Qiu Wuji couldn't withstand Chu Ge's strange gaze.
She felt this gaze could transform her, like some kind of bone-dissolving potion, making her feel completely off. Her subconscious reaction was to punch him, but then she thought, "He hasn't done anything wrong, would it be too much to punch him now?" Thinking it over, she stomped her foot and went out: "I'm going out to buy groceries, what are you doing standing there daydreaming while you're writing!"
Chu Ge laughed: "Yes, ma'am." Qiu Wuji really didn't need to accompany him to buy groceries anymore. Chu Ge sat back in the house in a great mood, turned on his computer, and started typing away.
She said it was great!
Chu Ge felt like he had inexhaustible energy.
A lot happened yesterday, but even a day has passed. He saved half a chapter before going to bed last night, and now, with a burst of inspiration, he quickly finished a chapter and uploaded it. He felt he could maintain his streak of 10,000-word updates, maybe even more.
Chu Ge felt this might be related to his training and cultivation—his thinking had become much sharper. Before, he couldn't even manage a single chapter after struggling for ages, but now it flowed smoothly.
Those tentacle monsters must have pretty good bodies, Chu Ge thought.
He uploaded the chapter and glanced at the subscription data, only to be stunned.
Since the featured recommendation, the average daily subscription had increased by over a thousand…
It had just recently passed the "Featured" category, then increased slightly to around 3500, and this surge had jumped straight to over 4600—and in just one day!
Even among featured recommendation growth, this was an unbelievable, dreamlike number compared to others. Many people didn't even gain two hundred in a day.
This… Chu Ge himself felt it was a bit unbelievable. He scratched his head, thinking for a long time without understanding why. It didn't make sense… Indeed, there were precedents where low initial exposure led to a meteoric rise after a major recommendation—that was because the writing was good. His own work clearly went a bit too far later; would it have the same effect?
This effect was cascading, a snowball effect. Chu Ge opened the bestseller list, and as expected, the average daily subscriptions had increased by over a thousand in a single day. The feedback was immediately apparent on the real-time bestseller list, and it looked poised to head straight for the top ten.
While he didn't know how long this would last, it was still exposure, and massive exposure at that.
With this snowball effect, further growth was even more unpredictable, already exceeding what normal recommendations could achieve. Who knew, maybe ten thousand subscriptions would be within reach soon?
Chu Ge racked his brains but couldn't figure out what was so amazing about this subsequent growth. Leaving aside the romance, the protagonist's role had been significantly diminished; normally, this wouldn't be a good thing… After thinking for a long time, he could only attribute it partly to the recent surge in updates?
Without affecting quality, frequent updates definitely have a significant impact on performance. The platform also has a power ranking; if he could climb onto that list, it would be another great source of exposure. Before, with his clumsy writing skills, he could only drool over it, but now it seemed like he could finally make a push.
Thinking about it this way, wasn't the future truly bright?
This is really strange. I had no expectations at all, how did it turn out like this... Was it really an unexpected stroke of luck?
The only thing affecting the speed is that I've taken a difficult path; the more I write, the more it feels like an ensemble piece, which is too troublesome and hard to control. But it's too late now, I can only bite the bullet and keep writing. If the ensemble piece is well-written, the results are another matter, but the reputation is often good.
Whatever, I'll start writing even if I'm not checking the backend. I was writing anyway, so why am I worrying about it now? It's not worth wasting so much energy on this. Chu Ge took a deep breath, closed the backend, and opened the document to write the next chapter.
This part of the plot involves a world in turmoil; it definitely needs careful polishing.
The current section doesn't focus much on Qiu Wuji, only briefly mentioning that she "arranged her subordinates' actions while she herself was in seclusion, honing her skills and preparing for the battle against Yan Qianlie."
Chu Ge added a personal touch: "Her divine soul became increasingly solidified, her divided soul roaming freely to observe the changes in the world, an inexhaustible process."
This wasn't just to let the reader know that Qiu Wuji's seclusion wouldn't affect her ability to keep up with the plot's developments; more importantly, it was to allow her to stay in the story longer… So, even the creator god isn't omnipotent; these personal touches need to be added gradually with the plot, and her raw power can't be artificially inflated.
Now it's finally added.
But as Chu Ge wrote, she suddenly frowned slightly, her fingers pausing.
Where was she in seclusion honing her skills?
She was out here, browsing bars, watching shows, reading novels, and scrolling through videos.
Would this affect her strength and hinder the battle?
The book guarantees her victory, and logically, she should be certain of it, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.
"Could something go wrong?"
Feeling uneasy, Chu Ge, whose calm hadn't been disturbed by his soaring grades, couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately pulled out his phone and sent Qiu Wuji a WeChat message: "Where are you?"
Qiu Wuji was scanning a code to pay for beef at the market stall. She noticed that if she walked in the opposite direction from where Chu Ge usually went, there was another market there, where the goods were cheaper and looked better quality than at the supermarket. She wondered why Chu Ge always went to the supermarket; what an idiot.
Today she planned to make stir-fried beef with potatoes. She'd never heard of potatoes before. That idiot was quite serious about it in his books, saying that potatoes were a foreign import and that their appearance in a fantasy world was incongruous…
How ridiculous! Who cares about that? It made me miss out on so much food.
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly felt her soul becoming increasingly solid. She had used up a lot of energy saving Yueying last night, which should have shortened her stay this time, but now she didn't feel it at all. She had the illusion that she could stay as long as she wanted.
Qiu Wuji scanned the code to pay in a good mood, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips.
Without a doubt, he was up to his old tricks in the book again, slipping her something new.
She herself didn't realize that the resentment she used to feel for him being able to arbitrarily modify her physical abilities was now fading.
Just then, a WeChat notification sound rang. Qiu Wuji tapped on Chu Ge's anime-style profile picture and pursed her lips.
"Where?" Qiu Wuji hooked the potatoes and beef with her little finger, typing via voice input, "At the market."
"Can you come back? I'm a little uneasy."
"What? Is there something you forgot about Yueying that might cause us trouble?"
"No... I was thinking about how your cultivation here has decreased. I'm worried you might lose something if you return to your own world. The more I think about it, the more uneasy I get."
Qiu Wuji paused, then laughed again, "Ha..."
She turned to look at the crowd around her and smiled, "I'll tell you when I get back." A short while later, Qiu Wuji returned home. The door was ajar, and she immediately saw Chu Ge sitting on the sofa, fidgeting like a monkey. He greeted her as she entered, taking the groceries from her hands.
Qiu Wuji said, "I forgot I don't have a key. Make me a copy later."
"You still have the mind to talk about this?" Chu Ge put the dishes aside speechlessly and asked seriously, "What do you think about what we were talking about earlier?"
Qiu Wuji's beautiful eyes flickered, and she said lazily, "I said I want to go back to practice my skills, how about that?"
Chu Ge pursed his lips, though reluctant, he still said, "Alright. At least until the fifteenth of July..."
"Ha..." Qiu Wuji couldn't help but laugh, "Isn't fate inescapable? How could you possibly lose a victory you've already decided?"
Chu Ge retorted angrily, "I'm afraid you'll think that way and then underestimate your opponent and act recklessly. Do you think you can win by standing there and letting anyone hit you without making a single move? We're still testing the so-called connection of fate; we haven't reached a final conclusion yet, okay? And you..."
"Alright, alright, stop scolding me." Qiu Wuji smiled slightly, "Do you really think I'd think that way? It's not your..." "Qiu Wuji, don't you understand?" Chu Ge: "..."
"Whether fate decides my victory or defeat," Qiu Wuji's smile faded, and she said seriously, "I am Qiu Wuji, and I will only do my utmost to defeat every opponent." Chu Ge said helplessly, "Then what are you doing now..."
"Chu Ge... you're a storyteller, you can define our cultivation, but you're not a true immortal, and you can't truly understand its subtleties." Qiu Wuji said calmly, "You yourself have written that being able to grasp and appreciate every detail around you, and not miss any scenery along the way, that is cultivation, not sitting in seclusion, oblivious to the years, and ignorant of the human world. That's what you wrote, the definition you gave us, which resonates deeply with me. But when you truly encounter it, you can't empathize..."
She smiled again: "Father God, do you really not know that I am cultivating now?" Chu Ge was stunned for a long time. Is that so? It seems like that's what he wrote, but this...
Qiu Wuji turned around and took the vegetables to the kitchen, her high ponytail bouncing: "Perhaps you're just... confused by concern?"