Donghua Fan

A Will Eternal

Novel

A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel

At a glance1,314 chapters · completed

A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel

A Will Eternal adapts Yi Nian Yong Heng (一念永恒), the novel Er Gen (耳根) launched on Qidian in April 2016. Across 1,314 chapters it tells the story of Bai Xiaochun, a boy terrified of death who joins a cultivation sect with one goal: to live forever. Cowardly, boastful and clumsy, he nonetheless becomes one of the most memorable characters in comic xianxia.

Origins and publication

After very dark novels like Renegade Immortal and I Shall Seal the Heavens, Er Gen surprised everyone by writing a comedy. Bai Xiaochun is Wang Lin's opposite: he shouts, cries, runs away, steals the sect's spirit-tail chickens to roast them and causes disasters in every chapter. But the author keeps his depth: behind the gags, the novel is about fear, loyalty and the price of immortality.

The Chinese print edition was published by Anhui Literature and Art from 2019. The novel has also been translated into Thai by Jamsai and into English on Wuxiaworld.

Volume covers

The first 12 volumes of the print edition, out of 13 released.

  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 1Vol. 1
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 2Vol. 2
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 3Vol. 3
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 4Vol. 4
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 5Vol. 5
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 6Vol. 6
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 7Vol. 7
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 8Vol. 8
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 9Vol. 9
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 10Vol. 10
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 11Vol. 11
  • A Will Eternal — Er Gen's novel — cover of volume 12Vol. 12

How it differs from the donghua

B.CMAY Pictures' donghua, launched in August 2020, captures the novel's comic tone and Bai Xiaochun's energy well. It stays faithful to the plot but has to cut some of the gags and inner monologues that give the book its flavour. The novel also goes further into the rivalry with the Blood Stream Sect (血溪宗), which Bai Xiaochun ends up infiltrating, and its gallery of often hilarious side characters. Finally, the last part of the novel turns much more serious, which the animation has not yet fully covered.

Reception and success

A Will Eternal is one of Er Gen's most popular novels, and many readers consider it his most accessible. The contrast between humour and dramatic moments has been widely praised. The donghua was a big hit on Tencent Video, with several seasons and a final season.

Trivia

  • The title Yi Nian Yong Heng roughly means "a single thought for eternity".
  • The spirit-tail chickens (灵尾鸡) Bai Xiaochun steals have become a cult running gag among fans.
  • Er Gen wrote the novel between I Shall Seal the Heavens and A World Worth Protecting, two more serious works.
  • Bai Xiaochun first joins the Spirit Stream Sect (灵溪宗), where his antics begin.

My take

This is the xianxia that made me laugh the most. Bai Xiaochun is both unbearable and adorable, and Er Gen knows like no one else how to tip a comic scene into a poignant moment. The middle of the novel drags, and the humour may wear on some readers. But the ending is one of the author's most moving.

Who is it for?Readers who want funny, light xianxia without giving up emotion, and those tired of dark heroes.

— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan

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Er GenThe authorEr Gen 耳根The melancholy poet of xianxia
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