My feelings are complicated — I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll just write whatever comes to mind.
On October 17, 2012, Martial Peak began serialization. On September 25, 2021, Martial Peak concluded.
Almost nine years. 18.33 million characters.
When I typed those three words — "The End" — I felt as though something had been drained out of me. There was exhaustion, there was relief, but more than anything, there was reluctance to let go.
Even raising a child, over the span of nine years, the child would have grown up by now.
For me, Martial Peak was that child — raised for nine years — and today it finally has to leave me. It hurts.
I'd often see readers ask in the comments, "When will Martial Peak end? I was in middle school when I started reading it, and now my own kid is already in school…"
In truth, during the creation of Martial Peak, there were two plans to conclude the story: once after the Arcane Realm arc ended, and once after the Star Boundary arc ended. But for various external and personal reasons, those plans kept getting postponed.
How many nine-year stretches does a person get in a lifetime? Little Mo back then has become Old Mo today.
These nine years have arguably been the most important nine years of my life.
During this time, my children were born one after another, elevating my role in life from husband to father. In today's world, the cost of raising children is enormous. Without Martial Peak, there would have been no money for diapers or formula for the little ones.
So here, on behalf of the little Moes back home, Old Mo bows to every single one of you, dear readers. Thank you for your unwavering support over these nine years. It was your subscriptions and donations, time and again, that allowed us to grow up healthy and strong!
From the bottom of my heart — thank you!
Nine years, 18.33 million characters — when you do the math, the pace wasn't particularly fast, especially toward the end. You all must have noticed that the updates became very slow.
That was because the story had entered its final countdown. On one hand, the plot had grown incredibly complex and troublesome to write, with far too many things to consider. On the other hand, I genuinely couldn't bear to let go. Every additional chapter meant being one step closer to the ending. Even though the plan was already set in my heart, actually carrying it out was agonizing.
But… eventually, you have to say goodbye.
As of today, Martial Peak is officially complete. From now on, the words I type on my keyboard will have nothing to do with it anymore. That, ultimately, is a rather sorrowful thing.
Looking back on these nine years, what makes me proudest is that I never missed an update (there was a mix-up a few days ago when I accidentally posted a chapter of Martial Peak to my newly created book page, causing a lot of confusion). Even when I was sick in the hospital, I never missed an update.
There was that time with acute gastroenteritis — it was severe. I was hospitalized for a week, and I was still writing while getting IV drips. The needle in my hand got displaced several times, and my hand swelled up like a steamed bun. The nurse gave me an earful, and I had to endure several extra needle sticks because of it.
Sigh — there's so much I want to say, but I don't know where to start. My thoughts are all jumbled…
So I'll leave it at that.
Finally, my new book has been published. As an old author who hasn't released a new book in nine years, I have absolutely no idea what the current rules are for launching and climbing the charts on Qidian. But regardless of what those rules are, it all comes down to the tremendous support of every one of you, brothers and sisters.
The old era has passed. The new era is about to begin. I humbly ask all of you, dear readers, to head over to the new book and show this old-but-still-newbie author some love.
During the writing of Martial Peak, I had many novel and interesting ideas that didn't fit within Martial Peak's worldview and power system, so they couldn't be used — but they all appear in the new book.
If you happen to see some familiar faces in the new book, that would be my greatest comfort.
I bow to you!
With gratitude!
P.S. The new book, *The Great Sage of Humanity*, is now live. I'm on my knees asking for your support!!!