This Xianxia novel is really refreshing, something new and yet unseen among all the other translated novels. First of all, we have here something that's really pleasant to read and not just bland. The writing style is simple without being too short, and rich enough to be real light literature thanks to the detailed writings. This comes with a slow pacing and rich story telling with an excellent world building, which I can only say are welcome as they make the novel's quality.
The novel starts, unlike many other, with a really weak protagonist. But although he has no power, he's got a brain and, for once, a personality. Childish at times, smart at other, we see here a really detailed and complex character of fourteen years old evolving into a hostile world which might as well have been ours, as he's just a human being, a realistic one at that, and neither a twenty something transported to another world or the reincarnation of a mysterious elder. Not only is he great, but every other character around him is either likeable, be it his friends or his enemies, instead of being one-dimensional like many other novels, and this is what makes it really a worthy read.
The background is rich in details and tells of many stories, which later turn out to actually be part of the plot, or add deepness to already existing / new characters who are kept evolving alongside our main character. The plot is great, interesting and original, full of actions although not of combats, which are pretty rare but important and greatly detailed, often lasting through several chapters of fully explained although sometimes hard to comprehend battles.
Zetianji is, unlike many Xianxia novels, a work full of richness that's worthy of being a real book, and simply does not compare to his fellow fight grinding compatriots. It doesn't focus on fighting and cultivation but instead builds a world with its own issues, mysteries and characters which each have different goals and evolve along each other. Chen Chang Sheng is among if not the greast Xianxia protagonist and his evolution is certainly the most interesting, being a frail human with actual difficulties in cultivation instead of a lucky go happy finding treasures at every corner of a street.
