What do you think?
Rate this book
Renegade Immortal
Wang Lin is a very smart boy with loving parents. Although him and his parents are shunned by the rest of their relatives, his parents always held high hopes that he will one day become someone great. One day, Wang Lin suddenly gained the chance to walk the path of an immortal, but found that he only had mediocre talent at best. Watch Wang Lin as he breaks through his lack of talent and walks the path towards becoming a real immortal!
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2009
87 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
About the author
Er Gen
130 books269 followersName: Liu Yong (刘勇)
Pen name: Er Gen (耳根)
Born in Heilongjiang Province, Mudanjiang prefecture city.
Er Gen is a platinum author on Qidian who used his love for classical chinese myths as a foundation on which to build his webnovels. He has become a pillar of the xianxia genre, and his flagship novel, Renegade Immortal, placed within the top ranks of Qidian’s monthly recommendation charts for many months.
Associated Names:
* Er Gen (English)
* 耳根 (Chinese)
* เอ่อร์เกิน (Thai)
Pen name: Er Gen (耳根)
Born in Heilongjiang Province, Mudanjiang prefecture city.
Er Gen is a platinum author on Qidian who used his love for classical chinese myths as a foundation on which to build his webnovels. He has become a pillar of the xianxia genre, and his flagship novel, Renegade Immortal, placed within the top ranks of Qidian’s monthly recommendation charts for many months.
Associated Names:
* Er Gen (English)
* 耳根 (Chinese)
* เอ่อร์เกิน (Thai)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 5, 2020
The Greatest of Xianxia novels can come to an end.
I'm writing this review after the official English Translation has officially concluded with Chapter 2088.
Er Gen creates a compelling masterpiece in Renegade Immortal. Starting from simple beginnings, Wang Lin also known by his family as Tie Zhu is an intelligent man who seeks to better his family and own life by becoming a great scholar across the lands. What starts out as a journey focused on intellect becomes a journey focused on cultivation. To step against the heavens one must be powerful, to keep what one wants one must have strength. To even make the first step to become a cultivator one must have talent. Unfortunately the average looking, untalented Wang Lin is not initially at the point where they could claim any of these things, in fact most of Wang Lins tireless journey from the beginning all the way to the end shows us that Wang Lin's talent is lacking, yet his perseverance his will to go forward no matter what costs truly allows us as the reader to experience the struggle, the trials and tribulations of bettering oneself and creating a world, or at least living in the world where they are the supreme.
There are consistent themes, or styles found in Renegade Immortal. While not entirely formulaic like some of its counterparts, Renegade Immortal branches off from these formulaic tropes by delving into the beliefs and comprehensions of Cultivation. From Qi Condensation all the way to the second, third, and steps beyond that we see that Wang Lin's focus on cultivation is done through comprehensions. Comprehending the ideas of heaven, death, life, karma, reincarnation, and true and false allow the reader and Wang Lin to experience a growth of self by reflecting on the past. To visit the mortal life of a man who stepped past mortality. To feel the pain and suffering wrought by someone who's unable to save their loved ones, or who has to see their friends and family vanish due to their powerless is powerful and played a great part in making this novel so enjoyable.
Unlike some characters who through chance encounters, or insane luck gain overwhelming power near immediately in Renegade Immortal one can directly see the struggles that Wang Lin has to go through, the twists and turns one encounters along the path of cultivation, the sacrifices one must make to have supreme power. Wang Lin and Renegade Immortal have become such a popular beacon of good Xianxia writings because of the slow ebb of power, the generally non-formulaic style and the number of characters that expand upon, or change the ideas of one or two dimensional cannon-fodders. However if you're looking for something that borders on realistic, has consistent sizing and extremely dedicated world/realm building this may not be the novel for you.
Er Gen specializes in making normal gestures or actions into highly compelling and entertaining attacks and techniques, bodies and souls crumble and vanish in a flash, or expand upon themselves to hundreds if not thousands of times their size depending on the techniques used or executed. Expect large scale, expect monstrous roars and powerful attacks that rip apart space and time. Don't expect the mundane, at least don't expect it for too long
The remainder of this review will be done in spoilers
Personal rating would be a 5/5 overall.
I'm writing this review after the official English Translation has officially concluded with Chapter 2088.
Er Gen creates a compelling masterpiece in Renegade Immortal. Starting from simple beginnings, Wang Lin also known by his family as Tie Zhu is an intelligent man who seeks to better his family and own life by becoming a great scholar across the lands. What starts out as a journey focused on intellect becomes a journey focused on cultivation. To step against the heavens one must be powerful, to keep what one wants one must have strength. To even make the first step to become a cultivator one must have talent. Unfortunately the average looking, untalented Wang Lin is not initially at the point where they could claim any of these things, in fact most of Wang Lins tireless journey from the beginning all the way to the end shows us that Wang Lin's talent is lacking, yet his perseverance his will to go forward no matter what costs truly allows us as the reader to experience the struggle, the trials and tribulations of bettering oneself and creating a world, or at least living in the world where they are the supreme.
There are consistent themes, or styles found in Renegade Immortal. While not entirely formulaic like some of its counterparts, Renegade Immortal branches off from these formulaic tropes by delving into the beliefs and comprehensions of Cultivation. From Qi Condensation all the way to the second, third, and steps beyond that we see that Wang Lin's focus on cultivation is done through comprehensions. Comprehending the ideas of heaven, death, life, karma, reincarnation, and true and false allow the reader and Wang Lin to experience a growth of self by reflecting on the past. To visit the mortal life of a man who stepped past mortality. To feel the pain and suffering wrought by someone who's unable to save their loved ones, or who has to see their friends and family vanish due to their powerless is powerful and played a great part in making this novel so enjoyable.
Unlike some characters who through chance encounters, or insane luck gain overwhelming power near immediately in Renegade Immortal one can directly see the struggles that Wang Lin has to go through, the twists and turns one encounters along the path of cultivation, the sacrifices one must make to have supreme power. Wang Lin and Renegade Immortal have become such a popular beacon of good Xianxia writings because of the slow ebb of power, the generally non-formulaic style and the number of characters that expand upon, or change the ideas of one or two dimensional cannon-fodders. However if you're looking for something that borders on realistic, has consistent sizing and extremely dedicated world/realm building this may not be the novel for you.
Er Gen specializes in making normal gestures or actions into highly compelling and entertaining attacks and techniques, bodies and souls crumble and vanish in a flash, or expand upon themselves to hundreds if not thousands of times their size depending on the techniques used or executed. Expect large scale, expect monstrous roars and powerful attacks that rip apart space and time. Don't expect the mundane, at least don't expect it for too long
The remainder of this review will be done in spoilers
Personal rating would be a 5/5 overall.
February 1, 2020
I have no idea when I started this... But I binge-read the last ~300 chapters over the last 5 days. I think Er Gen took 31 months to write so it probably took me 4 years to read. OMG. Relief to be done and yet wish there was more. Amazing plot twist.
January 22, 2020
Er gen at his best! I'm quite sure I'll come back to this book again.
October 6, 2019
Enjoyable, but not engaging enough for the length of it.
Dropped Ch 473
Dropped Ch 473
December 22, 2025
Renegade Immortal Anime Thoughts: For Once, I Actually Think the Anime Is Better Than the Novel!
Straight up: After finishing the Renegade Immortal anime, this is the first time I’ve ever felt that the adaptation straight up outshines the original novel.
Don’t get me wrong. The novel is a classic. Wang Lin’s growth, his comprehension of the Dao, the cycles of reincarnation, those iconic lines… they’re burned into my brain forever. But man, the book is LONG, and it dives super deep into inner monologues and repetitive cultivation descriptions. It’s powerful, but it can wear you down.
The anime? Completely different beast. It condenses Wang Lin’s entire journey into something tight and punchy. From a nobody village kid getting abandoned by his family, failing over and over, getting mocked, hunted down… yet every single time he gets knocked down, he gets back up and keeps walking his own path. That “defying the heavens while staying true to yourself” vibe hits you right in the chest, amplified by the visuals, the soundtrack, and the voice acting. Watching him crash and burn so many times yet never compromise? It’s straight fire.
I already know how the story ends from the novel, but I’m still hyped to see how the anime handles the rest. That kind of “I know the ending but I gotta watch it anyway” feeling only happens when something truly gets under your skin.
More importantly, this anime made me think about real life.
A lot of us get ground down by society. We learn to just go with the flow, take the punches, settle for “good enough.” But when it’s time to actually push back and fight for what matters, if you fold and accept it, that might be your life right there. Done. Settled.
Look at truly successful people. Which one of them didn’t fail a hundred times along the way? They didn’t compromise. They kept grinding, kept going, and that’s why they made it.
Renegade Immortal might be a fantasy cultivation story, but Wang Lin’s path? That’s exactly the mindset we need in the real world. Don’t accept fate. Don’t settle. Even if it breaks you, keep walking your own road.
So yeah, full marks for the anime this time. It’s not just a great xianxia adaptation. It’s a mirror reminding us that in our own “cultivation” journey through life, we shouldn’t bow our heads so easily.
Anime fans, don’t sleep on this one!
Straight up: After finishing the Renegade Immortal anime, this is the first time I’ve ever felt that the adaptation straight up outshines the original novel.
Don’t get me wrong. The novel is a classic. Wang Lin’s growth, his comprehension of the Dao, the cycles of reincarnation, those iconic lines… they’re burned into my brain forever. But man, the book is LONG, and it dives super deep into inner monologues and repetitive cultivation descriptions. It’s powerful, but it can wear you down.
The anime? Completely different beast. It condenses Wang Lin’s entire journey into something tight and punchy. From a nobody village kid getting abandoned by his family, failing over and over, getting mocked, hunted down… yet every single time he gets knocked down, he gets back up and keeps walking his own path. That “defying the heavens while staying true to yourself” vibe hits you right in the chest, amplified by the visuals, the soundtrack, and the voice acting. Watching him crash and burn so many times yet never compromise? It’s straight fire.
I already know how the story ends from the novel, but I’m still hyped to see how the anime handles the rest. That kind of “I know the ending but I gotta watch it anyway” feeling only happens when something truly gets under your skin.
More importantly, this anime made me think about real life.
A lot of us get ground down by society. We learn to just go with the flow, take the punches, settle for “good enough.” But when it’s time to actually push back and fight for what matters, if you fold and accept it, that might be your life right there. Done. Settled.
Look at truly successful people. Which one of them didn’t fail a hundred times along the way? They didn’t compromise. They kept grinding, kept going, and that’s why they made it.
Renegade Immortal might be a fantasy cultivation story, but Wang Lin’s path? That’s exactly the mindset we need in the real world. Don’t accept fate. Don’t settle. Even if it breaks you, keep walking your own road.
So yeah, full marks for the anime this time. It’s not just a great xianxia adaptation. It’s a mirror reminding us that in our own “cultivation” journey through life, we shouldn’t bow our heads so easily.
Anime fans, don’t sleep on this one!
October 23, 2025
This is one of my entry gateways to the Xianxia Progressive Fantasy genre years ago, and one of my absolute favorites. Even after being saturated with tons of cultivation novels, you can always come back to classics such as this one and appreciate it once more.
While Er Gen showcased his skill, it wasn't without flaws; this is his first work after all. But one can always appreciate the soul and raw emotions he poured into his earlier works, which reflected so much in this novel despite the repetitive phrases, overly wordy descriptions, and dragged-on plots.
The atmosphere in this novel's cruel world is dark, somber, and depressing. That makes for a protagonist that feels on edge all the time. He's the typical anti-hero protagonist that will make readers uncomfortable with their actions and decisions. Er Gen skilfully incorporated themes about morally grey actions and their consequences, resulted in polarising views, as we readers decided who's wrong and who's right.
Overall, a solid reading experience for me. I reread it in 2025, and it's still holding up great.
While Er Gen showcased his skill, it wasn't without flaws; this is his first work after all. But one can always appreciate the soul and raw emotions he poured into his earlier works, which reflected so much in this novel despite the repetitive phrases, overly wordy descriptions, and dragged-on plots.
The atmosphere in this novel's cruel world is dark, somber, and depressing. That makes for a protagonist that feels on edge all the time. He's the typical anti-hero protagonist that will make readers uncomfortable with their actions and decisions. Er Gen skilfully incorporated themes about morally grey actions and their consequences, resulted in polarising views, as we readers decided who's wrong and who's right.
Overall, a solid reading experience for me. I reread it in 2025, and it's still holding up great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2022
Overall, i enjoyed this novel a lot. While i haven't read all 2000- something chapters, i don't feel like i need to to properly review it.
I'd first like to talk about my biggest issue, the writing. It's not fantastic, but it's decent for a translation. Then there's the characters. There isn't a lot of development or depth; but i don't really mind. The fights are cool and wang lin is a cool protaganist.
I'd first like to talk about my biggest issue, the writing. It's not fantastic, but it's decent for a translation. Then there's the characters. There isn't a lot of development or depth; but i don't really mind. The fights are cool and wang lin is a cool protaganist.
January 22, 2022
Una historia muy trágica llena de mucha enseñanza y buenos chingadazos, algunos capítulos son muy profundos los cuales te hacen reflexionar en temas como la vida y la muerte, lo recomiendo si o si ojo este tipo de novelas no es para cualquiera necesita dedicación y muchas muchas ganas de leer ya que es extremadamente larga.
September 27, 2024
One of those things you enjoy then somewhere along the line you mature a bit and realise you've wasted your time. The ending is not objective at all, the main character has zero personality and there is a huge misunderstanding of the notion of the Tao, even the love interests have no personality other than loving than loving Wang Ling for no reason. Would not recommend
December 22, 2025
Uma obra prima do tipo que só o Er Gen consegue escrever. É impossível terminar de ler sem que ter sua visão de mundo alterada pelo menos uma vez.
Embora o autor ainda fosse um pouco "verde" quando escreveu esses livros, eu pessoalmente considero o protagonista desta obra meu favorito.
É uma leitura que eu recomendo para todos e nunca alguém deixou de gostar.
Embora o autor ainda fosse um pouco "verde" quando escreveu esses livros, eu pessoalmente considero o protagonista desta obra meu favorito.
É uma leitura que eu recomendo para todos e nunca alguém deixou de gostar.
February 4, 2020
One of the better xianhuan novels out there just like all of the others done written by Er Gen. While there are a few cliches the story of Wang Lin persisting still works. A very enjoyable read. Would recommend to anyone who wants to read a good novel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2022
Wang Lin. oh, Wang Lin. Said that about a million times whilst reading this book. As a book that begins Ergen's universe, it was totally worth reading. Started with Meng Hao's book at first but paused and read the series in order after joining the Er Gen community, Totally worth it.
May 22, 2020
Best of the best😊
September 23, 2022
I read about 400 chapters and got bored. It was not compelling enough. I like this type of cultivation genre quite a lot. This novel did not have enough attraction for me.
December 21, 2023
Very poetic story, i have never been so immersed on a book. I have enjoyed every chapters, it took me 2mos to read but somehow when i was almost done reading i didnt want it to end😊
February 29, 2024
Very nicely done and I really liked it and sometimes felt sorry for the hero suffering
April 25, 2025
Been following the movie and can't wait for its long release, I straightly go to read the book instead. Fascinating from beginning to the book 07 I am currently reading.
August 10, 2024
Must read novel for xianxia fans. Often imitated never replicated. I think like many xianxia novels the story falls off in the end but it's very difficult to wrap up a story like this nicely.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews