen via martial arts training, grasping the Dao, magical potions or spirit stones, etc. I know there are aspects of cultivation (gaining immortality) from other cultures (see Harmon Cooper’s Way of the Immortals that draws from Buddhism), but my base of knowledge comes from Taoism. Even within traditional Taoist stories, you see the threads of what many of the Chinese webnovels draw from, like the peaches of immortality, alchemical potions, qigong exercises, martial arts, etc.
This is the synopsis of Reverend Insanity which according to /lit/ is the best one:
Quote: Humans are the spirit of all living beings; Gu is the essence of heaven and earth.
With his three views, a demon is reborn.
Former days are but an old dream, an identical name is made anew.
The story of a time traveler who keeps on being reborn.
A unique world that nurtures, refines, and uses Gu.
Spring Autumn Cicada, Moonlight Gu, Liquor Worm, Great Qi Golden Light Worm, Slender Black Hair Gu, Hope Gu…
And a great demon of the world that acts as his heart pleases!
The story of a villain, Fang Yuan, who was reborn 500 years into the past with the Spring Autumn Cicada he painstakingly refined. With his profound wisdom, battle and life experiences, he seeks to overcome his foes with skill and wit! Ruthless and amoral, he has no need to hold back as he pursues his ultimate goals. In a world of cruelty where one cultivates using Gu – magical creatures of the world – Fang Yuan must rise up above all with his own power.
Notes:
The Gu is a mythical venomous insect, often used in black magic. It can take on the form of several insects, usually snakes, crickets, worms etc.
The three views are one’s world view, value of worth, and philosophy on life.
And here is an excerpt from the same:
Quote: Back then, Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable had expended his own theft path dao marks to refine this gamble Gu!
Gamble Gu gave random results that could not be influenced by anyone.
Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable was special, he was an otherworldly demon who possessed otherworldly dao marks. Thieving Heaven’s space was founded on the basis of his otherworldly dao marks. Meanwhile, gamble Gu was refined with his otherworldly theft path dao marks.
Gamble Gu did not have any offensive power by itself, it was powerless no matter what the result was. But the luck gamble killer move that used it as the core was extremely dangerous.
Whether it succeeded or failed, there was no way to predict it.
But it was because of this characteristic, even Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s luck could not interfere with it.
The probability of winning the luck gamble was equal for both Immortal Zombie Giant Sun and Qin Ding Ling.
Qin Ding Ling won the previous time, now, it was Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s win.
However, Immortal Zombie Giant Sun did not feel any joy.
Because whether she lost or won, Qin Ding Ling would only profit.
The reason?
It was due to the profundity of luck path.
Luck was essentially categorized into two types: good luck and bad luck. The size of luck varied from person to person; in general, the higher the cultivation, the larger the luck.
Comparing Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s and Qin Ding Ling’s luck.
Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s luck was extremely vast, it was at Dao Lord level. There was little bad luck, while good luck occupied the majority of it.
And Qin Ding Ling?
Qin Ding Ling’s luck was far smaller than Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s. Bad luck occupied most of it, while good luck was little.
Qin Ding Ling was only a rank eight expert, her luck would naturally be smaller than Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s.
Luck was a variable! She was against a powerful enemy like Immortal Zombie Giant Sun, with the luck of all living beings influencing each other, even if she had good luck, it would be affected and turned into bad luck.
Thus, firstly, Qin Ding Ling’s luck was far smaller than her opponent’s. She was basically gambling with a smaller chip, this was a huge advantage in itself.
Secondly, Qin Ding Ling had a lot of bad luck, when it was transferred to Immortal Zombie Giant Sun, it would contaminate his luck as well.
The basis of Giant Sun Immortal Venerable’s combat system was positive and powerful luck. This had two crucial points, one was he needed to have vast luck, the other was that his luck needed to be positive, which meant the more good luck he had, the better.
If Qin Ding Ling won more and lost less in the luck gamble, Immortal Zombie Giant Sun’s luck would greatly decrease.
That’s cool. I heard people praise it a few times on anime boards as one of the best of that year but I didn’t know it was a puppet show.
Ty for this, I've always thought these things seemed interesting. I'm a big fan the idea of a shonen style power buildup in an overly long novel, but it isn't easy to read more than a couple sentences of poorly translated fanfic writing (which is the only thing I saw whenever I looked into these)
It's a very autistic genre imo, it's like 90% descriptions and stupid names of silly powers. I read those excerpts and feel like I'm reading actuarial tables or an inventory list, at best a very drab description of some fight. It's as if it's all footnotes.
Cultivation Novels are Great but Reverend Insanity ruined them all for me. I had to stop reading them because RI was a Masterpiece, Chinese culture peaked with it.
Cultivation novels are Taoist but also Influenced by Chinese Meritocracy. Most novels are about the MC Getting Cheats so he can become Peerless Genius. The Idea of one man becoming Pinnacle of Existence and stand at top of world is the whole appeal. The Cultivation world is one without concept of Mercy but Abundant with Justice. Besides RI The Chosen Villain is also good but explains all the common Tropes so I wouldn’t recommend it being your first.
Quote:Quote:
“To be a demon is to be merciless and cruel, a murderer and destroyer. There is no place in heaven or earth for such a thing – turning into an enemy to the world, still having to face the consequences.”
Quote:Quote:
“In this life I hope to become the real moon, rising above the mountains and heavens, toying with the clouds and seas, following the ancient times and walk in the darkness above the various heavens”
Quote:Quote:
“White snow blankets the land as I travel alone through heaven and earth. Alone without any attachments, my solitary shadow travels freely.”
Reverend Insanity stands Above Other Cultivation Novels for Two Reasons:
1. Reverend Insanity’s Main Character Fang Yuan
2. The Gu World which the WebNovel is set
Without Spoiling any Major Plot Points I will describe the unique character of Fang Yuan and the Relation he Develops with the Gu World.
Fang Yuan is a Static Character who is Unperturbed by the world and can be described as other worldly, and he is an Other Worldly Demon(Transmigrator, which is pretty popular in cultivation novels).
Quote:Quote:
“I had once rejoiced, gradually, I became unmoved by the world. And now! All I have left is an expressionless face, my gaze is as tough as a monolith, only perseverance remains in my heart. This is my own, an insignificant character, Fang Yuan's — Perseverance!”
With Fang Yuans in difference to the world he has an unending Perseverance Instilled by his Unique Attitude.
Quote:Quote:
“This was not overconfidence nor pride, and certainly not arrogance, but an attitude.
Demonic heart!
Cannot lose, cannot fall, must win, must win at all cost!
Even with less than ten percent chance of winning, even without any chance of winning, he had to have an attitude of absolute victory.
For a demonic Gu Master, once they fail, it leads to disaster. Thus, he has to succeed, winning every time, there is no ‘if’, there is no ‘what if’.
His five hundred years of experience allowed Fang Yuan to develop such a mindset.
Winner takes all, stepping on others’ corpses and climb higher, rising to the apex! Only I can let the world down, whatever justice and integrity, fame, fortune and beauty, hatred and kindness, they will not be an obstacle but merely tools to use...Nothing can stop me, not even demise will subdue my demonic heart.”
Fang Yuans Demonic Heart is Connected to the Demonic Path. The Gu world by its Nature(as most cultivation worlds) is split into two Philosophy's when embarking towards the Great Tao, the Righteous Path and Demonic Path.
The Righteous Path is associated with the Clan and Sect System in which Groups of Cultivator gather in Hierarchies where the Junior is Subservient to the Senior and the Senior Protects and Guides the Junior. Although Righteous path members don’t always have to belong to a Clan or Sect they must Still Follow The Morality with a Righteous and Wicked side, with themselves following the Righteous. Righteous is harmonious.
The Demonic Path on the other hand is the one where they Become an Enemy of the world and so are usually lone Cultivators. On the First Chapter Fang Yuan a Demonic Overlord Does Possess his own Demonic Sect, The Blood Wing Sect, but these are rare and for good reason(read chapter one). Demonic is Chaotic and Free.
By nature of Cultivation one man can rule over A Hundred through Virtue of Strength. Cultivation Advances at Exponential rate Leading to the Creation of Huge Disparities in strength Making the weak at the service of the strong. “Mortal lives are cheap like grass” This sentiment is recognized by all Cultivators Although counter to what you might think Slavery is restricted to Beasts and Variant-Humans and not Humans as “Humans are the Spirit of all things” and this is also why only humans can Cultivate to Rank Nine(Highest God Tier).
Unique to the Gu World are Gu Worms Which Hold the Essence of Heaven and Earth. The Nature of the Gu Worms Power and the Different Cultivation paths is Connected to D** M**** which are almost if not the Platonic Forms, or at least a Close Equivalent.
The Term “Man Proposes and God Disposes” is one that could be used a lot in Reverend Insanity and is Related to the Nature of the world which I Won’t Spoil.
Important part to Point out about Fang Yuan is that through out the story his Appearance is Constantly changing Which is Contradictory to his inner nature which is unchanging and Demonic. The Demonic Path is one of Absolute Freedom, but Impossible in our world by law of Nature.
That’s all I can think to say without adding to many Story Details. Read Book One:The Demons Nature Never Changes. It’s about 200 Chapters long.
(01-07-2023, 08:10 PM)National Kid Wrote: Reverend Insanity stands Above Other Cultivation Novels for Two Reasons:
1. Reverend Insanity’s Main Character Fang Yuan
2. The Gu World which the WebNovel is set
Without Spoiling any Major Plot Points I will describe the unique character of Fang Yuan and the Relation he Develops with the Gu World.
Fang Yuan is a Static Character who is Unperturbed by the world and can be described as other worldly, and he is an Other Worldly Demon(Transmigrator, which is pretty popular in cultivation novels).
Quote:Quote:
“I had once rejoiced, gradually, I became unmoved by the world. And now! All I have left is an expressionless face, my gaze is as tough as a monolith, only perseverance remains in my heart. This is my own, an insignificant character, Fang Yuan's — Perseverance!”
With Fang Yuans in difference to the world he has an unending Perseverance Instilled by his Unique Attitude.
Quote:Quote:
“This was not overconfidence nor pride, and certainly not arrogance, but an attitude.
Demonic heart!
Cannot lose, cannot fall, must win, must win at all cost!
Even with less than ten percent chance of winning, even without any chance of winning, he had to have an attitude of absolute victory.
For a demonic Gu Master, once they fail, it leads to disaster. Thus, he has to succeed, winning every time, there is no ‘if’, there is no ‘what if’.
His five hundred years of experience allowed Fang Yuan to develop such a mindset.
Winner takes all, stepping on others’ corpses and climb higher, rising to the apex! Only I can let the world down, whatever justice and integrity, fame, fortune and beauty, hatred and kindness, they will not be an obstacle but merely tools to use...Nothing can stop me, not even demise will subdue my demonic heart.”
Fang Yuans Demonic Heart is Connected to the Demonic Path. The Gu world by its Nature(as most cultivation worlds) is split into two Philosophy's when embarking towards the Great Tao, the Righteous Path and Demonic Path.
The Righteous Path is associated with the Clan and Sect System in which Groups of Cultivator gather in Hierarchies where the Junior is Subservient to the Senior and the Senior Protects and Guides the Junior. Although Righteous path members don’t always have to belong to a Clan or Sect they must Still Follow The Morality with a Righteous and Wicked side, with themselves following the Righteous. Righteous is harmonious.
The Demonic Path on the other hand is the one where they Become an Enemy of the world and so are usually lone Cultivators. On the First Chapter Fang Yuan a Demonic Overlord Does Possess his own Demonic Sect, The Blood Wing Sect, but these are rare and for good reason(read chapter one). Demonic is Chaotic and Free.
By nature of Cultivation one man can rule over A Hundred through Virtue of Strength. Cultivation Advances at Exponential rate Leading to the Creation of Huge Disparities in strength Making the weak at the service of the strong. “Mortal lives are cheap like grass” This sentiment is recognized by all Cultivators Although counter to what you might think Slavery is restricted to Beasts and Variant-Humans and not Humans as “Humans are the Spirit of all things” and this is also why only humans can Cultivate to Rank Nine(Highest God Tier).
Unique to the Gu World are Gu Worms Which Hold the Essence of Heaven and Earth. The Nature of the Gu Worms Power and the Different Cultivation paths is Connected to D** M**** which are almost if not the Platonic Forms, or at least a Close Equivalent.
The Term “Man Proposes and God Disposes” is one that could be used a lot in Reverend Insanity and is Related to the Nature of the world which I Won’t Spoil.
Important part to Point out about Fang Yuan is that through out the story his Appearance is Constantly changing Which is Contradictory to his inner nature which is unchanging and Demonic. The Demonic Path is one of Absolute Freedom, but Impossible in our world by law of Nature.
That’s all I can think to say without adding to many Story Details. Read Book One:The Demons Nature Never Changes. It’s about 200 Chapters long.
"What does that have to do with little girl harems?"
The lack of harems in Chinese and Korean cultural works is a clear sign of their inferiority in comparison to their Japanese superiors. Korean and Chinese works are so sexless, but it should be noted that Koreans are more sexless then the Chinese.
Comparing Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero(Japanese) and it predecessor FFF-Class Trashhero(Korean) it’s pretty evident.
Successor not predecessor
Looking for good novels about 19th century naval combat, ideally British. Can you help?
(03-10-2023, 05:38 AM)Shroudeater Wrote: Looking for good novels about 19th century naval combat, ideally British. Can you help? The Master and Commander series fits that criteria. I recommend it.
Once more I have been thrown into religious Ecstasy thinking about the profundity of Reverend Insanity.
Fang Yuan already has an immortal soul, he remembers his past life’s, so why is he even concerned about Immortality? The answer to that is the answer to both Buddhism and Taoism as it stands. Fang Yuan represents the Faustian soul. There’s this part where he’s trapped in a dream by this lotus sage and lives five new lives in an attempt to reform his demonic soul, each life is a different attempt at fixing him through giving him a different purpose to achieve in that life. But in all lives Fang Yuan embarks on the Demonic path, and why is this?—Because he becomes bored. In the same way ones Soul must become mature and tired of the world to seek nirvana, Fang Yuans soul has reached maturity, yet it doesn’t seek refuge from the relentless cycle of death and rebirth in the same way.
Buddhism is a sort of escapism, from the materialist view it’s seeking an altered state of consciousness, and from the religious view it’s seeking to escape death/rebirth and find final peace. Fang Yuan is a step before enlightenment.
Quote:“I had once rejoiced, gradually, I became unmoved by the world. And now! All I have left is an expressionless face, my gaze is as tough as a monolith, only perseverance remains in my heart. This is my own, an insignificant character, Fang Yuan's — Perseverance!”
After his five hundred year life he can only find one last endeavor to keep him from nirvana.
Quote:“Fang Yuan enjoyed the process. In the process of pursuing eternal life, he found his meaning and felt that this life was quite interesting. The lowly lust and desires of his body, satisfaction of love and hatred, he was already tired of them.
Only eternal life was worthy of being his target to pursue.”
But what’s so important about The Immortality that he seeks?—He already has an Immortal soul, so why?
Quote:“From today, I will walk on the path of supremacy!
Sweep the earth and laugh at the world.
Tread the green mountains; step on the blue seas; bind the blue dragon; assault the sky!
Bath in difficulties and sharpen the demonic soul; lift the flag and sing in triumph; defy heaven, defy fate, defy the universe!”
The Immortality he seeks is Dominance, is Supremacy over reality. He’s a demon trying to usurp Heaven, the law of life and death. He’s very Luciferian in this sense. Instead of being blow around by fate he will defeat it and become God. What does Immortality and the Gu world give Fang Yuan but infinite time for mastery over all paths, over everything. Attaining Immortality(Total dominance over reality) leaves Fang Yuan with only one thing left to do, to grok everything. To incorporate the entirety of reality into his soul.
This is the true nature of the Tao and Faustian soul. The Tao is the eternal essence of everything, it becomes everything. The Faustian soul is the desire for total mastery over everything, once one finds a height they seek another. Fang Yuan is the Tao, this is why he's able to try and usurp heaven. He is the principle of the Eternal law manifest.
I remember the last part of Siddhartha, it’s message of unity and multiplicity.
Quote:“He no longer saw the face of his friend Siddhartha, instead he saw other faces, many, a long sequence, a flowing river of faces, of hundreds, of thousands, which all came and disappeared, and yet all seemed to be there simultaneously, which all constantly changed and renewed themselves, and which were still all Siddhartha. He saw the face of a fish, a carp, with an infinitely painfully opened mouth, the face of a dying fish, with fading eyes—he saw the face of a new-born child, red and full of wrinkles, distorted from crying—he saw the face of a murderer, he saw him plunging a knife into the body of another person—he saw, in the same second, this criminal in bondage, kneeling and his head being chopped off by the executioner with one blow of his sword—he saw the bodies of men and women, naked in positions and cramps of frenzied love—he saw corpses stretched out, motionless, cold, void—he saw the heads of animals, of boars, of crocodiles, of elephants, of bulls, of birds—he saw gods, saw Krishna, saw Agni—he saw all of these figures and faces in a thousand relationships with one another, each one helping the other, loving it, hating it, destroying it, giving re-birth to it, each one was a will to die, a passionately painful confession of transitoriness, and yet none of them died, each one only transformed, was always reborn, received evermore a new face, without any time having passed between the one and the other face—and all of these figures and faces rested, flowed, generated themselves, floated along and merged with each other, and they were all constantly covered by something thin, without individuality of its own, but yet existing, like a thin glass or ice, like a transparent skin, a shell or mold or mask of water, and this mask was smiling, and this mask was Siddhartha’s smiling face, which he, Govinda, in this very same moment touched with his lips. And, Govinda saw it like this, this smile of the mask, this smile of oneness above the flowing forms, this smile of simultaneousness above the thousand births and deaths, this smile of Siddhartha was precisely the same, was precisely of the same kind as the quiet, delicate, impenetrable, perhaps benevolent, perhaps mocking, wise, thousand-fold smile of Gotama, the Buddha, as he had seen it himself with great respect a hundred times. Like this, Govinda knew, the perfected ones are smiling.”
This is Fang Yaun’s fate if he achieves Immortality. The Total Grokking of everything. The message of Reverend Insanity isn’t Necessarily there for the one who believes in an immortal soul, it’s for the materialist with a Faustian drive. To have faith in the unknowable or to become all that is known. True Transcendence. Love Eternal. This is why Reverend Insanity is able to reconcile the Materialist view with Buddhism and Taoism. To recognize the ideal of both within the materialist mindset.
https://twitter.com/JanWijndorp/status/1...PAyJcuAAAA
Kragehul I Wrote:“Jews aren't sure they exist, Aryans aren't sure others exist. Jewish concerns: "unpersoning," "Othering," "losing identity" vs Aryan: solipsism, "everyone else is a mind reader." Solutions: self-affirming mantras vs mastery (by catalogue or conquest) of everything in existence.”
This guy gets it.
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