Looking for Old-School Cultivation Stories: An Ordinary Mortal Who Works Hard to Cultivate, Not Someone Who Levels Up Every Few Chapters 求曾经那种凡人资质，辛苦修仙不要那种几张就升级

1. 201 我 I, Chouwa! The Empress of the Suxian Sect Begs Me to Join 我，丑娃！素女宗女帝跪求我入宗 I Love Pickled Mustard Greens with Shredded Pork我爱榨菜肉丝Eastern Fantasy1.3M WordsOngoing An ordinary, ugly-looking mortal from Qingshi Village, I was once an abandoned child of the cultivation world. My grandfather knelt and begged on his deathbed, earning a promise from Empress Luo Yiyun. She broke a thousand-year-old sect rule to take me as her disciple; She cut down those who challenged me at the immortal sect, protecting me as I grew; She defied the trials of Heaven's Dao to help me reach the summit. No System, no transmigration. Through sheer perseverance, I rose from a lo 4Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   Two hundred thousand words. And he's still only in the Qi Refining stage! I'm crying 😭

2. 202 凡 A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Lord Dayan 凡人修仙之大衍神君 Longquan's Low Murmur龙泉低吟Eastern Fantasy985k WordsOngoing Dayan Shenjun was a prodigy blessed with extraordinary talent, yet his obsession with the art of puppetry kept him from reaching the Deity Transformation stage. Now, reborn with his memories intact and presented with a new opportunity, he has steeled his Dao heart. See how he advances to Deity Transformation, stands tall between the mountains and seas, reigns supreme among the hundred races of the Spirit Realm, and sets foot in the Immortal Realm. This is not a brainless power fantasy. The focus 10Reads5.9Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   A fantasy novel where enthusiastic readers can even take on a cameo role, this is a spin-off story from "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality." It follows a mortal's journey through the arduous cultivation process, from Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Void Refining, Body Integration, and Great Ascension to Tribulation Transcending. There are no cheat codes, no hacks, and no mindless characters. Ten major cultivation schools—Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Ghosts, Demons, Monsters, Blood, Medicine, Witchcraft, and Gu—each with its own strengths, making for a captivating and diverse experience.

3. 203 凡 A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Mortal Bones, Sword Heart 凡人修仙传：凡骨剑心 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy468k WordsOngoing A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: The Mortal-Boned Swordheart Lin Jingchen, a borderland youth, was born with four spiritual roots and a mortal body. He has no System, no exceptional talent, and no heaven-sent treasures. The cultivation world unanimously considers him a "waste." After his parents are killed by demon beasts, he enters Qingfeng Sect with an unwavering desire to seek immortality, only to be made a menial disciple. He struggles at the bottom, short on resources and con 8Reads6.4Score—Shelves
4. 204 逆 Defying the Immortals: All Beings Can Become Immortals 逆仙而上：众生皆可仙 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy397k WordsOngoing In Against the Immortal Tide, impoverished disciple Chen Yuanqi gives everything he has to help his beloved, Fu Qingyun, pursue her studies. But she joins forces with scions of powerful clans to frame him, shattering his meridians and sending him tumbling into the Ten Thousand Despair Cliff. On the brink of death, he inherits the ancient River Map Heavenly Tome and the Against-Heaven Immortal God Art, awakening the remnant soul of a divine maiden. From then on, he embarks on a path against the h —Reads—Score—Shelves
5. 205 天 A Fallen Genius Reduced to Picking Through Herb Dregs 天才沦落捡药渣 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy635k WordsOngoing Genius Reduced to Scavenging Medicinal Dregs tells the story of Ye Feng, once the greatest genius in the Xuanhuang Domain. After his own relative, Ye Wuhen, ambushes him and cripples his dantian, Ye Feng becomes a menial worker in Qingxuan Sect’s medicine hut, scraping by on discarded medicinal dregs. At the brink of despair, he unexpectedly awakens the ancient cultivation art Emperor’s Scripture, which lets him absorb the spiritual energy in the dregs and rebuild his foundation. He also forms a 7Reads—Score—Shelves
6. 206 凡 The Complete Tale of a Mortal's Cultivation to Immortality 凡人修仙全传 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy714k WordsOngoing Tags: Mortal’s journey, no golden finger, trials of the Dao heart, conflict between righteous and demonic factions, slow-burn, meticulous cultivation The impoverished youth Han Moyu stumbles upon a fragment of the Evergreen Art, and from then on embarks on a perilous path of cultivation. With no System to aid him, no old master to guide him, and only mediocre talent, he must survive through patience, restraint, and wit. Spiritual energy is scarce and must be fought over; bottlenecks on the Grea 49Reads6.0Score—Shelves
7. 207 凡 A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: The Dao Lord of Withering and Flourishing 凡人修仙传：枯荣道主 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy141k WordsOngoing A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality An ordinary mortal woman, her life as fragile as duckweed. When blood-moon demon wolves attack her village and her father is killed, the world of Su Fan, a hunter's daughter, shatters overnight. In her darkest hour, a chance at immortality leads her to the Qingmu Sect. Gifted with a mid-grade wood spirit root, she embarks on a thorny path of cultivation. From outer-sect servant to inner-sect true disciple, from a minor Foundation Establishment cultiv —Reads—Score—Shelves
8. 208 修 Cultivation: Does My Spiritual Root Want to Eat Me? 修仙：我的灵根要吃我？ Scenery of Yuezhong越中山色Eastern Fantasy163k WordsOngoing Mortal-style cultivation + no System + no transmigration + steady growth + decisive and ruthless + no mindless decisions (at least one million characters) Before his grandfather died, he said, “Eat it. Survive. Don't look back.” On that rainy night, sixteen-year-old Chen Tianling swallowed the foul, earth-scented Tai Sui whole to keep his uncle from poisoning him to death. From that moment on, he was no longer mortal, but he had become something different, too. Carrying a fake “spiritual root” t —Reads—Score—Shelves

   Reader note

   This is a new book, and it's definitely hard work. A mortal boy, in order to survive, obtains a temporary pseudo-spiritual root. If he doesn't cultivate immortality to gain cultivation, he will be devoured by the spiritual root. He starts as a menial laborer, carrying manure.

9. 209 凡 Chronicles of the Mortal Xia Lan: Ling's Brand and Yuan Qi 凡人侠岚录：零烙与元炁 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Anime Fanfiction337k WordsCompleted Beneath the scar on his left hand, burned by the power of Zero, lies the nightmare Zhan Chi dares not touch. When Zero abducted his elder sister, Mo Yi, the extremely yin rune shining at her neck was identical to the fiery scar in his palm. The Three Lives Grass of Taoyuan Village crumbled in the medicine grinder, and a phantom image of the Shennong Cauldron flickered and vanished. This boy, regarded by the villagers as a “freak,” revealed an incomplete Xialan mark before the sundial pillar, una —Reads—Score—Shelves
10. 210 墟 Tales from the Ruined Realm 墟界说书录 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy1.1M WordsOngoing The Storyteller’s Record of the Ruin Realm: Synopsis Fifth-graders A Ning and Wang Hao accidentally tumble into the bizarre cultivation world of the “Ruin Realm” after touching an ancient mirror out of mischief. Amid hunger and fear, they are rescued by Tan Wushu, a storyteller in a corner of the Ruin Market. Old Tan seems ordinary, but when he taps his clapper and begins a tale, the rhythm of the Dao subtly flows around him. He is not only their guide, but also the once-renowned “Chapter Break —Reads—Score—Shelves
11. 211 玄 Calamity of the Dark Abyss: Ten Thousand Cultivators Return to Dust 玄渊劫：万修归尘 Guess If I Guess Whether You Can Guess祢猜我猜你猜不猜Eastern Fantasy690k WordsOngoing A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality When spiritual roots become the ironclad law of the cultivation world, three mortals dismissed by the Heavenly Dao as lowly outcasts struggle in the clumsiest ways to break through the barriers of cultivation: a bastard son with mixed spiritual roots, a sect disciple cast out under suspicion, and a talisman cultivator branded a good-for-nothing for defying convention. • Luo Chengyuan spent ten years chopping wood in his family’s kitchen. He compreh —Reads—Score—Shelves
12. 212 道 The Sorrow of the Dao Tribulation 道劫之殇 let Rainlet雨Eastern Fantasy899k WordsCompleted This is a slow-paced cultivation story, so please don't read it if that's not your thing! It's a story meant to inspire reflection, so please don't read it if that's not your thing! “I seek neither immortality, invincibility, nor transcendence. This isn't one of those cultivation wish-fulfillment stories with warped values, mindless characters, or lowbrow content. Insight and opportunity are left to the reader to interpret; the focus is on elaboration. No System, no transmigration, no rebirth.” 51Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A slow-burn, long novel. The Qi Refining stage isn't even the beginning; the subsequent Foundation Establishment and Golden Core advancements are already quite slow. Breakthroughs are difficult but reasonable. The protagonist is constantly on the run, running to resolve the karmic debts of his Dao Oath. At 123 chapters and 730,000 words, he hasn't even broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. Enlightenment and breakthroughs are explained and analyzed. Combat power is reasonable, not overpowered, and the characters are evenly matched. The characters are complex and intelligent.

13. 213 修 Cultivation Power Loans 修仙法力贷 Tofu Sheets豆腐百叶Urban243k WordsCompleted Liu Yunfeng is an ordinary high school student of cultivation. When his second uncle failed to establish his foundation, the family fell into the trap of an illegal “Foundation-Building Loan,” leaving them ruined. Faced with the twin crises of forced demolition and thunder punishment, he thought he was bound to die. Yet at the very moment the tribulation struck, a mysterious man who called himself the “Dao Ancestor Yunfeng” appeared in his sea of consciousness. The Dao Ancestor not only blocked 8Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Have you ever seen anyone cultivate immortality through loans? When cultivation resources are controlled, wanting to cultivate immortality is like a pipe dream.

14. 214 凡 A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Don't Make Me Plant You in the Ground 凡人修仙：不要逼我把你种地里 The Wu Clan Is as Deep as the Sea吴门似海Eastern Fantasy82k WordsOngoing [Traditional Cultivation] [Slow-Burn] [Mortal Cultivation] [Unconventional Cultivation] [Farming] My name is Wang Shan, and I love farming. My ancestors have all worked the land for wealthy landlords, and I've dreamed of owning a piece of land for as long as I can remember. At last, one day, I used the savings my family had accumulated over generations to buy land from the landlord. I thought I could finally settle down and live in peace... But for some reason, people keep picking on me. If that —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A mortal's journey to immortality is a step-by-step process, not a mindless, face-slapping adventure.

15. 215 凡 A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Hide My Jade Thumb Ring and Just Be a Nobody 凡人：藏好玉扳指，我只做路人甲 Reversed Dawn and Dusk倒转的晨昏Eastern Fantasy229k WordsOngoing After transmigrating into the world of A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Lin Yan becomes a menial servant with four spiritual roots. His only support is a jade thumb ring that can separate meridians, draw in qi, and sense spiritual energy. Knowing how cruel the original story is, he hides the ring, keeps a low profile, and never reveals his edge. He doesn't fight for opportunities or invite trouble. He secretly studies alchemy in the Mo residence's herb garden, finds discarded manus —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    The Four Symbols Sword Intent shatters all laws, paving the way to immortality atop Azure Cloud Peak. Golden Core cultivators carve new territories with their swords, vanquishing evil and protecting their Dao.

16. 216 修 Cultivation: In the Name of the Artifact 修仙：以器为名 The Silly Pig's Happiness傻猪的幸福Eastern Fantasy798k WordsOngoing Transmigration ╬ Cultivation (not traditional) ╬ Power struggles ╬ Purging traitors ╬ Multiple dynasties ╬ No System ╬ Unorthodox cultivator ╬ Beggar leader ╬ Business tycoon ╬ Tomb exploration ╬ Medical authority... Ying Ye, a twenty-first-century expert in restoring cold weapons, unexpectedly transmigrates to the world of cultivation during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. He becomes a retainer of the renowned Qin general Meng Ao. While forging swords, he unexpectedly realize 1Reads7.8Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A truly unique and exceptional cultivation masterpiece, highly recommended!

17. 217 如 Ruyuan Mengdie's New Book 如愿梦蝶新书 Dreaming of Butterflies Come True如愿梦蝶Eastern Fantasy1.3M WordsCompleted Title: No System. A return to pure cultivation fantasy, with no transmigration and no System! Liu Chen, a young man from Qingzhou, bears a mysterious bloodline. In search of his origins, he embarks on the path of immortality. After forming a connection in Spiritveil Valley, he joins a sect and cultivates at Flying Sword Sect. He battles the Shadow Pavilion and resists the demon race's invasion, braving secret realms and heavenly tri 33Reads9.3Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Fantasy cultivation novels

18. 218 苟 Cultivating Immortality by Farming in Hiding 苟种田成仙 Fierce Realm Heroine烈境侠女Male-Channel Fanfiction769k WordsCompleted Lu Jiuyuan transmigrates into the role of a son-in-law in the cultivation world and unexpectedly awakens the [Spirit Energy Circulation System], setting out on a cross-world farming journey. He grafts ancient spiritual roots onto spirit fields, tames mutated demon beasts, and builds spirit-energy batteries. Leading the declining Chen clan, he cultivates rare treasures and establishes a sect-wide industrial chain. Yet in secret, the System's hidden "Longevity Paradox" draws him into a crisis: exc —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A breath of fresh air in the world of farming and cultivation novels! The protagonist forgoes bloody battles and chooses a low-key life of farming and cultivation. He slowly accumulates strength in his idyllic rural life, with a relaxed and pleasant pace combined with occasional cultivation adventures. It offers both heartwarming daily farming life and wondrous elements of cultivation, making it incredibly healing for readers.

19. 219 乱 Red Tassels in Troubled Times: A Stage Actress's Path to Defying Fate 乱世红缨，戏台女侠的逆命之路 Fierce Realm Heroine烈境侠女Modern Romance891k WordsCompleted My new work is out! You're welcome to read it on Tomato Novel. I hope you'll enjoy it. Your support inspires me to write, and I'll do my best to tell every story well! —Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    A legendary tale of a female knight-errant against the backdrop of a chaotic era! The heroine steps from the stage into the martial world, wielding a red-tasseled sword to defy fate in turbulent times. The book skillfully blends opera culture with martial arts elements, featuring both exciting fight scenes and delicate emotional portrayals, fully capturing the atmosphere of a chaotic martial world.

20. 220 投 Casting Stones to Find the Way to Eternal Life 投石问路叩长生 An Arrow Comes from the East一箭东来Eastern Fantasy164k WordsOngoing [Reborn Powerhouse] [Long-Life Cultivation with an Unconventional Twist] [the Myriad Worlds] [Heavenly Dao Conspiracy] At the moment he proved himself an Immortal Emperor, Li Qingxuan saw not the eternal Great Dao, but the Heavenly Dao's cold calculation. The so-called Yin-Yang rank was nothing but a chain, carefully forged by the Heavenly Dao to raise its puppets. Even an Immortal Emperor's eternal life was ultimately an illusion. Above the Ninth Heaven, the Divine Race appeared, looking down u —Reads—Score—Shelves
21. 221 飘 The Drifting Immortal Path 飘浮仙路 Sunset Rainbow Bridge夕阳虹桥Eastern Fantasy434k WordsCompleted “I never imagined that I, Haoyu Divine Lord, a mighty Divine Lord, would actually die here... here!” So he began to perform a forbidden art he had once stumbled upon. “Heaven and earth, the way of all things, the soul of my life, the path of my body... condense... condense... gather...!” Haoyu Divine Lord let out one final, mournful cry. All that remained was the Universe Diagram, slowly drifting into a rift in space until it disappeared from sight. A conflict sparked by a divine artifact s 44Reads—Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    Wang Zifeng broke through in the cultivation world with his "grassroots resilience and mountain wisdom".

22. 222 生 City of Life 生命之城 The Wind in the Sky天空中的风Eastern Fantasy70k WordsOngoing The end of the world intertwines with youth, unfolding a story unlike any other. When a young man stands at the crossroads of his life, where will he go from here? Will he surrender to the evil in his heart, or kindle his own story of life amid these troubled times? And what will become of the dreams he cherished in his youth? Come see the path of a young man. —Reads—Score—Shelves
23. 223 山 The Mountain Spirit Seeks Immortality 山鬼问仙 Oumige Er Ju Wen欧米格儿剧文Eastern Fantasy713k WordsCompleted “They used my blood to sacrifice to the mountain god, never knowing that I am the true god.” “Humanity is written with two strokes: one writes your fate, the other your fortune.” “I’ll carve out my own fate.” In Qingyan Village, in the Realm of the Nine Provinces, Lu Ziqing is an orphan whom the villagers regard as an ill omen. But hidden within him is a shocking bloodline: that of a mountain demon. His life was supposed to be a tragedy arranged in advance. The lowest of the low in the entire vi 4Reads9.5Score—Shelves

    Reader note

    [Underdog Rise to Power] + [No Cheat Codes] A must-read Xianxia suspense masterpiece! Focusing on the underdog's rise to power and the mystery of blood sacrifice, the protagonist relies entirely on himself without any cheat codes. The winter chill of Qingyan Village is intertwined with the treacherous nature of people's hearts, and the secret cultivation realm of the Ten Thousand Mountains hides surprises. There are many suspenseful twists and turns, and the exciting moments are frequent and fast-paced!

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