定海浮生录 [Dinghai Fusheng Lu]

by Arise Zhang, Fei Tian Ye Xiang, 非天夜翔

仙术、法宝、神通，以及天地间浩浩瀚瀚的灵气，一夜之间消踪匿迹，众多驱魔师尽成凡人。
三百年后，五胡入关，拉开了华夏大地一场大动荡的序幕，亦随之带来了千魃夜行，神州覆灭的末日。
幸而在这万法归寂的长夜里，尚有一枚星辰，在地平线上熠熠生辉。
心灯现世，光耀四野，一名年方十六，并将在二十岁那天结束自己生命的少年，踏上了找回被封印的天地灵气的道路——只剩四年时间

前路荆棘重重，看上去不太像能成功的样子。
陈星：“关键现在全天底下就只有我一个驱魔师，唯一能用的法术就是发光，我能怎么办？”
耐心等候吧，待定海珠再现人间之际，众生浮沉的命运轨迹，将被彻底打乱重新交汇。
陈星：“给我配个正常点的护法武神行吗？”
你的护法不是很能打吗？
陈星：“能打是能打，可他疯起来连我都打……”
这没办法，怪就怪你自己色令智昏吧。

"Dinghai Fusheng Records"

Immortal arts, magic weapons, magical powers*, and the boundless spiritual Qi between heaven and earth vanished into obscurity overnight, and all the exorcists became mere mortals.

300 years later, the Five Barbarians traversed the pass, a prelude to an era of great turmoil in China. They heralded the end of the world, where thousands of drought fiends stalked the night and the collapse of the Divine Land** was imminent.

Fortunately, within this long, dark night*** where silence had fallen on all magic, a lone star still glistened brightly on the horizon.

The Heart Lamp appeared, illuminating the vast expanse around it. A 16-year-old young man, who will end his life on his 20th birthday, embarked on a journey of reclaiming the spiritual Qi of the heavens and earth that had been sealed away — only four years remain.

The road ahead was filled with countless thistles and thorns, and it seemed improbable for him to succeed.

Chen Xing, “The important thing is that I’m the last exorcist in this world, yet the only magic I am capable of is emitting light. What can I do?”

Wait patiently then. When the Dinghai pearl reappears on earth, the uncertain trajectory of everyone’s fates will be completely disrupted before converging once more.

Chen Xing, “Could I be partnered with a more normal Protector martial god?”

Isn’t your Protector really skilled in fighting?

Chen Xing, “He is good at fighting, but when he loses it he’ll hit even me……”

There’s nothing that can be done about that, you can only blame yourself for losing yourself to lust.

—

*: Buddhist term: Abhijñā, a mysterious force that surpasses the limits of mortals gained through meditation

**: old name for China

***: figurative meaning: long period of misery and oppression

(English translation from novelupdates.com)

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Historical Fiction, Historical, M M Romance, China

960 pages, Web Novel

Published December 1, 2020

About the author

Associated Names:
* Arise Zhang
* 非天夜翔
* Fei Tian Ye Xiang
* เฟยเทียนเย่เสียง (Thai)

* 顧雪柔
* Gu Xue Rou
* Cố Tuyết Nhu (Vietnamese)

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel review: Maybe I’m just a huge Fei Tian fan but this Exorcism universe (Tianbao Fuyao and Dinghai Fusheng Records) has stolen my whole heart. I have fallen in love with his writing, the characters, the world building, the found family, the way he writes history- it’s all the things I love.

✅Fantasy/mythology-not sure whether this is classified as xianxia or xuanhuan
✅Ancient China setting with a lot of history that you don’t even realize you’re learning
✅Magic
✅Epic fantasy- save the world from being wiped out vibe
✅Grumpy/sunshine
✅Enemies to lovers
✅Slow AF burn (but so worth it)
✅Humor throughout that helps with the angst/sadness
✅Amazing cast of supporting characters
✅Found family but more like a community/village?
✅Multiple M/M relationships
✅Much mutual pining and miscommunication but due to fear and pride (I normally despise miscommunication but it did not bother me in this novel).

MC: Chen Xing(Golden Retriever)- BABY, naive/innocent but smart, positive with good luck that causes him to be brave, inexperienced but bold, awkward as he is learning things (young protagonist 16 at the beginning of the book)
ML: Xiang Shu(Black Cat)- cranky, protective, loyal, JEALOUS, good heart, strong, smart
* So much chugging vinegar 🤣

I don’t consider this a bully romance (like Legendary Master’s Wife) but the jealousy does create some light bullying but nothing too serious IMO and everyone looks at it as quarreling.

I did not think it was too long but I have read a few reviews saying that it is 😬
Might be a different experience reading it broken up into volumes like Seven Seas will be doing verses reading all in one go.

Synopsis:
This takes place about 400 years before Tianbao Fuyao in ancient China. Chen Xing is the only exorcist/cultivator left in a world that hasn’t had magic for 300 years. He’s alone at 16 years old and on a quest/adventure restore magic and defeat the evil being that is storing up resentment to destroy the world (I’m not really good at giving a synopsis 🤣). He picks up friends and enemies along the way relying on his Heart Lamp and his luck from an ancient being. This is a prequel to Tianbao and I had so many OH WOW moments while reading this. Personally, I would read Tianbao first, but you can read either first according to multiple reviews. I prefer publication over chronological so that’s why I chose Tianbao first.

Spoiler tags:
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Time travel with amnesia for one character but it’s just temporary
Martyr complex in both MC/ML
Death of multiple favorite characters (but also *time travel*)
Animal death but again, *time travel*

If this is your introduction to Fei Tian- I am so excited for you!

[Alo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this novel a lot! The story and the fantasy was amazing, that it has managed to grab me from the very first chapters. I had a lot of fun reading it and I also really enjoyed the mysteries and all the story arcs that make up the story.

The romance is veeery slow burn, way too much!! In my case, I really, really like this trope, so I enjoyed it a lot. But I think it can be a little bit too much for other people:(

I've grown fond of all the characters, even the secondary ones! I liked the couple's dynamic a lot, and I was very excited every time they interacted. They are so cute!

The description of the landscapes was beautiful, and I loved that we got to appreciate the traditions and culture of the Hu and Han. The author did a great job in showing and writing all the history.

Overall, it's a story I didn't want to finish reading because I enjoyed it so much!!! And I'm going to miss it a lot.

[Salomé s 乂♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

mi novela favoritaaaa😭 con tantas páginas la he leído unas mil veces, la releía para acordarme de cosas y después no podía parar, aún sabiendo que venía(╥_╥) me encanta la dinámica de la relación de xiang shu y chen xing y como van avanzando pese a todas las dificultades que había en el camino,,, este es el real slow burn, pero nunca dejé de perder el interés en lo que iba a pasar, sacando que la historia es muy entretenida de por si. También amé que cada personaje tuviera su historia y no fueran sólo de relleno,,, love ittt♡

[Laura]

DNF ch 18/ 138

I'm just not interested enough to carry on.

I'm hoping that the author's other series 'Tianbao Fuyao Lu' doesn't let me down.

[Neha D'souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars at best!

I believe that a slow burn mustn’t be stretched to a point where the characters begin to look stupid. In Dinghai Fusheng Lu, the slow burn is stretched to 100 chapters and just when the characters are beginning to realise their feelings, the writer pulls a time travel amnesia trope and brings us, and the characters to square one.

Arguably, the writer handled it well, but it’s very frustrating, as a reader to go over the timeline, not twice, but thrice in the span of a single book.

Now, coming to the plot. The plot is circuitous and confusing. There are a shit-tonne of characters that don’t always further the plot. Parts of the plot are smart but a majority of it felt long-winding and unnecessarily stretched.

The action/fighting scenes felt repetitive. The same thing was happening over and over with the same result. Very often I simply skipped those parts.

What I liked?

The fact that, for once, a writer hasn’t demonised people ‘beyond the wall’ as barbarians. Given that Shulu Kong is half Han and half Hu, he makes an interesting character. I also liked the descriptions of the scenery beyond the wall and I liked the way jealousy has been used to gnaw out realisation from characters. I liked some of the support characters but a majority of them felt wooden. Finally, the translation by chicken Gege is amazing.

The donghua is amazing too. It’s currently airing and even thought they’ve censored the love, it does a good job of straightening this complicated circuitous story.

[k a e · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ☆
A ver, tengo la reseña escrita desde el año pasado o principios del año, no recuerdo bien XD pero me faltaba terminarla y quería añadir cosas, pero la cuestión es que...la traducción que seguía esta retomándose y les soy sincera, ya no me acuerdo de casi nada 😭 así que he decidido dejar la reseña que escribí porque solo me quedan unos 10 capítulos o menos y esos los acabaré cuando este terminada de traducir, pero sé que no voy a poder reseñarla con el mismo hype que antes TT  so...decidí publicar lo que ya había escrito para no quitarle emoción ;u; aquí les va:

No voy a mentir, esta novela es muy pero muy buena. Desde la dinámica de la pareja hasta el world-building de los exorcistas (si leyeron tianbao antes, como yo haha nos damos cuenta que este mundo es súper amplio y tiene mucha historia). Me encantó como se desarrolló el hilo argumental, la manera en la que ibamos conociendo y encariñandonos con más personajes a medida que avanzaba la trama, los plot-twist que a verdad me dejaron impactada. Lloré y en verdad no esperé que esta novela me hiciese llorar y sentir tanta ansiedad, literal en 3 o 4 días ya había llegado al capítulo 120. Pero, ¿por qué 3.5/5⭐?
No es el autor, soy yo haha y es que esta novela es super compleja. Tiene un amplio desarrollo contextual tanto político, social, histórico y cultural, en especial este último y también una larga lista de nombres que soy sincera creo que ya olvidé 😥 y no es que sea malo, en lo personal me gusta esa riqueza literaria del autor, pero mi coeficiente intelectual no está a su altura 😭
Siento que se llevaría bien con Priest 🥴
Ahora la dinámica de la pareja que fue la razon por la que me animé a leer la novela porque me recordaron al beefleaf haha
Esta pareja les va encantar...y sacar de quicio hahaha pero les aseguro que vale la pena esperar para que esten juntos. Chen Xing fue mi personaje favorito 😭 un rayito del sol el niño y su travesía junto con su protector y sus compañeros es algo que van a disfrutar :')


Spoiler:

























Llorándo a Lu Ying y Xiao Kun😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed most of the book, though the slow burn romance was veeeeery slow and had me feeling very impatient, but the end dragged quite a bit as the final battle was approaching. By that point, there were too many characters involved and I lost interest in finer details of how they'd defeat the bad guy.

The story follows an exorcist called Chen Xing as he finds his Protector Martial God, Xiang Shu, and the two of them embark on a journey to find out more about why corpses are being dug up and reanimated. Their job is made harder by the fact that the spiritual qi that used to be abundant in the air is all gone and magic is no longer possible, so the only way they can fight against the bad guys is by using's CX's heart lamp, which is limited in power.

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

The story is divided up into multiple volumes that follows each mini arc. For example, the first volume takes place primarily in Chang'an, where we learn XS's true identity as the Great Chanyu. When they're forced to flee the city and head to Chi Le Chuan to join the rest of the Hu tribes, that begins the second volume. And when they switch locations to Jiangnan in the south, the next volumes begins at that point. Throughout each arc, they learn a little bit more about what's going on and who they're facing, until maybe 2/3 of the way into the book, when a BIG THING happens and time is rewound back 3 years to when CX and XS first meet, this time with magic. CX and gang then have a second chance to "redo" their actions from the first time and prevent many of the deaths that happened before.

I have mixed feelings about the time jump back to the past. I don't mind it as a plot device, and I'm glad that the author didn't make everything smooth sailing for them the second time round by having Shi Hai corrupt the Acala Blade, hence taking away their only weapon against Chi You. However, I was completely uninterested in their plan to take down Chi You as it got too deep in the weeds with the arrays and how to strip Chi You of this soul or that soul. Also, it took XS too long to get his memory back. I was already dying from the very slow burn the first time around, and the author sure took their sweet time in confirming their relationship the second time around.

It was interesting how the author also managed to squeeze in extra information that we didn't know the first time, such as where XS's mom's horse wanted to go, or what it meant for XS to ask him to go sledding with him on the day of the first day. Such a cute way to show his love! XS is really such a romantic at heart, which you wouldn't necessarily expect. I can't believe he's always known exactly what kind of person he wants to marry and tried running off to the south twice to his solace. XS and CX are destined to be together <3

Speaking of the romance, except for the turtle speed, I really enjoyed the relationship between CX and XS. They start off on the wrong foot and XS is only reluctantly sticking to CX because he wants to find out about Kjera, but gradually XS realizes CX is a legitimately good guy. And CX was star struck with XS's appearance from the beginning; it was only a matter of time before he actually fell in love with XS :D

As part of the build up, they had some super adorable scenes, such XS cuddling with CX and wrapping CX in his jacket on the horse to keep warm. I also really appreciated the open and honest conversation they had with each other on the boat ride about what they want for themselves, though I'm unclear why the author had them both fully naked for that conversation. I actually found myself tearing up when reading the very heartfelt scene in chapter 86 where CX and XS both admitted their love for each other without saying it directly. What a beautiful moment...

Both CX and XS used the second time to deal with their jealousies from the first time. Again, such a good use of the time jump back! I was cackling when CX was insisting on learning mounted archery because I knew exactly why he was so adamant to learn, and even without his old memories XS hated Tuoba Yan on sight and gave CX a ring. So many lingering jealousies haha

Here's one of my favorite interactions between them (from chapter 82), when CX finally acknowledges to XS that he won't live past his 20th year because of Iuppiter:

When Chen Xing heard these words, a warm feeling welled up in his heart. In this long, dark period of misery filled with all-encompassing darkness and the silence of all magic, it was like seeing a ray of light breaking through the sky -- they said that he was the lamp, but here, at this very moment, Chen Xing felt that Xiang Shu was that ray of light that illuminated him in this dark night full of despair.

[....]

In all earnestness, Chen Xing said, "So from tomorrow on, don't be afraid that I will die anymore, okay? Stay with me, and let's finish this journey, and I'll forever remember...

"...in this world, there is someone who cares so much about me he would call in all of his friends and scatter away of his family forture," Chen Xing gently said, "just so I can keep on living, and stay by my side."

Xiang Shu's hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. He turned his head so he was no longer looking at Chen Xing.

"I will also remember," Xiang Shu spoke.

Chen Xing raised his eyebrows as he looked at Xiang Shu's side profile.

"I will also remember that in this world, there was once someone," Xiang Shu continue, "who was willing to burn up all of his mortal and immortal souls just to become a blazing lamp that shines gloriously upon this world."

Given the summary, I was expecting a serious story, and that's what I got for the most part, but I was delighted that there were some hilarious moments as well. There were many scenes that had me chuckling, sometimes even in the middle of a serious fight, and one in particular that had me cracking up like crazy. CX has some extremely clueless moments, like when he drank all 12 of XS's engagement milk teas without a clue of what he's doing and leaves XS to the mercy of the noble families. And his Iuppiter luck is ridiculous. He can shoot arrows randomly into the air and hit an enemy with every shot. And when he and XS were about to get attacked by Sima Wei, he called on Iuppiter and Sima Wei got struck by lightning instead XD

The best scene by far though, was when CX and gang were fighting against Wen Zhe surrounded by all the lihun pollen, which causes people to lose their memories temporarily. I was laughing like a madman every time Feng Qianjun's weapon activated and caused the pollen to spread rampantly and everyone just forgot who they were and what they were doing there. I've never read a more hilarious fight scene and even showed it to my husband, which I never do, who also thought it was a hoot.

All in all, I had a good time reading this story. Definitely lost some motivation to finish near the end, but the journey up till that point was solid.

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 4.5 -- I REALLY DID ENJOY THIS SOOO MUCH AND I'M SAD IT'S OVER :( intricate plot but with a straightforward narrative that made it easier to follow, lovable gang of characters, interesting villains, a really endearing main couple feat. THE SLOWEST OF SLOW BURNS but with very fun aftermath :') did not expect many of the twists and turns in this but absolutely enjoyed the ride. will be reading more feitian SOON

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was amazing. 😭 this novel is so long and somehow cozy, it feels like home now. i don’t want to leave these characters behind. 😭💔

[Agnessa Contti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dios, había marcado mis cinco estrellas hace unos días, pero no es hasta ahora que evado mis responsabilidades para permitirme hacer la reseña. Qué semanas. 🤧
Sin lugar a dudas el aspecto más remarcable para mí de la novela es el contexto histórico. Nunca antes había leído con tanto detalle acerca de la relación entre la etnia han y las tribus hu, como los llamaban en ese entonces. Xiang Shu es, de hecho, han por parte de su madre y hu por parte de su padre.
Ay, hablando de Xiang Shu, me la pasé toda la novela pensando, no, más bien, lo sigo pensando: «Pero qué bueno que está este hombre». No es el Dios Marcial por nada. 🛐
Además de su gran atractivo, Dios mío, la perspectiva de Xiang Shu me llenaba de emociones. Salí de su extra con ganas de llorar.
Su relación con Chen Xing, su Xing'er, es hermosa. Para Xiang Shu, Chen Xing es su luz; para Chen Xing, Xiang Shu es la persona que lo hizo querer seguir viviendo. 🤧
¡Las escenas de batalla eran geniales! De veras Feitian hace un gran trabajo detallando cada conflicto de manera tal que quedes diciendo «Diablosssssss».
El autor también maneja un gran sentido del humor. Hubo momentos que me hicieron reír a carcajadas. Aunque hay momentos tristes, siempre tienes como ese toquecito de esperanza. ✨️
Gran novela, 5/5.

[Romina Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the found family aspect, cute couple (mostly) and good plot. kinda cliche in some parts but in a nice way. the humour was not for me most of the times tho

anyway, they melted my heart countless times so that and the good construction of the world and plot, and PLOT TWISTS, are why the mostly high rating

minus one star cuz i skimmed the last like 20 percent, i was kinda over it already and i mostly read just the dialogues if i even bothered to read the page at all lol

[Yadi Gaviria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debo decir que es una de las lecturas que más he disfrutado este año, es un libro supremamente bien hecho, cada personaje tiene un desarrollo increíble y no se pasa por alto nada, la pareja me super encantó, tienen una dinámica divina y están llenos de un amor profundo por el otro, realmente son muy muy pocas cosas las que puedo decir que no me hayan gustado, es un libro muy entretenido y casi no hubieron momentos tristes al punto de tener que llorar, tiene sus momentos angst pero es bastante relajado en comparación con otras lecturas. Me gusta muchísimo la personalidad de Chen Xing y como siempre se sale con la suya, aunque eso dará unos giros tremendos en la trama y hará que uno se cuestioné hasta su propio nombre. Xiang Shu es uno de esos personajes que amo y odio a partes iguales de los libros, me encanta la manera en que ve la vida y como entre todo por sus seres queridos, pero siempre me causa mucho conflicto que las personas traten mal a la persona que les gusta, es que no termino de entenderlo. Los demás personajes todos se complementan a la perfección con la historia y los elementos históricos reales que el autor integra simplemente la vuelven una obra maravillosa.
5/5

[Babeth Meras · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly adventurous one. This novel should be the perfect vessel for a donghua adaptation (I haven’t watched the existent donghua yet but I bet it’s amazing).

I haven’t had so much fun reading a danmei novel since November so this one came as a breath of fresh air. There’s a lot of mysteries, a lot of shounen fights and a lot of comedy.

The romance is slow burn, reaaaaally slow burn so if you are reading because of the CP just don’t because those two take a lot of time to get together.

I liked all of the characters here, the secondary ones made this a really fun ride!

The translation is almost done but I had to read the last chapters mtled but I don’t think my rating will change after finishing reading the translation.

4/4

[Wanderlust Booknook]

No way this thing is only 900 pages

[Tè Oolong di Mezzanotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Sul blog TÈ OOLONG DI MEZZANOTTE la recensione completa~]

Fino a pochi giorni fa, sono sempre stata del parere che la necessità di condurre discorsi diversi, a sé stanti, a proposito di opere pur legate fra loro da una qualche sorta di continuità narrativa rappresentasse, di fatto, un "sintomo" dell'elevata qualità delle opere stesse… questo perché, a mio avviso, più una storia dimostra di possedere una personalità propria, ben distinguibile da quella di qualsivoglia suo prequel/sequel/spinoff, più aumentano le possibilità di rintracciarvi del reale estro letterario. Fino a pochi giorni fa, però, come dicevo, dal momento che, nel confrontarmi con il proposito di buttar giù un paio di righe in merito ai danmei DINGHAI FUSHENG LU e TIANBAO FUYAO LU dello scrittore Fei Tian Ye Xiang (tutti e due ambientati nel medesimo universo – uno, cioè, vantante solide fondamenta storiche, sì, ma regolato dalle leggi fisiche e magiche del genere xuanhuan), mi sono resa conto di come, al fine di evitare noiose ripetizioni e anche d’imbastire argomentazioni il più coerenti e complete possibile, la cosa migliore da fare fosse proprio quella di sfornare un’unica recensione per entrambi… senza, però, che tale decisione dipendesse in alcun modo dal mio giudizio su di essi.
Giudizio nient’affatto negativo, peraltro, come avrò occasione di spiegare dopo aver speso giusto qualche parola sulla trama dei due lavori...

[...]

… ma torniamo di nuovo, come prima cosa, a quel “quest”, vocabolo su cui insisto allo scopo di sottolineare la disinvoltura con cui, in effetti, l’impostazione di entrambe opere si rifaccia alla struttura tipica di un rpg. Di un rpg rispettoso di tutti i crismi consolidati, orgoglioso della propria natura e nient’affatto intenzionato a nasconderla o a elevarla a qualcosa di artisticamente più complesso… anzi.
Sia Dinghai Fusheng Lu sia Tianbao Fuyao Lu si divertono visibilmente a mettere in piedi il classico “party” di personaggi, dotato dell’indispensabile eroe dal cuore generoso, del guerriero dai modi burberi ma dal profondo senso di giustizia, della spalla comica all’occorrenza più letale di chiunque altro, della mascotte furry e via discorrendo – tutte figure, queste, in possesso di abilità e di armi specifiche, spesso sfruttabili solo a determinate condizioni (o premendo la giusta combinazione di tasti, mi verrebbe da dire), nonché di caratteristiche fisiche e perfino di costumi che li rendano immediatamente riconoscibili; si divertono a costellare l’intreccio principale di missioni secondarie atte a… “sbloccare”? un oggetto o una sequenza di ricordi, a loro volta destinati o a rivelarsi utilissimi nel corso della battaglia contro il Final Boss o, perlomeno, a far svagare un po’ la mente del giocator—lettore fra un arco particolarmente cruento e l’altro; si divertono, infine, a esplorare, nel corso della vicenda, i più disparati livelli/scenari, optando per ambientazioni quanto più variegate possibile dal punto di vista della fauna, della flora, delle atmosfere infuse nella porzione di racconto in esse sviluppata.
E si divertono proprio perché, nel riproporre questi tropi, non si dimenticano mai delle radici ludiche degli stessi, qui esposte con coraggio ed enfatizzate da un umorismo brillante, vitale, capace di contagiare un po’ tutti i protagonisti e un po’ tutti i temi presenti sul piatto, anche quando minacciato dall’incedere di una trama parallela – quella ricamata sulle reali vicissitudini storiche della Cina del tempo – dall’impronta di per sé maggiormente aulica. Che Fei Tian Ye Xiang fosse un vero e proprio “history nerd” lo sapevamo già, in fondo… e, considerato quanto certi spiegoni possano apparire tediosi agli occhi di chiunque si approcci ai testi con l’intento di godersi dei semplici romanzi d’avventura, è sicuramente un bene constatare come essi, a dispetto della loro puntualità filologica, non congelino mai l’azione per più di mezzo capitolo di fila e, cosa ancor più importante, si dimostrino necessari al fine dello scioglimento di diversi snodi narrativi (e poi, beh, si può forse non apprezzare una reinterpretazione del succedersi delle dinastie a suon di apocalissi zombie e di volpi iscrittesi agli esami di stato… ?).

Tenendo conto di tale schema un po’ a metà fra un videogioco e un libro di storia, ritengo non debba sorprendere nessuno il fatto che, in entrambi i titoli, l’attenzione dell’autore si ritrovi a indugiare maggiormente, più che sulle comunque presentissime storie d’amore, sulla costruzione di saldi vincoli di fratellanza, di uno spirito cameratesco alla base tanto del successo del singolo quanto del trionfo del gruppo, di un concetto di parentela basato più su “affinità elettive” di stampo genuinamente caratteriale che su legami di sangue: un’idea di amicizia, questa, di famiglia, non soltanto ascrivibile sia al “tutti per uno, uno per tutti” così tipico delle squadre di Eroi Fantasy sia alle assai concrete alleanze da trincea, ma anche spunto per i siparietti più teneri, per le più commoventi conversazioni a cuore aperto e per i più convincenti rapporti fra pari, fra persone accomunate unicamente (ma tanto basta!) dalla stessa visione del mondo e della società.

Il che non significa, va da sé, che il romanticismo non costituisca una componente essenziale di tutte e due le opere – componente peraltro dichiaratamente improntata, almeno per quel che riguarda le coppie principali, alla medesima aspirazione alla delicatezza e alla leggerezza, nonché alla creazione di giochi di fraintendimenti e di difficoltà nella comprensione reciproca causati non da conflitti più o meno violenti, bensì da una buffa goffaggine amabilmente in linea con l’età dei personaggi coinvolti: seppur venate da sottili, ma irrinunciabili (e sempre ben contestualizzati) moti di tristezza, le personalità di Chen Xing e di Kong Hongjun non rinunciano mai a coinvolgere con il proprio buonumore, con la propria testardaggine tutta adolescenziale, gli ugualmente ingenui, e solo appena appena più bravi a darsi un tono, Xiang Shu e Li JingLong.
Se è di amori dai contorni un po’ più “lirici” che si va in cerca, ad ogni modo, basta rivolgersi a quello – il cui dipanarsi ha inizio in Dinghai Fusheng Lu e trova poi piena evoluzione in Tianbao Fuyao Lu – fra il Lupo Grigio e il Cervo Bianco, a sua volta non esente da qualche sfumatura frizzante sparsa qua e là, ma certamente più incline al dramma e allo struggimento, alla rievocazione di motivi classici (quelli della reincarnazione, della perdita di memoria, della difficoltà nello scendere a patti con la consapevolezza di essere attratti da un individuo dello stesso sesso) che tanto da vicino potrebbero ricordare, a voler fare un paragone con un caposaldo del cinema fantastico occidentale, Etienne Navarre e Isabeau d'Anjou del celebre Ladyhawke ...


...
... e non che non ci sia altro su cui vorrei soffermarmi, eh. Potrei lamentarmi per ore, per dirne una, dell’assenza di notizie in merito alla messa in onda della pur già annunciata (e, presumibilmente, realizzata) terza stagione del donghua di Tianbao Fuyao Lu; e potrei anche, perché no, aprire una vastissima parentesi a proposito di Ming Wang Huan Shi Lu, terzo segmento dell’epopea di cui i romanzi discussi fino a ora costituiscono, a ragion veduta, solo il primo e il secondo capitolo.
Preferirei, però, riservarmi questo materiale “avanzato” per qualche approfondimento successivo... nella scaramantica speranza che ciò possa costituire, agli occhi del fato (?), un incentivo a sfornare, nel frattempo, qualche capitolo o episodio appartenente allo stesso universo in più…

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[A note here at the top of this review: while this is the most accurate listing/edition on GoodReads for the version of this book that I have read, it still is an inaccurate page count. I believe this listing clocks this fan translation in at ~900-some pages. The listing on TheStoryGraph is more accurate, as it is closer to 3,000 pages in total. Hence why it took me a year and three months to get all the way through this epub.]

At last I have done it. after a year and 3 months I have finally, finally, finally finished this epub file fan translation of Dinghai Fusheng Records. A friend had initially encouraged me to check out this book and sent me a copy of the epub, and I still struggle with ebooks from time to time but I realized I wanted to finish this book this year (2025), especially considering that Seven Seas is now going to be publishing the entire series in an official English translation, so I knuckled down to knock it out.

This is a danmei that I would recommend to anyone who especially loves seeing historical settings and aspects of Chinese culture in what they're reading. It's very lore- and plot-heavy, and the first half or so of the story tends to be very grim. While the author does make it a point to use humor to lighten things up, I've learned that this tends to be a very divisive work, with most people preferring either the first half or the second half. Frankly, I enjoyed both, and while this work isn't perfect, I do think it's a great example of Fei Tian Ye Xiang's range and skill as a writer. (Certainly I think he did leaps and bounds better with this than with Astrolabe Rebirth.) If you're someone who wants to see a strong romance in your danmei as a driving point, this one is very much a slowburn relationship between the two main-main characters, with them often clashing in the early part of the story, and with the love interest exhibiting very tsundere behavior. It is however, very worth sticking with if you can be that patient.

I enjoyed this a lot and to my understanding this is the first of at least four works within this exorcist world that Fei-ge has written. I'm excited and eager to read the others, though admittedly I'm not sure what work comes after Legend of Exorcism. Additionally...wow, did this take me a while. It was worth it in the end, but I don't see myself being very inclined to return to this ebook. If I want to compare the official translation from Seven Seas to this fan translation, of course I'll pull it up, but I feel like I'll ultimately find the individual physical books easier to go through and perhaps a bit more digestible as a result.

[A final note: while the fan translation team did include translations of the additional extras for this title, I opted not to read them right now. I wanted to complete the main story.]

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐ Dinghai Fusheng Lu had me hold my breath, smile and cry from beginning to end!
The fantasy aspects are strong and elaborate, but what made me fall in love with the universe was the depiction of both Hu & Han cultures and their traditions. The reading really felt like a journey through a beautiful ancient China and its various landscapes, which give a real savor to the book.
I also was taken by the many themes covered and the different character's views, my interest was piqued and I was constantly putting down my tablet to search about spiritual qi, taoism, and the philosophical aspects behind dialogues.
All characters are endearing, with great dynamics and interactions. Many tears were shed! But there is also a lot of funny scenes (the MC's luck is a hell of a ride!). I've grown fond of them and will miss them greatly.
For the romance, be aware that it is a reaaaaal slowburn, but their love for each other is chief's kiss. They have many heartfelt scenes together, struggling with their communication and growing fond of each other with time. They could be summarized with Grumpy/Sunshine, but the fact that the MC (Chen Xing) knows he won't live past his 20th year, gives a bitter taste to their relationship (not really a spoiler, we know it early on).
The story is divided by two main "arcs" by a really surprising twist that allows extra heart-wrenching information to be revealed in an interesting way.
I started reading TianBao Fuyao Lu/Legend of Exorcism by the same author (which is Fei Tian Ye Xiang, no idea why it is written Arise Zhang on here). The story is set in the same universe, hundred years later, and seeing the heart lamp again is a great feeling! I recommend reading it after DFL if you want more of the universe.
I've read great reviews about his others fantasy works like To Rule a Turbulent World, Yingnu, Twin Jades of Jiangdong, Shan You Mu Xi... And even thought his writing style is just OK most of the time, whenever there's a discussion about philosophy/morals, FTYX's pen shines bright like the heart lamp! So yeah, be ready to fall even more in the depth of the Xianxia literature after reading Dinghai Fusheng Lu.

[Helen (they or he) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really deserves the fame it's gotten, although I maintain that the first few chapters need some work because infodumping history at page 18 is definitely not the way to go about in a lore-heavy high fantasy (xianxia/xuanhuan) book like this. I definitely understand why a lot of my friends and family put this away while saying "it's good but it's too dense." However, I felt that it's not that frustrating compared to non-BL xianxia and xuanhuan books I've read. They're about the same level, if not even denser. But if I would not recommend this to someone who's not familiar with these myth-heavy fantasy genres.

Onto the characters, I really liked the main characters but they're really hard to figure out during the first arc, which is about four hundred pages. And again, things are happening too fast, like the heat was on since page one. So we don't get to sit with the characters or understand their motivations very well. But when their personalities and characters are slowly revealed, they make enough sense that it's really forgivable. And of course, I wouldn't be reading this if this wasn't a queer romance and now after reading it, I could say their slow burn romance is worth it. The found family aspect of it is great as well, and I loved the other canonically queer characters.

My major gripe with this story is the lack of female characters, but at least no woman was being villainised for being in love with the main characters so there's that. I just don't think BL genre should come at the cost of having less female characters. And the "mute" jokes were a bit too annoying sometimes. Other than that, I have no real complaints. So I think I'll be continuing on with FTYX's other novels after this.

[bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn. this story was a WILD ride. there were a lot of characters, a lot of twists and turns, and unexpected events. halfway through, you're already experiencing the boss fight like, where can it go from here?? well, back in time, that's where lol. everything feels so hopeless and then suddenly you can see a glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel and you just have to pray that they can achieve their goal. it was soo satisfying seeing everyone get their happy ending, even if fate still had it's hand in the situation.

xiang shu and cheng xing 😭😭😭 my hearttt, I'll miss my babiesss!!! that slowburn 😭 i was pissed at them for being so emotionally constipated for so long but honestly their reasonings were very valid, and they obviously realized the errors of their ways eventually. i so deeply resonated with xiang shu like, how is he just supposed to be okay with the man he loves dying??? the man he was destined to be with, he's just supposed to Let Him Die for the Cause??? yeah no i would struggle with that too likeee. i love a devoted top so much 😏 but it was so extremely satisfying seeing them get their happiness and forever after and beyond

i also fell in love with the side characters especially Feng Qiangjun, Xiao Shan, Xie An, and TUOBA YAN 😭😭 the found family vibes were strong and so beautiful how they all loved each other and supported each other. Tuoba Yan.... i love him so much, he is The cinnamon roll, so cute and devoted 😩 ive never loved a side character like i love Tuoba Yan!!!!

its hard for me to finish long danmei like this , im so sad, i didn't want it to end, i want them to live forever ..... 😞 legend of exorcism, please fill this hole for meeee!!!

[ella（╹◡╹） · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the first time I’m reading a book and suddenly think that maybe this is too long, it shouldn’t be this long…

Perhaps the plot was a little bit too much at times but honestly I just think it got dragged quite a bit. Like, when I read they went back in time I seriously almost had a stroke because there were still so many pages left and it was like oh my god they died just like that and got sent back in time lol. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before about some other book but this was a very painful slow-burn, and not painful like angst and suffering and sadness, it was just so incredibly and (imo) unnecessarily long （＾_＾）But oh well, it worked out at the end and it’s what matters most I guess.

I loved Xiang Shu, btw. I loved him the most, I think. I just really enjoyed his character. I’ve seen many people complain about how he treats Chen Xing poorly most of the book but I don’t think we’ve read the same thing here like I’m not seeing that at all tbh. I adored their relationship too, they were really sweet and dedicated to each other it was very lovely to read.

[Meow · Rating 5 out of 5]

People giving it less than 4 stars, especially when they do it because of the repetitive fights and the slow burn, are bonkers and didn't understand it well enough.

Honestly, it was one of my first novels by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, and it couldn't have been better. Though the slow burn is indeed SLOW and it could've always been cut a little, it doesn't really make the book worse, but it actually builds up their deep relationship and shows how the characters think.

The fights were really good and intense, and after a certain point in the story, everything that has happened was starting to make more and more sense.

Though 138 chapters aren't that short (obviously, there are longer ones in this genre, but that's still not nothing, lol), the time went by quickly while reading it and it made one literally love all the characters.

FTYX said it was an experiment in writing, and it was definitely well done. Can't wait to read more of his works!! :)

[Asdar Munandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinghai Fusheng Records — bu bir dänmèi (oğlan mehir) janridiki yuqiri fantaziya xikayisi bolush bilen, Feitian Yexiang'ning məşhur no'vélidin uygurlaşıldı. Bu xikayidä, 300 yildan bu yan yo'qap ketken mana'wezlik we ruhiy kuchlargha tayanmaydighan bir alam körsütilidu. Asasiy qahraman, Chen Xing, 20 yilliq ömürige yitip kalghan axirqi ulugh Exorcist bolup, dünyani halas qilish we Mara dégen qara kuchlärgä qarşı köräsh işidin jawabkär qilinidu. Xiang Shu dégen bir qara qolçigha ayblanghan, sirlik bir urush ustisi uning dostigha eylinidu, ular yighilip bu dünyaning axshisini to'xtatmaqchi bolidu.

Bu manga ishkallarğa toluq bolghan, romantik, tarixiy we jangjari janirlarni öz ichige alidu. Xikayä yaxshiqorghan dostlarning bir-biri bilen bolghan münasibiti, ular arisidiki tilaq we janglar, bu xikayining közlärge körünüshi bolush bilan okurmenlerni jalb qilidu​

[Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐ | Estuvo bien, no me encantó y tampoco la ubico entre mis favoritas.

No me gustó mucho la relación entre CX y XS, principalmente por lo irascible que fue XS en, no sé, el 95% del libro. De modo que, no trató tan bien que digamos a CX, mientras que este solo lo dejaba pasar. Además, están los celos: esas acciones que a unos les parece románticas, pero en este caso no pude dejar de pensar "oh dios, aquí va el h de hetero otra vez", y procedía a volcar una mesa o a seguir a CX cuando estaba con TY.

Y claro, la falta de comunicación presente como siempre, lo cual llevó a que fueran en círculos y surgieran malentendidos.

Por último, casi llegando al final, se me hizo muy larga la historia.

[Chrome · Rating 4 out of 5]

its really good i love the characters i love the main cp so much!! i like how well balanced the novel is, has great funny moments and serious ones, the fight scenes are very good although I was lost sometimes.. in general i really liked this because i feel like i grow up with the characters, when i started reading i as 14 now im 17 so it gets me in an emotional slump... however its not only in age but emotionally too, feel like their story tells me how our adventures and the people we meet between them made who we are until now! kinda gives vibes of a shounen anime lol

i have a few bad points but the only that stayed more is the pace, sometimes is too rush that i barely can process whats really happening. but i would reread one day if i have a chance

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took longer than I intended not because the story was bad, but because I seriously needed proper timing to read uninterrupted whenever I did read.

Everything was interesting to me from the beginning until the end.

The travelling back in time thing - I did not see it coming and truly loved it + loved their group and am gonna especially miss Chen Xing, Xiang Shu, Feng Qianjun, Xie An, Xiao Shan, Tuoba Yan.

Also, Lu Ying x Tuoba Yan is so cute please tell me we have an extra that I am missing

[Cangrejito Lector · Rating 5 out of 5]

De todos los danmei que voy leyendo, este definitivamente es el mejor. Personajes inolvidables, llanto, risa. Las escenas de peleas son Épicaaas. Y está lleno de imagenes mentales hermosas, al punto de robarte un par de lágrimas.
No se van a arrepentir de leer esta novela.
El amor entre Xiang Shu y Chen Xing viene siendo de los más hermosos.

[Nina Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more like a 4.5. I really liked this book, even though it employed some tropes that I'm not usually into and some of the later chapters felt rushed. Also I have no idea what "Arise Zhang" means, the author of this book is Fei Tian Ye Xiang.

Anyway, if you like grumpy ones soft for sunshine ones, the slowest goddamn burn, and characters with martyr complexes, HAVE I GOT A BOOK FOR YOU!

[Asuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

No esta mal, de hecho me gusto y me engancho bastante, ame su historia y sus personajes, sobre todo ame a xiao Xiang Shu (el perrito) ❤️

La razón por la cual no le doy 5 estrellas es porque en cuanto a la relación del los protagonistas es muuy lenta, me gusta el slow burn pero en esta novela se pasaron un poquito de ello jajaja

[Cai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how I’m gonna wait two plus years for the official English release of this series. This is my favorite danmei novel and TGCF exists, so.
It’s silly, dramatic, historical, philosophical, and hopelessly romantic. I can’t wait for more people to find this beautiful book.
I’d give it a thousand stars if I could for Chen Xing 🌟

[Okami Onna · Rating 4 out of 5]

though I havent finish reading this novel since I only relay on the online english translator of the novel but I really like the story. Hopefully seven seas publishers can produce this in english translated books just like MXTX novels.