Chapter 88: A Contradiction Between Appearance and Reality

At the same time.

In a small courtyard in Luocheng, a rather ordinary-looking man sat amidst the flowerbeds, inhaling the moist, rain-washed fragrance that lingered in the garden, lost in silent contemplation.

Before him, atop a round bamboo and rattan table, a laptop glowed softly. On the screen, lines of text appeared, disordered and chaotic. Logged into WeChat, the chat icon flashed incessantly, indicating someone was sending him constant messages.

Frowning, the man moved the mouse and clicked open the chat, only to see the group he had pinned at the top showing "99+" unread messages. He was a little puzzled—when had the group become so lively? He distinctly recalled glancing at the chat before sleep last night, and for days, not a soul had spoken.

What had happened today? Was the group exploding?

This man was none other than Guan Jia, a veteran author of fantasy cultivation novels.

Guan Jia pulled his bamboo chair closer. Years of writing had left his vision in a sorry state, after countless hours staring at his screen. He had switched through several pairs of glasses, each with a higher prescription.

He opened the chat group; messages continued to scroll rapidly, with many participants speaking at once. After reading for a while, Guan Jia chuckled wryly. He paid it no mind, replied to nothing, closed the chat, and set the group to "Do Not Disturb."

How should he view the grandmaster's shift to writing cultivation novels? How should he view the new novel, "Jade Immortal"?

How else, but with his own eyes? Guan Jia smiled.

It was obvious what the authors in the group wanted: someone to take the lead, to counter the grandmaster, to ostracize "Jade Immortal."

Guan Jia found this idea laughable.

The grandmaster was at the peak of his influence, with a vast legion of supporters—not only readers from his earlier "Battle Through the Heavens," but also veteran fans of cultivation novels.

To challenge the grandmaster at this moment, to attack "Jade Immortal," would be nothing but idle mischief—pure folly!

Guan Jia was no fool. He bore no grudge against the grandmaster; why would he risk provoking him?

He shook his head, dismissing all thoughts of the group chat, and refocused his attention on the laptop, on the settings for his new book.

The grandmaster had redefined the genre; the blazing success of "Jade Immortal" was sweeping through the world of online literature.

As an established author in the field, Guan Jia could not guess what other writers thought or did, nor did he care. He knew only this: opportunity.

Not just for the cultivation genre, but for himself.

He had once been a pillar of the genre, one of its standard-bearers before "Jade Immortal" launched, dominating the download charts time and again. When the genre began to decline, he tried with a pseudonym to pioneer a new style, but failed.

Now the grandmaster had succeeded; "Jade Immortal" had breathed new life into a dead genre, and Guan Jia saw hope.

Faced with the wave stirred by "Jade Immortal," he did not hesitate—he was preparing to launch a new book.

After "Battle Through the Heavens" ushered in the underdog trend, countless obscure authors rose, including a newcomer: the Big Boss. Guan Jia had heard tales of his legend.

He believed he might just become a second Big Boss himself—if only he studied "Jade Immortal" thoroughly, anything was possible.

Just as Guan Jia was dissecting "Jade Immortal," determined to become the next Big Boss...

In Wucheng, in a residential building—

A Taoist was hunched before his computer, deep in thought, occasionally jotting notes in a well-worn notebook. The pages were nearly filled with messy black script—crooked lines and scrawled characters connected by tangled curves.

Names and terms crowded the page: Zhang Xiao Fan, the old monk, Qingyun Sect, the Demon Sect...

"I really wish I could pry open the grandmaster's mind and see how it's structured," the Taoist marveled the more he studied the architecture of "Jade Immortal," his admiration for the grandmaster only growing.

He could not help but be impressed.

Guan Jia had once tried, with a pseudonym, to experiment with new tricks in cultivation novels—he himself had done the same.

Like Guan Jia, he had failed.

Having tried and failed, the Taoist understood just how hard it was to create a new style, a new formula.

The path was strewn with thorns; he and Guan Jia had not made it across, both falling among the brambles.

The grandmaster not only crossed, but trampled every thorn underfoot, even stripping them of their barbs, leaving only smooth wooden staves.

For the grandmaster, the Taoist felt only respect—admiration for his innovation, and for his prodigious speed of updates.

Then he glanced at his own hands and keyboard, sighing.

So many tears, so little to say!

The WeChat group was still abuzz, writers chiming in one after another.

The Taoist had noticed the group’s activity from the start, but ignored it.

He was preparing to follow the trend, to launch his own new book inspired by "Jade Immortal"—why would he attack the grandmaster now? What a joke!

Elsewhere, in Guangcheng.

A bespectacled middle-aged man stared intently at a mind map on his computer. The diagram outlined the relationships among characters, factions, and settings from "Jade Immortal"—complex, yet clear.

He studied it earnestly, fully absorbed.

Beside him, his phone screen kept lighting up with notifications from the chat group.

After a moment, he picked up the phone and typed in the group: "Another reader just left my fan group. If this keeps up, my group will dissolve."

He sent the message, put the phone down, and returned to his mind map.

Scenes like this were playing out all over.

The wave of "Jade Immortal" was sweeping through the world of online fiction.

It was not just authors from Hundred Reads Literature who felt its impact; writers from One Read, Black Cat, and countless other platforms were disturbed by the grandmaster’s new work.

Quietly, many authors were launching new books with pseudonyms, following the "Jade Immortal" trend—some even sneaking onto Hundred Reads to publish.

No one dared question the grandmaster’s ability to write cultivation novels anymore; the facts were plain: not only could he write them, he had redefined the genre.

Like "Battle Through the Heavens," "Jade Immortal" had soared to the top of the download charts, its only obstacle being the matter of paid subscriptions.

No one doubted it—"Jade Immortal" was so popular it threatened to surpass even "Battle Through the Heavens."

Writers who had been stockpiling manuscripts to compete for the August download charts after the grandmaster finished "Battle Through the Heavens" were now releasing their drafts one after another.

There was no point in hoarding anymore; the meaning was gone.

No matter how much they stored up, their updates could never match the grandmaster’s—there was no contest, no desire to compete.

To lose to real-time writing despite having stockpiled chapters—absurd, but true.

This truth was driving countless authors mad.

"The grandmaster has ushered in an era of cutthroat competition among authors!"

Late into the night, countless writers slaving over their keyboards wailed and sighed, tears streaming.

Thanks to the grandmaster’s terrifying rate of updates, even readers who never pushed for faster releases had begun urging authors to speed up.

It seemed that anything less than ten or twenty thousand words a day didn’t count as updating anymore.

All the world has suffered under the grandmaster for too long!

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PS. Posted first, will revise later. Please point out any errors. Remember this site’s address for your next visit, or just search for it online to come back.