Chapter Text
The Way of the Rejected Immortal is a work in the xianxia genre.
Generally speaking, The Way of the Rejected Immortal was an incredibly well-crafted novel. You could even call it perfect! It had spiritual cultivation, battles with monsters, deep philosophy, and character growth. At the center of the plot was an arrogant protagonist who originally possessed a unique power, which he gradually learned to use for the good of the world, not just for himself. And in the end, he ascended from a demonic origin to become a true immortal!
Unfortunately, however, this work turned out to be the top contender for the title of worst book of the year.
The protagonist—Shen Qingqiu—although he began his journey as a gifted child who had received Heaven's favor at birth, was by no means an exemplary noble gentleman from the start. Initially, he trod a path illuminated by the false light of arrogance. It took him a long time to mature, to change, and to become more merciful, passing through a series of agonizing trials.
However, he was precisely the one destined to become a disappointment to thousands of readers. He became a familiar figure, one who provoked irritation and disgust, whose traits could sometimes be glimpsed in later works by other authors who used this template for their villains.
"So what was this novel about?" you might ask.
While Shen Yuan reads, he will tell you the story in brief.
It was the most beautiful and warm season of the month when Shen Qingqiu came into the world in the kingdom of Taihe¹. His birth was met with universal rejoicing—he was the first and long-awaited son of the ruler.
From his very first days, the heir to the throne was surrounded by the care of countless servants, who guarded his every breath. And since he was born at the hour when the autumn sun stood in the middle of the sky, he was granted the name—Qingqiu².
He grew up in the luxury of palace halls, knowing neither hunger nor cold, nor denial of a single whim. It was a childhood that knew not the word "no."
One day, having seen a painting by a court artist depicting a beautiful foreign bird, the capricious prince wished to have one just like it. Unable to deliver the exotic creature in short order, the servants brought him a hundred rare and incredibly beautiful birds, whose beauty could have eclipsed the one in the painting. But the young prince merely laughed and began using them for archery practice, shooting them one by one until he grew tired, leaving behind a field strewn with bloodied feathers and bodies. The Empress smiled, patting her beloved son on the head and praising his marksmanship, while the Emperor saw in this cruelty the resolve and strength of a future ruler.
Such an atmosphere became the soil for the seed of future calamity, which sprouted and over the years grew into Shen Qingqiu's intricate and twisted nature. Monstrously arrogant and proud, the youth tormented all who displeased him, threw himself into crushing any obstacle—even the most insignificant—that stood in the way of his pleasures, and sought to destroy the faintest shadow of disobedience, never hiding his elegant yet malicious smile behind his fan.
When, by imperial decree, immortal masters from one of the great sects of that time—Cang Qiong—arrived at the palace, Shen Qingqiu, by his personal whim, was accepted as a disciple. His mentor became the Great and Unmatched Immortal Master, Luo Binghe.
At first, perceiving in the young disciple a heavenly destiny and astonishing innate abilities, Luo Binghe regarded him with genuine favor, cherishing the hope of raising a worthy and noble gentleman.
But it very soon became clear that the crown prince possessed an exceptionally vile disposition. Shen Qingqiu, accustomed to constant flattery and universal adoration, expected special privileges, considered ordinary training beneath him, and with ease pitted the other disciples against one another. His natural talent gave rise only to laziness and an arrogant disdain for everything.
Luo Binghe's heart, once full of hope, gradually constricted with the bitterness of disappointment. He watched as an exceptional gift was wasted in vain, and the soul of the disciple—which he had hoped to guide toward a bright path—sank ever deeper into egoism and intrigue. His indulgent warmth gave way to cold restraint, and then to a carefully concealed, poisonous antipathy. He did not permit himself direct mockery, but he humiliated the disciple in subtle ways through neglect, through his glances, and through silently encouraging the discontent of others. All of this Luo Binghe carried out behind the mask of an impartial and demanding master.
Thus passed several years, filled with bitter confrontations behind the walls of the training halls and feigned courtesy in public.
By the time Shen Qingqiu turned twenty, a new Immortal Alliance Conference approached—a great event in the world of cultivators, held once every several years. The youth, of course, decided to participate once more, so as to claim all attention and glory for himself.
The Immortal Alliance Conference is an event where renowned masters who have already attained immortality gather—their bodies know neither old age nor sickness, and death can only overtake them in battle, and even then one would have to try quite hard—along with their most promising disciples.
But in the midst of the competition, under the cover of the chaos of the mass battle, he was surrounded and pushed to the very edge of the abyss that separates the world of mortals from hell—to the rift known as the Endless Abyss. This was no accident. It was a cold and calculated act of vengeance, carried out by the hands of his own fellow sect disciples. Their long-accumulated rage, envy, and resentment had finally reached their limit. In the turmoil, seizing the perfect moment, they rid themselves of the hated prince, whose arrogance and vile disposition had poisoned everyone's life. And his shizun... perhaps did not notice, perhaps did not make it in time, or perhaps... simply chose not to intervene. And so Shen Qingqiu fell.
In this universe, demons from birth surpass humans in every way. As a rational race, they are in no hurry to exterminate humanity, coexisting with them in a fragile equilibrium. Yet behind this facade lies an arrogant contempt for inferior beings. The key pillar in this coexistence is provided by the spiritual cultivation sects, which anyone may join regardless of their origins. But the true Hell is not someone's empire—it is a terrifying dimension known as the Endless Abyss. A realm of hallucinations and diseases of every kind, ghosts and monsters to suit any taste, wandering restless souls and bodies, and other such horrifying phenomena.
Not only did Shen Qingqiu survive, but he found in the depths of the Endless Abyss his unique sword—Xiu Ya. The legendary divine weapon of a great god, about which tales had been told for millennia.
The fall into the Endless Abyss did not reveal to him the great mysteries of the universe. However, it was in this place of eternal chaos and madness, where matter itself is distorted by ancient forces, that his demonic blood blazed with renewed strength. The sacred Xiu Ya became a mirror, revealing to him the untamed power of all his lineage.
With tireless persistence, Shen Qingqiu comprehended and honed both demonic and divine arts. The youth prepared himself for his return as the true heir to the demon throne, scorched by betrayal and thirsting for vengeance. From that moment, the pride of the exiled prince finally turned toward darkness, and he walked this path without hesitation or looking back.
Upon returning, Shen Qingqiu personally put to death everyone who had been involved in his fall. The cruelty that the crown prince of demons manifested in the human lands became the very torch that ignited a long and bloody war between the races. Many fell in that war, including the Sacred Demon Emperor and his consort, who fought at the head of their armies. The forces of humanity prevailed, and Shen Qingqiu—deprived of his throne and family—was bound with magical chains and imprisoned in the darkest dungeon, hewn into the heart of a sacred mountain.
In the darkness and silence, where his only companion was his own rage, he spent long years in deep contemplation and meditation. Over time, anger gave way to guilt. He sifted through the chain of his actions in his memory, and having passed through the thorns of consciousness, in agony he attained enlightenment.
Thereafter, Shen Qingqiu wandered the earth, concealing his true identity, coming to the aid of everyone he met. And when a new war erupted, he rose to defend humanity and ascended, voluntarily renouncing his demonic heritage, as if casting off the shackles of the past.
But the Heavens do not tolerate sin burdened with rivers of blood. For the evil deeds he had committed, the Supreme Tribunal cast him down from the Heavenly Capital. Deprived of his new refuge, he set foot upon the earth—no longer a demon, no longer a celestial being, but an eternal wanderer. Shen Qingqiu became a solitary immortal, drifting between the three realms, belonging to none of them, doomed to forever carry the burden of memory and mourn all that had been gained and irrevocably lost.
And in the end, the gossip of subsequent generations transformed him into a legend—not a great one, but that of the "Wicked Exiled Prince."
Reader Comments Section for the Novel "The Way of the Rejected Immortal":
Comment from user "lone-Wolf": That's it? What garbage. Total waste of time...
"Dominator_999": Terrible ending! He was a great demon, could have brought everyone to their knees, and he ends up a pathetic hermit... LOL
→Reply from author "AirplaneShootingTowardsTheSky": The message of the story was a little different. It wasn't about churning out another all-powerful ruler, but about how no matter what you're given at birth, through your own nature and choices you can end up completely alone with nothing.
(View 289 comments)
"fallen_sinner32": Author spends all this time establishing demons as this cool and super powerful race, but somehow the humans win... That makes no sense! The internal logic of the world is broken!
→Reply from author "AirplaneShootingTowardsTheSky": It's all explained in detail in the text, so why doesn't it make sense? Due to their superiority, the demons underestimated humans, and the humans took advantage of this and outmaneuvered them. The strongest doesn't always win. Cunning, strategy, and unity can break any opponent.
→Reply from user "fallen_sinner32": Yeah, sure. Keep making excuses, you hack writer.
(View 321 comments)
"BreakfastTerminator69": So the whole story is just about a prince being put in a cage where he rethinks his life? Where's the triumph?
"CrashTestKing": Luo Binghe as a mentor is a pathetic cardboard cutout. All he does is frown and encourage bullying. "He's the head of the sect," "status matters to them." Uh-huh. Couldn't be bothered to write a real antagonist?
→Reply from author "AirplaneShootingTowardsTheSky": But the main antagonist in the story isn't Luo Binghe—it's Shen Qingqiu! Or more precisely, his own vices: the pride, cruelty, arrogance, and selfishness that were in him since childhood!
(View 122 comments)
"WantMyCucumber_333": Explain to me how a demon, whose very essence is to be stronger, suddenly becomes all meek and "enlightened" in a dungeon? That's not character development, that's betraying his nature! That's not how it works!
"theKing-isHere45678": Why bother writing about the power of the demon emperor and empress if they just fall in some big battle? The strongest race, you say? Hilarious!
"Forever_Disgruntled": Ugh. Too much whining and brooding in that dungeon.
"BeerMage0": He ascends and gets banished. How convenient. Changed the scenery but kept the hero. Cheap trick to avoid killing the MC while not giving him a happy ending. Would've been better if he'd just died in the abyss.
→Reply from user "TheGoldenBoy7887": Agreed this isn't book, it's a fucking shitshow.
"ImmortalMungBeanPuddinggg": You promised a dark hero, but we got a moralizing tale about the dangers of pride. False advertising! Next time use the right tags. This pisses me off! (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻
(show 5548 comments...)
Shen Yuan closed the tab and immediately messaged his best friend Xiang Feng:
"Hey! I finally read your novel, it's magnificent!"
"Please, don't listen to anyone, those people don't understand anything!"
"Good works just aren't trendy right now, period."
Xiang Feng's online status lit up immediately, and Shen Yuan quickly received a reply:
"Haha..."
"Honestly, I wish no one had ever heard of it at all!"
"Fuck, have you seen how much hate there is?!"
"Are you trying to tell me they're all idiots?!"
Shen Yuan: Right now, cheap pulp novels stuffed with clichés are what's popular. So you shouldn't judge by the shouting of these armchair critics. The work has its own merits. A work needs time to find its reader—someone who will understand the philosophical depth you poured into it.
Xiang Feng: What "worthy readers"?! They're right! It's just a graphomaniac stream of consciousness that I posted online. It's just the boring whining of a loser stretched out over hundreds of thousands of words!!!
Shen Yuan: Stop it. You said it yourself—you wanted to show exactly that: downfall, loneliness, and slow enlightenment. Don't be afraid to be different from others.
Xiang Feng: Yeah, and what's the result? A story where everyone hates the main character. The readers are right—the villain's sincere repentance reads like a cheap attempt to squeeze out tears! I tried to write a good story, and I got garbage instead, because I can't write for shit!
Shen Yuan: Listen, why does it have to be a classic cool hero? The whole charm is precisely in his unusual weakness and mistakes.
Xiang Feng: Yeah. He's so unusual that the entire internet hates him!
Shen Yuan: Don't exaggerate.
Xiang Feng: And you know what the most disgusting part is?
"Rereading it, I see all the flaws! I see where I could have tightened the plot, added motivation, made the world more alive..."
"But I didn't! Because I thought it was all fine and dandy. And now I'm stuck with this lousy novel, like a monument to my own incompetence! I wish I'd never started writing it at all!"
Shen Yuan: Xiang Feng, every author goes through this. You've identified your weak points, but that's no reason to burn everything and declare yourself talentless. Your next one will be even better.
Xiang Feng: Next one?! After this failure?! I'm not even opening the app! That's it, I'm done with creativity!!!
Shen Yuan: Don't be upset, get those bad thoughts out of your head.
"Tell you what, give yourself a break from this text. A month, two, three, or half a year. Don't go into the comments, don't reread it."
"And then rewrite the chapters or start something new, taking into account what you've understood and learned. But don't bury yourself alive over some haters. It's not worth it. You really are talented, believe me."
Xiang Feng: Eh... thanks for the support, but...
"I just want to be alone right now..."
Xiang Feng's status changed to "offline." Shen Yuan sighed, leaning back in his chair. The monitor screen glowed dimly in the darkness of the room, illuminating the scattered sheets of notes and markings on the desk. He glanced again at the last lines of their correspondence.
His fingers reached for the keyboard. He opened a text editor, wanting to write the unspoken words in response to all this chaos. The reply was not meant for the haters, but for his best friend Xiang Feng. For the one who, beneath the noise of those clamorous comments, had stopped seeing what truly mattered.
Shen Yuan began typing slowly, choosing each word carefully:
Xiang Feng. You're wrong! You probably think and believe that everyone hates your protagonist, but that's not true. I don't hate him. Yes, he's disgusting in the beginning. Self-conceited, cruel, raised in the certainty that the world revolved around him. You wrote that so vividly that one wants to throw the book out the window. And many did just that—which is a sign of exceptionally well-done work! The protagonist is so magnificently rendered as awful that he evokes genuine emotions.
In the Endless Abyss, he doesn't attain instant enlightenment, and that's a normal reaction for him. He hasn't truly lost yet! He managed to survive and find a legendary blade. When was he, in the midst of that hell of daily battles, supposed to ponder the meaning of life and his sins?
His return is a perfect illustration of how a person doesn't change overnight. He still doesn't see his own mistakes—after all, they haven't yet crashed down upon his world with their heavy consequences. And when the protagonist exacts his revenge, the reader, even while hating him, understands the logic behind it. You showed from the very beginning what soil this grew from.
And then the war. The death of his parents, who were part of his bright world. The loss of everything—and the dungeon, those terrible consequences of the mistakes he had made, when a person crashes to the very bottom. A place of absolute silence after the deafening thunder of his former life. And even according to psychology, people change radically only in moments of profound loss and deepest wound. That's a fact.
And that "cheap attempt to squeeze out tears" you mentioned... It doesn't seem cheap to me. It seems inevitable, like a sentence. You didn't just give him repentance. You gave him time and years of emptiness, so that his rage would burn out completely and leave naked what remained under the ashes. Complete devastation. A deep awareness of the monstrous price he paid and made others pay for his actions. And his ascension is not a reward, but another fall—only this time into the void of light, and even that light rejected him.
You didn't create a "cool" hero, nor a "pathetic" one. You created a living, suffering being! A demon who passed through the hell he himself created and emerged on the other side not as an angel, not as a hero, but as an outcast. An eternal wanderer, doomed to carry within himself the memory of all his mistakes. His loneliness at the end is not a punishment imposed by the author. It is the logical, hard-won, and bitter consequence of his entire journey.
That's what those "idiots" in the comments didn't see—or refused to see. They wanted triumph or catharsis within familiar, comfortable frameworks. But you gave them a slow, agonizing, honest transformation. A story not about power, but about its terrible price. Not about conquering the world, but about the irreversible loss of oneself, followed by the bitter acquisition of the truth.
That's why it's not a "graphomaniac stream of consciousness," and certainly not the "whining of a loser." This is a story with a daring, uncomfortable idea! There is a concept here, and it's bold and honest.
Rewrite the chapters if you feel they're weak, strengthen the logic of the world. Give the characters more details, but under no circumstances cut out the heart of the story! Because if you cut that out, what's left really would be just an ordinary, mediocre book.
But as it is, this is your story. The very one you wanted to write! I'm proud of you.
Shen Yuan stopped and reread what he had written. He saved the file under the name "ForThatStubbornIdiot.txt" and sent it to Xiang Feng's private messages, knowing that he wouldn't see it until tomorrow.
He closed all the tabs, turned off the monitor, and lay down on the bed. But in his head, Shen Yuan continued to turn over his analysis: "Most likely, the novel met with misunderstanding precisely because it was written with only a male audience in mind. Most of them want an all-powerful hero rising from the bottom, a harem, and clichéd scenes of badassery. But to capture the female audience while preserving the main plot, one would need to write at least some chemistry between the characters, even if just with subtle hints. After all, shippers are the engine of any fandom. Although, if yaoi fans got interested..." — he chuckled — "Xiang Feng, I don't even know what would be worse for you."
His thoughts about how one could heighten the drama of Shen Qingqiu's enlightenment in the dungeon, or clarify the motives of Luo Binghe and other characters, were so vivid and clear that the surrounding darkness suddenly seemed unnaturally thick, like ink.
Shen Yuan felt a slight dizziness, as if falling into sleep, but his consciousness remained clear. In this soundless gloom, directly in his mind, softly and without distortion, a melodious voice sounded: 【Activation code recognized: "Sincere pursuit of perfection." Initiating system.】
The voice was neutral, devoid of emotion, yet not mechanical either. Rather, it resembled the quiet resonance of a perfectly tuned instrument.
Shen Yuan was not frightened. The sensation was strange, but it did not cause panic. He looked around mentally. There was nothing around him, only endless darkness.
"System?" the young man asked mentally, his inner voice sounding calm and intrigued. "Oh, have I become a transmigrator?" But he immediately doubted himself, "Or is this a lucid dream..."
【We greet you,】 the same voice responded. 【This module is an interface for interacting with the potential of unfinished universes. A stable connection and deep analytical empathy toward the target universe—"The Way of the Rejected Immortal"—has been detected.】
Shen Yuan slowly grasped what was happening, albeit with a hint of skepticism.
【The System's objective: to provide you with tools for realizing the hidden potential of the world's structure. Based on your analysis, "points of growth" have been identified. Your task: to strengthen the emotional component, deepen the characters, and enhance the overall impact of the story, transforming it into a recognized work capable of resonating in the hearts of the majority. You will be immersed in the key nodes of the universe in the status of a participant with unlimited rights to intervene. Your mission is to make amendments that will reinforce the plot and increase its popularity among readers.】
"And if I refuse?" he asked more out of curiosity than any real desire to decline.
【The connection will be severed. You will return to your reality. The memory of this event will be erased, like a vivid but irrevocable dream. However,】 the voice made an almost imperceptible pause, 【the potential for harmony detected by the System is unique. Your analysis demonstrated not only an understanding of the flaws but also outlined new, logical paths for the story's development. Refusal means this universe will forever remain in its current, 'unsatisfactory' state.】
The thought that Xiang Feng's story would forever remain in the internet's memory as the "worst book of the year"—like an indelible stain on his friend—made Shen Yuan's heart clench. He had seen a sprout of greatness in this untilled soil, and now he was being offered the tools to cultivate it. But still, he couldn't leave his best friend alone in such a terrible state. And if Shen Yuan suddenly disappeared... who knew what a desperate person might do?
"What will happen to me? Will I just... vanish from my world?"
【From the perspective of your reality, your absence will be practically imperceptible. Time in the two universes flows differently. One day in your world equals one hundred years in the other. Subjectively, for you, the mission may last a long time, but upon your return, you will notice almost nothing. Your physical body is not in danger. It will be immersed in a coma, sustained by the System. However, you will fully experience the entire emotional spectrum of the world you enter.】
Shen Yuan pondered, mentally weighing all the risks and the responsibility placed upon him. Suddenly, he was pierced by concern:
"Wait. Can I message Xiang Feng? Warn him not to worry? At least write that I'll be gone for a while."
He couldn't just disappear, leaving Xiang Feng alone in such a state.
【There is no need for that. The circumstances will be optimally resolved.】
"What do you mean, 'no need'?" Shen Yuan felt his anxiety growing. "How can they resolve themselves?"
【The matter is closed. Decision-making does not tolerate endless delays. Shen Yuan, do you agree to accept the terms and become the fate corrector of the universe "The Way of the Rejected Immortal"?】
The question hung in the silence of his consciousness. He saw before him Xiang Feng's face, twisted in a bitter smirk, and a couple of lines from that story—the one that so desperately needed a chance.
"Yes. I agree."
And before he could comprehend anything, the reality around him blurred and scattered, like a painting painted on the surface of water.
1.《太和 | Tài hé》 Taihe — "Great Harmony," the agreement and balance between heaven, earth, and humanity.
2.《清秋 | Qīngqiū》 Qingqiu — Clear Autumn.