Top 15 Xuanhuan Novels in 2026

Xuanhuan gives Chinese fantasy authors more creative freedom than strict xianxia allows. The Daoist cultivation framework gets loosened or abandoned entirely, replaced with whatever power system serves the story. I find this produces more variety but also more inconsistency, since there's no established template for what xuanhuan should include.

The core appeal remains power fantasy and progression. Protagonists start weak, accumulate strength through various means, and eventually become nearly unstoppable. The interesting entries add character development or plot complexity on top of that foundation. The forgettable ones just cycle through opponents without any larger stakes. These fifteen have reader ratings suggesting they manage that balance.