CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 66: COME QUICK! THERE’S A NEW SCHOOL OF BOATING HERE!

In the following days, Chu Tian’s previously leisurely life was gone forever.

He spent every day either working out in the gym according to the plan Yao Na had set for him or running around with Xu Qingqiu.

During this period, Chu Tian wasn’t aware of what Li Chunhua had discussed privately with Xu Qingqiu. However, he always felt she was acting strangely after she returned, constantly avoiding eye contact with him.

Sister Hua, too, was always standing outside the door, looking at him with a complex expression, her eyes filled with helplessness and a touch of caution.

All this aside, Chu Tian noticed these things but didn’t pay them much mind. What he *did* care about was that Sister Hua seemed to have taken the wrong medicine. Not only was Xu Qingqiu being hounded by her every day to go to the gym, but even Chu Tian couldn’t sleep in. Early every morning, Sister Hua would call him. Blocking her number was useless, as she would come directly to his house and knock on his door.

This annoyed Chu Tian immensely, but he had no choice. He could only miserably join Xu Qingqiu in silent solidarity, pitifully heading to the gym to sweat it out.

Everything seemed to have returned to the way it was in his past life, just with one more person added to the mix.

While they were busy perfecting themselves, the outside world was equally restless.

Xu Qingqiu’s new song "So Proud" had fought hard for a week and successfully topped every chart.

It was a total slaughter on the charts; whether they were veteran singers or popular new talents, everyone who released songs that month was, without exception, knocked down.

No matter how the diehard fans cried, screamed, posted challenges, or made bold predictions, this song, like a seasoned warrior on the battlefield, advanced calmly and systematically through the charts until it reached the top.

Everyone in its path was easily dismissed.

The internet was in an uproar, with accusations of data manipulation and all kinds of backhanded criticisms—it seemed every trick in the book had been used.

But the reality was that a good song, once accepted, becomes an overwhelming wave. With support from only a handful of fans and paid online commentators, it was impossible to turn the tide.

Just on one short-video platform alone, this song had reached 600 million plays within a week!

In the eyes of ordinary people, or rather, in reality, no matter how famous a singer is or how large their fanbase, neither can overpower a song’s widespread appeal.

Over a billion netizens might not all speak out online, but the digital footprints they leave are undeniable.

You think you have a lot of fans? You have an online army? How many can that be? A few million? Tens of millions? Can you stop several hundred million, or over a billion people who love this song from listening to it?

It has been proven once again that while popularity might generate revenue, true fame is sustained by the quality of the work. Without significant creations, one is merely a rootless weed; only masterpieces can endure forever!

On one hand, the song was devastatingly successful, its momentum unstoppable.

On the other hand, the novel was also forging ahead, invincible.

Since sending the novel to editor Qiu Ye, Chu Tian hadn’t bothered with it anymore.

After a week of promotion, the hype for this novel had already exploded.

People who had read it couldn’t stop praising it. Those who hadn’t yet read it frequently encountered promotions and discussions about it on various platforms, often seeing the name "Candle in the Tomb."

It seemed to have started a trend, as if you were behind the times if you hadn’t read the book.

However, this was initially limited to a niche circle. Those who liked it, loved it to their core. Conversely, those who disliked it were extremely annoyed by the overwhelming discussions, feeling it was all manipulated data, contrived by platforms aiming to manufacture a new sensation.

Until a post appeared in a novel forum.

[Look here! A completely new genre has emerged!]

A new genre?!

What does a new genre mean? A brand new story! A groundbreaking worldview! Different from mainstream novels! A creation that could expand to form an entire new universe! A setting capable enough to establish its own school of thought!

Whether it was Martial World, Divine Path, or even modern historical and military fiction, all these categories were established genres.

Or, to put it another way, all of these were concepts that had evolved and solidified over countless years; current web novels were merely expanding and evolving upon this foundation.

To put it bluntly, it was just new wine in old bottles, unable to escape the existing framework.

Until now, the only breakthrough that established a new genre was "Powerful Martial Arts."

In the early days of web literature, the one who transcended the Martial World genre to create the high martial world did so by breaking free from the constraints of traditional martial arts and previous frameworks. They pioneered a higher realm of martial arts capable of moving mountains and splitting stones, elevating martial arts beyond the mundane with dazzling skills, imaginative abilities, splendid fight scenes, and power that shattered limits.

This was what truly established the Powerful Martial Arts genre. Even after more than a decade, it is still widely celebrated.

Unfortunately, since then, there had been no other breakthrough developments. Web literature seemed to have stagnated, with no other figures emerging to establish a new genre.

Until "Candle in the Tomb" suddenly burst onto the scene!

Everyone who saw this article was captivated by the phrase "a completely new genre."

From its release to its explosive popularity took just over three hours; the influx of interested people nearly crashed the forums.

The post began with a disclaimer, clearly intended for self-preservation, followed by the main text:

"First, let me clarify here that the content below is just my personal opinion, and these humble views are for reference only.

"As everyone knows, establishing a new genre is the ultimate pursuit for countless people in the web novel community, but over the years, many heroes have failed in this quest.

"That was until I encountered ’Candle in the Tomb.’

"To be honest, I was initially just annoyed by seeing promotions for it everywhere and planned to glance at it and make a few criticisms. But once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

"First off, let me explain why I called it a ’completely new genre.’

"This can be proven with just two words: ’Tomb Robbing!’ Tell me, scouring the internet, have you ever seen another novel with ’Tomb Robbing’ as its content?

"After so many years of web novel development, who would have thought that tomb robbing could be written so wonderfully? Who would have imagined that besides the world of the living on the surface, such a fascinating realm existed underground?

"Let’s not even discuss the authenticity of the various tombs in this novel.

"Taking the city I live in as an example, after some research, I discovered that beneath my feet, in addition to soil, lay layers of ancient cities, piled up like a human pyramid.

"These are the traces of our ancestors’ lives. Every inch of soil might hold a footprint left by someone a thousand years ago. Yet, who among us has ever realized how many tales of love, hate, and history are hidden there?

"The author of ’Candle in the Tomb,’ Nanmeng, discovered this. With the introduction of ’Tomb Robbing,’ the world will gain another genre!

"History spans thousands of years, with millions of underground tombs. Emperors and ancestors, generals and scholars—in the end, all become but a handful of yellow earth. Yet, a single passage of history can represent the epic life of a hero!

"That said, whether you agree with me or not is like smoke in the wind to me. My new book, ’Blood Tomb,’ has been released. Friends who are interested are welcome to read it!"

Wow, what a lengthy post! Only at the end did everyone realize it was an advertisement.

Nevertheless, one had to admit, this advertisement was exceedingly successful, mainly because the preceding content was not without substance.

After reading the content, many people engaged in heated discussions.

Some felt it was a contrived and forced attempt to piggyback on the hype just to advertise one’s own novel.

Others thought it made valid points.

Regardless, the name "Candle in the Tomb" had certainly made its mark. Simultaneously, it inadvertently piqued everyone’s curiosity about the book.

Similarly, the book had subtly acquired the aura of "establishing a new genre."