Zixu

Zixu is a web fantasy novel by Lu Yueyi, its title taken from the protagonist's name. The protagonist, Yan Zixu, is a carefree wastrel of a young master who only wants to drift through life, yet he was born standing higher than others, with a powerful family to shelter him. To outsiders he seems loud and unambitious, neither competing nor striving, but in truth his family background and lucky breaks mean he has long since won at the starting line. For others, cultivating to the realm of spirit transformation means a hundred years of bitter practice and narrow escapes from death; for him it is more like a lively spectacle to be enjoyed along the way. The novel is built on a framework of rebirth and cultivation, with memories of his past life serving as the "shade" of his present one; all he needs to do is make choice after choice. The story spreads from mortal provinces all the way to the Nine Provinces and the realm of gods and heaven, weaving in sects and academies, court politics, and the chaos of heavenly demons, with the martial world and the divine realm advancing along interlocking threads. The author's tone is light and humorous, skillful at using everyday chatter and banter to dissolve the heaviness of cultivation stories, while often planting foreshadowing and reversals within the jokes, and creating a cast of vivid supporting characters who steal their scenes. The book ceased updating after arcs such as "Six Paths of Reincarnation" and remains unfinished.