Immersive World-Building and Thrilling Action: My Review of I Shall Seal the Heavens

Hello, nice to meet you! In this article, we dive into a novel that amazed me, particularly because of its world-building and expansive universe.

As a point to note, I should mention that I am slightly biased — this is the first Xianxia novel that I’ve ever read.

Before we dissect the novel, let me provide some context. Xianxia is a genre rooted in Chinese cultivation, a belief that humans can ascend to immortality by following certain practices and beliefs. A central theme of this belief is the pursuit of the “DAO” or path, which a person views as the ultimate truth. These stories often mix action with philosophy, presenting unique narratives to their stories.

The story we’re discussing is a perfect example, blending philosophy with captivating world-building. It is written by the author Er Gen and translated by an amazing translator, Deathblade, alias Jeremy Bai.

We start our journey with a failed scholar who is wallowing in his sadness when he is suddenly kidnapped and dragged into the cultivators’ world. In this harsh realm, where survival is of the highest priority, and the resources are hoarded by the strong, our main character must rely on his intellect and strength to pursue his dreams. As we follow his journey, he grows stronger and explores the increasingly complex world while tackling more difficult and deadly hurdles.

As I mentioned earlier, one of my favourite aspects of this novel is the sheer scale of the world we explore. We journey through different valleys, caves, cities, ruins, palaces and deserts, each with unique characteristics and inhabitants with different ideologies and systems. Combined with solid characters, this creates a solid foundation for unfolding the plot.

Despite these strong foundations, the readers stay engaged if we have a moving or interesting story or characters that generate fun. The author handles this issue masterfully, for lack of a better word. Just when the plot begins to slow, we’re hit with either intriguing info or a funny scene or sometimes even an intriguing chase or a fight. I am a big fan of the fights and chases. Each chase is filled with tension, unexpected twists or brutal displays of power.

There is one more aspect of this novel that felt completely fresh: Alchemy. Every aspect of the novel linked to Alchemy is good, starting from the master who teaches our MC to the different uses he has for alchemy. Everything about this is wonderful. It’s not just about what’s used in the alchemy process but rather the way it is introduced to us, the memories we attach to it, and the characters we interact with because of it — all of which elevate the value of this system.

In the latter parts of the novel, we come across something called Heavenly Tribulation, which occurs when something against the rules happens. The background of this retribution holds another secret explored towards the end of the novel; however, as far as we are concerned, it opposes anything against the natural way of life. Are humans becoming immortals? Thunderstrike. Making a perfectly lossless pill? Thunderstrike. Not buying anything on Black Friday sales? Thunderstrike.

Naturally defiant towards the heavens, our MC faces retribution at every step, narrowly escaping death each time. At some point, he even uses this to increase his power. This is just one aspect or more like a system of this universe. There are multiple settings/laws, such as the karmic retribution, and everything is so well-knit that the whole world feels solid and believable.

That said, this isn’t a perfect novel — it has its flaws. One major issue is that the main character seems to be the god’s favoured child. While most stories have some plot armour, our MC’s armour is particularly thick. Early in the novel, he either acquires an artefact duplicating treasure, raising his power or contacts a slow poison, which is very deadly, making him immune to all kinds of poisons in the world and drastically reducing the risk in alchemy or from the enemies. Though the plot armour isn’t constant, it does affect the tension in some parts of the story.

Another, and perhaps even more frustrating, flaw is the underdeveloped romance. The female lead appears in less than 1% of the novel, yet we’re expected to believe she’s the driving motivation for our MC. Of course, the common trope of a Xianxia novel is for the ML to be motivated to resurrect the FL, but the first time I read it, I was genuinely irritated.

Overall, this story is interesting and recommended for any action-loving reader. This is an S-tier novel, and I would love to re-read it at some point in the future.

You can now read this as a web novel at Wuxiaworld (Roughly 1620 chapters!) or buy the series on Amazon for free if you have Kindle Unlimited or buy it here. If you like the series, though, don’t forget to come back and follow me, as I will keep sharing my opinion on such amazing stories soon.

That’s it for the day; thanks for staying tuned till the end. Let’s meet again with another story to explore. Peace.