Chapter 8

Under a strong headline, Guo Zhenjie's writing was brilliant, but he placed himself in the position of an ordinary author, diligently thinking and typing, only to receive no reward. Yet, some rich people's casual actions could instantly match his years of hard work, or even reach heights he could never achieve in years. This world... was too dark.

After all, Guo Zhenjie was a big shot, with talent and a strong ability to create stories; otherwise, he wouldn't have come this far. Can a big shot not represent ordinary authors? Guo Zhenjie also started as a small, struggling newcomer.

A single post juxtaposed "I'm Not Joking" and the concept of literature carrying moral values, deeply stirring the common people's resentment towards the rich by labeling it as a second-generation, casual plaything.

He then vividly portrayed the helplessness and hard work of ordinary authors, and finally, from a literary perspective, criticized the book "Joke" for its laughable and childish nature, tearing it to shreds.

In the end, after carefully reviewing the long text, Guo Zhenjie happily posted it under his own account and began forwarding it in author groups and reader groups.

He knew that "Joke," which had gained popularity through the support of the rich, would immediately become the target of countless people's resentment, disdain, and condemnation after this post and his influence.

Once a book was perceived as trash with no redeeming qualities in the public's mind, it would be extremely difficult to change that perception, regardless of any future improvements in the level of literature.

But this really didn't matter; as long as it benefited him, it was enough!

What if he offended a second-generation rich person, or more than one? It didn't matter much. The world was too big, and there were too many second-generation rich people; it was impossible to avoid conflicts everywhere. Guo Zhenjie was now considered a first-generation rich person, earning millions annually, with a net worth of tens of millions after a few years. He knew many people; what was there to fear?

As long as countless readers could be made to know "Joke" more deeply and see his post, when the post gained widespread recognition, many would naturally compare his book to the other, highlighting the quality gap between the two books on various lists.

No comparison, no pain.

Once compared, countless people would realize how much higher his level was and how much he surpassed the other.

Once countless readers found his book amazing, even if it wasn't that great, the psychological impression would be hard to change.

Three people make a tiger, that's how it works.

"Battle post? Ugly God's writing is really good, no wonder he's a big shot, I almost cried reading it. Isn't it true? I stay up late every day typing, my hair is thinning, and I'm still struggling, earning only a thousand a month. These second-generation rich people, damn, they can casually throw in hundreds of thousands. Damn it."

"Is the author of 'Joke' stupid? His friends are stupid, and now he's provoking Ugly God? Drunk. I read that book yesterday, it had no highlights, and I couldn't finish ten thousand words even with effort. Compared to Ugly God's new book, it's like heaven and earth. Now I know how strong Ugly God is."

"Grab a stool and wait for the battle!"

...

As expected, after sending a few messages, Guo Zhenjie found his post had gone viral. The number of replies was skyrocketing, and someone had even copied it to the book review section of "Joke," attracting countless readers. This also drew the attention of readers who usually only read urban or historical novels, making them suddenly familiar with his book.

A few hours later, the battle became even more intense, and the fame of the two books rapidly expanded.

Qizhang Chinese Network had a huge traffic volume. Although the two books had already had high clicks, they certainly didn't account for the majority of the network's traffic.

Urban, fantasy, mysticism, science fiction, and other genres each had a large, fixed readership. These readers rarely read books outside their preferred genres, no matter how popular or well-written a book was, if it wasn't in their preferred genre, they wouldn't bother to click.

Now it was different. Everyone has a curiosity for gossip.

To see the gossip and make a comparison? Click and take a look. This would attract a large number of new readers. New readers who didn't read urban or fantasy would read both books, and this would indeed create a strong psychological gap.

In a few hours, the clicks and recommendation data were comparable to a day or two of normal traffic, and Guo Zhenjie was beaming with joy.

...

"Wen Da, Wen Da, are you there?"

"Wen Da, something happened."

"Grass, that ugly person who insults you even in the depths of the Pacific Ocean is just asking for it. His book is nothing, just a formulaic story with a new skin. He has the nerve to insult Wen Da, I'm so angry."

"Wen Da? Should I do something to show him?"

...

Tang Zhun returned home after lunch, and his QQ account was flashing, causing his computer to lag. When he strangely opened the messages one by one, he saw that Wang Dashua had sent dozens of messages, making him feel drunk again.

Only then did he realize that a famous online author had declared war on him.

After reading Guo Zhenjie's post on the fantasy forum from the link Wang Dashua sent, Tang Zhun almost burst out laughing.

Resentment towards the rich, he had experienced a bit of it in his previous life, and he never thought that he would become the target of others' resentment in a blink of an eye.

Moreover, he was portrayed so vividly and realistically, stirring up a lot of hatred.

Tang Zhun, who was 30 in his previous life, was not as impulsive as someone in their early twenties. He could see and feel the underlying tone of "I'm digging a hole for myself in the depths of the Pacific Ocean to gain fame."

So he basically concluded that it wasn't because the other party was particularly dissatisfied with him, but rather a publicity stunt...

This was the thinking of a businessman.

Tang Zhun also noticed that his book and the pen name "Wen Yizai" were being increasingly defined and labeled as negative examples and cases in the post and the ensuing discussions.

For example, in the book review section, the posts asking for support and worshiping big shots were gone. Opening the entire review section page by page, it was all curses.

"Publicity for profit? Big shots also play this game, and they're quite good at it. Truly impressive."

After almost bursting out laughing, he sat at his computer and drank a glass of water. Tang Zhun wasn't too angry. In fact, the other party was helping him.

Did he think he could achieve something through the writing and plot of his novel? Even if Tang Zhun wanted to do that, he knew it was basically impossible in the short term.

What he relied on was the textbook-like Dao韵 template related to his work.

With greater fame, he might attract a second talented genius like Wang Dashua. This short-term literary influence, even if its effects were short-lived, was fundamentally different from the person being influenced.

After Wang Dashua saw and felt the Dao韵, the fire power lasted for a few minutes, and afterward, his resistance to fire slightly increased. However, seeing it once, the same template would never have an effect again.

The power he felt was also one percent feedback to the spreader.

The same applied to the second and third person who saw it.

Once a hundred people accumulated, even without any talent, Tang Zhun could burst with fire power for a few minutes, at a level similar to Wang Dashua's.

However, Tang Zhun could accumulate this power, and as long as it was stored in his body, he could burst it out whenever he wanted.

Accumulating two hundred Wang Dashuas? He could accumulate ten minutes of power, and still burst it out at any time.

This was fundamentally different from Wang Dashua, who burst out immediately after seeing and feeling it, with no control.

How to get more people to see it? Of course, it was through fame!

With a one in ten thousand chance, a billion people could produce a hundred super geniuses. In this life, the Republic had a population of over 1.3 billion.

"Children distinguish right from wrong, adults only look at benefits."

"Although it's a bit annoying, this is indeed a good thing. This Ugly God is actively helping me promote and accumulate power."

...

Although mature and aware that this was a good thing, Tang Zhun still felt a bit annoyed. Fortunately, he could control that feeling, and as he lit a cigarette, he also looked forward to it.

Indeed, the internet was boiling, and the increasingly popular book "I'm Not Joking" was filled with curses and rumors. Suddenly, it was hit by another red bomb.

Ten million alliance, another ten million alliance!

However, this time it wasn't Wang Dashua's account, but a book friend called Ye Shuihan.