The novel will officially be released at midnight on November 1st! That's tonight!
I never thought I'd be writing a release announcement myself! Over the years, I've read countless such announcements from other authors and often wondered how I would write mine if I ever got the chance.
And now, that day has finally come.
So many thoughts are swirling in my head.
I don’t even know how to write this kind of announcement.
The last time I wrote something similar was three years ago, a thank-you note, and even then, it was just whatever came to mind.
First, I want to express my gratitude for my good luck (as I type this, the first word my keyboard suggests is "cloud luck," haha.
Many people have teased me about this name, but its meaning is actually quite nice.
Don’t worry too much about it, though.
It won’t be long before the main character gets a proper Daoist name, something more formal, like Feng Jihu, Wen Sukong, or even Lü Dongbin.
I’ve been thinking about the Daoist name for a while now, but I’m hesitant to use the one I came up with before starting the book, afraid that it might not satisfy everyone.
It’s been quite a dilemma).
I’ve written two books so far.
The first one was The New Legend of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods.
At the time, I considered titles like Nezha, The Tale of Nezha, Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods, and The Legend of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods, but all of them were already taken.
So, I ended up with The New Legend of Nezha in the Investiture of the Gods, which I wasn’t entirely happy with, but it was the only one that worked.
This novel was inspired by the song Nezha, particularly the line "He was once peerless in the world."
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, written during the pandemic lockdown when I had nothing else to do.
But after returning to school, my research workload increased, and I gradually wrote less and less.
I’d write a chapter whenever I had an idea or some free time, so naturally, the book didn’t perform well.
But back then, I didn’t care—it was just something I did for fun.
However, when I got to the part about the war between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, where gods and mortals clashed, I found myself struggling.
Those who are familiar with the original story know how absurd it is for mortal generals to fight gods.
I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
So, I started thinking about how to resolve this issue, and as a result, updates became even less frequent.
Still, every time I posted a new chapter, there were readers who stuck with me, and for that, I’m deeply grateful.
Once my writing improves, I’ll definitely continue the story.
I believe that world has so much more to offer!
While imagining the world of Investiture of the Gods, I also began to envision another world—the world of Mount Shu.
My impression of Mount Shu first came from the movie The Legend of Zu and the TV series Chinese Paladin.
I loved them so much that I decided to read the original works, but I found them hard to follow.
The author, Huanzhu Louzhu, was too imaginative, and the plot jumped around too much.
So, I ended up skimming through, just getting the gist of it (though I’m far from an expert—even now, I have to look things up as I write).
After that, I searched for other novels about Mount Shu and came across Mount Shu by Frog.
It had a unique style, but after that, I couldn’t find any other novels that really captured my interest.
So, naturally, I decided to write my own.
The world of Mount Shu is incredibly beautiful, but Emei wasn’t my first choice.
In the original works, Emei is too domineering, acting as if they’re the only ones who matter in the world, which doesn’t quite align with the idea of chivalry.
So, I wanted to create a protagonist who comes from a traditional Daoist sect—someone powerful yet gentle, who upholds justice and saves the world.
It’s a simple idea, but with so many Daoist mountains in China, choosing the right one was a challenge.
Then, coincidentally, Qidian launched a writing contest about Mount Sanqing.
After learning more about it, I thought, "Perfect!"
Mount Sanqing has countless scenic spots, and some are even arranged according to the Eight Trigrams.
There’s so much material to work with, so the idea quickly took shape.
I started outlining the entire story and managed to post The Earth Immortal of Mount Shu just a few days before the contest ended.
I remember it clearly—the contest ended on September 30th, and I posted the book on the 27th.
On the 30th, my wife and I went to Dali to take our wedding photos, and that night, I was still updating the novel on my phone in the hotel.
After Mount Shu was posted, it quickly got a contract.
By the fourth chapter, it was signed, and I’m very grateful to my editor, Bacon, for offering me a contract for my second book while my first one was still unfinished, and so early on too.
Perhaps it’s because there are many fans of the original works? Mount Shu gained a lot of readers right after it was posted.
Then, the fans of classical xianxia novels started to rally behind it, and with the editor’s recommendation, it quickly made it to the first round of recommendations, skipped the second, and went straight to the third, landing on the new book rankings.
At first, it was in the 90s in the xianxia category, but it climbed rapidly, reaching the top ten in just a few days.
Soon, it was also visible on the overall new book rankings, and then it made it to the Sanjiang list, consistently ranking first in the xianxia category and in the top three overall.
All of this is thanks to everyone’s support.
So, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all of you—those who have tipped, voted with monthly tickets, recommended the book, left comments, or simply read silently.
Your support has given me the motivation to keep writing! I initially thought about listing everyone who tipped, voted, or commented to thank them individually, but as the book’s performance keeps improving, I realized I can’t possibly thank everyone!
I’ll definitely dedicate a chapter to thanking everyone in the future, but not today—I’m too busy trying to finish tonight’s extra chapter.
It’s tough!
Speaking of updates, it’s been really hard.
I write this novel part-time, so I can only work on it after my day job.
As soon as I get off work, I rush home and write until midnight, barely managing to finish two chapters a day.
Even so, my boss has started to notice, asking if my workload has been light lately.
It’s tough!
So, I humbly ask for your understanding.
Now, onto the classic thank-you section, straight from the heart, no fluff!
First and foremost, thank you to all the readers.
No amount of gratitude is enough.
You are the foundation of this book and the key to its survival.
But because everyone knows how important readers are, I find myself at a loss for words.
Maybe it’s true that great kindness needs no words?
Next, I want to thank my wife.
She’s been completely supportive.
Every night, as I write on the couch, she sits beside me, quietly watching her shows or playing on her phone.
When she gets tired, she’ll nap on the couch, sometimes even giving me a massage.
After I finish the two chapters, usually past midnight, I wake her up, and we go to bed together.
Her companionship is my greatest motivation to keep writing!
I also want to thank my editor, Bacon.
I may not be a prodigy, but if I ever succeed, she will definitely be the one who discovered me.
Both of my books were signed early on, even before I had written much.
That’s why I dared to start a second book—she made me believe that someone out there recognized my writing.
Lastly, I want to thank the operations team.
Before they reached out in the comments section, I didn’t even know what "operations" meant in the context of novels.
But after seeing their work, I was amazed by how professional they were.
They’ve saved me so much trouble and taught me a lot.
I won’t name everyone here, but you can see them in the reader community.
That’s about it for the thank-yous.
As I write this, I realize that writing this announcement is much easier than writing the actual chapters! It feels like I’ve already hit 2,000 words in no time.
If only writing the main story could be this effortless, haha.
Alright, I’ll stop here.
I need to get back to writing the actual story, which is giving me a headache!
Finally, the book is about to be officially released.
If you think it’s worth it, please consider subscribing to support it and help it go further.
Thank you!
(End of Chapter)