"The Dogblood Group."
The Dogblood Group wasn't a group for selling dog blood. Like the "White Jade Hall group," it was a group for online authors.
However, unlike the White Jade Hall group, which was filled with newbie writers, every single member of the Dogblood Group was a top-tier author.
No, to be precise, they were elites among elites.
Within the group, the lowest rank was 7-star. Most were 8-star or 9-star, and even the legendary 10-star authors were present, though they rarely spoke.
The name "Dogblood Group" came from the term "dogblood plot" in web novels. When readers encountered clichés or overly melodramatic scenes, they would often complain, "This is so dogblood." Such plots had long been disliked by both readers and authors alike.
Many believed that to write a successful web novel, one had to constantly innovate and avoid dogblood tropes.
Newbie authors, in particular, strongly agreed with this idea.
But these top-tier authors would tell you otherwise:
If you want your web novel to sell well, if you want to become a top-tier author, then your story cannot lack dogblood elements.
In fact, you should include more of them.
As for why, these top authors would never explain it outright. You had to figure it out yourself.
Unfortunately, this theory was far too profound, and most writers couldn't grasp it.
In the end, despite the rapid growth of online literature, the number of truly top-tier authors remained limited to just a few dozen.
"Hmph, those armchair analysts on Feilong, scared stiff by a mere level-1 author."
An 8-star author named Nanshan suddenly spoke in the group.
Dark Wind replied, "Nanshan, Feilong has always been like that. Don't pay too much attention to it."
Nanshan said, "What, you don't think that The Number One White Under Heaven is arrogant?"
Dark Wind replied, "That has nothing to do with me."
Nanshan said, "Dark Wind, you've really lost your edge."
Dark Wind responded, "Nanshan, what are you getting at?"
Nanshan said, "I do have an idea. What if I start a new book right now and directly challenge The Number One White Under Heaven to a PK?"
Dark Wind replied, "Damn, Nanshan, seriously? You want to PK a level-1 author? That's just bullying a newcomer."
Nanshan snorted, "Newcomer? Bullshit. I don't believe for a second that The Number One White Under Heaven is new. He's definitely a veteran using an alternate account. As for bullying, so what? I want to suppress him. Don't forget, he rose by stepping over Badao's corpse. And now Lingdian is heavily promoting him."
Nanshan grew more agitated as he spoke. "Honestly, I can't stand Lingdian promoting a 1-star author like this. It's completely against principle. Where does that leave us, 8-star authors?"
"Calm down, Nanshan. Lingdian is clearly backing him right now. Why go against the platform?"
After Dark Wind, another 8-star author, Baoxing, also spoke up.
"I'm not going against the platform. I'm just reminding them that things should be fair. Have you all forgotten why we stayed with Lingdian? Wasn't it because it's more fair than Huanyue or Lianheng?"
The more Nanshan spoke, the angrier he became. By the end, no one could persuade him.
"Nanshan, don't act on impulse. You already have all the fame and success. Why compete with The Number One White Under Heaven?"
At that moment, someone who had been lurking silently finally spoke.
Wuhen.
Lingdian's only 10-star author.
Also, a super platinum writer.
If author rankings at Lingdian were divided into newbie, veteran, minor god, mid-tier god, major god, and super god, then Wuhen would stand above them all as a "main god."
A main god stood above all others, representing the pinnacle of web novel authors and the flagship figure of the platform.
As soon as Wuhen appeared, the group erupted with excitement.
"Wuhen, you're finally alive!"
"Paying respects to the main god!"
"Wuhen, didn't you promise to share your writing tips with us?"
To their playful remarks, Wuhen responded calmly, "Cut the nonsense. The 'dogblood' in this group's name is already the best writing technique. But back to the matter at hand, Nanshan, what's wrong with you? I feel like your mindset is off."
The Dogblood Group wasn't large. Anyone who could join was a top-tier figure in the web novel world, and they had all met at annual gatherings. Seeing Nanshan lose his composure, even the usually silent Wuhen had to step in.
"Nanshan, even as an 8-star author, how can you still not see things clearly? There's no absolute fairness in this world. Even under fairness, strength must still be respected. Take you, for example. As an 8-star author, does Lingdian treat you the same as a newbie?"
"You're right, there's no absolute fairness. Fairness is relative. Yes, Lingdian treats me well, but I earned that through my strength. I fought for it book by book, year after year. But what about The Number One White Under Heaven? He just wrote one banned book, and now his treatment is nearly on par with top-tier authors. How can other writers accept that? I'm not speaking for myself. I'm speaking for all the other authors who didn't get this treatment."
"Besides," Nanshan continued, "don't you know that any platform has limited resources? If they focus on promoting him, then resources for others will decrease. It may not affect us now, but over time, it definitely will. If this continues, even authors in our Dogblood Group might get reshuffled."
"Nanshan, writing has always been like this. Even for me, I tread on thin ice, afraid of making a wrong step. But since you've chosen this path, you must persist. I think you need to calm down. Lingdian won't do anything that doesn't benefit them. And if you want to maintain your position, to keep your 'divinity,' suppressing newcomers won't help. I hope you can think this through. If you handle this situation calmly, you might even reach 9-star."
"Thanks, Wuhen. But I've already opened a new alt account and released a new book."
"…Sigh... Alright! Good luck."
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