Forge of Destiny

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.

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.  

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.

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.

Greatest xianxia ever-actual characters that are not cut outs,no dbz problem of constant escalation,an actual understandable story and an actual non murderhobo non jackass protag

Better than 80% of the stuff on here

To append my earlier statement-I,like most of you,was sick of xianxia.I had even resolved myself to never read it again.Until one day I saw this.I was a bit skeptical at first but found that I actually enjoyed reading this,it was... a breath of fresh air in a stale genre of completly assholish main characters whos only reason to pursue power was a neboulous defined goal of "I will be the greatest thing ever with my super speshul cheat power,look at me im so coool and awsome,girls just throw themselves one me. consequence wats that".

IN this story however ling qi has a goal ,she has a well defined goal other than being facepunch mcgee, there is no constant last minute power ups,other people matter,the society matters and is not just superflous to the plot.I will state this right now,this is most likely the best xianxia you will ever read,everything else just falls flat.

When I first read Forge of Destiny, what absolutely grabbed me was the characters, Ling Qi especially. Seeing her internal conflict, how she gradually changes along with the others around her as the world advances at its own pace really touched me.

The themes of what it means to be free, and how Ling Qi's views develop with time is a intriguing read.

Finally a decent Xianxia on RR, I have found that most Xianxia on RR tend to try and compensate for the perceived problems with the genre, like excessive melodrama and slow pacing, by toning things down and adding comedy, or by speeding up early chapters with little explanation and more action, but they usually end up over compensate and end up as either boring or incomprehensible, you have shown a much clearer understanding of the genre in your work, by just using the genre to write a decent story with interesting characters, with a female protagonist no less, a perspective uncommon in the genre, and usually muddied by over the top romance when it is.

Can't wait for more!

Synopsis (as of chapter 32, "Heating 2"):

This story is about a commoner girl who was chosen out of the blue by some Argent Sect people to join the new round of fresh blood into the sect. She is through and through a commoner making her feel out of place when,

1) Almost everybody else joining the Argent Sect comes from some sort of noble clan.

2) She knows completely nothing about cultivation when everyone else already has a head start.

3) She's aware of the discrimination between nobles and commoner and she has to somehow make friends and survive through these ordeals, in order to never have to struggle like a mortal again.

In Forge of Destiny, we follow her through a well-paced cultivation as she slowly learns of what it means to be an immortal. This includes cultivation, arts, noble clans, and all that non-mortal stuff she had never cared about.

Despite the name Forge of Destiny as well as all the titles having something to do with forging, there has yet to be anything to do with blacksmithing or forging items. It seems the theme currently is the traditional xianxia cultivation of forging oneself from mortal into an immortal warrior.

STYLE:

They say 'Show, don't tell.' If you want an example of that, read this novel. Every chapter we learn together with her as the mysteries of the world are slow unravelled alongside her progress with cultivation.

GRAMMER:

No problem whatsoever. Were you a grammar nazi, i don't think you'll be triggered at all. Jimmies are thus, not rustled.

STORY:

This story is for you if you like the following:

a) No info dumps, with a focus on chapter-by-chapter worldbuilding

b) A living breathing world, where each character is multi-faceted from the MC to the elders to random people mentioned in bonus chapters.

c) A diligent hard-working girl (the MC), who doesn't get involved into petty fights and instead works on oneself the most.

d) A MC who is not OP. She was just an ignorant mortal so she's completely out of her element yet, it seems her growth rate is faster than her peers.

e) A clear cut cultivation system.

CHARACTER:

I mentioned every character is multi-faceted. I have yet to mention how each notable character has their own personalities, considerations, and distance in relation to the MC.

Also, the focus of the characters are on the MC and a few of her friends/ acquiantances. So it's really easy to follow who's who throughout the story. At least until the chapter i've read. You get a clear picture of each character as the MC slowly comes to understand them. The MC is the most fleshed out by the way. Anymore discussion on the MC is spoiler.

Overall:

The premise excites me. It's like you get a western writer who understands the xianxia culture really well and let them write it out without particularly adhering to any tropes of the xianxia genre. It's also really refreshing to have a female xianxia cultivator as the main character, especially one's that not a 'fair maiden peony above the rest' or a 'bewitching doctor who's a poison assassin' trope.

This is certainly worth your while. Give it a go.

A beautiful Xianxia story with Rich deep world building and a host of fun characters. What really stands out about it really is the way in which the world itself extends Xianxia tropes beyond typical Xianxia subjects. And Ling Qi is a wonderful main character, her character arc and outlook remain interesting for the entire work.

Beautiful work. Reading this was a pleasure. And I look forward to rereading it in a more edited form as presented here.

This story started as a quest with a vibrant voter base that is going strong after 177  updates at the time of writing this review. Not a lot of stories can say that. In a show of loyalty fans commented on this site while there were very few chapters put up on Royal Road. There is already 600k words written in a quest format. But you on Royal Road will have the luxury of seeing it in a polished chapter format. If you get impatient just read the story in quest form. Based on the quest already I'm giving it 5 stars with very few chapters on the site.