Xianxia novel

Xianxia (Simplified Chinese: 仙侠小说; Traditional Chinese: 仙俠小說), is a type of Chinese Martial Arts novel genre developed from the Wuxia genre that was later influenced by Taoism. It was first introduced in the Republic of China and became popular worldwide in the 21st century. The Xianxia novel uses protagonists, typically known as "cultivators", who are actually Taoist or Buddhist. Contrary to the Wuxia genre, Xianxia novels have more elements of fantasy, complete with magic, demons, immortals, people who can fly, etc.

Xiuzhen (Chinese: 修真), meaning "cultivate", is a Taoist concept by which humans can extend their lifespan through a set of cultivation arts called the "Art of Breathing". This art can be divided into Base Building (筑基) and other arts. Base Building itself refers to the practice of strengthening the body through the "Exercising Method."

The "Cultivating Method" could comprise martial arts, Buddhism, or Taoism depending on the doctrine of different religions. The "Cultivation" is considered disobedient to Heaven, a term originating in Wuxia.

Whatever the level that is settled, it mostly follows the following steps, according to Base Building:

Dao (道) actually meaning "the road" or "the principles of the universe", Taoists believe that these exercises lead to a longer lifespan.

The Xianxia novel began with Huanzhu Louzhu, who is the author of Shushan. Huanzhu Louzhu is thought to be the creator for Wuxia and Xianxia Novels, and Xianxia is essentially a fantasy style version of Wuxia.

One notable author, using Xiaoding (萧鼎) as a penname, wrote a novel called Zhu Xian (诛仙). The novel is about a child who escapes the massacre of their village and is adopted by Qingyun Men (Cyan Cloud School), known as the leading school of Justice for immortals.

The characters forming Xianxia are Xian and Xia, which literally means ‘immortal hero’. In many Xianxia novels, those referred to as immortals are people who have cultivated to a certain realm that provides them with extremely extended lifespans, sometimes true eternal life, and have powers that those below the "immortal" level usually cannot match. Many times those that people claim to be gods are simply immortals or those born at the immortal cultivation level.

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Wikipedia