I love A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, so I want to write a story that's even more realistic and rigorous, and relies less on the protagonist's halo. The cultivators here won't orbit the protagonist just because of his halo. Sects won't treat him differently just because he's the protagonist, and opportunities won't come knocking at his door on their own.
He's survived this long because he thinks things through more than most people, not because he's luckier than them. If you also think a cultivation world shouldn't follow the formula of "the protagonist always wins," this might be the book you've been waiting a long time for.
