(Warning, it will be pretty long post)
I have 2 big problem with POMA. First is MC, second is Ruo. To better understand what I mean, I would like to compare with how it done in Aura Clash
Thundefaller is proactive, many actions is his initiative (and also player). He grows not only in strength, but also in fame and clan power. He really feels like powerhouse in making (at least to outer province's). On other hand, Wu heir is very passive and reactive. There hardly any action that Wu heir do by his own initiative. Also we greatly grew in strength, but Nicky hardly show it, sometimes feels like he afraid to make MC look powerful. Wu heir from great clan, but it would be better if he was from minor or was peasant. Whole Wu clan feels ridiculously useless (no money, no influence, no interesting characters (beyond Wu Chao)), honestly feels like Wu clan was created yesterday and simply have nothing. And Wu heir also do nothing to change this, no alliances or connection with others forces. MC have anomaly powers and he is one of prime candidate for Shangtian (in eyes of most POMA characters), but nobody really care about it, like everything Wu heir do is something ordinary to POMA world. Often feels like Wu heir simply stand still and doesn't develop at all.
Second problem is Wu heir rival, Ruo. Guy absolutely generic, no cool and complex personality, no creative powers, no interesting dinamic with Wu Heir and also no initiative (the only exception is Rogue hunt, which he fail spectacularly). And this guy supposed to be MC rival for 3 or 2 books (what a joke, arena one time characters feels better than Ruo in everything). In Aura Clash we have Jack, who also pretty generic character, but have more interesting interaction with Thunderfaller and show more initiative (his actions in Ebikowa is already more than everything Ruo do in whole book) and Jack appeared 3,5 times + he MC opponent only in first book. And better, Jack not only rival we have. Goro, Kagura, Brass tiger, Jahi, Leona, Taio. MC has interaction with everyone of them and they all different. In POMA we interacted with how many characters like this? Chu Muchen, Xiwen and Mo Long? (I don't count Su girl, Blood hunter and Yang Gan, because they either dead or will no participate in tournament if they interacted with MC). It feels like like tournament rivals just stepping stones for MC and Ruo, not real competitors. Nicky should have focused story not only on Ruo and Mei, because every time they appear I get "Seriously, it's you again?" reaction instead of getting intrigued. I hope with cousin content, Nicky lated add interactions with other tournament characters, but I very doubt Nicky would bother with them.
I really hope that Nicky do this for later character development, so we have contrast with first book and later, but this still a bad type of storytelling with character development not step by step, but in leaps and bounds in different books.
