Chapter 13: Reborn Master Writer 5

Once she had accumulated a substantial backlog of chapters, she submitted her work to the largest publishing platform in this world. Since it was a story centered around a male protagonist, she straightforwardly posted it in the male readership section. Initially, there was little response after publication; the signing proceeded quietly.

She was in no rush. She trusted that her work wouldn’t disappoint. After all, the story was based on a well-developed historical world, and her writing was quite refined, carrying a certain classical literary charm without being obscure or difficult to understand. It featured authentic cultivation methods and vividly realistic descriptions of the cultivation process, making it feel like one could truly cultivate within that world.

Moreover, her character portrayals were distinct and nuanced. The people surrounding the protagonist each had their own unique traits, avoiding stereotypical caricatures or foolishness. Even the antagonists had moments where they nearly killed the protagonist, making the conflicts intense and engaging. The protagonist’s counterattacks were sharp and efficient, never dragged out, and he was neither a false saint nor a hypocritical do-gooder.

She believed this approach would attract and retain readers, and indeed, as the story progressed into the realm of cultivation and explored many aspects of that world, the work began to gain remarkable popularity. Compared to female readership, the male audience was traditionally more generous with their rewards, never hesitating to tip extravagantly.

After appearing on several rankings, her favorited count soared, accompanied by a corresponding flood of rewards. She had set up a system of bonus chapters triggered by tipping, so affluent readers, eager to see what happened next, spared no expense in their generosity. Naturally, she responded by delivering extra chapters as promised. Her ranking quickly climbed across various charts.

Following its release, subscriptions surged—especially in the absence of piracy—propelling the story swiftly to the lower reaches of the New Gods board. Although the New Gods board differed from the traditional God Rankings, featuring a list of a hundred entries, she remained humble, knowing she was still far from reaching the female protagonist tier.

The male lead’s fate was directly adapted from Liao Changyun, so writing his storyline required little additional thought. Her typing speed was not slow either. Despite daily updates of at least ten thousand words plus extra content, she managed to maintain nearly half a million words in backup. She had a habit of not liking to see her backlog diminish, so even with daily updates, she often wrote more than needed, gradually increasing her reserve.

Before starting publication, she had thirty thousand words in storage; after going live, it had grown to half a million. Now that updates were stable at twenty thousand words a day, even additional chapters were manageable. She then began working on a comic adaptation. Since she could draw herself, there was no need to sell the comic rights—drawing it personally was better and allowed her to preserve the essence of the story.

She completed the character designs. The story had no romantic pairings; the female lead—herself—had even rejected the male lead, though that part hadn’t been written yet. Still, many female characters appeared, as the male lead was exceptionally gifted and a senior disciple of a sect, naturally beloved by senior and junior female disciples alike. Unfortunately for them, he possessed mind-reading abilities and showed no interest in women who were outwardly friendly but inwardly manipulative.

Of course, handsome men were not in short supply either. The cultivation world was filled with beauties and fine men, alongside various magical beasts and spiritual herbs, all of which she diligently illustrated. Having drawn these, the rest would be easier to depict, especially with the help of her comic software.

The software functioned like a dress-up game; she could scan existing characters and backgrounds into it, then assemble comic scenes like a puzzle. The characters’ poses could be altered, making the process much more efficient. Compared to animation software, comic software was far easier to use—static images were simpler to handle than dynamic animation.

One key feature was the abundance of preset poses within the software. She had personally created tens of thousands of these by acting them out and recording the motions. Besides human poses, she also modeled animal movements herself, resorting to drawing only for those poses the human body couldn’t replicate.

Thanks to this, she could find nearly any desired pose within the software’s library, saving immense time. This was why she started with character designs first. The only things left to draw by hand were some spiritual plant scenes—not many, but still necessary.

This streamlined process greatly accelerated her drawing speed. She abandoned complex scripts and instead portrayed each chapter in four-panel comic strips, closely adhering to the original story. After accumulating a considerable backlog of comics, she again quietly climbed over ten spots on the New Gods board.

Immersed in her tasks, she almost forgot everything else—until her brother barged into her house, flinging open the door, his face stormy as he surveyed the room before finally entering her bedroom.

“Li Mumu!”

Startled by his fierce demeanor, she timidly greeted, “Brother, long time no see.”

“You still know how to say ‘long time no see’? What have you been up to lately?” Li Xing’s expression was cold and emotionless, yet it unmistakably conveyed anger.

“Uh, brother, did something happen?” She blinked innocently, puzzled as to why he was upset.

“You tell me. What have you been doing? It’s been so long since you contacted home. It’s winter break, and you haven’t come back. Your phone was even off. I called your school, and your teacher said you’ve already completed your credits this year, applied for extracurricular self-study, and haven’t been to school in ages. Do you know how worried Mom and Dad are?!” Li Xing rattled off the accusations so loudly that Mumu nearly winced and almost covered her ears.

“Uh, sorry, I’ve been crazy busy lately.” She glanced at the calendar and realized two months had slipped by. She’d been so absorbed in writing and suppressing the female lead’s story, drawing comics, and even developing comic software that she’d forgotten the time and neglected to call home.

“What have you been so busy with that your phone is off?” Li Xing, having just returned from a business trip, had heard their parents’ concerns and rushed over to check. Instead, he found his sister lying in bed, playing on her computer, her room a mess.

“Well, my previous comic series ended, and I’m working on a new one. The new comic has a much larger background setting, so it’s been hectic.” Mumu realized her phone had died and hadn’t been charged, as she’d been working on the computer nonstop and hadn’t paid attention to her phone.

“Enough. Clean up and come home. If you don’t, Mom and Dad might come over to drag you back themselves.” Li Xing, losing patience, ran his hands through his hair and began tidying the room.

“I’ll handle it. Brother, you go rest. I’ll call Mom and Dad.” Seeing the scattered clothes—mostly coats, pajamas, and blankets—she hurried over to help.