However, the explosive update of tens of thousands of words for the final chapter of the first dungeon left everyone so excited that they forgot how fleeting the time spent catching up on new chapters always was.
Since Yu Mian only intended to introduce the second dungeon without continuing the plot, many readers kept flipping back for a long time before realizing a terrifying truth:
[Ah! I forgot that it was the first world’s finale tonight, it’s already over!?]
[Wait, so, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, you could have just written a few hundred words less for the second dungeon’s introduction, and that way, we could have finished the big fat chapter and gone to sleep satisfied tonight!?]
[And now we’ve fallen into another pit!(crying hysterically)]
Of course, Yu Mian did this on purpose.
[Fish Is Black-Bellied.jpg]
After all, in the vast sea of themes, unlimited flow was infamous for its sharp drop in subscriptions. The moment one dungeon ended and another began, the number of subscriptions and clicks often plummeted by half.
Many readers would put the book on hold, intending to binge-read later, but by the time it’s fattened up, they have already forgotten about it.
Many unlimited flow novels die halfway through being written, which was somewhat related to the characteristics of this subject matter.
So ensuring a smooth transition between dungeons was absolutely essential. Setting up a hook for the second dungeon right at the first dungeon’s conclusion was the key to maintaining a strong interaction between the book and its readers.
And before everyone could even start wailing in despair, they saw Yu Mian’s even more horrifying author’s note:
[Tonight’s 30,000-word explosive update is finished. Hope you all enjoyed it! The next world will continue after a three-day break~
– A Bowl of Fish Soup Noodles]
Interstellar readers: ?
Did they read that right?
[So this means… I have to wait a whole three days before I can see my wedding-dress-limited-edition wife!???]
They stared in disbelief, rereading the message dozens of times before they fully processed its meaning. The entire comment section nearly erupted into chaos.
It was already a sleepless night, and now emotions were running even higher.
In the history of the Huanyu website, the traffic at such an unusual hour had probably never been this overwhelming.
It was as if all the readers had gone mad and refused to sleep!
As for those who weren’t good at staying up late and habitually caught up on updates the next day, waking up felt like witnessing an earthquake-level cosmic upheaval.
After all, within the finale of the first dungeon, “World In The Nest”, the concept of unlimited flow challenge dungeons was unveiled for the first time, a setting so novel that it was completely unheard of.
[The key thing is, there can be a continuous stream of small world challenges. Doesn’t that mean a single book could contain countless different stories?]
Most previous novels followed a single overarching storyline set in one continuous world view. But now, the introduction of unlimited flow dungeons completely shattered those times and space constraints.
Every dungeon was a different small world with its own unique story, all linked together by the presence of the light brain…like a string of pearls forming a necklace.
[ I was so thrilled reading it last night that I almost jumped up to write a similar story myself! But then I got stuck all night and still couldn’t squeeze out even 800 words TwT. In the end, I passed out and had to drag myself to work.]
[But I have a feeling that the world-building concept of “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain” will definitely attract more and more authors to give it a try. I’m starving! I really wish there was more food like this to eat!]
Just like how “Eternal Night Rose” popularized time travel, “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King” sparked a rebirth craze, and “God of Cooking” made system novels a staple, sharp-eyed readers could already sense that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’s new book might be setting off another trend with its unlimited flow elements.
“And even though the finale of the first dungeon was exhilarating, the conversation in the light brain space feels creepy the more I think about it. Si Yao had just won, and yet the light brain was already digging another pit, sweet-talking him into staying in his original world!”
“Exactly! If it were me, with so many benefits in this world, I’d be tempted to stay. I mean, the first world was already so difficult. If I die in the next one, won’t all my efforts be wasted?”
On the morning commute, aboard interstellar trains and other public transportation, you could hear many readers whispering and discussing the finale of “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”.
The heated discussion among a few young students quickly caught the ears of nearby office workers who had been dozing off in their seats, causing them to perk up in intrigue.
It was that strange, wonderful feeling of realizing that an online hobby had suddenly broken into the real world.
It turned out that the density of readers of Teacher Fish Soup Noodles novels in real life was so high without them realizing it?
“No, no, no! If you ask me, Si Yao definitely saw through that light brain’s scheme in an instant. With the way that thing operates, anything it tries to persuade him of is bad news!”
As they listened, some people couldn’t resist joining in on the discussion.
“Oh oh, that makes so much sense! And I really love Si Yao so much, what do I do? It’s just a pity he left the world so early. So many players who were protected by him and adored him never got to see him one last time!”
“And what about his relationship with 114!? Ah, I spent a long time waiting to see if there would be any romantic progress in the finale… Eh, wait, who are you?”
Everyone was chatting enthusiastically when they suddenly realized that the person who took over the conversation was not even their good friend, but a complete stranger.
“Ahem, we’re all Fish fans here! It’s fate! Fate!”
The office workers who had stealthily slipped into the discussion turned red with embarrassment when they got caught.
“Wait, so Teacher Fish Soup Noodles has fans this old?”
The younger student fans were surprised, which made the office workers sitting in the train carriage immediately restless.
“Hey, we just happen to be working, okay? Why wouldn’t we read Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’s novels!?”
“Exactly! Even in our company, plenty of colleagues follow Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ novels, what’s wrong with that!”
“Alright, alright, even in our class, many are reading “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”… Wait, are there really this many readers!?”
With fans of all ages exchanging thoughts, everyone started feeling a strange sense of connection.
“Ah, I missed my stop!”
But after getting carried away by their intense discussion about the grand finale, many readers suddenly looked up at the platform display screen and were shocked upon realizing they had already passed their stations.
“Damn it, it’s all Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ fault! He kept me up all night, and now I’m late this morning wuuu…”
They were on the verge of crying as they rushed to change stations.
As for Yu Mian, who was sitting in the corner, he quietly listened to the entire discussion with a strained expression as he tried to hold back his reactions. He subconsciously tugged his hat lower and pulled his mask up a little higher.
[See? Your popularity is only growing. You can even overhear people discussing your work in real life now!]
The system had a strangely gloating tone.
[And good thing they didn’t recognize you. You’ll have to be more careful when going out from now on.]
“There’s no way I’d let readers find out who I am… If they caught me, they’d probably make me into grilled fish and eat me.”
Otherwise, Yu Mian might have mischievously jumped into the conversation and dropped a spoiler as the author himself.
Before long, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and got off at his stop.
Today, Yu Mian had plans to visit Waltz Academy alone. He was going to discuss and research the content for the next dungeon and the theme for his next book with the teachers and students of the Ancient Blue Star Writing Club, who had been helping him gather materials recently.
Yes, the reason Yu Mian was taking a three-day break was entirely related to preparations for writing.
Last night, right after he posted the author’s note at the end of the first dungeon, his editor immediately messaged him.
[Crispy Shark: So you’re planning to research the theme for your next book!?]
Shaxs was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected Yu Mian to already be looking into the theme for his next book.
[Fish: Mm-hmm, but it’s also a little related to the next dungeon in “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”. Editor, why are you still awake so late?]
Yu Mian hadn’t expected that as soon as he updated, Shaxs would see the author’s note and rush to message him.
Shaxs stared at this reply, his expression darkening.
‘Aren’t you the reason I and so many fans couldn’t sleep!?’
‘As the culprit behind it all, how can you have zero self-awareness?’
O皿O#
But Shaxs couldn’t bring himself to scold his own author, so after taking a deep breath under his quilt to adjust his mood, he silently swallowed his frustration and asked instead:
[Crispy Shark: A little related to the next dungeon?]
[Fish: Mainly because after the second dungeon, I worry that everyone’s impression of Ancient Blue Star’s culture will become too fixed. So I’m considering using the next book to showcase a different perspective.]
Yu Mian was well aware that the horror elements of Earth in the second dungeon would give interstellar readers quite a shocking experience.
But he was also a bit concerned that if this impression became too deeply ingrained, people might start associating all related topics with fear.
More importantly, ever since coming to the interstellar era, there had been one genre Yu Mian had always wanted to write–
Xianxia cultivation novels!
However, he had always been very cautious about this subject matter. He was worried that if he wrote it right away, many interstellar readers wouldn’t be able to understand its terminology and cultural background.
Just like how, in his past life, when web novels were translated and became popular overseas, one of the biggest hurdles was the translation of specialized terms.
For example, in the “Dao Te Jing”, how could the word “Dao” from the phrase “Dao ke dao, fei chang dao” be translated in a way that remained faithful, expressive, and elegant? The difficulty was immense.
**The “Dao Te Jing” is an ancient Chinese philosophical text attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu), It is one of the foundational texts of Taoism (Daoism) and has also influenced Confucianism and Buddhism. The phrase “Dao ke dao, fei chang dao” in English is “The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao”.
But after subtly introducing so many works over time, Yu Mian’s confidence in writing a xianxia novel had steadily grown.
The tipping point, however, had been Principal Charles’ invitation to lecture, which unexpectedly led him to meet several professors and students deeply interested in Ancient Blue Star’s culture.
Initially, one of Yu Mian’s hesitations about accepting was that he was too young and inexperienced. If Principal Charles invited him to teach a class, wouldn’t other professors look down on him?
But, a few weeks after his visit, he unexpectedly received a magazine called “Blue Star Expo”, and a personally signed letter from a Professor Simon.
When he brought it back to his study and flipped through it, he realized it was a publication jointly created by ancient Blue Star culture enthusiasts among the teachers and students of Waltz Academy.
[We know you have unique insights and research into the Ancient Blue Star culture, so we’re sending you a copy of our magazine, hoping to receive your comments and feedback.
Unfortunately, your visit to our school was too brief last time, and we didn’t get the chance to meet you. Many of us deeply regret missing out on experiencing the elegance and charm of the Qu Shui Liu Shang firsthand.]
**Qu Shui Liu Shang– “Floating Wine-cups on a Winding Stream”.
