It slumbered, under the blanket of cold. It slumbered in peace for the first time it could remember. The night terrors were kept at bay by the Chunky one, and the Connected One. No grasping hands, and consuming maws bothered its sleep. Both of those elements are crammed into this book in abundance to the point where I was reading this story with a massive smile on my face from the beginning of the book right through to the end. This book offers the familiar wonders of the Xianxia / Cultivation magic system, but takes it down a less traditional path, as the protagonist chooses a different life path than other cultivation novel protagonists. This opens this magic system up to a whole new setting giving the story countless opportunities to take this magic system to new places and it certainly does so here.

I’ll be second place with pride, then,” Yun Red declared. He had heard of his predecessor, the Summer’s Sky Thunder. The woman who Nezan, the fox who had given him his sword, had obviously loved and cherished. Deal. Some time in the winter, we’ll head to Pale Moon Lake again, eh?” That, and it would be good to see Biyu again. He hadn’t seen her for just over three months. “Okay, Biyu says you gotta look for the facets that have…” The "pacifists are the best fighters" trope is one I never liked, and sadly it's part of this story too. The protagonist doesn't want to fight or become stronger, but rather work on his farm and have a peaceful life. But it just so happens that working on his farm gives him amazing Chi powers and makes him a much stronger fighter. I know it's partly meant as a joke here, but it's yet another thing I didn't find funny. In our society, which praises peacefulness, it is a common (and contradictory) fantasy that being peaceful leads to combat strength. Personally, I think the fantasy of training and getting stronger is healthy, while the fantasy of avoiding hardships and magically becoming the strongest is unhealthy. The original Jin Rou was an orphan and street urchin from Crimson Crucible City. At the age of 12, he was taken in by a vagrant old man living in the slums, named Shen Yu, who taught him how to write, as well as the mystical art of cultivation. At some indeterminate point in time, his master and adoptive grandfather abandoned him, not before telling him to seek out the Cloudy Sword Sect. As with Battle Mage Domestication by Seth Ring, Jin goes about farming differently. It's never explained how new Jin because a much more powerful cultivator than the original Jin, but it's apparent through his actions that he is. He buys a plot of land in a qi starved area at the edge of the empire and sets up shop.The sword rattled happily as Yun Ren sat down beside it, staring up at the colours woven with illusions. Yun Ren had taken to sparring a bit with Tigu, after the whole debacle at the Dueling Peaks. The girl was actually a fairly good teacher— and then Xiulan, Bi De, and Jin had all joined in. But still no pain came. Instead.. There were feelings. Feelings beyond pain. Happiness, contentment, care, respect. There was hurt too. A feeling of profound loss, but determination to continue. He didn’t actually know what to do. He liked Biyu. A lot. Her passion for crystal carving was mesmerizing. She had great taste in food and was, to be honest everything, he’d ever really wanted in a girl. His plan was to court and marry her, as tradition dictated. His brother’s face fell at the reversal in fortunes, pouting… but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t complain about being compared to a monkey. Xianghua genuinely seemed to think it was a compliment, and his brother, after recovering, reached out for her, pulling her into his side.

Regardless, the main focus is not power levels, but the relationships the characters form as they help each other, party together, and occasionally trade pointers. It paints a wholesome picture of community and friendship. One thing I've noticed is that hardly any bad things happen for the main characters. This is a novel about things going basically alright. The world's setting was very interesting. I wanted to figure out more and more about how the world functions and is made, which you get decent glimpses into throughout the book. It’ll be a short lesson,” Yun Ren snarked. His brother reached over and punched him in the shoulder, Yun Ren laughing it off. This book was easily the most joyful book I have read in as long as I can remember, and I honestly consider it to be an absolute masterpiece. Summer’s Sky thanks Eighth Master ,’ the sword, a jian blade, intoned, speaking directly into his mind. It was a little weird and it tingled sometimes, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The sword rattled. ‘ Another new blend? Approval. ’The story starts as a common trope "reincarnated in a cultivation world after near death," but there are immediate hints that it isn't a common trope setting right away with Senior Brother Lu Ri's response and adherence to the Founder's teachings despite the state of the sect. (I blame my original misunderstanding here for why I dismissed it too soon.) We get bits and pieces of hints towards the larger setting every now and then, but it is Jin's life of denying his cultivation status that makes it enjoyable and so many wonderful encounters. He gently leaned a shining white sword against a log and placed a cup of tea before it. The sword was, even to his inexperienced eyes, a masterpiece. The inscription on the blade read Summer’s Sky. Jin Rou (Originally known as Jin Rou, his name is reversed part way through Volume 1 to obfuscate his trail from potential enemies from the Cloudy Sword Sect.)