10-star author.
He never expected that the literary world in this parallel universe would actually have a ranking system for authors.
That was definitely more interesting than his previous life.
After struggling through his daytime classes and returning home in the evening, Huang Yifan immediately started researching information about 10-star authors.
From what he found, Huang Yifan realized…
The literary industry in this world was far more developed and mature than the one in his previous life.
And that maturity was best exemplified by the existence of an author ranking system.
However, just writing a novel or penning an article wasn't enough to qualify you for the rankings.
Within Huaguo's author ranking system, there were strict requirements for those who could make the list.
According to the introduction on the Huaguo Authors' Website, the standards for each level were as follows:
1-star author: Must be a member of a county-level writers' association, or have 5,000 copies of a published book in circulation.
2-star author: Must be a member of a city-level writers' association, or have 30,000 copies in circulation.
3-star author: Must be a member of a provincial writers' association, or have 100,000 copies in circulation.
4-star author: Still a provincial association member, but the circulation requirement jumps to 500,000 copies.
5-star author: Must be a member of the Huaguo Writers' Association, or have one million copies in circulation.
6-star author: Recognized figure in the industry, or 5 million copies in circulation.
7-star author: Famous figure in the industry, or 10 million copies in circulation.
8-star author: An academic master, or 50 million copies in circulation.
9-star author: A literary grandmaster, or 100 million copies in circulation.
10-star author: One billion copies in circulation.
After reading the ranking system, Huang Yifan finally understood. No wonder Zhang Huiping said God was the only 10-star author. Never mind the rest of it; even just the requirement of one billion copies sold was probably an impossible feat. Only someone a God, who seemed to have "cheat codes" activated could become the only 10-star author on Earth.
Am I supposed to become a man like God too?
Without meaning to, Huang Yifan recalled a quote from "One Piece".
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he chuckled.
Come on, a God is basically this world's GM. He's the founder of the whole system, and you think you can become someone on his level?
What, are you planning to challenge him to a duel?
Obviously impossible.
After indulging in a little daydream, the "ding-ding" of TT sounded; someone had messaged him privately.
When he opened it, it turned out to be his editor, Wuyue.
"You there?"
"I am! Of course I'm here. But Brother Wuyue, why do you always pop up at night?"
"I'm crying here, okay? I wish I didn't have to, but every time I message you during the day, you never reply."
"Ah... sorry, sorry. I'm in class during the day, so I don't log on to TT."
"In class? What grade are you in?"
"Uh... uh... Brother Wuyue, is there something you need?"
Huang Yifan felt a little awkward. If he said he was still in junior high, wouldn't that scare the guy?
Forget it! Better keep that secret for now.
Seeing that Huang Yifan didn't answer, Wuyue didn't press the issue. Instead, he sent another message.
"Your 'Bad Guy' is doing pretty well. This week, we're giving you a homepage news feature, not just a second-tier page push. That means a major increase in exposure. So you really need to stay consistent this week. No skipping updates."
"Thanks, Brother Wuyue! Don't worry, I'd rather die than miss an update."
"Ah, 'rather die than miss an update'…"
Wuyue was momentarily confused when he first read it. Then, after reading it again carefully, he finally got it, and almost spat out his drink laughing.
"You really are something. Even your casual phrases turn into catchphrases. First there was that one, and now this one. No way around it, you owe me a keyboard. I was drinking water just now and almost ruined it because of you. Oh, right, I have another question for you."
"Ask away, Brother Wuyue."
"What made you decide to write a noob-style novel? Is that your natural style, or did you choose it deliberately?"
Wuyue didn't know why, but he had a feeling…
This noob-style of writing might actually launch a whole new genre.
In fact, it might even shift the overall direction of web fiction writing.
Of course, he had no proof of this yet. But 'Bad Guy' definitely seemed to be heading in that direction.
Otherwise, why would 'Bad Guy' suddenly blow up like that?
Before asking Huang Yifan, Wuyue had already done some analysis of his own.
In his eyes, 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' didn't really have a new or unique genre; it was just a typical, old-school gang story. And it didn't have any super impressive cheat-like elements either. Its biggest strength was immersion. And that immersion was clearly tied to Huang Yifan's writing style.
But Wuyue was just an editor, not an author. He didn't dare say for sure whether his judgment was correct.
"Why are you asking this again?"
Huang Yifan and Wuyue had talked about noob-style novels before.
But at the time, Wuyue clearly wasn't very interested.
"Well, now that your 'Bad Guy' is blowing up, we can't help but pay attention. We want to study it. To be honest, we still can't quite figure out why 'Bad Guy' became so popular."
"Oh."
Huang Yifan understood now.
Switching from literary to noob-style writing was definitely a tough shift.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Honestly, I don't know how to answer that question either. But if you want to dig into it, I'd recommend taking a look at Hong Kong cinema."
"Hong Kong cinema?"
"Yeah. I started writing 'Bad Guy' after watching how Hong Kong cinema rose to prominence."
Of course, that was total nonsense. But asking Wuyue to study Hong Kong films wasn't entirely a joke either.
Back in the day, why was it that all those critically acclaimed art films from Hong Kong didn't sell, while the so-called 'trash' movies that critics constantly mocked ended up breaking box office records?
There was definitely a reason behind that.
After wrapping up his chat with Wuyue, Huang Yifan turned his attention back to Huaguo's 10-star author system.
No matter what, the 10-star author level was still incredibly tempting.
Even if he couldn't become someone on the same level as God, getting to 8 stars or 9 stars would still be amazing.
Having made up his mind, Huang Yifan began searching online for information about the various literary genres in this world.
There were too many classic works in his previous life. Even though Huang Yifan focused on writing web novels, in the grand scheme of Earth's literary history, web fiction was just a tiny drop in the ocean. If he let all those amazing works rot away in his mind, that would truly be a crime against both man and heaven.
That's why Huang Yifan decided to write web novels while also exploring opportunities to publish traditional literature.
Something like "Strange Tales" would be perfect; it was second only to the Four Great Classical Novels in terms of literary legacy.
Reader's Digest.
After searching for a while, Huang Yifan found a pretty reputable magazine.
Given his identity as a junior high student, he had classes during the day and web novels to write at night. At most, he could use weekends.
So Huang Yifan didn't want to write anything too long; he planned to start with a few short stories.
The "Strange Tales" piece he'd shown to Zhang Huiping before would be a great candidate.
Reader's Digest was one of the most powerful magazine platforms in Huaguo. It had a solid reputation, too. But what really drew Huang Yifan to it, beyond those factors, was that it published a wide range of literary content. From poetry to essays, from short stories to fairy tales… You could find just about every literary genre in Reader's Digest.
While "Strange Tales" technically counted as ghost stories, they weren't scary in the traditional sense. If he submitted them to a specialized supernatural magazine, they might get overlooked. But submitting them to a more mainstream magazine might just give them a chance to shine.
Having written web novels for a while, Huang Yifan had developed a strong sense for the market.
After locating the submission email for Reader's Digest, he sent off his story, "Strange Tales: Biting a Ghost".
==========
Glossary
1 - Hong Kong cinema, especially from the 1970s to 1990s, was known for its commercial success despite critical disdain. While art films struggled, action-driven and emotionally charged "lowbrow" movies dominated the box office. This contrast showed how simple, accessible storytelling often resonated more with audiences. Key examples include A Better Tomorrow (1986), Police Story (1985), God of Gamblers (1989), and Shaolin Soccer (2001), which were loved by the public but often dismissed by critics.
==========
Support the translation and help me keep the work.
patreon.com/Childish_Patriarch