The Arcane Deviant

Xuanmen Freaks is a modern urban cultivation novel by the web author Crazy Xiaoqiang. The story is set in a world where the Xuanmen lineage has endured for thousands of years, its adherents long since woven into the fabric of politics, economics, and culture. Over a millennium ago, a sect called the Xuanmen Orthodox rose abruptly to become the foremost of all Xuanmen factions, and its founder, Xuanyangzi, left behind a singular masterpiece: The Secret Records of Xuangong. More than a thousand years later, Xuanmen has declined, and the Xuanmen Orthodox lineage stands on the verge of extinction. Xuan Qi, a scion of the Xuan family, in the depths of hardship stumbles upon an inheritance hidden within a family heirloom. The Secret Records of Xuangong resurfaces, and his fate is transformed as he embarks on an utterly different path into the mysterious and extraordinary. As the records come to light, reclusive families and sects emerge one after another—Maoshan Daoists, linen-robed physiognomists, Ziwei astrology practitioners, Qimen Dunjia masters, malevolent spirits, and ghosts—all making their entrances, stirring the winds of change across China. Amid the marketplace and ancient sects, conspiracy and slaughter, Xuan Qi keeps breaking through, advancing by virtue of heaven-defying means until he reaches the pinnacle of both martial arts and mystical arts. Grounded in urban life and driven by Xuanmen sorcery and cultivation growth, the book delivers both the satisfaction of face-slapping triumphs and carefully layered suspense—a quintessential urban cultivation power fantasy.