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chaosbeowulf · 2015-08-08, 10:38

Summary (taken from the fans translator's website):

To pick is to choose. This is a story about choices. Three thousand world full of gods and demons, with a scroll in hand you are able to control the entire universe……..

At the beginning of time, a mystical meteor came crashing down from outer space and scattered all over the world. A piece of it landed in the Eastern Continent. There were
mysterious totems carved upon the meteor, and people gathered around it wanting to discover its usage. They discovered the Way, and established The Tradition.

Several thousand years later, the fourteen years old orphan Chen Chang Shang left his master to cure his illness and change his fate. He brought a piece of marriage vow with him to the capital, thus began the journey of a rising hero.

Now for something quite a bit different compared to your usual Chinese Wuxia/Xianxia WN... No reincarnation (that we know of) background, no summoned from the other world back story, hell, not even a revenge background story! That's pretty damned rare for a Chinese WN! But one thing for sure: it's really, really good.

The pace of the WN is quite slow. But it's a good kind of slow; a ponderous, suspenseful one, despite having little to no action sequence so far. Definitely not a slice-of-life story like Death March or Slime Tensei, and definitely not an action-packed story like Martial God Asura, Coiling Dragon, and the likes. The story is just like the MC, actually. Calm, composed, and thoughtful, yet you can feel that there's something more than meets the eye, glimpses of back story that was never truly exposed by the author, but it's there, biding its time.

This WN is really, really different from the usual Chinese WN, or even the Japanese WN/LN. The closest thing I can think of to compare the way this WN is written is actually L.E. Modesitt Jr. and his Recluse saga.

It's not a comedy, but there's still some humor there; it definitely doesn't feel shounen-ish, but more of a seinen, I think. This WN is truly different from all the WN and LN I've read, and that's why it's kinda hard to describe this one.

As for the usual questions of MC being OP and if there is any harem:

Spoiler for OP MC?:

Not gonna lie, this one is quite difficult to answer. Just like Modesitt's writing, at first, the MC feels totally normal, with little quirks here and there. But as you read along, you will notice that the MC is definitely everything but ordinary, and it's hidden beneath his calm and collected exterior (and interior, actually. He is one of the most level-headed MC I've ever read, and there is a reason for that). This caused people around him, both friends and foes, to misjudge his intentions and actions most of the times.

And no, unlike the Japanese LN where sometimes the MC is so dense that the density of his denseness is heavy enough to become a plot armor, the MC in this WN is very rational, in his own way. So rational, that sometimes, his words are irrefutable (because his words makes sense, and can't be refuted easily), and this caused great consternation to his friends and foes alike. Why the great consternation? Because even though the MC is a man of few words, he always has the last words.

As for being OP... even though there's your usual xiuxing (think Daoist cultivator) in the story, the MC very rarely gets into a fight, and from spoilers I've read, he only begin his cultivation on chapter 100+. There is power level, but so far the MC is not even a blip in the radar of powerful people, mainly because he is physically weak. As stated in the summary above, the MC is trying to find a cure for his disease, or else, he won't live past 20.

The thing is, the MC is still calm, collected, and acts normally even when he was thrown into unexpected or chaotic situation; this is the kind of MC that with his calmness, will brought any riot to a screeching halt, just because the rioters wouldn't believe that the MC is still calm even in the face of such an event.

Even when he was provoked, baited, humiliated, or being put on the spot, he remains calm and collected, because he choose to remain calm and collected, for his own reasons. There's a certain childish dignity to this MC; his actions can be seen as a child trying to act like an adult sometimes, but he did it in such a way, that were he an adult, people will praise him for being dignified in his actions and manners. And this sense of incongruity

Now, as for Harem...

Spoiler for Harem? Not sure...:

Do give it a read, it's really good!

Mahesvara · 2015-08-08, 10:49

This is definitely piqued my interest. Thanks for infos and can you give us it's raw name(if not the direct link to raws)? Also is it finished, if not what is author's update pace? Lastly how many chapters are there for now?
Thanks for answers

chaosbeowulf · 2015-08-08, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mahesvara

This is definitely piqued my interest. Thanks for infos and can you give us it's raw name(if not the direct link to raws)? Also is it finished, if not what is author's update pace? Lastly how many chapters are there for now?
Thanks for answers

Sorry, forgot the link, will edit later.

https://bingnovels.wordpress.com/way-of-choice/

That's the translator's webpage. I think the direct link to the raws is there as well. As I can't read Chinese, I can't read ahead and give you guys spoilers, sorry.

BlazingKyogre · 2015-08-08, 11:50

How many chapters does this novel have? I mean how far is the untranslated from the translated?

amwlak · 2015-08-08, 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlazingKyogre

How many chapters does this novel have? I mean how far is the untranslated from the translated?

From taking a quick look at the raw table of contents, it looks like:

book 1 = 279 chapters

book 2 = 145 chapters

book 3 = 78 chapters

book 4 = 85 chapters

So a total of 587 chapters. I'm not sure if it's still ongoing or not.

sasoras · 2015-08-08, 13:33

It's ongoing, the pace is pretty slow though,from the looks of it not even close to ending. I dropped it because i thought the MC was acting hypocritical and whiny once the romance started showing, and he gets way too much lucky breaks which sort of irritates me, as most of his accomplishments were handed to him or because of outside help, or because of "someones" plans

Overall its a pretty good series though,and what i said was just how i felt, others might not see it that way and i really did like Yo.

This series it definitely Xianxia though.

Karolik · 2015-08-08, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasoras

It's ongoing, the pace is pretty slow though,from the looks of it not even close to ending. I dropped it because i thought the MC was acting hypocritical and whiny once the romance started showing, and he gets way too much lucky breaks which sort of irritates me, as most of his accomplishments were handed to him or because of outside help, or because of "someones" plans

Overall its a pretty good series though,and what i said was just how i felt, others might not see it that way and i really did like Yo.

This series it definitely Xianxia though.

If you dropped it for that reason, then you should drop all xianxia novels.

BigNobody · 2015-08-08, 15:00

I'm waiting till it hits the 200 translated chapters mark before I read this. I heard a lot of good things about this novel.

sasoras · 2015-08-08, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karolik

If you dropped it for that reason, then you should drop all xianxia novels.

You mean those reasons right, it's not like a singular thing would put me off.It's a combination of the amount and how it was done.

Besides that statement you made about all Xianxias seems pretty exaggerated, Currently The Alchemist God series seems fine to me, and i don't think all Xianxia will feature the same style and approach.

Karolik · 2015-08-08, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by sasoras

You mean those reasons right, it's not like a singular thing would put me off.It's a combination of the amount and how it was done.

Besides that statement you made about all Xianxias seems pretty exaggerated, Currently The Alchemist God series seems fine to me, and i don't think all Xianxia will feature the same style and approach.

Of course its exaggerated, by "All" I meant a very large number.

rhyein · 2015-08-08, 17:04

Part of the reason this novel is slow is because the supporting cast is developed quite a bit more than other Chinese WNs, especially as you get into the later chapters. There's a lot of peeks at the motivations and thoughts of the different characters, and hints concerning the mystery surrounding the MC and his circumstances. All of that slows things down but makes it a more enjoyable read compared to other WNs.

Rainne · 2015-08-09, 00:51

read up to chapter 120, and god damn, this is the slowest Xianxia Novel in history, MC has still yet to even start practicing Martial arts, i sure hope he is some kind of God Genius cause he really needs it to catch up at this rate.
it seems like the author is leaving the MC in the shadows

ndiezel · 2015-08-09, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainne

read up to chapter 120, and god damn, this is the slowest Xianxia Novel in history, MC has still yet to even start practicing Martial arts, i sure hope he is some kind of God Genius cause he really needs it to catch up at this rate.
it seems like the author is leaving the MC in the shadows

Saw some spoilers that MC will become youngest to enter some kind of awesome realm, his arranged wife entered it 3 days later. This makes him godlike, coz he was training for only like 1 year, while it took wife 11 years

.

itisjustme · 2015-08-09, 07:26

This is pretty slow yeah. MC gets stuff a bit too easy/convenient too yeah. This isn't and isn't going to be a MC levels up and bitchslaps villains action type WN though, don't read it and expect one of those. It's more a story/character driven thing, and even if the MC does level up it's not the point or the focus.

Personally it's the best chinese WN I've read. That said I kinda stopped following it day by day after it started yet another tournament arc. Jesus tournaments are the most boring plots ever and all it tells the reader is that the author doesn't have any better idea. Which is pretty dumb since there's a lot of interesting directions the story could go in instead, like the demons, new continents, the empress, CCS's mystery, Zhou Dufu's whereabouts, etcetcetc.

Craxuan · 2015-08-09, 21:30

Now this is a damn good story. Its style is a refreshing breather as compared to all the levelling stuff 90% novels of this forum does, and one with actual good standards rivalling established authors.

And those who complain that the MC is too OP or too lucky, I'm pretty sure you got the wrong forum, because nearly every single novel listed here does this to the point that you have a god damn list of standard FAQs starting with 'is the MC OP' and followed by 'does he have a harem'. So save your hypocrisy and walk somewhere else.

Rainne · 2015-08-09, 23:06

read up to chapter 180 and dropped it, the pacing is ridiculously slow, went to sleep while reading, the author doesnt get to the point and bores you to death with each chapter.

tropox · 2015-08-10, 02:50

Spoiler for Mo Yu:

TheCatWalk · 2015-08-10, 03:22

this series has one of the most mind-fucking cliffhangers ever

chaosbeowulf · 2015-08-12, 08:14

And the cliffhangers acts to maintain the suspense of the story. I think this is the one WN you just can't binge read, since it will lose its suspense that way.

BlazingKyogre · 2015-08-12, 08:37

Spoiler questions:
- Who are Chen Chang Sheng's parents?
- Why did his master took care of him?
- How is he related to the former royal family?
- Why does it take long for him to reach Purification Stage?
- Does his master appear in later chapters?
- How much improvement will Luo Luo, Tang 36 and the Beast Guy get?
- Will there be more future students in Tradition Academy?

2015-08-08, 10:38	Link #1
chaosbeowulf Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia	Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices) by Mao Ni (WN). Summary (taken from the fans translator's website): To pick is to choose. This is a story about choices. Three thousand world full of gods and demons, with a scroll in hand you are able to control the entire universe…….. At the beginning of time, a mystical meteor came crashing down from outer space and scattered all over the world. A piece of it landed in the Eastern Continent. There were mysterious totems carved upon the meteor, and people gathered around it wanting to discover its usage. They discovered the Way, and established The Tradition. Several thousand years later, the fourteen years old orphan Chen Chang Shang left his master to cure his illness and change his fate. He brought a piece of marriage vow with him to the capital, thus began the journey of a rising hero. Now for something quite a bit different compared to your usual Chinese Wuxia/Xianxia WN... No reincarnation (that we know of) background, no summoned from the other world back story, hell, not even a revenge background story! That's pretty damned rare for a Chinese WN! But one thing for sure: it's really, really good. The pace of the WN is quite slow. But it's a good kind of slow; a ponderous, suspenseful one, despite having little to no action sequence so far. Definitely not a slice-of-life story like Death March or Slime Tensei, and definitely not an action-packed story like Martial God Asura, Coiling Dragon, and the likes. The story is just like the MC, actually. Calm, composed, and thoughtful, yet you can feel that there's something more than meets the eye, glimpses of back story that was never truly exposed by the author, but it's there, biding its time. This WN is really, really different from the usual Chinese WN, or even the Japanese WN/LN. The closest thing I can think of to compare the way this WN is written is actually L.E. Modesitt Jr. and his Recluse saga. It's not a comedy, but there's still some humor there; it definitely doesn't feel shounen-ish, but more of a seinen, I think. This WN is truly different from all the WN and LN I've read, and that's why it's kinda hard to describe this one. As for the usual questions of MC being OP and if there is any harem: Spoiler for OP MC?: Not gonna lie, this one is quite difficult to answer. Just like Modesitt's writing, at first, the MC feels totally normal, with little quirks here and there. But as you read along, you will notice that the MC is definitely everything but ordinary, and it's hidden beneath his calm and collected exterior (and interior, actually. He is one of the most level-headed MC I've ever read, and there is a reason for that). This caused people around him, both friends and foes, to misjudge his intentions and actions most of the times. And no, unlike the Japanese LN where sometimes the MC is so dense that the density of his denseness is heavy enough to become a plot armor, the MC in this WN is very rational, in his own way. So rational, that sometimes, his words are irrefutable (because his words makes sense, and can't be refuted easily), and this caused great consternation to his friends and foes alike. Why the great consternation? Because even though the MC is a man of few words, he always has the last words. As for being OP... even though there's your usual xiuxing (think Daoist cultivator) in the story, the MC very rarely gets into a fight, and from spoilers I've read, he only begin his cultivation on chapter 100+. There is power level, but so far the MC is not even a blip in the radar of powerful people, mainly because he is physically weak. As stated in the summary above, the MC is trying to find a cure for his disease, or else, he won't live past 20. The thing is, the MC is still calm, collected, and acts normally even when he was thrown into unexpected or chaotic situation; this is the kind of MC that with his calmness, will brought any riot to a screeching halt, just because the rioters wouldn't believe that the MC is still calm even in the face of such an event. Even when he was provoked, baited, humiliated, or being put on the spot, he remains calm and collected, because he choose to remain calm and collected, for his own reasons. There's a certain childish dignity to this MC; his actions can be seen as a child trying to act like an adult sometimes, but he did it in such a way, that were he an adult, people will praise him for being dignified in his actions and manners. And this sense of incongruity Now, as for Harem... Spoiler for Harem? Not sure...: It's very hard to say whether this WN has a harem or not... Well, there's the supposed fiancee, but we very rarely see her. Then there's his disciple (yes, he is only about 15, 16 year-old, but he was pretty knowledgeable, and he gained a disciple. A serious disciple, mind you). There's little to no romance undertone so far (chapter 66), so when you ask me about harem, I'll just say, "unsure/unconfirmed for now". Do give it a read, it's really good!

2015-08-08, 13:33	Link #6
sasoras Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013	It's ongoing, the pace is pretty slow though,from the looks of it not even close to ending. I dropped it because i thought the MC was acting hypocritical and whiny once the romance started showing, and he gets way too much lucky breaks which sort of irritates me, as most of his accomplishments were handed to him or because of outside help, or because of "someones" plans Overall its a pretty good series though,and what i said was just how i felt, others might not see it that way and i really did like Yo. This series it definitely Xianxia though. Last edited by sasoras; 2015-08-08 at 13:57.

2015-08-09, 21:30	Link #15
Craxuan Crax Author Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: MY	Now this is a damn good story. Its style is a refreshing breather as compared to all the levelling stuff 90% novels of this forum does, and one with actual good standards rivalling established authors. And those who complain that the MC is too OP or too lucky, I'm pretty sure you got the wrong forum, because nearly every single novel listed here does this to the point that you have a god damn list of standard FAQs starting with 'is the MC OP' and followed by 'does he have a harem'. So save your hypocrisy and walk somewhere else. __________________

2015-08-10, 02:50	Link #17
tropox Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2012	Spoiler for Mo Yu: well i would consider Mo Yu a part of MCs Harem as well, after all she`s been bathing in his house, and sleeping in his bed for a long time now (up until the latest raw atleast

2015-08-08, 10:49	Link #2
Mahesvara Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014	This is definitely piqued my interest. Thanks for infos and can you give us it's raw name(if not the direct link to raws)? Also is it finished, if not what is author's update pace? Lastly how many chapters are there for now? Thanks for answers

2015-08-08, 11:50	Link #4
BlazingKyogre Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014	How many chapters does this novel have? I mean how far is the untranslated from the translated?

2015-08-08, 15:00	Link #8
BigNobody The Former Apprentice Join Date: Aug 2014	I'm waiting till it hits the 200 translated chapters mark before I read this. I heard a lot of good things about this novel.

2015-08-08, 17:04	Link #11
rhyein Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006	Part of the reason this novel is slow is because the supporting cast is developed quite a bit more than other Chinese WNs, especially as you get into the later chapters. There's a lot of peeks at the motivations and thoughts of the different characters, and hints concerning the mystery surrounding the MC and his circumstances. All of that slows things down but makes it a more enjoyable read compared to other WNs.

2015-08-09, 00:51	Link #12
Rainne Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014	read up to chapter 120, and god damn, this is the slowest Xianxia Novel in history, MC has still yet to even start practicing Martial arts, i sure hope he is some kind of God Genius cause he really needs it to catch up at this rate. it seems like the author is leaving the MC in the shadows

2015-08-09, 07:26	Link #14
itisjustme Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009	This is pretty slow yeah. MC gets stuff a bit too easy/convenient too yeah. This isn't and isn't going to be a MC levels up and bitchslaps villains action type WN though, don't read it and expect one of those. It's more a story/character driven thing, and even if the MC does level up it's not the point or the focus. Personally it's the best chinese WN I've read. That said I kinda stopped following it day by day after it started yet another tournament arc. Jesus tournaments are the most boring plots ever and all it tells the reader is that the author doesn't have any better idea. Which is pretty dumb since there's a lot of interesting directions the story could go in instead, like the demons, new continents, the empress, CCS's mystery, Zhou Dufu's whereabouts, etcetcetc.

2015-08-09, 23:06	Link #16
Rainne Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014	read up to chapter 180 and dropped it, the pacing is ridiculously slow, went to sleep while reading, the author doesnt get to the point and bores you to death with each chapter.

2015-08-10, 03:22	Link #18
TheCatWalk The avid 'HAREM HATER!' Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: India, Britain or Singapore Age: 28	this series has one of the most mind-fucking cliffhangers ever

2015-08-12, 08:14	Link #19
chaosbeowulf Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia	And the cliffhangers acts to maintain the suspense of the story. I think this is the one WN you just can't binge read, since it will lose its suspense that way.

2015-08-12, 08:37	Link #20
BlazingKyogre Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014	Spoiler questions: - Who are Chen Chang Sheng's parents? - Why did his master took care of him? - How is he related to the former royal family? - Why does it take long for him to reach Purification Stage? - Does his master appear in later chapters? - How much improvement will Luo Luo, Tang 36 and the Beast Guy get? - Will there be more future students in Tradition Academy?