Question History's Strongest Senior Brother

Discussion in 'Novel Discussion' started by Void King, Jun 29, 2021.

  1. Void King

    Void King Active Member

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    Can anybody tell me what kind of novel this is.
    I read the first chapter and was pretty confused by it so please give me a explanation about this novel.
     
  2. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    You should read the tag.
    I read Strongest Founder which is similar.

    I will try.

    Imagine you got transferred into a Harry Potter world and you got to be Harry Potter 's senior.

    You know in advance where all the cool items are that can make you stronger.

    Check the tags.

    Chinese novels are so long that the story can change in the middle
     
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  3. Lisant

    Lisant Active Member

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    If you've read a bunch of xianxia you know how the MC is always a self-righteous person with a burning need to avenge every slight who has super absurd luck and goes around getting himself into all kinds of fights while arrogant spoiled idiots (aka "young masters") can't help going out of their way to antagonize him and become cannon fodder on the MC's road to supreme power while he proceeds to obliterate their whole faction and power up every time people try to beat him down. Xianxia novels get really formulaic about it.

    So, History's Strongest Senior Brother starts with the premise of a MC who is the senior brother / arrogant young master that picks a fight with stereotypical xianxia MC and escalates out of control while the MC destroys him. As the story starts, the "xianxia MC" (Ye Jing) already has a petty revenge motive to try to beat up the protagonist but in this case the protagonist is a transmigrator himself and understands what kind of absurd situation he got dropped into, so he's looking for ways to get a handle on this guy and avoid the conflict that's setting him up to get destroyed.

    It's a lot more entertaining if you've read those formulaic xianxias or are familiar with their tropes.

    But I have to say, the story gives up on its premise quite fast and after 100 chapters (once Ye Jing dies) it just turns into another generic xianxia. That's frankly disappointing, but the opening arc is still fun.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2021
  4. ExaltedCelestialDreamwalker

    ExaltedCelestialDreamwalker Active Member

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    Like what the person above me said it follows the premise of the young master protagonist and follows this trend for a good 300 chapters. However it becomes abundantly clear this is not a gimmick novel nor generic xianxia as if you read on and on the plot is really planned out with teasers and reveals a thousand chapters in the making.

    The author actually included a note that makes this abundantly clear that mythology is it's true premise. HSSB was conceived was essentially a Journey to the west sequel with a mystery on discovering the truth behind Sun Wukong and Buddha but morphed into HSSB. The senior brother part was most likely tacked on the last minute to add a draw as the novel is primarily a mystery, adventure story with alot of call backs and references to 2 classic chinese literature Fengshen Bang (Investiture of the gods) and Shi You Ji (Journey to the west). If you're a fan of chinese mythology then this novel is the one for you. It's expertly written with clear hints of passion, planning, and skill imbedded and a great read. It is far from generic xianxia.
     
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  5. Lisant

    Lisant Active Member

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    What happens overall is that as soon as the "dealing with xianxia protagonists" premise vanishes, the MC turns into another power-leveler who goes around slapping faces and posing self-confidently as he takes numerous absurd, protracted and unnecessary detours where he just so happens to serendipitously find something that helps his cultivation advancement or is otherwise relevant to his clan or the main plot in order to provide this filler threadbare justification for existing in the story. One opening premise is how the MC is going to strengthen his sect (like with the crystal furnace and his knowledge of lost arts) rather than simply being a one man show like every xianxia protagonist, but this premise is also quickly sidelined and ignored in favor of MC going on pointless side-trip adventures for loot and advancement (which he should not need, given his background).

    Given the extreme amount of subplot mothballing, narrative detours, dragging out of events, and other silly games played to undermine and neglect the capabilities the protagonist has been established to have because the author is not comfortable with a protagonist that could actually comfortably advance in his own place and dedicate some of his time towards bettering his faction instead of doing xianxia protagonist things, I am strongly led to the conclusion that when the author claims that it was always planned out as a journey to the west type story, he is lying. Likely the "journey to the west" stuff was planned out as part of the setting's backstory and material to work off of, but the direction he took the story was not. If he had truly planned out his story, he would not have resorted to extreme amounts of filler and generic adventures to buy himself time figuring out what he's going to do and he would not have begun deliberately undermining narrative premises that he grew uncomfortable with. A story that has been properly planned out does not require extreme detour filler or mothballing plotlines and narrative premises. These are the signs of someone who does not know what he is doing and is attempting to improvise his way out of a story he does not know how to write by turning it into a more generic story he can write.

    Even the Ye Jing plot starts to be put on a backburner in about 50 chapters because the author is not comfortable with a stereotypical xianxia protagonist being a serious antagonist to the main character as he is uncertain how to write that sort of challenge, and in essence reduces Ye Jing to tantrum-throwing cannon-fodder gone villainous that ultimately feels tangential rather than central to the main plot. After Ye Jing disappears, the author begins to increasingly downplay other xianxia protagonist-like figures and eventually abandons the entire story concept in the name and turns into another regular xianxia story for the most part.

    This is why I say outside the first 100 chapters (where the Ye Jing story is dealt with) the story turns into regular generic xianxia for the most part. When the original premise vanishes it's just the powerleveling adventures of Yan Zhaoge who spends an inordinate amount of time looking too cool for his enemies and just about always having the means to win. Yes, there are bigger villains than the immediate threat of the day and there is some narrative going on, but so does just about every xianxia.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2021
  6. howlblack

    howlblack Active Member

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    thanks for the heads up was planning to read this but after reading your post i changed my mind
     
  7. Lisant

    Lisant Active Member

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    The first 100 chapters are still entertaining. It's just that after the Ye Jing plot is resolved it loses its appeal and turns into a regular xianxia.
     
  8. ExaltedCelestialDreamwalker

    ExaltedCelestialDreamwalker Active Member

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    You have a really different thought about this then me. I did not see anything past 500 as a subplot but rather a adventuring to uncover history and growing stronger. Yan zhaoge does actually puts his knowledge to good use when he combats the other cosmic forces past 1000.

    The mythological setting is sorta established in chapter 1 but the set up for the big big plot starts around 300-400ish when the group wonders into a fog.

    HSSB is far superior to other Xianxia. Zhaoge doesn’t go around offending every second person. He has one instance where he fully let’s go in the beast realm but his disposition has always been that of a senior. You are either blatantly lying are you’ve read too little xianxia. If you considered it terrible as you imply then I wager the Xianxia genre is for you
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2021
  9. powwder

    powwder Well-Known Member

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    Very simply, it’s about a man who is super OP who is a cultivator in a sect. He is the “big brother” of the junior cultivators and solves literally every problem just because of how OP he is.