Jian Zu Guo He (A Sword Soldier Crosses the River)

Jian Zu Guo He is a classical xianxia novel by Yuewen author Duo Duo, serialized on Qidian from June 9, 2020 to its conclusion in February 2022—roughly 5.7657 million characters across 2,762 chapters. The story begins in the ordinary town of Pucheng: Lou Xiaoyi, a boy from a scholarly family whose father died young, lives with his mother and is dismissed as a wastrel in a world where the powerful do as they please. During an upheaval of the age, a ray of destiny joins a soul from beyond the heavens with him, and he truly sets foot on the path of cultivation. At a time when royal authority stands above the immortal sects and common people have no way to seek immortality, he starts from the crude technique his mother gave him, switches methods several times through many trials, spends a Foundation Establishment pill to save his mother and builds his foundation on what remains of his roots, and gropes his way onto the path of the sword cultivator—one who cultivates only the sword and knows only the sword. He later joins the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, practices external sword arts, embeds a sword into his body, and splits sword light, earning fame for fighting above his level. Amid the doctrinal struggle between the sword and dharma lineages, wars between realms, and the turning of ages, he advances like a pawn that has crossed the river, never retreating, rising from lowly soldier to a sword immortal of his generation. Grounded in everyday street life and told with dry humor, with a vivid supporting cast, it is a slow-burning but passionate work of traditional sword-path xianxia.