The change of seasons has brought large temperature differences between day and night, and I caught the flu, which has left me feeling pretty bad.
Starting from Chapter 60, I haven’t been very satisfied with the subsequent Chapters, and the reader feedback has also been average. The original drafts for the continuation of the story have all been scrapped, and I’m rewriting the plot from here on out. Therefore, I’m taking the liberty of asking for a day off. There will only be one update today, which will allow me to review the plot from Chapter 1 again and further polish the general and detailed outlines.
I estimate that by mid-May, when the book’s word count reaches over 200,000, it will go premium. After it goes premium, I will do my best to provide a burst of updates. As long as writing doesn’t kill me, I’ll write with everything I’ve got!
Additionally, many readers have commented that I’m padding my writing with too much filler, like using three question marks and such.
I just want to say that it’s not padding. Three question marks or three exclamation marks are meant to express intense emotions. Light novels are all about emotions, right? If the emotional plot isn’t a bit exaggerated, and everything is uneventful from start to finish, where’s the fun in that?
Moreover, most of my Chapters are over 2,200 words, some even over 2,300. The Chapters you might consider filler often have an even higher word count. For example, Chapter 70 has 2,700 words. In a way, this ensures there’s enough substance, and the effective plot isn’t reduced to make way for emotional descriptors.
Besides, the Chapters are free for now, so you’re not spending any money. Once the book goes premium, I will try to make my wording as concise as possible. While I may not have the most integrity, I wouldn’t intentionally pad the word count to cheat you out of your money. Most books go premium after reaching about 160,000 or 170,000 words. I plan to wait until this book reaches 200,000. Let’s just have everyone enjoy the free Chapters for now, so please don’t quibble over whether it’s padded or not.
After all, plenty of water makes things flow smoothly!
Also, regarding the Merit Points system in this book.
Many readers have commented that it’s too easy for the protagonist to earn Merit Points, so I’d like to explain it here.
First of all, it’s not easy for the protagonist to earn Merit Points. Let’s recount the few times the protagonist has earned them:
1. By killing the Tiger Demon and the Malicious Ghost, his Cultivation Level increased, but he didn’t break through to a new Realm.
2. The protagonist repaired the Netherworld Seal, breaking through from the Fifth Heaven of the Foundation Establishment Stage to the Seventh Heaven, while also enhancing his aptitude and fortune.
3. The protagonist provided disaster relief, saving the lives of over a hundred thousand refugees, giving them the courage to carry on, and helping them settle their livelihoods. His Cultivation Level broke through from the peak of the Eighth Heaven of the Foundation Establishment Stage to the First Heaven of the Core Formation Stage.
Every time the protagonist broke through because of Merit Points, it was after doing some monumental good deeds, for which he was then blessed by the Heavenly Dao.
How many ordinary Cultivators would ever encounter a breach in the Netherworld Passage Seal? And how many would have the ability to repair it?
As for providing disaster relief to refugees, I also explained that Sects and Landlords had provided aid before, but the common people were uncontrollable! The protagonist used bran for relief and came up with the idea of work-for-aid, which is why the effect was so significant.
Otherwise, forget one thousand Spirit Stones; even three to five thousand Spirit Stones wouldn’t have earned that many Merit Points. Wealthy Sects with money and Spirit Stones would obtain cultivation resources through other channels or devise other methods to accrue Merit Points.
After all, there are countless paths to choose from, not just one. What ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator would be willing to spend thousands of Spirit Stones on disaster relief just for Merit Points? Setting aside the fact that getting Merit Points isn’t even guaranteed, with that many Spirit Stones, couldn’t they just cultivate directly? Direct cultivation wouldn’t even cost that many Spirit Stones, alright?
Now, as for why other cultivation powers don’t monopolize Merit Points—how could they?
Beasts in the mountains that absorb the essence of the sun and moon have the chance to cultivate into Devil Beasts that kill and eat people; slaying them earns Merit Points. You can’t exactly decree that Disciples must capture Devil Beasts and only let the ’nobles’ within the Sect kill them, can you? Even in ancient times and our real world, ordinary soldiers had the opportunity to earn military merits!
As for intentionally cultivating Devil Beasts and Demon Cultivators and then killing them—from a certain perspective, this is indeed feasible, but it can’t be overdone.
For example, when I was writing about the protagonist repairing the Netherworld Seal, I described him muttering to himself, "I should find a Demon Cultivator to break the seal, then I’ll repair it myself." As a result, he nearly got struck by lightning. What does this tell us? It shows that the rules of the Heavenly Dao are very strict. If you intentionally cultivate Devil Beasts or Demon Cultivators to harm others, with those causal threads attached, you still expect to earn Merit Points? You’d be lucky not to share in their karmic burden.
Of course, referencing history and the real world, the rules of the Heavenly Dao in this cultivation world aren’t completely immune to loopholes.
For example, if the upper echelons of some righteous Immortal Sect harbored vile intentions, they might deliberately not eradicate the problem at its root when slaying demons and devils. They might kill one hundred but leave twenty alive. These twenty "escaped on their own merit," it’s not like I saved them, right? I’m not taking the blame! Then, they would let these twenty recruit followers and build up their forces. Once they grew powerful and rampant again, they’d come back to "subdue the demons" and reap another harvest.
It’s like how princes and great generals in ancient times would foster rebels to increase their own power, intentionally forcing commoners to become bandits. Then, when the time was right, they’d wipe them out in one fell swoop. But they would never appear to be personally involved; on the surface, they’d have no connection to those bandits. It’s even possible that the bandits themselves believed they had no ties to them. However, when the time was ripe, a campaign to eliminate the bandits would ensue. The gold and silver the bandits had plundered would become theirs, the bandits’ heads could be used to claim military merits, and they could even win the support of the common people through this act.
It’s the same principle in this world. Immortal Sects aren’t without their bad apples; it’s just that the Sanqing Immortal Sect is defined as part of the Righteous Path. The truly Righteous Path. Just like the Mount Shu Sect in "Chinese Paladin 3," they take it as their duty to protect all life under heaven. Follow current novᴇls on NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt
Therefore, within the jurisdiction of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, such sordid affairs rarely occur, but that doesn’t mean other Immortal Sects are free from them. Heaven and Earth, all things in the world, have both yin and yang, good and evil. Nothing is absolute.
I believe that for a story to be compelling, its world-building should be diverse. After all, even in the real world, there are many staunch idealists, aren’t there? Look back 100 years. Weren’t the visionary leaders of that era all passionate, great heroes?
In the next few Chapters, I will further expand on these aspects of the setting to ensure that no one feels it isn’t rigorous enough.
My goodness. I wanted to take it easy because of my cold but ended up writing a 2,300-word leave request. Add that to Chapter 70’s 2,700 words, and that’s roughly a 5,000-word update.
In any case, I will do my best to fill in the book’s setting, and I will read and consider all your comments, messages, opinions, and suggestions. If they are truly sensible, I will adopt and implement them.
Finally, thank you to all the brothers and sisters who have supported this book. Truly, thank you so very much!
And now, I will perform a set of the Sword Sect’s ultimate techniques for everyone!
[A 90-DEGREE DEEP BOW!!!]
[WISHING EVERYONE GOOD HEALTH AND PROSPERITY!]