All-rounder Artist

Chapter 1424: Chapter 1176: The Senior Will Scout Ahead for You

For Lin Yuan, having written The Legend of the Condor Heroes trilogy, it was inevitable to follow up with Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

In fact, the movie Kung Fu Hustle had already foreshadowed this at its climax.

The fleeting glimpse of the Six Meridian Divine Swords hinted at the introduction of the first protagonist of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Rooted in Buddhism!

Compassion for the world!

This was universally recognized as Jin Yong’s next pinnacle work following The Legend of the Condor Heroes, a monumental masterpiece of the Martial Arts World!

Indeed.

Even though The Legend of the Condor Heroes trilogy was already deemed an extraordinary piece of martial arts literature, it merely established Jin Yong’s position as the Alliance Hierarch of the Martial World.

However.

Elder Jin, despite his unrivaled standing thanks to the trilogy, still faced disapproval and resistance from certain conservative and traditional literati, unable to truly step into the literary hall of fame.

Until one day.

He wrote Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

This was the novel that elevated Jin Yong beyond merely being the so-called Martial World Alliance Hierarch.

It was this novel that silenced the stubborn traditionalists for the first time, forcing them to recognize the literary merit of Jin Yong’s work.

That day.

Elder Jin ascended to the realm of earthly immortals!

Ahem…

Got carried away…

Anyway, it was from this novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils that Jin Yong truly became known as the “master” in people’s hearts!

Meanwhile.

Chu Kuang was now embarking on this same path of becoming a “martial arts master.”

[A glint of blue, a steel sword flickered and thrust toward the left shoulder of an older man. The young swordsman didn’t wait for the strike to land; his wrist twisted, the blade slanted, and the sword edge sliced toward the man’s right neck…]

In the very first chapter, Duan Yu makes his dazzling entrance.

The handsome and elegant Prince of Dali, strolling leisurely through mountains and valleys, accidentally encounters Zhong Ling, the “girl with the mink,” during a moment of peril.

A dashing gentleman and a beautiful maiden.

The standard configuration for protagonists.

Lin Yuan believes readers of the beginning chapters would undoubtedly assume Duan Yu is the main character of the story.

Well.

They’d be right, to a certain extent.

But the readers would definitely not foresee this book having three protagonists.

Duan Yu, Qiao Feng, Xu Bamboo;

The prince, the hero, the monk.

Three protagonists, entirely distinct in identity, experience, and even gender, yet each commanded their own stage.

Each intertwined yet juxtaposed, layered yet seamlessly connected.

This structure and method of character portrayal pioneered a new path for martial arts novels in storytelling and character development, while also showcasing Elder Jin’s terrifying mastery.

Based on just this alone, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils could stand tall as a monumental achievement in martial arts literature.

Of course.

Multi-protagonist storytelling wasn’t Jin Yong’s invention.

Numerous martial arts authors had experimented with multiple protagonists before.

But sadly, none of those works could compare to this Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Even including the much-discussed dual dragons and twin beauties.

Strangely enough…

Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils even dedicated two chapters to Zhuang Juxian.

Some people have therefore called Zhuang Juxian the “fourth protagonist of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.”

Looking at the full text of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, it’s approximately 1.5 million words.

Lin Yuan completing it in just one month is a bit tight, but fortunately, there are still more than forty days until the end of next month.

As a powerhouse writer, penning thirty to forty thousand words a day wouldn’t be a problem.

As for whether this novel could secure its ranking, or even allow him to climb higher on the Author Rankings?

Lin Yuan didn’t know either.

You only find out if you fight.

…

While Lin Yuan was diving into Tianlong, Lu Yang suddenly shocked the literary scene of Qin Continent by announcing his comeback with a new book!

The man is back!

The novel world of Qin Continent was stunned!

“He clearly declared his retirement, and now Master Lu has gone for a sneak attack, even penning a completely finished book?”

“Call him Master Lu!”

“This move from Master Lu is aimed right at Chu Kuang, isn’t it!”

“Chu Kuang sitting in the top writer’s throne of Qin Continent may have made Master Lu restless, so his sudden announcement about his new book seems like an attempt to catch the old rascal off guard?”

“This is going to be entertaining!”

“Let’s sit back and watch the drama unfold; they’re both from our Qin Continent anyway.”

“If you were to ask who among the writers ranked lower than Chu Kuang has the potential to topple the old rascal, it could only be Master Lu.”

“Chu Kuang, watch out!”

“Master Lu isn’t your average writer; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ranked eleventh in the first edition of the Author Rankings, just one step away from the top ten!”

Lu Yang is often referred to as “Master Lu.”

The nickname comes from his prominent work titled Master, which earned him widespread recognition alongside his literary accomplishments.

…

Meanwhile.

The netizens of Qin Continent also grew excited!

“Master Lu is here, clearly looking to reclaim his ranking!”

“Chu Kuang just barely warmed the eleventh throne, and Master Lu already can’t stay put.”

“Hilarious!”

“The mouths of writers are deceivers; Master Lu even said he’d retired, yet his so-called ‘retirement’ just meant secretly working on a new book?”

“Looks like there’s about to be a Qin Continent civil war on Blue Star’s author rankings list?”

“As a citizen of Qin Continent, I support neither side and oppose neither; whoever succeeds, it’s still an honor for Qin Continent!”

“Aren’t you a fan of the old rascal?”

“A fake fan would cheer for Chu Kuang all day; do you think the true die-hard fans wish the old rascal well?”

“I’m also a fan of the old rascal, but this time I support Master Lu!”

“Yet I can’t help leaning toward the old rascal.”

“So narrow-minded, expand your horizons; when the old rascal’s ranking slips, he’ll be driven to write an even better book.”

“Oh come on, let’s cut the talk—go Master Lu!”

…

The most exhilarated audience, of course, were Lu Yang’s own fans!

As Qin Continent’s former number one writer, Lu Yang’s fanbase may not be as enormous as Chu Kuang’s, but its scale certainly shouldn’t be underestimated!

“Welcome back, Master Lu!”

“Master Lu’s retirement had me sad for so long; finally, he’s returned!”

“You’re the real number one writer in my heart!”

“Master Lu’s works have far greater literary depth than Chu Kuang’s!”

“Indeed, Chu Kuang’s style is all commercial writing.”

“Commercial writing is the most lucrative, but I still desire works with deeper substance.”

“Master Lu happens to be the best at balancing literary depth and commercial appeal; it’s like Xian Yu’s Kung Fu Hustle, both thrilling to watch and rich in story texture.”

…

Qin Continent.

A certain villa.

Lu Yang smiled.

Everyone still remembers him.

The effectiveness of this comeback spectacle brought Lu Yang great satisfaction.

The only thing that made Lu Yang feel both amused and helpless was the number of Chu Kuang fans leaving comments on his social platforms, cheering him on to thoroughly crush Chu Kuang?

What kinds of people are these.

Is Chu Kuang that intolerable to them?

A writer who could face such fierce fan betrayals, perhaps only Chu Kuang on all of Blue Star would fit that bill.

What a pity…

Who says he’s competing with Chu Kuang?

So petty.

Your perspectives are way too small.

This time, my goal is the top ten!

I’ve already been number eleven!

Qin Continent boasts a billion-dollar film now!

It’s time for our novels to produce someone to break into the top ten!

As for taking down Chu Kuang?

That would just be incidental.

If possible, Lu Yang actually wished for Chu Kuang to rank high—as long as he doesn’t rank *higher than me.*

After all, there’s no bad blood between us.

Moreover, Chu Kuang is also a writer from Qin Continent.

“Promising junior. This senior will go ahead and explore the mountaintop that belongs to the top ten on your behalf. Just a perfect chance for me to experience what it’s like to overlook all other mountains!”

This was Xian Yu’s poem.

Master Lu appreciated it deeply.

Xian Yu’s poem—it was truly well-written.

In terms of literary prowess, although Chu Kuang was Xian Yu’s close friend, his innate talent was a bit lacking by comparison.

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