Have to say CSG is one of the weaker WN among its genre. Its a story about a man who is at the peak of power in his world, whom died and was reborn into another world. Although having to "restart" his cultivation, he still has memories of his past life including techniques and foundation hence they aid his rise through power. Certain circumstances(offending a bigger faction) forced him into exile and from there he travels around to "level up" before facing the enemy.
I've labelled this WN as CSG Online precisely because it exactly plays out like an MMO with all its glory and its horrors. CSG has a weak writing as its main formula is Main Quest and Side Quests. Main Quest(the novel's Main Plot) happens every 10-20 level ups while the gap in between is stuffed with countless Side Quests. We have short Side Quests ranging from 1-2 chapters up to even big Chain Side Quests of several dozen chapters. Purpose? Loot/Money and to level up(level up his cultivation and break through realms), thats strictly it. The grind is real.
Now theres nothing absolutely wrong with this format but MMOs are notorious for the crazy and boring grind, the lackluster story in these side quests and disappointing main quest that noone cares about, players only care about PvP, loot, end-game and e-peen. This is the problem with CSG Online, it follows the MMO formula to the letter. The numerous side stories have minimal background development, close to no focus on its aftermath or concept of cascading consequences and very loosely tied with the main plot. They are also extremely random and pop out of nowhere so the story pacing and plot development is in utter chaos. Like a typical MMO, they're all hit and run, fire and forget, standalone Side Quests with its main aim being to level up and get some loot. Very little effort to concoct a grand plot with interweaving side stories. There is no soul to the stories.
Oh, and romance wise, for now its not the main focus but theres plenty of potential ladies but as all wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan novels, cultivation comes first.
One thing i do like about CSG Online though is its "no bullshit" in battles. The MC, Jian Chen is like an assassin. No need for flashy skills, no unnecessary moves, focus on minimal effort to deal a fatal strike. If you're a fan of shounen who likes "staged showdowns" like:
MC: Taste my level 4 Sky Wolf Blade!!!
Enemy: Urg!! Not bad, I'll show you my level 6 Tiger's Paw!!!
MC: Ahhh!!! I'm at a disadvantage!! Bankai!!! Level 7 Dragon Soul Domain!!!
Enemy: Level 8 Aegis Defence!!!
MC & Enemy: Lets end this fight with our strongest, most epic and most secret, one time use, level 99 skill!!!
You will be disappointed!!! CSG has non of that bullshit. Its all 1 shot 1 kill. Battles are for the most part short, sweet and simple. While major/hard battles focuses on utility, planning and cunning. MC has unorthodox tactics like large scale poisoning of enemies, pitting factions against each other, stealth assassinations or mix of parrying, baiting and feints to jump on opportune fatal strikes. He is a throat stabber, he relies on his incredible speed and agility and not stamina/endurance battle tactics. Now of course the cunning and guile is not that intricate(like i said, the WN has weak writing) but it certainly beats the overused "staged showdowns" therefore i appreciate the author's efforts here.
Besides that, like most of its genre, the MC is standard. He is quite strong, prideful and cares deeply for his loved ones however is not a good Samaritan, he won't go all out in his way to help a beggar on the sidewalk. Offend me or touch my family and i'll wipe out you clan. Revenge!!! You know, the usual stuff in Wuxia/Xianxia. Also main focus is on MC, so very little limelight on supporting characters, again like most Wuxia/Xianxia novels which is a shame.
Do take note that this review is just based on the first few hundred chapters, we're sitting at close to 400 so theres really a lot more content we've yet to read. To be honest, there isn't really sufficient chapters to throw down a fair review. I'm confident that it will get significantly better in the later chapters, maybe the author deliberately made the pacing of the main storyline slow. Personally, i'll still continue reading this, there is still potential. Afterall the main story of revenge on the other offending clan is kinda a sub-plot, because there is still the shrouded history of MC's mother/uncle who came from a fallen empire, this i believe will be the underlining heavy meat in CSG. Overall definitely not a horrendous WN but also not the best.
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