The First Sequence

Talking ElbowQidian2019

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Word count: 2.9M words
Series: The Big Player Trilogy

Summary

After nuclear war and technological catastrophe, human civilization retreats behind towering walls; beyond them lie mutated beasts, acid rain, and collapsed order. Seventeen-year-old refugee Ren Xiaosu and fourteen-year-old Yan Liuyuan scrape by in a market town outside Barrier No. 113, living on hunting and careful budgeting. By chance a mysterious palace appears in his mind and begins issuing tasks, each completion granting rewards and a blueprint for copying others' abilities. Step by step Ren Xiaosu gains extraordinary power, and is soon drawn into a larger storm thanks to a barrier band bound for Barrier No. 112 across the Border Mountains. The story follows his struggle to protect his companions and climb higher in a brutal wasteland, carrying the core theme of "facing the light and never giving up."

Editor's review

A growth power fantasy wrapped in a post-apocalyptic wasteland: brisk pacing, and the opening scene of him smacking a robber with an iron pot instantly establishes the protagonist's quick wits and ruthlessness, while the brothers' day-to-day dependence feels solid. System tasks drive leveling with dense payoffs—good for binge-reading. Weaknesses: heavy stacking of jargon, and the later scope grows too large for readers who prefer slow burns and careful character logic; being web fiction, some conflicts advance by coincidence.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Web fiction readers who like post-apocalyptic wastelands and system tropes
Readers who prefer hot-blooded growth and brotherhood
Fans of works by Huishuode Zhouzi
Readers seeking fast-paced power fantasy for stress relief

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous hard sci-fi settings
Readers unwilling to accept violent survival and brutal environments
Readers who like slow, delicate prose styles

Reading tips

Get familiar with barriers, market towns, and the Border Mountains in the early chapters before entering the main plot
Pay attention to the details of Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan's interactions—they are the emotional foundation of the book
When system tasks and ability blueprints appear, jot down ability sources to avoid later confusion

About the publisher

Qidian

Qidian is a platform whose catalogue brings together online literature, with about 45,000 titles in the library spanning categories such as male-oriented fiction, Eastern fantasy, xianxia and wuxia, science fiction, selected fiction and quality web novels. Representative titles include Reincarnation Paradise, War Soldier Leon, The Fairy Is Fierce (also known as Tai Mang), The Expert Is Right Beside Me, Dragon Herder, You Should Cross the Mountains Like a Hero, The Adventures of a Clever Girl and Summoning Heroes of All Ages in Another World, with themes extending from fantasy and xianxia to science fiction and adventure. Representative authors available in the library include Na Yi Zhi Wen Zi, Chi Gua Zi Qun Zhong, Guan Guan Gong Zi, Chenxing LL, Luan, Chen Mo De Ai, Piao Yi Dao Zhang and Dong Tian Bu Leng. Their works mostly appear as serialized web fiction aimed at readers who prefer long genre fiction. Public information on its founding background and scale is limited, so no inferences are made here; the description is based solely on the library's titles and categories.

FAQ

Can I read this without having read the author's earlier works?

Yes—the characters have little connection to prior works, so it reads fine as a standalone.

Is this sci-fi or xuanhuan?

Set against a nuclear catastrophe, it's sci-fi apocalypse with web-fiction system and superpower elements.

Should I start with an adaptation?

The original has a lot of information and detail; read the novel first before following the comic or anime adaptation.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Talking Elbow Author

Talking Elbow is a highly popular author in the field of Chinese online literature, also known by the English name Talking Elbow. Public biographical information about him is limited, with details such as nationality and birth and death years not clearly recorded; the library currently holds 12 of his works. Judging from representative titles such as I Am a Big Player, Da Wang Rao Ming, The First Order, and Night's Nomenclature, he is mainly active in fiction aimed at male readers, and his works are often classified under urban fiction, science fiction, and sci-fi future. They frequently appear on platforms for quality fiction and premium web literature. His writing builds tension between everyday urban life and futuristic imagination, with brisk pacing, crisp plot development, a light and humorous tone, and genre-based suspense, giving him strong recognizability and sustained attention among online readers.