Jun 22, 2026
Hello. Im a Novel Reader of this series ,having recently started it and now currently being on chapter 450 ,so even though my synopsis is about the manhwa (and has a few secrets from the novel ,hidden in plain sight) , I will be rating the novel ,along with the changes that are present between the two forms of the series (between novel and manhwa)
Personal synopsis of the manhwa:
[A Regressor's Tale Of Cultivation.
In this story ,we follow the journey of 7 colleagues from the same company, that had the "Misfortune" of getting swept up into a different world ,while going on a business trip in
...
Earth.
The protagonist of this story ,named Seo Eun Hyun ,is 1 of those 7 people that transmigrated into the foreign world of cultivation, conceptual deities and philosophy.
All of his colleagues had talent ,in their own regard ,with 5 of them getting Kidnapped by powerful cultivators ,under the guise of forcefully becoming their cultivation mentors and leaving behind the seemingly talentless Seo Eun Hyun and his company's senior Director,Kim Young Hoon.
Of course, even the abandoned Director had a talent for something ,that being Martial Arts and even becoming the strongest Martial Artist ,in very near future (by cultivation standards).
After living a pitiful life,akin to an ownerless dog's, Seo Eun Hyun closes his eyes ,cursing the heavens for not bestowing him grace and his own inadequacy. As his lifespan is nearing its natural end,however..
He is back to life!
Having returned to the past ,exactly after having fallen to this unfamiliar,dead reality again, Seo Eun Hyun realises that he also has a special attribute:"Unbreakable Will".
Paired with his sincerity and the ability he has awakened called "Regression" ,he ventures forth ,hoping to save his colleagues from the grasp of the almost God-like entities that took them away and one day,escape this sick, crazy world.]
Personal thoughts:
I dont usually read Novels or books ,in general (atleast compared to the amount of manhwa or anime I watch) ,but this series really intrigued me.
I read the first season of the manhwa (25 chapters) and having been left yearning for more ,I eventually took it up upon myself and started the novel.
Unfortunately, the manhwa skips a part of the novel entirely, that being his "First regression" (meaning ,his second life) and starts off from the regression after that (Second regression / third life).
There are many hidden clues and Easter eggs even in those meager 25 manhwa chapters,that indicate many things about the world and the future of the series.
With the above said, I find it appropriate to leave a review.
Rating of the novel and manhwa:
ART:
The art of the manhwa ,is some of the best I've seen in manhwa ,in terms of quality and potential. I wouldnt say its the best, since many others exist with better art ,but its artstyle also fits the story very well and its generally pleasing to the eye.
Art is a 8.5/10 ,but i believe it has the potential to be a 9.5 in the future chapters.
CHARACTERS:
This is mostly about the novel ,since we dont see much of anyone ,except the protagonist in the manhwa,to chapter 25.
I do not want to spoil anything, but they are complex characters with great corresponding stories ,abilities and psychosynthesis, especially Seo Eun Hyun. In the coming chapters ,the philosophy of existence ,purpose ,free will and other aspects will be thoroughly explored through the 7 colleagues (eun hyun included), villains that are shown in the manhwa (but i will not say their name ,so there's no potential spoiler) and novel etc.
I'll probably write a review again ,after a lot of chapters have been added to this story.
The characters are honestly a 8/10.
STORY:
The story has a mix of politics, philosophy,ideals,love,action ,mystery,psychological horror and lovecraftian horrors beyond imagination.
Its a very well fleshed out dark story,with early Foreshadowings, plot devices and beautiful composition. There are some slightly weaker chapters in the novel ,that are either dragged out too much, or a little less logically driven than desirable (personally) ,but the structure of this world ruled by overwhelming forces, is wonderfully terrifying.
In the later arcs ,as the characters get stronger, visit different dimensions , learn more about this world, the origin of their transmigration and dwell deeper into the core essence of the story ,everything gains a certain weight. The reader, the characters and the consequences of every action feel heavier.
I would consider the story's quality(so far) as relative to the character development ,if not better, so my rating is 8.7/10. I have not yet finished the novel ,but i believe I've assessed the general direction of the story and the level of writing present. (Chapter 450 out of 800)
Personal Biggest Positives:
Setting everything I've written aside, I found many of the systems and themes of the story super attractive. For example, there are 3 different ways to cultivate, each with different criteria and variations (like ghost path cultivation ,devilish cultivation and the intricacies of heart tribe uniqueness) ,which adds a lot of diversity. The personal struggles of a cultivator are normal ,but also made me rethink some aspects of it, such as the unending cycles of a cultivator ,in combination to the long lifetimes of a cultivator (usually in the thousands of years each one) and the connections you make in every life.
Personal Biggest Negatives:
As a cultivation novel, it has this certain type of "info dumping" early on ,when explaining the power system and philosophical grounds of each realm attained while cultivating. Its 800 chapters ,so it cannot be helped ,but sometimes the reader has to go through paragraphs of information that's not very important (Like the over-explanation of Heaven tribe cultivation ,during the Qi refining realms). As i also said above, some chapters do get dragged on a little too long and combined with the unimaginable amount of random inconsequential information thrown in , some chapters WILL be boring.
Summarised review and extra:
I definitely recommend "A Regressor's Tale Of Cultivation". It's one of my favourite novels and my overwhelmingly favourite cultiavtion story, by far.
P.s. I suggest coming back to my review after a few chapters ,to check whether you can spot the few hidden pieces of information in this review. They're not spoilers or anything, but its a fun extra detail I decided to add.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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