Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 333 An Era of Flourishing Flowers

Xu Jingshan moved swiftly, dodging Cao Sheng's straight thrust of sword, while simultaneously blocking Cao Sheng's sweeping attack with his wooden sword.

In the following time, Cao Sheng launched a continuous attack, using thrusting, chopping, slashing, and other offensive moves at a very fast pace.

As the saying goes: "A sword moves with lightness and agility."

However, the characteristic of two-handed swordsmanship is not lightness and agility.

At least the family sword technique that Xu Jingshan taught him was not in a light and agile style.

Utilizing the power of waist, legs, and body movements, this two-handed sword technique is simple yet powerful, in no way inferior to knife techniques.

Cao Sheng learned this sword technique in about a month and a half.

In terms of true strength, he is definitely far inferior to Xu Jingshan, who has been learning this sword technique since elementary school.

But he is now Xu Jingshan's employer.

His financial power allowed him to attack freely. Although Xu Jingshan's swordsmanship was far superior to Cao Sheng's, he only dared to block and dodge. Even when he attacked occasionally, it was to make Cao Sheng feel that he was not holding back, and to take care of Cao Sheng's feelings.

Did Cao Sheng know that Xu Jingshan was letting the enemy off the hook?

Of course I know.

But he didn't think it was a big deal.

He could understand why Xu Jingshan dared not actually launch an attack.

Besides, the feeling of attacking freely is really great.

Moreover, while constantly attacking, he could also learn how to apply this sword technique defensively by observing Xu Jingshan's blocking and dodging.

In modern society, learning this kind of cold weapon has little practical value.

Therefore, he didn't intend to become a master swordsman.

I simply want to deepen my understanding of swordsmanship through this learning method, so that I can accumulate more knowledge about traditional martial arts for my own novels on the national martial arts genre.

He has always been a pragmatist at heart.

He has never been interested in learning things that are useless.

His main occupation in both his past and present lives has been writing.

Therefore, his purpose in learning anything was to improve his writing skills.

He didn't want to waste time on things that didn't help his writing.

However, his relentless offensive approach appeared quite impressive to others at the gym.

It looked as if his swordsmanship was very powerful, and he was suppressing Xu Jingshan.

Xu Jingshan seemed to only be able to parry, but had no power to retaliate.

Several people exercising nearby were drawn to the scene.

The two girls from the vocational school next door were also there.

The girl said, "Wow, he's amazing! He always manages to beat that guy so badly he can't fight back at all."

The two girls watched Cao Sheng's relentless attacks intently, and upon hearing this, nodded in agreement: "Yeah! That guy is so weak! He always gets beaten so badly, and yet he still dares to duel with Cao Sheng. I'm truly impressed by him!"

……

At this moment, a woman in light gray walked into the fitness center and came to a short distance away, watching Cao Sheng and Xu Jingshan practice swordsmanship with a smile.

She is Cui Xinyu, Cao Sheng's new assistant, and also a senior in the same major, two years ahead of Cao Sheng.

She is about 1.7 meters tall, with long legs, a delicate oval face, and her beautiful hair is simply tied in a ponytail.

She's only somewhat pretty, but she has a good figure.

But she has a good temperament and is quite capable.

She came here to report to Cao Sheng.

This wasn't the first time she had seen Cao Sheng and Xu Jingshan practicing swordsmanship.

She also knew that Cao Sheng's swordsmanship was taught by Xu Jingshan. Therefore, she knew that Cao Sheng was able to overpower Xu Jingshan with his swordsmanship not because Cao Sheng's swordsmanship was actually stronger than Xu Jingshan's, but because the situation was more favorable than the man's, and Xu Jingshan dared not fight back.

So, about half an hour later.

Cao Sheng sheathed his sword and stood there, his forehead covered in sweat.

Constantly attacking is very physically demanding.

This kind of two-handed swordsmanship, in particular, is very powerful and therefore extremely tiring.

Xu Jingshan, on the other side, was also covered in sweat. He was exhausted, only able to defend and not daring to attack, because he had to try his best to protect himself. Cao Sheng, who had only recently learned swordsmanship, was not able to control his attacks freely, especially when Cao Sheng was constantly attacking. If Xu Jingshan's defense was weak, he would be the one who suffered.

Although he wanted to earn money, he definitely didn't want to earn money for medical expenses.

A wooden sword may seem harmless, but it hurts no matter where it hits you. If it hits your arm, it might even break your arm bone.

"That's enough for today's practice!"

As Cao Sheng spoke, he tossed the wooden sword in his hand to Xu Jingshan.

Xu Jingshan reached out and caught it.

Cao Sheng walked to a bench and sat down, picked up a towel to wipe his sweat, and opened a bottle of mineral water, taking a couple of sips.

June weather is already hot, and strenuous exercise will make you sweat profusely.

Xu Jingshan also sat down next to him.

Cao Sheng began to discuss sword moves with him, "The sequence of the seventh move is thrust, sweep, wipe, chop, flick, thrust, sweep, chop, right? Is that the correct sequence?"

Xu Jingshan listened attentively, and after listening, he smiled and nodded, "Yes! That's the correct order. You used it correctly just now. However, the transitions between your moves are not smooth enough. In particular, the sweeping motion of your sword was a bit too large, which naturally slowed down the speed of changing moves. Also, when you turned around and slashed, the turning motion was not smooth enough. You turned a bit too far. When you turned around, did you notice that your sword slashed off course? It didn't aim at my brow. It was a bit to the left. If I were standing still, it wouldn't matter if you slashed a little to the left. But the problem is that when you fight someone, your opponent might dodge. If you slash to the left, your opponent will dodge to the other side and easily avoid it. So, you should try to slash at the opponent's brow."

Cao Sheng listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

He didn't intend to become a master swordsman.

But when it comes to studying, he is still very serious.

Try to learn as much as possible.

Moreover, this theory on practical swordsmanship also benefited his later writing.

"Do you think there's anything wrong with how I generate power when I draw my sword? Is there something off? I always feel like my sword strikes aren't very smooth."

Cao Sheng asked again.

Xu Jingshan smiled and said, "You haven't been learning swordsmanship for long enough, so it's normal that your swordsmanship doesn't feel smooth yet. This is because you haven't developed muscle memory for this sword technique yet, and you need to practice more."

Cao Sheng nodded.

The two spoke in hushed tones, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Cui Xinyu walked over with a smile and sat down next to Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng caught a glimpse of her, then ended his discussion with Xu Jingshan and gave him a smile, "You're here?"

Cui Xinyu nodded. "Are you going to practice again later?"

Cao Sheng hummed in agreement. "I just arrived today. Let's practice with the sandbags a bit more later. Do you need anything?"

Cui Xinyu looked at Xu Jingshan, who understood and got up to leave.

Cui Xinyu: "Boss, the newly established Book Alliance contacted me today, wanting to invite you to publish your work on their website. They offered to sell you a portion of their website shares if you're willing to publish your new book there. Are you interested?"

Cao Sheng smiled wryly.

He knew which website she was referring to as the "Book Alliance"—the very same "Sword" website that was once incredibly popular in the original timeline.

This is also a website formed by the merger of several personal bookstores.

There are rumors that the founder of this website left the Longkong team.

It's said that he left Longkong due to differences in business philosophy, and subsequently started his own company, Shulian. In the original timeline, Shulian was poised to surpass Longkong in popularity and was expected to become the dominant novel website.

However, it was overtaken by the pioneer who first launched the VIP subscription system.

From then on, in the competition with Qidian, it fell into a situation of "being slow at one step and slow at every step", and was left further and further behind by Qidian. A few years later, it lost its presence in the entire online literature circle.

So, I heard that this website wants to invite me to publish my work.

Even if the other party promised to sell him shares of the website, Cao Sheng could only laugh.

In the original timeline, a reader suggested that he publish his work on this website.

He was a little excited.

Go ahead and register an author account.

However, I was blocked by the invitation code.

Registering an author account on this website actually requires an invitation code from the website.

Without an invitation code, you cannot register an author account.

He is someone who hates trouble.

I'm too lazy to ask for an invitation code.

Later, it was overtaken by the starting line and left further and further behind. Cao Sheng was more than once glad that he had been stopped by the invitation code of this website.

Otherwise, he would probably waste several years on this website.

As for now?

He was even less inclined to visit that website.

He felt that the failure of the original Time and Space Book Alliance was not simply because it launched its VIP subscription system later than Qidian.

Putting everything else aside, the mere fact of the invitation code already predetermined the limited growth potential of this website. His belief in the invitation code not only blocked him but also many other writers who wanted to publish their work on the site.

Please politely decline for me!

Cao Sheng said to Cui Xinyu.

Cui Xinyu smiled. "Okay! There's one more thing. The deputy director of the street where you used to live contacted me today, asking why you haven't been living in that villa for the past six months. He also asked if you were dissatisfied with some of the services there and hoped you could provide suggestions for improvement."

Cao Sheng was a little surprised.

The deputy director of the subdistrict office? Does the subdistrict office care whether I go to live there or not?
"No! It's great there, otherwise I wouldn't have bought a house there before, right?"

Cui Xinyu asked curiously, "Then why don't you live there anymore?"

Cao Sheng chuckled, "Many people know I live there, so it's not very peaceful or safe anymore."

Cui Xinyu responded with an "oh".

Then she reported another matter, "By the way, I visited your parents today. Your mother asked me to tell you that the rooster at home is about to start crowing, and she wants you to come back home when you have time. She said she wants to kill a rooster to nourish you, because once it starts crowing, it won't be as nourishing. She also said that eating a rooster that hasn't started crowing will not cause headaches. Is that true?"

Cao Sheng smiled and said, "I don't know if it's true or not, but there is such a saying in my hometown. I have eaten a few roosters that hadn't crowed since I was a child, but sometimes if I stay up late, I will still have a headache the next day. If I drink too much alcohol, I will also have a headache the next day."

Cui Xinyu listened with a broad smile.

……

Cao Sheng's life was peaceful and fulfilling.

I feel like I don't have enough time every day.

In terms of lifestyle, having a net worth of hundreds of millions has not changed much.

However, the impact of his works has only grown.

Especially the currently serialized "The Legend of the Primordial Era".

Since the book was serialized, thousands of copycat works have appeared.

Some of the better-written pieces were even picked up by publishers in Taiwan and signed contracts for publication.

Examples include "The Investiture of the Gods in the Primordial World", "The Eastern Emperor Taiyi in the Primordial World", "The Legend of Emperor Jun", "The Legend of the Ancestral Witch", and "I Am Kunpeng".

The continuous emergence of these copycat works has not only attracted many readers, but has also forced various novel websites to create a new genre category: the ancient prehistoric era.

Many online novel platforms list this category alongside Xianxia (fantasy/cultivation) novels.

only……

With the increasing number of online writers and readers.

The atmosphere in the online literature community has gradually changed.

Although Cao Sheng's "The Legend of the Primordial Era" is very popular, many readers still don't like it. Some people feel that the ancient stories are too far away and they are not interested; some people feel that Cao Sheng's writing style is too serious and not lighthearted enough; and some people feel that Cao Sheng doesn't write anything erotic, so it's not interesting to read.

In this era of online literature with virtually no regulation, writers have a great deal of creative freedom.

Some writers do this to attract readers' attention.

Constantly testing the limits of the website.

The more he wrote, the more erotic his work became.

Many writers even use pornography as a major selling point of their works.

Websites of all sizes have tacitly allowed the existence of such works in order to increase their traffic.

This led to more authors following suit.

Gradually, erotic works became the mainstream on websites of all sizes.

Compared to the screens full of Qing Dynasty dramas, family dramas, and crime dramas on television, online literature in this era is flourishing, with endless creativity, a lighthearted writing style, and even more explicit content.

It's too appealing to teenagers.

Websites of all sizes saw their traffic surge rapidly thanks to these erotic works.

Works on major ranking lists of websites such as Rongshu, Longkong, Shumen, and Qidian have all exceeded one million clicks.

Although Cao Sheng's "The Legend of the Primordial Era" is popular and its physical book sales have broken sales records in both Taiwan and mainland China, it cannot stop the flourishing trend of online literature.

For example, Rosen's "Feng Zi" and "Feng Yue" have become very popular recently, appearing on various charts on different pirate websites.

Dark-themed works such as "Bad Guy" and "Bastard God" have also been gaining momentum recently.

The yellow and black styles have become a code for attracting traffic; works that lean towards these two styles are more likely to achieve success.

Publishers in Taiwan are also starting to favor these two styles of works when selecting manuscripts.

However, Cao Sheng's writing style remained unchanged.

Having been reborn, he knew very well that the censorship of online novels would become increasingly strict in the future.

At that time, all the currently popular works involving pornography and organized crime will be banned.

Any slightly suggestive or ambiguous posts will be censored.

He doesn't want his work to be banned a few years later.

Therefore, although his works rarely feature a single female protagonist, they never involve pornography.

Just to cater to the readers, I wrote a little bit of ambiguity and suggestive content.

That's it.

He believed that by writing this way, his books would not be banned in the subsequent storms of censorship.

Perhaps his other ambiguous or borderline works will be banned, but his reputation as a "little gray spot" in the Central Plains should make the websites go easy on him.

Moreover, he owns shares in Qidian and is a major shareholder.

As long as it doesn't involve pornography or organized crime, who would dare to ban his books?

(End of this chapter)