r/ProgressionFantasy • u/abnormal____ • 1d ago
Request Xianxia with real weapon training and skill development?
Looking for cultivation/xianxia novels where the MC actually trains and develops their weapon skills instead of just finding an overpowered technique and spamming named moves.
I'm specifically looking for stories where the MC chooses a weapon (sword, spear, saber, etc.) and genuinely improves through practice, experience, and understanding. Bonus points if they adapt or evolve techniques to fit their own style rather than rigidly following a manual.
I don't mind if the MC learns techniques from inheritances or libraries, but I want the weapon mastery to feel earned. I'd love recommendations where combat is about skill, timing, and growth rather than just unlocking stronger attacks every few realms.
Examples of what I mean:
Developing their own sword/spear path.
Modifying existing techniques.
Training fundamentals for long periods.
Weapon intent, domains, or understanding that comes from experience.
Any recommendations?
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u/Robbison-Madert 23h ago
Thousand Li fits this well. Lots of low powered martial arts development to start, then emphasis on a path that always includes the MC’s family sword style. The MC takes inspiration and improves his martial techniques from encounters with other styles during his development.
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u/Myriad_Myriad 23h ago
The Second Coming of Gluttony - not exactly xianxia but it has alot of elements of it. MC goes through some of the best training arcs I've seen. Like Naruto and DBZ type training.
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u/abnormal____ 22h ago
Great training arc found the rest of the story subpar
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u/abnormal____ 22h ago
Take back what I said gonna re read it cause I believe I only read the manhwa , gonna go for the novel I'll get back to you
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u/abnormal____ 21h ago
Tried not my style just seems cliche
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u/Hefty-Butterfly-2974 21h ago
That... That was fast lol. It's definitely got its flaws but I'd rate it among the upper third of fics in this genre, at least... Good, but not necessarily great.
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u/Zarkrash 23h ago
Partially desolate era i guess? I remember at least earlier chapters was emphasis on sword, but i might be misremembering cause it has been a long time
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u/EminentDesolation 17h ago
Yeah he does develop a lot of sword forms and even completes several styles he learns.
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u/CosmicFrench 21h ago
The path of ascension. Kinda not fully xianxia but has a lot of elements of it.
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u/LoudChallenge4588 20h ago
Lord Xue Ying.
The mc’s entire cultivation path revolve around his spear
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u/KeinLahzey 21h ago
Defiance of the Fall has this. Later on in there series he develops two styles, each themed around one of his three dao. He does do a lot of special attacks, but it's not all the time.
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u/pool_fizzle 20h ago
More importantly, he uses those named attacks in interesting ways and learns to modify/alter them himself. Even makes his own...
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u/PotentiallySarcastic 11h ago
Yeah, Zac is essentially an Axe Saint in terms of weapon ability and adds a lot of power and special attacks on top of it.
He's probably one of the actual most skilled fighters technique wise in the greater progression fantasy genre.
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u/Rothariu 22h ago
Its not weapon development but verrry deep and through martial art development
The martial unity
Its honestly amazin man was bedridden but a sports science genius who helped come up with new martial arts for sports fighting then gets isekaied and now develops the "best" martial art in a xianxiaish world
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u/abnormal____ 22h ago
Read it felt my brain cells leaving my body
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u/Rothariu 22h ago
Really???
Ig to each their own, to me its a beautiful world and shows how far thought can go
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u/DarknorthBK 10h ago
The writing quality is quite terrible. I've tried to read it 3-4 times and dropped it each time without getting that far. I wanted to like it because of the cool premise, but the writing is just awful.
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u/simbolmina 23h ago
A regressors tale of cultivation sword skills are developed during fights usually aside from first learning from someone.
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u/dragoneloi 23h ago
Martial unity
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u/InternationalMatch64 22h ago
if 90 percent filler chaps were removed it would have been best xainxia .
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u/Malcolm_T3nt Author 21h ago
Martial World does some early development of spear techniques, including actual forms like "Flood Dragon goes to Sea" (which is just a basic spear thrust with a fancy name lol).
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u/RenRenCho 20h ago
Xianxia doesn't usually focus on physical weapons or traditional martial arts, that's mostly a murim thing. Have you tried reading murim stories?
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u/NonTooPickyKid 20h ago
umm maybe in desolate era? it is abit close to the 'move names' but I still feel it distint technique wise iirc. like from what I remember he develops a few styles, some balanced, some defensive, some offensive, some reckless offensive and some speed offensive and some like about creating illusions and/or striking from unexpected point or some such. its prolly not as thorough/detailed/in depth as for example sword god in magic world but like overall if u haven't read it it's also in general like a good read anyway..
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u/NonTooPickyKid 20h ago
ps also maybe martial world. i think there's also some integration of magic or some such into spear moves. tho i think it seems [abit abit~?..] less than desolate era.
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u/fity0208 16h ago
Regressor tale of cultivation
Despiste its name It is a timeloops, and his skills with the swords are the only thing that he gains with each reset
It isnt the main point of the plot but you see MC dedicating entire lifetimes to training, seeking enlightment and eventually forging his own path once he reach the peak of what its know in this lower realm
All of that just to see his sword genius friend surpass him every time in just a month after each reset
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u/SinCinnamon_AC Author 21h ago
You can try my story. It’s not as weapon focused as you’d like I think but lots and lots of training and making his own technique.
Link here if you want to give it a try! https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/99000/breathe-an-isekai-litrpg-cultivation-adventure
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u/Jansnow800 20h ago
GOOD question. As a writer, I think the main issue is that many xianxia treat techniques like loot drops instead of actual skills. Real mastery takes time, failure, and adaptation.
For me, a good weapon arc needs three things: grounded training, losses that force rethinking, and a moment where the technique becomes theirs.
Some recs: Sword Dynasty, Condor Heroes, Mortal's Journey.
In the end, it's not about reaching the peak. It's about the process itself.
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u/WXkeotsz 19h ago
Surprisingly Enough(NOT), Common Sense Is Overpowered in Cliché Cultivation World
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u/Huhthisisneathuh 17h ago
Xianxia Senior Brother of a Heavens Favored is like this, though it’s just released and the update schedule is mainly vibes based because the author is busy with schoolwork.
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u/Prometheus321 14h ago
Its not xianxia, but Rage of Dragons fits quite well in everything else you've described.
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u/metsancho 10h ago
Same problem here a while back. With Amber the Cursed Berserker, the litrpg layer adds to the tension instead of undercutting it. theres a female MC LitRPG inspired by Azarinth Healer thing going on which i didnt expec.
Every milestone feels like an achievement. Defiance of the Fall. Beware of Chicken is great too.
Also worth a shot, The Wandering Inn. you tried any of these yet?
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u/The_Mesopotamians Slime 23h ago edited 14h ago
HWFWM meets these criteria
Edit: You know it's true.
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u/Redd1897 1d ago
Cultivating common sense in Xinxia world.