Book Review: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol 2 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

 

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol 2      

Author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Publisher: Seven Seas

American release date: May 17, 2022

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/LGBTQ+/Fantasy Romance/412 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Cultivators Wei Wuxian and Lan Zhan are seeking to solve the mystery of the left arm that wreaked so much havoc at the Mo Estate. To that end, they are traveling together. They find themselves in Yi City, a strange place that seems largely uninhabited. They have been led there by a blind female spirit. To their surprise, they encounter a group of young cultivators , including Wei’s nephew Jin Ling.  Circumstances force them to seek shelter in an inhabited building. Wei makes them eat congee that he cooks for them, in order to combat the effects of the poisonous fog that has overtaken the town.

They are joined by another living person. When Wei sees his sword, he recognizes it, and realizes this is none other than Xiao Xingchen! But how has he become blind? There must be quite a story here, indeed! Xiao Xingchen was once a highly regarded cultivator who wished to start a sect with his best friend Song Lan. But he had disappeared mysteriously a long time before, never to be seen or heard from again. Unfortunately, as they soon learn, this man is not Xiao Xingchen at all, but Xue Yang! He flees, with Lan Zhan in hot pursuit.

Wei and the young ones follow the blind spirit to the charitable mortuary, where they discover a body in a coffin. Could this be the real Xiao Xingchen? Wei decides to use Empathy on the girl in hopes of learning their stories, and how they all came to be here, including Song Lan and Xue Yang.    

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan present their suspicions of who is behind the dismembered corpse to Lan Xichen, but naturally he doesn’t wish to believe them. So they must investigate further on their own. Wei projects himself into a little paper doll and sends it to enter the private rooms of Jim Guangyao, but he seems more than he bargained for, and almost fails to escape capture. Their suspicions are confirmed, but can they prove the man’s duplicity? A confrontation takes place, during which Wei Wuxian’s identity is revealed. He is forced to run, but is surprised when Lan Zhan chooses to go with him.

Even as we travel with Wei and Lan Zhan in the present, we take deep dives into the past lives of other people, as well as our heroes. The intricate tale told by A-Qing, involving Xiao Xingchen, Song Lan, and Xue Lang is both fascinating and heartbreaking. Also the story of how Meng Yao became Jin Guangyao. Everything is told so well, it’s hard to put the book down. I especially loved the story of Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian and the headband. Although I saw it in the series, I didn’t realize the significance of what happened, and it opened my eyes even wider to Lan Zhan. Still waters run deep indeed.

Great volume, already loving the third one!

 

 

Book Review: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

 

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol 1     

Author: Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Publisher: Seven Seas

American release date: December 14, 2021

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/LGBTQ+/Fantasy Romance/396 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Wei Wuxian once had it all. He grew up at Lotus Pier, having been found abandoned on the streets and taken in by Jiang Fengmian. Wei, whose birth name is Wei Ying, was raised alongside siblings Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. Handsome and intelligent, Wei was taught the ways of the cultivator, learning to not only use his sword, but how to manipulate qi and how to use his flute as a weapon. He was also fun-loving and irreverent, and he was wont to speak his mind, a habit which did not sit well with all. Especially a certain member of the Lan clan of Gusu – Lan Zhan, also known Hanguang-jun. Lan Zhan is highly renowned among cultivators, and greatly esteemed, as well as also being very handsome and talented. But as far as temperament, he is the opposite of Wei, being very reserved and somewhat stand-offish.

Wei and Lan Zhan are thrown together when the clans send their young cultivators to Cloud Recesses, the home of the Lan clan, for training. Wei is easily bored by the tedious studies and the many clan rules, especially the no liquor rule. He doesn’t hesitate to break those rules when he sees fit, and never seems to take his studies seriously. It comes as no surprise he would come into conflict with Lan Zhan.

However, due to circumstances not of his making, Wei, also known as the Yiling Patriarch becomes notorious for his demonic cultivation, and when he is killed, no one seems to mourn his passing. There has been too much water under that bridge, so to speak. Well, perhaps one person mourns. Sixteen years pass, and a tortured young man named Mo Xuanyu, whose life has been one of torment because of the circumstances of his birth, decides to exact a steep revenge. His plan is to call down the soul of a dead villain into his body and have it carry out that revenge on his horrible family. But for this to happen there is a terrible price to be paid, one which he willingly accepts – he sacrifices his own soul.

And so Wei Wuxian awakes to find himself in the body of Mo Xuanyu – and with a job to do. Assuming he can navigate this new world without being discovered and killed again. What if he runs into people he once knew, a not unlikely possibility. Will anyone recognize him? Will he be killed again? And will one person in particular know who he really is?

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation books are the inspiration for the Chinese drama The Untamed. It is beautifully written and very compelling. Having already seen the Untamed and fallen in love with it, I was excited to learn about the book, which only fleshed out the characters in ways the series was unable to. The books themselves are beautiful, and contain many wonderful illustrations. At the back of the book is a great deal of useful information, including characters, locations, pronunciation of certain words, and more.  Now that I am up to volume 3, I have started to rewatch the series again.

What this comes down to is a romance between two souls. Twin flames, if you will, who seem forever drawn to one another no matter the circumstances. Now I see more clearly how Lan Zhan is able to recognize Wei Wuxian, even after sixteen years of thinking him dead, and despite a sixteen year search for him. Wei has much to learn of what transpired during his absence, and the repercussions of some of his actions. He has a nephew he’s never met, and a brother who hates him. Then there is the Ghost General, Wen Ning, who will respond whenever Wei calls him.

As Wei and Lan Zhan investigate the mysterious disembodied left arm that wreaked havoc at the Mo Estate, they wind up in the mysterious Yi City. Much occurs there, but this volume ends on a cliffhanger, to be continued in the next. This is such a riveting tale, and so universal. How can you not love it? I certainly do.