Novels like The Sword Illuminates the World
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Sword Illuminates the World, best match first.
- 101 Wuxia Crossover: I Compete with the Imperial Court to Catch Criminals 综武：我和朝廷抢犯人 Xing Yu was a young man in the 21st century, chasing his dreams on the streets, until a shoddy firework sent him to the Divine Land. A prison became bound to the depths of his soul. By a twist of fate, it was called Xing Yu, a name meaning “prison” and “punishment.” This is the Great Qian Dynasty, where the imperial court and the various martial arts factions hold each other in check. Beyond the dynasty, foreign tribes abound, while the martial arts factions within it have reached a tacit balanc 11.8kReads8.5Score65214d adds
- 102 The Demon of Blade and Sword 刀剑魔 In a turbulent martial world, the schemes of powerful ministers, the machinations of sinister cults, romantic entanglements, and choices between family and country all intertwine. Some pursue their obsession with martial arts manuals through every peril, some are trapped in a web of plots by blood feuds, and some struggle to survive amid political intrigue. The power struggle between Tang and Tibet and the tangled fates of those involved unfold together. There are no fixed lines between right an 588Reads—Score—14d adds
- 103 Green Duckweed 青萍 In one life, the Celestial River overflowed, and all nine provinces became a vast marsh. In another, ten suns appeared at once, turning the earth into a living hell. In yet another, the gates of the underworld swung wide, and the mortal world became a realm of ghosts... Heaven and Earth are cruel, treating all living things as straw dogs! Through countless ages of reincarnation, who is really in control? In this life, a lone youth, with only a sword at his side, sets the wind in motion here, ris 16.1kReads8.6Score2.1k14d adds
- 104 Tales of the Canal and the Sea 漕海风云录 The fires of the martial world light the land, while a common man’s hot blood stains the setting sun. In the chaos of the late Qing, the waters of the Huangpu River churned with blood. Foreign warships crushed the livelihoods of canal workers, while opium’s black tide soaked the land of China. The court grovelled, officials colluded with foreigners, and heroes of the martial world swore blood oaths, their blades and swords tearing through the long night. Xiao Tianfeng, the Red-Browed Hero, raise 24Reads—Score—14d adds
- 105 Reaching to the Sky 参天 The appearance of fragments of the Heavenly Book sparks a frenzied struggle among the people. Is this a fortuitous opportunity, or does it conceal a deeper mystery? Is the pursuit of cultivation really only about attaining immortality? 4.2kReads8.9Score49114d adds
- 106 Wuxia: Invincible Vajra from the Start, Crushing All the Way 武侠：开局金刚不坏，一路平推 Wang Yi arrives in a martial arts world and becomes a Brocade Guard of the Great Fate Dynasty! Here, martial arts flourish, and the strongest can shatter the void! Wang Yi obtains the [Supreme Martial Arts System], starts with an indestructible body, and forges an invincible physique. Every punch lands with full force as he begins his unstoppable march! He shatters Shaolin's Vajra Demon-Subduing Formation with one punch and comprehends the Black Pagoda's Tendon-Transformation Classic! He defeats 13.5kReads8.6Score62014d adds
- 107 Undercover in the Martial World, Invincible with Max-Level Divine Arts 武侠卧底，从满级神功开始无敌 Li Suifeng transmigrates to a martial arts world and becomes an undercover agent for the Embroidered Uniform Guard inside the Salt Gang. Three years, then another three, then another three. After ten years undercover, he awakens the Max-Level Divine Arts System. As long as he completes a mission, the divine art he receives as a reward is instantly maxed out. What? His very first mission is to kill his superior in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the reward is the Divine Saber Slash? Become the 39.9kReads8.6Score3.7k14d adds
- 108 Driving Through the Waves 浪里行车 [Traditional Wuxia] [Male-Female Couple] [Half Martial World Family History] [Plot-Driven] Nanhe Xuan (Ziche), a highly skilled martial artist, is investigating a matter that could affect the entire martial world. On his way to celebrate his nephew's wedding, he happens to save Donghe Piaoxue, who has nearly made enemies of the entire martial world. As a result, he gets drawn into another storm in the martial world. Like a carriage tossed on the waves, the two press on through hardship, graduall 127Reads—Score—14d adds
- 109 The Sword Qi Ballad of Mountains and Rivers 山河剑气歌 The Jingkang Catastrophe tears the land apart and stains rivers and mountains with blood. Lu Huaizhen, a young swordsman burdened with a blood feud and half of a mysterious jade token, is swept into the whirlpool of the Song-Jin standoff and the conflicts of the martial world. As he searches for the truth, he faces the question, “Is martial arts meant for killing or for protecting?” He struggles to choose between family vengeance, national hatred, and the limits of chivalry. From the ferocity of 3Reads7.2Score—14d adds
- 110 Wanderer of the Jianghu 浪人江湖丨 No System, no rebirth, no transmigration: A terrible plague swept through my village and claimed every life, leaving me as the sole survivor by sheer luck. After the disaster, I went to a nearby town and begged for a living... until one day, a swordsman appeared and led me into the martial world, a place I had never expected to enter after resigning myself to a lifetime as a beggar. 1.5kReads8.8Score12014d adds
- 111 Moonlit Flower 明月花 She once held back a thousand troops with a single sword. Her white robes stained with blood, she was breathtakingly beautiful, more stirring than the setting sun on the city wall. When the battle report reached the Northern Yan camp, the Yan Emperor dropped the wine cup in his hand. “How could a woman like this be hidden in my realm?” I vaguely remember: [They first met on a snowy night. With just a few words, she sent a band of thugs running and saved the escort convoy he was leading. The you 149Reads8.4Score—14d adds
- 112 What?! I've Become My Idol's Child 惊！我成了我担的孩子 [Mystery and crime-solving + rekindled romance + two powerful, devoted leads + sweet romance and a happy ending + father-son bonds + exhilarating wuxia] Ye Fuyao is the only male outer disciple in his sect, and the one nobody takes seriously. He’s bad at martial arts and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Then a dream-come-true protagonist’s script falls right into his lap, and he becomes the beloved son of the idol he’s admired since childhood. Just like that, he lands a life of easy wi 984Reads8.2Score10114d adds
- 113 The Return of the Condor Heroes: The Sequel 神雕大侠后传 (A traditional martial arts novel, primarily a crossover between The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, and The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. No System, not a power fantasy, so please don't read it if that bothers you. Jin Yong's martial arts stories have several versions. There is a gap of sixty to seventy years between The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber that Jin Yong never wrote about. The author seamlessly fills in those missing d 14.7kReads7.5Score89114d adds
- 114 Lord of the Night 夜幕之主 What’s so great about inheriting the throne? A kingdom you conquer yourself is the one you can rule with confidence. He commands Nightfall, one of the three great assassin organizations, and a single word from him decides who lives and dies. He also controls the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, one of the ten great trade guilds, and is richer than an entire nation. Once that useless prince leaves the capital, he soars like a dragon released into the sea. He raises the Banner of a Hundred Battles in 22.8kReads8.6Score2.1k14d adds
- 115 The Decisive Battle at Xuanwu Gate 决战玄武门 Cai Yuanchu, a boy from a small county town, inexplicably claims the reward for catching the killer in a local murder case, only to be drawn into an unpredictable conspiracy. He also uncovers a staggering plot dating back to the end of the Sui dynasty and the beginning of the Tang, which gradually leads him into the Xuanwu Gate Incident... 52Reads—Score514d adds
- 116 The Ning Empire's Army 长宁帝军 This world is divided among hundreds of countries, large and small. When it comes to warfare on land, the Ning Kingdom is virtually invincible. Its fierce armies, drawn from the four frontiers and four arsenals, sweep across the realm. Wherever the land stretches, Ning's banners can be planted. But beyond the sea, where its armies cannot reach, there are always those who refuse to submit. And so a young man took up his blade and halberd, and crossed the sea on a single reed. 489Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 117 Who Needs a Hundred Beauties of the Martial World When I Have a Book of Weapons? 要什么江湖百美图，我有兵器谱！ After transmigrating into a chaotic age, Xiao Chen has a “Weapon Rankings” System but doesn’t know what to do with it. Then war breaks out along the border, as the barbarian cavalry tramples across the land and massacres its people. Watch him carve a path through the world and roam the martial world at ease, leaving behind stories that are sometimes heroic, sometimes wondrous, sometimes carefree, and sometimes deeply moving. 14.2kReads7.9Score62414d adds
- 118 The Woodcutter Swordsman 刀侠砍柴人 A hidden gem for when you’re short on books. Read with caution if you’re busy: after chapter 20, you may find yourself staying up all night, unable to put it down. Huang Ming crawled out of a pile of corpses in a mass grave... Ten years later... He had thought he was pretty weak. But why were his enemies, who claimed to be first-rate martial artists, even weaker than him? 3.3kReads7.6Score30514d adds
- 119 EN Transcending the Martial Arts World: Daily Breakthroughs 穿越武侠世界，每天获得一点突破 [Wuxia + Transmigration + Rebirth + Decisive and Ruthless + Slice of Life + One Heroine + Invincible] In the land of Shenzhou, might makes right. Sects hold sway over the realm, and the people live in misery. Lin Feng transmigrates into the body of a poor hunter and awakens a System that gives him one breakthrough point every day! His martial arts advance one level each day. He masters every martial art under heaven and becomes invincible. He slays demons, exterminates fiends, strikes down immor 35.2kReads7.9Score2.4k14d adds
- 120 The Imprisoned King 囚王 Who am I? I woke up in a prince's manor after a seven-day dream. I had forgotten who I was, where I came from, and where I was going. It seemed I had once been plotting something, but before I could investigate, an assassination attempt sent me stumbling into the martial world. Thus began the weaving of a conspiracy spanning both court and martial world. 201Reads—Score—14d adds
- 121 Wielding a Sword to Carve Dragons 仗剑雕龙 (Original martial arts fiction, multiple heroines, no transmigration, no System, not a do-gooder, not a villain) Is the martial world really just about killing people? When Lin Tu first stepped into it, that's what he thought. Then he took part in the Golden Cauldron Tournament, the Poetry Duel, the Golden Light Martial Debate... and even a grand war fought by the people of the martial world. He met one legendary figure after another: the Eight Wanderers, sect leaders from great schools, peerles 2.3kReads7.2Score21714d adds
- 122 Swordbone 剑骨 In an age when frost withered every blade of grass, a young man walked out of the Temple of the Bodhisattva and took up the heaviest sword in all the world. Facing the mortal realm, he carved out a glimmer of light. 587Reads9.0Score—14d adds
- 123 The Sequel to Three Gates Street 三门街前后传 The Three Gate Street: Before and After, also known as The Complete Tale of the Eight Swords, Seven Heroes, and Sixteen Noble Men, is a long Qing dynasty chivalric novel by an anonymous author. The book has thirty-three chapters and around 280,000 characters. Set during the Zhengde era of the Ming dynasty, it tells of the eunuch Liu Jin and the corrupt minister Shi Hongji, who seize power, wreak havoc in government, and persecute loyal officials. The story follows heroes and heroines such as Hon 45Reads8.5Score—14d adds
- 124 Longevity: Starting as an Unorthodox Tianlong 长生：从另类天龙开始 Word has spread throughout the martial world that the Carefree Sect possesses secret martial arts capable of granting eternal life. Countless people have searched the world for it, unaware that this defying-the-heavens legacy has long since fallen into the hands of an unknown young man. Li Xiaoyao keeps a low profile amid the chaos of Tianlong. He seems ordinary, but the depths of his cultivation are unfathomable. He watches the martial world’s conflicts with cold detachment, yet is forced into 5.6kReads8.8Score27014d adds
- 125 The Crane Calls in the Ninth Heaven 鹤鸣于九天 Has martial arts fiction really died? I don't believe it! Who among us didn't dream of the martial world when we were young? Martial arts fiction is a romance unique to us Chinese, deep in our bones! A chivalrous heart, tender affections, drinking and singing with abandon, brewing tea with snow: this is a martial world full of love, loyalty, gratitude, revenge, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea! 240Reads—Score—14d adds
- 126 Never Yield the Land 不让江山 At first, I looked upon the world and saw nothing but heroes and great men. Then I looked again, and saw nothing but a rabble. Rather than entrust this realm and its people to you, I might as well take it for myself! 501Reads9.4Score—14d adds
- 127 Plum Blossoms Bloom Brightly Across the Ming Empire 大明天下梅花艳艳开 Wuxia + history + imperial court + bloodshed + political intrigue + multiple female leads + not a harem + not a wish-fulfillment power fantasy. Plum Blossom Manor, the guardians of a village in Huaxia. Nixiào, the ninety-ninth-generation young manor lord, secretly leaves the manor at fourteen, only to encounter an unknown force plotting against the Great Ming... 485Reads—Score—14d adds
- 128 The Online Game: A World of Freedom 网游之自由世界 Everyone calls him a lecher, but he considers himself a master of gynecology. Some call him a hero, while others say he acts strangely. He doesn’t care what they think. He just wants to do whatever he likes. Demonic cults, righteous sects? What’s that got to do with me? Justice or evil? Depends on the situation! But one thing is certain: Han Jin has always been very generous toward beautiful women. Han Jin: If you lower your 23.3kReads9.0Score2k14d adds
- 129 I Really Don't Want to Be an Official 我真不想当官啊 [Wuxia] [Three Female Leads] (The three female leads drive the main plot) [Two Female Leads] (The main romance) [Love Grows Over Time] [Light Fantasy] [Heavy Political Intrigue] [Light Harem Intrigue] Er Wuwen lost her memory in an accident. Afterward, all she wanted was to lie flat and live as a carefree slacker. But another accident pulled her into a struggle, setting her off on a journey to solve a case... She never expected to become a powerful enforcer for the imperial court. What should sh 335Reads—Score—14d adds
- 130 I Transmigrated to the End of the Sui Dynasty, Became Yang Guang, Captured Xiao Meiniang, and Restored the Great Sui 穿越隋末成为杨广擒下萧美娘重现大隋盛世 Transmigrate to the end of the Sui dynasty, capture Xiao Meiniang with Yang Guang, and restore the Sui dynasty to its former glory 1.6kReads—Score—14d adds
- 131 The Narrator System for a Martial Arts Journey 武侠征程的旁白系统 (Wuxia across the multiverse, no heroine, soul transmigration. Don’t read if that’s not your thing.) A novice wuxia fan with a narration System changes his own fate, along with those of the protagonists and supporting characters. Series featured so far: The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Young Zhang Sanfeng, The Golden Cocoon... 21kReads8.6Score1.1k14d adds
- 132 The Empire as My Canvas 江山为卷 [A completely fictional xianxia history: political intrigue + xianxia + no System.] “Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince has broken through all four passes. He has led his army across the Yinma River and is closing in on Tianmen Pass.” The ministers were speechless. How could that dissolute heir, who spent every day drinking and womanizing and even brought dancers on military campaigns, have broken through all four passes? From the looks of it, he was going to attack the strongest pass in Western Shu 12.1kReads9.1Score96014d adds
- 133 Immortality 长生 Ever since he was young, the boy Changsheng has inexplicably been struck by heavenly lightning time and again. He is saved by Daoist Lin, who takes him in as his final disciple. Daoist Lin was an abandoned disciple of Gezao Mountain, with the Daoist title Luoyangzi. For years, he explored tombs not for wealth, but to find treasures that could extend the life of the woman he loved. Before his death, he divides the secret manuals taken from the tomb among his five disciples and entrusts Changsheng 28.7kReads9.1Score2.9k14d adds
- 134 The Disguised Dragon's Scheme: My Rogue Disciple Courts Me in His Dreams 女扮男装潜龙计，逆徒梦里泡为师 [Historical Intrigue + Female Spy in Disguise + Ensemble Mind Games + Martial Arts Mystery] [Female Martial Arts Master Disguised as a Man × Rebellious Disciple Who Defies His Teacher] The world is the board, and all living things are its pieces. Thirty years ago, a copy of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains turned the tide during a palace coup. From then on, victory made kings and defeat made corpses, and the throne changed hands. Thirty years later, talents emerge across the nine regions, a 318Reads8.9Score—14d adds
- 135 Legend of Bloodshed on Mount Wudang 血溅武当山传奇 A severely underrated work of literature, an epic masterpiece full of vivid emotion. Martial arts + history + romance + leveling up through monster-slaying + a regretful pursuit of a wife + tangled grievances + emotional turmoil. A good-for-nothing male lead and an impulsive female lead meet because of a misunderstanding and are forced to wander the martial world together. They study under the same master and each finds their own opportunities to learn martial arts. Their differing ideals lead t 2kReads8.0Score19714d adds
- 136 Chronicles of Heroes and Chivalrous Shadows 群英侠影录 A traditional wuxia novel steeped in history. It is a story of love and vengeance for family and country, of chivalrous heroes and young gallants in fine clothes riding spirited steeds. The novel creates a vast jianghu and an expansive world of martial arts. Its breadth of martial arts, number of schools, and cast of characters are among its defining features. Inspired by the narrative methods and writing styles of Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong, every word has been independently conceived and writt 1.5kReads—Score15114d adds
- 137 The Blood of Youth 少年歌行 The live-action adaptation of The Blood of Youth premieres exclusively on December 26. A passionate young man dressed in red, a penny-pinching owner of a dilapidated tavern, and the first disciple of a powerful martial clan: the three seem to have nothing in common, until they meet one snowy night. Each with their own agenda, they set out together to escort a coffin made of gold to the frontier city of Bilo. Along the way, they are hunted by forces from every side: the elite assassin duo Yue Ji 5.3kReads9.5Score64714d adds
- 138 I Only Wanted to Roam the Martial World, but You Insisted I Become a Marquis 我明明想混江湖，你非逼我当侯爷 No transmigration, no rebirth, no golden finger. An original fictional historical martial arts world, where the imperial court is not far above and the martial world is not far away. When Yi Yuntian was eight, he protected five-year-old Mu Xiaoxiao and was imprisoned by order of the foolish former emperor. After twelve years, the emperor’s wise son, Xuanyuan Yi, told me that his father had been somewhat out of line. He not only set me free, but also made me a marquis. What? You’re asking what I 539Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 139 From the Start, a Brocade-Clad Guard: I Berate My Superior 开局锦衣卫：怒喷上司 When Shen Mo woke up, he discovered he had become a member of the Imperial Guards and acquired a Mind and Body Happiness System. In his past life, he’d spent his days as a workhorse, meek and submissive. This time, he was going to let loose. Whoever messed with him would get what was coming to them! If someone made him miserable, he’d make sure they suffered too! He’d put personal decorum aside and enjoy a life of going wild. Shen Mo: “If someone insults me, I’ll curse their whole family. If som 28.1kReads9.3Score1.5k14d adds
- 140 Father, I Only Want to Be a Prince 父皇，我只想当个王爷 In the 115th year of the Jingli era, the realm was in turmoil, with three kingdoms standing in opposition. On that day, Ye Zhuo, heir to the Prince of Shou, opened his eyes after being unconscious for three years... Ye Zhuo only wanted to live a quiet, carefree life as a hedonistic playboy. But he was so outstanding that he shone wherever he went. See how Ye Zhuo carves out a path to becoming a wise prince in this chaotic age, one that belongs to him alone! 29.7kReads8.7Score2.5k14d adds
- 141 Wuxia Crossover: I Use the Jianghu to Shake the Imperial Court 综武：我以江湖动朝堂 My name is Jiang Yin. I'm a wandering martial artist who takes jobs for pay. With a sword and a finger, I sweep through the martial world. Before I knew it, all my enemies were dead, while my friends were scattered across the land. 42.8kReads8.9Score3k14d adds
- 142 The Cloud Tower Rankings 云楼榜 A child abandoned during a time of war was reunited with his parents at the age of fourteen. Only then did he discover that his parents were the Great Yue Empire's Grand Generals Who Guard the Nation. But his true identity was even more astonishing: he was the leader of the world's most mysterious sect, as well as one of the few martial artists to have reached the Grandmaster realm... 805Reads5.2Score—14d adds
- 143 Bloodshed on Mount Wudang 血溅武当山 A weather-beaten young man gradually finds his way through confusion, survives against all odds in a world plunged into chaos, and steadily gets everything he wished for. But he loses things far more precious, such as family, friendship, and love. If only time could turn back. 1.4kReads6.6Score10814d adds
- 144 Blades and Spears 锋戈 Alternate History: In an era when rites and music have crumbled, a grand struggle for supremacy begins. Heroes and ambitious warlords rise side by side. Who will be the one to contend with Heaven, bring the chaos to an end, and usher in a whole new age? 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 145 Reborn in The Return of the Condor Heroes: Dual Cultivation Makes Me Young Again 魂穿神雕双修可返老还童 An accident sends ordinary man Zhou Baitong transmigrating into the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, where he bizarrely swaps souls with the Old Imp Zhou Botong. When he wakes, he possesses peerless martial arts, breaks free of worldly constraints, and roams the jianghu of The Return of the Condor Heroes. Amid the enchanting romance of a turbulent age, he encounters the cool, otherworldly Little Dragon Maiden, the brilliant Huang Rong, the obsessive Li Mochou, and a host of other peerle 21.2kReads—Score1.1k14d adds
- 146 The Silent Sword’s Path to Immortality 默剑长生 Modern painter Shen Mo transmigrates into the body of a constable’s son in the Great Liang dynasty. Using the Daoist art of ink painting as a key to cultivation, he turns ordinary skills into a path to immortality, practicing amid the everyday bustle of life as he sets foot on the road to becoming an immortal... 4.3kReads9.3Score39014d adds
- 147 Dashing Youth 少年白马醉春风 The long street was steeped in danger, loud and chaotic. A butcher wielding a cleaver brought it down, carving flowers into bone. An old woman selling embroidered shoes teased a flame from her candle with a needle. Not a soul could be found a hundred feet away. Then there was the oil seller, with eighteen swords hidden in his sleeves, always watching the steamed-bun shop across the street and its little beauty, whose hands could tear away one face and give her nine new ones. At the end of the st 11.5kReads9.4Score1.3k14d adds
- 148 Transmigrators Who Pretend to Be Each Other Have a System 互演的穿越者们有系统 [Ensemble cast + transmigration + forum + ancient wuxia + no romance] The transmigrators arrived in a wuxia world. Some got the harem rivalry plot, some became reclusive masters, and others were in a classic wuxia story... But none of them had a golden finger. Faced with System missions on hell mode, they chose to start by making a post on the forum. Young Hero of the Jianghu: Watch me kill myself 1L: Details, please 2L: You again? 3L: How did you die again? Scholar: Need help writing an imperia 15.2kReads9.4Score1.8k14d adds
- 149 Chaos Divine Tribulation 混沌神劫 He was once the Demon Lord of the Upper Realm. After his beloved betrayed him, the Six Realms joined forces to attack. On the brink of death, he escaped with a secret technique. To evade his pursuers, he erased his memories and reincarnated his soul. But who could have guessed that his beloved would betray him again in his new life? This repeating fate awakened the Demon Lord once more, setting him on an endless path of revenge... 51Reads—Score—14d adds
- 150 Embroidered Guard, Fangs Bared 锦衣獠牙 [Adapted into several short dramas and animated dramas. Witty, lighthearted, slice-of-life comedy, ridiculous antics, sly tricks, and absurd humor.] After the old Taoist finished chanting, he shouted, “Begone! Soul, return to your body!” Li Xiaoya’s body jerked inside the coffin. He sat bolt upright, opened his eyes, and asked in confusion, “Where am I?” “(⊙_⊙)” The old Taoist performing the ritual rolled his eyes back and promptly fainted on the spot. Also known as: [Relax, How Many People Have 34.9kReads9.1Score3.7k14d adds
