Chapter 21

When this monthly ticket record appeared, Xiang Tao felt his entire heart tremble violently!

At this moment, he even forgot his dignity as the first chief editor of Starlight Novel Network, waving his hands and feet, exclaiming, "A record! A record!"

The few chief editors accompanying Xiang Tao were also overwhelmed with emotion, nodding vigorously.

"A phenomenon-level work... This is the power of a phenomenon-level work!"

"Quick, have the backend make a big headline overnight! Breaking the one million monthly ticket record is a big event for the entire online literature industry, and we must publicize it properly! This is also a great opportunity for us to establish our dominance in the industry, and we must seize it!" Xiang Tao, regaining his composure, immediately gave orders to the assistant beside him.

For the chief editor of Starlight Novel Network, the motives behind Stone Man and Rat Eating Cat helping "Invincible" to gain votes were no longer important at this moment.

This record was the most important thing for the website!

"Also... tomorrow morning, we will apply for a supreme contract for Bai Yi Qincheng! An author of this level must be firmly tied to our Starlight Novel Network's chariot!"

A new author's new book overturned the supreme god's work in its first month on the shelf.

If someone had told Xiang Tao before that such a work would appear, the chief editor would have thought that person was hysterical. But now, this event was happening right in front of everyone.

Those so-called one-book-to-god works were all weak in comparison to "Invincible"!

"Also... also..." Xiang Tao drank two sips of water to calm his excited heart and continued, "Remember to contact Xiao Yuan. She is Bai Yi Qincheng's editor. Take her along when signing the contract, and make sure to give Bai Yi Qincheng the best service, so he knows that we, Starlight Novel Network, are the most friendly to him!"

"He is now our most indispensable author!"

The few chief editors hesitated slightly, "But... if we strive to give Bai Yi Qincheng the best contract, won't Stone Man and Rat Eating Cat feel uncomfortable..."

"They won't feel uncomfortable. Even if they do, they have to endure it!" Xiang Tao said firmly, "From this moment on, everything must give way to Bai Yi Qincheng! Finally, I will personally negotiate this contract issue with him!"

The chief editor going to negotiate personally?

The few chief editors did not raise any objections this time, nor dared to have any.

After all, Xiang Tao was not only the chief editor of Starlight Novel Network but also half of the decision-maker of the website. Over the years, half of the credit for the development of Starlight Novel Network belonged to him.

So when Xiang Tao repeatedly emphasized the importance of Bai Yi Qincheng, everyone understood—Bai Yi Qincheng had become a more important treasure in the eyes of the chief editor than Rat Eating Cat and Stone Man.

——————

In the 212 dormitory of Tian Du University.

Luo Yang, who had just won the monthly ticket chart, was in a very pleasant mood.

"But... when the monthly tickets reached 980,000, it seemed to have reached its limit. Why did it suddenly increase by more than 20,000 tickets in the last half hour?" Luo Yang was puzzled about this.

Ding ding ding.

At this moment, Luo Yang's QQ rang, and Xiao Yuan's avatar kept flashing.

Luo Yang just opened it and saw the message from Xiao Yuan: "A monthly ticket record has been set! Big Bai, you have created a monthly ticket record!!!!"

"Can you use fewer exclamation marks..." Luo Yang complained. After complaining, he curiously asked, "What monthly ticket record?"

He still didn't know what it meant for a web novel in Longguo to break the one million monthly ticket record.

Xiao Yuan felt that her new supreme author was too calm, and this calmness was unacceptable to her. She had to make this calm guy understand how significant he was!

"Web novels have a development history of nearly ten years. In the history of web novels, the monthly ticket is the most valuable novel chart, clearly reflecting a work's reader cohesion, audience size, and loyalty... A few years ago, each reader had many monthly tickets... This led to... an inflated number of monthly tickets. At that time, the highest monthly ticket record was 980,000... Later, the qualifications for obtaining monthly tickets were strictly limited. A work could win the championship with 300,000 to 400,000 monthly tickets, so the inflated monthly ticket records of the past could only be produced in that era."

"But... Big Bai! Just tonight, just now, this record has been broken by you!!!!"

Xiao Yuan's small hands tapped the keyboard, sending lines of messages to Luo Yang, like a web novel knowledge expert.

Luo Yang didn't expect that his battle for monthly tickets with Stone Man would accidentally break the monthly ticket record.

"Is there any reward?" This was the first thing Luo Yang said after learning he had broken the record.

On the other end of the computer, a girl hugging a teddy bear pillow suddenly froze, looking at the message from the new supreme god with a mix of amusement and frustration.

"This is a big event in the web novel industry, how can you talk about rewards in such a vulgar way!" Xiao Yuan was a bit angry, her face full of black lines.

Luo Yang laughed and said, "Yes, this is a big event in the web novel industry, so how can we just talk about it? Let's do something practical."

Actually, he was just teasing Xiao Yuan. This editor's combat power was really too weak, and a little teasing would help her gain more editor spirit.

"I just received a message, the website is going to offer you a new contract." Xiao Yuan got to the point.

This was something Luo Yang had expected. If Starlight Novel Network did nothing about his outstanding performance, it would only mean that the decision-makers of the website were fools.

"What kind of contract?"

"Um, the big chief editor of our website will personally negotiate this contract with you, and... I will also go along."

Thinking about meeting Luo Yang in real life, Xiao Yuan felt a bit nervous but also a faint sense of anticipation.

"Okay." Luo Yang didn't have any special expectations.

"By the way, why did my monthly tickets suddenly increase by more than 20,000 when they seemed to have reached their limit?" Luo Yang suddenly remembered this.

"I'm dizzy... Big Bai, didn't you know, it was Stone Man and Rat Eating Cat who helped you get votes at the end."

"Rat Eating Cat, Stone Man?"

Luo Yang was slightly stunned, then opened "Devil Sect" and "Blood-Stained江山," and indeed saw the chapters where these two had helped him get monthly tickets.

"..."

Luo Yang was momentarily stunned, only sending a line of ellipses.

"Big Bai, Stone Man is asking me for your QQ number, should I give it to him?" Xiao Yuan sought Luo Yang's opinion.

Luo Yang thought for a moment and said, "Tell him."

Two minutes later, Luo Yang received a friend request from Stone Man and immediately accepted it.

"White, hello." Stone Man greeted first.

"Hello." Luo Yang thought this person would be full of resentment, after all, a veteran god had been beaten by a newcomer, but it seemed that Stone Man was relatively calm.

"I have to apologize for the monthly ticket issue, I was narrow-minded and somewhat arrogant."

The other party actually apologized?

Luo Yang was a bit surprised.

"Let's just let it go. Writing fantasy, we all have some resentment, and I'm no exception." He didn't hit a smiling face, and since he had to admit that breaking the monthly ticket record was partly due to the other party's help, Luo Yang accepted the apology without pressing further.

"Thank you and Rat Eating Cat for helping me get votes."

"This is a grand event in the web novel industry, personal grudges must be set aside, and we must prioritize the big picture." Stone Man said with a sense of righteousness.

Luo Yang smiled, now understanding the other party's thoughts.

A supreme god wanted to suppress a newcomer, but ended up being trampled by the newcomer. This was a shameful thing no matter how you looked at it.

So, in the end, Stone Man helped Luo Yang get votes and break the long-standing monthly ticket record. Although he said it was for the development of the web novel industry, who knew if it was really for the industry's development.

In any case, he took the high ground, found a way to save face, and thus the other industry peers couldn't criticize him too harshly.

After all, reality is not a fairy tale. If it wasn't for his own face, how could Stone Man have helped him ask for votes at the end?

If a fairy tale plays out in your life, remember, fairy tales are based on reality.

Luo Yang saw through it but didn't say it, and the two chatted a bit more before mutually saying goodnight.

——————

In a villa in Liaoning Province, looking at Bai Yi Qincheng's calm goodnight message, Stone Man sighed in relief and called Rat Eating Cat.

"Rat, your method really worked. Bai Yi Qincheng doesn't intend to pursue it, and my old face isn't completely lost..." Stone Man said with a bitter smile.

On the other end of the phone, Rat Eating Cat said, "This is why I didn't intend to compete for the monthly tickets from the beginning. Since we couldn't stop his rise, we might as well write honestly and form a good relationship. After all, we've both won the monthly ticket championship many times before."

"Yes, I'm old... This time, I really stumbled in a small ditch..." Stone Man was full of emotion.

"Moreover, since Bai Yi Qincheng isn't pursuing this matter, we owe him a favor. Although we helped him break the monthly ticket record, it was just over 20,000 tickets, and we were in the wrong." Rat Eating Cat said.

"You're right, we owe him a favor this time, and we'll repay it when we have the chance." Stone Man agreed with Rat Eating Cat's view.

If Bai Yi Qincheng hadn't accepted his overture and just posted a chapter to mock him, he would have been drowned in the唾沫 of countless authors and readers.

"Stone, I've been reading 'Invincible' recently, and the fantasy writing is really outstanding. You didn't lose unfairly, and I suggest you learn from his techniques! I can guarantee that his creative idea of the protagonist constantly upgrading will soon be imitated by countless writers!"

Rat Eating Cat said a lot, clearly inspired by reading "Invincible" recently.

"Alright... I guess I should take a good look at this new king who beat me and see how good he really is." Stone Man was also curious about "Invincible" for the first time.

After all, since becoming a supreme god in the web novel industry, Stone Man hadn't read web novels for many years because he was familiar with the conventions and web novels no longer gave him the excitement of the past.