Meng Hao is a broke sixteen-year-old orphaned scholar who has failed the imperial exams three times — until he and his friends are abducted by a cultivation sect desperate for recruits. Thrown into a world of immortal techniques, sect politics, and power hierarchies he never asked to join, Meng Hao discovers that the path of cultivation suits his quick wits and opportunistic nature perfectly. What begins as survival quickly becomes something far larger.

Meng Hao is cunning, frugal to the point of comedy, and quietly devoted to those he loves. Unlike many xianxia protagonists, he develops a coherent philosophy rather than simply growing stronger — his outlook on life and cultivation shifts meaningfully across the series. Readers often describe him as one of the most memorable MCs in the genre.

Across ten books, Meng Hao ascends from a low-ranked outer sect member to one of the most powerful figures in the cultivation world, facing enemies from mortal clans to ancient Paragons. The series is renowned for blending genuine pathos with sharp comedy — Meng Hao's love of money, his friendship with the cheerful Fatty Li, and his devotion to Xu Qing ground the cosmic stakes in recognizable humanity. The final volumes deliver on decade-spanning promises with sweeping emotional resonance.