Chapter 129: The Return of the Condor Heroes Becomes a Hit

The makeshift conference room was not large, yet it was packed with people. It was the room usually reserved for the Fantasy Editorial Department’s meetings, which was more than enough to hold all of their own editors. However, this time, it was not just the fantasy editors present; many from the neighboring Wuxia Editorial Department had joined them as well.

Editors from both departments were tensely watching the data table on the projector screen at the front of the room, awaiting the first wave of feedback on "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

"There shouldn't be any issues, right?"

"Even though the Big Shot’s reader base is primarily into fantasy, surely a great story with solid prose is enough these days..."

"I'm worried the Big Shot’s writing might face 'culture shock.' Crossing from fantasy to wuxia isn't just about changing genres; it's about changing the entire reader demographic."

"Although there aren't many authors who successfully cross genres, the Great God is one who did. Everyone saw how explosive his new book, 'Zhu Xian,' was after he switched tracks; it’s become the gold standard for Xianxia novels."

"That’s exactly what I'm most worried about. After all, the Great God and the Big Shot are known by readers as the 'Twin Pillars of the Loser-to-Legend trope.' Now that one of them, the Great God, has left that trope behind and is doing even better in the Xianxia genre, it invisibly adds a lot of pressure and obstacles for the Big Shot."

"Exactly. If the Big Shot’s new book is even slightly worse than 'Zhu Xian,' many readers will definitely be dissatisfied."

"But everyone here has read 'The Return of the Condor Heroes.' We know the quality is there. As for comparing it to 'Zhu Xian,' we’ll have to wait for the performance data."

"The quality of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' is beyond reproach. I’m already tempted to beg the Big Shot for more chapters."

As the editors discussed, feedback from readers began to appear online. The first wave had arrived. It had been over five hours since the novel went live. Even those who got off work late and couldn't read it immediately were finishing it now. In fact, they didn't even need to finish the whole thing; just a portion was enough. After all, the Big Shot was no ordinary author. While others usually started with six thousand words—or ten thousand if they were being generous—the Big Shot had dropped a massive fifty thousand words at launch, and Wang Ke hadn't been able to stop him. He was the second author, aside from the Great God, to have editors trying to hold him back from over-updating.

The editors, who had been waiting for the data team, finally received the information they were desperate to see. The top-rated review was a long post from a user named "Ying-Ying-Ying":

"As a loyal fan of the Loser-to-Legend trope, I started with the Great God’s 'Battle Through the Heavens' and followed up with 'Martial Universe.' I’ve always loved both the Great God and the Big Shot, though the Great God’s move to Xianxia is another story.

"I’ve always admired and enjoyed the Big Shot, but when I heard he was leaving the Loser-to-Legend genre for Wuxia, I was honestly a bit melancholic. After all, both of the 'Twin Pillars' have left...

"At first, I wasn't optimistic about him writing Wuxia. The style required for fantasy is completely different from Wuxia, and the Big Shot’s style was uniquely suited for fantasy.

"But after reading all the chapters of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' I admit I was wrong. I can only say that because of this book, because of the Big Shot, I’ve fallen in love with Wuxia."

Following this, the editors scrolled down to the second hot review:

"No one understands Wuxia better than the Big Shot."

And further down:

"Other authors write Wuxia based on imagination, but the Big Shot writes as if he’s lived it. It’s as if he snuck into the world of Condor Heroes, experienced it all, and came back to write us his diary."

Positive reviews sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, coming in so fast they were impossible to keep up with. In the cramped room, no one felt squeezed. They were glued to their computers, eyes wide, meticulously browsing the data forwarded by the editor-in-chief.

How would the first-day performance look? How satisfied were the readers? Would they accept the Big Shot writing Wuxia?

Wang Ke, as the Big Shot’s direct editor, cared more about this data than anyone. He pushed up his sliding glasses and leaned over his desk, his eyes inches from the screen as if he still couldn't see clearly. He read the comments one by one.

"Holy crap! Did the Big Shot really write this?"

"Damn, it made me grab a broom and chase my dog around for half an hour, but he refused to duel me."

"The Big Shot actually has some depth."

"Is the Big Shot trying to get me to roam the world with a sword, only to be arrested by the police for illegal possession of a controlled weapon so they can inherit my debts?"

"This is what a 'Jianghu' should look like. A Beggar Sect made up of beggars being the number one sect actually makes sense—they have the numbers and their intelligence-gathering capability surpasses all others."

"Holy cow! This is seriously damn good!"

"Who’s the female lead? Is it Guo Jing’s wife, Huang Rong?"

"The guy above, you're not right in the head!"

Wang Ke couldn't help but laugh. There were so many hilarious trolls online; the internet really was full of talent. The suggestion that Huang Rong was the female lead was ridiculous, yet it had so many likes. What was wrong with people? It was the kind of twisted humor that was oddly amusing.

"Ahem!" Wang Ke cleared his throat to dismiss the inappropriate thought and continued scrolling.

There were many positive reviews, but there was no shortage of negative ones, which Wang Ke understood. No matter how popular or well-written a book was, there would always be readers who didn't like it. But some of the negative reviews nearly drove him insane with laughter.

"What kind of garbage is this? This is called Wuxia? Anyone with eyes can see this isn't Wuxia at all."

"You guys aren't actually reading this, are you? No way! No way!"

"How could such a trashy book get such a high recommendation? Baidu Literature is really finished."

"If you can't write Wuxia, don't write it. Why come out and embarrass yourself?"

"Trash book. Seeing it dirties my eyes... okay, I admit I was paid to say this, but the book is actually too much to my taste. I want to return the money."

There were quite a few such comments, and Wang Ke wanted to slam the table and roar with laughter; if he hadn't been in a conference room with his superiors, he would have.

A Wuxia novel that had gained the unanimous approval of the Wuxia editors was being bashed for not being Wuxia, with claims that the Big Shot didn't understand the genre. The last comment made him laugh out loud. Many editors looked up, and Wang Ke said sheepishly, "Some of these negative reviews are just too funny. They're clearly brainless trolls who haven't even read the book."

An editor replied, "That’s normal. Some authors in the Wuxia circle don't want to see the Big Shot enter their territory and steal their pie."

"Hmph!" an old editor said with disdain, "They are all people who refuse to progress and rely on past glory. Their thinking can't keep up with the development of web literature, and their new books have all flopped. They actually have the nerve to pay for trolls to cause trouble!"

Although there were some negative comments meant to stir the pot, they were quickly buried by positive ones. They couldn't make a splash.

Positive reviews—countless positive reviews—continued to pour in. Perhaps some of the Big Shot’s old readers couldn't accept the genre switch, but in terms of volume, the Big Shot’s new book was as furious and intense as ever.

As for the Wuxia world under the Big Shot’s pen, the readers who had followed him from the fantasy genre mostly expressed that the world depicted was one they longed for. To make readers feel such yearning, to make them want to visit and walk through the world of the book, was no small feat. Few authors could achieve this, and the Big Shot was one of them.

Based on his experience, Wang Ke could already conclude:

This book was a hit! A massive, explosive success.