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太岁 [Tài Suì]
如果有选择，我只想做红尘中一只小小蝼蚁，懵懂而生，庸碌到死，在金平城的大雾下，终生不见天日。
好过这条通天的歧途。
好过这条通天的歧途。
2600 pages, Webnovel
Published February 9, 2021
59 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
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December 30, 2025Final Review Epic journey of Xi Ping a carefree (lazy) delightful disaster and hilariously innocent (but also clever) aristocrat scoundrel who ends up on an unexpected (and unwanted) path to immortality. A deconstructed xianxia that will definitely having you laughing, crying and asking existential questions- what is immortality- what’s the point-Is it worth it-what’s is good/evil and who get’s to dictate that-Is there a universal moral compass, is it objective or subjective and what’s’ more important- the journey or the destination?
🔔Steampunk xianxia cultivation historical fantasy but not danmei.
🔔Omniscient POV, 247 Chapters, 2,000+ pages, and a 930,000 word count
🔔Incredible world building and brilliant writing- really some of the best world building I've encountered in xianxia.
🔔Absolutely delightful and endearing MC and many other characters you will grow attached to
🔔 Deconstructed xianxia- breaks down everything about cultivation and then turns it upside down- the impact on the masses (who are viewed as valuable as ants), the power imbalance, uneven structures in society, sociopolitical inequalities, resource hoarding, environmental impact
🔔Different levels of cultivation: established foundation, ascended spirit, half-immortal, shed skin, and all the things that come with it-tribulations, arrays, spiritual tools, talismans, etc
🔔Heavy themes including class inequality, religion, race, gender, immortality. And of course- evil might not actually be evil, good might not actually be good.
🔔Some incredible female characters- multiple and central to the plot!
🔔No romance but the relationships are incredible- friendships, family, shifu/disciple- so many incredible bonds
🔔Some of my favorite extras- do not skip! Everything is tied up nicely by the end of the novel but the extras make everything so special
I feel so empty and melancholic after taking an entire year to read this. It’s daunting but it’s one of the most impactful novels I’ve ever read. If you are a fan of Priest- definitely add it. If you don’t typically like Priest, this one may change your mind (especially if you like xianxia). Her world building and character development are on a different level here. I love how Priest reveals things in layers that completely change your initial perception of events, characters, settings, etc.
There’s not really a good synopsis out there because it’s impossible to summarize something so vast without spoilers. Here are a few of my thoughts/notes (no plot spoilers).
🗡️Starts simply as far as the cultivation world- builds on that foundation with clear definitions/hierarchy and you are expected to know this knowledge throughout the book
🗡️Four nations Wan, Li, Shu, and Chu with powerful cultivators controlling the royal family and therefore, also the common people. They each have spiritual mountains and different economic strengths- and surprise! do not get a long with each other.
🗡️Cultivators strive for the Way of the Heart- which has different pathways/focus- sword, arrays, alchemy, spiritual tools, etc.
🗡️Cultivators and their control are so similar to the real world: Regular people tricked into thinking the immortals are there to help and protect you when you really didn’t need them at all. Keeping good things from the poor for their own good because they don’t know how to use it properly
Read January 25, 2025- December 27, 2025
_______________________________________________
9/8/25 (50% through) Steampunk xianxia cultivation historical fantasy but not danmei. This novel really showcases how masterful of a storyteller Priest is. I've chatted with a few people on Xiaohongshu/Rednote who have told me how popular this book is in China and I can certainly see why. It's taking me quite a while to read this (I started in January) but only because I've been reading a lot of other books along the way.
🔔Incredible world building and brilliant writing- really some of the best world building I've encountered in xianxia
🔔Absolutely delightful and endearing MC
Cultivators, Immortals, Gods, pathways- everything is pretty detailed!
🔔Different levels of cultivation: established foundation, half-immortal, shed skin, and al lthe things that come with it-tribulations, arrays, spiritual tools, talismans, etc
🔔Heavy themes including class inequality, religion, immortality
🔔Some incredible female characters
If you are looking for romance, this is not the book for you.
Fantastic translation by E. Danglars
If you are a fantasy/xianxia lover and are okay with zero romance, put this on your list!
1/25/25
Steampunk xianxia, historical fantasy
Starting my first non-danmei by Priest and it’s a long one 😬
247 Chapters, 2,000+ pages, and a 930,000 word count
“Tai Sui is the story of Xi Ping—an obnoxious, trouble-making rich boy with no interest in cultivation—who gets unwittingly involved in a plot to resurrect the "evil god" Tai Sui. This plot pulls him into the cultivation world against his will and, over time, threatens to rewrite everything he is.”
🔔Steampunk xianxia cultivation historical fantasy but not danmei.
🔔Omniscient POV, 247 Chapters, 2,000+ pages, and a 930,000 word count
🔔Incredible world building and brilliant writing- really some of the best world building I've encountered in xianxia.
🔔Absolutely delightful and endearing MC and many other characters you will grow attached to
🔔 Deconstructed xianxia- breaks down everything about cultivation and then turns it upside down- the impact on the masses (who are viewed as valuable as ants), the power imbalance, uneven structures in society, sociopolitical inequalities, resource hoarding, environmental impact
🔔Different levels of cultivation: established foundation, ascended spirit, half-immortal, shed skin, and all the things that come with it-tribulations, arrays, spiritual tools, talismans, etc
🔔Heavy themes including class inequality, religion, race, gender, immortality. And of course- evil might not actually be evil, good might not actually be good.
🔔Some incredible female characters- multiple and central to the plot!
🔔No romance but the relationships are incredible- friendships, family, shifu/disciple- so many incredible bonds
🔔Some of my favorite extras- do not skip! Everything is tied up nicely by the end of the novel but the extras make everything so special
I feel so empty and melancholic after taking an entire year to read this. It’s daunting but it’s one of the most impactful novels I’ve ever read. If you are a fan of Priest- definitely add it. If you don’t typically like Priest, this one may change your mind (especially if you like xianxia). Her world building and character development are on a different level here. I love how Priest reveals things in layers that completely change your initial perception of events, characters, settings, etc.
There’s not really a good synopsis out there because it’s impossible to summarize something so vast without spoilers. Here are a few of my thoughts/notes (no plot spoilers).
🗡️Starts simply as far as the cultivation world- builds on that foundation with clear definitions/hierarchy and you are expected to know this knowledge throughout the book
🗡️Four nations Wan, Li, Shu, and Chu with powerful cultivators controlling the royal family and therefore, also the common people. They each have spiritual mountains and different economic strengths- and surprise! do not get a long with each other.
🗡️Cultivators strive for the Way of the Heart- which has different pathways/focus- sword, arrays, alchemy, spiritual tools, etc.
🗡️Cultivators and their control are so similar to the real world: Regular people tricked into thinking the immortals are there to help and protect you when you really didn’t need them at all. Keeping good things from the poor for their own good because they don’t know how to use it properly
Read January 25, 2025- December 27, 2025
_______________________________________________
9/8/25 (50% through) Steampunk xianxia cultivation historical fantasy but not danmei. This novel really showcases how masterful of a storyteller Priest is. I've chatted with a few people on Xiaohongshu/Rednote who have told me how popular this book is in China and I can certainly see why. It's taking me quite a while to read this (I started in January) but only because I've been reading a lot of other books along the way.
🔔Incredible world building and brilliant writing- really some of the best world building I've encountered in xianxia
🔔Absolutely delightful and endearing MC
Cultivators, Immortals, Gods, pathways- everything is pretty detailed!
🔔Different levels of cultivation: established foundation, half-immortal, shed skin, and al lthe things that come with it-tribulations, arrays, spiritual tools, talismans, etc
🔔Heavy themes including class inequality, religion, immortality
🔔Some incredible female characters
If you are looking for romance, this is not the book for you.
Fantastic translation by E. Danglars
If you are a fantasy/xianxia lover and are okay with zero romance, put this on your list!
1/25/25
Steampunk xianxia, historical fantasy
Starting my first non-danmei by Priest and it’s a long one 😬
247 Chapters, 2,000+ pages, and a 930,000 word count
“Tai Sui is the story of Xi Ping—an obnoxious, trouble-making rich boy with no interest in cultivation—who gets unwittingly involved in a plot to resurrect the "evil god" Tai Sui. This plot pulls him into the cultivation world against his will and, over time, threatens to rewrite everything he is.”
Want to read
May 7, 2022I saw someone on Twitter promoting this novel and the caption says, what is romance if not whispering into his corpse, telling him “i will take you home, and you will come visit me in a dream, okay?” and I’ve never been more mentally ill
May 2, 2022
I thought novels like Erha were tragic but this book tore a new hole in my heart 😭
Very long review incoming.
This is the story of Xi Ping, who goes from a frivolous and wealthy Marquis's son to a god. The summary is a simple 3-4 lines: someone saying that if they could, they too wish to be an ordinary person in the humdrum of life, to live and die like a mortal. It's very poignant when seen as Xi Ping's wish as he walks the very lonely path to godhood.
The world of the novel is incredibly fleshed out. There are four nations, each nation has its own history, its own rich world of cultivators and mortals, divine instruments, connections, power hierarchy and politics. Xi Ping's path takes him through all four nations.
On to the bad stuff first. I'm really divided on whether to give this a 4 or 5 star. It was 247 chapters and honestly the book didn't need to be so long. The book is broken up into four main volumes, each volume containing mini arcs that span around 20-30 chapters. There is quite a lot of info-dumping / telling not showing. I've lost count of how many side characters that Priest introduced.
Each mini arc also started out really slowly and the last few chapters are always hurtling forward at breakneck speed, with shocking plot twists. This meant that at times the novel is slow as molasses, at other times I can't stop reading. So I really didn't like the pace and the huge cast.
I have always liked Priest for the strong themes and very nuanced commentary in her writings. This book marks a new stage in her journey as an author - never have the message and themes been so well-written, and never has her figurative writing been more vivid and evocative. E Danglers, the fan translator, did a fantastic job translating and really managed to convey the vivid images and motifs that Priest used, like the Bell of Tribulation, the Impassable Sea, the Riverward...
On to the best thing about this webnovel: the commentary and themes. This is about Xi Ping's lonely path to becoming a god-like figure, but it is also about the story of a world of incredible power inequality where cultivators near godhood can smite anybody with a single glance, and mortals are like ants. As Xi Ping remakes himself and is transformed, so does the society change. The end of the novel sees Xi Ping as a guardian of sorts of a new era of this world, where cultivation disappears entirely, everybody lives a mortal life, with no magic and powers - a more equal society. Mortals are analogous to the powerless, and cultivators are analogous to the powerful.
Xi Ping finds out more about the truths of this world, realizing that the world is structured so that the most powerful (the cultivators) chase after power and godhood (ascension), thinking that it gives them freedom, not realizing that it is merely another form of death within the system. The mortals are insignificant and collateral damage. It is a very novel way to talk about power inequalities imo.
There are some really fascinating female side characters. Xi Ping's story is not just about how he topples the heavens to create a new order where everyone is more equal, but it's also about the story of a genius and how lonely unconventionality and innovation is. The changes he bring to the world are only possible on the backs of women geniuses who paved the way with their sacrifices before him: Hui Xiangjun and Qiu Sha, Yuan Hui's mother and sister. (Low-key wished the extras were about Hui Xiangjun.)
I am inconsolable over Zhou Ying and that ending 😭😭😭 how fiercely he loved Xi Ping and how much Xi Ping loved him back, his sacrifice, and the ending of the whole book where Xi Ping sees the words left behind by Zhou Ying before his death (I was here), in a full circle.
I have a hole in my heart from how the ending sees Xi Ping outliving everyone he knows and loves and how he sends them off one after the other as they leave this world 😭😭😭 there is so much loss in this book, so much so that I had to keep taking breaks.
There are numerous moments of heartbreaking or almost divine moments of poignant realizations about ideals/causes, mortality, love, and being free of the constraints of the hierarchical social order and the endless possibilities beyond convention. There is a repeated motif about being 'beyond the bounds' of civilization (化外) or beyond the circumscribed dimensions of what is and always has been.
Very long review incoming.
This is the story of Xi Ping, who goes from a frivolous and wealthy Marquis's son to a god. The summary is a simple 3-4 lines: someone saying that if they could, they too wish to be an ordinary person in the humdrum of life, to live and die like a mortal. It's very poignant when seen as Xi Ping's wish as he walks the very lonely path to godhood.
The world of the novel is incredibly fleshed out. There are four nations, each nation has its own history, its own rich world of cultivators and mortals, divine instruments, connections, power hierarchy and politics. Xi Ping's path takes him through all four nations.
On to the bad stuff first. I'm really divided on whether to give this a 4 or 5 star. It was 247 chapters and honestly the book didn't need to be so long. The book is broken up into four main volumes, each volume containing mini arcs that span around 20-30 chapters. There is quite a lot of info-dumping / telling not showing. I've lost count of how many side characters that Priest introduced.
Each mini arc also started out really slowly and the last few chapters are always hurtling forward at breakneck speed, with shocking plot twists. This meant that at times the novel is slow as molasses, at other times I can't stop reading. So I really didn't like the pace and the huge cast.
I have always liked Priest for the strong themes and very nuanced commentary in her writings. This book marks a new stage in her journey as an author - never have the message and themes been so well-written, and never has her figurative writing been more vivid and evocative. E Danglers, the fan translator, did a fantastic job translating and really managed to convey the vivid images and motifs that Priest used, like the Bell of Tribulation, the Impassable Sea, the Riverward...
On to the best thing about this webnovel: the commentary and themes. This is about Xi Ping's lonely path to becoming a god-like figure, but it is also about the story of a world of incredible power inequality where cultivators near godhood can smite anybody with a single glance, and mortals are like ants. As Xi Ping remakes himself and is transformed, so does the society change. The end of the novel sees Xi Ping as a guardian of sorts of a new era of this world, where cultivation disappears entirely, everybody lives a mortal life, with no magic and powers - a more equal society. Mortals are analogous to the powerless, and cultivators are analogous to the powerful.
Xi Ping finds out more about the truths of this world, realizing that the world is structured so that the most powerful (the cultivators) chase after power and godhood (ascension), thinking that it gives them freedom, not realizing that it is merely another form of death within the system. The mortals are insignificant and collateral damage. It is a very novel way to talk about power inequalities imo.
There are some really fascinating female side characters. Xi Ping's story is not just about how he topples the heavens to create a new order where everyone is more equal, but it's also about the story of a genius and how lonely unconventionality and innovation is. The changes he bring to the world are only possible on the backs of women geniuses who paved the way with their sacrifices before him: Hui Xiangjun and Qiu Sha, Yuan Hui's mother and sister. (Low-key wished the extras were about Hui Xiangjun.)
I am inconsolable over Zhou Ying and that ending 😭😭😭 how fiercely he loved Xi Ping and how much Xi Ping loved him back, his sacrifice, and the ending of the whole book where Xi Ping sees the words left behind by Zhou Ying before his death (I was here), in a full circle.
I have a hole in my heart from how the ending sees Xi Ping outliving everyone he knows and loves and how he sends them off one after the other as they leave this world 😭😭😭 there is so much loss in this book, so much so that I had to keep taking breaks.
There are numerous moments of heartbreaking or almost divine moments of poignant realizations about ideals/causes, mortality, love, and being free of the constraints of the hierarchical social order and the endless possibilities beyond convention. There is a repeated motif about being 'beyond the bounds' of civilization (化外) or beyond the circumscribed dimensions of what is and always has been.
February 27, 2023
Priest has opened my eyes to what possibilities the genre of xianxia could be. I've always been interested in reading about immortals, gods, celestials, paladins, deities in both western and eastern fantasy. Imagine living eternally, having that immense power to create and destroy, watching us short-lived humans scurrying around.
Priest starts off this xianxia with a common enough scenario: disciples are being selected to enter a renowned cultivation sect Xuanyin. With this once every decade selection, the ones chosen will start the path of cultivation to become immortals. We're also introduced to the main character Xi Ping/Shiyong, son of the Marquis of Yongning. He is often exasperatedly referred to as a fun-loving scoundrel.
Tai Sui took me a long time to read, it's an exceptionally lengthy webnovel spread across 5 books with a listed 2000+ pages. The format is similar to Priest's other webnovel Silent Reading/Mo Du also divided across 5 books. I am not only impressed by this book, I marvel at Priest's versatility in writing different genres such as Tian Ya Ke (danmei wuxia), Mo Du (modern psychological crime thriller, also danmei), Zhen Hun (speculative fiction). I'm in the midst of reading another of her works No Pollution, No Public Harm which I would categorize as modern wuxia. Tai Sui is listed as 'steampunk xianxia,' a rarity. The fan translator of Tai Sui, E Danglers (a pseudonym), is superb with both the translation and citation notes. I got a good sense of the rhythm of the language, the humour, the irony, the historical and literary references.
The worldbuilding of Tai Sui is exceptional; there are four nations where we start off in Great Wan but visit each of the three others Western Chu, Southern Shu, Northern Li. The nations each have their own royal families, spiritual mountains, famed cultivators, customs, exports, topography, language, cuisine, enmities, sociopolitical inequalities. It's a fully realized world with a definitive delineation between cultivators and mortals. Within the cultivation world, the cultivators who have broken through have a 'Way Of The Heart' with different specializations such as sword, incriptions, arrays, tool-making, medicine etc. The different cultivation levels range from established foundation to shed skin elder (most powerful).
I feel that the complexity and maturity of Priest's writing has really reached a pinnacle here. When uprisings and revolutions occur in one spot, the novel traces the attendant effects in neighbouring areas and countries. Some try to take advantage, others move in with their own agenda. There are numerous moving parts reflective of the real world. As always, it's the powerless masses that suffer the most. Priest shines the light on how the powerful view them as ants, thoughtlessly trampled as casualties but can be strong in numbers and aspirations. Priest makes very interesting inserted observations about power structures and power imbalances within society. I also like how Priest interrogates the idea of 'evil cultivators' and the origin of the 3000 orthodox paths to cultivation.
That feeling of expansiveness, the breadth of perception, in how fleeting and ephemeral our mortal lives are is something valuable I took away from this novel. And yes, we all have heart demons!
The human attachments that kept Shiyong tethered to the mortal world: his memories of the Marquis manor on Dangui Lane, his grandmother, parents, cousin-brother Zhou Ying Third Prince, shifu Zhi Xiu, Xi Yue half-puppet, his first follower Wei Chengxiang really touched me. Priest does not handle Shiyong gently, he is literally shattered repeatedly, his cultivation journey is unconventional to say the least. Along the way we come to care very deeply for this irreverent rascal who manages to learn only one sword move from his esteemed long suffering teacher. All the characters are obstinate in their own way, chock-full of secrets, protecting those they care about, making provisions and plans. I like how surprised Shiyong was to learn of his dad's secret pact. The extra chapters at the end were especially bittersweet.
Priest starts off this xianxia with a common enough scenario: disciples are being selected to enter a renowned cultivation sect Xuanyin. With this once every decade selection, the ones chosen will start the path of cultivation to become immortals. We're also introduced to the main character Xi Ping/Shiyong, son of the Marquis of Yongning. He is often exasperatedly referred to as a fun-loving scoundrel.
Tai Sui took me a long time to read, it's an exceptionally lengthy webnovel spread across 5 books with a listed 2000+ pages. The format is similar to Priest's other webnovel Silent Reading/Mo Du also divided across 5 books. I am not only impressed by this book, I marvel at Priest's versatility in writing different genres such as Tian Ya Ke (danmei wuxia), Mo Du (modern psychological crime thriller, also danmei), Zhen Hun (speculative fiction). I'm in the midst of reading another of her works No Pollution, No Public Harm which I would categorize as modern wuxia. Tai Sui is listed as 'steampunk xianxia,' a rarity. The fan translator of Tai Sui, E Danglers (a pseudonym), is superb with both the translation and citation notes. I got a good sense of the rhythm of the language, the humour, the irony, the historical and literary references.
The worldbuilding of Tai Sui is exceptional; there are four nations where we start off in Great Wan but visit each of the three others Western Chu, Southern Shu, Northern Li. The nations each have their own royal families, spiritual mountains, famed cultivators, customs, exports, topography, language, cuisine, enmities, sociopolitical inequalities. It's a fully realized world with a definitive delineation between cultivators and mortals. Within the cultivation world, the cultivators who have broken through have a 'Way Of The Heart' with different specializations such as sword, incriptions, arrays, tool-making, medicine etc. The different cultivation levels range from established foundation to shed skin elder (most powerful).
I feel that the complexity and maturity of Priest's writing has really reached a pinnacle here. When uprisings and revolutions occur in one spot, the novel traces the attendant effects in neighbouring areas and countries. Some try to take advantage, others move in with their own agenda. There are numerous moving parts reflective of the real world. As always, it's the powerless masses that suffer the most. Priest shines the light on how the powerful view them as ants, thoughtlessly trampled as casualties but can be strong in numbers and aspirations. Priest makes very interesting inserted observations about power structures and power imbalances within society. I also like how Priest interrogates the idea of 'evil cultivators' and the origin of the 3000 orthodox paths to cultivation.
That feeling of expansiveness, the breadth of perception, in how fleeting and ephemeral our mortal lives are is something valuable I took away from this novel. And yes, we all have heart demons!
The human attachments that kept Shiyong tethered to the mortal world: his memories of the Marquis manor on Dangui Lane, his grandmother, parents, cousin-brother Zhou Ying Third Prince, shifu Zhi Xiu, Xi Yue half-puppet, his first follower Wei Chengxiang really touched me. Priest does not handle Shiyong gently, he is literally shattered repeatedly, his cultivation journey is unconventional to say the least. Along the way we come to care very deeply for this irreverent rascal who manages to learn only one sword move from his esteemed long suffering teacher. All the characters are obstinate in their own way, chock-full of secrets, protecting those they care about, making provisions and plans. I like how surprised Shiyong was to learn of his dad's secret pact. The extra chapters at the end were especially bittersweet.
May 31, 2022
this is just madoka magica but for men. fantastic worldbuilding that combines high fantasy and steampunk with incisive commentary on class inequality, environmental destruction, and the cost of immortality.
August 9, 2024
this scarred me for life
June 22, 2022
This book jumped to my favorite novel position even before the first volume of it was finished, and only kept going up from there. You know how over the years, Priest's views on what can be done about the world sucking have become more and more 'and we will do something about it'? Well, this book is that from the first page. It takes place in a similar steampunk xianxia world to Sha Po Long. However, there are a few key difference. More over, the main character is an utter delight and so, so intelligent - he and his cousin play mental chess around people in their efforts to bring down their corrupt world and let the non-cultivators live. He knows etiquette. He knows how to throw it out the window in ways that make people around him twitch. The author also deals with a lot of the philosophical questions behind the xianxia genre as a whole.
December 6, 2025
I'm not good at writing reviews so I rarely write any and I don't know how to put my thoughts into words with this one but I really enjoyed it!
I absolutely adore the way the themes of the novel were written and the intricate worldbuilding. I love the way you can see how the world changes around the characters over the years, it feels very immersive.
At times the pacing felt a bit slow but overall I loved everything about this novel, the characters are all interesting in their own way, the protagonist is loveable and very endearing, the novel made me tear up multiple times. The extras really made the ending of the novel more emotional for me too.
It is a pretty long read and can be heavy at times but I do recommend it, it was defifnetely worth it!
I absolutely adore the way the themes of the novel were written and the intricate worldbuilding. I love the way you can see how the world changes around the characters over the years, it feels very immersive.
At times the pacing felt a bit slow but overall I loved everything about this novel, the characters are all interesting in their own way, the protagonist is loveable and very endearing, the novel made me tear up multiple times. The extras really made the ending of the novel more emotional for me too.
It is a pretty long read and can be heavy at times but I do recommend it, it was defifnetely worth it!
July 30, 2022
First of all, Priest? No bad intentions but really—I will borrow Shiyong's word—stupendous writing! Really, such novel brimming with powerful references, symbolism, and story. Thank you.
Next, I don't even know what to say. Right now I'm still processing everything that has happened. I'm still processing Chapter 247, still processing the extras, especially the Jinping ones, still processing EVERYTHING.
I feel utterly ruined. I want to think that they all meet their ends happily and without lingering worries—because they honestly did—but it's so painful to think about Shiyong's hundreds of years being alone, only left "enjoying the endless banquet of memories" all by himself. When he gets so lonely, he would go inside the Law Breaker and speak to the static replicas of his friends. And also, he never got his San-ge's score, only that small fragment of stone with words with Wan language left to console him. But you know all of the people dearly loved him because they really tried to keep him company up until their last breath.
I'm so sad. I'm just glad that I know Shiyong had come home with Yue-bao'er. I think it would really break me if he didn't.
Next, I don't even know what to say. Right now I'm still processing everything that has happened. I'm still processing Chapter 247, still processing the extras, especially the Jinping ones, still processing EVERYTHING.
I feel utterly ruined. I want to think that they all meet their ends happily and without lingering worries—because they honestly did—but it's so painful to think about Shiyong's hundreds of years being alone, only left "enjoying the endless banquet of memories" all by himself. When he gets so lonely, he would go inside the Law Breaker and speak to the static replicas of his friends. And also, he never got his San-ge's score, only that small fragment of stone with words with Wan language left to console him. But you know all of the people dearly loved him because they really tried to keep him company up until their last breath.
I'm so sad. I'm just glad that I know Shiyong had come home with Yue-bao'er. I think it would really break me if he didn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2024
Tai Sui
(English Translated Title)
No matter how much I write, I wouldn't be able to do justice to this masterpiece. Priest went all out with this one!
Such a tragi-comedy that one moment my stomach was hurting from laughing and another moment I was literally bawling my eyes out.
Xi Ping is a good-for-nothing young master of the Yongning Marquis Manor. Brought up in riches and the utmost comfort from childhood, under the affectionate doting of his mother and grandmother and the futile reprimand of his father, he has no ambition in life but continue to enjoy the best wine, the most delicious meal with the accompaniment of his own composed music.
But fate has something else in store for him. He becomes the vortex of struggle in the cultivation world that started thousand years ago by a series of coincidences, or was it totally coincidences? No body knows.
The plot was mindblowing, the world-building brilliant, the characters three dimensional with their own motivations and philosophy in life. The human relationships were often sweet and heartbreaking.
The bond between Xi Ping and Zhou Ying, Zhou Ying and Bai Ling, Xi Ping and Xi Yue, Xi Ping and Wei Chengxiang, Pang Jian and his sister comes to mind, though, there's many more.
There's plethora of characters each with their own uniqueness that stood out and if I write about all of them then it'd turn out to be a shopping list with spoilers sprinkled on. But I still can't help myself from mentioning these character that left the deepest impression in my mind.
Princess Duanrui has my heart.
Emperor Taiming, Emperor Gaozong, the last Emperor of Southern He and even Renzong struck admiration.
I especially want a consolatory fanfic on Wen Fei and Shen Shijie. Please🙏🏻🙏🏻
Lin Chi and Hui Xiangjun fanfic should also be put on the agenda. These pairs hurt my heart. There are many more to cry about.
Someone also please give Zhi Xiu a medal because man was fighting against everyone only following his own convictions.
And how can I forget about Xi Ping and Zhou Ying, these pair of brothers? I would just say, they were lunatics and they were brought up by lunatics too!
But still these two made me wet my pillow with tears😭😭
I literally bonded with these characters, went on a journey with them, felt their happiness, sadness, frustration, melancholy, hopelessness and despair. This novel made me read too much, think too much, feel too much and now that it has ended I'm left feeling empty. Absolutely would recommend!! I would give it more than 5⭐ only if I could!
(English Translated Title)
No matter how much I write, I wouldn't be able to do justice to this masterpiece. Priest went all out with this one!
Such a tragi-comedy that one moment my stomach was hurting from laughing and another moment I was literally bawling my eyes out.
Xi Ping is a good-for-nothing young master of the Yongning Marquis Manor. Brought up in riches and the utmost comfort from childhood, under the affectionate doting of his mother and grandmother and the futile reprimand of his father, he has no ambition in life but continue to enjoy the best wine, the most delicious meal with the accompaniment of his own composed music.
But fate has something else in store for him. He becomes the vortex of struggle in the cultivation world that started thousand years ago by a series of coincidences, or was it totally coincidences? No body knows.
The plot was mindblowing, the world-building brilliant, the characters three dimensional with their own motivations and philosophy in life. The human relationships were often sweet and heartbreaking.
The bond between Xi Ping and Zhou Ying, Zhou Ying and Bai Ling, Xi Ping and Xi Yue, Xi Ping and Wei Chengxiang, Pang Jian and his sister comes to mind, though, there's many more.
There's plethora of characters each with their own uniqueness that stood out and if I write about all of them then it'd turn out to be a shopping list with spoilers sprinkled on. But I still can't help myself from mentioning these character that left the deepest impression in my mind.
Princess Duanrui has my heart.
Emperor Taiming, Emperor Gaozong, the last Emperor of Southern He and even Renzong struck admiration.
I especially want a consolatory fanfic on Wen Fei and Shen Shijie. Please🙏🏻🙏🏻
Lin Chi and Hui Xiangjun fanfic should also be put on the agenda. These pairs hurt my heart. There are many more to cry about.
Someone also please give Zhi Xiu a medal because man was fighting against everyone only following his own convictions.
And how can I forget about Xi Ping and Zhou Ying, these pair of brothers? I would just say, they were lunatics and they were brought up by lunatics too!
But still these two made me wet my pillow with tears😭😭
I literally bonded with these characters, went on a journey with them, felt their happiness, sadness, frustration, melancholy, hopelessness and despair. This novel made me read too much, think too much, feel too much and now that it has ended I'm left feeling empty. Absolutely would recommend!! I would give it more than 5⭐ only if I could!
April 14, 2023
Zhou ying deserved more...idk man what was that?!
October 25, 2023
might be my favourite novel of all time rn
November 2, 2022
This book broke me. And I'm actually finding it pretty hard to even attempt to write a review. I mean, it took me like half a year to read even though I absolutely loved it. But it was hard, bloody hard, and painful. And I know Priest usually does that, but this took it to a whole new level. I think, so far, this is her most ambitious novel and there's so much going on and so many characters and such a complex and utterly detailed and enveloping world the experience was really intense (and heartbreaking)
I think, because of the magnitude of the project, it really needs editing, that's probably its biggest flaw, as I guess it might put off a lot of readers with how long and convoluted it is. But in spite of that, just as it is, it's still absolutely fantastic.
So, Priest usually writes really complex books in which there's an important romantic element to lighten a bit the story. In most cases, her novels are classified as romantic novels and the love element is highlighted, although, in my opinion, the focus is always something else: the power struggles and intrigues in SPL, CCP, TYK and so on, the reflection on the cycle of existence and the meaning behind it on ZH or on the nature of evil and the psychology of victims and perpetrators in MD, usually with a pretty dark focus and a criticism to society, even to mankind. Priest is quite deep and although her writing can be lyrical at times, she does not romanticize anything and is quite incisive. Well, Tai Sui is the same but grander and there's no explicit romance at all. And while the main character is very charming and thick faced, which gives raise to uncomfortable and "funny" situations, it doesn't manage to be enough to lighten the novel, specially when one is aware that this, too soon, becomes a reflex on his part, a desperate attempt to maintain his identity, a mask.
So, like SPL, Tai Sui is a dystopian novel focused in a world that seems like the past but instead of mecha in this case there's this element, that fuels artifacts with spiritual energy, so there're certain modern tools like submarines and all kind of communication devices, etc. It is a cultivation novel and, as most of them, it is a criticism of orthodoxy, or, as usual in Priest's fiction, to the dynamics of power.
Xi Ping is a carefree young noble that because of certain circumstances ends up being elected to join an orthodox cultivation sect and due to, what seems like pure coincidence (although this later is proven to be false), becomes a god for the poor and destitute, those who have no power in a world in which power is flaunted exclusively by those who have reached a high spiritual cultivation and the sects to which they belong.
I really can't say more as even that seems like a spoiler even though it happens just at the beginning of the novel, but Priest really went all the way out with this one, hats off, seriously, you need guts and a steel heart to write a novel like this.
I usually suffer a lot through Priest's novels with all the twists and suffering of the characters and all, but I know that pain is rewarded with happy endings. Well, be advised that Tai Sui probably has the one that's more bittersweet out of the lot, and as I said before, she doesn't romanticize it. It is what it is. And I love that.
I think, because of the magnitude of the project, it really needs editing, that's probably its biggest flaw, as I guess it might put off a lot of readers with how long and convoluted it is. But in spite of that, just as it is, it's still absolutely fantastic.
So, Priest usually writes really complex books in which there's an important romantic element to lighten a bit the story. In most cases, her novels are classified as romantic novels and the love element is highlighted, although, in my opinion, the focus is always something else: the power struggles and intrigues in SPL, CCP, TYK and so on, the reflection on the cycle of existence and the meaning behind it on ZH or on the nature of evil and the psychology of victims and perpetrators in MD, usually with a pretty dark focus and a criticism to society, even to mankind. Priest is quite deep and although her writing can be lyrical at times, she does not romanticize anything and is quite incisive. Well, Tai Sui is the same but grander and there's no explicit romance at all. And while the main character is very charming and thick faced, which gives raise to uncomfortable and "funny" situations, it doesn't manage to be enough to lighten the novel, specially when one is aware that this, too soon, becomes a reflex on his part, a desperate attempt to maintain his identity, a mask.
So, like SPL, Tai Sui is a dystopian novel focused in a world that seems like the past but instead of mecha in this case there's this element, that fuels artifacts with spiritual energy, so there're certain modern tools like submarines and all kind of communication devices, etc. It is a cultivation novel and, as most of them, it is a criticism of orthodoxy, or, as usual in Priest's fiction, to the dynamics of power.
Xi Ping is a carefree young noble that because of certain circumstances ends up being elected to join an orthodox cultivation sect and due to, what seems like pure coincidence (although this later is proven to be false), becomes a god for the poor and destitute, those who have no power in a world in which power is flaunted exclusively by those who have reached a high spiritual cultivation and the sects to which they belong.
I really can't say more as even that seems like a spoiler even though it happens just at the beginning of the novel, but Priest really went all the way out with this one, hats off, seriously, you need guts and a steel heart to write a novel like this.
I usually suffer a lot through Priest's novels with all the twists and suffering of the characters and all, but I know that pain is rewarded with happy endings. Well, be advised that Tai Sui probably has the one that's more bittersweet out of the lot, and as I said before, she doesn't romanticize it. It is what it is. And I love that.
October 11, 2022
i really loved this in the beginning, and i have to admit priest really outdid herself in terms of worldbuilding in this one, but somehow the story lost me after the first third. the amount of characters getting introduced and all the new plotlines didn't really hold my attention for a long time, and i definitely struggled to get through some parts, i feel like it didn't need to be this long. the ending was great though, and i love xi ping, wei chengxiang and zhou ying. i plan on reading it again at a later time, so maybe my opinion will change idk we'll see.
May 1, 2023
Tai Sui is many things, but above all it's a love letter to humanity.
There's really no other way I can describe it. No other novel has left me so devastated but also with such a strong feeling of light and hope.
There's really no other way I can describe it. No other novel has left me so devastated but also with such a strong feeling of light and hope.
September 3, 2023
dnf at 60% I really can't do this anymore I apologise, marked it as finished bcs i didn't read 2k pages for nothing
March 27, 2024
Wow….. I finished this book in one of my classes and left with tears streaming down my face. I cried for two whole days I’m so serious. If I think about it for to long I even get depressed and I finished this a year ago. It has emotionally damaged me.
But anyway it is also probably my favorite book ever. I really wish it was more popular because I’d love to talk about it with more people. There is so many characters but they all play some significant role. They are all well written. The main character is amazing I can talk about this guy all day. If priest wrote him a scene where he cried I think it would be over for me tbh.
I don’t think I have the intellect to explain what this book was about well. It has a very good message to it and has a cool dark twist to cultivation that I love. It’s both creepy and saddening at once. All the plot twists are crazy good and made my jaw drop especially that scene with pang jians back story in the mines. I love the steampunk aspects to it and how as your reading it society slowly evolves around the characters who are seemingly stuck in time. It’s a terrifying feeling watching everything and everyone around them completely change. It also adds to the helplessly lonely feeling you feel xi ping feels at the end. Needless to say the world building is amazing.
please read this book don’t be intimidated by the word count it’s worth it trust.
But anyway it is also probably my favorite book ever. I really wish it was more popular because I’d love to talk about it with more people. There is so many characters but they all play some significant role. They are all well written. The main character is amazing I can talk about this guy all day. If priest wrote him a scene where he cried I think it would be over for me tbh.
I don’t think I have the intellect to explain what this book was about well. It has a very good message to it and has a cool dark twist to cultivation that I love. It’s both creepy and saddening at once. All the plot twists are crazy good and made my jaw drop especially that scene with pang jians back story in the mines. I love the steampunk aspects to it and how as your reading it society slowly evolves around the characters who are seemingly stuck in time. It’s a terrifying feeling watching everything and everyone around them completely change. It also adds to the helplessly lonely feeling you feel xi ping feels at the end. Needless to say the world building is amazing.
please read this book don’t be intimidated by the word count it’s worth it trust.
September 20, 2022
One of the best cultivation novel along with Reverend Insanity. I love the author's social commentary and meticulous world building and especially the well developed cast of characters. Our hero (anti-hero?) must be one of the most lovable scroundels ever lol. Definitely will check author's other works.
February 24, 2023
/crying
April 3, 2023
I'm waiting for the donghua, this is too good to read, 😭🙏❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
May 10, 2023
I finally understand the hype about this author and hahaha I'm in emotional shambles
May 23, 2023
写得实在是太牛逼太好了 看了结局我哭了两个小时
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2023
Best book I’ve ever read also has the best characters and development. Its absolutely gut wrenching
January 22, 2025
So many thoughts!!!
Such a well-written novel with great characterisation and worldbuilding.
Such a well-written novel with great characterisation and worldbuilding.
August 13, 2022
3.5⭐
Ho trovato il book 1 e metà del book 2 un po' lenti. Forse mi aspettavo di più vedendo la mia Twitter tl...
Ma Priest è sempre Priest ✨
Ho trovato il book 1 e metà del book 2 un po' lenti. Forse mi aspettavo di più vedendo la mia Twitter tl...
Ma Priest è sempre Priest ✨
March 31, 2023
I don’t even know if there’s a full English translation, but please do keep in mind this was released in a serial format (couple chapters per week sort of thing) as all the other Priest book. I was there from start to finish, so some of the slower chapters didn’t feel as bad as they are in one complete volume.
That being said, some part definitely requires revision and editing, and I think she did after the story was concluded.
Also, in case you didn’t know, she made a hand-drawn map and published on LOFTER. Like many fantasy stories, it helped a lot, and it had some witty comments on it, was funny as hell to read :)
That being said, some part definitely requires revision and editing, and I think she did after the story was concluded.
Also, in case you didn’t know, she made a hand-drawn map and published on LOFTER. Like many fantasy stories, it helped a lot, and it had some witty comments on it, was funny as hell to read :)
April 17, 2025
Zhou Ying my beloved
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