Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

After being kicked out of his home, Zhou Zhi led his white horse and carried his sword aimlessly, not knowing where to go. He had lost all the carefree spirit of a young swordsman.

In the bustling town, it appeared particularly lonely and desolate.

This contrasts sharply with the scene of horses galloping in the spring breeze at the beginning of the story.

Overnight, Zhou Zhi was devastated by such a dramatic change.

While he was spending the night in a dilapidated temple, someone even tried to assassinate him. Zhou Zhi had never believed that his parents had betrayed their family, and now that they were being driven to the brink of extermination, he became even more convinced that there was more to the story.

But he realized it too late.

The sword had already pierced his chest. Zhou Zhi felt a surge of energy coursing through his body along his meridians, causing him excruciating pain.

Just as he was losing consciousness and thought he was about to die, a sword shadow suddenly flashed by.

Zhou Zhi saw the beggar he had saved yesterday, now floating in the air dressed in white, surrounded by an ethereal aura.

He heard the immortal say, "A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it transforms into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds. This was your destiny, but alas, what a pity..."

The next moment, Zhou Zhi was plunged into darkness and fell into a complete coma.

-

This tense fight scene left Gu Lang breathless.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing Zhou Zhi rescued, he saw the mysterious immortal say "What a pity," and his heart clenched again.

He quickly turned to the next page, and then...

"It's gone! How could it just disappear like that!"

Gu Lang couldn't wait to know what would happen next. Seeing Zhou Zhi being stabbed and thinking about the title of the novel, he already had a guess.

It is estimated that the sword destroyed his spiritual root, and the sword immortal who appeared at the end should be the "Immortal Venerable" mentioned in the title.

But Zhou Zhi's spiritual root has been destroyed, so what will his fate be...?

"Miss Zhu, you must still have some drafts saved up, right? Let me see them first, I'll take this one!"

He feared he would have a sleepless night if he couldn't see the next chapter.

When Manager Li saw Gu Lang's appearance, he was somewhat surprised and also a little disdainful.

It must be because they haven't seen enough of the world, and they become fascinated by anything new and interesting!

Gu Lang was still asking for updates when Manager Li took the stack of documents and began reading them by himself.

Gu Lang couldn't come up with any more drafts from Zhu Wuyao, so he had to give up.

When he turned around, he saw Manager Li holding a manuscript in his hand, reading it intently.

He would occasionally flash a smile, then his brow would furrow again, and finally he would let out a long sigh—

"Alas! A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it transforms into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds!" This poem is well written!

"Such a young talent, his spiritual root destroyed by this one sword. How can someone with such extraordinary talent be willing to become an ordinary person? What will become of Zhou Zhi now!"

Manager Li seemed to be caught up in the emotions of the book.

Although he disliked this writing style, he could still understand the underlying principles within such crude and straightforward language.

If Zhou Zhi hadn't saved the old beggar the day before his family was destroyed, today would have been his death.

What you did yesterday, you will get today. This is about cause and effect!

As soon as he looked up, he saw Zhu Wuyao and Gu Lang staring at him. Manager Li was a little embarrassed and annoyed, but he didn't continue to be stubborn.

"Miss Zhu, I was narrow-minded. This article is excellent!"

After saying this, he asked with some doubt, "I think the last line of poetry in this article is very well written, conveying the spirit of youth and the vastness of the sky and the sea."

"Since you possess such poetic talent, why not add a few more poems to enhance the literary quality of this piece?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wuyao realized that the line "A golden carp is no ordinary fish in a pond; it transforms into a dragon when it encounters wind and clouds" was a poem that did not exist in this world.

If you ask her to add a few more poems herself, she could probably only write some doggerel.

"Sir, this poem was not written by me, but is recorded in an ancient book. If you would like to include this article in the 'Canglang Anthology,' you will need to add a separate note."

This is the world of cultivation. If word gets out that she has a poetic reputation, and someone asks her to write a poem for a battle scene... she won't even have anywhere to copy.

Upon hearing this, Manager Li fell silent. After a long while, he finally spoke:

“Young friend, I am truly ashamed that I cannot include your article in the ‘Canglang Anthology’.”

Before Zhu Wuyao could say anything, Gu Lang grabbed Manager Li's sleeve, looking pitiful, and said:

"Huh? Why? Grandpa Li, don't you also think this storybook is very good?"

Manager Li sighed, looked at Gu Lang, and said:

“Your father has never liked you reading storybooks or pondering such useless things. He knows you’ve come to Beixuan City. If I were to include this article now, such an unprecedented writing style would surely cause controversy, and even Miss Zhu might be criticized.”

"If Mohen Bookstore's reputation is ruined as a result, the owner will be furious. If... alas, perhaps the 'Canglang Anthology' will be gone."

After hearing this reminder, Gu Lang remembered his father's attitude. He let go of Old Li's sleeve and sat down on the stool, feeling annoyed.

I am sorry to have been invited to see this, but I am not willing to force it.

She knew that this writing style was the trend and would inevitably be welcomed, but it might be highly controversial when it first appeared.

If Mohen Bookstore backs down now, it will be difficult to have the courage to persevere after encountering controversy. It is destined to end up in a situation where it is neither good enough nor bad enough, unable to recover its losses and being criticized. Moreover, Zhu Wuyao is not entirely confident.

She needs to find a bookstore willing to take the risk with her; if she can't find one, she'll have to think of other ways to make a living.

"It's alright, I'll try other collections of writings. If Mr. Gu and the old gentleman are willing to do me the honor of buying a copy, that would be an encouragement to me."

After saying that, he was about to collect the manuscripts on the table.

Seeing Zhu Wuyao casually roll up the manuscript, Gu Lang suddenly panicked. He jumped up and pressed down on the scroll to prevent Zhu Wuyao from taking it away. He turned to Manager Li and said:

"No, such a good storybook, if it goes to another company, I'm afraid I'll be so angry that I won't be able to sleep for three years."

Then, with some apology, he explained:

"Actually... this collection format was my idea. It has always been considered a useless thing, but I know it has potential. It just lacks a good scribe!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wuyao was somewhat surprised.

Unexpectedly, the founder of the anthology format was right before my eyes in the world of cultivation.

Such a collection of essays certainly has potential. In the previous life, there were countless publications and magazines, such as "Lin Yi", "Du Ke", and "Zhi Sheng"... which are similar in concept to the collection of essays that Gu Lang came up with.

They have been bestsellers for many years, and even with the decline of print books, they still have a readership to support them.

Seeing Gu Lang's firm attitude, Zhu Wuyao's eyes lit up. Was he trying to prove that he hadn't made a mistake in his path?

It makes sense, as the anthology format was not well-regarded and business was consistently poor, yet he withstood the pressure and never abandoned this format.

Excellent! This is exactly the rebellious person she's been looking for!

Manager Li was somewhat worried. He stroked his beard and looked at the two men who were eager to make a name for themselves. He felt a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.

Even if things escalate, he won't be affected; he's just worried that Gu Lang might be hurt and become despondent.

But the way he was determined to do it made it clear he wouldn't listen to advice.

Just as she was worrying about the future, she heard Gu Lang discussing it happily, his eyebrows dancing with excitement as he said:

"If my Canglang Anthology comes back to life, I'll give you three times the royalties!"

Zhu Wuyao immediately agreed: "Okay!"

Manager Li: ?

What you should be discussing now is not how to adjust your mindset after being criticized, how to reduce the impact after losses, or how to quell public anger when there is a lot of controversy.

With one daring to boast and the other readily agreeing, have they ever considered whether the money is willing to go into their pockets?