Read Time: 2 Minutes
I went in expecting more cosy farm life with the occasional burst of chicken-based Xianxia-land bullshit (as Jin would describe it). We still get that, but also where the story stretches its legs and actually takes leap forward. The comforting tone is still there, but the scale is a lot bigger. We get to see the wider world and many of the sects that make it up, and a lot of the traditions that they hold.
I loved that it gave space to the side characters. Ti Guu’s in particular as she is a favourite of mine, all cheerful energy and boundless enthusiasm, an ability to kill you at a moment’s notice or sculpt your anatomically correct naked form out of ice, so her out in the wider world was a delight.
The Dueling Peaks Tournament becomes the backbone of the plot, and it gives her a proper arc rather than just comic relief. She starts out wanting to fight for fun, until things get a little too real and she must fight for people she cares about.
Meanwhile Jin is off doing his best to stay unnoticed, which naturally means he ends up noticed by absolutely everyone. His power finally steps into the light here, and the moment it happens the tone of the series shifts. Up until now his strength has been treated like a rumour. Now it’s a fact, and that attracts the kind of attention he has been trying very hard to avoid. Troublesome organisations are sniffing around, and that peaceful farm life suddenly looks a lot less secure.
Travis Baldree’s narration is, as always, excellent. His calm and steady delivery keeps the familiar warmth of the series even as the tension rises and the world sharpens around the characters.
By the time the book wrapped, I felt like the world had opened up. The cosy charm is still there, but it sits alongside tension, history, and bigger consequences. It sets the stage well for the chaos to come, and it left me eager to jump straight into the next volume.
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