During the serialization of “The Vast Immortal Path”, Taoyuan Studios gradually launched several games, all of which were met with enthusiastic responses in the market.
“Taoyuan Restaurant” had practically become the interstellar national farming and food gourmet game, while “Bei Xing’s Necklace”, a popular dress-up game, and “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brian”, an online holographic horror house adventure, also received great feedback from players.
Taoyuan’s latest major project was a large-scale MMO cultivation game based on the “The Vast Immortal Path” IP.
Players could create cultivation characters and enter the game. With millions of players online simultaneously, it would form a truly immersive cultivation world.
Of course, just hearing about it made it clear that the game adaptation of “The Vast Immortal Path” would be an enormous project. According to Derqin and his team’s plans, the game was scheduled to launch around the mid-to-late serialization of the original novel.
Therefore, when “Bei Xing’s Necklace” was released, the nurturing simulation game Derqin mentioned in the interview was put on motion. Because of its relatively moderate scale, it was highly likely to launch before “The Vast Immortal Path”.
Yu Mian had also been keeping an eye on the development and testing progress of this simulation game.
[Derqin: …The game is basically in its final stages now. It should be ready for official launch soon.]
However, just as Derqin was reporting the progress, Yu Mian interrupted him.
[Fish: How about waiting until I publish my new short story before launching? That should generate a lot more interest in the game. =w=]
After posting his signature emoticon smile, Derqin on the other side of the light screen was stunned and fell into silence.
‘A new short story?’
‘Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was writing a new short story again!’
“But why would it attract more players to the new game?”
At this moment, Derqin’s curiosity about the new story was about to explode. Could it be that the short story was related to the game?
Of course, Yu Mian had no intention of revealing his topic in advance. Let them be curious for a while.
Having made up his mind, Yu Mian quietly began writing his new short story while continuing the serialization of “The Vast Immortal Path”.
Moreover, right after the sales of the physical book, “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain” skyrocketed due to the Eternal Night Star System’s offline signing event, the system rewards promptly appeared again.
The favorability level crystal ball he received for his previous long-running serialization, “God of Cooking”, had been both fun and practical. He had been curious about what the reward for “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain” would be.
This time, things were indeed interesting. The system actually presented a choice between two rewards, letting Yu Mian decide for himself.
[Due to the unexpected success of your haunted house event, which significantly boosted your universal reputation, coupled with the sensational effect of your first offline signing event, the system backend has determined a 150% perfect score and upgraded the reward system accordingly.]
“There’s an upgrade for rewards?”
Yu Mian was delighted by this unexpected surprise.
But if you think about it carefully, it made sense. “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain” had gained significant exposure because of its collaboration with Piedmont Park to set up themed haunted house zones across multiple star systems. The recognition spread widely.
Many residents of various star systems would experience the uniquely thrilling haunted house while visiting Piedmont Park even though they had never read the original book.
Once they got hooked on the experience, downloading the Huanyu app to read the original novel would feel like a natural next step.
As long as these various haunted house attractions remained open, the advertising effect would be continuous and endless.
As for the special offline signing event in the Eternal Night Star System, that was an even bigger success.
In the Federation Star’s official press release, a rare unmasked Yu Mian appeared in a group photo at a moonlit tea party with numerous Bart readers. The moment the photo was published, the news instantly shot to the top of the hot search list.
Because the signing event involved interstellar cultural exchange, the Federation Star officially categorized it as a foreign affairs cultural report. The Federation’s external communication department also frequently posted such news on its account.
But in terms of the number of comments and popularity, this press release was unquestionably the top-ranked article in recent times.
[Because it’s an official high-definition group photo, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, you finally showed your full face this time, huh? I’m saving this as my light brain wallpaper!]
[The most aesthetically pleasing photo of the year has been born. Who can understand this visual feast? I am willing to call it divine!]
The number of downloads of the press release photo even shocked the official backend.
“This is really a case of one plus one being greater than two. The handsome and beautiful Bart people are already very popular, and with Teacher Fish Soup Noodles making an appearance, it’s no wonder the whole thing exploded.”
“I mean, remember how the external propaganda department kept featuring tall, handsome Bart men ranging from 1.9 to over 2 meters on their official post thumbnails just to boost engagement?”
Previously, many people had been disdainful of the external propaganda department for this tactic, but now…
All they could say was: “It’s really fragrant!”
Not only did fans flood the official news for the brief ten-second coverage, but related videos were also reposted and shared among outer star system reader communities, creating an outstanding promotional effect.
[With all these popularity boosts and special event achievements, I applied for an upgrade to the system rewards. What do you think? Aren’t I useful?]
The little system was practically bouncing in excitement, just waiting for Yu Mian to praise it.
“Not bad, not bad. So, what’s the reward?”
While confirming that special activities related to each book could indeed generate additional popularity points, Yu Mian also grew more eager to see what this reward would be.
[The first reward, ‘Beauty Goddess’s Blessing,’ can enhance the host’s appearance. After all, in this world where beauty equals justice, having an exceptionally high beauty value naturally attracts more fans!]
Before the system could finish speaking, Yu Mian interrupted.
“I stay at home writing novels, I don’t need to go on stage and sing. This reward feels kind of useless. Next.”
He had little interest in this first reward. -.-
[Uh… Well, technically speaking…]
The system momentarily froze.
After all, beauty enhancement rewards had always been one of the most sought-after rewards among hosts!
“The thing is, I’m already quite satisfied with the face my parents gave me. I have no desire for cosmetic surgery.”
Seeing the system struggling, Yu Mian casually explained.
This made him unexpectedly glad that the system had upgraded and offered a second reward option this time. Otherwise, wouldn’t that have been a wasted reward?
[Alright, then. Moving on to the next one.]
The small system glanced at the host it had blindly chosen based on face and had to admit that a certain fish’s words were indeed quite convincing…
The second reward was a system-generated bonus derived from the attributes of Yu Mian’s novel “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”: the “Traveling Conch”!
“Traveling Conch?”
Yu Mian was really curious about this reward.
[That’s right! This reward allows your conch shell to possess a beginner-level spatial teleportation ability. For example, you could instantly travel to a neighboring water planet for a vacation, improving your mood and relaxing your body from long-term writing at home.]
[As for the teleportation distance and the number of people it can transport, both will be tied to your mental power consumption…]
A bunch of usage restrictions and precautions for this reward quickly followed.
“I’ll take this one.”
Yu Mian made a decision without hesitation.
And since it was labeled as a beginner-level ability, did that mean there was an advanced version too?
After Yu Mian made the choice, the conch shell placed in the study of the new home emitted a brilliant glow, gaining a shimmering, iridescent quality.
Yu Mian tried out the new function and quickly discovered that although the conch could indeed teleport, the mental power consumption was immense.
Simply moving from the study to the Starry Sky Lake nearly made Yu Mian feel as though a massive hole had opened in his mental sea, draining it completely.
With a “plop”, Yu Mian once again transformed into a little fish, diving into the water to restore his mental power.
The unexpected exhaustion almost caused Yu Mian to miss tonight’s update of “The Vast Immortal Path”.
Yu Mian returned to the study room with lingering fear. He blinked at the new reward and thought that once the cooldown was over, it would be a good idea to test it next to Huo Ting, the walking power bank.
For an author, this reward was undeniably practical.
If this reward had been given when he was back on Earth, wouldn’t it make world travel and writing a reality?
In the universe, wouldn’t that mean traveling across the stars?
Very good, very good. The future was full of possibilities.
Yu Mian was inexplicably filled with motivation again.
Having confirmed that triggering special activity events within novel projects could significantly boost popularity value, Yu Mian believed that “The Vast Immortal Path” shouldn’t be any less popular than “I Picked Up A Traveling Light Brain”.
After all, in this period, the events planned by Huanyu in conjunction with the serialization had been rolling out one after another, making countless cultivation fans willingly hand over their wallets.
As the two protagonists, Lin Shuyi and Qi Hanzhou, broke through their realms, the plot of “The Vast Immortal Path” also began moving toward an even more gripping main arc.
The appearance of many classic supporting characters in the cultivation world also left deep impressions on readers.
For example, when Lin Shuyi and Qi Hanzhou, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, traveled to the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb to sense their destined natal weapons, many interstellar readers were instantly captivated the moment a woman in white appeared.
[This seems to be the music cultivator from the illustrations!]
Back when “Blue Stat Expo” released an ink painting illustration of cultivators, this woman, who was playing a xun with a serene and aloof expression, was extremely popular among readers.
Now, she appeared in the novel with such a unique identity– the guardian of the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb.
[[“Aunt Mo is one of the rare Golden Core stage experts in the sect.”
Lin Shuyi quietly explained to Qi Hanzhou, making the usually taciturn Qi Hanzhou show a rare flicker of surprise.
If she was at the Golden Core stage, it meant her lifespan could reach over six hundred years.
Yet, she looked barely past twenty.]]
[Fuck, she’s actually a grandmother! Cultivation is really amazing, does it completely stop aging?]
Not only was Qi Hanzhou shocked, but readers outside the book were equally stunned.
Upon seeing Lin Shuyi, Aunt Mo revealed a rare hint of a smile, but when her gaze landed on Qi Hanzhou behind him, she paused and slightly furrowed her brows.
Unfortunately, Qi Hanzhou’s attention was entirely focused on Lin Shuyi’s hand holding his as the other party seriously explained how to enter the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb to find their natal weapon.
[[“Once inside, you need to cut your finger. If your natal weapon appears, you must immediately drop your blood on it to subdue it. Otherwise, if the weapon flees or resists and escapes, this one-time opportunity will be lost forever.”
“And you must not be greedy, you can only take one.”
Lin Shuyi patiently reminded him, still subconsciously treating Qi Hanzhou like the little boy he had once needed to protect.
Qi Hanzhou originally wanted to pull his hand away, but under Lin Shuyi’s puzzled gaze, he ultimately remained silent and obediently let himself be led.
However, just as they were about to enter the tomb, Qi Hanzhou inconspicuously positioned himself at the front, indicating that he wanted to go in first.
“The tomb doesn’t have any real dangers. At worst, no weapon may find you suitable, or you may fail the recognition test and leave empty-handed.”
“Besides, the Young Sect Master is already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. You, a newcomer who just entered Foundation Establishment, what use could you possibly have?”
Aunt Mo’s indifferent voice carried a hint of insight into Qi Hanzhou’s wariness toward the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb.
Qi Hanzhou’s expression stiffened slightly at her words, but before he could react, Lin Shuyi, who was being protected behind him, chuckled.
Compared to the original novel where Qi Hanzhou became more and more like his father who practiced the ruthless dao in the later part of the novel, the Qi Hanzhou he had raised by his side in this life was far more expressive.
“There won’t be any danger. What’s more important is that you find a weapon with the right character.”
Lin Shuyi reminded him seriously one last time.
In the original novel, Qi Hanzhou had never entered the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb at all, as he had been expelled from the sect beforehand. The sword he ultimately carried by his side was a weapon once wielded by an ancient demonic cultivator.
Though immensely powerful, that sword would subtly corrode its wielder’s temperament, making them increasingly ruthless and violent without realizing it.
In this life, Lin Shuyi naturally hoped that Qi Hanzhou could obtain a weapon that was truly suited for him.
The moment the magical plot of spiritual weapons in the Ten Thousand Weapons Tomb recognizing their master through blood bonds was introduced, many readers became so engrossed in the plot that they lost track of time while flipping through the pages.
