Staff's Pick: Three Wuxiaworld Novels That Stayed With Me

Written by: Veela

Every reader has a few titles that stick with them long after the last chapter. That's what Staff's Pick is all about. In this series, different members of the Wuxiaworld team share the novels that left the biggest impression on them. Each entry comes from a different person with different tastes and a different reading history.

For this installment, you're hearing from me: Veela, an editor here at Wuxiaworld. I've gone through plenty of web novels across all kinds of genres, and narrowing things down to just three wasn't easy. But these aren't just novels I enjoyed at the time; they're the ones that stayed with me long enough to become a yearly re-read. They couldn't be more different from each other, but each one left a mark in its own way. All right, let's get into it.

A Will Eternal: Genuinely the Funniest Novel I've Ever Read

Some novels take a while to get going, but A Will Eternal hooked me from the very first chapter.

Written by Er Gen and translated by the legendary Deathblade, this xianxia web novel follows Bai Xiaochun, a young man with one simple goal of living forever. That fear of death pushes him into the world of cultivation, where he stumbles into one disaster after another, but almost all of them are his own fault. It's widely considered one of the funniest novels in the genre, and I'd say it definitely deserves that reputation.

What kept me reading wasn't just the humor, though. It was the fact that none of the comedy was wasted. Every joke, every absurd moment, and every bit of Bai Xiaochun's shameless scheming tie directly into the story. I don't think I went five chapters without laughing. The banter is absurd, the setups are clever, but somehow all of the "nonsense" matters.

However, the entire novel isn't a joke. There are real stakes, and Er Gen knows exactly when to get serious. Those moments hit particularly hard because the comedy already made you care. By the time the stakes go up, you're invested. The story did not force it, of course, as Bai Xiaochun's personality had pulled you in closer without you noticing it.

If you want something entertaining, fresh, and genuinely fun, I'd start with A Will Eternal.

Warlock of the Magus World: A Cold Pragmatist

Most web novels give you a hero. Warlock of the Magus World gives you Leylin Farlier, a cold and calculating pragmatist. And the world is damned if he's a hero. 

The story follows a scientist who transmigrates into the body of a young man in a fantasy world. From there, he climbs through the ranks by focusing on himself, attachments or relationships be damned.

Leylin is cold, calculating, and completely self-serving. He will lie, betray, and sacrifice others without a second thought if it helps him reach his goals. And that's exactly what makes this novel stick with you. Progression fantasy novels often have righteous protagonists who always end up on the moral high ground, so Leylin's consistency is a breath of fresh air. He is who he is from start to finish. Every choice he makes stays true to his character. There's no sudden change of heart and no hidden goodness waiting to come out. He fully commits to what he is.

This novel stayed with me because it did a great job of making me ponder the goodness and evilness of Leylin's actions. Of course, the worldbuilding and the story progression did wonders as well, making me crave a re-read at least once a year.

If you want a calculative, cold, pragmatic, and anything but a knight in shining armor protagonist, then Warlock of the Magus World is a must-read classic among all the fantasy web novels out there.

13 Mink Street: It Actually Made Me Feel Nervous and Afraid 

I've always loved horror, thriller, and mystery novels, so when I found out that the author of 13 Mink Street, Innocent Little Dragon, is one of the most well-known writers in the Chinese web novel scene, I knew I had to try it. And it did not disappoint.

13 Mink Street puts an ordinary man into a world where faith isn't just personal belief: it's the law. Churches run society, gods are real and present, and authority answers to doctrine. On the surface, everything is structured and controlled. But beneath that order lies something deeply unsettling. The novel takes its time, slowly pulling back layers of a world where the divine is managed and organized, but being managed does not mean receiving mercy.

This novel stands out because Innocent Little Dragon has a rare talent for building real tension and actual fear. I've read enough horror, thriller, and mystery novels to be mostly numb to it, but this novel still got me feeling like shouting. The dread builds slowly and carefully, and when things pay off, they all pay off in spades.

If you want a great mystery and thriller with supernatural elements, the kind that stays with you after you stop reading, 13 Mink Street is the one. And if you want to feel genuinely scared, nervous, and like a detective while reading a web novel, 13 Mink Street will do exactly that for you.

Final Thoughts

A hilarious novel with weighty jokes that are never wasted, a cold pragmatist who makes you question even your worldview itself, and a thriller, horror, and mystery novel that gets under your skin while making you feel like becoming a detective as well. These three novels couldn't be more different from each other, yet each one earned its spot on this list for the same reason—they all stayed with me.

A personal must-read web novels list isn't only about what you enjoyed. It's just as much about what stayed with you. I'm talking about stories that changed how you see the genre, the world, or reminded you of why you fell in love with reading in the first place. These three did that for me, and that's why I added them to the list. 

No Wuxiaworld reading list feels complete without at least one of these. So pick one and start reading.