Chapter 127: Li He’s Inner Conflict

"What's going on?"

"Wuxia fiction?"

"The Big Boss must be joking! His new book isn't a fantasy 'underdog' story, but Wuxia?"

"Why not keep writing fantasy underdog stories? He clearly has a talent for it, and given how well 'Wu Dong Qian Kun' performed, why would he ever think about switching to the Wuxia circle?"

"Exactly! Even if he didn't want to write the underdog trope, he could write an 'invincible genius' story, and we readers would still accept it. The Big Boss really has a gift for fantasy."

"Crossing over from fantasy to Wuxia—isn't that taking too big a step? Isn't he afraid of pulling a muscle?"

"Jumping straight from fantasy to Wuxia is the problem. The Wuxia genre is already crowded with legendary masters and incredible writers. While he might be a 'Big Boss' in the fantasy circle, it’s not guaranteed he’ll be one in the Wuxia circle."

"What is he thinking?"

"..."

The Wuxia circle is home to many authors, many of whom are highly skilled and wield significant influence over their readers.

The dream of "roaming the world with a sword" is something every Chinese person has held since childhood. Upon growing up and realizing reality cannot fulfill this wish, they shift their gaze from their dreams to Wuxia literature.

Wuxia fiction is recognized as one of the major gathering grounds for top-tier masters in the web novel world.

The Big Boss's fans were bewildered.

Other authors in the industry and editorial leads at various web novel platforms were also stunned. They clicked on the Big Boss’s new chapters to read them carefully, then continued to read as Baidu Literature began its pre-launch publicity campaign. The slogan on the promotional banner was clear and concise:

" 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' takes you into a world of martial arts like you've never seen before."

"The Big Boss’s new book, 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' officially serializes at 7:00 PM."

Many in the industry couldn't quite grasp the Big Boss's strategy. It wasn't that they were inherently pessimistic—Baidu Literature wasn't stupid. If the Big Boss's new book were truly a flop, would their editors intentionally promote a doomed project?

That was clearly impossible.

Before the book was even released, the website platform began pre-launch promotions, occupying significant resources. The placement of this recommendation was crucial.

Could it be that the Big Boss is just as talented at writing Wuxia as he is at the underdog trope, and this new book is equally brilliant?

Many people speculated as much.

However, the leap from fantasy to Wuxia is massive. Just the issues of world-building and power scaling alone could filter out a large number of writers.

"I get it. I understand what the Big Boss is up to now."

A web novel analyst guessed: "The Big Boss’s 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' is probably decent, but it's unlikely to be as good as his first book, 'Wu Dong Qian Kun.' After all, his first book’s success was explosive. Even if the quality of this new book doesn't meet expectations, his editor probably feels bad about rejecting it outright. Perhaps they just want him to release it and realize the difficulty on his own!"

Authors with explosive track records hold a different status in the eyes of editors compared to struggling ones.

Top-tier authors on the prestige charts can discuss their new books with editors before release; even if the author's concept isn't entirely satisfactory, the editor wouldn't simply kill it.

At most, the editor might offer a few suggestions for revision. If the author insisted on proceeding, the editor might not even offer advice.

Promotional resources would still be allocated; that is the treatment a master-level author deserves.

Besides, what if it becomes a hit?

An editor's judgment isn't always one hundred percent accurate. There have been instances where books were initially overlooked or even rejected by editors, only to be signed after the author stubbornly wrote sixty thousand words on their own, later exploding into massive successes.

The most important factor remains reader preference and market acceptance.

There are many authors who cross genres, though most meet a miserable end. Of course, there are those whose results are explosive.

Take, for instance, the "Grandmaster."

Come to think of it, the Grandmaster is actually a senior to the Big Boss. Both were the pillars of the underdog trope, yet both decided to abandon it.

Is the Big Boss trying to emulate the Grandmaster?

Seeing that the Grandmaster shifted to Xianxia and his new book, 'Zhu Xian,' achieved explosive success, did the Big Boss think he could do the same?

Most people in the industry accepted this narrative; otherwise, it was hard to explain the Big Boss's current move.

However, a portion of them thought otherwise. They believed this operation was not so simple, primarily because the scale of the pre-launch promotion provided by Baidu Literature was too high—it was standard treatment for a master-level author.

If the quality of the new book were truly mediocre, even with the success of his previous work, he wouldn't be granted such a recommendation.

"There's definitely something wrong!"

The editor-in-chief of Yidian Reading was certain of it. There was absolutely something fishy.

He had been competing with the editor-in-chief of Baidu for years and understood him very well.

The person who understands you best is often your rival.

"There is absolutely a problem. Could the performance of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' actually be that good? Good enough that the Big Boss can jump from fantasy to Wuxia and still enjoy the promotional resources reserved only for master-level authors?"

The editor-in-chief of Yidian Reading paced back and forth in his office, but no matter how he analyzed it, he couldn't fathom how a fantasy author could write a good Wuxia novel.

They were completely different fields.

Yet, just as he was dismissing 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' his eyelids began to twitch violently.

The more he denied it, the more intensely they twitched.

This made him feel very uneasy.

"What kind of Wuxia is 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'? Can the Big Boss even write Wuxia?"

The editor-in-chief of Yidian Reading was suffering internally. Although the Big Boss’s new book would officially go live at 7:00 PM tonight, he was growing impatient.

He wasn't the only one suffering; the Big Boss’s readers and several other authors felt the same.

Especially the authors in the Wuxia circle, because none of them wanted to face the "tentacle monster" head-on!

Li He didn't know what others were thinking. He was currently busy preparing for the September Song Battle.

Han Feng had been practicing 'Ten Years' for half a month. With his exceptional singing skills—he was someone one step away from becoming a "King of Singers"—how could his performance be anything less than stellar?

Han Feng didn't need Li He to worry about him.

What he needed to focus on now were the remaining three people and what songs they should sing.

That’s right: the participants in the September Song Battle, besides the soon-to-be-crowned King of Singers Han Feng, included three others—or, to be precise, four others. The other four were Jiang Qi, He Xi'er, He Luo, and Li He himself.

The song Li He was to perform himself had long been decided: the complete version of 'The Ordinary Road.' This had already been announced and promised to the public.

As for the tracks to be performed by the other three, Li He hadn't finalized them yet. This song battle was quite important to Li He, but it was even more critical for Shengshi Entertainment.

Li He hadn't settled on the other three songs. Although Jiang Qi and the others were anxious, no one dared to urge him. Instead, Xie Shun had come over several times.

His immediate superior, Zhang Yang, had also come to persuade Li He, saying there was no need to force the creation of classic songs. With 'Ten Years' and 'The Ordinary Road,' they were already guaranteed a win. If two classic songs weren't enough to win this battle, Shengshi would have nothing to say.

Classic songs aren't like cabbage; you can't just write them whenever you want.

That was the reason Zhang Yang and the others were persuading Li He. Even a genius has limits. Writing several classic songs in a row wouldn't make him a genius—it would make him a monster.

Yet, Li He seemed as stubborn as a mule, ignoring everyone's advice, as if he wouldn't stop until he produced new classic songs.

Li He was indeed determined not to stop until he had classics, but he wasn't "writing" them; he was "drawing" them.

As for appearing stubborn and obsessing over classics, it was just to confuse others.

Zhang Yang was right about one thing: "If someone really wrote four classic songs in a single month, it would scare a lot of people." Li He agreed with this completely, which was why he had to act!

He had to make outsiders believe that he had been agonizing for days and finally found inspiration, only then producing the classic songs.

Among Jiang Qi and the others, only one person could perform a classic. If there were too many classic songs, Li He feared he would be dissected and studied by experts.

What Li He was currently considering was who to give this classic song to.

Whoever sang it, it would be of great help to their future star-studded path.

Jiang Qi, He Xi'er, or He Luo?

Li He muttered to himself: "Draw, ten consecutive draws!"

As Li He was drawing, 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' went live.

——

PS: Posted first, edited later. Please point out any errors...