Heavenly King Little Black had always been popular on Feilong, and as soon as this Four Seas data analysis thread dropped, it immediately caught the attention of authors across the board.
Some agreed with it, saying fantasy really had slumped hard.
"No wonder there haven't been any good fantasy novels recently."
"Yeah, even a god-tier Level-7 author like Badao only gained 2.000 bookmarks with 'Peak of Martial Dao' on Four Seas. For someone of his caliber, that's a flop."
"And that book that only gained 500 in six days? That's even more proof that fantasy's on the decline."
"Looks like it's better to stop writing fantasy for now and switch to urban fiction."
Still, even with this round of data, there were those who disagreed.
"How could fantasy be declining? These numbers don't prove anything."
"I don't believe fantasy is in decline, and even if it is, it's only temporary."
"Urban fiction is naturally more relatable. It's normal for new books to perform better; it doesn't prove anything."
"It's probably just that fantasy happened to do poorly this time. All the top god-tier authors are writing fantasy. How come they don't think it's declining?"
So the two sides clashed.
One supporting, the other opposing.
Writers already have a reputation for being critical of each other, and with such differing opinions, of course, a fight broke out quickly.
"Haha, you guys who say fantasy isn't declining, just keep flopping in your genre. We're moving to urban."
"Exactly. Just look at 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'. Damn, 50.000 bookmarks in six days on the Four Seas chart, basically 10,000 per day. What fantasy novel can match that?"
"You can already see from this one book: fantasy is done, urban is rising."
Although the supporters had a strong case, and Heavenly King Little Black's data did suggest something, the opposition didn't back down either. They were all authors; no one was willing to concede.
Before long, they launched a counterargument against the pro-urban side.
"Come on, 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' gaining 50.000 in a week doesn't prove that urban is booming. Don't forget, this round of Four Seas had a complete revamp, and it was framed as a showdown with Badao's work. Naturally, the winner grabbed everyone's attention. This happens every time, any book that tops the Four Seas chart always ends up way ahead of the others."
"Besides, the reason 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' gained over 50.000 bookmarks in less than a week isn't just because of the novel itself. Did everyone forget about the poem 'The World Slander Me' by The Number One White Under Heaven? Did you forget that crazy poem, 'The Song of a Man' that sent readers into a frenzy? You could say it's those two poems that gave this book unmatched popularity."
"Not only that, those poems weren't just hits in the web novel circle. They've already broken into the traditional literary space, even the media space. Some celebrities have even quoted them. Sure, the media hasn't exploded with coverage yet, but thanks to those two works, even people who don't read web novels have started reading 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'. That's what really pushed it over the edge."
In the end, no matter how much was said, those who believed fantasy was declining still believed it. And those who didn't, still didn't.
When it came to writing, who could say what was absolutely right?
Direction in writing had always been a hotbed of debate.
However, whether they were supporters or critics, neither side could deny one thing: they all agreed that 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' was a huge hit. And because of that, the novel once again became the hottest topic on Feilong.
The first time it was the center of discussion, it was because the book was 'too' noob-style. Most Feilong authors believed it insulted their intelligence and tainted the writing profession.
But this second time was completely different. Now, many authors were starting threads to analyze the secret behind its success.
A newcomer posted a thread titled: Why did 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' blow up?
The post read: Everyone's saying it's a hit, and sure, it's definitely blowing up. But can you guys tell me 'why' it's a hit? I've been reading it for hours and still don't get it. Is 'that' why I haven't become a god-tier author?
Another author posted: Reflecting on the development of web fiction through the lens of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'.
Web fiction began as noob-style writing. In the early days, most of what was posted on web platforms was noob-style too. It's just that, after more than ten years of evolution, noob-style works were gradually weeded out by the market. But now, it seems we're seeing a comeback. There's reason to believe noob-style fiction still has potential in the future.
A well-known author chimed in: Can the success of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' be imitated?
Any time a novel explodes, a hundred knockoffs appear overnight. This author suggested that, regardless of how good the novel actually is, it wouldn't hurt to try writing something similar in theme or style. Maybe, for those who've been struggling and haven't found success in the writing world, this could point the way forward.
Even a few god-tier authors joined in anonymously: If you want your novel to blow up, it's gotta be noob-style first.
One of them admitted that they used to think 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' was too noobish, but now, they'd changed their mind. At the very least, judging from the sky-high bookmark numbers, readers had already accepted it. And if readers were on board, shouldn't we as authors adapt to them?
That long post exploded with replies and upvotes.
"Looks like I'm gonna head over to Lingdian tomorrow and write a noob novel too."
"Count me in. Mine's gonna be called 'How a Thug Is Made'."
"Me too, me too."
"Let's make a team! We'll all start new books together."
"Yeah, let's go! Time to expand Lingdian's noob-style library."
Before anyone realized it, the keywords 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', 'The Number One White Under Heaven', 'noob-style', and 'Four Seas chart' had taken over the entire Feilong forum.
Something was bubbling beneath the surface.
No one noticed it yet, but after 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' revealed its terrifying potential, its influence started to spread.
A new subgenre, 'the noob-style genre', was quietly taking shape.
…
"Brother White, congrats! Your book has become the model study piece for Feilong authors."
In the Struggling Authors chat group, Thirty-Two sent his congratulations to Huang Yifan.
"This is some serious face-slapping. A while ago, everyone was bashing your book nonstop, and now suddenly they're dissecting every part of it like it's a classic. Honestly, I'm a Feilong author myself, and even I feel embarrassed."
Author Jiangcheng Yinan chimed in too.
"Don't flatter me. I just got lucky. And really, I wouldn't even call it face-slapping. My style was a bit too unconventional before, and it was hard for others to accept. Plus, I've been spending time on Feilong lately, I guess I'm half a Feilong author now too."
"Haha, that's the mindset of a true master. If it were me, I'd be gloating right now, probably writing a post just to troll everyone who trashed me. No way I could stay calm like you. I gotta admit, I've got a lot to learn from you, Brother Bai. Thirty-Two was right: if you want to be a top-tier writer, it's not just about writing skills. It's about mentality. And mine definitely isn't on your level yet."
"You flatter me. Anyway, it's getting late. Got stuff to handle tomorrow. Logging off."
Since he was still staying at the guesthouse, and Yu Bin had just finished showering, Huang Yifan also exited the TT group.
Meanwhile, at the Lingdian Chinese Web headquarters in Magic City—
Chief Editor 567 was still studying 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'.
From the title, to the synopsis, to the main story.
From plot design to writing style to the reader age demographic.
After several hours of analysis, 567 suddenly slapped his desk with excitement.
This 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' really might spark the birth of an entirely new genre.
Lingdian had to seize this wave.
If they played their cards right, they might even catch up with Lianheng, maybe even surpass Huanyue.
==========
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