Gu Xuanchen, king of his time, once trained ten powerful emperor-realm disciples who were dominant in the world. However, when he broke through the shackles sealed in his own body, he unfortunately encountered a calamity of thunder and was destroyed. After being reborn as a son-in-law, he embarked on a journey to return to the peak and strengthen himself by slaying demons and monsters, suppressing evil spirits, saving his clan, and rescuing his disciples. Let’s see how this almighty emperor is reborn and how he stirs up the world!
The Ten Great Emperors At The Beginning Are All My Apprentices, sets itself up for a certain kind of power fantasy extravaganza. Reversing the usual dynamic of master-disciple relationships is the initial hook, but there’s potential for this manhua to offer slightly more nuance than its premise suggests.
The focus isn’t likely on the protagonist gaining power, but how one teaches those who’ve already reached incredible heights. Does he guide them further, provide unique insights, or help them break through bottlenecks in their cultivation? It’s a reversal of the power dynamic frequently seen in the genre.
Undoubtedly, much of the appeal is the absurdity of a seemingly ordinary individual instructing figures of legend. But this humor can be leveraged to satirize some tropes within cultivation manhua. Arrogant tropes could be turned on their heads, or flaws of traditional training methods highlighted for laughs.
The Ten Great Emperors, while powerful, could be shown as imperfect. Perhaps they have personality quirks, past regrets, or blind spots the protagonist, with his outsider perspective, is able to uniquely address. This adds depth to the characters and creates more interesting teaching challenges.
While the focus is the unusual teacher-student bond, the manhua will likely need some kind of external conflict to drive the plot. How does the world react to these figures being trained by an unknown entity? This creates space for intrigue and battles that hold weight even for the overpowered disciples.
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If you want a manhua that combines a dash of power fantasy with a heavy dose of comedic reversal, potential for character development even among the powerful, and hints of a world beyond the immediate humor of the premise, then The Ten Great Emperors At The Beginning Are All My Apprentices might be a fun surprise.
