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Perhaps someone should define what these terms even mean...

This is directly taken from the Wuxiaworld forums (not sure if I'm allowed to post a direct link, but I'm not going to take credit for something I didn't write).

What is wuxia?
Wuxia is made from two characters; ‘Wu’ and ‘Xia’, which literally mean ‘martial hero’. Wuxia stories are basically martial arts stories, with an essentially ‘real’ world filled with people who do incredible things through martial arts and generating ‘qi’, which allows them to leap long distances across rooftops and skip across water, a la Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon. Asian fans here surely have heard of famous novels/adaptations like the Legend of the Condor Heroes, Return of the Condor Heroes, Swordsman/Smiling Proud Wanderer, Seven Swordsmen (by Tsui Hark), etc. ‘Horizon, Bright Moon, Sabre’, is another example of Wuxia. These are all ‘Wuxia’; novels that are grounded in real-life Chinese martial arts and internal energy cultivation (qigong) techniques that are kicked up to an exaggeratedly awesome level.

What is xianxia?
As for Xianxia, the characters forming it are ‘Xian’ and ‘Xia’, which literally means ‘immortal hero’. Xianxia is a newer genre and is essentially a ‘fantasy-fied’ version of Wuxia, with magic, demons, immortals, people who can fly, etc. The biggest contributor to the Xianxia genre is actually not martial arts; rather, it is ‘Taoism’, which is a major part of Chinese history. Taoism is both a philosophical way of life as well as an actual religion. Religious Taoism is often blurred together with Chinese folk mythologies, and is chock-full of stories about demons, ghosts, and people learning how to become immortals through meditation/understanding the ways of heaven, and flying in the air and casting powerful magic spells. The legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong (whom Son Goku of DBZ is based off of) acquired his power through Taoist practices, and the concept of the Yin-Yang is also from Taoism. Xianxia blends lots of these folk stories and magical Taoist legends into their stories in a way which ‘true’ Wuxia stories almost never do.

And this one is from Immortal Mountain on Wordpress.

Wuxia (武俠 wǔxiá) – literally means “Martial Heroes”. Fictional stories about regular humans who can achieve supernatural fighting ability through Chinese martial arts training and internal energy cultivation. Themes of chivalry, tragedy, revenge & romance are common.

Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – literally means “Immortal Heroes”. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism.

Comparison: If Wuxia is “low fantasy”, then Xianxia is “high fantasy”.

Xuanhuan (玄幻 xuánhuàn) – literally means “Mysterious Fantasy”. A broad genre of fictional stories which remixes Chinese folklore/mythology with foreign elements & settings.

Xuanhuan and Xianxia novels may sometimes seem similar on the surface. Look for the presence of Daoist elements (the Dao, Yin and Yang, Immortals, etc…) in the novel to easily distinguish the two – if they aren’t present, then it’s probably a Xuanhuan novel.

Note: Usually because xian (仙 or immortal) is usually the state you achieve on the path of Daoism. Ascetics pray, meditate and fast, often in reclusivity, to become an immortal/xian 仙. Hence xianxia is more associated with Daoist elements.

Tomoyuki if monkey king is xianxia, what of Journey to the West? Just asking

Saint_Debby Everything, as long as the story is good. I especially liked Jin Yong's novels. For cultivation novels whether they are xianxia or xuanhuan I only knew about them recently. I was amazed at first. Wow, this kind of novel exists? Although I am not really new to them, thanks to Journey to The West.

For what kind of story I thought is good, for me it is the story that made me immersed reading them. Also better if they were intriguing and not plain farming log book. Enemies that always run to come back again is also annoying for me. What, mc let an enemy escape again? What, this enemy came back again while became stronger than mc? How can he rival mc that got cheat every few chapters? Other than those novels, everything else is good.

Saint_Debby Really liked watching The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (2013 drama version), The Royal Swordsman, & The Vigilantes in Masks. And obviously Return of the Condor Heroes (2006 ver)