Ding Yun had initially thought she might have a couple of years of relative ease after entering university, but less than a month into the semester, a mobile phone manufacturer announced the release of a large-screen smartphone with a decent amount of memory.
Although the internet speed might be slower.
But that was only relative to watching videos.
For reading novels, a 2G network would suffice.
This undoubtedly meant that the mobile version of Zhutian Literature Network had the basic conditions to be launched and operated.
Even if not many smartphones had been sold yet, it wouldn't stop Ding Yun from quickly designing a compatible mobile app for the currently promoted smartphones and launching a promotional campaign.
Moreover, Ding Yun considered that since she was already busy, there was no need to continue resting.
So, she decided to start her influence plan ahead of schedule.
This time, Ding Yun wasn't planning to follow the path of becoming a top billionaire again. She decided to leverage her proximity to the opportunity and try to achieve cultural influence, hoping to carve a mark into the world's origin by invading with culture from other worlds.
Her previous venture of founding a literature network.
Testing the Golden Finger was only a minor factor.
The main reason was that she wanted to examine whether cultural invasion could increase influence.
And specifically, how much influence it could increase.
The results had already been summarized by Ding Yun when she was in her third year of high school: works published under a real author's pen name yielded less influence than works published under her pseudonym.
And the influence of works published under her pseudonym.
Was also weaker than the influence gained from using her real name.
This conclusion was drawn by Ding Yun in her third year of high school after she specifically submitted an essay to an excellent essay magazine under her real name, got it accepted, was praised by her teacher at school, and even promoted at the flag-raising ceremony.
Clearly, millions of people read her novels.
While perhaps only a hundred thousand knew about her essays.
Yet, the difference in influence was not significant.
This naturally proved that publishing articles under one's real name garnered more influence than using a pseudonym or the like. Of course, if she were to reveal her pseudonym, it was uncertain whether the final influence would be comparable to using her real name, as Ding Yun had not tried it.
However, after reaching this conclusion, Ding Yun had already made plans to publish novels and promote them using her real name and identity.
It was just that she hadn't decided what kind of novel to publish.
Until the launch of the mobile app for Zhutian Literature Network this time, she suddenly realized that this world had very few myths and legends, and the few that did exist were scattered and fragmented, lacking a coherent system. Only then did she finally figure out what type of novel to publish under her real name.
She intended to reshape the mythological system of this world.
Mythology is the root of history, even touching upon the essence of civilization. Nothing in this world has a more profound and lasting impact on a civilization than mythology.
Therefore, after a period of preparation, Ding Yun registered a new account simultaneously with the release of the mobile version of Zhutian Literature Network and uploaded "The Legend of the White Snake."
Ding Yun knew very well that what she wanted to construct was an entire mythological universe, not just to narrate some mythological stories. Simply telling mythological stories might not capture enough interest. For instance, "Pangu Separates Heaven and Earth" and "Hou Yi Shoots Down the Suns" – these myths told individually would only strike people as baffling.
Therefore, she had to take it slow.
She would start with a love story that was easily accepted by everyone, subtly weaving in some mythological figures, and then gradually expand from that foundation.
For example, "The Legend of the White Snake" involves figures like Guanyin, Grandmother Lishan, Jade Pool, the Heavenly Court, Wen Qu Xing (the Star of Literature), and even Lü Dongbin. From Guanyin, one could derive the legend of Miaoshan. From Grandmother Lishan, one could derive the ancient Jie teaching. From the Jade Pool, one could derive the Queen Mother of the West. From the Heavenly Court, one could derive the Investiture of the Gods. From Lü Dongbin, one could derive the Eight Immortals of the Ren sect. Further up, one could involve the King of the East and the Queen Mother of the West, and so on.
Slowly, and writing slowly.
She would eventually build a complete mythological universe.
This would be much easier for people to accept than writing history, from Pangu separating heaven and earth to later events.
However, Ding Yun's plan had just begun.
"The Legend of the White Snake" also needed time to ferment.
There was no alternative; in this era, forceful promotion would only invite ridicule or even resistance. Therefore, Ding Yun did not dare to give her work any special treatment or increase its promotion. Everything followed the established process: normal submission, contract signing, and basic recommendations.
Moreover, this world lacked related legends.
It inherently lacked a certain mass foundation.
Consequently, Ding Yun's stable update of two chapters of "The Legend of the White Snake" per day did not immediately become a sensation. It only gradually gained some traction after updating seven to eighty thousand words. At this point, Ding Yun seized the opportunity to give it a few more recommendations, and with the quality of the work being solid, "The Legend of the White Snake" naturally took off. Within a month, it became one of the hottest novels on Zhutian Literature Network.
Even in terms of discussion.
It far surpassed other novels.
The grand mythological world depicted in "The Legend of the White Snake," although only a tip of the iceberg, was already highly captivating. Various discussion threads were soaring in popularity.
Topics pairing characters (CPs) and scolding Xu Xian were endless.
[Xu Xian is just a spineless wimp, completely unworthy of Bai Suzhen. No one would disagree, right?]
[Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing are practically made for each other!]
[I strongly suspect Fa Hai is insane. The young couple was living a good life, why did he have to cause trouble? Was he heartbroken by someone before becoming a monk?]
[Oh my god, I have too many questions. What's the deal with Guanyin Bodhisattva? Is she like a Golden Finger elder in a novel? But this elder doesn't seem very effective. And who is Grandmother Lishan? I always feel like her background is very deep.
It seems like we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg!]
[Why do so many people call Xu Xian a wimp? I'm the only one who thinks Xu Xian is unlucky and miserable? He finally found a rich young lady, thinking he could live off her.
Turns out the money the rich young lady gave him was stolen.
He himself was exiled or something.
This isn't repaying a kindness, it's making an enemy!]
[That, I have a strange CP pairing. I strongly suspect Fa Hai might like Bai Suzhen, and because he couldn't have her, he became resentful and wanted to break them up.]
[Please, you suspecting Fa Hai likes Bai Suzhen is less plausible than suspecting Fa Hai likes Xu Xian. At least Fa Hai never laid a hand on Xu Xian, at most he imprisoned him.
He was truly ruthless towards Bai Suzhen.
My gosh, thinking about it makes my skin crawl!]
[As a parent, I truly envy Bai Suzhen. After giving birth, she didn't have to worry about a thing, and her child directly became a top scholar. Where can I find such a good deal? If my troublesome son could become a top scholar.
I'd be willing to be locked up for eighteen years.
As long as the internet is uninterrupted.]