The Wicked Beggar Ascends

Evil Beggar Ascends to Immortality is a xianxia fantasy web novel by Lin Sensen. Serialization began in July 2014 and has since been completed, spanning approximately 3.09 million Chinese characters across more than a thousand chapters. The novel opens by establishing its central theme of Dao: the Great Dao is formless, the Great Dao is substanceless, the Great Dao is wordless; those who cultivate the Dao should verify it through the body, through the heart, and through the self. The protagonist, Gai Dili, was once a young beggar who survived by panhandling. His fortunes change dramatically when he learns mysterious feng shui arts from his master, the wandering beggar Feng Busu. Rising alongside a dragon, he gradually embarks on the path of cultivation, develops a body of the Five Elements, and roams the world under the name of a beggar. Armed with feng shui formations, the protagonist vanquishes demons and collects the Five Elements and Five Arcana, confronting the trials imposed by the heavenly Dao and displaying powers such as the Five Eyes of Heavenly Unity. Amid sect conflicts and the slaying of demons, he ultimately awakens the power of chaos, verifies the Dao through his own body, and achieves a sublimation of Daoist arts. The work combines folk feng shui and divination, the rough-and-tumble Jianghu flavor of the Beggars' Sect, and the progression-oriented cultivation genre. The protagonist—a petty beggar with a streak of deviousness—conducts himself with a touch of wickedness and street-smart cunning, creating a striking contrast with orthodox cultivators. The plot emphasizes strategic maneuvering and breaking formations, fortuitous encounters and power-ups, and sect rivalries. It is one of the more distinctive long-form male-oriented xianxia novels of the 2010s, and has spawned derivative versions including an audiobook.