Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 384 Shocks the Industry
As it turns out, readers do indeed buy into it.

Although the price of "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts" has increased by 10%, 10% seems like a lot, but the actual increase in the price of a single book is not surprising.

Just like the price of beef and mutton, if it suddenly rises by 10%, it only increases by three or four yuan per kilogram. People who want to eat it will generally still buy it even if they complain a little.

The price of one episode of "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts" is the same.

Many readers don't really notice when a book's price goes up by a few dollars. Only those who are price-sensitive will complain a bit, but they will still buy it in the end.

Because this is a new book by Zhongyuan Yidianhui.

This is also because only one volume of this new book was released this month.

Even if the price per episode increases by a few dollars, it won't hurt anyone.

The copy of "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts" that was placed in bookstores of all sizes in Taiwan often sold out on the same day, and the same was true in Hong Kong and some Southeast Asian countries.

In recent years, as Cao Sheng's works have been continuously disseminated, each new book has brought new ideas and achieved great success. His number of fans has grown like a snowball to a level that many people dare not imagine.

It's somewhat similar to the works of Jin Yong and Gu Long in the past. Back then, anyone who wanted to read martial arts novels would inevitably try out the works of these two masters.

Because everyone has heard that their martial arts novels are the best.

And now?
Anyone who reads online novels has basically heard that Zhongyuan Yidianhui is the best and most famous author.

Therefore, his fans have long been too numerous to count.

The difference often lies only in whether one is a die-hard fan or an ordinary fan.
"The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts?"

Guo Jingfeng from Hong Kong is a fan of Cao Sheng's books and also a colleague of Cao Sheng. He regards Cao Sheng as his idol, so when "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts" was released today, he went to the bookstore to buy a copy as soon as possible.

Leaning against the headboard of his bed, he opened the book in his hand, softly read the title, and his eyes were already on the synopsis. After reading the synopsis, he was quite surprised.

He had previously heard that Cao Sheng's new book was called "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts," and like many others, he thought it was a work about magic.

But after reading the synopsis, he was surprised to find that the book seemed to be about martial arts.

"When the Japanese invaders attacked, the country was shattered, and the land was engulfed in flames of war, the older generation of martial arts practitioners followed one after another, embarking on the path of killing the enemy and saving the country."

They elevated martial arts to the status of a national art.

They said, "Traditional Chinese martial arts are for killing, not for performance!"

The opening paragraph of the introduction filled him with awe; he had never imagined that the martial arts mentioned in this book had such an origin.

The older generation of martial arts practitioners elevated martial arts to a national art form while driving out the Japanese invaders.

Is this the origin of Chinese martial arts?

real or fake?

The phrase "only kill, no performance" also made him realize the difference between this martial art and the martial arts in movies and TV dramas, as well as the martial arts in ring matches.

At the same time, I am reminded of the line spoken by Feng Yuxiu in the movie "Kung Fu Jungle" which Cao Sheng wrote: "Kung Fu is a killing technique!"

This is the biggest difference between kung fu and gymnastics or dance.

Otherwise, if the purpose is simply to improve physical health, then there is no need for kung fu, because compared to gymnastics and dance, kung fu does not have a significant effect on improving physical health, but its disadvantages are quite obvious: practicing kung fu is more strenuous than practicing gymnastics and dance.

After reading the introduction, he began to read the main text.

The male protagonist who appeared in the first chapter didn't strike him as anything special.

Tang Zichen, who appears in the very first chapter, was someone he never expected to be the female lead. Even though the book describes her as quite beautiful and having a unique temperament, descriptions of a person's appearance are ultimately pale. Cao Sheng's descriptions of women are not like those of some authors, which aim to arouse the reader's desire.

Therefore, Tang Zichen, who appears in the first chapter, does not seem to be the female protagonist.

In Guo Jingfeng's opinion, this chapter was unremarkable; there was nothing particularly disturbing about it, so it was readable.

But starting from the second chapter, he was frequently surprised.

What is Cao Sheng up to?
He actually created a completely new training system for traditional martial arts like Tai Chi and Xingyi that everyone is familiar with.

Training methods? Fighting methods? Boxing stances? Mental techniques? Footwork? And so on.

Cao Sheng's writing style is surprisingly root-and-branch style.

As Guo Jingfeng read on, he vaguely felt that what Cao Sheng wrote might be the true face of traditional kung fu. The traditional kung fu presented in movies and TV dramas nowadays might really be just performance-based fancy moves, not real traditional kung fu.

Think about it carefully, how many action actors who act in kung fu movies actually come from a kung fu background?
Bruce Lee is one of them! That's why he became a legend.

What about the rest?

Li Lianjie learned martial arts routines at the Shichahai Sports School in Beijing. Wu Jing was his junior fellow student and also graduated from that school.

Cheng Long was trained in Peking Opera acrobatics.

What about Zhao Wenzhuo, who recently became popular overseas? It seems he also studies martial arts routines.

Upon closer reflection, the kung fu displayed by action stars in the film and television industry seems to prioritize visual appeal. Is this what martial arts were originally like? When killing techniques were created, would they still prioritize visual appeal? Is that even possible?
Before he knew it, he had finished watching the entire first episode.

After reading it, he stood there, stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

This episode has already unveiled a corner of a completely new kung fu world for him. It seems to be the legendary Jianghu (martial arts world).

A hidden world unknown to ordinary people.

In this hidden world, there are true inheritors of various traditional kung fu. They never perform their kung fu. Anyone who wants to see their kung fu must sign a life-or-death contract and fight, with no regard for life or death.

The authorities are aware of these people's existence.

However, one should not say things that are detrimental to unity, nor should one promote people who are detrimental to unity.

These unruly true martial artists, in pursuit of the highest realm of martial arts: the Way of Sincerity, must always maintain a clear and open mind.

In order to keep their minds clear, they will not tolerate any grievances. They will not allow themselves to suffer any injustice. If anyone makes their minds unclear, they will take action, and once they take action, it will result in death or serious injury.

Such a group of unruly martial artists is unlikely to be promoted by the authorities.

However, they do have value; they can help the authorities study the various secrets of the human body and also fight against martial arts practitioners from abroad.

Therefore, the authorities and they maintained a tacit understanding.

As long as they don't act recklessly or attack ordinary people indiscriminately, the authorities can respect their江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the code of conduct or rules of the martial arts world) rules. As long as they sign a life-or-death agreement before taking action, then life and death are preordained, and they will have no complaints even if they are killed.

Logically speaking, such a small circle should have gradually disappeared long ago under such living conditions.

After all, the authorities do not support them, nor do they allow them to openly promote their lineage, making it difficult for each sect to recruit disciples.

but……

The appeal of this small circle is simply too great.

Reaching a high level of mastery allows one to refine their blood and marrow, not only greatly increasing their strength but also prolonging their lifespan. Abilities such as disarming an opponent bare-handed, walking on water, and anticipating danger are not only highly sought after by those within the martial arts community, who dream of reaching even higher levels, but also have an extremely strong appeal to newcomers who have truly witnessed the wonders of Chinese martial arts.

Guo Jingfeng, who grew up in Hong Kong, suddenly had a strong urge to go to the mainland, to the capital city mentioned in the book, to see if there was any such tradition of Chinese martial arts that he wanted to learn.

He began to suspect that the celebrities, sect leaders, and masters he knew were all just people released by those sects to deal with ordinary people.

Those without martial arts qualifications have no chance to see true Chinese martial arts.

However, as he thought about it, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

He was almost finished with "The Lich Wars" and was thinking of studying Cao Sheng's new book to see if he could follow suit and write another one.

but now?
How can we follow the trend?

In the first episode of "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts", Cao Sheng introduced a brand-new training system, but so far this system has not shown much and is not complete at all.

If he blindly follows the trend, he will only be able to keep up with Cao Sheng's book and learn nothing from it, no matter how much new things Cao Sheng writes.

If Cao Sheng slacks off and slows down his writing speed, he can only slacks off as well, otherwise he can only write filler plots.

If Cao Sheng were to suspend the serialization or take leave for any reason, he would have no choice but to follow suit.

If he does this, does Guo Jingfeng still have any dignity in front of his readers?
……

Taiwan.

The Demon King Rosen, who had long wanted to change her image and no longer wanted to rely on erotic storylines as a selling point, bought Cao Sheng's "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts" as soon as possible today.

He had just finished watching this episode.

He was also in a daze at that moment.

He went through several stages while watching this episode.

The first stage is: Is that all? I could write something like that too.

The second stage: Holy crap! Are you crazy? Creating a completely new genre? This... this can even create a completely new cultivation system? Mom! I was wrong. I should have listened to you and not written novels. The competition in this industry is too fierce. I was wrong...

The third stage: As expected of Zhongyuan Yidianhui, as expected of the man who has always been suppressing me, losing to a monster like you is not unfair, I admit defeat. I am indeed good at writing erotic plots. I should focus on this field. As for the transition... I won't mention it again.

Phase Four: What about Episode Two? When will Episode Two be released? We can't really wait until next month, can we?
……

Adventurers Publishing House.

After finishing the first volume of "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts," the final editor sat in his seat for a long while, then sighed deeply with a complex expression. He got up, walked to the boss's office door, knocked, and entered. He said to the boss, who looked over, "I've finished reading 'The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts.' Zhongyuan Yidianhui didn't falter at all; his skill level is still top-notch..."

After a pause, he added, "I think that before this book finishes its serialization, given its quality and the popularity that Zhongyuan Yidianhui has accumulated over the years, he is invincible. No one can shake his position, and no one can surpass the sales of this book."

The more the boss listened, the more his brows furrowed.

This is not what I want to hear.

He felt that there shouldn't be such an amazing author in the industry.

Unless this is the author of the adventurer's story.

But even a speck of dust from the Central Plains cannot be dug up.

(End of this chapter)