Ink Deifies

Kexiao ShuxianQidian2015

No rating yet

Word count: 1M words

Summary

Ye Xuan, a modern young man, is struck and killed by a car while saving a girl who ran a red light, and transmigrates into another world where spirit books are supreme, possessing a scion of the same-named clan. In this world, everyone is born with a companion spirit book that records their power, divided among the schools of Daoism, Militarism, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Medicine, and Yin-Yang, and ranked by grade: Commoner, Enlightened, Scholar, Graduate, Teacher, and Grandmaster. The original body was a genius but was framed and killed; Ye Xuan's new soul receives only a blank "Commoner's Book" and faces dire straits. Drawing on the poetry and prose of his past life and merging with the original's memories, he starts from the lowest rank of Commoner, dueling with words and establishing himself through books, befriending the Liu family of retainers, investigating the truth of the original body's murder, and gradually becoming entangled in the struggle between the will of sages and the forces of gods, ultimately writing the Investiture of the Gods and laying down heavenly laws to reshape the world's order.

Editor's review

Suited to fantasy readers who enjoy the Hundred Schools of Thought setting and literary-duel progression. The draw is turning the powers of Confucianism, Daoism, Mohism, and Legalism into a spirit-book system, with the protagonist rising from a Commoner background through poetry and prose—dense with satisfying beats. Weaknesses: the opening transmigration tropes are heavy, the tiers and schools are laid out in an overly expository way, and the late-stage power inflation up to the level of deification is wrapped up somewhat hastily.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Eastern fantasy and transmigration
Readers interested in the Hundred Schools of Thought and Confucian-Daoist settings
Readers who like literary duels and poetry-adorned comeuppance

Not a good fit for

Readers who dislike heavy exposition and tier breakdowns
Readers seeking polished prose and nuanced character work

Reading tips

First memorize the spirit-book tiers from Commoner to Grandmaster and each school's traits; the main text will be far less confusing
The first few dozen chapters are key to the protagonist's rise from Commoner—push through the early transmigration adjustment
Watch the clues tied to the names Ye Lingtian, Ye Wu, and Zhou Yuexi; the truth of the original body's murder unfolds from there

About the publisher

Qidian

Qidian is a platform whose catalogue brings together online literature, with about 45,000 titles in the library spanning categories such as male-oriented fiction, Eastern fantasy, xianxia and wuxia, science fiction, selected fiction and quality web novels. Representative titles include Reincarnation Paradise, War Soldier Leon, The Fairy Is Fierce (also known as Tai Mang), The Expert Is Right Beside Me, Dragon Herder, You Should Cross the Mountains Like a Hero, The Adventures of a Clever Girl and Summoning Heroes of All Ages in Another World, with themes extending from fantasy and xianxia to science fiction and adventure. Representative authors available in the library include Na Yi Zhi Wen Zi, Chi Gua Zi Qun Zhong, Guan Guan Gong Zi, Chenxing LL, Luan, Chen Mo De Ai, Piao Yi Dao Zhang and Dong Tian Bu Leng. Their works mostly appear as serialized web fiction aimed at readers who prefer long genre fiction. Public information on its founding background and scale is limited, so no inferences are made here; the description is based solely on the library's titles and categories.

FAQ

Is this book BL or romance?

Neither; it is Eastern fantasy with a light romantic line, and the main thread is contending through books.

Why is the protagonist a lowly commoner at the very start?

After transmigrating, his soul is reborn and he receives only a blank spirit book, so he begins as a commoner.

Is the whole book completed? How many words does it have?

It was completed in June 2016, with 495 chapters and about 1.03 million words.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Kexiao Shuxian Author

Kexiao Shuxian is a web-fiction author; public information such as nationality and dates of birth and death is limited. The name carries a self-deprecating yet xianxia-flavored tone, and the works are mainly Eastern fantasy, often found in categories such as premium fiction, quality web fiction, and male-oriented fiction. Six works are listed, including Zhutian Shenzhu, Yishu Fengshen, Bimo Fengshen, and Yongheng Mozhu, with Yishu Fengshen appearing under multiple version entries. Judging from the titles and categories, the writing tends to revolve around gods and demons, apotheosis, cultivation, and world-building, emphasizing the imagination and narrative tension of Eastern fantasy; the titles Yishu Fengshen and Bimo Fengshen also suggest a playful interest in attaining the dao and divine status through writing and brushwork. Because public information is limited, a detailed account of the author's personal background is not possible here, and readers may learn more about the style through the works themselves.