Possibly my favorite murim/martial arts novel.

The MC is just phonomenal, he starts strong and becomes op pretty soon but he doesnt just bulldoze through his problesm with his strength and instead with his social skills. The novel has a ton of really good fleshed out unique characters and all of their interactions and conversations with the MC are where this novel really shines fot me.

This is one of the few novels that have really good and deep characters that develop and grow over time. There are no characters in this novel who have appeared and stayed the same throughout. The development is actually insane. The best part of this novel is, of course, the MC. We finally get calm and collected MC, who has deep understanding of people, he goes back in time after spending 70 years in misery and he actually acts like a mature, experienced person with deep understanding of people and... more>> the world.

Another great thing about it is the novel is the pacing. All too often we have novels where there is constant tension and constant action, fast paced with no time to calm down and relax. In this novel MC spends at least half the time just talking or drinking in a tavern. These times are not "waste" by any means as one - they server as relaxation points, but in addition MC is always with some other character, progressing their relationship or unveiling some inner or personal conflict and solving it. It's not a super high tension situation, but it's still grabs and keeps your attention. Then there is MC's dad: a lonely man who has all the power in the world, but cannot spend time with his sons and wants to do many things, but is forced by his circumstances to rule the demonic cult and abstain from doing what he actually wants. Every interaction between him and MC, watching how they display more humanity and grow close is just a pleasure to read and always very emotional. And Lee Ahn is a shining light of this novel, she has so many sides and depth and each scene with her is just a joy to read and she just brightens up every interaction.

And of course, the main plot is also wonderful. There is an OP dude who destroyed all the main sects in murim, but we don't know who he actually is or how he got in or how strong he actually is, but we do know that he is at least stronger than the current strongest martial artist or even a group of them. So MC has to grow in power and strength to combat him. The progression is very good, it's steady and reasonable paced. There is a long enough time for MC to grow without facing the final boss right from the start. There are no bs magical power ups that appear out of nowhere or anything like that. MC utilized the skilled he honed during his past life and the knowledge he gained to properly grow strong. But there are also many things the doesn't know because he had no way of knowing them. So we have a mystery and we have some benefits of hidden information, and both make sense, which is great.

Of course the novel is not perfect. One negative I can think of is that the power levels are not clearly defined. There are definitely levels there, but it doesn't seem like you really have to breakthrough limits or something like that, just keep accumulating more energy and progress your techniques. But this makes the power levels unclear - how much it is about energy vs how much it is about techniques and such. Another negative is that the novel can feel at times that it is moving too slow because the author takes his times developing everything. But it by no means boring or stagnant, just a lot of character interactions.

All in all, this is surprisingly really good, deep novel that is very interesting to read and maybe the first one I've come across where

Spoiler

siblings do not actually go out of the their way to kill each other by all means in battle for power. The author seem to have wanted to do some kind of large internal conflict like this, but changed his mind and didn't.

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Definitely a novel worth a read. <<less

This is the best novel I've read in recent years.

Absolute Regression pulls you in with its deep characters, rich world, and emotional relationships. The protagonist’s journey is filled with struggles that feel real and relatable, even though their world is completely different. Every character, even the side ones, gets their moment to shine, making the story feel layered and alive. The worldbuilding is fantastic—it’s detailed and immersive without overwhelming you, blending familiar elements with fresh, creative ideas that keep you hooked.

All characters have very well-made personalities, where even the side characters doesn't seem to be just side because the author develops the personalities a lot and well.

The novel puts emphasis on the relationship between people and has many characters.

MC is calm, smart and knows how to get close to a person, honestly if he puts his mind to it I don't think there will be someone who wouldn't like him.

A very good read so far! MC is a bit too flawless and the writer tends to use the same tricks over time but the tension is good and I can’t wait to read the next chapter so... Very good job!

If I were to describe this series in a single sentence it'd be, "sheer perfection". Everything from the characters, the setting, and the dialogue it all feels remarkably real, like you were there as just another person in the story. The way the story and characters evolve change you, make you think about your own relationships and whether you are truly "looking at the person" as the MC so often says.

10/10

TLDR:

Really good novel, good world building, fleshed out side characters and relationships, no dragged out arcs, lack of clichés, interesting MC, slow but steady progression of the story, each chapter is exciting and makes you want to read more. Would recommend.

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... more>> One of the best novels I've read.

The regression is unlike other novels in which the MC speed runs through everything with his past knowledge, getting all the hidden treasures and whatnot. Here, while the MC utilitizes his knowledge to get more powerful, the main focus is on fixing the regrets he has from his previous life and the relationships between characters.

The side characters are fleshed out, feel distinct from each other, with their own personalities and motivations. No more sect elder #724 which is the same as all the ones before him. The people around the MC are not mindless drones that are there just to make him look better, they actually shape the story with.

The arcs of the story do not feel dragged out and each of them serves as another piece in the world building process. They are all tied together and you can see how events from previous arcs have effect in future ones.

A major plus is the lack of arrogant young masters and other similar clichés. No people shouting "Courting death!" after a small disagreement.

The only negative thing that comes to mind is the lack of understanding on how powerful people in the novel are. There are no cultivation realms and while the martial arts they practice have their own levels, called stars, they represent the proficiency in the art itself. There are no bronze, silver, gold, etc ranks for the arts. At the point of writing this review I am on chapter 328 and I know that the MC is very strong but I don't know where to put hit power wise against other people, since the only way to find out is if they actually fight. It's nothing major and doesn't affect the story, I'm just used to having a clear "power level" for character from reading other novels.

I strongly recommend reading the novel. <<less

It started slow but as the chapters kept on going, the depth and detail of each character got better than the last.

A novel that is based in the martial realm sure but focusing so much on the human connections and relations aspect. This is so different from anything, I have read and I have to say, I have enjoyed every second of it. Highly recommended to you especially for people who like to see characters that have depth to them and each one of them have their own unique quirks.... more>> From this I understood that the author must have a very great understanding of interpersonal relationships as he wrote this novel. Highly Recommended - One of the best martial arts novels for me <<less

Possibly among the best novels I have ever read.

Not a single arc is dragged out unnecessarily and the author finds a way to bring each storyline to a satisfying conclusion.

One of the best part about this novel is surprisingly the characters themselves and how real they end up feeling. No one is completely black and white and the way they interact with one another is compelling. The characters are not stuck in a stereotypical archetype and change as the story progresses.

Also one of the best protagonists to date in terms... more>> of personality

Overall an excellent read and hope to see more of this <<less

This novel is one of my favourites!

First off the main character, without a doubt one of the best, he is not just a fighting stick with no words to back up no, he's both a vicious snake and a mighty warrior! He gathers around his allies with the help of his snake like tongue (in a comedic way) and trust me you will laugh, the relationship between a culture heir and the Heavenly Demon is one of the best in murim from what I've seen, his brother well... you'll see... more>> once you get to him but let me just say that not a single character in this story is shallow <<less

It's well written. The MC cares for people and I love that his goal is truthfully "absolute" and that is to get revenge against this mysterious character Hwa Moogi. The process of MC's growth is really fun to read as it introduces other characters that shapes the future he wants to achieve. The Demon Supremes are chaotic but rrally interesting. Most of the characters involve with the MC aren't just one dimensional. The story mostly focuses on character interaction. The part I love the most is ... more>>

Spoiler

when MC interacts with his father. MC did not display hate to the father who disregarded him from his first life but rather he makes effort to get to know and care for him

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. Their banter and random competetion is so fun to read. I absolutely love this novel. It's rich and the pacing is just right up to my standard. <<less