"That's impossible."
Without a second thought, Badao spoke bluntly.
"My 'Peak of Martial Dao' may not be perfect, but I know full well who my competition is. There was a decent book two weeks ago, sure, but that was from an 8th-level platinum author, and it's already gone premium. There's no way it's competing with me for the Four Seas Recommendation. As for the rest? Either they're lower level than me, or their stats are trash. No way they're even in the running. What I don't get is, why the hell won't they give me the Four Seas slot? Do they seriously not want me to go premium on the 1st? Or let me compete in the monthly ticket rankings?"
At this point, Badao was clearly losing control of his emotions, teetering on the edge of an outburst.
He was naturally hot-tempered, and that same aggression bled into the novels he wrote; his protagonists were ruthless to the extreme, slaughtering entire families over the slightest offense. This ruthless, over-the-top style was exactly what his readers loved. But over time, it also started to shape Badao's real personality.
And now, with several years of writing under his belt, he'd climbed from a Level 1 nobody to a Level 7 top-tier author. Among ordinary writers, he was practically a god. His ego had long since been inflated. And now, at the launch of his new book, he couldn't even secure a Four Seas push? Badao's pride took a massive hit.
"Calm down, Badao."
"I'm calm. But I seriously think the editor is deliberately screwing me over. How else do you explain this? There are 12 slots for Four Seas, how could 'Peak of Martial Dao' not get one? I just don't get it. What's their agenda?"
"Actually… now that I think about it, there is another book from your batch that's doing surprisingly well. Maybe you're clashing with that one."
"Which book?"
"How a Bad Guy Is Made."
"That one?"
Badao couldn't help but sneer.
"Qimu Deng, are you kidding me right now? You think that book is even in the same league as mine?"
Badao had read 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'. Not because he was interested, he only looked into it because of all the buzz it stirred up on Feilong. As an author himself, there was no way he hadn't heard of it. Out of curiosity, Badao read a few chapters. And honestly? He couldn't stand how painfully noob-style it was. He dropped it immediately.
Of course, he didn't openly criticize it; he had an image to maintain as a god-tier author. He didn't want people accusing him of bullying newcomers. Besides, what was the point of picking on a noob-style book?
But now, with Qimu Deng bringing it up again, Badao was clearly annoyed.
Of all the possible competitors, why bring up that book?
"I'm just guessing; it might not even be that one."
"Fine. I'll ask the editor directly. I won't be able to sleep tonight until I figure this out."
Badao left the God-Tier Authors' group and DM Anyi, the Group 3 chief editor he'd spoken to before.
"Anyi, I need to ask, what's really going on with the Four Seas Recommendation?"
"Why are you asking again? Didn't I explain? There was an issue with the lineup this round."
Seeing Badao message him again, An Wen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He could tell from the tone that Badao was pissed.
"12 slots on Four Seas, and not a single one for me? How is that possible?"
"You're getting the wrong idea. You know how special the Four Seas slot is. Editors don't make the final decision; the editor-in-chief does."
"Then can I talk to the editor-in-chief directly?"
"You really need to work on your temper."
Anyi was at a loss.
Dealing with authors like Badao was never easy.
Give him the cold shoulder? Not an option. Badao was a Level 7 author on Lingdian.
There were fewer than fifty Level 7+ authors on the site. Mishandle this, and if he jumps ship, Lingdian takes a hit.
Besides, Anyi knew full well, both Huanyue and Lianheng had already offered Badao lucrative contracts. All he had to do was say yes.
Still, there was nothing Anyi could do.
The web novel industry was fiercely competitive. High-tier authors were constantly being poached. All An Wen could do was try to keep them loyal to Lingdian.
"Sorry, Anyi. This is just how I am. If I don't get to the bottom of this, I won't be able to eat or sleep. I want to talk to the editor-in-chief directly, ask him face-to-face what's going on."
"Alright. I'll put in the request."
After ending the conversation with Badao, Anyi went straight to the editor-in-chief's office.
"Let me guess, Badao gave you a hard time."
"Heh, not exactly. But you know what he's like, too proud to take a hit. Now he says he wants to talk to you directly and figure things out face to face."
"What did you say?"
"What else could I say? I came straight to you."
"Sigh…"
Editor-in-Chief 567 let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, given Badao's personality, if we don't give him a proper explanation, he might really jump ship. Why don't we just give him the slot? The author of 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', The Number One White Under Heaven, is a newcomer. According to Wuyue, he seems easygoing enough. We might be able to talk him into pushing to the next round. What do you think?"
"No."
567 refused flat out.
"Have you forgotten what Lingdian was built on?"
"Fairness."
Anyi was momentarily stunned.
"That's right! Fairness, Back when we were just a no-name second-tier site, it was our commitment to fairness that brought authors to us. It's the foundation of Lingdian's rise into the top three platforms."
"Badao may be a Level 7 author. He may have a god-tier contract. And yes, we do allocate more resources to such authors. But even that resource tilt has to exist within a framework of fairness. There may be no such thing as absolute fairness, but we must uphold relative fairness."
"You saw the potential in 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' too. That book could shake up the market. It might even open a new writing genre. That's priceless for Lingdian."
"Then what should we do?"
"You leave this to me. I'll talk to him."
After An Wen left, 567 paused for a moment, then opened TT and messaged Badao directly.
"Badao, is there something you wanted to discuss?"
The reply came quickly. Badao had been waiting at his desk the whole time.
"567, I just want to know why my new book didn't get the Four Seas push."
"Because among the new books this cycle, 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' shows even greater potential. That's the one I approved for Four Seas. According to the rules, only one book can be the headliner each round, so I've scheduled yours for the next cycle."
567's words were firm and direct, as always.
He had absolute authority in the industry and always kept his stance consistent. Even with newbie authors, he patiently answered every question. He gave Badao a straight answer.
But that answer made Badao furious.
You've got to be kidding me, 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'?
Has 567 lost his damn mind?
A noob-style book by a newbie author is getting priority over me, a Level 7 god-tier author?
Clenching his jaw, Badao typed, "I just want to know, why did you approve such a noob-style book?"
"The reason is simple. 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' captures the spirit of youth pushing back against oppression. Its prose may be noob-style, but that's actually its strength; it's clear and easy to understand, and the book shows immense potential. That's why I believe it deserves the Four Seas slot."
"As for your 'Peak of Martial Dao', releasing it alongside this book would hurt your numbers badly. We made this decision to protect your work."
That did it.
Badao couldn't hold it in anymore.
"567, I'd appreciate it if you didn't protect my work. If you think 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' is so amazing, then let both books go live in the same cycle and let us fight it out. That way, it'll be clear who the real winner is."
"You think I'm lying to you? Or that Lingdian is deliberately suppressing you?"
"Not at all."
Badao paused.
He had tremendous respect for 567. After all, it was thanks to 567's 'Beginner's Guide to Web Novel Writing' that Badao started writing in the first place.
Even so, the idea that he had to step aside for that book made him feel like he'd swallowed a fly.
"567, I trust your character. But I have my pride too. I don't believe 'Peak of Martial Dao' is inferior to 'How a Bad Guy Is Made'. In fact, I don't think they should even be compared. Sorry if I came off too aggressively earlier, this is just my personality."
"It's fine."
567 didn't mind Badao's temper, but he was clearly a bit exasperated. "Badao, are you sure you want to go head-to-head with 'How a Bad Guy Is Made' in the same cycle?"
"Absolutely."
"…Alright then, let's go with your plan. But I'll say this, be ready for what's coming."
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