East and West Combined

After the footsteps faded away, Si Jingyu couldn't help but cough a few more times, then lay back on the bed, her smugness gone, replaced by a look of disappointment.

"How despicable. In the end, all I can do is resort to such petty schemes..."

Si Shuiyun strode in from outside and asked, "Miss, I saw Miss Ruo leave in a huff. What happened?"

Si Jingyu picked up a pillow, pressed it against her face, and muttered, "From today onwards, I'm going to be a cripple."

"Huh?"

"What? I've been nominated for a literary prize?"

Si Ming paused for a moment, then examined the invitation several times to confirm that it was not a forgery.

The messenger first confirmed, "You must be Mr. Sima Kongming. Is 'Ghosts and Gods Metropolis' your work?"

"Yes, that's right."

The messenger said respectfully, "That's right. Please come to the National Literature Museum tonight. Your work, 'Ghosts and Gods Metropolis,' has been nominated for the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Literature Award."

After seeing the other person off, Si Ming was still somewhat incredulous. "What exactly happened? Could I have entered the wrong timeline? I don't remember triggering the literary genius route. How could a novel like 'Ghosts and Gods Metropolis,' which lacks both writing style and depth, and is even suspected of having a bad ending, have a chance to win an award? Are the judges this year any good? Or is the threshold for the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Literature Award actually particularly low?"

He couldn't figure out the reason after thinking about it, but since it wasn't a bad thing, Si Ming decided to go anyway, just to get acquainted with the person. He also remembered the famous person from out of town he had met at the tea ceremony competition, and thought that he might be able to ask him about cultivation.

That night, the entrance to the National Museum of Literature was bustling with people and vehicles.

Although writers don't need to be good-looking or walk the red carpet, they still attract a lot of reporters. After all, it's a ready-made topic that can fill tomorrow's pages and also attract the attention of their loyal fans—it's free money.

The Literary Award and Sculpture Award at the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling are the only two awards that do not require a competition, since the creation of either requires too much time and it is impossible to create them on-site.

The literature prize does not require registration. The judges select the best works from those published that year, hold an award ceremony, and that's it. It's similar to the Bear Prize in Literature in my previous life, but the process is much simpler.

Authors who are likely to win an award, or rather, those who are nominated, are usually notified a month in advance. The reason Si Ming received the notification on the same day was because others thought he was in Su State. When the messenger went there, he found that he had made a wasted trip; it turned out that the person was right at his doorstep.

Now that Si Ming is the younger brother of the young patriarch of the Si Clan, he certainly can't dress too shabbily. The Si Clan sent a professional to tailor a suit for him. When he wears it, he has both the elegance of a literary scholar and the sharpness of a chivalrous knight. To put it simply, he is the kind of handsome swordsman protagonist in a classic martial arts novel, dressed in flowing Baiyi. If you had to pick a character, it would be Hua Wuque from "The Proud Twins".

The reporters squatting at the door saw Si Ming and their eyes lit up immediately, and they all quickly took out their cameras to flash.

"Wow, is this really the author? Are you sure it's not an actor hired by the award organizers to portray a character from the novel?"

"I just saw him take out his invitation and go to the authors' section, specifically the circle of School of Fiction. It seems he really is an author, and he's even been nominated; he might win an award."

"Judging by his appearance, he's probably not even an adult yet. Tsk tsk, a talented and handsome young author, this is going to be a hot topic. I thought novelists were either sleazy or fat and ugly, but it turns out there are good-looking guys out there!"

"We can't generalize. While School of Fiction are generally not good-looking, there are exceptions, like Stronghold Master Zhaohua, who is quite handsome."

"Yes, the examples you gave are very convincing."

Hearing everyone's comments, Si Ming suppressed his secret joy and continued to maintain his image as a handsome, rich, and successful man. He walked into the venue and found his seat based on his business card.

During the day, with the help of the Si Clan, he made some inquiries and found out that the reason why "Ghosts and Gods Metropolis" was nominated was because of the communist ideas mentioned in a few words in it.

It should be noted that after hundreds of years of development, the culture of the Hundred Schools of Thought in the Sea Continent has long reached its peak. In the past, a new school of thought would emerge every ten years, but now it may not emerge even once every hundred years, and even if it does, it is just a show-off.

Communism, as another great political viewpoint and ideological system, even if only a fragment is revealed, is enough to amaze contemporary scholars, and the more knowledgeable a person is, the more they can feel its greatness.

In addition, the book's distribution channels were intentionally blocked by the government of the Su State, which was tantamount to suppression. This was a significant plus in the eyes of the judges, no less than touching a sensitive point.

What the government opposes is precisely what they want to support!

Nation of Beauty have complex feelings toward the Su State, a mixture of inferiority and superiority. The inferiority stems from the disparity in national power. Whether comparing overall strength or the number of strong nations, Sudan is like a firefly compared to the moon—incomparable. It is precisely for this reason that they desperately seek a sense of superiority in other areas and view the Su State government as the embodiment of power.

Besides, intellectuals are a group of people who are fearless and dare to become saviors as soon as they pick up their pens—provided they are not subjected to violent oppression.

This isn't the first time Nation of Beauty School of Fiction have taken an unconventional approach. In the past, they awarded their annual literary classic prize to a social novel written by a foreigner. This novel devoted a significant portion of its content to satirizing the Huaxia mentality of "all those outside our race are barbarians," seemingly exposing racial discrimination. Instead of being offended, the School of Fiction praised the author's insightful and incisive writing.

In short, they're a bunch of people who love to watch the drama unfold and are constantly stirring things up.

However, Si Ming was also very clear that he was just there to keep the audience company. It was already a stretch for "Ghosts and Gods Metropolis" to be nominated, and there was absolutely no chance of it winning. This was because the novel had some science fiction elements, and science fiction was a genre of literature that could never compete with mainstream literature for major awards, just as the Bear Prize in Literature in his previous life had never been awarded to a science fiction novel.

To win an award, a work must reflect contemporary phenomena, expose social contradictions, and explore the essence of human nature. The only saving grace is that Internal Cultivation and martial arts exist in this world, so martial arts stories are also considered factual. Even mainstream literature with a serious tone will have some battle descriptions, although they are usually short, but they add a bit of fun and are quite popular with the general public.

The awards ceremony proceeded as planned without any unexpected events. Si Ming did not win the grand prize by sheer luck and, as expected, became a mere guest. However, he did not mind and, after the ceremony, headed towards the judges' panel, where he found the old lawyer from the Western Luo Continent.

"Hello, Dengbulishao, I am Sima Kongming, the author of 'Ghosts and Gods Metropolis'."

"Oh, what a handsome young man! It's a pleasure to meet you." Dengbulishao bow, which, combined with his appearance, looked extremely odd.

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "If you're here to interrogate me, you've come to the wrong person. I've always believed your work is fully deserving of a major award. Literature shouldn't just focus on the real world; it should look further. It shouldn't just be filled with things like humanity, darkness, and ugliness; it should also leave room for fantasy. I simply can't imagine how terrible it would be if humanity lost its imagination. Imagination is the foundation of literary creation, yet when it comes to judging awards, everyone always discriminates against works full of imagination. This is extremely unfair."

Si Ming hadn't expected the old master to have such a personality. After a few dry laughs, he said, "Master, please rest assured, I'm not here to interrogate you. I'm here to learn from you."

Dengbulishao and said seriously, "Then I only have two suggestions: if you want to win an award, write something that everyone hates; if you want to make money, write something that everyone likes."

"Uh, I'm not here to ask about literature; I'd like to ask about cultivation. I've heard that martial artists on the Luo Continent cultivate a martial arts system called 'Dou Qi.'"

Chapter 304 East-West Merger

Although Dengbulishao was a sorcerer, he was also a powerful figure who once stood at the pinnacle of the magic system and had a deep understanding of the combat system. He was also very interested in discussing the differences between the Eastern and Western cultivation systems. However, due to the large number of people present, it was not convenient to have a conversation, so he led Si Ming to his residence.

After Si Ming stepped down from the carriage, he saw a very typical Western-style villa. The grand gate and round arched windows were covered with gorgeous patterns, resembling some kind of mythical beast from the West, exuding elegance and luxury.

White stucco walls combined with light red roof tiles, continuous archways and corridors, and a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows create an elegant and sophisticated yet comfortable atmosphere. The porch and foyer extend to the north and south, connecting the living room from north to south, blending the indoor and outdoor ambiance. The black marble floor is gleaming like a mirror, with magnificent crystal chandeliers, a pure black glass wooden table, imported designer cushioned chairs, and exquisitely carved bookshelves. The entire room is filled with a classic and romantic ambiance.

After reading it, Si Ming had only one thought in his mind: School of Fiction in this era are damn rich!