It’s odd to think of a Cultivation novel as a slice of life story but that’s the best way I can think of to describe A Thousand Li. Not that it doesn’t have action and adventure, it is a cultivation novel which means there’s martial arts and combat galore. But it’s probably as close as we can get to a book about the average life of an average cultivator.

Long Wu Ying doesn’t have some grand destiny or dramatic call to adventure. He lives a life as a farmer and is content with that. But after he gets drafted into the army and gets injured in an inconsequential scuffle he gets invited to join the Verdant Green Waters Sect, the premier sect in the state.

As I said, this is a slice of life cultivator novel and Wu Ling doesn’t particularly have any goal beyond generally advancing. I find these types of novels very relaxing. There’s something very chill about watching someone figuring out schedules, trying different martial arts and different cultivation techniques and generally trying to work out what to do next. Maybe it’s because I’m in my late 20s but I find it very relatable. It’s nice to just sit back and read about someone else flail about trying to figure things out for a change.

It helps that the book is really well written and the description is gorgeous. It’s fun wandering through the world alongside Wu Ying. And the book has footnotes! Which is always a plus. They explain what certain things are, for example various weapons, along with a few comments by the author. They don’t always appear the first time one of these things are mentioned but that’s a minor quibble.

In short, A Thousand Li – The First Step is a wonderful way to dip your toe into a new world and a fantastic introduction to the Cultivation genre.