Top Chinese Web Novels of All Time

诡秘之主 · Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

Klein Moretti transmigrates into an alternate Victorian-era world filled with Lovecraftian horrors and a mysterious tarot-based power system. Widely regarded as the greatest Chinese web novel ever written for its intricate plotting and world-building.

天官赐福 · Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Xie Lian, a martial god who ascended and fell three times, meets the mysterious ghost king Hua Cheng. A sweeping tale of devotion, redemption, and 800 years of unwavering love, set in a richly imagined celestial world.

蛊真人 · Gu Zhen Ren

Fang Yuan, a 500-year-old demonic cultivator, is reborn and pursues eternal life with ruthless pragmatism. Banned in China for its amoral protagonist, it is considered a masterpiece of the cultivation genre with an unmatched power system.

魔道祖师 · Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Wei Wuxian, the feared Yiling Patriarch, is reborn 13 years after his death and reunites with Lan Wangji to uncover a dark conspiracy. The source material for 'The Untamed', it is the most internationally famous danmei novel.

全知读者的视角 · Sing Shong

Kim Dokja is the sole reader of a web novel that becomes reality. Using his knowledge of the story, he navigates apocalyptic scenarios. A Korean masterpiece hugely popular on CN platforms.

我欲封天 · Er Gen

Meng Hao, a failed scholar, is kidnapped into a cultivation sect and embarks on a grand journey toward Immortality. Known for its philosophical depth, emotional storytelling, and a protagonist who grows from a cunning trickster into a legend.

宿命之环 · Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

Set in the Lord of the Mysteries universe, Lumian Lee investigates strange loops in his village and gets drawn into a web of cosmic conspiracies. Expands the beloved LotM world with a new protagonist.

琅琊榜 · Hai Yan

Mei Changsu, a brilliant strategist hiding behind a frail exterior, orchestrates an intricate plan to clear his father's name and place the rightful heir on the throne. Source material for the acclaimed TV drama.

撒野 · Wu Zhe

Jiang Cheng, a boy abandoned by his adoptive family, meets Gu Fei in a run-down neighborhood. A painfully realistic coming-of-age danmei about two boys healing each other.

将进酒 · Tang Jiu Qing

Shen Zechuan and Xiao Chiye, two men bound by enmity and political intrigue, become entangled in a fight for survival as their empire collapses. One of the greatest political danmei novels.

小心那只鸡 · Casualfarmer

Jin Rou, a transmigrator in a xianxia world, decides to just farm instead of cultivating. His farm animals accidentally become the most powerful beings. An English xianxia that took the genre by storm.

全职高手 · Butterfly Blue

Ye Xiu, a legendary esports player forced into retirement, starts over on a new server with a self-made character. A masterful story about passion, skill, and comeback in the competitive gaming world, with no cultivation or magic systems.

一念永恒 · Er Gen

Bai Xiaochun, a timid young man terrified of death, enters a cultivation sect and causes chaos everywhere with his bumbling yet brilliant nature. The funniest novel Er Gen has written, with surprising emotional depth.

一世之尊 · Er Gen

Xu Qing, an orphan in a post-apocalyptic cultivation world tainted by a fallen god, survives through cunning and ruthlessness. Er Gen's latest and arguably most mature work, with stunning world-building.

末日之后的开始 · TurtleMe

King Grey, the strongest king, is reborn as Arthur Leywin in a magical world. While originally English, it draws heavily from Chinese web novel cultivation conventions and is massively popular on the same platforms.

我的房间通往地狱 · I Fix Air-Conditioner

Chen Ge inherits a failing haunted house attraction and receives a mysterious phone with missions that lead to real ghosts. A masterful blend of genuine horror and unexpected humor.

重生之将门毒后 · Qian Shan Cha Ke

Shen Miao, an empress betrayed and killed along with her family, is reborn at age 14 and plots meticulous revenge. A masterful historical rebirth novel with a brilliant female lead.

垃圾伯爵家的公子 · Yoo Ryeo Han

Cale Henituse transmigrates as a trash noble in a fantasy novel and tries to live a quiet life, but keeps accidentally becoming a hero. While Korean, it dominates the same readership and platforms.

二哈和他的白猫师尊 · Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Mo Ran, a tyrannical emperor who destroyed the world, is reborn as a young disciple and must face the master he once killed. An epic, emotionally devastating danmei with one of the best redemption arcs.

杀破狼 · Priest

In an alternate Qing Dynasty powered by a mysterious fuel called violet gold, two men navigate war, politics, and forbidden love. A steampunk danmei masterpiece.

小蘑菇 · Yi Shi Si Zhou

An Zhe, a mushroom who has gained sentience, infiltrates human society in a post-apocalyptic world. A hauntingly beautiful danmei about identity, humanity, and love between species.

黄金台 · Cang Wu Bin Bai

Two men in a political marriage discover genuine affection while navigating court conspiracies. A beloved comfort danmei praised for its healthy, supportive relationship.

余污 · Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou

Mo Xi, a righteous general, and Gu Mang, a fallen war hero, are trapped in a web of betrayal and lost memories. A tragic, war-torn danmei with incredible emotional weight.

庆余年 · Mao Ni

Fan Xian, born with memories of modern Earth, navigates the political intrigues of an imperial court while uncovering the truth about his mysterious mother. Source material for the hit drama.

隐形之龙 · Durandal

A legendary web novel that is intentionally badly written and has become a cult classic for its absurdity. Often cited as the most entertainingly terrible novel ever created.

流浪旅馆 · pirateaba

Erin Solstice finds herself in a fantasy world and decides to run an inn. While English-original, it is one of the most-read novels on web novel platforms globally and a landmark of the genre with over 12 million words.

凡人修仙传 · Wang Yu

Han Li, a poor village boy with no special talent, enters the cultivation world and survives through wit, caution, and relentless effort. Praised for its realistic portrayal of cultivation where talent isn't everything.

人渣反派自救系统 · Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Shen Yuan transmigrates into the scum villain of a cultivation novel he hated and must prevent the protagonist from killing him. A hilarious meta deconstruction of web novel tropes with genuine emotional depth.

仙逆 · Er Gen

Wang Lin, a talentless youth, steals a bead from an ancient cultivator and defies the heavens through sheer determination. Er Gen's debut novel, praised for its dark tone and deeply complex protagonist.

放开那个女巫 · Er Mu

A modern engineer transmigrates into a medieval prince's body and uses scientific knowledge to build an industrial revolution in a world of witches and demons. A masterclass in kingdom-building fiction.

修真四万年 · The Enlightened Master Crouching Cow

Li Yao, a cultivation genius in a sci-fi civilization, wrestles with philosophical questions about cultivation, democracy, and morality. Starts as standard cultivation but becomes an incredible philosophical sci-fi epic.

暴食的再临 · Ro Yu-jin

Seol Jihu, a gambling addict, gets a second chance in a parallel world called Paradise. While Korean in origin, it shares platforms and readership with Chinese web novels and is a top recommendation.

奥术神座 · Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

Lucien Evans, a transmigrator, uses real-world physics and chemistry knowledge to revolutionize magic in a medieval fantasy world. Features fascinating integration of real science into magic theory.

我真不是邪神走狗 · Not Poking

Lin Jie, a bookstore owner from Earth, transmigrates and innocently recommends books to customers who interpret them as evil god scriptures. A brilliant comedy of misunderstandings.

超级装备 · Park Saenal

Shin Youngwoo, the unluckiest VRMMORPG player, becomes 'Grid' with a legendary blacksmith class and slowly transforms from an incompetent loser into a king. Korean, hugely popular on CN platforms.

千秋 · Meng Xi Shi

Shen Qiao, a blind Daoist sect leader, is pushed off a cliff and rescued by the demonic sect leader Yan Wushi. A beautifully written wuxia danmei about contrasting philosophies.

天涯客 · Priest

Zhou Zishu, a spy master who sacrificed his own lifespan for freedom, meets the eccentric Ghost Valley master Wen Kexing. Source material for the drama Word of Honor.

烈火浇愁 · Priest

Sheng Lingyuan, an ancient emperor sealed for millennia, awakens in the modern world and meets Xuan Ji, a fire-wielding bureaucrat. A danmei that blends ancient mythology with modern urban fantasy.

余烬 · Priest

In a world where witches' magic is fading, Zhu Zhao and the young witch Sheng Lingyuan navigate a crumbling world order. Another masterwork from Priest with stunning world-building.

将夜 · Mao Ni

Ning Que, a soldier carrying a dark secret, enters the academy and challenges the established order of heaven and earth. One of Mao Ni's finest works with beautiful prose and philosophy.

地牢防御 · Yoo Heon-Hwa

A genius manipulator becomes the weakest demon lord and must scheme his way to survival. While Korean, it's a legendary villain-protagonist novel on CN/EN platforms.

亏成首富从游戏开始 · Icy Night

Pei Qian receives a system where he must lose money in business, but every venture accidentally becomes wildly successful. A brilliantly comedic business novel.

我想成为影之强者 · Daisuke Aizawa

Cid Kagenou pretends to be a shadow mastermind but accidentally becomes one. A Japanese isekai phenomenon that dominates CN/EN web novel platforms.

盘龙 · I Eat Tomatoes

Linley Baruch, a young noble from a fallen clan, discovers a mysterious ring that sets him on a path to become the most powerful being in the multiverse. One of the foundational works that popularized Chinese web novels in the West.

斗罗大陆 · Tang Jia San Shao

Tang San, a prodigy from the Tang Sect, reincarnates into a world where everyone possesses unique martial spirits. He combines hidden weapon techniques with his new spirit abilities to become the strongest Spirit Master.

巫界术士 · The Plagiarist

Leylin Farlier, a scientist reborn in a magical world, uses an AI chip from his past life to systematically analyze and exploit magic. Features a calculating, morally grey protagonist who treats magic as science.

修真聊天群 · Legend of the Paladin

Song Shuhang, an ordinary college student, is accidentally added to a WeChat group full of ancient cultivators who discuss immortality like everyday chat. A genre-defying comedy that subverts cultivation tropes.

修真世界 · Fang Xiang

Zuo Mo, a zombie-faced disciple obsessed with making money through farming, is dragged into the wider cultivation world. Praised for its unique MC, excellent side characters, and satisfying kingdom-building.

超神机械师 · Chocolion

Han Xiao wakes up inside a sci-fi game as an NPC and uses meta-knowledge to manipulate players and become the most legendary mechanic in the galaxy. Brilliant meta-gaming and strategy.

我师兄实在太稳健了 · Get to the Point

Li Changshou transmigrates into the Primordial era of Investiture of the Gods and decides to survive by being extremely cautious and low-key. A hilarious deconstruction of cultivation novel protagonists.