
Pi was fond of reading Chinese books. At first, it was not very used to them. But the Chinese language had a magical power, in which each word was formed by special rules, and each word's form had a special meaning. This was fascinating to Pi. Take the word "mountain" (山) for example, by looking at this character, the peaks of the mountain seemed visible. 
It followed Zhang Zian's suggestions to sit straight in front of the computer and type for a while, then sit on the window sill to look into the distance and observe the busy pedestrians. After a few minutes, as the eyes were adjusted and relaxed, it sat in the basket hammock chair and read books on the tablet, then repeated the cycle. Pi enjoyed the routine.　　
Maybe Pi was already used to searching for information in the complex records of the nameless book. It was able to read extremely fast and not only was it able to understand everything, it was able to remember them. Each time Zhang Zian came upstairs to check on it, he found it reading a different book.　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi typed its explanation: "I've read the English versions of these books. That's why I read fast."　　
Zhang Zian nodded in acknowledgment.　
The books that he transferred into the tablet for it were the electronic versions of the old and contemporary classics, most of which had been translated into English and introduced to western readers. It was normal that Pi had read them before.　　
Pi enjoyed any type of books. Novels, traveling journals, essays, poetry, science, biography...it enjoyed all of them. To satisfy his growing appetite for books, Zhang Zian retrieved the books he read in his childhood from the storage room, and borrowed some more from Wang Qian and Li Kun. He stacked the books next to the basket hammock chair so that it could access them any time.　　
Pi was gentle with the paper books. It handled them with care, and was careful when flipping the pages, yet these didn't slow down the reading.　
Soon, Pi finished reading all the paper books in Zhang Zian's house and those he borrowed elsewhere.　　
Apart from the daily business of the pet shop, Zhang Zian had an additional task of browsing the online shopping website for discounted books. He would buy some every time there was a promotion.　　

"Master, this is heavy! You are receiving a lot of couriers lately."　
Wang Qian and Li Kun walked into the shop with two heavy boxes, and placed them next to Zhang Zian's reclining chair.　
"Yes. I bought some books."　　
Zhang Zian removed the packaging with a knife. It was book series and journals. The journals were from last year, so the price was good. Pi was not picky about the publication dates anyway.　　
Wang Qian and Li Kun looked at the Abyssinian cat breeding book next to Zhang Zian, and asked in confusion, "Master, you've been buying so many books, but we've never seen you reading them..."　　
Zhang Zian rolled his eyes at them. "Do I have to let you see me reading? Can't I buy books for other use? Cut the crap. Go back and prepare for your exams!"　　
He didn't tell anyone else about Pi's arrival for now, especially Wang Qian and Li Kun. These two idiots had big mouths and liked bragging everywhere.　　
"Yes, Master!" They spit the tongues and ran back to school.　
After they left, Zhang Zian carried the books and journals to the second floor.　
"Pi, new books again."　　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi jumped out of the basket hammock chair, and came up expectantly to look at the books. Before Zhang Zian had finished stacking the books, it took one of them and started reading greedily, nourishing itself with knowledge.　 
After seeing how happy it was, Zhang Zian felt both glad and troubled.　
A mound of books had risen next to the basket hammock chair. His old books, borrowed books, recently purchased books and journals were stacked into four peaks of a mountain. The tallest one was the same height as a person, and the smallest one was as high as the waist.　
Zhang Zian could not find the books as fast as Pi was reading them. The books would reach the ceiling in a few days.　　
Paper books were more expensive and less frequent in discount. Storage was also less convenient. Books and journals were consumables to Pi, and had little long-term 

storage value. After all, it owned a nameless book containing everything. Reading Chinese books was only to appreciate the beauty and depth of the language.　　
When not reading, Pi appeared lonely, bored and melancholic. It knew that it could not go downstairs and show up in front of other people, which might bring trouble to Zhang Zian. Even if it did go downstairs, there was nothing to do and it could not communicate with the other elfins. It might as well stay upstairs to type. But typing all day became boring too. So it often sat idly on the window sill.　　
Zhang Zian was worried about Pi, and so did Old Time Tea, the traditional Chinese medicine expert. Old Time Tea said that long-term melancholy was not healthy, and Pi would fall sick if it continued this way. In modern medical terms, Old Time Tea meant depression. When someone was alone and low-spirited for a long time without interaction with the outside world, it could end up having depression.　　
Humans were social animals, and so were monkeys. Pi might be the same, who behaved like a monkey. But Zhang Zian couldn't possibly get a troop of monkeys to play with it.　　
Many studies suggested that negative mood had a negative impact on health, and may cause a variety of acute and chronic diseases, such as gastric ulcer, endocrine disorders, hair loss, etc. He did notice a lot of short yellow hairs while sweeping the floor lately.　　
Since paper books were not enough for Pi's reading appetite, after much thinking, he decided to seek help from the omnipotent internet.　
"Pi, would you like to try online novels?" He suggested to Pi.　
"Eeek?"　　
Pi was reading in the basket chair, and was distracted by his question.　
Zhang Zian explained, "Online novels are a new form of reading as the internet grew popular. They are pretty much like the e-books, except that they were created to be shared on the internet."　　
"Eeek?"　　
Pi put down its book and typed on the laptop: "Are they fun to read?"　
"Some of them are, and some are not. Online novels have a lot of genres, and are many in number. You can always find the ones you like." Zhang Zian answered honestly. In fact, he had not read many online novels. He didn't sound very confident. 　 

Leaving literary and artistic quality aside, the biggest advantage of online novels was its volume and number. Before he could find a better solution, they could at least gratify Pi's reading appetite, and chase away the melancholy and boredom.　　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi nodded and typed: "I want to try some."　　
"Good. I'm downloading online reading apps for you."　
Zhang Zian took away the tablet, downloaded multiple popular online reading apps in the App Store, registered accounts for Pi, then taught it how to search for books.　 
Pi took back the tablet happily, and dived into the ocean of online novels.　　



1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

Upon hearing Shiroishi Kazuma's words, Ko Gohon's eyes instantly lit up and he anxiously said, "Uncle Kazuma, I've realized my mistakes. Quickly teach me, what do I have to do?!"
"Currently, the previous bet is already over. We'll just ignore it and not consider it any further." Shiroishi Kazuma slowly said, "So, now, we mainly have to focus on the online novel website.
"According to your bet with Hong Dali, the person with the most number of daily updated books two weeks later wins. If it's according to your idea to increase the flat fees of the authors at the novel website and find ghostwriters to increase the number of novels, all these can more or less be done, but it's still far from enough!
"In this day and age, channels are the king.
"Number one, get through all the possible channels of the novel website and liaise with our joint venture companies in Heavenly State. As long as they are enterprises related to the internet, they must all advertise on the novel website.
"Number two, liaise with the telecommunication companies in Heavenly State and get them to send messages to prompt people to read our novels!
"Number three, liaise with all the web portals in Heavenly State, including Weibo, and open all channels to read our novels.
"Number four, hold a free of charge reading day to attract those readers that are used to reading free of charge books.
"Number five, hype things up and expose our Feng Yun website's remunerations for our authors on all the websites related to novels!
"Number six, liaise with the TV stations to interview our authors and create more exposure for the website!" 
Upon hearing Shiroishi Kazuma's suggestions, Ko Gohon's face glowed as he firmly smacked his thigh. "Understood. I'll get these done right away!"
…
In the next few days, advertisements about Feng Yun website suddenly emerged everywhere. Advertisements for Feng Yun website were all over all the various websites in Heavenly State.
"Feng Yun website is the largest local reading base, free of charge reading and downloading of the novels. No pop-up ads, simple and clean webpage. Come to Feng Yun website to find good novels!"—Haoche Website. 
"Feng Yun website is an online novel website with no pop-up ads, providing the latest and best novels for all novel lovers. Come to Feng Yun website to read novels!"—Dream Paris.
"Feng Yun website provides you with various literature works with no advertisements to spoil your reading experience. It's a website which creates an elegant environment to read novels for all friends who are literature lovers, and the content includes various popular novels."—Guodian Online. 
…
On smartphones.
Countless people throughout Heavenly State had received messages about Feng Yun website's novels.
"We welcome you to the free of charge reading column, Feng Yun website provides all kinds of awesome and exciting novels." 
"[Urban] Personal Show: My Best Grade Missy."
"[Military Affairs] Special Operation of the Falcons: Special Force Number One." 
"[History] Great Waves Again in the Court: Big Fatuous Ruler."
"[Urban] Exceedingly Beautiful Superior: Pretty Tenant."
"[Fantasy] Wuzun Sword Slashes The Vault Of Heaven: Wudao Vault of Heaven."
Countless curious readers clicked on the advertisements, and after taking a few glances, they were satisfied with what they saw. "Mm, these book recommendations are not bad. It's quite good to kill time. This Feng Yun website is quite brilliant!"
Of course, there were those unimpressed as well. "Tsk, such a tacky way of promoting books. Now that there is the smartphone reading app produced by Young Master Hong Dali, who would still want to read these. Zhong Dian website is the king!"
…
On Xinhai Weibo—
Drunk and leaning on the fence of the pavilion, Meng Ziying Weibo Talent: "Feng Yun website's novel 'Yifan's trouble' is very well written. I like how Yifan bullies Shaowan, serves him right for bullying Xiaochao… Mm, amusing as usual, this work is quite good." 
Douban Doujiao Doubao Weibo Talent: "Feng Yun website's novels are quite good. I read novels there the whole day today. The books are not bad! Worth taking a look at them, I strongly recommend!
@Tangdou-like unlucky person: Feng Yun website is not bad, quickly gather and take a look @Dark Building Lonely Spirit 
@Dark Night Vigilante 
@Zuiyu Changwan_Shifu Calls Me Xiaowan @Muying Huange_Little Angel Of The Wolf Master 
@Fleeting Time At Finger Tips."
"Feng Yun website rises strongly, regarding the rise of online literature."—Soulang.
"Earth-shaking big scheme, about the counterattack of Feng Yun website."—Easy Net.
"Small online novel, big wealth! Feng Yun website's powerful rise!"—Dongfang Wealth.
"Read novels, go to Feng Yun website. Write novels, still go to Feng Yun website."—Tianjing's Plaza.
…
In the various readers' group chats.
"These two days, there are so many free books to read on Feng Yun website. I've discovered a few good ones."
"Really, then I'll go and take a look too."
"Of course it's true, it writes that the books are free of charge for a limited period of time!"
"Not bad, not bad. This website is doing pretty well!"
…
On the largest local online novel forum.
"Overwhelming amount of subscriptions! Feng Yun website with all kinds of awesomeness!"
"Zhong Dian or Feng Yun? A newbie feels that Feng Yun is still better!"
"Please help, a newcomer wanting to know whether it's better to go to Feng Yun or Zhong Dian? I personally feel that Feng Yun is better, I can earn quick money."
"Zhong Dian wants to defeat Feng Yun just by relying on a smartphone app, does Feng Yun know about this?"
…
At the TV station.
"Hello, hello, as a Great God-level author on Feng Yun website, may I know how much can your monthly earnings reach?"
"Earnings, this… Around 20 to 30 thousand per month is still fine."
"So much? Then you must be one of those people with the highest earnings on Feng Yun website, right?"
"No! How is it possible that my earnings are so high. My fingers are not nimble, so I type considerably slower. We have people who can type fast and are able to write 10 to 20 thousand words per day, and their remuneration is at least 50 thousand and above per month. There are even people earning 100 thousand!"
"So much?!"
"Yes, Feng Yun website's perks are very good."
…
In Tianjing City, the tallest television tower, in the top floor revolving restaurant.
"Young Master, Chief, the latest totaled reports of Feng Yun website are out!" The bodyguard was shivering with fear as he looked at Shiroishi Kazuma whose back was facing him and was standing in front of the window with his hands placed at his back. This time, he really saluted him. "According to the latest reports, currently, the site traffic of the website has already increased to 2.4 million and above for daily independent IPs. These two days, large batches of newcomers have started writing new books, and the number of updated books in three days have already reached 3,600 books!" 
"So fast!" Ko Gohon exclaimed, "Uncle Kazuma, your idea is really useful!"
"So-so." Shiroishi Kazuma's voice was very calm. "How many daily updated books does Zhong Dian website have now?"
"Chief," The bodyguard's expression and voice were filled with respect. "At the moment, there are approximately 4,500 newly updated books daily."
"Mm, we still lack 900 books." Shiroishi Kazuma said with satisfaction, "It's still within our control. If things continue progressing this way, probably in no time, we will be able to overtake Zhong Dian website. After all, the authors are after all the benefits and perks. As long as there is enough advertising, and the money is sufficient, it's not difficult to attract authors over."
Ko Gohon fully looked up to Shiroishi Kazuma now, as he anxiously asked, "Uncle Kazuma, then, do we continue like this? Why don't I get more ghostwriters to write more books? It's fine as long as it can surpass Hong Dali. I don't plan to earn much money from it."
Upon hearing Ko Gohon's words, Shiroishi Kazuma shook his head and slowly said, "No, if Hong Dali can earn money, why can't we?"
"Ah?" Ko Gohon said in surprise, "Uncle Kazuma, you're planning to… seriously run this Feng Yun website?"
"Yes." Shiroishi Kazuma nodded, yet he didn't continue talking about the novel website but instead looked out of the window, saying, "Young Master Gohon, look at the night view of Tianjing City. How beautiful is it? It's not lacking compared to Tokyo in our Jaban Empire, isn't it?" 
It was night right now. The night view of Tianjing City was extremely beautiful. Neon lights were flashing, and it was especially comfortable to stand from high up and look down, coupled with the gentle night breeze.
"It's very pretty." Ko Gohon agreed. "I haven't really noticed it previously."
"Yes, we haven't noticed it previously." Shiroishi Kazuma's voice was very calm, as he slowly stated, "It's the same for our Toyoda Conglomerate. As the top 16 in the world, the funds of our Toyoda Conglomerate are ample. You normally don't care about this, so you won't care about how much money you spend. You just feel that all the money is there for you to take it."
"I understand, Uncle Kazuma." Upon hearing this, Ko Gohon instantly understood what Shiroishi Kazuma meant.
Actually, he wasn't a stupid person. It was just that in the midst of fighting with Hong Dali, he had always been at the losing end, thus his conflicted mind.
Toyoda Conglomerate was indeed very rich. Just like the night view of Tianjing City, though it was pretty, one wouldn't notice it after looking at it for many times. But no matter how rich it was, after all, it had been built up bit by bit, and it didn't just drop down from the sky.
In that case, as long as they properly operated this Feng Yun website, then they could earn money. So why don't they do it properly and well?
"Uncle Kazuma, what should we do next?" Ko Gohon asked.
"Now since the popularity has already been increased, then next, we'll take in all the good ones and eliminate the bad ones." Shiroishi Kazuma slowly said, "Eliminate all those poor-quality books and get them to finish writing them as soon as possible. Secure those good-quality books and do your best in nurturing their authors. At the same time, slightly change the welfare benefits policy and slowly convert the severance method to giving out dividends. After the novel website has entered a stable phase of operation, it would then be a virtuous cycle." 
"Uncle Kazuma, you are brilliant!" Ko Gohon was elated. "Then, after the website has entered a virtuous cycle, we can earn quite a lot of money, right?"
"Yes." Shiroishi Kazuma smiled. "Don't belittle online novel websites. All the profits from the adaptations of films, online games, merchandises and so on are actually huge. I truly admire Hong Dali. The things started up by this lad truly have very big prospects!" 
"After hearing what Uncle Kazuma just said, I realized that this Hong Dali is very brilliant!" Now, Ko Gohon finally had to admit that Hong Dali was indeed brilliant. "I haven't thought about all this!"
Speaking up to this point, Ko Gohon recalled his bet with Hong Dali. "But Uncle Kazuma, my bet with Hong Dali…"
"Hehe, there's no hurry on that." Shiroishi Kazuma wasn't worried at all about the bet and insipidly said, "Since I've come, of course I have a way to help you win. Wait for a few more days, let's see first whether Hong Dali's side makes any moves."
Shiroishi Kazuma assured Ko Gohon, then instructed him, "Remember, leave your trump card for the last. Don't take them all out at once. Or else, what will you have left to fight him by then?"
"I understand!" This time, Ko Gohon was really convinced. "Thank you for your advice, Uncle Kazuma."


"I have to squander; otherwise, won't it be a waste of my parent's talent at earning money?" Hong Dali answers a reporter's question matter-of-factly. 

Just after the interview ends, Hong Dali opens the Great Prodigal System's interface and looks at the various good stuff displayed in it. Stroking his chin, he mumbles to himself, "I just need to squander 200 billion yuan more to exchange for the blueprint of the core technology, Engine Destruction, found in the strongest humanoid mecha weapon, Neo Granzon. Looks like I'll have to work harder!"

"I want to splurge! I want to squander!"


George didn't know how he survived the past few days. Each day was like a year.
It wasn't descriptive but an actual experience. He was being dragged out by the Underworld creatures and put into a strange device. They didn't treat him like a commander. He was treated like the other soldiers.
It was the same during interrogation.
In the Mana Device, George saw his body immersed in an unknown liquid.
The strong George almost wanted to cry. When he thought of the life experience in the Mana Device, he felt hopeless. 
He called it life experience. Though he knew that it was a virtual world created by the Underworld creatures, the ultra-realism was like living a life. It was so real every day.
A day in the real world was equivalent to a year in the virtual world.
Every time, he would remind himself that it was a virtual world. But as the days went by, he would forget that it was a virtual world. Instead, he felt it was more and more real. 
He could recall the joy, anger, and sadness in the virtual world vividly.
Golden-haired George had wild imaginations while his sleeping body was immersed in the liquid.
Outside the huge device, Sherlock placed his hands behind his back as he looked on. In his mind, Bru said to him, "Lord Sherlock, you're a genius. Within three days, you've extracted thousands of Magic Stones from each Human. It's so much faster than the earnings of the gamers. With thousands of prisoners, we can easily earn millions of Magic Stones. It was a good deal. Why don't we let the two gamer factions fight again and capture more soldiers of the Godly Kingdom? Before long, we can accumulate enough money for our war effort."
Bru spoke excitedly. However, Sherlock wasn't as enthusiastic. He was pleased as he said, "The results are satisfactory. I'll observe for two more days. If there are no serious side effects, we'll purchase 1000 sets of the Mana Devices to extract Magic Stones."
"Yes. I'll make the arrangements. How do you intend to deal with the soldiers of the Godly Kingdom after all of this? Do you intend to kill them after extracting the limited Magic Stones from their souls? If you intend to kill them, I don't suggest that you sell the meat to the gamers. Though cannibalism sounds good, the consequences will be dire if we're discovered." 
Sherlock replied, "Why do you think I'll kill them? Though the Humans are decadent, they are still intelligent creatures. We don't have the habit of feeding on intelligent creatures."
Sherlock paused for a while and said, "I have plans for the soldiers of the Godly Kingdom. It's a good chance to develop a new game function."
"Wait? Game? Why are you still concerned about the game? Lord Sherlock, we're now at war. It's not possible for the Surface World or the Underworld to stop fighting. There's a possibility of millions of reinforcements coming to support you. Those observers and reporters aren't here for a tour. They will bring information out of Eternal Kingdom. The situation here will be reported to the entire Underworld!"
Bru said excitedly, "It's time to build your reputation and show your dominance. If you can make use of this chance to showcase the power of Eternal Kingdom, I believe you'll be able to conquer the Underworld…"
Bru spoke firmly, while Sherlock only nodded before returning to his office.
When Bru discovered that Sherlock wasn't interested in his speech, Sherlock was already seated at his computer table. Bru asked, "Lord Sherlock, may I ask you? Where did you obtain those life templates? I didn't notice you creating these life templates. Frankly speaking, I'm surprised by the Magic Stones extraction from the Human soldiers."
"I sought help on the discussion forum," Sherlock said casually.
"The forum members have good ideas, and they're efficient. I only expressed my ideas and requirements, and they suggested many novels. There are a few good novels."
"No… Novels?"
Bru raised his voice as he said, "Wait, Lord Sherlock! Since when are you reading novels? As your first secretary and advisor, I have to remind you that computer games are alright, as they will end. However, once you're addicted to novels, it will be a lifetime. I know you don't like to listen to me, but novels are addictive. When I was in school, the student behind me was a top student. He was reading novels every day, and yet his results were superb. That infuriated me… Yes, what novels did they recommend to you?" 
Sherlock didn't know what Bru had experienced. From Bru's words, Sherlock understood that Bru had a strong opinion on novels.
"They recommended Qidian, QQ online novel websites, and many others. However, they strongly recommended the first two online novel websites. They said that there are many genres and a large number of novels worth reading. I tried reading a few during my free time. They were good."
Sherlock responded as he typed furiously on the keyboard. On his computer screen were the words:
[Announcement of New Version 0.91 Updates]


Sherlock is a new generation Dungeon Lord whose ambition is to become the greatest Devil King and building up the greatest Dungeon in the Underworld.
He summons a group of other-worldly goblins who give themselves strange names, form cliques, engage in commerce, and even fight among themselves.
They call themselves—Gamers!

Five minutes later, Wang Hou showed up outside Jiang He's front door.
"My mistake!"
Jiang He scowled and was left speechless. "I wanted to give Old Wang a surprise… what am I supposed to give him when the cultivation manual isn't even ripe?"
Even as he complained inwardly, he was actually smiling as he greeted the other man with a smile. "You're finally here, Minister Wang. Quick, come in."
Wang Hou followed Jiang He into his mansion with a neutral expression.
As they took their seats, Boa Hancock brewed a pot of Old Tea of Enlightenment and served a plate of mutated grapes. After having a sip of tea, Wang Hou could not help asking, "Was what you said over the phone true, Jiang He?"
Jiang He smiled and nodded while he ate a grapefruit.
Wang Hou's expression finally changed then—looking as if he had seen a ghost, he said in confusion, "You're not really accomplished in martial arts, but you actually created a martial cultivation system…"
Pausing for a moment, he then asked, "So, what level does your martial cultivation system reach?"
Though he mainly cultivated immortal arts, Jiang He had cultivated martial arts himself. It made sense that he could develop a martial cultivation system that could match divine-tier… not!
Wang Hou promptly perished the thought.
Jiang He made it clear over the phone: he had developed a new martial cultivation system…
One should know that the current martial cultivation system had been perfected by two thousand years' worth of trial and error, by Wang Hou's preceding martial artists and martial prodigies. Even so, the tiering in martial arts became extremely shaky after reaching Zero-Void, with no specific cultivation technique recorded.
On the other hand, Jiang He had managed to create a brand-new martial cultivation system in just a few days?
Nonsense!
Jiang He, however, clearly was not bothered.
He continued eating the mutated grapes and savored the sweetness on his taste buds before retorting, "My ears are burning, Minister Wang… What do you mean I'm not accomplished in martial arts?"
"I cultivated up to Void-tier in just a month. If I didn't decide to change to immortal arts out of preference, my martial arts cultivation would definitely be above yours!"
Wang Hou was dumbstruck.
He would be snorting and laughing if anyone else had said that… but he didn't doubt it at all when Jiang He said it.
Jiang He then continued, "Moreover, I am quite accomplished in martial arts… but what does individual cultivation have to do with creating a cultivation system? I remembered that I had no immortal arts manuals or had any grasp of its cultivation when I started on that field either, and therefore created a manual for myself… even so, I still reached Heavenly Immortal."
Wang Hou actually had no comeback against that simple example.
He could not help thinking… could Jiang He really have founded a brand-new martial cultivation system?
Nonetheless, that was when Jiang He's tone changed and he sighed. "That said, developing a martial cultivation system is really difficult. I had to look through many information online and read through many wuxia and xianxia novels to barely create this Martial Scripture."
"Martial Scripture?"
"Oh… I forgot to tell you—I named the martial cultivation system I created Martial Scripture."
"Hold on…"
Wang Hou's eyes bulged and he cried out involuntarily, "You're saying that you based your martial cultivation system… on stuff found online, as well as wuxia and xianxia novels?"
Jiang He nodded.
Wang Hou facepalmed, speechless and chuckling bitterly.
"What?"
Able to tell what Wang Hou was thinking, Jiang He promptly lifted a brow and said seriously, "Minister Wang, are you belittling online data or the inspiration those novel authors have?"
"The cultivation methods in the novels are all made up, and the writers are 99.9 percent normal people who know nothing about martial arts. And you based your martial cultivation system on their novels?"
Wang Hou felt like he was falling apart!
You are already a Grand Luo, Jiang He… how could you not have some common sense?!
"You mainly cultivate immortal arts, and you should know that the cultivation techniques in xianxia novels are all made up. Could you cultivate anything based on those?"
Jiang He thought about it and seriously said, "I can!"
Wang Hou was rendered speechless.
Are you messing with me here?
Still, before he could say a thing, Jiang He said, "Minister Wang, you should know that I'm different from you chosen ones. You people would either have family legacies, a mentor, or some lucky relic find when you start cultivating, while I…"
"I have nothing from the very start. All I could do to train in martial arts is create my own cultivation manuals."
"Even so…"
"How could a normal person who knows nothing about martial arts create cultivation manuals?"
"By reading novels!"
"Reading all kinds of novels was the only path for me to create a cultivation system… I occasionally got my stuff online as well, and stuff like the Indestructible Diamond, Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Nine Yang Techniques, and Dragon-Elephant Prajna are all developed based on wuxia novels. Even the immortal arts I cultivated later on is based on Lü Dongbin's poem anthology circulating online," Jiang He explained calmly.
On the other hand, Wang Hou's face stiffened.
This is absolutely illogical!
Creating martial arts manuals based on wuxia novels?
Creating immortal arts based on poems?
After spacing out for a long while, Wang Hou regained his senses. More or less accepting Jiang He's explanation and forcing a smile, he said, "This is unbelievable!"
"Well, it is creating cultivation manuals—you need inspiration and imagination."
Jiang He said humbly, "I am limited in both those things, but since the novel authors never lack imagination and the cultivation system in novels are endless, I would create a handful of cultivation systems when I have the time later!"
Unwilling to continue on that subject, Wang Hou's tone changed as he asked, "By the way, could you talk about the martial cultivation system you created?"
"That's what I plan to do."
Jaing He smiled. "I actually have many questions for you since I'm not that learned in martial arts, Minister Wang. I basically made up… I mean, theorized the latter half part, and I wonder if it would work."
"Made up?" 
"What? No. How could I make anything up since creating cultivation manuals is such a serious business?'
Jiang He cut to the point, saying, "Minister Wang, Martial Scripture divides the martial cultivation system into fourteen tiers… I am a hundred percent confident on the first half, which consists of the Postnatal-tier, Congenital-tier, Blank-tier, Tempest-tier, Yin-Yang-tier, and Deva-tier. I need your help with the latter half, however…"
"For example, I named the twelfth-tier Grotto-Heaven-tier. At that level, martial artists could create their own grotto-heaven and used its power to strengthen their physique and Martial Yuan Spirit, even wield it in battle… even if the user is killed, they could blow the grotto-heaven up too."
"For Grotto-Heaven tier, my idea is that it would be equal to Golden Immortals. Sure, their movesets would not be as numerous as Golden Immortals', but their combat strength would be stronger than Golden Immortals'… and it is around your current level."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Wang Hou, asking, "Have you opened a grotto-heaven yet, Minister Wang?"
Wang Hou, left utterly confused, asked in shock, "What are you talking about?"
Huh!
Jiang He chuckled bitterly. "I almost forgot that my martial cultivation is a brand-new system and different from the path you took… why don't we eat first, and I'll cultivate the new martial cultivation system with you later for further examination."


Jiang He might have transmigrated to a world of Qi and martial arts, but the System that he got only provided him with... seeds. 
"Hold on, System. Aren't these just... peas? Not only are they inedible, but I'm supposed to throw them far, far away?" 

An announcement was posted on Zhongdian Chinese Network, Repent and be Saved's details page, and Tengda Games' official Weibo at almost the same time. Soon, they caught the attention of many players. 
"Eh? Repent and be Saved's developers are working together with a small online novel website?" 
"Isn't that the website which published Repent and be Saved's official novel?" 
"The rewards for this combined event are so awesome! Not only can we get unimpeded access to the novel website, but we can also get rewards in-game items." 
"Look-Changing Pills? They can change the characters' looks? Holy sh*t, don't stop me, I'm going to get them for sure!" 
"The accounts have been linked? That's great; we won't have to register for a new account." 
"I've been keeping up with this website. The books were trash in the beginning, but their more recent novels look quite good. They're not far off compared to the elite novels you find on Infinite Chinese Network. You can read them when you have nothing better to do." 
"For the sake of the Look-Changing Pills, let's go!"
Everyone seemed quite excited. 
At the end of the day, one had to admit that the rewards were well-chosen! 
The protagonist in Repent and be Saved was just an ordinary man. At the moment, players could not customize their characters. After all, Pei Qian had been trying his best to deter sight-seers from the game back then.
That made being able to change their characters' looks that much more important to players! 
There were several NPCs in the game—especially female ones—who looked quite similar to the protagonist.
Once players heard that they could turn their character into a female, they became more excited! 
Of course, given the game's theme and design, female NPCs could not look that attractive. They were worlds apart from adult games, which prioritized the characters' looks.
Still, players of Repent and be Saved would be used to seeing monsters and corpses thanks to the game's background story. Any female NPC would look outstanding and attractive against such a backdrop. 
Thus, hoards of players logged onto Zhongdian Chinese Network to finish their tasks, in hopes that they would obtain Look-Changing Pills at the end of the seven-day period. 
They did not even have to spend money on an item like that—all they had to do was log in for seven days in a row. It would be an absolute waste if they gave it up! 
At the same time, Zhongdian Chinese Network released a bunch of elite novels. 
Under the editors' tireless guidance, there were bound to be a few lousy authors who would achieve breakthroughs and produce pretty good novels. 
Based on the backend figures, Ma Yiqun picked out these good seedlings and topped up their remuneration using the sum of money that Boss Pei had transferred to him. The payment that these authors received was comparable to what they would earn if they had written for other large websites; thus, they became very motivated. 
Many authors began to update their novels quicker during the event period, causing readers to become hooked more easily. 
Thus, Zhongdian Chinese Network had both the right quality of novels and the right number of readers. A virtuous cycle had been established! 
Many gamers who had been reading novels on Infinite Chinese Network were happy to add another novel website to their list. They could read different novels on each site concurrently. 
With the revenue earned from readers, the website would no longer need to rely on Boss Pei for subsidies in the future. Slowly, it would be able to turn losses into profit. 
As Ma Yiqun watched the backend figures on the website increase, he felt pleased and comforted. 
"I'll report this good news to Boss Pei!" 
Ma Yiqun dialed Boss Pei's number, feeling increasingly proud of himself. 
"Hello…?" 
Boss Pei's voice sounded very nasal over the phone. 
Ma Yiqun paused. "Boss Pei, do you have the flu? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be disturbing you now." 
Every Tengda employee was extremely concerned about Boss Pei's health. After all, he was like a mentor to all of them. 
Pei Qian answered, "It's no big deal. Is there trouble with the website? Quick, tell me." 
Ma Yiqun was not sure if he was just imagining things, but there always seemed to be a hint of hopefulness in Boss Pei's voice. 
Did he hope that there would be trouble with the website? 
That's impossible. Boss Pei must sound like that because he's sick. I must be hearing things. 
Ma Yiqun could not help but grin. "Boss Pei, I have some good news!
"Starting next month, you won't have to provide so much money to top up our authors' remuneration! At the end of this month, I intend to return a portion of the money you transferred to me as well. In three or four months, Zhongdian Chinese Network might become self-sufficient!" 
Boss Pei remained silent for a long time before he responded. "Huh?" 
Ma Yiqun continued, "Boss Pei, you've directed a huge amount of traffic to Zhongdian Chinese Network through Repent and be Saved. It's proving effective!
"We saw many gamers visiting Zhongdian Chinese Network during this period. It made our website much more popular than it was. 
"Thus, I thought about organizing a combined event with Li Yada. It looks like we're seeing some results! 
"There's been an increase in the number of registered users and active users on the website. On top of that, more readers seem to be following various novels. This means that gamers are not just visiting Zhongdian Chinese Network to browse through the official novel. They're staying behind and reading other novels on our site! 
"With the revenue generated by these readers, the website would probably earn much more during this period. That's why I don't think we'll need to spend as much money to top up our authors' remuneration. 
"That's also why I'm thinking about returning a portion of the money you transferred to me. That way, we can spend the money more meaningfully…" 
Before Ma Yiqun could finish speaking, Boss Pei turned his suggestion down. 
"There's no need! Don't do that!"
Ma Yiqun was confused. "Huh?"
Pei Qian cleared his throat, trying to calm himself down. "The money is not important. Repent and be Saved is selling so well; why are you still worried that Tengda would lack funds? 
"In any case, the money would be better spent on Zhongdian Chinese Network! 
"What stage are we at now? We're only seeing signs that our losses could be turned into profits. We're still a long way from becoming giants in the online literature industry, like Infinite Chinese Network!
"Keep the money and don't transfer it back. 
"No matter what, you have to think of ways to spend all that money this month! Shouldn't we be giving our new readers some benefits? 
"Shouldn't we give our authors a greater bonus, given that they've been working so hard over the past few months purely for the sake of their passion? 
"Our employees have been working extremely hard as well. Shouldn't we organize some team-building events and bring everybody closer? 
"We could also look for more programs and improve our website and mobile application. Are our server and bandwidth still good enough now that we have so many new readers? Otherwise, spend money to upgrade them. 
"There are still so many avenues to spend money. Why are you always thinking about holding back and saving on capital? It's not your own money that you'll be spending; don't be so stingy. 
"Spend as much as you want! If you don't have enough money, ask me for more!" 
Ma Yiqun felt ashamed upon hearing Boss Pei's words. 
He was such a letdown! 
Ma Yiqun had only thought about turning the website's losses into profits and saving money for Boss Pei. 
After all, the website had been burning money on the editors' salaries, the website's operating expenses, the authors' remuneration, and the like for the past couple of months
This made Ma Yiqun deeply uncomfortable. He couldn't stop thinking about how to earn all that money back for Boss Pei. 
Now, Boss Pei's words had shaken him awake. 
It was important to generate profits, but the website's development was even more important! 
Zhongdian Chinese Network was one part of Boss Pei's larger plan. It was still considered small-scale at the moment. Even if Ma Yiqun could turn the losses into profit, the website would probably only generate a small profit. One could not compare Zhongdian Chinese Network to a giant like Infinite Chinese Network. 
Tengda Games was already way ahead of Zhongdian Chinese Network. It was almost as if that latter was the younger sibling, trailing behind the older sibling and copying everything it did.
At a time like that, the younger sibling should be thinking about sharing the older sibling's burdens and maturing as quickly as possible. 
Ma Yiqun was deeply moved, not only because Boss Pei seemed to already have a bright plan for Zhongdian Chinese Network's future, but more so because he seemed to trust Ma Yiqun a lot as well! 
"Alright, Boss Pei. I'll spend the money on developing the website. Don't worry!"
… 
After hanging up, Pei Qian silently switched on his laptop to study Zhongdian Chinese Network's situation. 
Although he could not see the backend figures, there was another way to check how popular the website was. 
He could click on a random novel on the homepage and browse the comments section. 
Before this, the comments sections had either been cold and deserted or filled with criticism. Either way, they always looked tragic. 
However, the situation was different now. Pei Qian clicked on various books on the homepage, and all their comments sections looked normal! 
Some rushed authors to update more regularly, some gave positive feedback, and some discussed the plots. 
It was also obvious that more people were recommending, voting for, and saving all of these novels.
This was not the case for just one or two novels but for nearly all the novels on the homepage! 
Pei Qian knew very well that Zhongdian Chinese Network was not faking these figures. In fact, it would remove any novel with artificially-boosted figures from its recommendation spots immediately. There was no way that such novels would remain on the website's home page. 
In other words, all the figures Pei Qian was seeing for the novels on the homepage were real! They were becoming more popular among readers! 
That was not the worst part. 
To Pei Qian's surprise, the novels on the homepage were much better than before, in terms of content, rhythm, and language. 
Pei Qian had read several novels on Zhongdian Chinese Network before. Basically, all of them were some of the lousiest novels he had ever read. He could never decipher the plot. They were the kinds of novels that ordinary people would give up on after one or two chapters. 
However, the novels he was reading now looked like something else! 
Their titles and synopses were much more attractive. They also had a better pace and more satisfying storylines. 
All in all, the novels were more tasteful! 
It was no wonder that the figures were improving. 
The higher traffic was only part of the problem. The root of the problem was that the books were getting better. That was why the readers were sticking around. 
Of course, the books were not that great either. At best, they could be considered top-tier books on Infinite Chinese Network. Still, they were very readable. 
"What's happening?" 
Pei Qian frowned after discovering the problem. 
I thought Ma Yiqun didn't understand online literature. 
After all, every single novel he released failed. Clearly, he deeply misunderstands the world of online literature. If that's true, the editors he trained should be equally clueless. If all the editors in Zhongdian Chinese Network do not understand online literature…
How did they decide to place these better-than-average novels on the home page? Did they base their decision on the backend figures? 
Hmm, that seems possible…
Pei Qian was beginning to suspect that he had misunderstood Ma Yiqun's true standard. 
However, on further thought, he realized that the readers were the greatest decision-makers. Although Zhongdian Chinese Network did not have that many readers yet, their choices were still dependable. 
Ma Yiqun did not have to read every single book. He only had to pick out the books with better backend figures and place them on the recommended list. 
"Forget it, forget it. I'll stop thinking about these things. 
"Settlement is right around the corner. Zhongdian Chinese Network just has to finish spending that sum of money on my behalf. I don't have any more energy to look into these details." 
Pei Qian tossed his phone towards his bed and went into ostrich mode. 
He did not want to be bothered by anyone now. He just needed each business to spend all the additional money they had earned to ease the pressure off of himself. 
He was just about to take an afternoon nap when his cell phone rang again. He picked it up and saw that it was Assistant Xin. 
"Boss Pei, the official platform wants an exclusive interview with you to find out about your thought process behind the creation of your games." 
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment. "…I'm very busy now. Can I turn them down?"


I really just want to lose money! T_T
Best boss ever, prodigy of the business world, genius creator, visionary of the century.
These are the descriptions used for Pei Qian, President of Tengda Corporation.
Ever since his rebirth, Pei Qian finds himself in possession of a system that rewards him if he manages to lose money.
Instantly, a brilliant idea comes to mind — making crappy games!
"If the game flops, all my investment cost will be lost!"
"How difficult can it be to lose money?"
Indeed... how difficult can it be?
------------------------------------------------------------
This book is highly popular in China and has set off a new trend. Webnovel has very high expectations for this book and has gotten the author to refine the first chapter as an exclusive for global readers. We hope everyone will enjoy reading it.

At the time when Furuhashi Sakurakyu was uncertain and baffled.
In Tokyo, an editor named Kento Nara just got off work.
When he got back home, he finally got rid of the negative emotions he had from being scolded by the chief editor. He went back to his room after having dinner.
Kento Nara could not wait to open his computer and read the new chapters that he had been saving for a week on the NICONICO website. He checked the time after he finished reading. It was 10 p.m. He quickly opened another light novel website named "Let's Be A Light Novelist."
Kento Nara had rarely logged onto this website previously because he used to think that the light novels published online were all rubbish.
In Japan, there was a standard procedure regarding the publishing of a novel. One needed to be acknowledged by an editor to publish their light novel. If the editor thought that your novel was flawed and lacked logical reasoning in the storyline, he would return the novel and ask you to redo it. Often, the editor exerted a significant influence on a light novel.
Unless you were already a famous light novelist, you would generally have to listen conscientiously to the editor as the publication rights still lay in their hands.
Usually, the editor would not do you any harm.
It was the same when it came to mangaka.
Most novels uploaded to the website were aberrations rejected by editors, so there was not much to look at. This was why Kento Nara disliked the site. You would probably dislike the website as well if you were the editor.
If the rejected novel became a hit on the website, that would be humiliating for the editor in question.
There were some fine works on the internet in recent years. Some examples would be "Bad Student of the Magical High School," "Starting Life in Another World," "Overlord" and so on. However, these novels were first uploaded online and discovered by people before they were published, remade into manga, and adapted into animations. Nonetheless, these novels were of the minority.
As for Kento Nara, he liked to log into some light novel forums and discuss the writing techniques for light novels with the netizens. Aside from increasing his knowledge, he also got a sense of satisfaction when other people agreed with his views.
However, there was now a novel that gave him many restless days and nights. It was called "Loading File of Tokyo."
Back when it first came out, it was in popular demand. But Kento Nara looked down on it. He even thought, arrogantly, that all the readers were paid to leave good reviews because only he knew the most about light novels. 
He remained indifferent when one, or even 10 people recommended it to him. But he became curious when the whole forum began buzzing about this single novel.
Although Kento Nara was never a person who followed the majority, he still felt curious about what had generated such a fuss. 
As a result, he went online to search for this novel and began to read it!
He became obsessed with it after he started reading.
"Loading File of Tokyo" was a light novel where the main character could load files, substantially similar to that of 486, the main character in "Starting Life in Another World."
"Starting Life In Another World" was an alternate universe fantasy novel, and 486 had used this ability to change everything that had happened from bad to good.
On the contrary, the main character in "Loading File of Tokyo" used this ability to flee and commit crimes!
Besides, the writer had made the introduction very suspenseful, exciting, and intriguing. The main character would die a horrible death every time before loading the files. However, the sense of satisfaction when the culprit was arrested after loading the files following his horrible death felt wonderful to Kento Nara.
He was surprised by such a feeling. There were not many highly intelligent, brave, and astute male leads in Japanese light novels. Most of them were passionate but relied too heavily on their emotions to set off their primordial energy. Many readers had criticized such novels, asking, 'Is the main lead going to be dead if he cannot set off his primordial energy one day?'
On the other hand, internet novels on Huaxia were different. The main character was usually diligent and steadily improving his skills, pulled back from the brink of death each time by a new skill. Gradual skill improvements like this allow the readers to put themselves in his shoes as if they were improving with him together.
But obviously, Kento Nara did not know about that. "Loading File of Tokyo" was actually a novel with a similar character who gradually improved his skills. The main character became more mature, with his personality changing every time he died. Was it not odious, equivalent to hitting someone in the face every time the main character got resurrected after his death and would come back to take revenge?
This was one of the reasons why "Loading File of Tokyo" was so popular. The readers had come across many similarly weak main characters who set off their primordial energy with their passion. When they looked back at the main character in "Loading File of Tokyo," they were amazed that there was finally a novel where the main character was of average intellect, not holier-than-thou or promiscuous.
"It's finally updated!" Kento Nara let out a sigh of relief when he clicked into the light novel website. Miss Gentera had taken leave for almost a week, but none of the readers complained about it. After all, Miss Gentera used to write 10,000 words a day, with the readers absolutely overwhelmed by her amazing typing speed. Some novelists could not even publish two volumes of a novel in a year.
What about Miss Gentera? Her third volume was ending soon, and she was about to start on the fourth volume.
How long has it been? It's been barely even a month now.
She has written 300,000 words in one month.
It would be an intolerable injustice if this book were not a hit.
Of course, "Loading File of Tokyo" won by its quality. With such good quality and quantity, this light novel was totally incomparable. It could easily defeat the other light novels.
So what's the problem of taking a week off? Some readers were even hoping that Miss Gentera could write slower to ensure good quality.
But a week was still unbearable. Kento Nara was so excited when Miss Gentera updated the novel. At this moment, he was just a reader and not an editor.
"20,000 words!?"
Kento Nara was ecstatic when he saw Miss Gentera had updated 20,000 words at once.
In the previous few chapters, Miss Gentera wrote about the changes in Manatsu Hokuto's mentality after all he had suffered and the loading of files, resulting in his personality distortion and antisocial behavior. This worried Kento Nara even more.
He was certainly not worried about whether the government would ban the novel because of the main lead's personality. It would not matter even if Miss Gentera wrote about something outrageous like the protagonist killing the prime minister in the novel... What he was worried about was that Miss Gentera would ruin the novel. Although the changes of the main character flowed in a natural progression, Kento Nara wanted to see the main character steel himself by using the ability to load files and remain open-hearted even though his hands were stained with blood.
In that case, even though it was only a light novel, the public would be very impressed by it. It could even raise various discussions about pertinent topics in societies, elevating it to become a phenomenal light novel.
The main character had become distorted now, he was extremely savage even when he was facing the police. All he could feel was dismay.
The ability to load files was fascinating, but it drove Manatsu Hokuto, the main character, crazy. Occasionally, Chiba Shiori would describe Manatsu Hokuto's mental instability through his suicidal ideations. 
Manatsu Hokuto's experience was very well depicted by Chiba Shiori. Many readers shared the same feelings when they put themselves in his shoes.
Thus... If Manatsu Hokuto, the main character, carries the same antisocial personality in the future chapters, perhaps the readers will feel awfully bad.
Kento Nara continued reading with this thought in mind.


Time travelling from the majestic era after the Recuperation of Reiki, he became Kimura Kazuki, a 16-year-old high school student in Japan, one year before the Reiki Recuperation.

Tentatively, he set out to hone himself to the bone, burning candles at both ends to stockpile resources in preparation for the imminent Recuperation of Reiki. His goal was to be many steps ahead of all humanity when the time comes.

However, it seemed like fate had decided to play a cruel trick on him.

One year later, the Recuperation of Reiki... did not happen as expected.

DISCLAIMER: I am veing particular with regards to english translated online novels.

I would not claim to be an avid reader, heck I just started my reading career, again for lack of a better word, like a few years prior. And to be honest I never liked having to go through pages and pages of what only seems to be plain letters on a page.

But, I am not sure if I have said it before, but these online novels just drew me to them like a moth to the flame. There is just a certain kind of charm in reading the stories written by people on the internet. I do not know what the reason is nor what the reason is for, but I just could not help myself.

At first most of my reading time was spent on stories about protagonists living in their world, trying to survive and succeed in that dog-eat-dog world where they and other characters inhabit. That was at the beginning.

But as I continued to dive into the community of internet storytellers and storytelling, I guess it was inevitable, I encountered stories of a different sort. The sort which had, to me, a different trajectory with how it present itself, a new flavor in storytelling per se. And might I add it was a flavor that I could never get enough of, and that until today if you somehow offered me a story with that sort of premise, you might actually have my ears to listen. From the title itself I am pretty sure you already know what it is.

I do not know why it was, what it is about, finding ones' self in another world that I find truly compelling. It usually involves, as you know, the protagonist finding his or herself  in another world and having to navigate through that world and ultimately finding renewed purpose in life and by virtue of this renewed purpose, for the most part, his or her success. Not only as a character but also an individual. Whatever that success may be.

There many methods, storytelling-wise, to achieve this desired premise. Though for the most part it usually revolves around two big ones. Reincarnation and Transmigration.

As you know reincarnation is the phenomenon where you die and then you inhabit the body of another, and I mean to say another is in, it could you were human once then you become a fly. The idea itself is rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism, largely. Whose definition, in terms of online novels has been broadened to include if you were human in this world, then you die and become a fly in the next one.

Transmigration is the different sort where you do not have to undergo the process of experiencing the death of your current physical self, as is typical of reincarnation, to end up in the other world.

But I will have to put in a disclaimer here, that from what I surmise, it seems the terms could be used interchangeably. And why is that? Well, because of the nature of self in these stories. I am not going to go in deep into philosophical implications or what not but here is not the thing, remember what I said about reincarnation where you, a human die and then become a fly in your next life. Well transmigration, also, does not exempt you from ultimately having to inhabit a different body, or perhaps a transformed one, in the 'other world'. And that is not to talk about the soul, and memory, which is something I would like to talk about another time.

So what is so compelling about stories like these that drew me to it? Well I did say that I do not know, right? But perhaps I do, deep down I do, and I just did not acknowledge it. Others may do and may have had an acknowledgement, others may not.

I think that it is perhaps the reflection of a dream, a wish, a longing for perhaps a redo, a remake, a starting over, if one could put it that way. That perhaps somehow, one can truly achieve the happiness he or she desires. That in the world we live in today where the very definition of what success, purpose, and happiness should be and look like continues to become narrower and narrower, perhaps, we can have hope to strive for something more meaningful, something more worth our while. To redefine what is possible and what it means to find purpose, to be successful, and ultimately what it means to be happy.

What do you think? I would like to know your thought in the comments. Until then, peace.

Clear Sky Knife Luo… Little Silver felt like he had heard this title from somewhere; it sounded very familiar!
Because Grandfather Wang had been occupied these last few days with honing his knife skills, Mother Wang was now responsible for making all the meals in the Wang family. Ever since she stopped writing to become a housewife, she actually learned a lot of life skills. Apart from managing the household, she spent all her free time taking all kinds of qualification exams.
Mother Wang had taken especial care with the dishes tonight and had meticulously planned the pairing of the meat and vegetables.
The first dish was crystal radish. This was an imported ingredient which was very expensive. However, it just so happened to be on sale today, and she had bought two of them in passing. One she saved for another time, while she sliced the other and stir-fried it with shredded meat. She called this dish: stir-fried radish king.
The meat dish was vegetable meatballs, also called vegetable lion's head[1]. It was made with a mix of diced broccoli and meat rolled into balls with egg and flour. Broccoli actually wasn't the original vegetable ingredient, but they couldn't finish all the broccoli they had at the Wang family home. As a result, every time Mother Wang left home, she would take a few bags of broccoli with her to give out.
Although broccoli had been used as the vegetable substitute, which made the lion's head less chewy, that didn't stop Wang Ling from enjoying it. Since it was a little more troublesome to make this dish, Mother Wang would usually only make it if they had visitors, which proved just how much Mother Wang liked Little Silver!
Oh, that was right, Mother Wang named the dish: lion's head eating vegetables.
With the remaining two dishes, one was Wang Ming's favorite coral grouper; it was a pity he wasn't there today. The other dish was tonight's soup; it was a mushroom soup made with imported C mushrooms and bottled mushrooms[2], which was very good for the intestines.
"Miss Silver, you're so thin, eat more. If it's not enough, there's more in the pot." Mother Wang smiled at Little Silver as she ladled out a bowl of rice.
Little Silver lowered his head shyly. "It's enough, enough. I actually eat very little, usually!"
Wang Ling and Loopy Toad cast disdainful looks at him one after another.
I've never seen such a shameless Silver!
Holding the bowl and chopsticks, Little Silver didn't dare eat until he saw Wang Ling pick up some food. "That, where's Senior Wang?"
Master's lord father! He remembered that the few times he had visited the Wang family's small villa, he had had very little opportunity to see Senior Wang.
"He's busy writing, let's eat first. He's always like this." Mother Wang smiled helplessly. "I'll bring some food to him later."
Little Silver gazed at the second floor and was unable to stop chattering. "What books have Senior Wang written? Can I read them?"
"It's an online serialization called The Live Streaming Life of the Immortal King; his earlier book is called Let Go of That Wet Nurse," Loopy Toad replied. "You can search for them online, but remember, you must subscribe to the official ones!"
"Of course!" Little Silver vowed in reply.
He silently noted the titles of these two novels in his mind. They were Senior Wang's masterpieces, he definitely had to read them! Not only that, he should record down the main points in a notebook as well!
He suddenly recalled seeing Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal reading a book when the latter had spare time at home, and not just reading but also studying from it. Little Silver now completely understood — it turned out that Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal was reading Senior Wang's novel!
If Master was already so awesome, then how strong was Senior Wang… there definitely had to be some lessons to be gleaned from the novel!
At night, it was Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal who specially came to the Wang family's small villa to bring Little Silver home, because he was afraid that if Little Silver went back on his own, the latter would be detained and taken to the police station yet again. Grenade-Throwing could be said to be taking great pains with this… 
On their way home, he noticed that Little Silver unexpectedly wasn't watching anime or online soap operas, but was reading an e-book very seriously. He was startled right away. "What are you reading? So serious!"
"Senior Wang's great work! You've been reading it all this time, right? … Can you lend me your notes to copy later?" Little Silver looked at him.
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal broke out in a sweat. "I don't have notes… they're just some of my thoughts. Senior Wang's book is a little deep and I haven't completely understood it yet! If you're interested, we can study it together!"
For Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal, this was certainly a problem.
Tens of millions of people chased Senior Wang's novels. A casual call for monthly votes, and his ranking crushed everyone else. So many people read his books, but how many truly understood them? Perhaps until now, no one had gleaned any sort of lesson from Senior Wang's novels, as they definitely wouldn't be so easily understood. 
The profound principles of Heavenly Dao required careful examination. In the past, it was possible to take more than a hundred years of persistent study to uncover the profound meaning in an ancient arts volume.
Senior Wang's new book had only been serialized for a few months; how could anyone possibly comprehend it so easily?
After some thought, Little Silver frowned. "Grenade-Throwing, did we skip some step, so we have no way of comprehending what Senior Wang wrote?"
Grenade-Throwing thought this sounded interesting. "For example?"
"I think what we lack is practice!" Little Silver turned off his phone. Although he had only just started reading the novel, he was so excited as he was seized by a strong urge to write.
Previously, Little Silver had wondered if there was a way for him to make money without needing to leave the house! He had looked online for a long time and had only found some positions for freelance typists, half of which were probably fake.
After living at Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal's place for so long, Little Silver felt that he needed to learn to rely on himself!
And just then, he was hugely inspired by "Senior Wang."
"Grenade-Throwing!"
Little Silver looked at him with a very earnest expression.
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "???"
Little Silver: "I'm going to write novels!"
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "…"
... 
Sometime that night, Little Silver, who already couldn't hold back his desire to write, quickly started to write along the lines of a novel. Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal sat next to him and waited, looking forward to seeing what kind of great work Little Silver could create… 
Little Silver: "Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal, what do you think about this opening?"
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "What's your theme?"
Little Silver was full of confidence: "It's a story about Senior Wang's image as a writer, and is about a guru author who falls and struggles to get back on his feet."
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal looked at the screen.
Little Silver's book started like this… 
Average subscription: 30.
The young man was expressionless as he stared at the background stats. His sneer was faintly self-mocking. His fists were clenched so tight that his slightly sharp nails dug into his palms. 
"Wang Situ, average subscription: 30 readers, loser third-tier writer!" After looking at this internal data, an editor sent the announcement in an indifferent tone to the authors' group.
It wasn't the least bit surprising that the editor's voice message would cause a sensation in the group.
"Average subscription is 30? As I expected, this trash writer is a loser!"
"This trash is a real embarrassment to us authors!"
"If it wasn't because he's the editor's friend, the website would have dumped him a long time ago."
... 
Elsewhere, in the editing department, the editor who had announced the news sighed deeply.
The editor-in-chief next to him patted his shoulder. "Two years ago, he still had an average subscription of five thousand. It's been two years… he's slipped backwards instead of making progress. If it continues like this, he might even drop under the loser third tier." 
... 
Little Silver: "What do you think?"
Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal: "…"
[1] This is the name of a dish made with pork meatballs.
[2] C菌 is a popular uploader/live streamer, and 瓶子菌 is possibly the same.


As a cultivation genius who has achieved a new realm every two years since he was a year old, Wang Ling is a near-invincible existence with prowess far beyond his control. But now that he’s sixteen, he faces his greatest battle yet - Senior High School. With one challenge after another popping up, his plans for a low-key high school life seem further and further away...
Wang Ling: I just want to eat my crispy noodle snacks in peace...
Father Wang: If you're careless enough to destroy the country, it’s coming out of your pocket money. 
Wang Ling: It’s not my fault that the backlash from punching me kills you.
Please support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/henyeetranslationsDLIK
If we hit certain milestones, we will release more chapters in a mass release!
Tags: comedy, school, cultivation, tsundere, popular culture, almighty protagonist, action

"Secret?" I ask uncertainly.

"Yup a secret." She nods. Then a long silence follows. Although still looks impassive with no emotions on her face, her fingers begin to fidget. "I promise it's a good secret. Nothing bad. And I am definitely not someone weird. No..." She chews on her lips insecurely, finally showing something akin to emotion on her face.

She must have interpreted my less than enthusiastic response as being hesitant when in reality I am just shocked. 

I put on a smile and plop down on the chair. "Tell me about it." 

She visibly relaxes. "So it's like this, do you remember reading a story online about a talented mage going on some dark adventures? The mood of that story is really heavy, so it's not very well received." 

"Well that's a difficult question. You have me, someone who doesn't really remember the plot of the novel I myself transmigrated into. Please give me some time." I try to think back to all the novels I have read before. 

"But isn't Conquer the World- Mermaid Princess & the Narcissistic Prince your favorite novel?"

"No. Who told you about it? It's just a silly novel I sneaked in between tests and assignments I did not want to do."

"Silly stories you won't even remember one day after reading it."

"Exactly." 

"Then why did Vale think it's your favorite novel? That's why he sent you to this world."

"This is definitely not my favorite novel! And Lord Valentine should not be able to know my favorite novel. The two of us are practically strangers."

Irene drums her fingers on the table and a tiny smile is tugging at her mouth."So... the mage story?"

"Can you give me more hints. There are tons of novels with mages in it. It's a really popular genre. One of my favorite novels features a mage too... You aren't talking about Trapped in the Darkness, are you?"

Irene snaps her finger. "Bingo." 

"It's one of my favorite novels! The adventures are really well written and the magic in the story! Those spells and potions. The whole system, everything! It's the only novel I read that don't have romance in it. I thought there's one coming when I first started it, but anyway I didn't drop it even if it doesn't have romance."

"That story was not really popular, but there was a reader who kept leaving comments."

"One? There were quite a lot of people that left comments. If you're talking about die hard fans like me, there was also one reader. We always discussed the characters and plot together!"

"That die hard fan is the author. He pretended to be a reader of his own novel. Well so as to talk to you I guess." 

"What?" I am so shocked. Why does Irene know that? A mage... a heavy and dark story... It couldn't be..."Is the author... Lord Valentine?"

Irene nods in something close to excitement, but her face remains placid. "You know his mother really put a lot of pressure on him. He really wanted an outlet where he could unleash all his emotions. One day he found me reading stories online and that gave him an inspiration to write stories. He just wanted an outlet, so he really didn't expect any readers. But you came in and left all those comments. After awhile, he wanted to get in touch with you. Don't look at me like that. I knew all these because Carl figured that out. Vale was typing on his phone all the time with a sweet smile on his face. It's no surprise Carl figured that out."

"What... So... I can't believe it! Lord Valentine is the author of my favorite novel! I talked with the author! Oh my goodness. It's like meeting your idol! Can you believe it? It means I have been talking with the author himself but I didn't realize!" I nearly squeal in excitement. I can't help but to fangirl. 

"Actually that day he appeared in your university because he knew you studied there. No no no, he didn't check on you or did anything creepy. You told him accidentally while talking with him, mentioning a statue or something that your university is famous for. He wished to take a look at the university you studied in. Asking you for direction was pure fate."

"That's why his bad cousin misunderstood. The cousin must have investigated everything beforehand. He knew I was the one chatting with Lord Valentine online."

Irene nods solemnly. "But the main focus of this anecdote is how fated you two are. Vale realized you were his devoted fan only after your death. He was trying to decide which fictional world to send you to." 

"Then why didn't he send me to his novel? He knew I love it!"

"That is left for you to discover." The corners of her mouth quirk up. "So tell me what kind of drama do you like to watch?" 

-----------------

"Did you have a fun time discussing dramas and novels with Irene?" Lord Valentine asks. "Irene may seem cold, but she is just shy."

"I know. She is just someone with a resting emotionless face. Yup I had fun. I got some secrets you're hiding too." I wink. 

"I am no longer hiding any secrets, I swear," Lord Valentine says solemnly. "And don't trust Irene too much, Carl has been such a bad influence."

"I am going to tell her how you badmouth about her next time! And I was winking! I was not even angry at you!" I punch him playfully on the arm.

Lord Valentine blinks his eyes a few times as if not comprehending what's going on. 

Smirking, I ask, "Why did you tell me you're the author of Trapped in Darkness? I would have worshiped you!" 

"You mean you haven't already? Don't lie to me." He pats me on my head. "Irene told you that? I don't know what you'll think of me if you find out the gentle Lord Valentine wrote something so dark and depressed." 

"It's my favorite novel! I am just going to fangirl over you, stupid. Why didn't you send me to the story you wrote? You know I love it. I even had discussions with you."

"It's too dark and depressed." He shakes his head. "Don't you like this world? And I could grant you immortality in this world. Together with me."

"Silly Lord Valentine." I laugh and lean forward to give him a hug. I mutter next to his ears, "I would be happy wherever you sent me. As long as you're with me. Forever."

Sassy university student turned Sea Spirit VS Saintly Mysterious Royal Mage
I am a normal university student. When I opened my eyes from my nap, I became a side character in the novel I read. I was under the sea. 
Ianthe: "Wait didn't this character die in the last chapter? I have to avoid my death no matter what! This silver haired gentleman who rescued me, do you need a maid?" 
Follow Ianthe's life to avoid her inevitable death while studying to be a top mage!

Hi everyone! I'm back to updating this story, but on another account :D If you're interested in what's going on next, do check out 'Second Female Leads' Playbook' under Butterfly_effect!

Thank you!

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