Mad Snail, I Eat Tomatoes, Cocooned Cow, Little Sharp Blade, Er Gen.
No these aren't the mindless ramblings of an overworked firefighter. They are in fact the names of a few of the most popular Chinese web novel authors.
Previously, TWOC shed light on how writing Internet fiction is the real way to accumulate big Maos as an author in China. But apart from online smut, another genre has begun to blossom.
Wuxia and xianxia stories have been all the rage in China for a while and now many English speakers can find translations of these web novels on a variety of websites to read for free.
Wuxia and xianxia types of novels differ in one major way. Wuxia focuses mainly on martial arts and is normally set in a more mortal realm. Xianxia, on the other hand, leans heavily into the fantasy side of the genre, often chronicling an individual's journey from common man to deity. Think of it as wuxia mixed with Taoist beliefs.
Fortunately, both types are very similar in other aspects, especially when it comes to character development and progression. Here are just a few tropes to watch out for to help you get started on your journey through popular Chinese action web novels.
Different Body / Same Mind
The story has to begin somewhere and for most novels this involves the death the MC's physical body and the transplant of his soul into another's, usually from another world.
Reincarnation is deeply ingrained in eastern religion so it is unsurprising that this trope is heavily used to introduce a character and fantasy world.
Unfortunately, even though the MC will retain memories of his former life, this fact is often forgotten by the authors and thus not properly integrated as the story progresses.
I Must Become Strong
While the main character for a story can have a variety of backgrounds and development patterns, Chinese web novels normally follow the simple route of "weak to strong".
The protagonist starts off in dire straits. He—because this is the gender most commonly used—could be crippled in some way or is maybe a useless playboy that simply lives to spend his inheritance money. Either way, they are often considered trash by their peers.
　　
