We… are champions!

No. You all are champions.

***

I didn’t think about getting first place.

Not that I never thought about it.

When I first came to Qidian, the me who was still ignorant of the world had presumptuously considered it.

Someone asked me why I chose Qidian. I confidently said, since I decided to write online literature, I, Huo Yu Shen Qing, must go to the most competitive place and receive the harshest beating!

That was just a pretentious statement, everyone understands, right? Just like Jiang Wang saying “or may be worthy of it.”

I didn’t actually expect to be beaten.

And to be beaten so severely.

After writing for two years, two million words, with results of 1,700 subscriptions, and an increasingly shrinking bank account… that arrogant thought was erased.

When I was writing the Huanghe Assembly arc, and finally being noticed by more and more readers, I vaguely thought about it.

One reason was the sheer number of readers. I wondered where so many readers suddenly came from. So many alliance leaders, so many silver grand alliances, and continuously increasing subscriptions gave me great confidence.

Another reason was that I was very satisfied with how I wrote the Huanghe Assembly arc. The final volume, which was over a thousand chapters long, I reread multiple times.

Over a thousand enthusiastic voices discussing the plot truly excited me. I saw readers actively investing in the plot, one by one. I saw so many people’s emotions being moved by the story. These emotions corresponded to the wonders on the Jiang Viewing Platform, as if it were the audience reaction that was not described much in my text.

At that time, my feelings were very novel—the inside and outside of the book intersected, and that match seemed to come alive!

I wrote a poem during that difficult period, used to state my ambition—

Self-Titled

Between the ox’s fight there is dragon’s light, once illuminating the young man’s cold window outside.
Ten years in the box grinding one sword, should make the human world know the frost’s splendor!

Among them, the line “should make the human world know the frost splendor,” I gave to Jiang Wang during the Huanghe Assembly period, and his sword Long Xiang Si.

Everyone could see how he struggled and became the one who reached the top on the Jiang Viewing Platform, becoming the most brilliant among the brilliant stars.

He reached the top, and Chi Xin Xun Tian also became popular for the first time. That was May 2021, and at that time it was eighth on the monthly ticket list.

And just three months before, Chi Xin Xun Tian, which had been serialized for two years, had only just broken into the top 100, then the top ten of the monthly ticket list for the first time.

At that time, in the final volume remarks, I said—”Perhaps… I can also look at the end of the sky?”

That was my vague hope.

In these years, we have been tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, but never first.

I thought about it.

I thought I would slowly and properly finish this story, give it the best ending I could. At that time, I would definitely try my best, start stockpiling manuscripts early, and fight for first place once, as proof of these years we’ve walked together, to respond to the ending of this Xianxia world.

In June, I started wrapping up the tenth volume, letting Jiang Wang carry his sword and walk back to his hometown. He had left with such difficulty, and later walked back with such freedom.

Monthly ticket ninth, monthly ticket seventh.

I felt the readers’ expectations, and I myself was also driven by that emotion. I started adding more and bursting, until July 3rd, finally completing the final volume. I used eighty thousand words of climax to depict the ending of Maple Forest Old Dream.

And what the readers gave me was a total of seventy-one alliance leaders, plus two silver grand alliances. It was second on the monthly ticket list, second on the sales list.

On the day the final volume concluded, that evening, I took a screenshot of the list, posted it on WeChat Moments, and said I had already exhausted my full effort.

In my heart, I thought, this is probably the limit.

Because I really couldn’t write more, nor could I write better.

I thought this second place in sales and second place in monthly tickets was fundamentally impossible to sustain until the end of the month, not counting as final results, just a fleeting moment because the plot climaxed here.

Then I just… went on vacation.

I was very tired. I am no longer the eighteen-year-old me. I am now eighteen years old plus a few months, and one burst of effort leaves me listless for a long time.

After I rested for five days—

Holy cow, why is it still second on the monthly list?!

During these days I was on vacation, there were still alliance leaders rewarding me, and the aftereffects of the plot continued.

However carefully you depict the plot, readers will return that much enthusiasm.

At that time, I still had no ideas.

I just felt very embarrassed, so I decided to grit my teeth and write a bit more this month to respond, occasionally adding a five-thousand-word chapter, at least one four-thousand-word chapter per week… I was thinking of just enduring like this.

In the alliance group, someone always asked me: You don’t want to fight for first?

I said forget it.

They just laughed, at most saying it seemed there was an opportunity, a bit of a pity.

But as time passed little by little, Chi Xin Xun Tian always remained second on the monthly list, and they began to get excited.

Alliance leaders in the group variously gave me motivational speeches, and many readers in the chapter comments, in the book review area, even went to my Weibo to leave messages, wildly drawing pies for me.

Told me I must make an effort.

Said things like “You must consider if this is your lifetime’s only opportunity,” “First is right in front of you, you’ve written for four years, don’t you want to take it once?”

I pretended not to see.

Even when they @ me in the alliance group, I endured.

I didn’t dare to reply. I couldn’t write, and I didn’t feel it was possible.

Di Zong, who was responsible for recording update posts, relentlessly harassed me in private chat, asking me to reproduce the activity of using extra updates in exchange for monthly tickets from when I was young, saying there’s no need to add much, just want you to show an attitude, maybe there won’t be such an opportunity later!

I was very moved, then refused.

The previous activity was organized after stockpiling a month’s worth of manuscripts! With my writing speed, how could I possibly make such an effort?

But later, everyone in the alliance group was saying, as long as A Shen, you open your mouth, we will definitely help you fight for first. Whether we fight or not, such a good opportunity, not fighting will leave us with long-term regret.

I said I couldn’t fight, they said writing a few thousand more words is like wanting your life!

I played dead, and they just talked among themselves.

This one said they really want to fight a bit, never been so close to first before. That one said, the author doesn’t lead, what’s the point of fighting. Another one said, forget it, can’t write, no way…

In short, threats and inducements, persistent nagging.

Finally, I relented and said, then I’ll try.

But I can’t guarantee how much to update, I can only say I will try my best to write as much as possible while guaranteeing quality.

In the update on the twenty-fifth, I was still saying I hoped to hold onto second place, that was my biggest hope.

On the evening of the twenty-seventh, I even went back to revise the details of that chapter from the twenty-fifth, planning to play dead until the end.

At noon on the twenty-eighth, I finally gritted my teeth and said, let’s see if we can move forward a bit more.

Then it really… moved forward!

***

On October 8, 2019, I released the first chapter, His astonishing perseverance without audience, on Qidian, formally starting the serialization of Chi Xin Xun Tian.

At first, I thought this title was about Jiang Wang, but later I realized it was actually about myself.

From 2019 to 2021, there were two years of obscurity, writing from sixty subscriptions to 1,700 subscriptions.

From February 2021 to June 2023, there were two years of often residing in the top twenty of both lists, several times in the top ten, and starting to be known by people. Ten thousand subscriptions, twenty thousand subscriptions, thirty thousand subscriptions.

In July 2023, I achieved the best results since serialization for four years: first place on the sales list, monthly ticket list, and reading list, three lists first.

I’m still short of nine thousand achievement points to become the twelfth five-star work in the Hall of Fame, and also the first five-level author’s five-star masterpiece in history.

In the words of readers, this is truly the first inner palace in history!

On July 3rd, when the tenth volume concluded, the book’s average subscriptions was 32,600, and follow-up subscriptions was 42,000.

By July 31st, average subscriptions was 37,700, and follow-up subscriptions was 53,000.

In twenty-eight days, it increased a full 5,100 average subscriptions, and this is a novel already with 6.7 million words!

The highest single day of new subscriptions was 830,000!

What is this concept?

Well, I don’t really know. I don’t have many acquaintances in the circle and always bury myself in writing. I don’t know what others’ subscriptions are like.

I just compared it to myself before and felt… very scary.

I still remember when I was just starting out, that group of losers in Caotang Literature also revived with it. After two years, their attack points changed from “poor results prove the book is bad” to “good results also can’t prove your book is good, you brushed it,” forcing me to expose my guts to prove my fans, saying you take out a screenshot of subscriptions, and I can believe you.

So I threw out the screenshot of 100,000 new subscriptions—of course, it didn’t make that group of dog things apologize. They changed their tune, saying I admit your readers are awesome, not admitting you are awesome.

Okay, to have so many awesome readers, at least Chi Xin is awesome, right!

Whether Huo Yu Shen Qing is awesome or not doesn’t matter.

At that time, I was very confident. The me who hadn’t seen the world felt that 100,000 new subscriptions was too much. Maybe it was among the top few in the world! Just like Zhong Li Yan, who also felt he was on par with Dou Zhao, evenly matched with Jiang Wang.

After all, I had slowly increased from several hundred, several thousand, ten thousand.

I never thought there would be a day of 830,000 new subscriptions.

This is too fantastical.

The entire month of July, Chi Xin added 129 alliance leaders and 5 silver alliance leaders. Among them, “livy37” rewarded two silvers.

I still remember the time when I had the most alliance leaders before, which was the conclusion of the Shenlin volume. After writing the Fa Xia Zhi Zhan, I added more than sixty alliance leaders. This time, it directly doubled.

At the moment of becoming first on the monthly list, the alliance group boiled over!

They were wildly flooding the screen, wildly @ing me.

They said this was more refreshing than the most refreshing web novel, watching the novel they had chased for several years, from sixty subscriptions to first on the monthly list, from unknown to known by all. This feeling, refreshing them to the point they couldn’t control themselves.

These days, they ate and drank without a care, didn’t want to play games, moment by moment stared at the ranking list, nonstop refreshed the list, counted how much was still needed, and cheered every time it advanced a bit.

Now I want to ask everyone, ask the readers who have been chasing this novel all along—

Refreshing?!!

***

I want to thank all readers.

I want to thank Yongheng Jijing for initiating the general attack, thank Empire Qin Shang, thank YangerSun, thank Xiaofeng Han Yue, thank Lialon, thank the five monthly ticket sponsors. Thank all readers who voted for Chi Xin. To vote for Chi Xin, many people extra subscribed to many books, possibly several months, several years they can’t finish reading.

I want to thank Head Number Boring, thank livy37, thank Yan Lingfeng, thank Impulsive Consumption is Devil, once again thank Xiaofeng Han Yue, thank all the alliance leaders on the July fan monthly list, and those who couldn’t squeeze into the monthly list’s alliance leaders!

I want to thank everyone in the alliance group who desperately encouraged me, drew pies for me and also helped me realize the pies. Thank Xiang Zong, thank Qian Menhua, thank Yongheng Jijing, thank Mu Se Tian Qing, thank A Gan, thank Hou Ran, thank Liang Ren, thank Jiaozi, thank Di Zong, thank Gong Bai, thank Footless Bird, thank You Zong, thank Man Xi, thank Tang Yuan, thank Yun Duan, thank A Ming, thank Lu Dan, thank Xiao Ba, thank Hua Shuang Yun, Wei Academician, Ham, Que Lao, Frost Mine Chief, Yi Ying Feng Yun, See Snow, thank Haha, Wu Bei Ren Xiao Yao, Da Chu Zuo Guanglie, Er San, thank A Zhan, Tong Feng, Ji Jian, Consumerism’s Trap, Qiu Pei, Sheng Ming Sheng Ming, TQ, Dao Que Xing Qian Li, Zi Ye, Xu Xuan, Qing Miao Shang Yun Xiao, Fish, Mo Lao, Zhi Xing He Yi, Zhao Cai Jin Bao, Zhang Linchuan, Copy Body Power, Meng Jie Ming Er… too many people, I can’t type anymore. Let’s drink Wahaha together later!

My readers are too caring, truly unique readers under the sky.

Other people’s readers only need to support the work.

My readers, besides supporting the work, also need to encourage the author, incite the author, and draw pies for the author.

I was originally a salted fish, they forcibly flipped me over and made me jump into a swimming competition.

And we, actually also swam to become champions.

…

Of course, I am very clear. This time’s monthly list first is truly a matter of timing, location, and harmony among people. It doesn’t mean that Chi Xin Xun Tian now truly has the strength to steadily take first place. Everyone knows how many words Huo Yu Shen Qing can write in a day.

The timing lies in finishing the final volume on July 3rd, eighty thousand words of climax, which put Chi Xin in second place on both lists at the beginning of the month.

The location lies in the fact that when Chi Xin’s sales were flickering between first and second, Qidian’s annual half-price full subscription activity just started, which stabilized Chi Xin in first place in sales and has continued until now.

The harmony among people lies in the fact that the books with the strength to dominate the list didn’t put much effort into fighting the list this month.

More importantly, the harmony among people lies in… all readers of Chi Xin Xun Tian exerted themselves for this, all striving towards the same goal. Everyone had chased this novel for several years and wanted to take first place once, everyone was fighting. The author also only wrote from morning till night these days, just to increase the update amount while guaranteeing quality.

This is a result we didn’t think of at the beginning of the month, and it inevitably has the feeling of having the timing, location, and people all working together.

But I must also understand that Chi Xin Xun Tian still has a long way to go.

…

Then what do I want to say?

Right, you all guessed correctly—

Sincerely suggest everyone to raise the book.

A steady stream can flow for a long time, but a burst of energy cannot last.

Everything still has to be based on the quality of the novel.

Chi Xin Xun Tian has been written to almost seven million words now. If it cannot have a satisfying ending for me, the hardships endured on this road will all be meaningless, and it will become a lifelong regret.

I will certainly fulfill the author’s duty, fill every pit I dig, fill every pit well, and write every plot well.

Everyone can summarize which pits are still not filled, fill one and cross it out. Look again at the big ending time, see if I really did it.

Jiang Qingyang’s words must be kept.

I will also learn from him.

…

…

Now I actually don’t dare to speak much. My lovely alliance leaders also repeatedly advised me to be cautious in my words and actions.

Perhaps because of being a bit famous (crossed out), whatever I say now will be carried everywhere and distorted in various ways.

For example, in June, I temporarily decided to ask for monthly tickets and casually wrote a single chapter of a few dozen words.

I said I just discovered that the monthly ticket total list is already ninth. From January to May this year, our monthly ticket rankings were 11, 12, 11, 13, 12 respectively. It’s really hard to get into the top ten without brushing, you all are very impressive.

Discovered? Every month I was very close to the top ten, even one month only a few hundred votes short. As long as I brushed a bit any month, I could steadily enter the top ten.

But I didn’t.

Is it because I have no money?

With the results of Chi Xin Xun Tian at that time, being able to enter the top ten without brushing, doesn’t it mean I have a group of very impressive readers?

But in the retellings of some idiots, the beginning is crossed out, the end is crossed out, and then they swear that Huo Yu Shen Qing said all the monthly list top ten are brushed.

Can you use your barren brain to think a bit? Even if I really wanted to sweep, should I exclude myself? I was at ninth at that time! No one uses a machine gun to sweep including themselves, right?

These people are exactly stupid without reading ability, or deliberately distorting for malicious intent, everyone judge for yourselves.

Another example, I always like to interact with readers. From the time of dozens or hundreds of subscriptions, I actively replied to readers’ comments.

When the Huanghe Assembly arc was just starting to gain popularity, someone came to the book review area and posted, saying “Why does everyone say this book is good, but I can’t read it, is it my problem?”

I wrote a comment to reply to him. I said, it’s not your problem. Reading is a matter of individual taste. It’s also not my problem, because I am writing meticulously. We are simply not suitable. There are many excellent works, you can go see other books on the list. Wishing you well.

When I had several thousand subscriptions, I replied like this. When I had several tens of thousands of subscriptions, I also replied like this. I never changed.

But when I had several thousand subscriptions and said wishing you well, they just silently left.

When I had several tens of thousands of subscriptions and said wishing you well again, they said I was Yin Yang Guai Qi, and that I was driving away readers.

Later, I rarely appeared in the book review area.

…

…

Finally, I thought of 2019, when Chi Xin had just been serialized for five chapters, someone with ill intent asked—How to evaluate Zhihu user Huo Yu Shen Qing serializing the long Xianxia novel Chi Xin Xun Tian on Qidian? Is there a possibility of it becoming a hit?

Perhaps in the history of web novels, there has never been a new author with a new book that received so many criticisms in just five chapters.

From this perspective, we were first very early on. The book was scolded terribly from the beginning… perhaps this is an auspicious start!

At that time, I wrote in the answer like this—

Web novel is a huge market, a boundless pasture.

In this brand new field, I am starting over again. Advancing with an almost solitary state.

Countless authors are all moving forward. I see many, many authors and works all progressing, making leapfrog progress.

This is a process of big waves washing away the sand. I only wish not to be the eliminated quicksand.

Finally, wishing Chi Xin Xun Tian can become a good novel.

I will work like this, and I also hope like this.

At that time, they said—You are the eliminated quicksand.

At that time, I was a first-time web novel writer, they were professional web novel writers.

Now, I still don’t know what books they wrote.

But I think, they certainly cannot forget Chi Xin Xun Tian.

…

…

Thank all the people who let Chi Xin Xun Tian leave a name.

Thank all who threw monthly tickets, thank all who subscribed, thank all who cheered for it, thank all who added bricks and tiles to this Xianxia world, thank all fan creators.

If you, one day, at some moment, read this book and said to yourself, not bad. Even if it was just a self-mutter, I also thank you.

—Huo Yu Shen Qing, August 1, 2023