I Became an All-round Artist

More and more people were buying Zhuxian.
More and more people had finished reading it.
Two days later, as the first volume’s 200,000 words were devoured by waves of readers, they all inevitably echoed the same thought:
“Wait... that's it?”
As the saying goes:
"One day, when I have a sword in hand, I will cut down every author who ends on a cliffhanger."
At this point, many readers were thinking of sending Chu Kuang a "gift."
Perhaps... a razor blade?
Of course, they were just joking…
Or were they?

On the novel forums, discussions about Zhuxian had skyrocketed since the release day. Anyone who wasn’t quick enough to finish the book was at risk of getting 80% of the plot spoiled by the flurry of posts:

· “When will Zhang Xiaofan finally rise up? He’s the first-ever dual cultivator of Buddhism and Daoism!”

· “When will the firestick shock the Qingyun Sect?”

· “Mark my words, Xiaofan will win the Seven Peaks Martial Competition and win Senior Sister Tian Ling'er’s heart in the process!”

· “Such a breathtaking Xianxia world. How exhilarating must it be to soar through the sky on a flying sword!”

· “No wonder they said this novel would redefine Xianxia. If Chu Kuang’s last book got me interested in sports fiction, Zhuxian has made me fall in love with Xianxia!”

· “The heavens are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs—this is true Xianxia!”

· “…”

It wasn’t just readers who had read Zhuxian; editors and writers in the industry had, of course, taken a look too.
And when they did…
Everyone fell silent.
After a long pause, one senior editor in the industry sighed and said, “Chu Kuang isn’t just redefining Xianxia; he’s founding a whole new school!”
That statement struck home.
Founding a new school!
No one doubted anymore whether Xianxia could become popular. The real question now was, how should Xianxia be written? Chu Kuang had used Zhuxian to demonstrate the answer to the entire industry.
“He’s a true trailblazer.”
“With two consecutive books, Chu Kuang has pioneered two genres. He’s becoming a trendsetter in the industry. Xianxia will likely become a new category that many authors will flock to.”
“I’d bet Xianxia will get even bigger than sports fiction!”
“The greatest impact of Chu Kuang’s two books is that he’s injected fresh life into our industry. Everyone had been focusing solely on otherworldly adventures, but now Chu Kuang has given us two new paths to explore.”
“The future of Xianxia novels is limitless.”
“I’m not even mad that Chu Kuang’s books keep getting bigger and bigger. The fact that he’s revolutionizing genres is a good thing for the industry. Honestly, we should be grateful. What bothers me is that this game-changing author just had to be signed with Silver Blue Publishing!”

Previously, otherworldly adventures had been the hottest genre, while other types of fiction were stagnant.
But now, Chu Kuang had made sports fiction popular.
And soon, Xianxia was likely to catch fire as well!

Although many couldn’t replicate the brilliance of Zhuxian’s story, Chu Kuang’s innovation in writing style had given rise to a new approach to Xianxia, one that countless others could use to create their own works.
It was just like how things worked in Tianzhou.
One plants the trees, and others enjoy the shade. The foundation of Zhuxian’s creation was another Xianxia novel called Ephemeral Journey.
Even if more popular Xianxia stories appeared in the future, Chu Kuang’s Zhuxian would forever be seen as the defining work of the genre—just like how Chu Kuang was hailed as the top figure in sports fiction.

Lin Yuan received five physical copies of Zhuxian’s first volume, sent for free by Silver Blue Publishing.
Yang Feng called and asked Lin Yuan to send one of the copies back, but not before signing it.
It was for the chief editor.
Lin Yuan agreed.
He signed it using his pen name, “Chu Kuang.”
This was the first time he had signed anything, and his first thought was:
“Can my signed book sell for money?”
Of course, the thought passed quickly. How much could a signature even be worth? Nowhere near what he made from teaching art classes at the drawing club.
Still, Lin Yuan was aware of Zhuxian’s success.
Yang Feng had called him the day it exploded, so excited it seemed like he was about to share the royalties with Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was happy too.
Though when he wrote Zhuxian, he had already anticipated that it would become a hit. After all, it was a genre-defining work.
In truth, Zhuxian wasn’t a traditional Xianxia novel.
It was more like a romance wrapped in the garb of Xianxia.
The fact that readers focused so much on the Xianxia aspects was thanks to how well the world had been adjusted in the novel. The beauty and grandeur of the Xianxia realm were shown in all their glory.
If possible, Lin Yuan considered crafting a more traditional Xianxia cultivation novel with the system in the future.
But for now, there was no need to think so far ahead.
After sending off the signed book, Lin Yuan thought for a moment and called his sister.
“What’s up?”
Lin Xuan sounded a bit down.
Lin Yuan asked, “Are you short on money?”
Lin Xuan replied, “Could you drop the question mark?”
Lin Yuan: “…”
Lin Xuan coughed, “Are you offering your big sister an allowance? Not bad, looks like spoiling you has finally paid off.”
“You don’t seem happy. What’s wrong?”
Lin Xuan asked suspiciously, “Are you changing the subject?”
Before she could continue, Lin Yuan transferred her 50,000 yuan. Her voice immediately brightened: “I’m in a great mood now!”
“And before this?”
Lin Yuan asked with concern.
Lin Xuan sighed, “I’ve been dealing with some frustrating things lately. One of my authors just launched a new book. We had a lot of promotions lined up, and the publisher was really hopeful. But then… we ran into a monster.”
“A monster?”
“Remember that Chu Kuang I told you about over the holidays? He wrote a phenomenal new book, and now every bookstore in Qinzhou is pushing his novel. My author’s book can’t even get a minor recommendation spot, which is hurting our sales.”
Lin Yuan: “…”
How should he respond to that?
Should he just say, “Well, that’s my fault”?

Lin Xuan sighed again. “But it doesn’t matter anymore. I might lose my job soon anyway.”
Lin Yuan grew concerned. “Is your company firing you?”
“No, not just me. It’s likely that most of us will be leaving. Our publishing house is being acquired by Silver Blue Publishing—the company Chu Kuang signed with. Once they take over, our whole team, even our department heads, might get the boot.”
“Silver Blue Publishing?”
“Yeah, that’s the company. They’re the ones ruining my job prospects, and Chu Kuang’s just their accomplice…”
Lin Xuan joked, though her mood seemed to have lightened.
The truth was, she didn’t feel too bad after receiving Lin Yuan’s transfer. Even if she lost her job, she could always take her time finding another.
Worst case, her wealthy brother could support her.
Having a rich younger sibling was a joy most people couldn’t imagine.
“Oh.”
Lin Yuan didn’t press further.
After ending the call, he reached out to Yang Feng.
He wanted to ask if Silver Blue Publishing could find a spot for his sister.
Though he wasn’t sure how easy that would be.

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