New player. Is this game difficult or am I just unlucky?

No, you're playing it right. The game is grindy although if you join a sect, it will be possible for you to obtain some of the items needed for your breakthrough through it. You can try to steal the item you need but it comes with risk.

As for the NPC, that's just the genre it is. Unless you're stronger than anyone else, just try not to make enemies. You can always see someone's relations to see if they have strong parents/teacher. Note that how people react depends on your charisma. If you're butt ugly, it'll be easier for you to be hated.

And always look at someone's traits and sect when you accept a quest. I they're from a demonic sect, or have selfish traits chances are high they will attack or betray you when they have chance to do it.

For the 2 sects, it's just bad RNG. In a different run, there would have been more of them.

Today I'm playing this game on the chaos mod. I think the game is skill-based, as you need to die until you learn the Boss' movement pattern. But if in normal mode you are having difficulty, it makes no sense. and yes the game consumes a lot of time. I already spent 1 week getting to Golden Core.

The game is about cultivation, so everything revolves around cultivation level. odd levels are the worst. You need to move up to even levels as quickly as possible.

To go from level 1 to level 2, foundation heaven phase. You need to go to the market and buy phisim charm and run the map and find 3 lands of Spirit and 6 elemental lands.

Always do the greatest cultivation.

If you are very weak, I imagine you haven't bought the martial, special, movement and ultimatum skills. In addition to skill minds.

You can also easily reach the 'late' stage of level 1, to gain more status. And you only need one pill from the market...

• ^(Getting the final breakthrough of the 1st level is so hard. So much grinding for the elemental Qi and then for the treasure. After 2.5 years of game time, I could only manage 1 Water Qi. And this is just the 1st level!)
• ^(Since I'm stuck at the 1st level, grinding elemental areas or big dungeons is just doing a few runs then going to town to get healing items and repeat. I'm just going back and forth.)

You only need 100 parts to create an orb, one month or at most 2 are far from enough to collect them how does it take you 2.5 years ? You don't need to beat the area boss, collect 100 parts and craft at the workplace.

• ^(The quests are sometimes impossible. Once an NPC asks for help with a monster lair, I kill the monster but then the NPC kills me then and there. Like WTH. Other quests they ask me to get Qi orbs. Like dude, I can't even get one for myself.)

You probably opened (stole) the chest. Ur not supposed to do that it's his chest.

• ^(Developing relationship with NPC seems random and like a waste of time. Small Talk almost always fails and 1 time somehow I developed a good relationship with an NPC, his enemy comes and just destroys me.)

It kinda is a waste of time early on, later on you can max friendship very easily.

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• ^(There are only 2 sects in my starting area. Am I just stuck with choosing 1 of those or else have to wait a while until I reach another area?)

That never happened to me in my 600hours so you either didn't fully explore the region or were extremely unlucky. That said if the sect has the art you want to use it's enough you can always change later on (or change the sect rules when ur the leader)

• 1. Kill the beasts that appear in the elemental areas. They drop a whole Qi of their type and they drop 1 of the breakthrough components too. Only grind the ones that done have a beast pop up in the time you're training up to fight them.
• 2. It's a bit grindy, until you start getting realllly good manuals. After that some builds can practically play themselves. You probably need to go up 2 - 4 cultivation levels to put one of those together though.
• 3. Never take quests to kill or retrieve something unless you want to make enemies or have a good way to escape enemies as they will constantly harass and occasionally kill you..
• 4. Pay attention to their personality traits, believe it or not they matter. It also matter if you're chatting up a waifu but she's already got a husband or partner. The HCs(golden border NPCs) are harder to chat up then the normies. You have to actually give them something they want or they won't accept gifts.
• 5. I have never.. ever.. seen just 2 starting area sects. Maybe it's possible but at over 600 unmodded hours there are always 4 or 5 and I just started a new game yesterday and it has 5. There is always 1 that only appears in the starter area so you can take it over and become sect leader. Join whatever sect has the type of art you're wanting to use, good or evil. After you drain them dry of all the spirit fruits and whatever you want, if they're not the sect you can take over, drop out and join that other sect. When you become sect leader all manuals and goods in their store become your property... it's good to be da KING!

There is an option in creation to decrease the number of people in the world. Little, normal and a lot. If you put too little it ruins the game, at least play on normal.

Is there any games in this type of setting with somewhat good english translation?