The Best Wuxia Novels: 10 Chinese Fantasy Novels To Read

Are you learning Chinese and curious about Chinese literature? Unfortunately, reading a piece of literature written in Chinese is not an easy task. How about reading Chinese books that are translated into English? Chinese novels have been among the most popular forms of Chinese literature for thousands of years.

Here we looked at Wuxia World’s website to find the 10 best Wuxia novels and Chinese fantasy novels for you to read.

1. Against the Gods

Against the Gods is categorized as action, fantasy, and Xuan Huan. “Xuan Huan” is a category term and can be translated as “mysterious fantasy.”

Character Yun Che in the novel; Wuxia World

The story talks about the main character Yun Che, who is hunted down to possess a very strong weapon. He tried to escape by jumping off a cliff bringing the weapon with him but ended up reincarnated to a different body. His new body is named Xiao Che. His new body is weak, but he has to overcome the challenges he faces with the clan he was reincarnated into, his fiancee, and the adventure that comes with it. 

We find the novel very enjoyable with an interesting plot. I highly recommend it if you like all things related to the Chinese culture of ancient superpowers, poison, martial arts, and other similar cultural practices. This novel overall, especially the novel’s character growth, is very enjoyable to read.

2. Emperor’s Domination

The story is about the tale of Li QiYe. He was captured by an evil master and imprisoned in the body of a crow for hundreds of centuries. 

Main character: Li QiYe;  Emperor's Domination Wiki

His fate was doomed until an old man saved him after hundreds and centuries of imprisonment. He then became a disciple of the old man, starting his journey for revenge, friendships, and becoming the next ruler of the heavens. He had one mission in mind, to beat the evil that had held him down once and for all. 

We love the fact that this story is a fantasy story. If you like imagining fighting scenes, shapeshifting, and similar stories, this novel will certainly suck you into that imaginative realm. Highly recommended!

3. Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

This is a story of a merged soul. The confused main character Long Chen woke up from a brawl with his friends. His peers often bullied him, but after waking up, he was reminded of another memory where he was strong, arrogant, and nothing like the Long Chen he is now.

Cover image of Nine Star Hegemon Body Art; Novel Updates

Long Chen decided then and there that he would become someone stronger and left his old self there. He started noticing mysterious things around him, suggesting to him that trouble was brewing. He was determined to solve it, even if it meant going against the will of the Gods, who regarded him as nothing more than a pawn.

This series has multiple mentions of medicinal herbs and alchemy, which we enjoyed reading. The plot was very interesting as you can see the main character’s growth from one chapter to another. You might find this novel series less interesting if you are not too into alchemy, but otherwise, it’s a great series to read and very enjoyable. 

4. A Record of A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality

“A poor and ordinary boy from a village joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple completely by chance. Nicknamed the second fool in his village, this is a story of an ordinary mortal who, against all odds, clashes with devilish demons and ancient celestials to find his path towards immortality.”

Cover image A Record of A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality’s immortal world arc; Bilibili Comics

This novel’s synopsis above was taken from the website, and in my opinion, it’s a great introduction to the awesome adventures the series holds. The start of the series is a bit slow as the earlier chapters have to explain the story’s background. However, despite the slow-paced progression, it’s worth reading, and I strongly urge you to try this series. 

5. Keyboard Immortal

Keyboard Immortal’s cover image; Wuxia World

Keyboard Immortal is a story where our lead character Zu An is suddenly struck by lightning! He soon realized he had entered another universe where people could level up like game characters. When the lightning struck, he was given a mission to gather 12 secret scrolls from the 12 unknowable regions, which are equivalent to the F1 to F12 keys on a keyboard. Zu An was left on the streets until his wife (who he had no idea existed!) Showed up to help him start his journey.

We honestly started laughing in the first chapter. Zu An is the epitome of all characters constantly living in the modern world of the “last three brain cells” working. It’s very humorous and fun to read. Moreover, you don’t need to be a technology expert to understand this novel.

6. Beastmaster of the Ages

Our main character Li Tianming is on his journey of accession to be the number one beastmaster of the ages. 

Beastmaster of the Ages cover image; Wuxia World

He journeys across many worlds, yet one thing remains the same; no one is ready to face his pets. His pets include a small chicken, and an Eternal Infernal Phoenix that eats suns! His black cat, the Genesis Chaos Thunderfiend, refines worlds with lightning. And also a cockroach. The Myriad World’s Deathless Beast possesses trillions of undying clones.

We fell in love with the series from reading just the synopsis. The fight scenes were epic, and we fully enjoyed every detail the translator had carefully translated.

7. Martial Word

In the Divine Realm, countless legends fought over a mysterious cube. After the battle, it disappeared into the void. A young man stumbles upon this mysterious object, opening a whole new world to him. His name is Lin Ming, and this is his martial arts journey.

Martial Word cover image; Wuxia World

Reading the synopsis at first glance, I thought that the series might be interesting and decided to give it a go from there. I’m very glad to say that this series doesn’t disappoint me. I’m very impressed with the world-building the novel was able to achieve. Everything is fictional yet felt very real at the same time.

The translation team has done an amazing job at using adjectives that help describe and build the story for us readers who crave all the fantasy that this story provides. I especially recommend this series if you are interested in martial arts (of course, as the title suggests) and love game-like fight scenes. 

8. Warlock of the Magus World

What happens when a scientist from a futuristic world reincarnates in a world of magic and knights? An awesome main characterーthat’s what happens!

Warlock of the Magus World novel image, Novel Updates

A scientist’s goal is to explore the universe’s secrets, which is exactly what Leylin sets out to do when he’s reincarnated. Dark, cold, and calculating, he makes use of all his resources as he sets off on his adventure to meet his goal. 

The flow of how the author writes this story amazed me. It’s very easy to read, and you do get a sense of immersion in the universe they have built. We find the character very interesting and funny, especially in the first few chapters when he has just arrived at the new game-like world. The translation is high quality, in our opinion, and did a great job of bringing the world alive while you read.  

9. Tales of Demons and Gods

Tales of Demons and Gods cover image; GoodReads

Killed by a sage emperor and reborn as his 13-year-old self, Nie Lu is given a second chance at life. A second chance to change everything, save his loved ones and his beloved city. He shall once again battle with the Sage Emperor to avenge his death.

With the vast knowledge he accumulated in his previous life, he shall have a new starting point. Although he starts as the weakest, without a doubt, he’ll climb the steps toward becoming the strongest of them all. 

Like many stories in this list, this series is a reincarnation novel. We find the main character’s growth great and enjoyable to read! More than the main character, the sidekicks of the story are very worth reading. Overall, we would recommend this as a good read. 

10. Necropolis Immortal

Necropolis Immortal cover image; Wuxia World

A great war raged between cultivators (masterminds) a hundred thousand years ago. Immortals fell by tens of thousands, the path of cultivation itself was severed, and after the dust settled, tombs forested the world. A hundred thousand years after the last legend faded, Lu Yun, Commandant of the tomb raiders, descended upon the world. Armed with the Tome of Life and Death, he had some burning questions to answer. 

This series brings a fresh new type of plot into the list, post-apocalyptic Chinese fantasy. We enjoyed the series as it involved communicating with the dead (that’s always fun, right?). The main character is not strong (just like the several others in this list) but adds depth into the plot making this series an enjoyable one to read. Would you mind giving this one a try? 

Frequently asked questions

What is Wuixa?

Wuxia (武侠) literally means "martial heroes." So in this Chinese genre, the stories revolve around martial arts, chivalry, and heroism. Also, Wuxia is more grounded in real-world martial arts and historical settings.

It differs from Xianxia (仙侠) where that genre focuses on cultivation, immortality, and spiritual power. Xianxia is more fantastical and mystical.

Where can I read Wuxia novels?

The original paper-based novels were sold exclusively in China and are in Chinese. So finding a printed novel is nearly impossible for those who live outside China. Still, thanks to the technology, novels have now been digitized and translated so everyone can easily access them. 

There are some famous websites for Chinese novels, such as QQ Comics, U17, and Wuxia World.

If you know any Chinese and are interested in any of these novels, I highly recommend reading them in the original language. By reading in the original language, you can improve your reading skills in Chinese, get a more authentic reading experience, and deepen your Chinese cultural knowledge.

To improve your Chinese reading skill, try Pandanese online or the Pandanese App. Using Pandanese will help you memorize Chinese characters and their meanings faster with their mnemonics devices and SRS learning system. With a combination of both methods, you can easily build Chinese words on top of each other. 

Why not start reading?

Surely, after all the recommendations, you may find one of the stories interesting. So why not give the novels a try?

Not too sure about these Chinese fantasy novels? Try the other popular Chinese genre, Xianxia! We have a whole list of Xianxia novels for you to choose from.