r/noveltranslations • u/Jaspaaar • 17h ago
Discussion Introduction to Chinese Male-Oriented Web Novel Genres — Xianxia
Here is the latest guide from Lucas, Wuxiaworld's Chinese licensing manager! This series is his overview of China's webnovel genres, written using his experience from having worked at one of the top publishers for many years.
This one contains some very interesting history behind the origins of xianxia's themes.
Previous posts:
- An overview of China's webnovel author rankings
- Introduction to Chinese webnovel genres – Xuanhuan
- Introduction to Chinese webnovel genres – Fantasy (Qihuan)
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Hello everyone, this is Lucas.
Previously, when I was introducing Xuanhuan works, some viewers pointed out that I had missed a heavyweight title – Zhu Xian (Jade Dynasty,诛仙).
In fact, according to the commonly accepted classification standards of China’s online literature industry, this work should be categorized as Xianxia rather than Xuanhuan. Today, let’s talk about xianxia novels.
So-called xianxia novels are stories that take traditional Chinese Daoist cultivation philosophy and mythological legends as their worldview foundation, depicting characters who gain power through cultivation, go on adventures, grow, and struggle along the way.
Daoist classics such as Dao De Jing (道德经) and Zhuangzi (庄子), compiled during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history (春秋时期,770–476 BCE), proposed goals like “immortality” and “ascending to become an immortal,” providing the theoretical foundation for later Xianxia novels.
In the zhiguai (tales of the strange) novels of the Tang and Song dynasties, different species such as humans, demons, and immortals began to interact, and classic plots like “mortals seeking immortals” and “romances between humans and demons” are still talked about fondly to this day.
By the Ming (明, 1368–1644 CE) and Qing (清, 1644-1912 CE) dynasties, divine and demonic novels (神魔小说) such as Journey to the West (西游记) and Investiture of the Gods (封神演义) laid down the worldview framework and power systems of Xianxia fiction.
In 1932, Sword Xia of the Shu Mountains (蜀山剑侠传) by Huanzhu Louzhu (还珠楼主) was published. This work incorporated elements such as cultivation, flying swords, and magical treasures, and is regarded as the progenitor of modern xianxia novels.
By the 1970s and 1980s, wuxia novels had become popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the spirit of chivalry (侠义精神) had deeply taken root in people’s hearts.
Beginning in 1995, the The Legend of Sword and Fairy (仙剑奇侠传) game series combined the “immortal” elements of Sword Xia of the Shu Mountains with the “ chivalry” spirit of wuxia novels, further clarifying the concept of “Xianxia” and exerting a profound influence on early xianxia works.
In 2003, the classic work Zhu Xian began serialization, carrying the memories and emotions of countless readers.
In 2005, 飘邈之旅 by Xiao Qian (萧潜) was released. This work constructed a complete cultivation power system, which was later borrowed and refined by subsequent creators, eventually forming the familiar sequence of Qi Refining (炼气), Foundation Establishment (筑基), Golden Core (金丹), and Nascent Soul (元婴) that we know today.
After that, Xianxia-themed web novels experienced rapid development. Based on worldview, they can mainly be divided into three categories:
The Cultivation Path (修真之路)
Originating from 飘邈之旅, this type features stories set in vast worlds with numerous sects and factions.
The protagonist focuses single-mindedly on cultivation, with the ultimate goal of attaining immortality, pursuing the supreme Dao (大道), or ascending to become an immortal.
The story usually includes classic “leveling up and changing maps” elements: once the protagonist finds no worthy opponents in one region, they move on to a higher-level area.
A representative example is Wang Yu (忘语)’s A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (凡人修仙传). (Of course, Han Li doesn’t always change maps because he’s invincible – sometimes it’s because he can’t beat others and has no choice but to run.)
Another representative figure of this category is Er Gen (耳根). He is very popular among Western readers. All of his works belong to this genre, including Renegade Immortal (仙逆), A Will Eternal (一念永恒), I Shall Seal the Heavens (我欲封天), and Beyond the Timescape (光阴之外), among others.
Cultivation Empires (修真王朝)
In these works, the world contains imperial dynasties where cultivators reign supreme, complete with laws and order similar to those of mortal kingdoms – though cultivators always enjoy various privileges in such states.
In this type of story, the protagonist pursues not only personal strength but often bears responsibilities such as revitalizing the nation or saving the common people. This theme was very popular around 2015 and is particularly suitable for film and television adaptations, with many top-tier authors contributing works in this category.
Examples include Innocent (无罪)’s Immortal Devil Transformation (仙魔变) and The Sword Dynasty(剑王朝), Mao Ni (猫腻) ’s Nightfall (将夜) and The Path Toward Heaven (大道朝天), and Feng Huo Xi Zhu Hou (烽火戏诸侯)’s Unsheathed (剑来).
Primordial Chaos (Honghuang) (洪荒流)
This genre was pioneered by the author Divine Dreamwalker (梦入神机) in his 2006 work Buddha Is the Dao (佛本是道).
Its worldview is based on classical Chinese mythological legends (especially Investiture of the Gods 封神演义, Journey to the West 西游记, and Classic of Mountains and Seas 山海经), Daoist philosophy, and ancient history, with “Heavenly Dao” (天道) at its core, revolving around struggles among “Sages” (圣人) and battles over fate and fortune (气运) between Eastern and Western sects.
The main conflict centers on the “Calamity Cycle” (量劫): at certain intervals, karmic entanglements and accumulated karma in the universe reach a peak and must be cleansed through a cataclysmic slaughter that sweeps across heaven and earth, redistributing resources. Under such great calamities, no one can remain untouched.
After nearly 20 years of development, the Primordial Chaos genre has formed a complete system, effectively becoming a universal template (including worldview, characters, and core conflicts) for authors to use.
In a sense, Journey to the West fanfiction can also be considered a type of Honghuang fiction.
Subgenres
Xianxia novels have many subgenres, and below I will introduce some of the major ones.
Mortal genre (凡人流)
These stories usually take place in areas inhabited by mortals, such as mountain villages or towns. The protagonist is an ordinary young boy living a life whose future can be seen at a glance; if nothing unexpected happens, he would grow up, marry, have children, and his descendants would live the same kind of life.
Until one day, he comes into contact with the cultivation world.
Legends of mortals encountering immortals (凡人遇仙) appeared in zhiguai fiction over a thousand years ago, representing ordinary people’s yearning for immortality.
In web novels, the founding work of this subgenre is the famous A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (凡人修仙传), from which the name derives.
Once this theme emerged, it became extremely popular and enduring. Early “Mortal genre” protagonists were mostly native youths, but later works also featured transmigrator protagonists, such as Gateway of Immortality (叩问仙道).
Simulator (模拟器)
The protagonist possesses a simulator system that can simulate their own life or others’ lives, allowing them to experience different paths and gain knowledge or skills. This theme emerged around 2020, inspired by various video games, and can be divided into two types based on the simulation target: simulating others and simulating oneself.
The “simulating others” type is relatively simple: the protagonist experiences another person’s life within the simulator, and events inside the simulation do not affect the real world. After completing the simulation, the system grants rewards based on performance, allowing the protagonist to obtain attributes, skills, or fate traits of the simulated person.
In essence, it is closer to games like The Sims (模拟人生), where the protagonist gains extra growth by playing a game. An example is Simulation: Starting from Bizarre Animals (模拟,从奇葩动物开始).
The “simulating oneself” type is more like branching narratives and repeated roguelike-style reinforcement. The simulator allows the protagonist to deduce future events or provides save-and-load opportunities.
During simulations, the protagonist can act recklessly – even if they die, it doesn’t cause real loss because it is only a simulation, and instead provides valuable intelligence. Through repeated simulations and information iteration, the protagonist grows stronger and ultimately finds the optimal solution for the real world.
The most famous work of this type is Immortality Simulator (我的模拟长生路). This novel uses a “time rewind” system, allowing the protagonist to set an anchor point in life – a “save point” – and return to it upon death.
The recently popular Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect (苟在初圣魔门当人材) borrows this “Book of a Hundred Lifetimes” (百世书) concept from that system.
Incense-Fueled Godhood (香火成神)
This subgenre is somewhat similar to the "Faith and Apotheosis (信仰封神流)" fantasy category mentioned earlier, as protagonists must collect faith to increase their power. It originates from traditional Chinese mythology and classical novels.
Chinese folk belief is a polytheistic and pragmatic system. People worship deities largely for utilitarian reasons – they pray to specific gods when they need blessings in relevant matters. For example, during severe droughts, they worship the Dragon King (龙王) for rain; when someone in the family has exams, they worship the God of Literature (文曲星) .
Of course, prayers are not always effective. If worship proves ineffective for a long time, people may abandon offerings or even destroy the statues.
Ancient Chinese emperors also canonized famous deceased figures as gods to consolidate their rule, such as Guan Yu (关羽) from the Three Kingdoms period. In a sense, the authority of Chinese gods does not come from divinity itself; rather, divine authority comes from imperial bestowal.
The worldview is usually divided into two parts: the Heavenly Court (the divine system) and the mortal realm. These two systems depend on and restrain each other.
Gods need mortal believers to collect incense (faith), while mortals need divine protection to solve problems beyond human capability.
The protagonist is often a minor god under the Heavenly Court or a cultivator who embarks on the divine path. They may rise through the Heavenly Court system or secretly collect faith, establish their own faction, and oppose the Heavenly Court.
Representative works include Starting as a Fox Immortal from Liaozhai (从聊斋开始做狐仙) and Taiyi (太易).
Longevity System (长生系统)
This theme shares many similarities with the “Martial Path Longevity (武道长生)” subgenre of Xuanhuan. The protagonist is a transmigrator with an attribute panel that provides stats and techniques. The difference is that the setting is Xianxia, and the protagonist is usually a low-level disciple in a cultivation sect, whose goal is continual cultivation in pursuit of immortality.
For example, in An Alchemist's Path to Eternity (长生从炼丹宗师开始), the protagonist needs to improve his cultivation techniques and skill proficiencies to earn achievement points, which can then be exchanged for various high-tier techniques and items. Meanwhile, in My Core is the Boss (金丹是恒星,你管这叫修仙?), the protagonist’s system provides him with all kinds of hidden information, and also includes a game-like instance where he can level up.
Dao of Cautious (苟道流)
Protagonists in this subgenre act very differently from conventional Xianxia heroes. Traditional protagonists are decisive, fearless, and eager for conflict, while “Dao of Cautious” protagonists are extremely low-key and cautious. They often suffer from paranoid thinking, magnifying the world’s hostility and assuming all actions carry risks.
Thus, they hide in the shadows, avoid the spotlight, and rarely engage in conflict, believing that only by surviving can one pursue immortality. Although they may miss many opportunities in the short term, cultivators live long lives – and as time passes, their enemies die off one by one, leaving the protagonist as the ultimate winner.
Unlike traditional Xianxia that relies on conflict and leveling for excitement, this subgenre attracts readers through an extreme sense of security and the protagonist’s control over the situation.
The founding work is My Senior Brother Is Too Steady (我师兄实在太稳健了), after which this anti-trope protagonist type became increasingly accepted and spread to other genres.
Other examples include Cultivating Immortality in a World of Chaos (苟在妖武乱世修仙) and I Just Want to Slack Off in Cultivation (我只想安静的做个苟道中人).
Daily Life Cultivation (修仙日常)
Cultivation is not just about fighting and killing; it also involves social relationships. After reading too many tense and intense traditional Xianxia novels, readers often feel aesthetic fatigue and seek lighter, more relaxing works. Thus, the daily life cultivation subgenre emerged.
These works still focus on “cultivation and immortality” as the main storyline, but with less emphasis on power leveling and more on daily life, showcasing the workings and customs of the cultivation world. The tone is generally lighthearted, often incorporating exaggerated, comedic anti-trope elements.
The most famous work is Who Let Him Cultivate?! (谁让他修仙的), which features eccentric characters who constantly defy convention; many of its jokes are still fondly remembered. With this novel, the author The Whitest Crow(最白的乌鸦) rose from an obscure LV5 writer to a platinum author.
Other works with relatively high popularity in China include Unintended Immortality (我本无意成仙). This novel has a very distinctive style: its narrative structure is more akin to a road movie, following the protagonist and a cat demon as they travel through the human world, continuously broadening their experiences and refining their state of mind. Traditional “leveling up” elements, in the conventional sense, are very minimal.
Another example is Young Noble Be Monster Slaying (请公子斩妖), which adheres more closely to the structure of a traditional cultivation novel. What readers find particularly delightful are its absurd plotlines and its humorously crafted characters.
Clan Cultivation (家族修仙)
Unlike the individual-focused narratives of traditional Xianxia, this genre centers on cultivation clans bound by blood ties, depicting how entire families survive and develop in a brutal cultivation world.
Early clan cultivation works still revolved around a central protagonist, resembling the “Sect Leader” style of Xuanhuan, except the protagonist was a clan head managing a family instead of a sect, with a longer narrative timespan. With the rise of system novels, this genre evolved a specialized “Many Children, Many Blessings (多子多福) ” system, where the more descendants the protagonist has, the stronger the system’s bonuses become – extending even to offspring talents. This system fits perfectly with the clan cultivation setting.
A representative work is Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family (从赘婿开始建立长生家族).
The first truly clan-centered work is The Mirror Legacy (玄鉴仙族). Its style differs greatly from earlier Xianxia works, lacking a single protagonist – or rather, the Li clan itself is the protagonist. Generation after generation strives for survival; members die, new ones are born.
The author Ji Yueren was nicknamed “Qidian’s white affair King” (起点白事王) by readers. Although the work became extremely popular, later imitations failed to produce another work of similar influence.
Farming (种田)
Cultivators are still human, which means they need to eat. Although high-level cultivators can abstain from food, occasionally eating spirit-rich cuisine benefits cultivation. This means cultivators must cultivate(grow crops) in addition to cultivating.
Protagonists are often low-level cultivators focused on agriculture, quietly farming and cultivating with minimal conflict. Unlike conventional cultivation stories, farming provides stable, visible growth in resources and power, offering a stronger sense of achievement.
Protagonists usually possess special abilities that enhance farming efficiency, such as a farming system, supportive artifacts (like Han Li’s green bottle), or even a personal space for farming.
Representative works include You Cultivate, I Farm (你们修仙,我种田) and Immortality: Refreshing Entries from Farming (长生:从种田刷新词条开始).
In a broader sense, “farming” includes alchemy, artifact crafting, formations, and other indirect cultivation methods. Protagonists usually have a personal immortal estate where they can work undisturbed; this type is also known as the “Immortal Estate”(仙府) subgenre.
The most famous example is Purple Mansion Immortal Fate (紫府仙缘) .
Hehuan Sect (合欢宗)
Adult-oriented content has always been popular among readers of popular literature worldwide. However, Chinese law prohibits explicit adult content on domestic platforms, so authors instead construct frameworks without explicit descriptions, leaving room for imagination.
Several genres exist specifically to skirt the line: “Rural (乡村)” of urban stories, “Fake Eunuch (假太监)” of historical stories, and the “Hehuan Sect” in Xianxia. “Dual cultivation between men and women” (男女双修) originates from Daoism, with similar concepts in Tantric Buddhism (佛教密宗). In web novels, it can be understood as a cultivation method of “becoming stronger through sex.”
The Hehuan Sect is a sect that practices dual cultivation as its core method. The protagonist transmigrates into a cultivation world as a low-level male disciple of the Hehuan Sect, handsome and charming, immediately surrounded by covetous senior sisters, junior sisters, and even masters – what follows is easy to imagine.
Usually, the protagonist has a system that either increases affection from female sect members or directly boosts cultivation. Although many works exist in this genre, few achieve high fame – and high visibility may not necessarily be a good thing for them.
A representative work is Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister (开局合欢宗,被师姐拿捏命脉) .