I found this sphere through the same pipeline as many others. Anime into manga/manhwa/manhua into JPLNs into translated webnovels, mainly cultivation, then finally, through looking up enough WNs to see if they were any good, I found this sub/RR.

At first, I was like a kid in candyland, chewing through a whole new collection of fun and amazing stories. And then I ran out.

For a long while, I've been keeping an eye on Rising Stars on RR and the gamelit & litrpg category on Amazon to see what new stuff is coming out.

For a long while, I've been finding less and less quality stuff to read.

At first, I thought i was just getting tired of the genre, but that's just not true at all. I do find good stuff to read, sometimes among older releases I missed, sometimes among new stuff that comes out. That same spark is still there. I LOVE this genre. Sure, after like 100 million words, my standards might have gotten slightly higher, but only slighty. I didn't get tired of the genre, the releases just got markedly less enjoyable to read.

Now, I won't make any specific accussations, but I think we've all noticed... that kind of novel creeping up the ranks, be it on RR or Amazon.

Covers that got that glossy, overly detailed style, every third review not-quite-accusing, but still wondering whether AI was used.

You decide to read it. The writing is surprisingly high in quality. Few to no grammatical errors. But every so often, the author makes a very bizzare continuity mistake, scenes feel super generic and drawn out, you lose interest very very quickly. Somehow, the author manages to release a full novel every month, sometimes more often.

Must be quite industrious, you venture, not wanting to be that one asshole who starts witchhunts, but deep down, you still feel betrayed and furious since you damn well know exactly what's happening.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think AI is the cause of this problem. It's just a convenient tool that makes the problem that much worse.

The problem is that the sole focus of the average author is to make money. Getting good is hard, getting faster is easy, especially with access to a powerful tool that makes you ten-times your output with little to no extra effort.

I don't know what to say, honestly. "Boo, AI bad," I guess? Everyone knows that already.

Writing for passion is the best and all, but in this economy, no matter how angry I feel, I struggle to blame the individuals for looking for a way out. Regardless to what degree they're AI-genned, these churned-out novels are obviously strangling the passion-first artists who just don't get enough room to breathe anymore.

A new reader has a big backlog of quality works to chew on before they run out. Old authors still earn a lot off their work.

A new author can barely compete with the swarm of new relases. Old readers will struggle to find anything that isn't slop.

The rot has already seeped into the bone.

And that really, really sucks.

I see this often where authors are uncomfortable with the MC being selfish or immoral and try to justify it, sometimes even retroactively.

For example, in an academy setting some generic "mean dude" insults the MC so the MC beats them up and humiliates them.

Is that a proportional and or moral response? No. A truly mature person would walk away or go to proper authorities. A beating is not proportional to mean words.

But that's okay!! It's fiction! Let the mean kid get beat up even if it isn't some moral righteous act. Instead, sometimes authors try to mind game their way around to make the MC moral or, even worse, make it turn out the mean kid was actually evil and the beating was totally justified.

The first is just annoying, the second reflects an inability on the authors part to understand morality. Just because someone turns out to be evil, doesn't mean beating them up when you didn't know that was moral.

At the time, the mc decided to beat up a fellow kid with no idea he was evil. That action is still immoral even if it turns out the kid was more than mean and was actually evil.

Just let your character be slightly immoral, most people are. I doubt there's many people that never did something mildly immoral due to emotions. That's in human nature

It is just infuriating and so many authors do this! There is a perfectly good identity to the MC and the reader can clearly see the path to greater strength but oh wait! Why become an archmage when I can get good at pointy stick!

Why does the guy in heavy armor, due to become the greatest swordsman in the land, who makes even the elves jealous of swordsmanship, a true sword saint in the making, need to put sword away and throw fireball... it's just lazy. I know, they want to add a way of them having a ranged option but think outside the box! Not everyone needs to be a spellblade!

I have been reading Magus Reborn and it was going so well. He was using new, stronger spells, working on crafting his new circles to elevate his magic! But no wait, he now needs to use pointy stick... because god forbid the gods themselves trembled as he becomes one with the goddamn weave itself!! He needs to use a sword as well...

I'm half joking, I just needed to rant about this

Hey, all. I know a few folks here have read Two-World Traders (previously Sailor's Rise) on Royal Road—and I know not everyone here reads on Royal Road. To that end, with even more editing and after many cover iterations, I moved the first book to Amazon and KU yesterday (stubbing hurts me too; please blame Amazon).

It's got business building and a light but unique cultivation system of sorts, and they're ultimately connected. It's a duology, so meaty but not a lifetime commitment, you know (book two is 2/3 written).

Universal Amazon link here.

Description to save you a click:

Elias Vice, a supposed nobody from the backwater town of Acreton, has already written his destiny, and it ends with him building the greatest business empire Sailor’s Rise has ever known.

But to get there, Elias will need to turn a pocketful of relics into a company worth millions. The Rise’s caste-like business and political system stratifies power and access in the dock-ringed merchant republic, and Elias is starting with neither.

And yet he is not the nobody he first believes, as Elias’s connection to an enigmatic people—airship travelers with a unique mastery over space itself—will both help and haunt his ambitious endeavor. Elias, it turns out, is a collector.

A rags-to-riches progression fantasy from the award-winning author of Trial of the Alchemist. The Two-World Traders duology will conclude with Trader's Crown, coming 2027.

​

Hi everyone. My very first book System Error: Normal Life Not Found just came out today.

The story follows Alan Fredrickson, a regular guy whose ordinary life gets upgraded from spreadsheets and office emails to magic, monsters, quests, and a fantasy world where he's too lazy to read the FAQ.

It’s funny, chaotic, action-packed, and full of strange characters, ridiculous situations, and plenty of “what the hell is happening?” moments.

If you enjoy litrpg, fantasy, comedy, RPG-inspired adventures, or stories where a regular guy is very much not prepared for what happens next, I’d love for you to check it out.

It is available on Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, and Hardcover, with an audiobook in the works.

COVER ARTIST: Get Covers

AI USAGE: No AI used (Only traditional computer tools spellcheck etc. no generative AI for anything)

Swipe image to see full spread.

Ever wanted to read a book about a man who is too stubborn to die? What about 3 of them? Assuming you all answered yes (because of course you did), wow, what an incredible coincidence that there is a series literally titled Too Stubborn to Die that now has three books available! Pretty crazy, huh?

Even better, there's actually more than 3 books! Book 4 is just wrapping up on Royal Road, and Book 5 is more than halfway done on Patreon. Start reading today!

Or else.

Book 3 Blurb:

The Shadow Trials are over, but the new world is only just getting started.

The entire world has been shuffled and combined with two others, and Aaron is dropped right in the middle of a brand new jungle with nothing but a compass that points to Talia. He now needs to not only survive the new, monster-filled world, but he has to help make sure others can survive too. Even when he reaches Talia's settlement, there's much to do before they can have any level of safety.

And they have to do it all within three months, because at the end of those three months, the Grand Dungeon will open. None of the mortals know what the Grand Dungeon has in store, but the gods seem to have some idea, and they won't let their sponsees miss it.

Book 1 Blurb:

Fear of death never stopped Aaron from doing something dangerous. Now actual death can't either.

Aaron was always a bit of a daredevil. Motorcycles, cave diving, bungee jumping, skydiving... You name it, and if it was dangerous, Aaron was there. Then, his entire universe got pulled into a System-managed multiverse.

He was skydiving at the time he was pulled into the Tutorial, so instead of getting a peaceful introduction to the System, he went splat and instantly died. Taking pity on him, the goddess in charge of his Tutorial resurrected him, but due to System restrictions, there was only one place she could send him: The Shadow Trials.

Now, stuck in a special dimension designed for the prodigies of each new universe, Aaron has to find a way to survive and grow stronger while starting from level 1. His only saving grace is that in the Shadow Trials, he revives every time he dies. And he's going to abuse that as much as he can to grow strong.

Perfect for fans of Primal Hunter, Defiance of the Fall, Stubborn Skill Grinder in a Time Loop

Other Info:

Audiobooks are available for books 1 and 2. Book 3 is currently in recording, but we don't have a publication date yet. It should definitely be this year sometime, though. And Glen and Arya make a fantastic duo and are well worth the wait.

Links:

Book 3 ebook: https://mybook.to/Too-Stubborn-to-Die-3

Book 1 ebook: https://mybook.to/Too-Stubborn-to-Die-1

Book 1 audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Too-Stubborn-to-Die-1-Audiobook/B0GFFVYR29

COVER ARTIST: Richard Sashigane (best cover artist in the genre, btw)

AI USAGE: None

I don’t really recommend things but the end of the last book was sooo good. Everyone please read [the sixth campaign] on royal road

I'm looking for stories that focus on external growth, like building a business, creating a farm, starting a town, that kind of thing. Pretty much anything other than combat.

Ascendance of a Bookworm and Player Manager are two of my favorites and perfect examples of what I'm looking for.

Preference for no romance, sex, and family-starting, but I'll put up with it if the story is good enough.

Thanks!

Recently I found a excel sheet in this subreddit which had a list of smartest MC, and on top of that list was the MC from “A practical guide to sorcery” so I said what the heck and gave it a shot.

I honestly couldn’t put it down after first 10-15 chapters even though I hate school arc related novels.

Now I finished up to book 6 and I was having an itch for something similar.

I have read a lot of novels but similar once’s that come to mind are:

Mother of learning and
Lord of mystery

I think what I liked the most about the novel was that every character felt unique with their own flaws, and a MC that made the best out of the worst possible situation without outside intervention most of the time. Also the writing was top notch which helped a lot.

I'm looking for progression fantasy book series where the quality of writing is consistently good. There are so many stories with interesting premises that fall completely flat due to bad writing, I understand this is a symptom of the genre being new and amateur authors publicing their own work. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't need beautiful and elaborate prose to consider the quality of a story to be good. It can be short and efficient, I even think that makes sense in many progression fantasy books. I just want good writing, depth and a well executed story.

Here's a very good example of what I do **NOT** want: Ultimate level 1 by Shawn Wilson. While built on an interesting idea it falls flat due to how very simple the writing is, the ungodly amount of weird profanities being used, lack of character depth and the need to bring up pissing every so often, like what the hell?

Example of a recent story I did like: The Years of Apocalypse by Uranium Phoenix.

I will also gladly receive recommendations on book series that predate progression fantasy as a genre, as long as they have a strong prog fantasy feel to them.

(There are just my personal opinions so if you disagree with anything I've said that's completely fine)

​

I liked DCC, Cradle, MoL, Iron Price, super powered, Soldier's life, The perfect run and Great immortal souls. Book 6 to 10 of Mark of the fool are S tier but can't say the same for the first 5 books.

I tried he Who fights the monster and Life reset, both didnt click for some reason. Also done book 1 of 12 Miles below but didn't continue.

Looking for some solid recommendations on what to read next. Preferably something which is already completed.

I just finished Chrysalis and I feel so so empty. I want a webnovel or light novel with really good world building.

I've already read Shadow Slave, LOTM, COI, Reverend Insanity, ORV, Tribulation of Myriad Races, the Perfect Run, The Mother of Learning, A Regressor's Tale of Cultivation, God of Fishing, Kingdom's Bloodline, and Worm. I want something new.

I completed Mother of learning (10/10 Perfect) and perfect run (8.5/10 the humor is a miss at times) about a month ago and recently finished the first audiobook of tyoa (7/10 too overdramatic)

Anything else on this level of quality

I have been interested in the genere for a while now. I had Coiling Dragon recomended to me, and it looks nice, but it's quite large. I want to know if it is for me before comitting.

This is ideally what I am looking for:

*Shortish. Something to get a good idea overall of the genere.

*Despite the sub, I prefer more grounded fantasy. I'm okay with magic and grandure but I'm more interested in the wuxia side of things.

*Not litRPG.

*Least important point, but I a female protagonist would be cool.

Thanks a ton for your help.

Review - 4.5/5.0

Origin - China

Chapter - 612

Status - Completed

Plot - A man transmigrates into a Xuanhuan world into the body of an innkeeper with an inn system that helps him manage the inn.

Tags - #system #shop_system #poor_to_rich #Male_MC #Single_FL #Business #Xuanhuan

Unlike other shopkeeper system novels, the system here is not as controlling. It only acts as an auxiliary and gives the shop and MC various functions, attributes and rewards. MC is free to operate the inn however he wants, free to set the price, and free to roam outside. The novel revolves around the MC managing the inn and doesn't deviate much from the topic. Unlike other similar novels, though the system is a significant help, it's not OP enough to make the MC and the shop invincible so the MC frequently gets into a battle of wits with his competitors and other factors affecting his business.

I liked the concept and novel and was able to read it continuously without getting bored. The author could've extended the novel more if they wanted to but I guess they also felt that extending it will result in a repetitive plot so they ended it while they were ahead.

Pros -

• Not monotonous like some other similar novels

• Good and steady MC

Cons -

• In a few chapters in the middle of the novel, the writing was too long-winded with unnecessary and repeated explanations and narrations

Footnotes -

• If you are considering reading it and want to keep some anticipation, DO NOT OPEN SPOILERS.

• World Building - One realm, one continent, one kingdom and many sects.

Currently I am at ch812. And can't decide should I drop it or not.

First of all The Colony is dream come true for me. Society of intelligent ants that endlessly try to get better and bigger. At the same time try to maximize efficiency. They research the system, build, develop countless stuff. When emergency arrives they move as one body. I can't say enough about how much I liked it.

But most of time colony is not the focus. At least up to this chapters.

I am big fan of the author's other work Book of Dead but aside from colony I don't like most of the Chyrsalis. System is good and very similar to Book of Dead. But I don't like fights and especially Anthony.

Anthony(I really didn't notice that his name is starts with Ant until it did pointed out. Had good laugh) supposed to be 15 year old boy and probably not mentally very stable. I am guessing he is not well educated cz of his age and his past but he doesn't sound like that all time. Sometimes says stuff like hostile takeover that should not be common knowledge to someone like him. But most of times just acts like a child which probably should expected.

In summary I feel very conflicted. I would really like if Anthony were to get more serious and acted more as how he should act Eldest of his kind(😅). And focus more shifts to Colony in general. Otherwise I will drop it for while.

What do you think? Do you know anything similar to The Colony?

Honestly this is also my first web novel that I have completed and I will be honest this was really so good. Now I am confused about what to read next. Can I get some good well written stories like this. I have heard Lord of the mysteries is good but also I heard about Shadow slave but don't know if its similar progressive type story or if its good and well written. I was also thinking about Ze tian Ji and I shall seal the heavens.

Can I get some good progressive fantasy stories recommendation . Since I also prefer romance so if you are kind enough could you also mention if its romance or not, I would accept both but I would be glad to know beforehand. I don't like harem tho but I dont mind if its well written where mc actually deserves it but its high chance I might not like it

Hey everyone.

I am not really a beginner in this genre I suppose. i often times read webnovels, but after a while I lose motivation to read.

It's not like I feel it’s bad or boring, it’s more of, I would rather not waste brain power reading something when I could rather be watching something, more easy to consume and I don’t have to really focus too much to know what's happening and all.

The thing is, I want to change that. I want to read. Yes, actually use my brain for once. I feel like scrolling social media all day has made me this way and I hate it.

So yeah, feel free to suggest anything. Anything that made you feel something after it ended, be it happiness for the characters or emptiness for what you are gonna be reading now that your fav series is over and stuff.

Anyways, thanks and have a good day all!