NU Link: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-ruler-of-darkness/ My review : To summarize the beginning, the MC, the elder son of a powerful family, has an exceptional talent and is very intelligent, but for some reason, he chose not to learn martial arts and lived solitary. (For whatever reason) he was imprisoned in a horrible condition and tortured. His limbs were chopped, his eyes were gouged out, and so on. At one point, while imprisoned, a voice spoke to him, and after a conversation, he decided to enter into a contract with it (the ruler of darkness). Genre: It's billed as a "martial arts" (or "murim") novel, but it's really more of a "politics, mystery, horror, and gore" read. Pros: 1. The protagonist is really smart and talented, but the side characters are also savvy enough to be believable, and the main characters are savvy enough to make you appreciate the MC's brain. One review I read even drew parallels between this novel and The Three Kingdoms. I don't know about that, but those who have read enough chapters seem to be obsessed with its intellectual battles. 2. The MC is not only clever but also powerful. Of course, given there are Cultivation Ranks, he is not overpowered from the start. (There are immortals and such.) 3. You'll watch the MC's fights through the eyes of his opponents, which is really cool. Cons: 1: It's not your typical martial arts; it's mixed martial arts, and it's brutal and dark. 2: It's a bit too dark, so you may not like it. Spoiler: How he levels up MC eats people; that's how he levels up.
@anzam12 @Holmauh Picked this up! Read here at: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-ruler-of-darkness/