Gleam

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2022

Author

Actus

• Chapter 132: Start of Book 3 - Indulge & Book 2 out on Amazon!
  Mar 6, 2024
• Chapter 131: As it should
  Mar 3, 2024
• Chapter 3: Accord
  Dec 21, 2022
• Chapter 2: So long and thanks for all the Cheetos!
  Dec 21, 2022
• Chapter 1: A Chance encounter
  Dec 21, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• Combat LibrarianRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story has a genuinely goodhearted protagonist in a world that is rather more cynical. The main character, Chance, is not too naive, but he tries to treat people as well as circumstances allow. When circumstances no longer allow him to be nice, well, consequences may just come naturally. That's what you get for messing with a karma cultivator after all. The characters in this story are engaging, the world-building is intriguing, and there are hints throughout the narrative so far that there are larger forces at play here than we have yet encountered. This is a good read for an interesting journey. I am looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
• CrispymouseRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Enjoyable read that is drawing me in. I like the premise of what the MC cultivates. No glaring grammar or spelling mistakes. Looking forward to the harvest.
  Pacing seems to be fine. Seeing power growth at a reasonable rate. Not all action but not all talking or world building either.
  Focus has been on the MC for all but one chapter.
• DragontailszRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Let's start with saying that the story is amazing.
  Very new and interesting character development that keeps you excited for more! Also the world 🌍 really fits with the story and the adventures the characters bark upon. I like every aspect of the story the author created. Very well done and I will keep reading it with lots of pleasure.
• bordenboRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall: Full disclosure - I came to this story already a big Actus fan. But even if you haven't read anything else by this author, stands well on its own.
  Normally I prefer to wait on reading something until there's a bit more of a published word count, but I let myself start this one "just as a taste" and here I am already hooked.
  Good news is that Actus has a great track record of putting out consistent, regular content and publishing stories to satisfying conclusions, so don't bother waiting - jump on in!
  Style: Fantastic mix of dialogue, description, and action -- everything moves in a way that demonstrates a rare awareness of pacing for a story that you can read for free. Easy to follow, great flow. Similarly, really well-executed combination of humor & weight; some stories can do one or the other, it's not often you get both married together in the way that a good cookie has just a dash of salt to bring all the flavors together.
  Story: I'm really enjoying the blend of enough isekai, cultivation, monster-hunting tropes to get me cozy and interested, mixed with enough twists and originality to keep things fresh. Yes, there are other stories out there with an MC with karma powers, etc etc, but when everything comes together this well, I'm here for it. Still pretty early for the story as of this review (ch. 14), but I'm also super into the hints of bigger picture world and associated mysteries that have had breadcrumbs established.  Side note - it can be tough to make it satisfying to have the MC shown at the very start of their power progression interacting early on with higher end characters in the same setting, but this story is pulling it off really well.
  Grammar: I'm sure that if I were being paid to proofread this, I'd find something wrong with it, because that's just how writing/editing works. But can I think of an instance so far where anything was wrong, or some typo/tense/spelling thing pulled me out of the story? No. So that counts as perfect to me.
  Ch
• cyangorillaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you are familiar with isekai tropes, this story parodies them in a way that shows love and appreciation for the genre and others.
  There is drakness hiding in the city of Gleam, where everybody seems to have a story behind them. Characters that you would expect to be two-dimensional bring about moments that allow you to glimpse at who they really are behind how they present themselves.The city itself being a character and mistery that will undoubtedly be unraveled as we move forward with Chance.
  Despite characters having fairly tragic backstories, this is no drepression fest. There is plenty of humor and the main characters treat each other like actual teenagers. There is no unnecessary or unrealistic melodrama that pushes the plot. That's my feavorite part so far. The main trio talk to each other and appreciate each other.
  I suppose I should mention the magic system. It's pretty cool. The nature of it allows for endless possibilities and the built-in counters stop anybody from becoming literally undefeatable (at least theorically so far).
  Will be reading more of this expecting for big story elements to start showing at increasingly higher rates.
  My score is for enjoyment as the story is not complete yet, obviously.
  Full disclosure, as I realize the author could get in trouble otherwise: I am the illustrator that works with Actus for most of his books. This has literally nothing to do with my enjoyment of the story so far and my review. I'm genuinely a fan first. Much love!
• LonRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So, the title says it all basically plus the author himself says that Chance is a good boy that just wants to help.
  I will advise you to read until around chapter 10 give or take, until most of what you need to know of the story is already there.
  I am really enjoying the story and want to read more of it. Chance is just that refreshing to read after a bunch of edgelord-like characters in some other stories because he just wants to help people, in any way that he can without expecting anything in return. Quite the good way to get that sweet good Karma.
  The grammar has just some minor spelling mistakes here and there but honestly it isn’t something that will impede you to read this.
  The story takes some turns here and there so that at the same time that they look unexpected to you they will make a lot of sense when you start pondering about it. And of course, there are a bunch of lucky events that happen, both good and bad. Such are the perks of Karma as you will realize, together with the mc, as you read more and more.
  The world honestly feels alive, and what the MC does makes people react to it and not in a way that just interferes in 30 chapters later.
  Cultivation is very interesting too, people tend to cultivate more like concepts of things. Like Heat, Karma and Singing are all possible things that let you cultivate. Honestly quite the fun idea.
  The side characters are fun to read about too, I love when a chapter with a different point of view drops because we end up learning more about that character and then I see myself waiting to see if the MC will learn about that or not.
  So yeah, no “murder first, ask questions later” kind of mc. He will try to use his charisma before needing to beat the crap out of you which he will probably be able to do, especially when you trip while in a fight.
• Mostly LurkingRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Sure there's power levels but this hasn't felt like a typical cultivation novel at all. There's some of the tropes for sure but no young masters so far and the main character doesn't monologue about being righteous while being just as much of a dick as everyone else.
  The characters are well written and interesting so far too. I really like the unique concepts the characters use to cultivate so it's not the typical paths of earth, wind, fire, and their variations.
  Overall I've really enjoyed this so far but there tends to be typo or two every few chapters. Sorry not sorry for the cheesy review title.
• RoyalRogueRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is an incredible cultivation and progression story that is far above most other similar books I've read. The characters are well developed and while our MC is a little naive, it is always in a way that adds to the story rather than detracting from the realism. There are very few grammar mistakes, with most being corrected soon after publishing and those that remain not having any considerable impact on the readability of the story. The story itself is excellently written, with fantastic pacing throughout the entire thing. All in all, a phenomenal story and one I highly recommend.
• SunriseCVRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So, I pretty much love most all of Actus' work. This fiction, however, just may end up being my favorite. Actually, I think Karmic Cultivation has a chance to be one of the better cultivation novels out.
  As for grammar and style, they are both fantastic. It's Actus, so you know what to expect. The typos and mistakes are almost nonexistant. The dialogue flows nicely, and doesn't seem wooden at all. Conversations are not the least bit robotic, which is a huge plus for me, as dialogue is usually my favorite thing as a reader.
  First, the opening was great, and I got a good chuckle out of it. I immediately loved Chance, and most of the surrounding cast. Each introduced side character has a distinct voice and personality that I can't wait to learn more about. Even Yeo, who is my least favorite character, interests me.
  Of course, Yamish is my favorite character. The old master trope is strong with this one. Every time he is in a scene, it makes me happy.
  We are still early on in the story, but I like the direction everything is heading. I'm a sucker for cultivation novels, and this one is no different. I can't wait to read more.
  I'll give Karmic Cultivation 5 upside down yogis out of 5. This is just a really fun read!
• TacojackRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Usually, cultivator stories tell you about someone with no more than a handful of goals, all of which tend to be solvable with enough treasure, luck, smarts, or firepower. This trend thusly ends up with MCs surrounded by idiots(so he can be "smarter"), protected and guided by plot-armor– and, of course, coincidentally following whatever path would've given him the most amount of power he can get in the desired format and/or timeframe.
  Gleam departs from this with a strong character with morals. He has luck powers– not long-term so much as combative, what I've seen– and morality. He steps into a brutish world and doesn't compromise his values, and is designed to be lucky enough that he gets away with it. There's no such thing as "lucky enough", however... so this is definitely an odd duck by Xianxia standards.
  Don't just take my word for it. I think it hit its stride around Chap 10-17; however, it hooked me at the start with the Cheeto and bad dog combo.