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The #1 Pretty Boy of the Immortal Path
Type
Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(4.3 / 5.0, 214 votes)
5    68% (146 votes)
4    14% (29 votes)
3    9% (19 votes)
2    3% (7 votes)
1    6% (13 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
One entry per line
N/A
Year
Example: 2012
2018
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
210 Chapters (Completed)
Licensed
N/A
Completely Translated
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
N/A
Release Frequency
Every 130.6 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #10576
Monthly Rank: #7412
All Time Rank: #2137
Reading List
[Graph]
On 5159 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #28153
All Time Rank: #1495

Description

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I belong to a good sect that has never turned its back on me for my poor potential, has never forced me to study martial arts, and even helped arrange a betrothal for me when I was young.

My fiancée is a much renowned hot-tempered young miss. She’s beautiful, strong, and deeply loves me. Upon my start down the path of the Jianghu, I entirely relied on her to provide cover for me and before long, I became renowned as the #1 Pretty Boy of the Immortal Path.

Yet one day, I discovered that this person is apparently a man. A man in drag!

More unforgivable is that he thought I was a woman dressing as a man!

Me, as if my liver and guts are being cut to pieces: “Brother, what have you done with my fiancée?”

Him, as if a knife has been twisted in his heart: “Brother, what have *you* done with my fiancée?”

The waters of the Jianghu are indeed murky. Even if I am starving, even if I’m dying far from home, from this point on, I will not eat even a mouthful of rice prepared by him.

—So fragrant.

————

The full translation can be read on Chrysanthemum Garden

Associated Names
One entry per line
The #1 Sugar Baby of the Immortal Path
Tiên Đạo Đệ Nhất Tiểu Bạch Kiểm
Xiandao Diyi Xiao Bai Lian
Бамбук, склонившийся под снегом
仙道第一小白脸
折竹
Related Series
C Language Cultivation (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
Mistakenly Saving the Villain (4)
Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect (2)
Little Mushroom (2)
BOSS Transmigrates as a Little Cutie (1)
Exile (1)
I Became A Virtuous Wife and Loving Mother in another Cultivation World (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novels I hope get licensed in English
  2. Recommended Danmei and Baihe
  3. Pretty / Feminine / Shou-like Gong Seme
  4. Shou turned gong and vice versa
  5. TBR (GL/BL) 5

Latest Release

Date Group Release
11/08/22 the sugar bbs c7
10/30/22 the sugar bbs c6
10/24/22 the sugar bbs c5
10/17/22 the sugar bbs c4
10/13/22 the sugar bbs c3
10/07/22 the sugar bbs c2
09/16/22 the sugar bbs c1
05/26/22 watercresscent extra 3
05/15/20 watercresscent extra 2
Write a Review
40 Reviews sorted by


feis
feis rated it
June 7, 2025
Status: Completed
Let me just start by saying: the re-readability of this story is off the charts, the foreshadowing are done so well. I finished reading it for the first time in January, already thought it was amazing enough to end up in my top 5 danmei of all time, but I've been re-reading + listening to the audio drama the past few days (6 months later), and now it's probably my favorite danmei of all time. Not necessarily because it's the "best written" danmei I've ever read, but because it felt... more>> tailor-made for me. The themes, the characters, the structure, it hits every single one of my emotional buttons (recency bias? Probably).

It starts as a cultivation romcom genderbending school romance, then slowly spirals into time travel karmic tragedy. And this shift in tone is seamlessly executed without losing any coherence, or making the characters feel OOC. The last couple chapters is a masterpiece, it ties together everything with no-plot holes (that I can think of), it's tightly plotted, and by the end, everything pays off. Every foreshadowing, every choice, every pain. All of it circles back. It's all about the cause and effect.

I don't necessarily agree but I can understand the complaints about the MC being a salted fish, however, I love the development of Lin Shu going from emotionally stunted to compelling and heartwrenchingly in love with Xiao Shao. Not to mention, everything has a reason: His origin, and also his practice of ruthless cultivation that dulls his senses and feelings + him not having attachments is the daoist way. Meanwhile, Xiao Shao (aka Ling Fengxiao) is everything I love in a danmei ML: elegant, composed, heroic, incredibly capable... but also TRAGIC. Him never having the freedom to choose anything, and Lin Shu being the only pure existence for him in the dirty world. Him having to sacrifice so many things for the country, for the world, I LOVE HIM.

Their love story felt so pure, how they fell in love despite the hilarious misundestandings of the others gender, but somehow it truly felt like they loved each other no matter what form the other takes. It's a beautiful, sincere portrayal of queer love that transcends form. It never felt like the author intended the story to come off as transphobic, some of the instances might come off that way because it's used for comedy / culture difference, not to mention, Xiao Shao's upbringing, but they did love each other and their "children" despite everything.

Speaking of their "children", the I loved the sword spirits, they felt like such fresh yet classic additions to the genre, and I didn't expect to love Wukui so much. His character origin is only revealed at the very end, but despite being one of the villains, his simlarity to Xiao Shao in never having the freedom, fate literally against his existance, and his yearning for his "father" despite the grudges redeemed him for me. The extras were like a band aid, (Shisi I need 10 more Wukui extras please im begging)

Some of the concepts/themes went over my head and the translations were confusing but despite that, it was one of my favorite parts especially listening to the audio drama. I loved the exploration of tried and overdone trope "Path of Ruthlessness" because it weaved with the character arc and plot points, how different forms of Eternal Yeaning was explored in differnt points in Lin Shu's mentality. Also, the plot twist about the origin of Eternal Yearning, his dao truly was born out of love.

ANYWAY! I've been crying as I finish the audio drama, and I don't know what else to add except that the ending truly made everything elevate from a 9/10 to 11/10. You truly need to let the story breathe and be opened minded, because it can be slow but it also lets you sit with the characters. It's hard to describe, but this story left me wrecked. In the best way. Again, I think its the sincerity that made me love this, they might not be my favorite cast of characters, or my favorite couple, or even the best plot, or an accessible treanslation,... but no danmei has made me feel a wide range of emotions, from tears to laugher, from shocked to grief to happiness, it felt overwhelming. I feel like I'll be coming back to this if I ever need an emotional cathersis. <<less
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earlgreyt
earlgreyt rated it
January 21, 2025
Status: Completed
CG translation is complete.

That said, it was a big journey. I had remembered reading this novel from start to finish before, but hadn't given it a review, so somehow I stumbled on this again.

To be honest, the translation was quite lacking (eg. practice = cultivation, Tao = Dao, way/path = Dao), so almost necessary for the reader to have a CN background to understand the subtleties in the story. The translators worked hard as cultivation novels are difficult to translate, and it did get a little better near the end,... more>> but overall, not the best.

I wouldn't call this story a masterpiece by any means, and the pacing is very off (the first 2 parts of the story feel like they should be in completely different genres compared to the final part), but there was a lot I really enjoyed in this story:

Spoiler
    • The author had a strong sense of philosophy, an interesting almost fatalistic view that was utilized in the plot devices
    • The MC truly represented the Ruthless Dao - there's a joke in the cultivation community that Ruthless Dao practitioners are the most sentimental because countless stories and authors feature Ruthless Dao characters as the main charactes who end up deeply in love... - and while this story is similar, it treated the path with depth; the ML suffered when the MC emotionally withdrew when his cultivation came back, which is rare
    • Once you know the MC's origins, his lack of understanding of humans or human nature makes a bit more sense
    • I understand the author's lofty goals of writing a very passive MC, but it almost backfired, and honestly, I didn't think the first half of the story was that great, but the final part shined the most.
    • The timetravel and mysteries definitely kept you guessing in the later half
    • The side characters had great philosophies and discussions about the world; eg. the author confronts the idea of "cultivation" and the idea of "being unstained by mortal things" as absurd, because ultimately the sects and the cultivation world subsist due to their ties and relationships with the mortal world. A very original take, when most cultivation novels hand-wave most of these parts and just have the cultivation sects behave like miniature nations/companies and replicate "mortal" politics in said sects (by giving them different names).
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As for the things I disliked, I agree with the top/popular reviews here about the transphobia and other criticisms of the MC's lack of agency.

Overall, I still thought it was worth reading. <<less
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traumereien
traumereien rated it
January 8, 2024
Status: Completed
One of the most well written novels I've read which has left a lasting impression on me even after reading many others. I'm a sucker for novels with larger overarching plots as well as well fleshed out romance and characters, and this one had all, executed really well.

Even though the plot doesn't pick up until around midway through novel, it somehow didn't feel rushed, very thoroughly written.

... more>>
Spoiler

However you can pinpoint the exact moment that the story goes from a lighthearted plot to the tragedy it's tagged as (peach blossom land massacre)

[collapse]

The level of detail that goes into the writing is insane, both for the cultivation system in this story and non cultivation related things
Spoiler

like the explanation on how the ML managed to break the wizard's realm iirc?? How long did she take to think that up??

[collapse]

I think the MC is super well fleshed out and is very cohesive as a whole, like how he is ties into his existence, his cultivation, and his experiences, if that makes sense? And as the story progresses his growth as an individual and in their relationship
Spoiler

when he has to overcome his social barrier because ML isnt there, or when he gots his heartless dao cultivation back

[collapse]

The ML himself is also a really complex character and his character isn't just brushed over and just used as a plot progressor/device which I really appreciated

Spoiler

Even guiltless/great wizard (aka big bad main antagonist) is pretty well written-- the empress mother too, for a side character

[collapse]

The amount of detail in the world building and characters are really what made they tragedy hit harder haha, and more organic as well, the kind of story that the characters get swept up in, instead of seeming like it only revolved around the MC and ML.

One downside is the plot itself is really complex. I think the author told the story beautifully for how complex it was, but it still took me my second read to fully get many of the plot points or implications.
Spoiler

all the time jumping stuff does make things tough to understand while ur reading but if ur rereading the details/foreshadowing is everywhere.

[collapse]
If I was sad on my first read, my second read had me sobbing. Didn't help that the title deluded me into thinking it would be very lighthearted sect/school fluff.

It does take patience to read through the school fluff, especially if you're more of a plot person (like me) but in this case when the plot started to pick up I just wished I'd savoured the fluff more lol. But it's HE so it works out in the end. Everything in this is so cohesive and author definitely planned the whole thing well before even picking their pen (keyboard (?)) up.

TLDR; high investment HIGH return novel, the plot is one of the most solid ones I've ever read, even if it may not seem that way at the start

p.s It's been a while since I read this so might be inaccurate, but trust it's really good

Spoiler

I just want to gush about the few details I remember cause this novel has been weighing my mind. The!!! Cultivation!! Like how the swordsmanship and actual cultivation itself are separate, idk some novels are just pretty vague with how the whole thing works lol. And when he got his cultivation back and the implications of him having cultivated it.

definitely more details that I don't remember but I think ill reread it soon, , ,

towards the end the whole cycle involving xiao shao and guiltless and lin shu, , wow heart pain

they even addressed the time loop information gap VERY well for a time paradox which in other stories might just be glossed over.

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<<less
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keighlysays
keighlysays
November 27, 2023
Status: c104
I won’t leave a rating as it would be an injustice to the novel, but if you’re reading this on CG, keep in mind it is an edited MTL. Some chapters are barely edited, with pronoun switches and interesting choice of words like witchcraft and witches. I like the novel, but passages containing deeper philosophy and ideologies are impossible to understand. Fight scenes also make little to no sense. If you’re considering whether or not to read this, I’d strongly recommend passing on this unless a better translation comes... more>> up. <<less
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This person is dying
This person is dying rated it
July 25, 2022
Status: c156
I think author focused too much on the beautiful prose and philosophical side of cultivation that they seemed to gloss over the refinement of main characters' development and relationship.

This is only for sensitive person like me:

Spoiler
    • The way author split ML's identity into two, or three, almost borderline multiple personality, is just awkward. ML also identifies as man, but sometimes he is also feel like a transfluid. I think author should just make this aspect more casual if they can't be clear cut about it.
    • After discovering each other true's gender, their shallow love towards each other became real love too fast. It's very unnatural if you scrunch your eyes.
    • MC was somehow blamed and felt too much guilt for stuff that they already agreed upon, and ML was the one who actually pushed him to do it in the first place.
    • I actually understand their romance progression and interaction, but I think many of it lack refinement to make it flow better and less unnatural. On the other side, the cultivation part is written really well, so it felt a bit jarring to me.
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Ritu
Ritu rated it
May 30, 2022
Status: Completed
There is such a beauty to this novel. Honestly it's two books so space out your reading while you read it.

If you expect something light, this is not for you. This is not just a romance novel. It goes way beyond that. It has beautiful world building and character building. Everyone is so consistent. I could imagine everything that was happening.

In terms of romance, it's Extremely slow. But suddenly you realise that they love each other. They are perfect for each other. That realisation was beautiful. I cried so many... more>> times in this novel.

Another point where I want to really praise the author is all the cultivation stuff. Its just "oh he realised this and this therefore now his level rose". There are paragraphs upon paragraphs on the growth of MC. I felt like I also had some revelations while reading it.

Great book. <<less
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LittleFlowerMJ
LittleFlowerMJ rated it
December 21, 2021
Status: --
I'll come back to this one
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fakeluff
fakeluff rated it
December 13, 2021
Status: Completed
Deeply admire this compelling yet meditative novel, with two truly unique leads. Well done to the translators for tackling the poetic style. Recommended!!
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Balefire17
Balefire17 rated it
October 30, 2021
Status: c192
Quiet disappointed, author had a big chance of exploring gender norms and characters' own psychologies, especially Xiao Shao', which would make this whole novel way more interesting but they didnt.

tho this is about my taste.

I love Lin Shu' chara development, novel' takes on morality and how easy to read this is but continuing fall of dramas on Xiao Shao, the northern witch dude, the things that go down with the empress, , , , idk man I guess I dont like the story it is really not my taste but... more>> I can not stop reading bc main cp relationship is so fun to read <<less
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WordEater
WordEater
October 19, 2021
Status: c191
There's some depictions of a quite painful emotional coaster. It would make you want to double check whether this is happy ending or not. On the other hand, their journey was not only about courtship, it also included the question of morality in their circumstances. I had to wrack my brain just to understand what the heck is all that is with Dao. It's so deep. 🥲 What makes this story bittersweet is that no matter what happens, they want the other's happiness. They would stay and do their best to... more>> make the other party not suffer. This resulted in them pushing each other for a while and closing up.

Of course, you'll also get butterflies in your stomach on their every interaction, and yes, I mean all- including the melancholic ones. <<less
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izayaYY
izayaYY rated it
February 20, 2025
Status: Completed
This cultivation danmei is a little different from the other of the same genre. The school for immortals is quite original, so is the dreamscape arena.

The world building was excellent. The author goes into much details about the cultivation techniques, the martial arts, the swords, the taoist philosophy and poems, and the scholarly debates about different ideologies. This isn't a light romantic read. Starts off as a light comedy with gender misunderstandings and mistaken identities but the plot got progressively more angsty, dark and cruel.

The 2 protags' love for each... more>> other is unquestionable, but because MC is emotionless, their romance is slow and lacks the usual fluffy lovers' interactions. But there is plenty of sweet moments in the last few chapters, no worries.

I especially loved MC's character. I loved his hamster analogies, his salted fish personality and his many references to modern science throughout the novel.

Translation mostly good except for a few random incomprehensible passages. <<less
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mustafu
mustafu rated it
August 8, 2024
Status: Completed
best comedy duo was xiao lingyang and xiao xuan, they're just a slapstick duo clowning each other endlessly fr. ... more>>
Spoiler

guiltless/xiao wuzhen

[collapse]
were especially funny, but even after it clears up it was still pretty solid. <<less
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SirhcSidhe
SirhcSidhe rated it
February 19, 2024
Status: Completed
A beautiful exploration of morality, personal philosophy and self-identity. The intriguing, well developed plotline serves as a guide, a cover for what is essentially a story of self-discovery of Lin Shu, who gradually learns what it means to be a person.
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LH_12
LH_12 rated it
September 1, 2023
Status: Completed
I am not sure how to review this novel. It definitely wasn't bad, but it has a strange flow. The first 70 chapters or so are really funny. It's like a campus love story in cultivation settings with a comedic undertone. We get some clues about future plot development, yet nothing major happens. In the latter chapters, the story gets more intense and heartbreaking. And the most important things and major plot twists happen in the last chapters. Despite this, the plot itself is good and interesting. The novel is... more>> well-written.

What I liked most were the characters; they are unusual and have depth, especially the MC. He is a clueless, naive little thing with social anxiety. ML is a savage but upright person. There were some side characters who were interesting too, and I wish the author had written a bit more about them. But I guess since MC has communication problems, having friends and interacting with others is problematic. So the story is mostly focused on MC and ML.

To summarise, the story is good. It's definitely worth reading and rereading. <<less
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lenniax
lenniax rated it
February 19, 2023
Status: c110
So... this novel is up there with the greatest for sure. The plot and romance revived me, killed me, and revived me again. I cannot describe in words how insanely beautiful and poetic the storyline and its characters are. If you are still doubting about reading, stop that immediately and go read!
1 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
bbyshark
bbyshark rated it
September 28, 2022
Status: Completed
I have mixed feelings about this novel. I also really enjoyed it but felt this had potential to be much better. It was well explained why and how MC transmigrated. It made me come to check the tags to know if this was a tragedy when the novel was near end. I really feel bad for what ML had to go through.

That one slight transphobic instance was uncomfortable to read but a lot of asian countries don't have positive mindset towards that and it's probably the reason for author's thoughts... more>> too. I agree they need to get educated on that.

The matter of MC being a salted fish and just following ML, I'm quite okay with it probably because I also resonate with that kind of mindset. Big ambitions aren't the only valid dreams. Wishing of buying a new phone next month or just passing this day, I feel that's enough too.

Overall, I liked the story. And good translation from CG as usual. Translation of all those poems must have been quite tedious. <<less
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iamblair
iamblair rated it
April 22, 2022
Status: Completed
This is one of the best Xianxia novel I've ever read. There's so much more to this than what was mentioned in the description. This really gave me a rollercoaster of emotions. The build up of the plot, the characters, and the ending were all great. The TL's little theaters were also funny. I would really miss Little Hamster and Little Phoenix.
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Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes rated it
October 16, 2024
Status: Completed
Story and concept have a lot of potential. I want to like it, and while it's still a good read, but it's was hard to be excited because what failed for me is the binding factor for why I should care for the defeat and impact of two bad bosses: ... more>>
Spoiler

the wizard and the empress mother.

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Sure, they are evil in their doing, but I find their defeats anticlimactic. The leading up to it was good, I will give credits for that.

I also have a hard time getting excited to keep reading during the last 20 chapters, although I did push through. It was a little boring tbh because I wasn't convinced with the revealing twist at the end. I have questions, you know!

And while I love childrens in my novel, I have a hard time liking the "kids" because I feel it's more obligations than affections. The close connection isn't really there because the "kids" are
Spoiler

formed from spiritual plants and sword.

[collapse]
And not because of what they are, but the relationship feels distant.

With that said, I want to address the transphobia comment, but to make it short, yes it was insensitive, but there's reason for the outburst. And if you continue reading without letting your sensitivity clouded your mind, despite that insensitive comment by ML at that time, he still care for his "daughter" and more by let him do whatever he wants and giving him high status.

All in all, it's still a good read if you can feel touched for the story and characters. It just failed to touch me, but it's not a bad story. <<less
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Essence45
Essence45 rated it
September 30, 2024
Status: c139
It's generally well-written, just like everything by Fourteen Continents. It's just that I'm having a really hard time getting into it. I'm on chapter 139 and I still keep getting distracted by Instagram reels and shopping on Amazon, which doesn't happen when I get really pulled into a novel. So far, I like Little Mushroom and C Language Cultivation much better. But I'm still reading so maybe that will change.
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