Chapter 37

To be honest, in this sci-fi Nebula group, there are very few authors who have been published in *Selected Novels*. Even with one hand, you could count them all. Even Li Wenyuan, who is now recognized as a sci-fi master, has never had the chance to be featured in such a mainstream publication.

Just this one achievement alone set Lin Han apart from other sci-fi novelists. Although he had never published a book or held a signing event, being featured in *Selected Novels* symbolized that mainstream literature was not excluding him. It meant that more people could see his work, and his fame would not be limited to the small community of sci-fi enthusiasts.

After Lin Han's words, the group fell silent. These authors were all shocked and hit hard. A director who had switched careers could write a sci-fi novel of this caliber, so were they not cut out for this line of work?

After a few seconds of silence, the screen was filled with exclamation marks "!!!". These authors could only use symbols to express their shock. This was the first time in recent years, and it had significant positive implications.

At the same time, a wave of emoticons flooded in, such as "kneeling," "damn, well done," and "worship." Everyone copied these emoticons, and they eventually formed a queue.

Those who were originally dissatisfied with Lin Han pretended to go offline, adjusting their QQ status to "invisible," fearing that they would be ridiculed for being jealous. So they could only quietly watch the comments as lurkers.

A series of messages made it hard to keep up. Although Li Wenyuan knew about this news, he still felt a strong sense of envy. He knew that Lin Han was suited for the sci-fi path. Even if he had stumbled in sci-fi films, his talent would eventually shine.

So, he quickly typed, "Gold will always shine. I look forward to your new book."

However, as soon as this message was sent, it was buried under a pile of "worship the god" emoticons, and it was uncertain whether anyone would see it.

Group chats are like this; a moment's inattention could mean missing some information. Lin Han didn't see Li Wenyuan's message. The sci-fi Nebula group was like a small society, with all kinds of people.

At this moment, a sci-fi author with the group nickname "Tong Yonglie" spoke up, saying, "I am very happy to see this day finally come. Sci-fi literature has not yet been fully accepted by mainstream literature. Our long march has only taken the first step. 'The Rural Teacher' is a great article. After reading it, I feel that our sci-fi has a bright future! [Smile]"

Before anyone could react, this message was refreshed and pushed away. Only a few sharp-eyed people caught a glimpse of the text.

"Damn, what did I just see! God Tong actually spoke up in the group, everyone, stop sending emoticons!"

"A submarine-level ancient god has appeared. There's a message from Teacher Tong at the beginning. I'll take a screenshot for you to see."

"Where? Where? Is it really Teacher Tong!?"

"I've never seen Teacher Tong speak up before. This time, he actually appeared."

"Strongly watching, Teacher Tong, don't go, chat with us."

These sci-fi novelists instantly turned into fans, each one surprised and excited, flipping through the chat history to see what Tong Yonglie had said.

A kind soul directly posted a screenshot, and most people gasped. Tong Yonglie's praise for Lin Han was too high. The hope of sci-fi—could he really bear such a weight?

After some research, Lin Han found information about Tong Yonglie, a veteran writer from the golden age of sci-fi, in the original owner's memory. He was surprised himself.

Tong Yonglie was almost fifty this year. In the late last century, he had a brilliant history in sci-fi writing. His novel *The Mirror of the Moon* is considered the highest achievement of sci-fi in the literary field, winning the National Children's Literature and Art Creation Award twice.

The first print run of the novel exceeded 1 million copies, and the cumulative sales broke the 8 million mark. It is still available in Xinhua Bookstores, a true sci-fi masterpiece.

That's not all. His other novel *The Descendants of the War God*, published in *People's Literature* magazine, successfully entered the American *Analog* magazine, receiving unanimous praise.

Sci-fi in the last century was far more prosperous than it is now, with a high output and a comprehensive improvement in literary quality. Various literary trends, such as scar literature, reflective literature, and root-seeking literature, had their corresponding sci-fi versions.

Sci-fi writers were not content with just being educators for children. Sci-fi was not just for popularizing science; it also had ideas for social criticism and insight into human nature. Sci-fi writers, like other novelists, wanted to write about society, ethnicity, and reflections on science and human destiny.

Sci-fi literature has always been controversial. Real scientists criticized the numerous errors in the novels from a popular science perspective, believing they misled children. They thought science was rigorous, and imaginary things lacked scientific norms.

Traditional writers, however, never recognized the ideological value of sci-fi literature, considering it just another literary style.

In fact, sci-fi is a type of fantasy literature. Super-realistic fantasy works have always been on the fringes of the mainstream, and even novels themselves only gradually joined the mainstream in modern times.

Sci-fi writers, however, believe that sci-fi is a form of literature, not about imparting specific scientific knowledge, but about stimulating imagination and interest in science.

After a series of struggles, sci-fi literature suffered a major blow and is now directly excluded from mainstream literature, only entertaining itself in its own small domain.

As a god from ancient times, Tong Yonglie continued to write, even publishing a short story *The Meteor of Centaurus* three years ago, which was the most recent time a sci-fi story appeared in *Selected Novels*.

Such a heavyweight's praise made Lin Han take a deep breath and quickly type, "Thank you, Teacher Tong, for your praise. I will work hard to write better sci-fi works."

The other authors were almost dumbfounded. A legendary figure had actually spoken up. Many had never seen Tong Yonglie in person since joining the group, and they wondered if it was too late to worship him.

Writers of a certain level are familiar with writers of a similar level. Just as Tang Jia San Shao in the web novel world wouldn't know a struggling author, only Li Wenyuan could chat with Tong Yonglie.

"Wow, Teacher Tong, you finally showed up. When can you give us a lecture, so we can all exchange our creative experiences and ideas, and have a discussion session?"

With Li Wenyuan leading the way, the other sci-fi novelists followed, sending emoticons and acting cute and pitiful, just to hear some of Tong Yonglie's advice.

"Yes, yes, I've been in a creative rut lately, not knowing what to write. I'm lost every day, please help me!"

"I'm the same. I deleted two novels as drafts. The more I write, the worse it gets. I feel like many things have already been written by others."

"My inspiration is almost exhausted. I need some ideas for my new book."

"My last published novel was almost a year ago. If I can't publish anything soon, I'll run out of food. I need to follow Teacher Tong's lead."

"Teacher Tong, we need you, we need you to guide us to the right path!"

Encouraged by these people, Tong Yonglie gave up the idea of lurking and slowly typed, "Little Li, you're not doing a good job as the group admin. So many friends in the group have creative problems, and you should help them."

However, Li Wenyuan was a tough cookie. He replied, "Teacher Tong, it's not that I don't want to help, but my level is limited. I can't help them. We need your help."

"I have a lecture at Renmin University this Friday. If you have time, you can come and listen. Please bear with me if I don't do well!" Tong Yonglie didn't refuse, feeling it was his duty to help the younger generation.

Lin Han, who had nothing to do, quickly replied, "I'll definitely be there on Friday. I have a lot of questions to ask!"

"Count me in. Teacher Tong gives lectures every year, but I can't be your student." Li Wenyuan also quickly signed up, finding it convenient in Yanjing.

"I'll come too."

"+1!"

"Ah, why am I not in Yanjing? If Teacher Tong could give a lecture at Sichuan University, I would definitely come."

"I want to go, but I can't take leave. I'm so envious."

"It would be great if there were lecture records. I could watch them later."