Is The Tale of Cultivation and Demon Extermination Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
If you want murim done as a straightforward revenge-and-training story rather than a political epic, yes — it keeps its premise simple and its violence purposeful, though it's still early enough that the larger shape of the story hasn't fully revealed itself.
Quick Verdict
“Grudge, training, repeat — murim at its most unadorned, with a sect of demon hunters willing to sharpen that grudge into something useful.”
Best for: Readers who want a cultivation-revenge story that gets moving quickly, without a long setup of court politics or sect rivalries before the protagonist starts training.
Not for: Readers who want their murim stories layered with factional intrigue and a wide ensemble cast from the first arc.
- Type
- Manhwa
- Genres
- Action, Murim
- Status
- Ongoing
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- U-Sol Yeon
- Artist
- Salty Dog
- Publisher
- Naver Webtoon
- Platform
- Naver Webtoon
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manhwa |
| Run | ongoing |
| Where to read | Naver Webtoon — official |
Overview
Yise's introduction to the world is about as blunt as murim gets: a demon kills his parents, he beheads it, and his own village casts him out as a monster for the act rather than thanking him for it. That injustice — punished for the one right thing he did — is what drives him when Mongryeon, a dokkaebi who hunts demons for a living, finds him with nothing left to lose. Mongryeon sees something in Yise worth cultivating, and sends him to the Grand Martial Path, a sect that trains its members specifically to exterminate demons.
The Tale of Cultivation and Demon Extermination wastes very little time getting its protagonist from tragedy to training, and that efficiency is both its strength and, at this early stage, its limitation.
What it does well
The setup lands because it's specific rather than generic. A lot of cultivation-revenge stories open with a vague tragedy and a vague goal; this one gives Yise a precise grievance — he did the right thing and was punished for it — which makes his drive to keep killing demons feel earned rather than assumed. The village's rejection isn't a throwaway detail, either; it's the emotional engine that keeps the Grand Martial Path arc from feeling like just another training montage.
Mongryeon is a smart addition for exactly that reason. Having someone recruit Yise who already sees his potential — before Yise has any reason to believe in himself — gives the early chapters an outside vantage point on the protagonist, which helps the comic avoid the common trap of a brooding lead with no one to play off of. And by making the Grand Martial Path a sect built around a specific mission (demon extermination, not vague martial supremacy), the story gives its murim trappings an actual reason to exist rather than treating cultivation sects as scenery.
The fight art holds up its end, too — demons and human combatants read clearly even in busy panels, which matters enormously for a series whose entire appeal rests on its action being legible.
Where it falls short
As an early-stage series, the comic is still mostly in setup mode — the larger structure of the Grand Martial Path, its politics, and the scope of the wider demon threat haven't fully taken shape yet, so some of what's here reads as foundation rather than payoff. The village's rejection of Yise is a strong inciting wound, but a handful of chapters return to it more than they strictly need to once his sect training is already underway.
Verdict
For a murim revenge story that gets moving fast and keeps its stakes personal, The Tale of Cultivation and Demon Extermination is a solid, efficient start. It hasn't yet shown its full hand — but the hand it's shown so far is worth following.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- The inciting event is blunt and effective: Yise beheads the demon that killed his parents, and his own village brands him a monster for it rather than a hero — that injustice gives his later path real teeth instead of generic tragic-backstory motivation.
- Mongryeon, the dokkaebi who recruits him, gives the story an outside perspective on Yise early — someone who sees what he's capable of before he does, which keeps the training-arc chapters from feeling like empty filler.
- Sending Yise to the Grand Martial Path, a cultivation sect built specifically around executing demons, gives the murim setting a clear and specific purpose rather than treating cultivation as generic worldbuilding.
- The art leans into the series' premise well — demons and cultivation techniques get distinct, legible silhouettes, which matters for a series that's going to live or die on its fight choreography.
Weaknesses
- This is still an early-stage series, and the broader shape of the sect politics and the wider demon threat hasn't fully come into focus yet, so some of the worldbuilding currently reads as setup rather than payoff.
- Yise's isolation from his old village is powerful as an inciting wound, but a few chapters lean on it more than they need to once the sect arc is underway.
Similar Titles
A Regressor's Tale of Cultivation
A different work despite the similar English title — this one shares the revenge-driven cultivation framing without the regression hook.
World's Greatest Senior Disciple
Another murim series built around a wronged disciple reclaiming his place through strength, if the sect-and-training structure here appeals to you.
The SSS-Class Suicide Hunter
A good next read for the "protagonist forged by tragedy into something dangerous" throughline, albeit in a hunter-system setting rather than murim.
Where to Read Officially
| Platform | Format | Pricing | Region notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naver Webtoon | Digital chapters | Free | Region availability varies | Open |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior murim or wuxia knowledge to follow this?
No. The cultivation-sect setup is introduced through Yise's own recruitment, so the genre's conventions are explained as he learns them.
Is this a revenge story or a training story?
Both — the revenge motivation is established immediately, and the Grand Martial Path arc is where that motivation gets turned into actual capability.
Where can I read it?
It's ongoing on Naver Webtoon in Korean; there's no official English release yet, so English-language access currently depends on fan translation availability.
