What To Do If The Heroine Escapes From The Book

Chapter 299: Making Progress

The level of attention and efficiency from the animation side caught Chu Ge off guard.

The comic had only reached around 30 chapters, and it had been on the popularity charts for less than a week. Yet, the preliminary preparations for the animation had already begun. This made Chu Ge’s initial concerns that the animation might not even be produced after he finished writing start to dissipate. With this level of efficiency, it was highly possible that it would be released after the New Year.

Historically, animation production was rarely this aggressive. Most rushed productions tended to be of lower quality. However, judging by the way the production company was collaborating with international music experts, it was evident that they attached great importance to the project, which seemed contradictory.

Chu Ge didn’t know why Xie Wenyuan’s team was in such a hurry, but it conveniently aligned with his own needs. He couldn’t afford to wait until the work was completed before starting the promotion for the TV series and animation. Controlling the world’s perception of the work before its completion was a crucial milestone. Waiting until after completion would be too late.

Regarding the progress of the completion…

The mortal realm arc was nearing its conclusion, while the heavenly realm arc served to finalize the world-building. It wasn’t directly connected to the mortal realm arc and was significantly shorter in length, accounting for roughly one-third of the mortal realm’s word count.

The mortal realm arc had already reached 2.5 million words, with approximately another 200,000 to go before completion. The heavenly realm arc was close to a million words. In total, the entire book was estimated to be around 3.78 million words. This word count was typical for a long-running web novel in the genres of xianxia and fantasy. Chu Ge had carefully planned the overall structure, and he couldn’t afford to extend it any further; otherwise, he might lose control.

In other words, there were approximately 1.3 million words left, and at most, it wouldn’t exceed 1.5 million. With Chu Ge’s daily update pace, it would take no more than five months to complete the novel. He realized that he might have to reduce the frequency of updates slightly to buy more time, as otherwise, the TV series and animation might not be ready by then.

Chu Ge silently apologized to his readers. This was a matter that affected the world and his own life—it was too important to compromise.

While he contemplated these issues, he continued typing a message to Long Qi Jia, “Please inform me of any progress on the music project.”

“No problem, Brother Chu!” Long Qi Jia replied with a salute emoji.

“Well, if it’s convenient, could you gather some information about your boss? Not the encyclopedia stuff, but preferably daily activities.”

“Huh? Why do you need that, Brother Chu?”

“Ah, it’s just that for my animated music, it’s about fate. Understanding what kind of person he is. Encyclopedic entries won’t help with that.”

“Haha, sure, I’ll collect some rumors for you, Brother Chu.”

“Thanks.”

After ending the call, Chu Ge felt that this kid had become more cheerful after joining a big company, not as introverted as before. He then remembered that he hadn’t heard from the members of the Black Room for a long time and wondered how they were doing, especially Panda and Wan Zijun.

Looking at the group chat, it seemed that Panda and Wan Zijun hadn’t been active for a while, so Chu Ge asked, “Qiuqiu, has Mengmeng mentioned what’s going on with the Black Room lately?”

Qiu Wuji replied from the other room, “She mentioned it once, saying that they all went to Beijing for intensive training.”

“Beijing?” Chu Ge raised an eyebrow. “Has Zhong Yi finally accepted the invitation?”

“I’m not sure about that, but it might be related to your family’s… I mean, that Gu Ruoyan person.”

Chu Ge decided not to comment on the “that Gu Ruoyan” remark and asked, “Why would they suddenly undergo intensive training again? Did they feel that their performance in Shanghai was lacking? But they didn’t even have a chance to perform last time.”

“I think it’s precisely because they didn’t have a chance to perform. People always want to be the protagonist. After practicing and preparing for so long, they went to Shanghai to support Zhong Yi, but only Wan Zijun got some screen time. Others went just to be background characters. I think even Panda couldn’t tolerate that feeling.”

“…You might be right. Panda is a raid leader, after all. He can’t stand being the side character. But why isn’t Zhu Mengmeng training? Instead, she’s spending her days goofing off in your office. Her potential seems to be the most remarkable.”

“What do you mean by ‘goofing off’?” Qiu Wuji poked her head in from the doorway. “I won’t help you transfer your phone anymore!”

“Your threats are truly terrifying.”

“By the way, it’s a pity that someone like Mengmeng would lose interest in progressing her ability so quickly. Her training now only includes yoga and spa.”

“You’re right.” Chu Ge sighed, “It’s a shame that such remarkable abilities are going to waste.”

Qiu Wuji defended her friend, “Just like your 0.001% theory, maybe Mengmeng is the one with unbeatable talent?”

“Forget it, not her…” Chu Ge sighed, “Someone as talented as I am is still working so hard to seek answers.”

Qiu Wuji couldn’t help but laugh, “Is it possible that, in reality, you’re the one who’s a bit dim-witted?”

“Hey!”

Qiu Wuji took a half step back, assuming a defensive posture, “Didn’t the little piggy make a mistake?”

Chu Ge seized the opportunity and picked her up. “Two little piggies need to stick together!”

With a “Mhm,” the two little piggies leaned in close.

Qiu Wuji struggled with a smile and pushed him away, saying, “Alright, alright, we both know we’re little piggies. Have you decided what you want to do today? Are you going to start writing right away?”

“The content scheduled for today is ready, so I’m going to break through to the Golden Core realm first,” Chu Ge said confidently. “I’ve created so many opportunities for Little Flame, and you’ve also made arrangements. The Dragon Bone is ready, and the injuries have been healed in advance. Isn’t it time for Little Flame to show his loyalty to the country?”

Qiu Wuji, “…”

Chu Ge then tried to summon Little Flame.

No one came out.

He tried again, but all he could summon was a small blue flame.

Qiu Wuji approached and asked, “…Qingyan? Where’s your husband?”

“What do you mean by husband?” Qingyan was still bewildered, not sure where she was.

“Oh, where’s your obedient disciple, Yan Qianli?”

Chu Ge waved his hand, saying, “I couldn’t summon Qianqian. So, I summoned her instead…”

Qiu Wuji raised an eyebrow, “You couldn’t summon him?”

Chu Ge nodded, his expression becoming somewhat solemn. “Previously, when I summoned him, he was essentially a ‘broken Nascent Soul’ because he was severely injured. It was like summoning a piece of trash…”

Qiu Wuji, “…”

Qingyan, “…”

“But now, he’s a powerful Crossing Tribulation cultivator with an intact Nascent Soul and a formidable body, just like your true self. So, I can’t summon him anymore.”

Qiu Wuji fell silent. Indeed, if she couldn’t be summoned, neither could Yan Qianli.

In fact, whether or not Yan Qianli could participate in alchemy wasn’t a significant issue. Qingyan was also a Nascent Soul entity, and they had enough pills for the current stage. However, the conversation naturally shifted from alchemy to how to bring someone into this world, which was an essential step in bridging the two realms.

“Perhaps he can split his soul like I did,” Qiu Wuji suggested after contemplating. “I can perceive your presence, as if there’s a direct line connecting you and me. I don’t know if he can do the same.”

Chu Ge closed his eyes and seemed to be communicating with Yan Qianli. After a while, he shook his head. “No, this guy can’t perceive my divine presence.”

Qingyan, “…”

Qiu Wuji was puzzled. “You communicated across realms, and he still can’t perceive it?”

“Normally, just like when you and I first met, you projected across realms, and you had no idea where I was.” Chu Ge scratched his head. “Strange, how did you locate me? Because of love?”

“Get lost! Who said we were in love back then?!”

The atmosphere fell silent, with a sense of bewilderment in the air.

It seemed that despite the apparent progress and significant improvement they had made, the most fundamental issue had yet to be resolved.

Qiu Wuji remained silent for a long while and suddenly said, “Back then, I had an incredibly strong desire to find you. I had to, I absolutely had to find you… Perhaps this determination allowed me to locate you. Yan Qianli doesn’t have this kind of determination…”

Suddenly, Chu Ge shouted, “Qianqian, I’m going to sell Qingyan…”

“Whoosh!” A fiery red flame instantly appeared, glaring angrily. “You dare, you scoundrel!”

The room fell silent for a moment. Chu Ge chuckled, “A mere ball of fire, and it even has eyebrows. How did you manage that?”

Yan Qianli, “…”

Qiu Wuji broke into a relieved smile.

Who said there had been no progress?

When consciousness could communicate, it was the most significant breakthrough. With the ability to communicate between the two realms, they would no longer be passive, and they would have many ways to proactively find solutions.

With time, they could definitely achieve more.