Afterword
Third Heaven’s story has come to an end. I don’t know if I want to continue writing, and I’ve explained why in a previous chapter (Translator: I will explain at the end of the afterword). It’s a miracle I even got this far. At the very least, I’ve finished the story I owed and answered questions that ought to have an answer. As for the story beyond Third Heaven, I have no intention to write about it at this point. As Feng Haochen pointed out, it isn’t hard for Mu Yu to defeat Divine Executioner with his domain.
Honestly, I don’t know if anyone liked my series. Nevertheless, I like the world that I created. Mount Dustfallen, the utopia where everyone is at peace and satisfied is my ideal place to learn and cultivate. It’s like a harmonious family. Although siblings may have different beliefs, nobody hurts the other in pursuit of their beliefs and ideals. Mount Dustfallen ties them together and is the prerequisite for them to journey the cultivation world.
I like Cheng Yan’s firm stance to fulfil his shifu’s wishes despite not comprehending why the humans of Third Heaven deserve their help.
I like Xiang Nan and Lie Shang’s rebellious characters for they never forget that they’re part of the Mount Dustfallen Family even when they impugn Feng Haochen’s decisions and try to pursue a path they believe in. Most importantly, they will never use their family for their own ends.
I like Mu Yu’s attachment to his family. Mu Yu constantly battles his demons and conflicting ideas of those around him. In the end, nonetheless, he still chooses to walk his own path. There’s a process to change; people don’t just take one step and then suddenly change.
Many readers complained that Dustfallen Sect can’t possibly exist, citing the big-hit series, where the main protagonist’s fellow disciples constantly deride and frame him, only for him to slap the snot out of them, to be how the real cultivation world works. My question is, why can’t a sect like Dustfallen Sect exist? What rule states that sects in the cultivation world have to be homes to back-stabbing people, where every fellow disciple looks down on the main protagonist and does everything in their power to kill him? The cultivation world is a mythical world we conjure. Is the world not real if everyone in the same sect isn’t trying to kill each other? Have you been to the cultivation world? If not, on what basis are you arguing my world can’t exist? I have no regrets now that I’ve had the chance to tell a story in my ideal world. Like it or not, it’s all in the past now. I’m grateful to those who’ve been with me to the end.
The ending was rushed because my original plan was to write until we reached Ninth Heaven until, well, I already told you (Translator: Will be talking about this after author’s afterword), so I had to start wrapping earlier than anticipated. It was a tough task. I had to start filling in holes that I deliberately dug to save for later and modified the plot a lot. What you see is the modified end product.
Maybe I will write about the battle against Divine Executioner in the future. Who knows? I’d rather not make promises I can’t guarantee I can keep; I’m pragmatic.
I like Mu Yu as a character. He’s childish but sensible. If there’s no family, what’s the point of cultivating to godhood? Emotions are part of being human. Without desires and emotions, how are they anything more than dead men walking? That’s why I never talked about long lives, severing emotional ties, the main protagonist crying on his knees, telling his parents, “I have to go on a long journey now, and it may be ages before I get back. Here’s my three kowtows, garble, garble, garble.”
Mu Yu is a simple man. He has family, his brotherhood, love, principles in all of them, likes to joke around and remains childish to a degree. Children have a rebellious phase at certain ages, which was why he was always quarrelling with Ku Mu when they met.
I received complaints about Mu Yu not being respectful to Ku Mu. You never argue with your parents in your teens? Did you speak respectfully when you were fired up and arguing? Did you say, “Dad, I believe it is wrong to spank children. Children are the flowers of the nation. You must use reason. He will not be able to focus in class if he has a sore bottom. If he cannot concentrate in class, he cannot score full marks as you wish. If you beat him up again after he fails to get full marks, you have created a vicious cycle…”
When you’re infuriated and arguing, you don’t hold back: “Am I your son or what? Did you find me in a toilet? I’m leaving home. I can take care of myself. See you at See You Tomorrow Sect!”
It’s perfectly normal to hurt other’s feelings when you’re angry and unleashing verbal lashings. Additionally, don’t forget Ku Mu and Mu Yu aren’t biologically related. Ku Mu also forced Mu Yu to do things the latter didn’t want to. Mu Yu can’t beat Ku Mu, and you won’t let him curse to vent, either? Later on, it became a habit for them to fire shots at each other. Are you telling me there’s no such thing as different parent and child relationships? Does everyone communicate with each other the exact same way? Mu Yu never forgot about the things Ku Mu did for him. Ku Mu used his life to cast Ultimate Concealment Bloody Guardian, so Mu Yu wanted to return the former’s life to him. Mu Yu’s principles are simple.
When Mu Yu left Moyun Mountains, he went in and evaluated the world as a clean slate, playing around and having fun with Xiaoshuai, doing as they pleased. Whenever they had the upper hand, they’d start getting a little cocky for laughs. When they couldn’t win, they ran. He wasn’t a block of wood or stubborn. Eventually, he had to grow up, which began with the massacre at Eastern Desert City. He did his best to save the people, but they crossed his bottom line when they killed the Xuan Family and He Jinglong. His drowned his will to uphold his principles in his rage.
I did my best to express the despair and internal turmoil Mu Yu went through at Eastern Desert City. When his reality was that good people don’t live long, his previous beliefs swayed and changed course accordingly, which took him off his original path. Let’s be honest: how many people can fulfil their childhood promises?
When the teacher in kindergarten asked people what they wanted to be when they grew up, people would proudly say inventors, pilots, scientists, policemen, you get the drift. Maybe some people stayed true to their path and stuck with it, but the majority of people fail to realise those childhood dreams. Plenty of people work jobs they don’t like when they grow up to pay their bills. When they recall their childhood dreams, they just laugh it off. Some people want to who wanted to be inventors are now burning the midnight over a cup of instant noodles to finish his novel. The upside is that he’s doing what he likes.
Mu Yu wanted to be a defender of justice, protect the human race and shoulder the weight of the world until it dawned on him that he was too na?ve. Hence, he adjusted his goal to just protecting his friends and family.
The only man who could be a defender, shoulder the weight of the world and stick with it until he dies was Sword Shadow Dust Gale. Not everybody can be Sword Shadow Dust Gale, so we relegate ourselves to being an unfettered Mu Yu, bickering with Xiaoshuai when we’re happy and napping with Xiaoshuai when we’re not. When the sun wakes us up tomorrow, we lazily crawl out of bed to try again on a new day.
Mu Yu was lucky to have Xiaoshuai. Yes, Xiaoshuai mainly only slept, ate, flirted with the girls and barely helped in fights, but he was able to provide unorthodox inspiration. Some of Xiaoshuai’s ideas were unrealistic, sure. Did they kill boredom for Mu Yu? Yes. Who said every pet has to be able to fight?
My favourite part was Mu Yu’s first time at Clearwater City, where he decided to watch Mu Clan despite being part of it. Just because Mu Yu is optimistic, doesn’t mean he never has mental hurdles. Sometimes, people use unimaginable optimism as a cover for their weakness. Examples of such characters are Xiang Nan and Mu Yu. Forgiving Mu Tianhe freed Mu Yu from the mental strain pressuring him.
I did my best to depict the atmosphere and illustrate the devastating scenery I envisioned when Mu Yu slaughtered the people at Eastern Desert City. If I was an artist, I would’ve drawn it. Unfortunately, I can only draw stick figures, though I’d win the stick figure drawing prize in a kindergarten contest.
I contemplated whether or not Mu Yu was going to be excited or crying and clinging to Ku Mu when the latter returned. In the end, I decided to have Mu Yu react calmly as though it was just meeting after parting yesterday. I opted for the composed reaction because Mu Yu had grown up and should’ve learnt to control his emotions after he brought bloodlust energy under control. That being said, hearing Ku Mu proclaim he destroyed his body set Mu Yu off as it was a different scenario.
Ku Mu initially didn’t like Mu Yu because the latter was Feng Haochen’s disciple. However, after learning that Mu Yu’s personality clashed with his, Ku Mu gradually changed and saw Mu Yu as his son. Ku Mu wanted to destroy his body as he didn’t want his son to throw away his life.
Ku Mu was a reticent man but also surprisingly prodigious and brave. Some people live for themselves, while others live for others. Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves what we live for. If you live trying to meet everyone’s standards, changing yourself to fit in, being hung up because of someone’s comment, you’re living for others, and it’s tiring. Imagine going along to watch a movie you don’t like and then having to lie that you thought the main female protagonist’s dress was pretty, or the main protagonist’s kicks were decent… Or, you could be honest and tell them, “Ten bucks for 539 popcorn pieces. Thirty-two people went to the toilet while the movie aired, and thirty-one never came back. There were twenty-four light bulbs overhead. There was a couple behaving inappropriately next to a kid. Cinemas are better than therapists for insomnia.”
There’s no guarantee you’ll be as lucky as Ku Mu if you live for others, so I’m not advocating you should be totally selfless. Ku Mu made sacrifices for Daoist Yundan, Pill Cauldron Sect, Miao Yuyan, the denizens of Third Heaven and to protect Mu Yu. Ku Mu never cared what anyone thought of him as long as he was able to sleep at night. Ku Mu had a Mu Yu. You probably don’t. This is why I believe people are better off living for their own sake. Think what you will, but I’m just a firework. Why should I dress up for your approval? If you want to hate, get in the line. Hate the way I think? Hasn’t and won’t stop me.
I sometimes question why we invest so much into studying and toiling for money. I don’t claim to have the correct answer. In my opinion, life is similar to cultivation. They pursue cultivation, while we pursue money, but both of them are only vehicles to freedom. They’re tools that allow us to live without having to hold our hands out and plead for alms, deal with a boss who wants to give us attitude, bullies who abuse us, feel security when disaster hits and protect those we care about. Being able to curse freely is nice, isn’t it? Don’t like me? Feel free to voice your dislike. I’m still me. Since Mu Yu was able to reach that point, he was able to let go of things. Thus, that brings us to the end of Mu Yu’s story, a pursuit for freedom.
I didn’t take the stereotypical formula for this book and chose to bite the bullet so that I could write what I wanted to write. I wasn’t trying to write a cold-blooded, cool harem protagonist. I wanted to write an optimistic main protagonist who liked to have fun. Before I started, I planned to write a solemn traditional xianxia story until after the one hundred-ish chapter mark. I just couldn’t find it in me to be so serious, so I said, “You know what? I’m just going to write the way I want.” That’s why my style changed between the time at Moyun Mountains and after Mu Yu left. Anyway, I’ll stop there on that topic… I’m just satisfied that I got to enjoy writing the way I wanted to the end. As for my new series. Well…
Some readers have expressed wishes for a Feng Haochen story, and it has crossed my mind, so I might write a bit or none at all. Sword Shadow Dust Gale isn’t a simple character to write. Where do we start? The nine celestial swords are…
I assume you’ve read other stories where the main protagonist stumbles upon an aeonic, legendary weapon left behind by someone who has passed on. Luck would also have it that the main protagonist gains inconceivable luck to rise against all odds and rise to stardom. Sword Shadow Dust Gale is the owner of a legendary artefact, except he’s not dead. Given the number of years he’s lived for, he has many stories and deserves his own story.
There’s one character I never finished with in the story. Does anyone remember Illusionary Clear Rain? His illusion spirit is in the same league as Xiaoshuai. Of course, there’s also Xie Bulao. They were supposed to have more prominent roles later on in my original story. Since this is where I’ve ended the story, though, we can only treat them as cameo characters. Maybe they’ll come up in a spin-off.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout these 1164 chapters.
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Below is the translator’s input.
Before I start, let me start with the author’s message earlier on:
“I didn’t sign a contract until I reached a million Chinese characters, and I’ve now written three million Chinese characters. How the story develops is what is most important to me. Sadly, the number of subscribed readers is failing to meet the goal demanded, which means my editor won’t promote it. You have no idea how pitiful my numbers’ performance is. As a consequence, the series will be axed, turning my effort into a fruitless endeavour. That being said, I don’t want this story to end with loose ends, and I don’t want an ending I can’t be happy with. It’s irresponsible as an author, and even Mu Yu would chew me out. I’ll finish this series to thank the readers supporting me (not pirates) and fans of Mu Yu.”
I’m only going to give part of the story because I don’t want the author to be in trouble with the Chinese publisher.
Some people are under the illusion that the author always has 100% control over their series. When a series doesn’t meet the financial performance goals, though, the editors start pushing the author to write things that are proven to sell. This was the case with this series. Because this series didn’t sell well after a few hundred chapters, the author was given an ultimatum: either you switch to writing what you’re told, or you will have to wrap up your story (i.e. eunuch it). For the record, he isn’t the only author given this treatment. The author didn’t want to go with his editor’s directions, so he decided to axe it as best as he could. Some authors do sell their work to their editor to prevent getting the axe. Before you judge authors, actually find out who the real creative director is.
To keep it brief and not divulge more than I morally should, the author was told to turn this series into a face slapper, harem series with a merciless main protagonist. He refused.
Fortunately, this experience didn’t extinguish his fire to write, and he’s doing much better off at Qidian, like countless others who switch, where he’s given due assistance and seeing more fruitful harvests.
This is the last xuanhuan genre series I will be translating. Henceforth, I’ll be focusing on wuxia, historical military and old-school xianxia (if I continue). For those who still haven’t learnt, old-school xianxia is similar to this series, in that it focuses on dealing with some issue, challenging morals and philosophies as it did in this series with what the right thing to do about the human race was, whether or not it was the right decision to kill and so forth, all without the cultivation/level-up system. For those of you who still don’t know, I’ve always disliked system novels. The aforementioned are my favourites because of the themes explored, style and, most importantly to me, possess gufeng prose.
Thank you everyone who supported me and this series. For the foreseeable future, I’ll only translate Martial King’s Retired Life for multiple reasons.
Firstly, I’m now running a gym, rehabbing clients, coaching and so forth. It’s a full-on gig. Secondly, as you may have seen, I spent an enormous amount of money licensing Almighty and this series, yet I had one patreon supporter throughout for just one series. Frankly, I’m just not generous enough to invest my own money and time into such a big project for absolutely nothing again when I’m no millionaire and have other things to do.
I will post the full version of the tracks in the trailer on the series’ contents’ page this weekend. If you haven’t seen the trailer, you can find it on the contents’ page.
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