"Queen Dowager Xuan… I never expected Qin to have such a formidable figure."
After looking up the information, Su Jingru was stunned.
Of course, it wasn't Queen Dowager Xuan herself who shocked her, but her own student.
How did he know all this?
Even as a teacher, she had only heard of Queen Dowager Xuan's name. But this student sounded like a full-fledged history researcher, citing details so thoroughly.
Failure.
She felt a bit discouraged.
During the summer, she had argued with someone in Youth Daily about exam-oriented education, only to be completely defeated in a single exchange. After two months of recovery, she had finally regained her confidence and was ready to begin her teaching career.
And now, just a few days into teaching, she had been taught a lesson by her own student.
Should she even continue being a teacher?
A top student from Fudan University, and yet this was happening. It was embarrassing.
Feeling troubled, Su Jingru sighed in the end. "Forget it… I probably just ran into a genius who loves history."
Comforting herself, she thought, "I'll just observe this kid more closely in the future."
…
Lingdian Editorial Department Meeting Room.
"Chief Editor, Tianxia Weigong has already dropped 'Starcloud Swordsman'. I also spoke with Nanshan on the phone for over an hour. His mood seems stable for now, nothing unusual."
Group 1 chief editor Canfo reported to 567.
"That's good."
567 nodded. "After all, he's an 8-star author. Even though he made a rash decision in anger, at least he didn't jump ship to Huanyue like Badao."
From a moral standpoint, authors switching platforms wasn't wrong. But in reality, it carried significant risks.
First, if you moved to another platform, you might lose the readership you had built. Even if you brought some over, it would only be a fraction.
Second, every platform had its own characteristics and audience. A novel that succeeded on Lingdian might not succeed on Huanyue, and vice versa. In some cases, it might even flop completely.
No platform wanted authors to leave. It hurt both the author and the platform. Especially since Lingdian had recently suffered heavy poaching, losing more authors would be hard to endure.
"Also, influenced by 'The School Belle's Bodyguard', several noob-style novels have recently appeared on our platform. Their performance is decent, but their execution isn't strong enough. Compared to The Number One White Under Heaven, they're still far behind."
"That's normal. If any random author could write something on par with him, then he wouldn't be the founder of noob-style. This isn't a big issue. It will improve over time."
"I agree."
Group 4 chief editor Dingdong added, "But Chief Editor, we've run into a problem. We previously studied noob-style writing, but after 'The School Belle's Bodyguard', we realized our understanding was too superficial. Recently, we've been researching again, but everyone has different conclusions."
"Exactly."
Group 2 chief editor Yisuo continued, "Dingdong believes noob-style mainly comes from simple language, making it easier for readers to immerse themselves. But I think language is just one part. There are also many technical aspects involved. For example, someone on Feilong analyzed the dual 'pleasure points' in The Number One White Under Heaven's new book, and proposed the concept of the 'golden opening three chapters'… but these ideas are too scattered. When guiding authors, we're afraid of giving the wrong direction."
"That is troublesome."
567 fell into thought.
He had previously assigned editors to deeply study noob-style writing.
But now, it seemed they had hit a dead end.
After all, this was a new writing style, and they were unfamiliar with it.
Currently, the only true benchmark is 'The School Belle's Bodyguard'. Other works were merely imitations, capturing only the surface, which made it difficult to promote the style.
"Looks like our research approach is wrong. How about this, next week we're holding Lingdian's fourth writing training camp. Why don't we invite The Number One White Under Heaven to come and share his insights?"
"That's a great idea."
"I agree."
"I've always wanted to see what The Number One White Under Heaven looks like. I'm in."
As soon as 567 suggested it, all the editors nodded in agreement.
"Alright then. Wuyue, you're his editor. Go invite him. Be sincere. And if he's too busy, don't force it."
"Yes, Chief Editor."
…
Feilong Forum.
"How Is an Elite Author Made?"
Yunzhong Xianke, who usually only managed the forum and moderated posts, unexpectedly created a thread.
The title was: How Is an Elite Author Made?
Everyone, this isn't clickbait. This post is exactly about how elite authors are made.
You all know what I mean by "elite author."
So, how is one made?
Some say that true elite authors no longer exist today. Even if they do, they belong to the past.
In today's web novel industry, talent, hard work, and even innovation are not enough to become an elite. If you missed the Golden and Silver Ages, you've already lost your chance.
This statement has become widely accepted, because reality has repeatedly proven it.
Indeed, since the Golden and Silver Ages, no new elite authors have emerged.
But if The Number One White Under Heaven had never appeared, even I, as an observer documenting the history of web literature, would have believed this to be true.
'How a Bad Guy Is Made' made his name known.
'The School Belle's Bodyguard' proved the value of noob-style writing.
I don't know how far he will go in the future, but right now, The Number One White Under Heaven has already reached god-tier status.
I believe that when I say he has become a true elite, few will disagree.
After numerous battles, his strength is undeniable. He has conquered Lingdian, conquered readers, and now, even conquered fellow authors.
When the platform, the readers, and the authors all acknowledge him, then he is truly an elite.
But today, I don't want to praise his achievements. I want to return to the main question.
How did The Number One White Under Heaven become an elite?
Or rather, how was his status forged?
Some professional authors say he earned it through sheer strength.
Others say he created a new genre, which alone qualifies him.
But I say, no. Those are not the real reasons.
Because when I see the name The Number One White Under Heaven, the first thing I think of is not 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', but his madness of writing non-stop for ten days and nights just to let readers see the ending.
Because when I see his name, I don't first think of his achievements, but the line he wrote on Feilong: "The world slanders me," and the breadth of mind behind it.
Because when I see his name, I don't think of him as an elite author, but of the ambition he declared when starting his book: "When my flowers bloom, all others fade."
I once asked him: in this chaotic era, where everyone is struggling, innovating, yet failing, how do you face it?
At that moment, he looked at me with disdain and said:
"Isn't this exactly the era where masterpieces and literary legends are born?"
Masterpieces.
Literary legends.
It seems The Number One White Under Heaven is ready to embrace this era.
And at that moment, I finally found the answer to how an elite author is made.
==========
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