The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 4

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 4 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


There isn't much continuity in this volume as it's a collection of stories that take place at various times in the tale, ranging from the author's experience when he first realizes he's a child in his own story to events years after the original story has reached it's conclusion. We even see a crossover from the original tale when the two Luo Binghes switch places until Shen Qingqiu's version returns. It's interesting to see the approach of the two OC characters as well where Shen Qingqiu has resigned himself to living this life as his previous one is forfeit from the time he realized where he woke up. On the other hand, our original author seems to be of the mind that he can and should return to his previous life, except he rather enjoys his encounters with Qingqiu and Binghe, and seems to have a potentially unhealthy addiction/relationship to Mobei-jun. On a whole, it's not much in the way of a continuation, especially where it chooses to leave off during Binghe's qi deviation, but it's enough to get a sense for how their lives have changed and how they are moving forward from the end of the original story.

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The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 3

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 3 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not as engaging as the last volume, but still an easier read than the first volume. This one jumps all over the place a big as we get a lot of backstory and plot hole filler. The system is even quiet for a good portion of the book between the whole mushroom arc and the various upgrades, but then when it does come back, it tends to have a lot to say. Shen Qingqiu learns a lot in this volume thanks to all of the plot filler quests and dreamscapes, though it makes it even more understandable why so many things are so confusing in the original volume with all of these missing details. On the plus side, it looks like most of the conflict has resolved, even though the rest of the cultivation world doesn't seem so willing to forgive and forget when it comes to Luo Binghe. Fortunately, Qingqiu seems content to make Binghe a priority for a change, surprising many around them, but also in a way accepting at least some of his role and importance in his life. According to the end of this volume, the original series that he was rewriting has been completed at this stage, so it will be interesting to see what remains in the next volume now that they're all free.

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The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 2

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 2 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a much more engaging and faster read than the first volume now that all of the premise has been explained and we have a better idea for whom is whom. There is also a lot less of the system interruptions, though when it does show up, it's as ridiculous as ever. We also finally see exactly what these magical mushrooms they harvested are expected to be good for, though it seems much has changed from what was expected when Shen Qingqiu rejoins the world once more. Luo Binghe's devotion and obsession is more than a little unexpected, though it seemed clear from the ending of the previous volume that there was an obvious misconnect between the two character's actions and motives compared to what was assumed or expected - on both sides. Now that Shen Qingqiu is really getting a clearer idea for Lou Binghe's feelings, it will be interesting to see how this new encounter goes given he wasn't able to hide for very long.

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The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 1

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong 1 by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Starting this novel was rough. I picked it up originally because my daughter and I both really enjoyed Heaven Official's Blessing and Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, so of course we were interested in the character designs and story for this series, and it's a much shorter series too. What I did not expect, was to land in a cross between these cultivation series and Sword Art Online complete with system instructions and blocks as the character tries to navigate what they can or cannot do to survive. It reminded me a lot of old RPG board writings, which was not at all what was expected when the series started. The story does become more engaging later on, even with the system noticies and odd complaining about the original storyline still. Certainly didn't expect to find another transported character from the real world, let alone who they end up being, not that it seems to be helping much in terms of how these two might be able to change the story to survive the ending. It's also easy to see where the relationships are hinting at with these new changes, though of course Shen Qingqiu refuses to see this as a possibility, especially given the original course of the story. Hopefully the next volume will continue to pick up the pace and we'll see more growth and development.

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