One minor annoyance: the story often tells us how characters feel instead of showing. For example, “Mo Han felt his heart tighten” – it’s okay, but sometimes we get told that “his eyes revealed a hint of panic and vigilance.” I’d prefer seeing his actions convey it. The scene where he jumps off the stool and creates an ice sword shows panic much better than descriptive sentences. The telling is sometimes redundant; a bit more showing would tighten the prose.
I have to talk about the tiger and the bear fight. That whole scene was wild! Jiang Ming’s plan to pit them against each other was a great use of his special forces knowledge, but the execution felt a bit rushed. One minute he’s in a tree, the next the tiger and bear are fighting, and then they’re both dead. I wanted a bit more tension. Also, the fact that the tiger’s teeth were "not good" and it was old felt like a convenient way to make the fight work. Still, the image of a giant bear ripping a tiger apart with its bare paws was pretty metal. The action was decent, even if the logic was a little shaky.
I actually really like the girlfriend Xia Yingluo. She’s mischievous without being overly dramatic, and the way she carries on with him feels like a real teenage relationship—silly, affectionate, slightly embarrassing in public. Her calling him to carry her and then handing him a pineapple bun? That’s cute. I will say, though, that her personality is a bit one-dimensional at this point: lively and playful, but that’s about it. I hope she gets more depth as the story goes on, especially if alien stuff starts affecting their normal life.
The moment where the narrator looks back at the temple and doesn't think it looks so broken anymore is very poetic.
I’m really curious about the Wufang Valley worldbuilding. The way Wu Yin mentions “Grain Abstinence” and “Spirit Mansion” and “seclusion for fifty years” makes it sound like a classic cultivation sect. But she also talks about “Sealed Memories” and not remembering her secular name. That suggests there’s a backstory involving some kind of punishment or accident. I hope the author slowly unpacks that mystery instead of dumping it all at once.