REVIEW: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi, Vol. 3 (book) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, translated by Suika and Lianyin Pengie

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is a fantasy danmei (Chinese m/m) series. I bought my copy of this volume new.

This review includes slight spoilers.

Review:

If you're expecting this volume to pick up where the previous one left off, you'll be sorely disappointed, because the author starts this off with a 200-page flashback to Wei Wuxian's younger days, before he became known as the Yiling Patriarch, when Jiang Cheng still regarded him as a brother and lots of beloved family members were still alive. 

The Wen Clan of Qishan demands that each of the other clans send at least twenty sect disciples to Qishan to be "educated" by members of the Wen Clan. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian are two of the ones sent by the Jiang Clan. Lan Wangji is sent by the Lan Clan - which Wei Wuxian learns has been devastated by the Wen Clan. The group of sect members ends up at the mercy of Wen Chao, the youngest son of the leader of the Wen Clan, a bully who delights in sending them after yao beasts and then claiming their victories as his own. Things only get worse from there and eventually lead to Wei Wuxian inventing and embracing demonic cultivation.

Although there were some good moments, this wasn't really what I'd call a fun volume. It started off okay, and then you learned the Cloud Recesses were burned to the ground and Lan Wangji had been expressionlessly walking around on a broken leg. Instead of wallowing in tragedy, though, MXTX gave readers a battle against a giant tortoise monster, so that was nice.

Then the tragic stuff started to pile up again. It wasn't quite as bad reading it as it was watching it in the live action TV series, but I still had moments when I wanted to smack Jiang Cheng and tell him to stop taking his pain and grief out on Wei Wuxian. 

I really disliked Wen Chao and his mistress, Wang Lingjiao - they were both needlessly cruel and entirely worthless without the Wen Clan's power propping them up. That said, what happened to them was gruesome and horrific. The only one who saw a problem with any of it was Lan Wangji - everyone else (Jiang Cheng) was apparently fine with torture (including forced self-cannibalism) as long as it was their own side doing it.

While this was a downer of a volume, it did have several things I particularly liked. I've finally gotten enough on-page Wen Ning moments to confidently say that book Wen Ning is just as cute as live action TV series Wen Ning. Also, just as it was occurring to me that we hadn't seen enough of Jiang Yanli for her to be much more than "sweet girl who likes to cook," she finally got some good scenes. 

Oh, and also there was the kiss. It felt like a fan service bone thrown at readers in an otherwise dark volume. Incidentally, I noticed that there was nothing in the text that explicitly confirmed it was Lan Wangji - an illustration filled in that blank.

Two more volumes to go, and I know we're not done with the tragic flashbacks and whatever the heck happens to Wei Wuxian now that everyone knows the Yiling Patriarch is back. I'm nervous enough that I broke down and looked at just enough spoilers to learn whether or not to brace myself for a sad ending.

Extras:

A lengthy glossary and character and name guide, two full-color illustrations, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.