Forge of Destiny

Forge of Destiny

by Yrsillar

In the Celestial Empire, a land ruled by Immortals and stalked by Spirits and Beasts, a young girl from the slums of an unimportant city is found to have the Talent. In the great Sect of Argent Peak, she will take her first unsteady steps upon the way.

Can she learn to not only survive, but thrive on her journey?

Updates Mondays and Thursdays. The first three Volumes can now be found on Audible

Cover Art by Melody Cheng

Original, unedited Quest found here

Tales of Destiny, an anthology of short stories in the same setting

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Author
Yrsillar

Yrsillar

Achievements
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5th Anniversary
15,000,000 Views
10,000 Followers
Word Count (17)
75 Comments
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Table of Contents
594 Chapters
Chapter Name Release Date
Prologue-Smelting ago
Smelting 2 ago
Smelting 3 ago
Smelting 4 ago
Bonus 1: Commencement Day ago
Chapter 1-First Steps 1 ago
Chapter 2-First Steps 2 ago
Chapter 3- First Steps 3 ago
Chapter 4-First Steps 4 ago
Chapter 5-First Steps 5 ago
Chapter 6-Exam Prep 1 ago
Chapter 7-Exam Prep 2 ago
Chapter 8-Exam Prep 3 ago
Chapter 9-Exam Prep 4 ago
Bonus 2: Lessons and Lore ago
Chapter 10 Exam Prep 5 ago
Chapter 11 Exam Prep 6 ago
Chapter 12 -Zhou's Trial 1 ago
Chapter 13-Zhou's Trial 2 ago
Chapter 14-Zhou's Trial 3 ago
Chapter 15-Zhou's Trial 4 ago
Chapter 16-Zhou's Trial 5 ago
Chapter 17-Zhou's Trial 6 ago
Bonus 3: Faculty Meeting ago
Chapter 18-Zhou's Trial 7 ago
Chapter 19-Zhou's Trial 8 ago
Chapter 20-Foundations 1 ago
Chapter 21-Foundations 2 ago
Chapter 22-Foundations 3 ago
Chapter 23-Foundations 4 ago
Chapter 24-Foundations 5 ago
Chapter 25-Foundations 6 ago
Bonus 4: Growing Unease ago
Chapter 26-Foundations 7 ago
Chapter 27-Foundations 8 ago
Chapter 28-Foundations 9 ago
Bonus 5: The Great Sects ago
Chapter 29-Mountainside Clash ago
Chapter 30-Mountainside Clash 2 ago
Bonus 6: Charity ago
Chapter 31-Mountainside Clash 3 ago
Chapter 32-Mountainside Clash 4 ago
Chapter 33- Dwindling Peace 1 ago
Chapter 34-Dwindling Peace 2 ago
Bonus 7: Spite ago
Chapter 35-Dwindling Peace 3 ago
Chapter 36-Dwindling Peace 4 ago
Chapter 37-Truce End 1 ago
Chapter 38-Truce End 2 ago
Chapter 39-Truce End 3 ago
Chapter 40-Truce End 4 ago
Chapter 41-Truce End 5 ago
Chapter 42-Truce End 6 ago
Bonus 8: Observation ago
Chapter 43- Brewing Chaos 1 ago
Chapter 44- Brewing Chaos 2 ago
Chapter 45-Second Realm ago
Chapter 46-Restoring Order 1 ago
Chapter 47-Restoring Order 2 ago
Chapter 48-Restoring Order 3 ago
Bonus 9: On Cultivation ago
Chapter 49-Serpent's Treasure 1 ago
Chapter 50-Serpent's Treasure 2 ago
Chapter 51-Serpent's Treasure 3 ago
Chapter 52-Serpent's Treasure 4 ago
Chapter 53-Serpent's Treasure 5 ago
Chapter 54-Cooperation 1 ago
Chapter 55-Cooperation 2 ago
Chapter 56 Cooperation 3 ago
Chapter 57-Cooperation 4 ago
Chapter 58-Tag 1 ago
Chapter 59-Tag 2 ago
Interlude: Bai Meizhen ago
Chapter 60-Simmering 1 ago
Bonus 10: Death of the Sage ago
Chapter 61-Simmering 2 ago
Chapter 62-Simmering 3 ago
Chapter 63-Rebellion 1 ago
Chapter 64 Rebellion 2 ago
Chapter 65 Challenge ago
Chapter 66-Sect Work 1 ago
Chapter 67- Sect Work 2 ago
Chapter 68-Sect Work 3 ago
Bonus 11: The Twilight King ago
Chapter 69-Sect Work 3 ago
Chapter 70-Sect Work 4 ago
Chapter 71-Sect Work 5 ago
Chapter 72-Recovery 1 ago
Chapter 73-Recovery 2 ago
Chapter 74 Night on the Lake ago
Chapter 75-Melodies 1 ago
Chapter 76-Melodies 2 ago
Bonus 12: Plots and Plans ago
Chapter 77-Hatchling 1 ago
Interlude: Sima Jiao ago
Chapter 78- Hatchling 2 ago
Chapter 79-Hatchling 3 ago
Chapter 80-Council ago
Chapter 81-Elder Ying ago
Chapter 82-Relaxing Hike ago
Chapter 83 Crackdown 1 ago
Chapter 84-Crackdown 2 ago
Chapter 85-Elder Ying 2 ago
Chapter 86-Council Work 1 ago
Bonus-Precious! ago
Chapter 87-Council Work 2 ago
Chapter 88- Resurgence 1 ago
Chapter 89-Resurgence 2 ago
Chapter 90-Resurgence 3 ago
Chapter 91-Resurgence 4 ago
Chapter 92-Resurgence 5 ago
Chapter 93-Resurgence 6 ago
Interlude- Cai Renxiang ago
Chapter 94-Peace 1 ago
Chapter 95-Peace 2 ago
Chapter 96-Peace 3 ago
Bonus Chapter: Humiliation ago
Chapter 97-Peace 4 ago
Chapter 98-Dark Dreams 1 ago
Chapter 99-Dark Dreams 2 ago
Chapter 100-Dark Dreams 3 ago
Chapter 101-Dark Dreams 4 ago
Chapter 102-Dark Dreams 5 ago
Chapter 103-Dark Dreams 6 ago
Interlude- Li Suyin ago
Chapter 104-Tutelage 1 ago
Bonus Chapter- Cold/Alone ago
Chapter 105-Tutelage 2 ago
Chapter 106-Tutelage 3 ago
Chapter 107-Tutelage 4 ago
Chapter 108-Tutelage 5 ago
Chapter 109-Theft 1 ago
Chapter 110-Theft 2 ago
Chapter 111-Theft 3 ago
Chapter 112-Theft 4 ago
Bonus Chapter-Dynasties of the Emerald Seas ago
Chapter 113- Connections 1 ago
Interlude-Gu Xiulan ago
Chapter 114-Connections 2 ago
Chapter 115-Blizzard ago
Chapter 116-Elder Jiao ago
Chapter 117 Troubles ago
Chapter 118-Heist ago
Chapter 119- Friends 1 ago
Chapter 120-Friends 2 ago
Bonus Chapter-Mid Year Conference ago
Chapter 121-Friends 3 ago
Chapter 122-Crimson Princess 1 ago
Chapter 123 Crimson Princess 2 ago
Chapter 124-Crimson Princess 3 ago
Chapter 125-Sabotage ago
Chapter 126-Guardians 1 ago
Chapter 127-Guardians 2 ago
Chapter 128-Escalation ago
Bonus Chapter-Hunter ago
Chapter 129- Quests ago
Interlude- Bai Cui ago
Chapter 130- Training ago
Chapter 131-Favors ago
Chapter 132-Courting ago
Chapter 133-Courting 2 ago
Chapter 134-News ago
Chapter 135-Heiress ago
Chapter 136-Law ago
Chapter 137-Reconciliation ago
Chapter 138-Connections ago
Bonus Chapter: Betrothal ago
Chapter 139-Spirits ago
Chapter 140-Finishing Moves ago
Chapter 141-Finishing Moves 2 ago
Chapter 142-Finishing Moves 3 ago
Chapter 143-Finishing Moves 4 ago
Chapter 144-Finishing Moves 5 ago
Chapter 145-Finishing Moves 6 ago
Chapter 146-Finishing Moves 7 ago
Bonus Chapter: Ancestors Sublime ago
Chapter 147-Finishing Moves 8 ago
Interlude: Ji Rong ago
Chapter 148-Third Realm 1 ago
Chapter 149-Third Realm 2 ago
Chapter 150-Ice 1 ago
Chapter 151-Ice 2 ago
Chapter 152-Career ago
Bonus: Ascension for the Common Baron ago
Chapter 153-Beginning and Ending ago
Chapter 154-Oaths ago
Chapter 155-Revelry ago
Bonus Chapter: Temples and Festivals ago
Chapter 156-Hangover ago
Chapter 157-Bronze Realm ago
Interlude: Han Jian ago
Chapter 158-Resolution ago
Chapter 159-Moon ago
Chapter 160-Moon 2 ago
Chapter 161-Dragon 1 ago
Chapter 162-Dragon 2 ago
Chapter 163-Dragon 3 ago
Chapter 164-Dragon 4 ago
Chapter 165-Retainer 1 ago
Chapter 166-Retainer 2 ago
Chapter 167-Competitor ago
Chapter 168-Loose Ends ago
Chapter 169-Family 1 ago
Chapter 170-Family 2 ago
Ling Qingge Interlude ago
Bonus Chapter: Alone ago
Chapter 171-Family 3 ago
Chapter 172-Hidden 1 ago
Chapter 173-Hidden 2 ago
Chapter 174-Training 1 ago
Chapter 175-Training 2 ago
Chapter 176-Training 3 ago
Chapter 177-Training 4 ago
Chapter 178-Socialite 1 ago
Chapter 179-Standing ago
Chapter 180-Years End 1 ago
Chapter 181-Years End 2 ago
Chapter 182-Years End 3 ago
Bonus Chapter-Duty ago
Chapter 183-Years End 4 ago
Chapter 184-Years End 5 ago
Bonus: Argent Sect Promotional ago
Chapter 185-Preliminaries 1 ago
Chapter 186-Preliminaries 2 ago
Chapter 187-Preliminaries 3 ago
Chapter 188-Preliminaries 4 ago
Chapter 189-Prelimaries 5 ago
Chapter 190-Preliminaries 6 ago
Chapter 191-Tournament 1 ago
Chapter 192-Tournament 2 ago
Interlude: Sun Liling ago
Chapter 193-Tournament 3 ago
Chapter 194-Tournament 4 ago
Chapter 195-Tournament 5 ago
Chapter 196-Tournament 6 ago
Chapter 197-Tournament 7 ago
Chapter 198-Tournament 8 ago
Chapter 199-Tournament 9 ago
Chapter 200-Tournament 10 ago
Bonus: The Ministry of Integrity ago
Chapter 201-Tournament 11 ago
Chapter 202-Tournament 12 ago
Chapter 203-Tournament 13 ago
Chapter 204-Tournament 14 ago
Chapter 205-Tournament 15 ago
Chapter 206-Tournament 16 ago
Chapter 207-Tournament 17 ago
Chapter 208-Tournament 18 ago
Chapter 209-Epilogue ago
Threads of Destiny-Prologue ago
Threads Chapter 1-New Settings ago
Threads Chapter 2 ago
Bonus: The Great Diviner ago
Threads Chapter 3 ago
Threads Chapter 4 ago
Threads Chapter 5 ago
Threads Chapter 6 ago
Threads Chapter 7-The Bloody Dream 1 ago
Threads Chapter 8 ago
Threads Chapter 9 ago
Threads Chapter 10 ago
Threads 11- Sect Challenges 1 ago
Threads 12 ago
Threads 13 ago
Threads 14 ago
Bonus: Xiangmen, the Heavenly Pillar ago
Threads 15 ago
Threads 16 ago
Threads 17 ago
Threads 18 ago
Threads 19-Dreams 1 ago
Threads 20 ago
Threads 21-Duels 1 ago
Threads 22-Duels 2 ago
Threads 23-Winter's Muse ago
Threads 24 Winter's Muse 2 ago
Threads 25 Winters Muse 3 ago
Threads 26 Winters Muse 4 ago
Threads 27 Siblings 1 ago
Threads 28 Siblings 2 ago
Threads 29-Siblings 3 ago
Interlude: The Cobbler and the Viper ago
Bonus: Macabre ago
Threads 30 Adventures 1 ago
Threads 31-Adventures 2 ago
Threads 32-Adventure 3 ago
Threads 33-Peers 1 ago
Threads 34 Peers 2 ago
Threads 35 Peers 3 ago
Bonus: Snake and Spider 1 ago
Threads 36 Three Moons 1 ago
Threads 37 Three Moons 2 ago
Threads 38 Three Moons 3 ago
Chapter 39-Three Moons 4 ago
Threads 40-Justice 1 ago
Threads 41 Justice 2 ago
Bonus: Characters of Destiny ago
Threads 42-Justice 3 ago
Threads 43 Justice 4 ago
Threads 44 Death 1 ago
Bonus: Handmaiden ago
Threads 45-Death 2 ago
Threads 46 Signs 1 ago
Threads 47 Signs 2 ago
Threads 48-Signs 3 ago
Threads 49-Perspectives ago
Threads 50-Downtime 1 ago
Bonus: The Sky that Fell ago
Threads 51-Downtime 2 ago
Threads 52-Downtime 3 ago
Threads 53-Downtime 4 ago
Bonus: Character Sheet ago
Threads 54-Nobility ago
Threads 55 Nobility 2 ago
Threads 56-Nobility 3 ago
Threads Chapter 57-Bao Qian 1 ago
Threads 58-Bao Qian 2 ago
Threads 59-Bao Qian 3 ago
Threads 60-Bao Qian 4 ago
Interlude: Outer Sect ago
Threads 61-Dressmaker 1 ago
Threads 62 Dressmaker 2 ago
Threads 63-Dressmaker 3 ago
Threads 64-Foreshock 1 ago
Bonus: Snake and Spider 2 ago
Threads 65-Foreshock 2 ago
Threads 66-Foreshock 3 ago
67-Foreshock 4 ago
Bonus: Outer Sect Tremors ago
Threads 68-Foreshock 5 ago
Threads 69: Foreshock 6 ago
Chapter 70: Foreshock 7 ago
Threads 71- Epilogue-War ago
Threads 72-Interlude-Shockwaves ago
Threads Interlude Rivers and Rain ago
threads 73-Normalcy 1 ago
Threads 74-Normalcy 2 ago
Threads 75-Normalcy 3 ago
Threads 76-Normalcy 4 ago
Chapter 77-Normalcy 5 ago
Threads 78-Normalcy 6 ago
Chapter 79-Muse 1 ago
Threads 80-Muse 2 ago
Interlude: Dance ago
Threads 81-Parting 1 ago
Threads 82-Parting 2 ago
Threads 83-Integration 1 ago
Threads 84-Integration 2 ago
Threads 85-Household 1 ago
Threads 86-Household 2 ago
Threads 87 Household 3 ago
Threads 88-Deals 1 ago
Threads 89-Deals 2 ago
Threads 90-Dinner 1 ago
Threads 91-Dinner 2 ago
Threads 92-Diplomacy 1 ago
threads 93-Diplomacy 2 ago
Bonus: haunts of the Primal Forest ago
Threads 94-Diplomacy 3 ago
Threads 95-Diplomacy 4 ago
Bonus: Snake and Spider Part 3 ago
Threads 96-Contemplation 1 ago
Threads 97 Contemplation 2 ago
Threads 98-Contemplation 3 ago
Threads 99-Descent 1 ago
Threads 100 Descent 2 ago
Threads 101-Descent 3 ago
Threads 102-Descent 4 ago
Threads 103-Descent 5 ago
Threads 104-Descent 6 ago
Threads 105-Descent 7 ago
Threads 106-Descent 8 ago
Threads 107-Descent 9 ago
Threads 108-Descent 10 ago
Threads 109-Descent 11 ago
Interlude: Precious Dreams ago
Threads 110-Descent 12 ago
Threads 111-Intermission 1 ago
Threads 112-Intermission 2 ago
Threads 113-Intermission 3 ago
Threads 114-Intermission 4 ago
Interlude: Companion Quest ago
Threads 115-Intermission 5 ago
Threads 116-Intermission 6 ago
Threads 117-Intermission 7 ago
Threads 118-Intermission 8 ago
Threads 119-Wind Thief 1 ago
Threads 120 Wind Thief 2 ago
Threads 121-Reverb 1 ago
Threads 121-Reverb 2 ago
Interlude: Welcome to the Jungle ago
Interlude: Imperturbable Stars ago
Threads 123-Convergence 1 ago
Threads 124-Convergence 2 ago
Threads 125-Convergence 3 ago
Threads 126-Convergeance 4 ago
threads 127-Convergence 5 ago
128-Convergence 6 ago
Threads 129-Convergence 7 ago
Threads 130-Convergence 8 ago
Threads 131-Convergence 9 ago
Threads Interlude: Summer's End ago
Threads 132: After-Action 1 ago
Threads 133 After-Action 2 ago
Threads 134-After Action 3 ago
Threads 135 After Action 4 ago
Threads 136 Preparations 1 ago
Threads 137 Preparations 2 ago
Threads 138-Concert 1 ago
Threads 139-Concert 2 ago
Threads 140 Concert 3 ago
141-Concert 4 ago
Threads 142 Spear 1 ago
Threads 143-Spear 2 ago
Threads 144-Tome 1 ago
Threads 145-Tome 2 ago
Interlude: Management ago
Threads 146-Old Ways 1 ago
Threads 147-Old Ways 2 ago
Threads 148- South 1 ago
Threads 149-South 2 ago
Threads Interlude Clockwork Blades ago
Threads 150-South 3 ago
Threads 151-South 4 ago
Threads 152-Rot 1 ago
Threads 153-Rot 2 ago
Threads 154-Rot 3 ago
Threads 155-Past 1 ago
Threads 156-Past 2 ago
Threads 157 Past 3 ago
Threads 158 Past 4 ago
Threads 159-Past 5 ago
Threads 160 Always Winter 1 ago
Threads 161-Always Winter 2 ago
Threads 162 Always Winter 3 ago
Threads 163-Dolls 1 ago
Threads 164-Dolls 2 ago
Threads 165-Dolls 3 ago
Threads 166-Emissary 1 ago
Threads Interlude: Faceless ago
Threads 167-Emissary 2 ago
Threads 168-Emissary 3 ago
Threads 169-Emissary 4 ago
Threads 170-Emissary 5 ago
Threads 171 Emissary 6 ago
Threads 172 Emissary 7 ago
Threads 173-Emissary 8 ago
Threads 174 Emissary 9 ago
Threads 175-Emissary 10 ago
Theads 176-Emissary 11 ago
Threads 177- Emissary 12 ago
Interlude: The Declining Storm ago
Threads 178-Dawn 1 ago
Threads 179-Dawn 2 ago
Threads 180-Dawn 3 ago
Threads 181-Dawn 4 ago
Threads 182-Return 1 ago
Threads 183-Return 2 ago
Threads 184-Return 3 ago
Threads 185-Return 4 ago
Threads 186-Return 5 ago
Threads 187-Return 6 ago
Threads 188-Return 7 ago
Threads 189-Concert 1 ago
Threads 190 Concert 2 ago
Threads 191-Concert 3 ago
Threads 192-Liminal 1 ago
Threads 193-Liminal 2 ago
Threads 194-Liminal 3 ago
Threads 195-Liminal 4 ago
Threads 196-Liminal 5 ago
Threads 197-Rite 1 ago
Threads 198 Rite 2 ago
Threads 199-Rite 3 ago
Threads 200-Festival 1 ago
Threads 201 Festival 2 ago
Threads 202-Festival 3 ago
Threads Interlude: The White Blade Devil ago
Threads 203-Opening Day 1 ago
Threads 204-Opening Day 2 ago
Threads 205-Opening Day 3 ago
Threads 206-Opening Day 4 ago
Threads 207-Opening Day 5 ago
Threads 208-Opening Day 6 ago
Threads 209-Opening Day 7 ago
Threads 210-Opening Day 8 ago
Threads 211-Opening Day 9 ago
In the Shadow of Xiangmen I ago
Threads 212-Second Day 1 ago
Threads 213-Friend and Foe 2 ago
Threads 214-Friend and Foe 3 ago
Threads 215-Friend and Foe 4 ago
Threads 216-Friend and Foe 5 ago
Threads 217-Second Day 1 ago
Threads 218 Second Day 2 ago
Threads 219-Second Day 3 ago
Threads 220-Second Day 4 ago
Threads 221-Family 1 ago
Threads 222-Family 2 ago
Threads 223-Family 3 ago
Threads 224-Family 4 ago
Threads 225-Family 5 ago
Threads 226: Family 6 ago
Interlude: Truth ago
In the Shadow of Xiangmen II ago
Threads 227-Pronouncement 1 ago
In the Shadow of Xiangmen III ago
Threads 228-Pronouncement 2 ago
In the Shadow of Xiangmen IV ago
Threads 229-Pronouncement 3 ago
Threads 230- Thunder 1 ago
Threads 231 Thunder 2 ago
Threads 232-Thunder 3 ago
Threads 233-Thunder 4 ago
Threads 234-Thunder 5 ago
Threads 235-Expanse 1 ago
Threads 236 Expanse 2 ago
Threads 237-Spymaster 1 ago
Threads 238 Spymaster 2 ago
Threads 239-Fox 1 ago
Threads 240-Fox 2 ago
Threads 241-Fox 3 ago
Threads 242-Fox 4 ago
Threads 243-Fox 5 ago
244-Journey 1 ago
Threads 245-Journey 2 ago
Threads 246-Journey 3 ago
Threads 247-Journey 4 ago
Threads 248-Journey 5 ago
Threads 249-Capital 1 ago
Threads 250-Capital 2 ago
Threads 251-Capital 3 ago
Threads 252-Capital 4 ago
Threads 253-Capital 5 ago
Threads 254-Capital 6 ago
Threads 255-Capital 7 ago
Threads 256-Capital 8 ago
Threads 257-Storyteller I ago
Threads 258-Storyteller 2 ago
Threads 259-Storyteller 3 ago
Threads 260-Yonder 1 ago
Threads 261-Yonder 2 ago
Threads 262-Yonder 3 ago
Threads 263-Yonder 4 ago
Threads 264-Perceptions 1 ago
Threads 265 Perceptions 2 ago
Threads 266-Perceptions 3 ago
Threads 267 Perception 4 ago
Threads 268-Perception 5 ago
Threads 269-Perception 6 ago
Threads 270-Grudges 1 ago
Threads 271-Grudges 2 ago
Threads 272-Grudges 3 ago
Threads 273-Grudges 4 ago
Threads 274-Grudges 5 ago
Threads 275-Grudges 6 ago
Threads 276-Grudges 7 ago
Threads 277 Sea of Dreams 1 ago
Threads 278-Sea of Dreams 2 ago
Threads 279-Sea of Dreams 3 ago
Threads 280-Sea of Dreams 4 ago
Threads 281-Sea of Dreams 5 ago
Threads 282-Winters End 1 ago
Threads 283-Winters End 2 ago
Threads 284-Winter's End 3 ago
Threads 285-Depths 1 ago
Threads 286-Depths 2 ago
Threads 287-Depths 3 ago
Threads 288-Construction 1 ago
Threads 289 Construction 2 ago
Threads 290 Construction 3 ago
Threads 291 Construction 4 ago
Threads 292 Construction 5 ago
Interlude: Winter's End Tour Part 1 ago
Interlude: Winter's End Tour Part 2 ago
Threads 293-Construction 6 ago
Threads 294 Construction 7 ago
Threads 295 Construction 8 ago
Threads 296-Identity 1 ago
Threads 297-Identity 2 ago
Threads 298 Identity 3 ago
Threads 299 Identity 4 ago
Threads 300 Identity 5 ago
Threads 301 Identity 6 ago
Threads 302-Identity 7 ago
Threads 303 Identity 8 ago
Threads 304 Identity 9 ago
Threads 305-Heron 1 ago
Threads 306 Heron 2 ago
Threads 307 Traditions 1 ago
Threads 308-Traditions 2 ago
Threads 309 Traditions 3 ago
Threads 310-Bogs 1 ago
Threads 311-Bogs 2 ago

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Reviews
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TehChron
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

Setting Aside Generic Sounding Praise

To be blunt, most of you who are reading this review likely did not come across this story due to familiarity with Quests (A CYOA story format decided by popular vote), nor did you do so due to familiarity with the author. I'm sure you came here because of your familiarity with the genre, and the desire to sift through all the generic imitation trash to find that next diamond in the rough that would be Worth It. Worth your time. Worth reading. Worth following.

Forge of Destiny is Worth It.

The story of Ling Qi is an understated one. I'm sure that if you already read the first chapter before reading this review, you'll have some inkling of what I'm referring to. Make no mistake, however; This story is Xianxia to it's very core. It does not reinvent the wheel of the genre, but it does what so many other stories fail to bother with. It takes the world in which it is set, and it brings it to life. This means that, as a result, things such as the heights of Cultivation are common knowledge. There are no hidden Realms. No secret levels. The road to Ascension is the Empire is one that is...If not well trodden, it is at least decently mapped out. Ascension is the end goal for any who walk the path of Cultivation, and that is made explicit from the outset.

In exchange, Yrsillar does not build high as most genre writers do. Inventing new and fantastical limits for their protagonist to break through over and over again. Instead, they build deep. This world in which Ling Qi and the Argent Sect live are living, breathing things. Mysteries for us, as readers, to explore through Ling Qi's eyes. And this journey is done masterfully. The Argent Sect is a melting pot of the different peoples of the Empire, notable clan scions taken from all across its borders, each representative of the cultures of their homelands and Clans and most importantly: Themselves.

Much like ourselves, Ling Qi is a stranger to the land of Immortals, and through her eyes we watch the struggle for a mortal in a land of nascent godlings struggle to find their feet purchase in the vast new world which she has found herself. Starting from nothing, and with the goal of any Cultivator ahead of her. In this regard, Yrsillar makes no mystery of what lofty goals Ling Qi's eyes become set.

Yet, even if you know of it academically, that does not mean that you understand the gulf between Heaven and Earth.

Thus, we join Ling Qi in her journey to uncover the world of the Immortals. The secrets of Cultivation, and reaching the heights of power in the Empire. Along with the many threats both within, and without. In this regard Forge of Destiny is a Xianxia story to its very core: Power informs Politics, and Victory needs no excuse. Ling Qi's triumphs are earned, her failures the result of the environment she finds herself in. The same is just as true for everyone around her, from the lowliest mortal to the most wise Elder. 

 

I can go on forever, praising the excellence of the journey in its raw, unfinished form, marred by the nature of the Quest format. But you readers who are only just discovering this excellent journey now benefit from the finished product, and to do so would be to spoil the surprises in store for you.

Let it simply be said, that Forge of Destiny is Worth It. 

Please, enjoy.

 

Thor's Twin
Overall

A well-crafted xianxia story that is grounded in the setting.  Which is something rare in this genre.  Additionally, this story has a charming main character who is well characterized with a fabulous supporting cast that stays relevant throughout the story.

It doesn't do anything fancy or try to break new conceptual grounds with what the characters can do.  What this story does do, however, is put complex characters with believable motivations into a fantastical setting.  Some were born and raised in this setting and know exactly what to expect, but others have no grounding and muddle through it the best they can.

Overall, this story is not about the main character getting more power to overcome everything that comes their way.  It is not a power fantasy.  It is more about the characters and how they react and develop in their journey to become an immortal.

A sub-theme, however, does appear.  The conflict between freedom and obligations and what freedom truly means in the context of this setting.  

Zethuron
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

What Xianxia should be, a really enjoyable read

This story brings Xianxia to new heights, it uses the classic Chinese setting that all Xianxia do use, but this story is something different from those and arguably vastly better.  It uses consistency, makes characters reasonable and rational, atleast as much as Cultivators can be. The common Xianxia tropes like cheats, arrogant young masters, last minute powerups and the likes are all absent from this story, which is a fresh breath of air from all the repetiveness of the Xianxia genre.

The characters in this story are extremely well written for Xianxia characters. They have their own motivations for their actions, with all of them having some kind of goal.

Ling Qi is just a mortal girl who has been selected to join the sect and enter the world of cultivators, there she learns about the cultivation world and its strange inhabitants. Her goal is a well defined but hard to reach one, she is fully determined to reach it, even if she has to suffer in order to improve herself, and for good reasons, the competition in the sect is not kind to people who do not give their fullest. The path to the top, to Ascension is a harsh one, and one can count themselves to be lucky to find people they can call friends while being on the path of cultivation.

 

The world feels realistic for a Xianxia one, with well established cultivation rules and it has some of the most well constructed worldbuilding i have read so far in a Xianxia story. One of the things i do really like, is that the people and their culture is not one solid monolith unable to change at all like you see in other Xianxia's, this feels like a living world.

The story goes in-depth to do a detailed explaination of cultivation and all its related concepts, for both the very basics, and the advanced stuff. While the story may not use the tropes that ruin other Xianxia stories, it still does use the core concepts of Xianxia.  It also makes cultivation explainable and put logic behind it.

The story is easy to read, consistent pacing throughout the entire story.  The writing style of the author can keep you reading and enjoying the story.

Grammar is good like one would expect from a skilled author, though the occasional mistakes and typos can be found, they are however quickly corrected whenever spotted.

There is just so much potentional with this story, and where it can go, and how it can expand and improve on other Xianxia tropes/concepts not used yet in this story.

This is a story for any fans of Xianxia or Eastern Fantasy in general, its also a great introduction to the Xianxia genre, though on the other side, no Xianxia story comes anywhere near the quality this story has, so reading this will ruin any future chances of enjoying any stories in the Xianxia genre.

Deathwings
Overall

Beware, for this is just too good

This is your first Xanxia ? My condoleance, for once you've read this, you will come to the horrifying conclusion that it's all downhill from there.

This story is so damn good it will ruin the entire genre for you as you'll never find another Xanxia that can hope to compet.

Elaborate
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

Consistent and grounded Xianxia

As noted in the novel's description, this is originally a forum quest - basically an ttRPG, except there are dozens of people controlling one character. This has three monumental effects on the story, all of which are nearly unheard of in Xianxia: 

  • All the characters have stats, their abilities are consistent with those stats, and the world is consistent with the abilities. There is limited scope for ass-pulls. 
  • The MCs moves are debated on for pages and pages, meaning they behave in a mostly logical manner, aiming to optimize their chances of success - and they don't know what the author knows about the world, so there's less 'lucky coincidences'. 
  • Since actions are resolved with dice, the MC can fail. The character knows it. The audience know it. For a Xianxia, this is freaking revolutionary. 

Overall, this makes for a refreshing, grounded, down-to-Earth feel, unusual in Xianxias.

The actual Quest is way ahead, though, so you're likely to check it out. But when you do, here's a tip: The GM's story posts actually have a [next] button on them that'll take you to the next part of the story, bypassing a lot of browsing of old debates. Man, the hours I wasted before figuring that out... 

eSPiaL
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

Well written, great characters, no direction

Reviewed at: Chapter 209-Epilogue

Competently set up cultivation system, a world with deeply set up lore which doesn't meaningfully intersect the plot, and a refreshingly diverse and interesting set of side characters who, despite their strengths relative to other cultivation stories/progression fantasy, aren't engaging enough to sustain the lackluster battles and uninteresting cultivation process.

In essence, the likeable characters and intriguing set up plus lack of cliched tropes pulled me in but at the end of the day the novel never presents a deeper more interesting hook, never shocks you with any surprising twists, and fails to give any interesting pay off in the end.

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW

 

 

So what is so unsatisfying?

Lets take a look first at the characters and their diversity/growth -

Bai Meizhen - the snake princess - From cold, noble heiress, terrifying all others noobs with her overwhelming aura, this bai princess initially helps our mc out of pity/basic courtesy, perhaps even just to nurture a potential talent (she recognizes that any commoner invited into the sect must clearly be talented in order for the government recruiters to bother). Eventually however, she warms up to MC's constant attempts to befriend her, and she eventually comes to trust and like MC romantically, which leads to a romance drama arc as mc is unable to reciprocate her feelings and the 2 eventually talk their feelings out, and eventually come to an understanding. They slowly settle into an awkward friendship, with bai meizhen acting as Mc's mentor/training partner in certain aspects of her cultivation, and the two try to find ways to relate/engage with each other without reopening the wounds from previous relational tension.

As I wrote that, I realize that while this might not be First Law levels of fascinating character building, its still highly competent character writing, with as much depth or more than even the webnovels I consider to be by all time favorites. (like mother of learning, or lord of the mysteries).

As I think about the characters I realize that the problem I have with them isn't the characters themselves, but rather the sheer breadth of them, and how it dilutes the plot. Besides the snake princess, we have -

The quiet nerdy virtuous girl who learns the harsh reality of cultivation politics

The rural bumpkin loner who forges her own path, providing a different perspective on the sect drama and empathizes with the mortals/little guys

The young prince who squandered his youth but now resolves to be more reliable and live up to his full potential so as to not disappoint his friends.

The beautiful, elegant, proud girl who loves the young prince but cannot be with him due to clan politics, who seeks power to elevate herself in order to earn the approval of others and also to break free from the politics of her clan.

The noble heiress who's power lies in her social command and who seeks to create her own faction in the sect. She has a noble vision for herself and her province but also suffers under the almost impossibly high expectations of her insanely powerful mother....

And that's only the allies who are reasonably developed. There is a plethora of other side characters, 3 antagonists with their own fleshed out motivations/background, all vying for mc's attention. The story kept me engaged by bouncing from character to character, spending 2-4 chapters on any small arc before moving on to the next thing. From side quest with one group of characters, to relationship drama to another, to training with another, to exploring with another, to tea time with another.. the story never stops bouncing between characters, and for a while, that's enough.

But it's not enough to make up for the story's other deficiencies..

PLOT -

At the end of the day one of the biggest problems I have with forge of destiny is how meandering the plot is. MC wants to get strong. Strong enough to ensure her own freedom. Strong enough to protect her family and her friends. over the course of the story she needs to confront her own miserable past and overcome the traumas that cause her to act irrationally. There's also many hints and tidbits of the politics of the world at large interjected into the story, which are interesting ish but at the end of the day do not feel integrated deeply into the story at all. they're a convenient excuse for why the snake princess is hated by the noble heiress of that other clan, but that's about it. The larger worldbuilding dictate to us what alliances our characters have, and set the motivations for many of our side characters, but that's it. Mc is too weak to engage with any of the politics and enemies outside the sect, so outside of one confrontation with an enemy barbarian cultivator that somehow snuck into civilized territory, there's no deeper connections.

So in essence - MC grinds for power, goes on little side quests/puzzles, builds her realtionships, and trains some more. The overarching plot is boring as hell. It's only redemption is that the individual mini-arcs are competently written, and some of the challenges/trials the mc must undergo are even really engaging. but these individual arcs aren't deeply tied into the overarching plot of the story, and there is not greater thread of story which pulls you further along. By the end of the first book, the mc decides to become a retainer for a different noble heiress, but I don't feel any chemistry between mc and that princess. I don't care if that princess actually achieves her goals. I don't care for another year of mc grinding her powers.

Last thing with regards to plot - the final tournament arc happened, and it was the most boring, predictable tournament ever. I could tell the moment the tournament bracket was put up exactly who'd win and who'd lose EVERY INDIVIDUAL FIGHT OF THE BRACKET. out of 16 participants, 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 15 fights, I predicted exactly who'd win each fight. It was so blatantly obvious. And beause of that - so so boring.

POWERS -

This leads to the second, deeper problem with the story. Forge of Destiny is a cultivation story without interesting cultivation. Mc gets some pills, removes impurities, opens a few meridians, and then moves on to the next level. Her progression through the first realm was fast enough that it managed to feel engaging simply because everything was new and she shot through it so quickly, but in the second realm, there wasn't any interesting breakthroughs from early-middle-peak. Mc just trains, grinds, takes pills, and progression happens in the background. The author does take a tiny bit of effort to introduce some plot to mc's cultivation when she peaks in second realm - she fails breaking through to 3rd realm of physical cultivation and needs a few weeks of repeated tries. that's it. her body is sore, she takes some pills, 5 chapters pass, and she breaks through without drama.

Along these lines- the powers mc acquires are all underwhelming. At first, when she opens her first meridians, learns her flute aoe powers, picks up the bow and learns a movement technique, these power ups at least are sort of engaging since mc goes from powerless to being competent. But everything else past this, beyond these few landmarks that drastically increase her capabilities, every subsequent breakthrough is extremely underwhelming.

  • She picks up a familiar for example, a godly xuanwu (2 headed turtle snake). Except its a baby. and even reaching the second realm, it can.. shoot fire? act as a meat shield? make grass grow longe around it? In the few fights it participates in, it sort of entangles the enemy's familiar, and they sort of tussle in the background a bit. In the final fight of the tournament for MC, her familiar finally does something big, uses a mutual knockout ability and takes out the enemy's familiar, except the ability itself isn't built up or described in a hype way. Its boring to read, and the conclusion of the fight is still a foregone conclusion. Mc loses the fight anyways, but has the 'dignity' of taking out the enemy's familiar. That's it.

  • MC picks up a rare resource for forging a flying sword. It is a flying sword and does some damage. She can't control it that well, and it gets easily damaged and knocked away by stronger opponents. That's it.

  • MC has an arc where she makes these bone puppets from a manual, with help from her nerdy friend. One scout puppet helps find this spirit liquid, which eventually is turned into a pill that can be made once a month to boost mc's cultivation a bit, and another puppet helps her scout an enemy fortress.. and in the climactic last battle she uses several puppets in a formation against her overwhelmingly powerful opponent and it distracts her a little bit. That's about it.

  • and mc learns various songs, and movement techniques, and they all provide little power boosts that enable mc to curb stomp scrubs a bit harder but which are useless against the truly strong opponents of her year. I found all the fights super underwhelming.

Throughout the whole story I kept finding myself thinking of martial world and a will eternal and other chinese xianxia stories and missing the exciting battles from those.

At the end of the day, after writing everything out, I feel like the problem is that everything is just too reasonable. Everything resolves in such boring predictable ways. She ran away from home and hurt her mother/abandoned her? Well 5 letters and some self reflection later, she realizes that she was wrong/misunderstood her mom and she brings her mother/baby sister to the sect to have them live nearby. MC is participating in a trial? She finishes it, gets some tutoring, a few pills, maybe some secondary art/ability that sort of barely enhances her a tiny bit, and on to the next trial! Mc finds a godly turtle pet? aww hes so cute and weak and theres cute dialogue and character interactions, but that's it. She raises him well, hes loyal, acts as a bit of a meat shield in fights. Every drama that happens, basically think of a wholesome realistic way for it to play out and that's probably what happens. Everything resolves in a few chapters. The most intriguing character is gu xiulan, the childhood friend of the young prince who after realizing she can't be with him, and realizing she's falling behind mc, reaches for a new power which she can barely control and leaves her horribly scarred. But she maintains her confidence/cocky attitude and singlemindedly pursues her goal of power. That's about the only surprising development.

At the end of the day, the story masks its lack of depth in plot by jumping around through the sheer breadth of characters and world. It teases deeper intrigue and a grand world just outside the sect, but we never go there. If I wanted to read a slice of life however, other stories do it with more comedy. The constant jumping around gives a feeling of whiplash, and the sheer number of characters in the end prevent me from becoming too attached to any one of them. It is in the end, a story that falters under the weight of its own ambition. A story with so much flesh and fat of character and worldbuilding stacked up on it that it hides the lack of a deeper plot skeleton to support its unwieldy weight. Forge of destiny is a uniquely flawed masterpiece that I'm sure will be deeply satisfying for some, and while I'll probably return one day to sample its world and characters again, I simply don't feel particularly compelled at the moment to see what happens next.

Shayla
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

As several other reviews will tell you, this is a more grounded type of xianxia with a decent power balance, which is fairly rare.

I enjoyed the aspect of how the so called road to cultivation is already set up and there is no unnatural powerups so far.

Fight scenes are well explained without going in too much detail but keeping a flow.

My gripes with this series comes from the MC's character build. The MC is someone who ran away from home and lived on the streets ever since, because of something that happened in the past. Until she got picked up by a cultivator for her talent and sent to Argent Sect. But she seems too naive for it.

From the small descriptions and bonus chapters related to it, Ling Qi saw the darker part of the world, a shade worse than what she experienced before running away from seeing her mother's work as a courtesan. So as a commoner and a 'street rat' she should have an understanding of how dark things can be, but she constantly tries, for some inexplicable reason, to ignore it all.

This shows mostly in how she acts against YanRenshu. She destroyed years of his work, but seems to expect no real retaliation even after her spirit beast almost got poisoned. Which was prevented by her housemate's spirit beast. Housemate who she'd hurt and manipulated for her own benefit. I won't get into too many details because of convolution, but basically my pet peeve is her hypocrisy on trying to be good, or look it to the outside world while manipulating people close to her.

 

Now, here comes the main deal breaker which made me pause the novel for at least until this review went up. Ling Qi's motivation has been written as the desire for freedom. And for freedom what's necessary is power, and she's talented in cultivation. But she discards it.

When she broke through the third realm what she realised she wanted was family, and the power to protect it, although it's all described vaguely on what family means to her.

The problem comes from another hypocrisy. She has power now, having reached the third realm of power. She has in her less than a year time received 3 offers for the future.

A marriage to one of her best friend's cousins, which she seemed all too happy to consider, as opposed to how off put she was when a girl kissed her, the explanation for which was how men acted towards her mother in the past. Can you see the ridiculousness here?

The second offer was staying in the sect, which was made by the Elder/Spirit named Xin who's been only benevolent and given Ling Qi most of her power/opportunities so far. Not to mention everyone in the sect who's helped her get stronger, whether paid or not.

And the third option which she, for some reason accepted, was becoming a vassal to a ducal house's daughter with a justice complex, whose mother almost killed her when she was young. And she didn't just accept it, but made an eternal vow on her Way about it. Like, really? It hasn't been a year since she started cultivating and she made an eternal commitment to be a servant? Blew my mind.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have minded as much about her decision if it wasn't made for ETERNITY and on her powerbase. Like, really girl? 

And it's like there wasn't a possibility for a fourth option? Maybe there wasn't but the author at least didn't explain it.

 

Sebastian Lindblad
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

The Forge of Destiny follows the arc of Ling Qi, reluctant immortal, lost daughter, formerly of the slums of Tonghou.

On a distant mountain peak, under the eyes of a venerable Sect, the scions of ancient imperial clans rub elbows with the daughters and the sons of merchants, where a few lost thiefs and scoundrels are without a place and newly-minted scions of baronial and ducal houses try to find theirs - into this boiling plot Ling Qi is thrown.

FoD succeeds where so many of its contemporaries have failed. And why is that, you might wonder? 

The magic system is decent, perhaps even good.

There is a glut of the traditional archetypes and troupes, the young masters and the animal companions, the battle princesses,  the imperial way a la China that never was, spirits both young and ancient. Now, in my own opinion, FoD's greatest strength is its characters.

The dark action girl who renounces all, yet misses her lost mother, who just wants to be seen.

The young master, who tries to live up to his old heritage.

The girl with fire in her veins, betrodded to one she despises,  unrequited in love.

The thug, trodden on for his entire life, learning that his fists has a reach that is only so long.

The scion of a ducal house of a generation, raised with gauntled fist, yearning to match great expectations, to build a world of law and justice, where might does not make right.

It is to these characters the readers return, chapter after chapter.

Milafii
Overall
Style
Story
Grammar
Character

Can kill time, but needs more polishing

Reviewed at: Chapter 173-Hidden 2

Overall

I haven't read xianxia in a while, and this one was refreshing. For one, the characters are not stupid. They have depth and you'll want to get to know them more. But that's the only thing that kept me going.

 

Style

I'm not really fond of the style of writing. I feel like there's something missing that prevents me from connecting to the characters more. There was a distance between us. I've read a lot of novels that aren't in first person's p.o.v. but somehow, I was able to empathize more witb the characters. I think, my favorite interludes here are that of Bai Meizhen, Cui and Ling Qingge. Those three chapters are considerably better written than the rest combined. There are so much "telling" in this novel. It's like I'm reading an entry in a diary about something that happened. It wants to tell the mundane, but not in an effective way. At least, not effective to me.

 

Story

All I can say is, this novel is too long. Which is good for killing time. However, why is it long? Like most xianxia, its goal is seemingly to cultivate and reach the peak. I know that Ling Qi has a tough childhood and she wants to be strong. But as the story is, there is no gripping plot that justifies the length of the novel. It's quite common in xianxia to just follow the life of the MC as it unfolds. I think, part of the reason why it turned out like this is how Ling Qi is programmed. Ling Qi doesn't have a clear idea on what she wants to do. It's normal in real life. But it's almost 200 chapters on my part. Aside from the pursuit of strength and keeping the few peoole she cares about, she doesn't have anything she's working hard for. And that isn't really exciting, just plain and repetitive.

 

Grammar

I can't comment much on this one. I haven't paid much attention but since I wasn't irked about the grammar while reading, it's probably fine.

 

Character

This was the only thing that kept me going. The world building is nice and all, it's clear how much thought was put into this novel. It's just that, I didn't develop enough care about it since the plot was aimless for me. I think Ling Qi would be better off as a side character. I mean, she's a great character. I feel like her choices are logical enough. But she doesn't have a goal. Pick any other side character in the novel. They would be a better choice as protagonist. Cai Renxiang has a clear idea on what she wants to happen, Ling Qi is just kinda swept by it. Bai Meizhen has a purpose as well. As for the more ordinary characters, I thing Su also has a clear goal which is to kill her mother. There are a lot of side characters with a clear goal in mind and are working hard for it. Their goals are stated early and it would've been more interesting to follow the journeg of someone with direction in life than someone who just goes where the breeze takes them. And because all the characters have depth, you can really empathize with them, which makes them an even better choice. 

 

Before I drop this novel, all I can say is Bai Meizhen is the best girl.

Jeremy Womack
Overall

In a genre filled with adolescent power fantasy and plot that endlessly repeats, Forge of Destiny is a gem, with compelling characterization throughout and consistent worldbuilding.

 

It's by far the best Xianxia I've ever read, even with the caveat that Chinese works likely suffer from translation woes.