Er Gen

Er Gen (Chinese: 耳根; pinyin: Ěrgēn) is a Chinese web novelist known for writing xianxia fiction. In 2015, he was the champion of the "Chinese Original Literature" Billboard. In 2016, he became one of the first five internet authors to be elected as a committee member of the National Committee of the China Writers Association.

Er Gen whose real name is Liu Yong (刘勇), was born in Heilongjiang, China, in 1982. He graduated from the English Department of Heilongjiang University. Before becoming a full-time web novelist, he worked as an English teacher in Mudanjiang.^[1][2]

In 2009, while working as a teacher, he began writing online fiction. He later left teaching to become a full-time web novelist. In an interview with Guangzhou Daily, Er Gen described his decision to pursue online literature as an attempt to improve his life through writing.^[3] His first novel, the urban supernatural work Tian Ni (Chinese: 天逆), was more than 700,000 Chinese characters long but received little attention. He subsequently followed an editor's advice to try xianxia and fantasy fiction, leading him to write Renegade Immortal (Chinese: 仙逆; pinyin: Xiān Nì).^[4]

Renegade Immortal initially received little attention. At around 40,000 characters, some readers criticized similarities between its early sections and Wang Yu's A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality. Er Gen later acknowledged that there were similarities and said that he subsequently read Wang Yu's novel. He continued writing Renegade Immortal, which reached more than 1 million characters after three months while still receiving a limited response. The completed novel eventually exceeded 6.5 million characters.^[4]

The novel's popularity increased during the "Mortal" (Chinese: 化凡) section. Er Gen said that he had originally written this part in a style closer to prose and incorporated his own reflections on life into the story. After initially receiving criticism from readers, the section gradually attracted more positive responses, and the novel subsequently became popular.^[4]

Er Gen said that he did not prepare a detailed outline or structure for Renegade Immortal and instead developed the story from ideas that came to him while writing. He later attributed some of the novel's characterization to his own emotions and experiences, which he incorporated into the story in fictionalized form. The novel uses a large-scale cosmic setting and includes different historical periods, including the archaic and ancient eras, with events connected across time and space.^[4]

In 2015, the China Writers Association reported more than 40 million clicks, more than 300,000 collections and more than 700 million legitimate views for Renegade Immortal on Qidian.^[5]

Er Gen subsequently wrote Pursuit of the Truth (Chinese: 求魔), I Shall Seal the Heavens (Chinese: 我欲封天), and A Will Eternal (Chinese: 一念永恒). According to the China Writers Association, he sought to emphasize different elements in these works: emotion in Renegade Immortal, the pursuit of truth in Pursuit of the Truth, playful elements in I Shall Seal the Heavens, and humor in A Will Eternal.^[4]

Five years after beginning his online writing career, Er Gen ranked fourth on the ninth China Online Writers Rich List, with reported royalties of 25 million yuan. His readership also included more than 100 "Alliance Masters" (Chinese: 盟主; pinyin: méngzhǔ), who reportedly challenged Qidian's rule limiting the number of Alliance Masters to 100. The number subsequently exceeded 500.^[4]

In 2016, Er Gen was elected to the National Committee of the China Writers Association. He was one of five web writers elected to the committee for the first time that year.^[4]

His novel A Will Eternal (一念永恒) was adapted into a 2D animated series produced by Tencent Video in 2021. The series was described by China Today as an example of the development of Chinese domestic animation and was noted for its comedic style and departure from some conventional xianxia conventions.^[6]

His novel Renegade Immortal (仙逆) was also adapted into a 3D animated series by Tencent Video, with animation produced by Sparkly Key Animation (铸梦动画). The series premiered on 25 September 2023.^[7]

His later novel Beyond the Timescape (光阴之外), also translated as Outside of Time, was adapted into a 3D animated series that premiered on Youku in December 2025. The adaptation was produced by Youku in collaboration with Ian Animation and Feiyu Films and was promoted for its post-apocalyptic setting and departure from conventional xianxia visual styles.^[8]