The emotional core of the story—revenge on Liu Qingfeng—feels distant because it’s from a past life. I need more immediate emotional hooks, like a friend in danger or a home to protect. Revenge alone isn’t enough to carry the narrative for long.
The pacing is genuinely fire. It doesn't waste a single line. We get the absurd situation, the backstory of the original novel, the tragic fate of the body, the plan to escape, the failure, the kidnapping, and the deal, all in the first few pages. There’s no slow burn introduction here, it throws you directly into the chaotic vibes without any filler.
Li Yanqiao is my favorite kind of foil. He’s obsessed with cleanliness, paints grotesque disemboweled goats with meticulous precision (that detail about the paint tubes starting from the back ends — a neat freak’s signature), and reacts to Xie’s chaos with pure, speechless suffering. Him falling for the “smell my pants” trick and then kneeing Xie in the groin is both satisfying and embarrassing. But what I can’t get over is how he just… waited in the hallway? He hunted Xie down for mixing his paints? That takes dedicated grudge work. The handprints on his butt are iconic; the entire corridor saw them. And his reaction, the trembling voice saying “Get off me already”, makes him almost sympathetic. Almost. I appreciate that he slaps Xie instead of backing down. I’m hoping this rivalry turns into something more, but for now I just enjoy how each interaction makes both of them look worse. It’s a competition of self-sabotage.
The introduction of the Giant Spiked Lizard really ramps up the danger level. I appreciated that the young one was fast, but the mother showed up and could even speak human language. That one detail—that adult magical beasts can speak—opens up so many possibilities for the world’s intelligence system. It’s a nice touch that makes the wilderness feel alive and intelligent, not just a monster gauntlet.
The pacing of the escape scene and his decision to leave Yiyang City felt natural and tense. I loved how he didn’t just waltz out — he pawned an umbrella, bought dry food, and even considered the route. That attention to survival details makes the world feel more tangible. Also, his realization about how far one can walk in a day and the lack of “high-speed rail” was a relatable transmigrator moment without being too on-the-nose.
The dialogue tags are repetitive. “Lin Feng said coldly,” “Lin Feng’s tone was flat,” “Lin Feng’s voice was icy”—it’s used too much. It makes him seem one-dimensional. Mix it up with actions or pauses.
The forging challenge feels like a classic RPG quest: “Forge a legendary weapon using only the worst materials and no blueprint.” It’s a great hook because it’s both intimidating and exciting. You can feel Xu Zhou’s desperation turning into determination as he realizes the Collection Technique is his way to cheat. The tension is real because you know if he fails, his dream of learning martial arts is dead.