Hey Twin Fans, Maxie is here to face your roast!
At the start of this arc, “Martial World Grand Adventure, Three Hundred Years Up and Down,” I was super confident and bragged: No one in web novels writes like this! Turns out, almost no one writes like this... because almost no one’s as shameless as me. Missed updates, writer’s block, binge-watching dramas, promising triple chapters but delivering just one... Yep, Maxie deserves all the roasting.
Roasting aside, let me explain how to read this arc. Unlike the Pacific arc, which was under-planned, this one was over-planned. I prepped, researched, and finally settled on this style: The Queen arrives in Master Jin’s post-Condor era, while The Teacher lands in Master Gu’s pre-brainstorm era.
Basically, “We both missed 150 years—one forward, one backward.” Structurally, it’s symmetrical. The Queen’s timeline is clear: 150 years after Tianlong. The Teacher’s timeline, though, is never spelled out—left for readers to feel out themselves.
This approach actually matches the personalities of our two leads. The Queen is bold and direct—her world is familiar and her goals are clear, so her storyline is front and center. The Teacher, though, is reserved and subtle—his world is strange, and he’s just passing through, figuring things out as he goes. So his story can’t be laid out so directly. (No spoilers, so I’ll explain right here!)
Speaking of personalities, this is what drives me nuts. The Queen has a lot going on—hard to write, but she stands out. From the start, I worried The Teacher would get overshadowed. His personality is tough to write; when they alternated, it was fine, but now both run parallel—how can he shine while staying true to himself? It’s my biggest headache and insecurity, even now.
My second headache is Master Gu’s worldview. I love Master Gu Long’s books (and of course Master Jin Yong’s), but Gu Long’s world is really different. Gu Long means suspense and intrigue, and his style is super cool—perfect for mysteries. I tried to mimic that vibe, but eventually gave up. I just couldn’t pull it off, so I decided to stick to my own style.
The Teacher’s adventure is simple for him—learn martial arts, hunt treasure, get revenge, teach disciples (and maybe flirt a bit). But the real mysteries of this world are just starting. By the end of this arc, you might be thinking, “Wait, there’s something shady going on!” But trust Maxie’s wild imagination—clues are hidden everywhere, even way back. Go reread and see if you can guess my master plan! (Seriously, am I even writing a web novel anymore?)
That’s also why I keep stalling, thinking, and being shameless. Of course, I won’t make excuses for my lack of discipline—roast me all you want! Besides those “high-minded” reasons, yeah, sometimes I’m just lazy… Too much Empress Wu drama, too much “Can’t Hold It In,” too much Rikka Takanashi cuteness, too much Claymore, too much Gintama roasting… All these shameless distractions led to missed updates, and I swear I’ll never publicly admit it!
Anyway, I’ve opened a lot of wild plot holes in this arc—the “Egg Refining and Qi Transformation” is probably the most controversial. I came up with that idea while buying eggs, and it’s driven Twin Fans crazy with suggestions. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say more. Just know I’m considering all your feedback and will try to perfect my crazy ideas. The final result may not be perfect, but please stay tuned!
Now, here’s (hopefully) a disciplined outlook for this month.
Ever since I came back home, under the watchful eyes of the former Queen and Teacher, I’ve started “secreting discipline” (yeah, I know, even I want to roast myself for that phrase). Disciplined Maxie swears: This month, I’ll update daily! No more making Twin Fans stay up late! And everyone, let’s all secrete some discipline! (Evil grin: Only then can it spill everywhere…)
Next arc: Back to Earth.
The Teacher’s Inner Demon has lasted long enough, and the amnesia trope has dragged on too. Time to wrap it up. The main character’s romance that everyone’s been waiting for is finally about to get clear. And all those deep, buried plot holes need some attention.
Writing about love is tough. Writing romance in web novels is even tougher. This arc might be a real struggle, and even at the end, I don’t know if it’ll work.
But I’ll do my best—maybe not super fast, but Maxie promises every word will be sincere. (Okay, maybe a little filler… but I swear on my “discipline bottle” it won’t be much!)
When all the scattered pieces finally fit together, you’ll see what Maxie’s been writing about.
Oh right, February is New Year’s month. Wishing everyone a smooth holiday, easy travel, and your favorite books never missing updates!
Thanks to all the Twin Fans who’ve supported Max Life, and please keep supporting this divine shou—no wait, this divine Maxie!
So stay tuned for Volume Six of Extraordinary Twins—“Heart, Demon, Dao!”