Hello friends, it's Calmari! You may remember my series from a month ago when I posted on the subreddit. Thanks to the amazing support from this community, I’ve hit Rising Stars, and I wanted to share a quick update and ask for your help with a major dilemma.
I just received the artwork for a new professional cover I commissioned through an artist on Mihuashi. I know the new artwork is technically much better and polished, butttt Fish's cover has really grown on me! People have told me multiple times that they started reading the story simply because Fish's cover was so unique and stood out in the sea of standard covers.
On the other hand, I dropped a pretty penny on the new commission, so I'm definitely suffering from a bit of sunk-cost fallacy right now. I’m honestly worried that the professional cover might make the series look a bit generic compared to the original, though I know it would be perfect for a future KU or Amazon release.
📖 About the Story: Mediocre Master
In the world of cultivation, talent is everything. For Lu Chen, it was his greatest failure.
After a lifetime of playing high-stakes strategy games on Earth, Lu Chen wakes up as the Sect Leader of the Coiling Dragon Sect. On the surface, it’s a prestigious title. In reality, the sect is a crumbling ruin, his disciples are mediocre at best, and he is a "Middling Master" stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage with zero hope of breakthrough.
But as his starting point threatens to end his new life before it could even begin, Lu Chen discovers his transmigration came with [Truth Seeker's Gaze].
With a single glance, the world changes. The "trash" cultivation manuals in his library are actually flawed masterpieces. The "useless" spirit stones in the garden are hidden gems. And the mortal servant who helps in the kitchens?
To the world, she is a girl with no spiritual roots. To Lu Chen’s eyes, she is a veritable monster.
[Name: Ling'er]
[Hidden Talent 1: Dormant True Dragon Bloodline (SS)]
[Hidden Talent 2: Sacred Cosmic Bone (SSS)]
[Status: Undiscovered. Current Fate: Death by Overwork in 3 years.]
Either one of these talents would guarantee a future among the Nascent Soul old monsters roaming the Lower Realm. But together? She would become a threat that even the Upper Realm had no answer for.
While other Sect Leaders chase after "genius" disciples with B-grade roots, Lu Chen begins his "Trash Collection." He doesn't need to be the strongest cultivator in the world; he just needs to be the one holding the leashes of the monsters he's about to unleash.
"You call them trash? In my eyes, they are the Sovereigns of the next Era!"
I know the title on RR says 'Sect Building', and the story is currently heavily focused on two major characters at the beginning. Don't worry; it is absolutely heading toward grand-scale sect building! The MC is smart, strategic, and maneuvering everything to get there.