Top 17 Chinese Action Novels with Weak To Strong in 2026

Chinese action novels do the weak-to-strong arc better than almost anyone else. There's something satisfying about watching a protagonist start at the bottom of a cultivation sect, get dismissed by arrogant young masters, and then slowly claw their way up through a combination of luck, grit, and occasionally questionable moral choices. The face-slapping moments hit different when you've spent 200 chapters watching the MC get trampled first.

I find these stories work best when the power progression feels earned rather than handed out. The good ones balance breakthrough moments with genuine setbacks, and the protagonist's growth comes from both combat experience and understanding deeper cultivation principles. Some lean heavily into revenge plots while others focus more on exploration and discovery. Either way, the core appeal is the same: underdog makes good, enemies get wrecked.