Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

How many ways are there to break a heart? This volume seems completely intent on finding that out because OH BOY DOES IT TRY! I can???t talk about what specifically happens, because those would be spoilers of IMMENSE proportions, but suffice to say that we find out the truth behind why Wei Wuxian became Enemy Number One in the cultivation world: as in, the specific inciting event, and not just the general disdain that everyone has for his chosen cultivation path that???s been there since Volume 1. And let me tell you, learning about what he did, but more importantly WHY he did it, is just a shot to the heart on several levels.

See, here???s the thing: it???s clear that Wei Wuxian has a savior complex. Part of that is due to the circumstances of how he grew up (which are immensely tragic), but also because he really just has a very clear sense of what???s right and what???s wrong, and has absolutely ZERO qualms about doing what he thinks is right - even if it means he gets himself hurt in the process, and crucially, without thinking about what others might think or do or say about what his chosen course of action. He sees wrongdoing, he goes and fixes it how he thinks it ought to be fixed. Which would be GREAT, if he ever stopped to think about the consequences to himself and more importantly to the people he cares about. 

And honestly, I appreciate that this is something this story takes the time to really delve into: how doing the right thing no matter what can lead to damaging consequences, not just for oneself, but for the people surrounding oneself. So often in Western media we see characters do heroic things, and they???re always forgiven because they ???did the right thing???: think comic book superheroes whose fights level entire city blocks, destroying homes and communities and livelihoods along the way, and yet are still lauded for their actions. (And yes, I KNOW there???s been pushback against this in other media, but the fact remains that your average Marvel movie is still going to show all that property destruction and it???s going to be handwaved away as being ???okay??? because the Avengers protected New York from the latest threat and Stark Industries can rebuild everything anyway.)

But this series shows that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Wei Wuxian learns that the very, VERY hard way. While he???s willing to take on all the consequences his choices might bring (he???s quite emphatic about this across the volumes), he never stops to think about how this is practically impossible. His choices always impact others, whether that???s his adopted siblings or Lan Wangji or the entire cultivation world. While Wei Wuxian is undoubtedly a hero, and his actions have always sprung from very good reasons, he has destroyed lives along the way, because he never once stopped to think if there was any way he could minimize and mitigate the potential harm his actions might cause.

On the other hand, there???s something really ADMIRABLE about the way Wei Wuxian deals with his mistakes - in that he admits to them, and deals with them as best as he can. He knows he???s made a lot of terrible choices, but he does his best to fix what he???s done wrong, often sacrificing himself in order to set things right, which is driven home in a very specific scene in this volume that absolutely GUTTED me when I read it. His morals are also extremely admirable: he KNOWS when he???s right and isn???t afraid to speak truth to power, even if it gets him in trouble. The cultivation world thinks of him as this horrible man, but in many ways he???s FAR more noble and upright than a great many cultivators. 

Given all of this, the romance between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji definitely took a backseat during this volume and the previous one, though things did pick up quite a bit by the end of this one. There???s still plenty that needs to be resolved by the fifth volume in terms of the plot???s central mystery, but I think their romance is going to be a bit more front-and-center now, given what happened. May is still a ways away, so there???s going to be a wait for that next volume. I???m definitely going to have to get my mitts on it as soon as it comes out; I really want to know how this all ends.