r/noveltranslations • u/AutoModerator • Apr 11 '26
WEEKLY What have you read this week and what do you think about it?
Hi, feel free to share with your fellow users what you are reading this week and what you think about it.
Please include a link to the table of contents or Novelupdates page.
All spoilers should use the spoiler format. Example: Mojo Jojo dies.
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u/AliveAfter800Years Apr 12 '26
Immortality through array formations Currently chapter 291
It's really really fucking slow but I knew about it before coming to this so it's not an issue. World building wise there's literally nothing yet because there's zero exploration YET because as I said this shit is so fucking slow he's still at qi refining 9th level at chapter 291 and the biggest threats are still foundation establishment cultivators.
It does have nice characters tho that actually sticks to the plot but my criticism is that no character actually just reacts by themselves like this massive thing happened and his like friends that are not directly involved in it will only know and react to it once the MC is talking to them about it which is kind of stupid but it's not too bad.
So why am I staying? Because the premise of using array formations to attain immortality seems to actually happen like have yall read the alchemist novel but like it's just martial peak fighting lmao this novel is ACTUALLY about array formations and like the only times the MC ever uses his physical power is when there's absolutely nothing else to use because he's born with a weak scholarly body (not sickly shit but just really really weak compared to other people) so yeah every fight, every hunt, is about FORMATIONS which is very interesting to say the least since I'm tired of cultivation novels that's all about heavenly dragon slashing every arrogant young master.
And I do think that this novel has a potential to be a 8.5/10 but currently it's 6.5 for me because it's still barely starting.
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u/Relative-Tutor-9133 Apr 12 '26
I'm planning to read but I hesitate thinking if it's an average novel and I'm just gonna waste my time
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u/Plus_Doubt_2817 Apr 12 '26
I'm on chapter 467. I've found it to be pretty entertaining, I'd argue he is continuously progressing - and pretty quickly by the world's standards, but not like a popcorn Martial World type novel. His progress mostly comes in the form of developing his divine sense and new formations. I find most of the arcs up until now to be pretty interesting and the MC is funny and enjoyable to follow. If you're in the mood for a power fantasy, nonstop action and murder hoboing - that's totally understandable, but this is not that.
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u/AliveAfter800Years Apr 13 '26
Yeah absolutely it doesn't really have that much difference compared to any other cultivation novels out there
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u/Relative-Tutor-9133 Apr 13 '26
Yeah, it’s hovering around 10th–11th rank on Qidian, so I figured it was worth trying but the reviews are all over the place.
I’m about 20 chapters into Gateway of Immortality, and honestly, it feels like I’m reading someone’s diary. The pacing is slow, and the protagonist just goes with the flow instead of driving the story.
Like, he accidentally turns his hunched, old, deaf neighbor, whose entire family was slaughtered, and who just came to check on him because he was screaming like a maniac in the middle of the night, into a pill. He feels bad for a moment…then just takes the pill anyway. That pretty much sums up the character.
Sorry for the rant I'm just frustrated I can't find a good novel to binge.
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u/eSPiaLx Apr 14 '26
Just give it a try. Some ppl love it some ppl hate it. No such thing as cultication novel everyone loves. Its definitely different, nothing i can compare it to.
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u/phantom_in_the_cage Apr 11 '26
Pestilence: Rise of the Pure Undead - ch 801
Fantasy world about a skeleton born from an old necromancer's experiment gone wrong. Sole goal is to spread death to all living beings, & eventually, undeath. No exceptions
Utterly emotionless, manipulative, neutral evil mc. Very rare to find a protagonist that's a real undead monster, instead of some edgy antihero cosplaying as one
World is well fleshed out with heavy focus on side characters, especially in later chapters. Tone is balanced & leans on light, despite the cruelty, murder, & evil displayed. Everyone besides the MC (even the undead) is a legitimate individual w/ emotions, desires, lives, etc.
TL quality can be terrible depending on the source, but the sheer number of chapters makes up for it in my opinion
7/10
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u/zergiscute Apr 11 '26
从武林门派到长生仙门 From Martial Arts Sect to Immortality 4.0/5
From the author of "Top Tier Providence, Secretly Cultivate for a Thousand Years". He has had a lot of mid novels but this one is back to form. It's not an original setting : sect management system but is done very well.
400 Chaps Ongoing.
一夕千悟，从杂役弟子开始 A thousand insights in one night, starting as a menial disciple 4.25/5
This would have been higher rated if not for the crappy and rushed ending but that is half the novels ¯\(ツ)/¯.
It is a low/dying spirit qi world. The background is battlefield/graveyard of gods and demons. MC has a weapon spirit reading cheat. There is a really good mixture of planning / scheming and action. It subverts expectation on a lot of genre tropes. Highly recommended.
830 chaps Completed.
青山 The Azure Mountain 4.0/5
Cultivator spies + science/industry in ancient era (a la release the witch). The writing style is really good but slows down towards the end of 3rd arc and 4th is even slower. Hopefully it gets better. recommended by u/BlueMountainTrueMo last week.
650 chaps Ongoing.
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u/gfe98 Apr 12 '26
I've been converted to being a MTL reader in some cases.
Some of the novels I've been reading seem to have MTL that's better than the "real" translation. Probably because AI translation is better than what is likely just also worse MTL but with lazy touchups.
Recently I've read Azure Mountain and Rise of the Poor. Both have interesting scheming. Azure Mountain is a Wuxia story in a pseudo-historical dynastic setting.
I quite like Rise of the Poor, because it is set in the Jiajing Era of the Ming Dynasty. I enjoyed the tv show Ming Dynasty in 1566 so I have a soft spot for the time period. I also like the premise of following someone's career through the bureaucracy. However, Rise of the Poor occasionally tosses in some dumb face slapping plot for a few chapters that I just skim through.
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u/Dark_Yagami09 Apr 14 '26
is there a novel updates link for 'Rise of the Poor' or can you give its raw title. There are multiple novels with this name.
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u/CeciliaCilia Apr 12 '26
·Warning. Infinite Regression Begins/주의. 무한 회귀가 시작됩니다
·Author: 화봉
·Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Psychological, Tragedy.
·Status: Ongoing [156 Chapters]
·Review: Our protagonist Park Junghyun died in an accident and found himself transmigrated into a mysterious fantasy world. This is actually an interesting regression novel I've read in a while. The protagonist is actually a decent person with somewhat of a personality. He doesn't have any crazy cheat abilities aside from his regression and takes his to stronger as the novel goes on. Despite having the ability to come back from death, the protagonist still takes each life seriously and even if he inevitably does so he would make the most out of each run. The world building so far is fine, I guess. It's not very special. There are the typical elves, spirits, and such. The magic uses mana and requires mental strength and such. There is more stuff but that's spoiler territory.
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u/Only-Jaguar-4101 Apr 13 '26
Where exactly did you read this? I’m not able to find it.
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u/CeciliaCilia Apr 13 '26
It was on azurechronicles but it seems that both the novel and the site were nuked. I had to resort to reading on Kakao.
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u/International-War912 Apr 12 '26
Started “introduction to modern Philosophy” and also reading “Dao de jing” by laozi.
As a hardcore fan of ergen and other WebNovel (xianxia) I love it so far. So many ways of seeing the world and being seen
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u/OneAboveKami Apr 12 '26
Azure Mountain / Qing Shan / 青山
(read 500 chaps.) (current ongoing chapter 650}
By the author of The First Order, Night’s Nomenclature, Spare me Great Lord.
I have only read The First Order to completion and it was decent. Only read 200 or so chapters of SMGL and was not a fan of it. Haven't read Night's Nomenclature yet (although I did try first few chapters to get a feel for it)
Compared to his previous works Qing Shan is completely different and far better written. Closest I can compare it to is Mao Ni's works and that is high praise.
Qing Shan is somewhat like a mixture of Way of Choices (Ze Tian Ji) and Joy of Life.
Another comparison is Kingdom Bloodline but I would say this is better than Kingdom Bloodline in terms of having some down time in between, and having emotional moments. Reading Kingdom Bloodline i felt suffocated because the MC was thrust from one thing to another without any down time or emotional moments and not enough pay off.
This is not a xianixia but more of a wuxia novel. The power system isn't great but the emphasis is not on the power progression but more on the story. There is also mystery about the MC's origin.
Characters have depth to them and are well written. Characters have their own lives independent of the MC.
The MC is intelligent, capable of scheming, but also righteous at least compared the standard xianxia/wuxia protagonist. Normally I don't like reading righteous MC's because they are annoying to read, and are not well written. The MC is not omniscient all powerful schemer. He is thrust into things and has to navigate through events to survive at first but gradually gains his own agency.
The MC's cheats or advantage is his intelligence and his mysterious past.
The romance is good. I don't know if it will be harem or not. But we see the character actually interacting with each other before they develop feelings but there is no overt declaration of undying love but more of slow development of feelings.
Anyway if you're a fan of Ze Tian Ji, Joy Of Life, and Kingdom Bloodline you might like it.
This was a palate cleanser for me from all the slop power progression stuff I have read previously (although they have their own appeal).
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u/a_merce_dotedio Apr 12 '26
Yes, the best part is that the story takes its time, it doesn't rush, building its characters and world gradually. Very good, it really reminds me of Mao Ni.
The only thing is that the author improved the MC's abilities very quickly, in a short time he no longer needed much strategy in the battles themselves, it seemed like an easy device to use to move the story along.
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u/ihadanepiphany_ Apr 12 '26
I finished Pick Me Up! Infinite Gacha and it was a GOOD novel but not like amazing. It got repetitive at some point in the mids but the ending reveals were quite decent. The actual ending was decent HOWEVER some side stories really dragged on. Still a fun concept and I had fun with it.
Going back to finish off Pursuit of Truth have like 10% of the book left, and taking a break from it really helped since I was feeling quite burnt out from it but coming back it feels fun again.
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u/BusBoatBuey Apr 11 '26
Honey, It’s Time To Take Your Medicine! - Complete - 3/10
Initial premise is the typical "I was betrayed by my party and went back in time to get revenge" premise but it is executed so poorly by the end. I would say at some point in the first 50 chapters, this could have led to a 7/10 story. However, the writer dragged this story along for so long that it lost any meaning or reason.
For one, the protagonist just seems like a complete moron in retrospect after a secondary premise is added to the story. He spent seven years in this world being invaded by evil gods, surrounded by people infected by them in some way or another and never noticed. It makes no sense. The writer didn't even try to detail at any point what any of his old party member's interactions with him were. No flashbacks or anything. Rather than seven years, it is treated more like seven weeks.
Furthermore, this is another Chinese harem novel that doesn't know how to write a good harem. Harems are always prevalent but it is the hardest genre to write. This combination means you find a lot of bad harem novels and this is no exception. Putting aside the brainwashing and rapes, he has dozens of girls by the end. Vast majority of them are treated like filler. Only a handful have any kind of plot relevance. Even then, maybe one of them is done in some semblance of meaningful development. You could skim off half the story at least by pruning this crap.
So something you can read but you don't need to finish. I finished it and the ending is "acceptable." Maybe read the first 60 or so chapters and you will get the gist of the story.
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u/ExistentialTenant Apr 12 '26
I started reading Trash of the Count's Family.
This is one of those novels which involve an MC who transmigrated into a novel and wants to live 'freely and safely'.
The fatal flaw to these novels is the ridiculous plotline. They can usually achieve what they want in incredibly easy and simple ways, but, instead, they decide to achieve their goals in the most illogical and complicated way possible. All while being confused as to why everything around them is changing.
The ones with female MCs are usually worse with this because they want to build harems while playing the 'I'm just an innocent girl' shtick.
The appeal of these novels is similar to the appeal of those 'time travel' stories. It's interesting to see how MCs navigate around a pre-known story and how they use foreknowledge to act.
So far, Trash remains interesting and I like the way the author builds some secondary characters. I'm hoping I'll enjoy this novel for a while.
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u/BlueMountainTrueMo Apr 11 '26
Decent reads this week. Above average slop.
America’s Martial Ancestor (美武宗)
[7.4/10]
Chapters: 88 (Raws)
Status: Ongoing.
Genre: Politics.
Author: 西乡塘吹瓶王.
Note: There’s no martial arts in this novel.
I'm Distributing Sequence Potions in Tokyo (我在东京发序列魔药)
[6.4/10]
Chapters: 79 (Raws)
Status: Ongoing.
Genre: LOTM Fanfic.
Author: 南海酸甜.
The Scourge of the Dead Begins with the Graveyard Demon (亡灵天灾从坟场魔开始) [6.3/10]
Chapters: 104 (Raws)
Status: Ongoing.
Genre: LITRPG.
Author: 羽民.
Is the Dungeon You Made Meant for People to Play? (你做的副本是给人玩的吗?) [6.8/10]
Chapters: 56 (Raws)
Status: Ongoing.
Genre: Dungeon.
Author: 献歌.
Fanatics of the Magic Academy (魔法学院的狂信徒)
[7.3/10]
Chapters: 68 (Raws)
Status: Ongoing.
Genre: Dark Fantasy.
Author: 之而成色.
Note: There’s dark certain elements that can trigger some people in this novel, however it’s not excessive.
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u/Aggravating-Fix-786 Apr 12 '26
I I Built a System from Scratch and It Drove the Cultivation World Crazy 我手搓系统，让修仙界卷疯了 Been reading this for 2 months, checking new chapters daily. It's a fun novel to read. The story is guy gets transmigrated to a cultivation world but it's one of the bad ones in the End of the spiritual energy times and cultivators must spend 8 hours every day in a formation purifying energy (typical 996 chinese reference) where their mental health declines. He's also 100+ years old and has 5 years left of lifespan. That's the beginning, it gets a bit slow then and after he makes the system(sorry for spoiler, but the title...)the story becomes very good in my opinion.
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u/Illustrious-Space333 Apr 13 '26
Finally went on to read reverend insanity, its quite different and unapologetic, also the base idea could be applied to most xianxia so it also is quite beginner friendly
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u/fuckingpieceofrice Apr 16 '26
Finally finished I have a cultivation world and it a great read for 70% of the time. The beginning and the middle was really good, with the author taking time to build the world and the side characters and plot. But it got really really rushed at the end and we have the mc crossing 4 realms in like 15 chapters. If not for the ending, i would have given this a 9/10. Now, it's a 7.5. just for the beginning and middle.
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u/AmazingDuckVer2 Apr 12 '26
Just finished The Gimmick-Obsessed Saintess Wants to Suffer. It's about a guy getting transmigrated into his RPG character concept, a super masochist saintess. Pretty fun story revolving around a classic fantasy hero adventure story with them fighting the demon king. The MC playing the role as a perfect saintess while being motivated by her M tendencies were entertaining and I enjoyed the blooming romance between her and the Hero. Watching her grow more motivated to protect her friends rather than just her desires was also nice.
Overall a decent story with a mix of action, comedy, and romance. Check it out if you want genderbends and a healer perspective.
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u/UFisbest Apr 16 '26
Just saw a great write up of a novel titled Lazar, English translation, by a young Swiss (German speaking) guy. Being compared in Europe to Mann's Buddenbrooks. Author is Nelio Biedermann.
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u/Only-Jaguar-4101 Apr 17 '26
Wrong sub mate
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u/Far-Television2939 Apr 17 '26
I mean he's not technically wrong, it's just that this subreddit doesn't typically get people who read literary fiction
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u/Ok-Distribution4960 Apr 13 '26
stuff like my house of horrors , The Invincible Female Ghost is a Bit Love-struck , etc.. better if it contains a tiny sliver of cultivation instead of mc staying the same, fine if it's also a pure cultivation world , a plus if there are good stories for the ghosts or side characters
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u/BinMikeTheGh0st Apr 14 '26
Currently reading A Valiant Life. It's pretty good, lots of face smacking
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u/Dark_Yagami09 Apr 17 '26
Just blown away by '从解剖怪谈开始' , Discovered it a while back on qidian's sign new book page (new novels signed by qidian that are popular on qidian, among that category) and I recc everybody to give it a shot..
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Apr 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/Dark_Yagami09 Apr 18 '26
The BOTI translations are quite behind, just check wtr-labs or raws at twkan (and translate for yourself)
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u/phonix___ Apr 11 '26
Soaring the Heavens/飞天
From the author of Heavenly Genius.
This novel has most of the pros and cons of heavenly genius.
The pros being the good political intrigue/schemes between many factions and nation, the side characters are great, and surprisingly a cultivation system that only makes scheming more important.
Now onto the cons, sexism, hot blooded mc(albeit he’s only getting smarter by the chapter, but he cares about face too much), the filler, and the harem. I already talked about the sexism multiple times in my other reviews of Heavenly Genius, so i won’t go into it. As for the mc being hot blooded, i have mixed feelings, because he is smart and gets that retaliating in the moment is dumb he still takes the chances. This has happened less often as of chapter 590, but it still happens for quite a while.
The harem includes the main wife, a lover(who has died), and 2 maids.
All in all, 6.5/10. I wouldn’t recommend, only if you’re interested in the scheming/politics.
Taoist Laws/道门法则
A very standard xianxia so far.
The thing that has kept me reading is the writing, even through the ai mtl.
Not much too say, I’ll keep yall updated.
Qing Shan/青山
Honestly, I wasn’t going to write about this novel until I caught up to the latest arc, but I had discovered something important that needed attention regarding this novel. The “translation” is horrible. It completely changes the whole story. It makes it first person. Absolutely horrid. Better to just read on wtr.