In fact, Lin Yuan had plans to continue writing fantasy novels from the get-go. Itâs just that he has been writing detective novels in the recent years, the kind with lengthy plots, taking up much of his time, so he simply hadnât gotten around to starting on it.
But now...
With the temptation of being an omnipotent deity and the enhancement of his shares within sight, Lin Yuan felt he could do it anew!
So what if itâs a fantasy novel?
Write it!
Not only does he need to write it, but he would also need to write an influential enough piece. After all, becoming an omnipotent deity is no easy task. Even Jin Mu had only said heâd barely met the threshold. To become an omnipotent deity, he still needed one or two fantasy novels.
One to two novels implies that even one novel could hold the promise of success. However, this one novel must have the quality worth that of two!
Besides, if the novel isnât good enough, how is one to negotiate terms with Silver Blue Books?
With this in mind, Lin Yuan began to consider what sort of novel he should start writing recently.
Western?
Or Eastern?
Lin Yuan hesitated briefly, then decided to continue writing Eastern fantasy novels because all of Chu Kuangâs fantasy novels had been Eastern style so far.
The reason was simple.
After writing Western-style detective novels for such a long time, Lin Yuan was growing somewhat weary of it.
In terms of personal reading preferences, Lin Yuan was certain that he liked the Eastern artistic style better.
With that thought, Lin Yuan began to have a sense of direction.
Nevertheless, Lin Yuan solicited the opinion of his agent Jin Mu:
"What kind of fantasy novel is the most popular at the moment?"
"..."
Jin Muâs heart pounded.
He always had the feeling that heâd heard this question before.
Initially, Lin Yuan had asked him a similar question, and his answer then had been "detective novels".
At the time, Jin Mu had assumed it was nothing more than idle chatter. However, he never expected that right after he gave his response, his boss would dive headfirst into the realm of detective novels without looking backâ¦
So, this question may be more important than he thought!
Under such circumstances, Jin Mu had no choice but to think carefully.
After several minutes, he finally responded hesitantly, "Various themes in the fantasy domain are all quite popular. But in recent years, the most popular genre is Xianxia which you pioneeredâ¦"
"Xianxia?"
"Yes."
Jin Mu explained with great familiarity, "Ever since you pioneered the Xianxia genre with âZhu Xianâ, an increasing number of fantasy writers have started to revolve their works around this theme. Currently, among the top six best-selling fantasy novels, three are Xianxia, and three others are adventure novels set in different worlds.
The remaining spots vary, with different genres having the chance to make the listâ¦"
Lin Yuan suddenly asked, "Has anyone written the origin of Xianxia?"
Jin Mu paused, "Origin? You mean, the creation myths recorded in the âClassic of Mountains and Seasâ?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
Jin Mu laughed and said, "Havenât the past generations summarized it already? Starting from the âClassic of Mountains and Seasâ, and then progressing to the Primordial Chaos series and the Investiture of the Gods seriesâ¦"
Lin Yuan nodded, realizing it afterward.
Based on what Jin Mu said, it seemed as if Blue Star already had a complete Primordial Chaos system.
If there wasnât one, Lin Yuan would consider writing on the theme of the Primordial Chaos, which was the motivation behind his inquiry.
Jin Mu was left somewhat confused.
Unexpectedly, his well-read boss didnât even know this basic common knowledge...
Was he toying with him?
Jin Mu assumed that must be the case.
Lin Yuan didnât continue the idle conversation with Jin Mu, as he had turned on his computer to search for novels based on the Primordial Chaos.
Half an hour later.
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
It seemed there indeed were novels on the Primordial Chaos in this world--
Of course, Lin Yuan wasnât toying with Jin Mu.
If he hadnât searched the internet for information, he truly wouldnât be sure whether this world had anything about the Primordial Chaos.
He was an earthling.
The ancient Oriental mythology of the Celestial Dynasty on Earth was too scattered, and barely anyone had systematically summarized it.
It wasnât until Dreams of Divinity composed âBuddhism was Originally Daoismâ that numerous myths were summarized and incorporated into a novel. Thatâs when novels based on the Primordial Chaos started to become popular--
By epoch, the Primordial Chaos has been regarded as the origin of Xianxia.
Thus, Lin Yuan subconsciously thought that Blue Star didnât have any Primordial Chaos related works.
Who knew the cultural inheritance on Blue Star was this robust? There was no need for Dreams of Divinity here. Through numerous predecessorsâ works, the Primordial Chaos of Blue Star already had a well-preserved system.
Many mythical figures had their original forms.
The entire chronology had been sorted out rather clearly.
It seemed he didnât need to write "Investiture of the Gods"--
Yes.
Originally, Lin Yuan had considered writing "Investiture of the Gods" to sort out Blue Starâs Primordial Chaos system, but since someone had already sorted out similar stories, it was unnecessary.
However...
While gathering information, Lin Yuan found that the backdrop of the Primordial Chaos lacked further developmental narratives.
In other words:
There was no Journey to the West!
Whether Journey to the West counts as part of the Primordial Chaos may be debatable, but if you were to isolate it, the impact of its story can easily overshadow the Primordial Chaos stories!
Moreover...
Many characters in Journey to the West have been in existence since the Primordial Chaos era, such as The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord...
But Blue Star doesnât have "Journey to the West"!@@novelbin@@
Itâs a great pity for a world dominated by Eastern civilization. As a transmigrator, I must not allow this regret to go unaddressed.
In a moment...
Even the usually calm Lin Yuan could not help but feel his heart pounding!
Thatâs "Journey to the West"!
Itâs one of the Four Great Classical Novels of the Celestial Dynasty!
And today, a story of such magnitude will be written by Lin Yuan, or Chu Kuang!
How could Lin Yuan not be excited?
Sun Wukong was his childhood idol!
The Great Sage Sun Wukong is the aspiration of many!
Lin Yuan was completely confident that once "Journey to the West" was out, all Xianxia novels would be overshadowed!
As to whether "Journey to the West" counts as a Xianxia novel, it doesnât really matter.
In this world, immortals are everywhere, and there are as many monsters as dogs.
The story of Journey to the West is considered mythological.
Itâs similar to the Primordial Chaos.
But...
The time at which Journey to the West took place is quite unique.
From the storyâs background settings, there are countless immortals, with the Heavenly Court ruling the world, and even the strong beings from the Primordial Chaos era work within the Heavenly Court.
Therefore...
"Journey to the West" can be understood as a story that took place after the Primordial Chaos.
Yet, it also seems to occur before all the Xianxia novels in Blue Starâs timeline.
It links the past with whatâs to come.
After all, who would dare say that the story of "Zhu Xian" occurs before "Journey to the West"?
All the character power values in "Zhu Xian", combined, probably wouldnât even rank in "Journey to the West".
Thatâs the way it is with mythological stories.
The earlier the period, the higher the power values; even if you put Buddha in the Primordial Chaos era, his power value wouldnât be considered high.
But letâs not worry about that for now.
Lin Yuanâs eyes were ablaze.
He had decided that his next fantasy novel will be "Journey to the West"!
This novel combines mythology with Xianxia civilization, also inheriting the era of the Primordial Chaos; it truly qualifies as a top-notch Eastern fantasy novel.
It is truly a story that can influence not only one generation but many!
Therefore, Lin Yuan took it very seriously!
Of course...
Since the original "Journey to the West" was written by Olâ Wu.
Wu Chengen was an ancient person, so his language was primarily classical Chinese.
Lin Yuanâs "Journey to the West" would definitely need to be turned into modern text that is easy to understand.
Under such circumstances, can he still maintain the original flavor of Journey to the West?
Lin Yuan was a bit worried.
Just then...
The System chimed in:
"As the host has chosen to write about Journey to the West, the system has already converted âJourney to the Westâ into a modern narrative, including small adaptations to the background."
The System highly values the dissemination of culture.
When Lin Yuan expressed his intention to write a story about Journey to the West, the System didnât even charge him, and proactively helped him!
After all...
How can one forget Journey to the West?
âââââââ
ps: Readers who are well-versed in Journey to the West can provide some inspiration. Polluted White has watched a lot of TV dramas and animations but didnât finish reading the original, therefore, most of the understanding comes from online analyses and summaries. This novel must be written, after all, the Monkey King is awesome, and there are derivations.