Happy (belated) New Year and Merry Christmas to all of you!
I am genuinely surprised that some new readers continue to follow this story, and I sincerely appreciate your support. Your engagement is more meaningful to me than you might realize. I have both unfortunate and positive updates to share.
The Unfortunate News
I am currently considering discontinuing this novel. (KEEP READING PLEASE!)
This story was originally intended to be a prototype, something I wrote solely to get myself started writing. I never expected it to gain any traction at all. While this doesn't mean it's 100% canceled yet, the chances are high, and I wanted to be upfront about it rather than disappear without explanation. I know I previously promised a continuation after my last hiatus, so I'm sorry to disappoint you.
I'd feel worse if I didn't explain my reasoning, so here are the main factors behind this decision. Please keep in mind that this was my first real attempt at writing a novel.
1.Prototype Novel
As mentioned, this was never meant to be a fully realized story. There was no long-term vision, and most of it was written on the fly. Looking back, this has been a valuable lesson for me as a beginner author.
2. Lack ofPlanning
The poor release schedule probably made this obvious. The plot wasn't planned, most characters weren't properly designed outside of the protagonist, and the story structure was chaotic from the very beginning. Simply put, this novel was a mess behind the scenes.
3. Storyline and ScalingIssues
The storyline has already become wonky, and the power scaling was mishandled badly. I didn't properly think through the "luck factor" tied to the protagonist, which resulted in him being absurdly fortunate from the start. If you knew how powerful the manual he obtained truly was, you'd understand why this became a serious issue. I won't go deeper into this in case I decide to continue or rework the story.
4. Loss of Interest inCultivation Genre
To be blunt, I've lost interest in traditional cultivation novels. They're far more complex than I initially realized, and I've come to prefer simpler systems like Murim/Wuxia/Wulin. As an American author, keeping track of countless Chinese names and layered cultivation realms is exhausting. At a certain point, the endless realm progression becomes predictable and, honestly, boring. While this can be mitigated with dimensional layers (as in like higher universes) and other techniques, doing so without proper planning is not a good idea (which is the biggest problem for me...)
The Fortunate News
This ties directly into the last point.
If you check my profile, you'll see that I've been experimenting with different genres: martial arts (modern fighting stories), fantasy worlds, system and tower settings, and even modern fantasy similar to MHA. While many of these were short-lived, they helped me gain valuable experience.
Recently, one genre stood out to me above the rest: Murim/Wuxia.
It fits my writing style far better. I originally wanted to continue this novel in that direction, but the existing foundation was too tangled and unplanned to comfortably fix. Starting fresh, with proper preparation, is far more motivating.
Because of that, I've begun a new project titled "The Sun Saint Returns as a Dragon."
It blends Murim and cultivation elements in a much simpler way. There will still be mythical creatures and Dao concepts, but the systems will be easier to understand and follow. I'll also be using Korean names this time, which I personally find much easier to remember and work with.
Five chapters are already written and will be released day by day very soon.
Final Thoughts
As things stand, I'll most likely axe this novel. Maybe I'll rework it into something else in the future. Who knows.
That said, the fastest way for something notto end is for people to speak up. If you genuinely believe this story still has potential and would like to see it continue, even in a revised or corrected form, I'll seriously consider that feedback. I'm not asking anyone to beg, just to be honest.
Either way, thank you for reading, and I wish you all the best.
Cheers.