High Quality BL: Recommendations and Rising Stars (Ancient/Cultivation Setting Ver.)
High Quality BL: Recommendations and Rising Stars (Ancient/Cultivation Setting Ver.)
Part 2: https://www.novelupdates.info/viewlist/73430/
Ancient or Cultivation BL reads that will make you feel you didn't waste your time. This list is apart of a series classified by genre; other lists of this series include Thriller/Action, Fluff, and Modern/Transmigration novels. I tried to include both known and unknown novels to give more diversity to the reading list. Honest note--not a big fan of ancient settings. I've judged quality by reviews and seeming plot.
So what is my subjective version of a quality BL of this list?
-No/little plot holes & well developed plot
Capable MC and ML (not aggravatingly s*upid and knows when to respect each other but also put their foot down at the right moments).
-Lasting impression. I made this list by memory so if it's not on here...Chances are it's not worth remembering for the list.
-Makes me think--especially applies to this genre since I usually read this genre for the court schemes and palace intrigues.
-Make me cry, laugh, yell or gasp. Perhaps all at the same time.
*****I have also included BL novels that have high expectations from me. The higher the expectations, the higher the stars. Hence, "***, **, *."
PS. Novels I've read are the only ones rated according to number. The rest (unread) are just listed randomly.
PSS. There are always exceptions on this list that don't fit the requirements.
Ancient or Cultivation BL reads that will make you feel you didn't waste your time. This list is apart of a series classified by genre; other lists of this series include Thriller/Action, Fluff, and Modern/Transmigration novels. I tried to include both known and unknown novels to give more diversity to the reading list. Honest note--not a big fan of ancient settings. I've judged quality by reviews and seeming plot.
So what is my subjective version of a quality BL of this list?
-No/little plot holes & well developed plot
Capable MC and ML (not aggravatingly s*upid and knows when to respect each other but also put their foot down at the right moments).
-Lasting impression. I made this list by memory so if it's not on here...Chances are it's not worth remembering for the list.
-Makes me think--especially applies to this genre since I usually read this genre for the court schemes and palace intrigues.
-Make me cry, laugh, yell or gasp. Perhaps all at the same time.
*****I have also included BL novels that have high expectations from me. The higher the expectations, the higher the stars. Hence, "***, **, *."
PS. Novels I've read are the only ones rated according to number. The rest (unread) are just listed randomly.
PSS. There are always exceptions on this list that don't fit the requirements.
180 Followers
Created: Aug 17th, 2021, Updated: Jun 30th, 2023
Created Aug 17th, 2021
Updated Jun 30th, 2023
29 Chapters Every 84.1 Day(s) 28168 Readers 568 Reviews 07-06-2025
A classic. Not a cultivation novel person but definitely still one of my favorite cultivation novels. I always respect how this author never makes her characters perfect: she trades their perfection for humanity, and I believe that's why, along with her writing prowess, she has such a big name in the industry today. ... more>>
140 Chapters Every 66.4 Day(s) 16150 Readers 291 Reviews 09-23-2023
Wow. So I am an absolute slag when it comes to reading cultivation danmei novels. I tend to skim the chapters because my brain gets burned out (even though I thoroughly enjoy the novel) before I finish, so I can't always provide fleshed reviews. This novel. I barely skimmed. It was absolutely phenomenal. No plot holes, characters surprisingly lovely, and superb plot development. You can tell the author realized where she wanted to go with this novel before writing it. It was like reading an intricate fairy tale sketched out in detail. Man, I so rarely praise novels like this. As a slag, I can objectively tell all you cultivation-holics will love this novel. This... more>>
28 Chapters Every 19.6 Day(s) 23543 Readers 517 Reviews 11-29-2020
To be honest, the only reason for the high ranking here is because *cough* I've only read MDZS & HOB due to their hype. This novel is a very well-executed, tear-jerking novel, but for some reason, it just doesn't resonate with me as deeply as other people had felt it did (I think this is personally ahem a personal fault of mine so I'll give an objective review). This novel is quite noteworthy, memorable, and high quality enough to put on this list, like MDZS. The writing is beautiful and the plot can grip your soul until you finish the book. Fully recommend, just like the millions of other readers, to cultivation-holics out there.
... more>>
... more>>
191 Chapters Every 94.9 Day(s) 15408 Readers 281 Reviews 10-21-2021
Seme Protag**... more>>
0 Chapters Every 2114 Day(s) 3821 Readers 61 Reviews N/A
A must read. That’s all I have to say. A must read.... more>>
152 Chapters Every 13.5 Day(s) 3025 Readers 28 Reviews 05-04-2025
**As a study kid, I love novels centered around exams.... more>>
0 Chapters Every 1492 Day(s) 1445 Readers 9 Reviews N/A
**Oooh?... more>>
0 Chapters Every 95.5 Day(s) 8707 Readers 40 Reviews 12-19-2021
***... more>>
29 Chapters Every 272.5 Day(s) 5182 Readers 106 Reviews 07-19-2014
**Some people do not like the ending. I think I would. ... more>>
20 Chapters Every 198.6 Day(s) 4820 Readers 50 Reviews 09-20-2017
**more of a historical read…my bad guys ... more>>
1 Chapters Every 2363 Day(s) 7998 Readers 128 Reviews 01-25-2019
**... more>>
#16Golden Stage
0 Chapters Every 2419 Day(s) 14072 Readers 197 Reviews 12-26-2018
**Switch Couple!... more>>
406 Chapters Every 7.1 Day(s) 2284 Readers 14 Reviews 05-15-2025
***... more>>
239 Chapters Every 88.7 Day(s) 5929 Readers 45 Reviews 01-14-2022
***... more>>
4 Chapters Every 400.5 Day(s) 4584 Readers 39 Reviews 03-24-2021
***Not into cultivation, but as a person who wants to go into IT, I feel an obligation to put this on my list.... more>>
1 Chapters Every 1478 Day(s) 6140 Readers 37 Reviews 07-24-2021
***... more>>
#25Sha Po Lang
72 Chapters Every 18.5 Day(s) 13890 Readers 120 Reviews 06-30-2022
***Seme Protag... more>>
Comments (5)
Novels taken off the list you may have seen previously:
-You’ve Got Mail: A Cautionary Tale- erm. This novel is something I read but can’t say it’s the best. The MC (not really special other than his le*d body and his naïveté at moments) and ML (just pure scum) don’t really add a great highlight to this story. So I’m forced to look at plot…but erm the plot is the MC and ML mostly. It’s not plot rich and mostly focuses on the romance and smut but the smut is disconcerting to say the least at times. So I don’t really feel all that ecstatic about this novel, but y’all are free to disagree.
-I Personally Survived As A Villain: felt that it relied on misunderstanding and sudden drama to push the plot forward. One reviewer mentioned it was like a fast-food novel—I agree. It also lacked logic as well, so I’m not particularly motivated about putting it on this list now I’ve read it.
Ok fair warning here (just in case you don't read list descriptions smh): I include novels that don't have a high NU rating sometimes. Mostly because the summary is interesting and there are barely any reviews. So I can't trust the rating at that point. So when you see a low-rated NU novel, instead of skipping it (I used to do this a bit), give it a chance!