Review Detail of Saarlink in Genius Mage in a Cultivation World

The story and world seem well thought out and interesting. The characters are a struggle to read. I keep stopping and doing something else for a while before coming back to this. I want to like it. I want to enjoy it because the premise is one I like and the world seems interesting. But I keep losing interest whenever I read character interactions. The language thing at the start is really cool. The wall/gate is interesting. I really like the fire dog fight. The premise of a mage in a cultivation world is a great one. I have read maybe three or four books that try to cover it and all were either cut short (Essence of Cultivation) or fell off (Dao of Magic). The MC and a potential FL are really our only two main characters in the first twenty chapters. The MC just feels off somehow. Disjointed. He has a lot going on and much of it feels like it doesn't have the emotional weight it should. The FL is painful to read. All the blushing, trembling, and other things she does rather than talking. This is a woman that is supposed to be out risking her life in battle, has gone through some apparently harsh life experiences, and she acts like a coy 4 year old who is also a well adjusted adult? I think the author is trying to run with the jade beauty cliche while also spicing it up/filling it out but again it just is not fun to read. I am glad I read it. I would encourage others to read it to see if they can get past the characters. But I won't be continuing from here.