Path to Transcendence by l-Ryn-l

I have read this on RoyalRoad and I have to say this novel started good but became really bad atleast up to the point I dropped.

The only good point that stayed with me was the power system, it was really entertaining. But apart from that I only remember the bad parts like the braindead mc, plot armour or what I personelly found most annoying, every 2 chapters or so there was a full chapter with just mc eating FOOD and the funny part was if I remember correctly every friend he made was because of food and I remember he even coincidently met a princess while eating her favourite cake or something.

Sigh. This is about what you'd expect of an mc with "von" in their name. The absolute patron saint of plot armor

anyone got any recs that are similar to this?

Reached ch. 397

This is an action litrpg novel with a cool power system. The fights are entertaining. The plot is OK enough to link the different action scenes, but nothing special and nonsensical at times.

It's weak part are the characters. The MC is brazen and stupid, and that wouldn't be a problem if he ever got punished for it. But ofc plot armor saves him everytime he gambles his life away (which is about every 5 chapters). All the powerful old guys he meets and talks disrespectful to are magically kind nice guys that like not being flattered all the time. He is also a moral justiciar that I kid you not is too prideful to kill trolls, monsters that attack humans, in their sleep because assassinating is beneath him He also feels the need to punish the wicked when he is weaker than them. So, he is a Garry stue that is liked but most people and forcefully gets to make friends this way. Villains are few and badly written and most of the characters I'm the novel fall into the archetype of nice guy.

I give this novel a 5/10, a rating I call good slop.

Had to drop cuz the mc plot armor was starting to really get on my nerves, especially with how wreckless and brain dead the mc action. Another thing that kinda annoyed me was I was expecting a loner mc base on the tag but this mc is definitely not a loner

Path to Transcendence — A Trial of Flesh, Will, and Excess Detail

This scripture walks a familiar road, yet not an entirely hollow one.

At its heart, Path to Transcendence is a litrpg cultivation of brutality......a tale where the protagonist does not posture like a jade-faced young master, but fights like a cornered beast. The MC is aggressive, instinct-driven, feral in battle.....yet not stupid. This balance alone already places him above the legion of meathead berserkers who mistake shouting for depth.

The characters are the novel’s strongest foundation. They possess distinct personalities, believable bonds, and.....rare mercy in this genre.....actual friendships. Companions are not decorative ornaments nor disposable arc-fillers. They joke, clash, grow, and move independently of the MC’s orbit. Female characters, in particular, are allowed to exist without instantly lunging toward the MC’s bed. Relationships develop slowly, through shared blood, sweat, and time....friendship before desire, trust before loyalty.

The action is vivid and well-described, fast yet readable, with a power system that is simple, intuitive, and easy to track. Numbers rise, but they do not drown the page. Combat feels earned, visceral, and animalistic—arguably the novel’s most consistent pleasure.

However........Dao demands balance, and balance demands honesty.

This scripture suffers deeply from excess.

The author has an obsession with detail that borders on self-sabotage. Detail itself is not sin.....but unceasing detail is. Every step, every thought, every reminder is repeated until even an attentive reader begins to feel insulted. Repetition becomes ritual, and ritual becomes fatigue. This is not a chronicle or journal; this is meant to be entertainment.

The pacing is slow, often unnecessarily so, and while the worldbuilding improves significantly past the mid-to-late chapters (around the 200+ mark), the early foundation feels thin and underdeveloped. The world takes too long to breathe while the prose insists on explaining how lungs work.

Then there is the matter of plot armor.

The MC routinely walks into danger he knows exceeds his limits......without preparation, without backup, without foresight.....only to survive through coincidence, intervention, or higher powers appearing conveniently on cue. Used sparingly, such protection can feel mythic. Used repeatedly, it hollows tension. When danger loses consequence, struggle becomes spectacle rather than trial.

The frequent reliance on higher powers shielding the protagonist risks turning a feral cultivator into a greenhouse flower....protected, watched, saved. Readers begin to feel that no situation truly matters, because fate will blink first.

The writing quality, while improved over time, still shows signs of insufficient proofreading and limited linguistic control. Word repetition, awkward phrasing, and POV hopping remain persistent distractions. These are not fatal flaws...but they are wounds that should have been treated earlier.

And yet.

Despite all this, the novel has real potential.

The plot flow is coherent. Continuity is mostly intact. The magic system is solid. The characters are charming. The author clearly possesses imagination and persistence....what they lack is restraint and refinement.

This is not a life-changing scripture. It is not a dao revelation.

But for the tired cultivator....the overworked student, the exhausted reader seeking straightforward progression, honest bonds, and satisfying combat.....this path offers steady footing and familiar warmth.

Read it not seeking transcendence.

Read it seeking momentum.

And perhaps, with time, the author themselves will ascend.

— Daoist Inkdrunkwanderer,
Drinking clarity from chaos,
praising merit, naming flaws,
owing allegiance to neither sect nor score.

I have read the novel in RoyalRoad and it is kinda good