...I'm low-key allergic to a lot of the usual tropes: translocation/isekai, harem, face slapping (why is this so common, anyway?). I really enjoy dark fantasy, noir, mystery, thriller and character-driven novels. Does anyone have any cultivation books that continuously feed you little mysteries and questions that can only be answered by continuing to read? Recommendations don't have to include all of those, even just one is good enough for me. I'm fine with most other themes like romance, BL, GL, horror, even occasional smut. I love prose but it doesn't have to be very deep prose, just pretty and well-translated.
xianxia with no faceslapping? Might as well order a cheeseburger with no cheese Anyways, you might enjoy Ze Tian Ji. Doesn't really have much faceslapping and it's def a character driven novel with mysteries you uncover as the story progresses.
Maybe the untamed (The Founder of Diabolism) or heaven official's blessing, they're both bl though and by the same author
I've read and watched both - really enjoyed them! Heaven Official's Blessing especially. Gonna look into the other users recs though.
It's not Xianxia, but they are good novels. Embers Ad Infinitum Lord of the Mysteries Mother of Learning My House of Horrors My Iyashikei Game The Zombie Knight Saga
Joy of Life is also a transmigration harem so I'll pass on that one but I'm enjoying Nightfall so far. Where should I read Ze Tian Ji? It seems novelupdates doesn't have it in full.