Is My Disciples Are All Villains Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manhua, 519 chapters
Run	2022–present · ongoing
Community score	AniList 7.1 · MangaUpdates 7.2
Where to read	Webnovel — official

Overview

Lu Zhou wakes up transmigrated into the body of the single most infamous villain in the cultivation world, a legendary sect master with nine disciples, every one of them a walking catastrophe. His first disciple commands an entire sect through fear. His second is a sword-obsessed killer who ends anyone who annoys him. Several more down the line are actively plotting to overthrow or kill him. And Lu Zhou, the one person who's supposed to be powerful enough to keep all of them in line, has lost his powers entirely. What follows is a constant, high-stakes bluff: staying one step ahead of nine dangerous, unpredictable disciples who each think their master is untouchable, while quietly trying to figure out how to actually become that powerful again.

What it does well

The core joke, a powerless master faking authority over genuinely terrifying disciples, gives the story a steady stream of tension and comedy at the same time, since every disciple interaction carries real risk if Lu Zhou's bluff ever slips. That's backed by a genuinely well-built cast, each of the nine disciples has a distinct personality, motive, and threat level, so the story never runs out of fresh angles to work Lu Zhou's situation from. The martial arts and cultivation action underneath the comedy is properly staged too, this isn't just a joke premise with weightless fights, the sect politics and combat carry real consequences. And with 350-plus chapters and a large, dedicated readership, it's proven the premise has real staying power rather than running out of steam after the initial hook.

Where it falls short

Nine major disciples is a lot of cast to juggle, and newer readers may need some time to keep track of who's who and what each one wants before the ensemble clicks into place. The "secretly powerless master" tension, while well executed, is also a structure that depends on repeatedly generating new near-miss situations, which can start to feel formulaic if you're reading in a long binge rather than spaced out. And at 350-plus chapters and still ongoing, it's a genuine long-term commitment rather than something to finish quickly.

Verdict

If you want a wuxia comedy that gets real mileage out of a powerless master bluffing his way past a cast of genuinely dangerous disciples, this delivers a well-built ensemble and properly staged action underneath the humor. It's a long-running commitment, but one that's earned its large readership.