Linxia stared at his screen in absolute shock.
His book—The Sightless Path—had somehow skyrocketed overnight.
100 million views?! 23 million followers?!
It didn't make sense!
He quickly scrolled through his notifications, scanning the sheer number of new comments. At first, he had assumed this was just a fluke, maybe his book had gotten recommended somewhere.
But as he read the comments, his confusion deepened.
> [Master SilentQuill, this disciple humbly greets you!]
[Great Teacher, I have been following your teachings for two years. I have finally comprehended the first melody of the Dao Resonance Flute!]
[Master! Thank you for your wisdom! The path you have illuminated has led me to untold heights!]
[This lowly one has waited days for your guidance. Please, bestow your divine knowledge upon us again!]
Linxia's entire body stiffened.
What. The. Hell. Was. This?!
His teachings? His wisdom?!
He wasn't a Daoist Master! He was just some broke writer trying to make his book work!
"Is this some kind of prank?" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
His eyes narrowed as he searched through the comment history, trying to find where this nonsense had started.
And then—he saw it.
The original comment from about a month ago:
> [SilentQuill, how should I properly utilize the flute?]
Linxia had laughed at the time, thinking it was some chuunibyou playing along. So, in the spirit of fun, he had roleplayed as a wise master and given the commenter a nonsensical yet poetic answer.
Now, a month later…
That same commenter—Xiaolan—had become famous across the galaxy.
And she was calling him her teacher.
Linxia's hands trembled as he clicked on a news link that had been shared in his comments section.
It took him to Star Network's Xianxia Division, where a recent interview had been broadcasted live across the entire galactic network.
There, in crystal-clear quality, was a young girl in white robes, her golden eyes gleaming with power.
> "I owe everything to Teacher SilentQuill."
Linxia's soul left his body.
He sat there, staring at the screen, feeling like he had just been struck by divine tribulation.
"…What?"
His mind was spinning.
This… This had to be a joke, right?!
He wasn't a teacher! He was a writer!
But billions of people had watched this broadcast. Millions had believed her words.
His hands were shaking so much that he almost dropped his terminal.
"System," he said, voice hoarse. "What the hell is happening?!"
A familiar mechanical voice rang out.
> [Ding! Due to an overwhelming influx of EXPR, the Author System is undergoing a massive update.]
[Estimated time until completion: 72 hours.]
Linxia felt like throwing his device.
"72 HOURS?!"
He wasn't even going to get any answers until then?!
His face twitched.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself.
Right now, he had two choices.
1. Wait for the system update to finish and pray it would give him an explanation.
2. Figure out just how badly things had escalated in the meantime.
His gaze returned to the flood of comments on his novel.
People were begging him for guidance, asking for advice on flute techniques, cultivation methods, and Daoist wisdom.
And worst of all—
Some people had already started calling him the "Hidden Sage of the Star Web."
Linxia buried his face in his hands.
"…I'm so screwed."