Mockery

Mockery is a xuanhuan novel by Qidian author Obie Ye. Serialization began in 2014 and concluded in November 2018, totaling roughly 710,000 characters. The protagonist, Lin Zhou, transmigrates to another world and, branded a "worthless waste," is ostracized by his family—until he unexpectedly activates the "Mockery System": whenever someone mocks him, his cultivation grows, and the more people mock him, the faster it grows. Even if unrelated people thousands of miles away discuss or deride him in the middle of the night, his cultivation rises out of thin air. Lin Zhou thus makes "trash talk" and "hate-baiting" his method of cultivation, actively manufacturing public opinion and provoking opponents, breaking through again and again on the strength of outside ridicule and hostility, and getting drawn into a string of events—a broken engagement, family pursuit, trial competitions, and more. Built on the ironic premise of "get mocked, get stronger," the work blends common elements such as soul devouring, artifact refining and pill concoction, and xuanhuan leveling, taking a light, humorous, face-slappingly satisfying route and using the absurd logic of "the more you're looked down on, the stronger you become" to poke fun at the familiar loser-turned-overdog formula of xuanhuan fiction. The meticulously proofread complete edition compiled by Zhixuan Cangshu is one of the most commonly read versions circulating online and works well as a stress-relief xuanhuan read.