Top 11 Underrated Chinese Xianxia Novels in 2026

The xianxia genre has a few dominant titles that absorb most reader attention, but the field extends much deeper. These underrated entries do interesting things with cultivation mechanics, take unconventional approaches to sect politics, or develop characters with more nuance than the standard face-slapping protagonist. They earned solid ratings from the readers who found them.

I appreciate underrated xianxia when it challenges genre expectations or executes familiar elements with unusual craft. Some focus on philosophical depth that mainstream entries skip. Others develop supporting characters beyond their functional roles. The trade-off is often smaller communities and sometimes rougher translation quality.