Chapter 1014: Author's Closing Remarks

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

After finishing the last chapter, I lay on the couch for quite a while before I finally felt better. I hadn't written much that day, so it wasn't physical exhaustion. It was a hollow, lingering sense of loss.

From mid-April last year[1] to now, a year and a half has passed since I started this book.

Another year and a half of my life has passed. Some of you have been here since the beginning. Others joined after a year or half a year, or maybe just a few days ago.

It's also possible that many readers didn't make it to the end. Some might have stopped halfway through, or even earlier.

But if you spent even a little of your time, or a single cent, on this book, I see that as support. So right now, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you. Truly, thank you.

Thank you to every reader who helped put food on my table and clothes on my back.

Without your support, I couldn't have made it this far. I'll always be grateful.

Thank you, everyone.

You've all been incredibly patient. I know I don't release a lot of chapters daily, but many of you still stuck around, and that truly moved me.

From the start of its online release to the very end, this book averaged 64,679 subscriptions. If we round up the numbers, that's about 65,000. At its peak, it had more than 18,000 active followers, and even during the low points, it held steady at around 10,000.

Out of everything I've written, this one has performed the best. Though to be fair, I've only written two.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

When I first started, I didn't dare aim too high. I just hoped it would do a little better than my last book. Back then, my only real goal was to reach an average of twenty to thirty thousand subscribers, complete the contract as a top-tier author, and call it a success.

But now, it has gone far beyond what I ever expected.

Sure, part of the credit goes to Qidian's anti-piracy measures, but more than anything, it was your support that made this possible.

There were many times when I felt anxious, especially when the number of followers suddenly jumped. Knowing that ten or even twenty thousand people were waiting to see what I'd write next made me incredibly nervous.

During the first year of writing this book, I was filled with great ambition. I wanted it to do well and meet the goals I had set. At one point, I was releasing three chapters a day. That might not seem like much compared to others, but it was the most consistent I had ever been.

But the truth is, when I stay tired for too long, I start having trouble sleeping. Eventually, I get sick, and there's not much I can do about it.

Around mid-April this year, I fell ill. It took me three full months to recover. During that time, I stopped pushing myself. Once I officially signed on as a Legendary Author[2], I no longer felt the same pressure to chase results, and that feeling stayed with me all the way until now.

To be honest, this story didn't have many major twists, not even at the end. Even though I held off updating for a few days, most readers already had a pretty good idea of how it would all turn out. The only real question was how the final villain would be defeated.

This wasn't a story built on suspense or dramatic plot developments, and I knew that going in. Still, there were times when I hesitated and even tried to steer it toward a more serious, plot-driven direction. But in the end, that didn't mesh well with the absurd, comedic style at its core.

That's something I'll need to work on and improve in the future.

Writing a novel is no different from anything else in life. It is like rowing against the current. If you stop moving forward, you will start drifting back. If I ever give up on improving, that would mean I have chosen to fall behind. So I will not stay in my comfort zone forever.

Joking around, writing gags, and adding memes like I did in my previous novel doesn't take much effort anymore. That's why I chose to experiment with a lot of new things in this novel.

Things like tournaments, romance, and fight scenes were areas I hadn't explored much before, but I gave them a try this time.

What I needed to do was have all of these unfold in a lighthearted and enjoyable tone. That was the kind of world I had in mind.

Now that I’ve finished writing the novel, that’s it. There are still many areas I believe could have been better, but I can only work on improving those in the next novel. That's the same way I tried to make up for the shortcomings of the last novel through this one.

There are a few small hints in the story that readers often mention.

As a matter of fact, I gave every character a backstory. For example, the Su Family and the chancellor are part of a hidden plot, left for readers to uncover on their own.

I never directly told the chancellor's story, but if you read closely, you can piece it together. That was the effect I was aiming for. To be honest, I originally wanted to make it even more subtle, but I was worried that if I did, no one would notice it at all. That would have been a little awkward.

So it’s not the kind of foreshadowing that needs to be revealed at the end. It’s simply a clue to a hidden plot within the story—something you can discover if you read closely, but nothing more will be revealed later on.

That includes the crossover of characters from my previous novel as well.

I'm not really a fan of having characters from other works blatantly show up in a new novel. That could confuse readers who haven't read the previous novel I wrote, and most people wouldn't want to go back and read it just to keep up. So I decided to keep it to brief mentions instead.

If you've read my previous novel, you might have a good idea of who these characters are and picture them clearly in your mind. But if you haven't, you can simply see them as legendary figures. It won't affect your reading experience, and that's exactly what I intended.

It's another detail meant for readers to piece together on their own.

There were many things, such as Di Nufeng's background and the history of the Jiang Family, that I really did not want to explain outright. I preferred to leave subtle clues throughout the story and let readers piece everything together from a broader, all-knowing perspective.

Some of them worked, while others didn't have the effect I hoped for, so I explained it in the end.

In any case, I was trying something new.

At this point in writing the novel, I'm already feeling worn out. To be honest, I think I was emotionally drained months ago. After finishing my previous novel, I was stuck at home during the lockdown and only took about a month off before jumping into my next novel.

The energy I had left was only enough to carry me through the first year. After that, I just couldn't keep up, and the fatigue started to show in the writing.

So before I begin my next novel, I plan to spend more time resting this time. I’ll read a few popular novels and rebuild my energy. Writing online serial fiction takes an enormous amount of effort. Without enough reserves, it's impossible to keep going for long. I've come to understand that more clearly now.

In any case, Chu Liang's story comes to a close here for now.

The world of the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten has also come to an end.

The ending might feel a little rushed, and I didn't get the chance to show what happened to many of the supporting characters. I'll release those scenes as side stories [3]. Whether I write a lot or just a little, I hope you won't be too upset with me.

I really do need a break now. This kind of mental fatigue is hard to put into words. Maybe I never had that much stamina to begin with.

And here I am, rambling again in the final thoughts...hahahaha.

Let me offer one last round of thanks to all the brothers and sisters[4] who supported me and put up with me along the way. I'm deeply grateful to every one of you, my dear friends and family.

There's really not much more to say.

Let me bow deeply to all of you again.

Fwump. DODODODODODODO. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

Thank you for your support and company over the past year and a half. I've gained a lot, and I've given a lot. There were many joyful and fulfilling moments, as well as times of confusion and frustration.

Looking back, it feels as if a light boat has already sailed past ten thousand mountains.

All of this will forever be part of my most cherished memories.

If there's anything more I want to say, I'll say it in the next novel. It probably won't take too long. I just need a short break, and then I'll be back, although it might not be very soon.

And now, everyone, the journey of this book has come to an end!

Though we have wandered through green mountains, we are still young.

May all of you, like the characters in this story, stay forever young and forever joyful.

September 15, 2023

1. This was written in 2023, so he started the novel in mid-April of 2022. ☜

2. The term "大神作家" (literally "Great God Author") is a title used by Qidian to recognize top-tier authors. ☜

3. We decided to post the author’s closing remarks last, so you’ve already read the side stories. ☜

4. The raw here used 女兄弟, which means girls who are like bros. ☜