Inspiration Space: The Collision of Milk Tea and Code

Inside the portal was a chaotic swirl of colors. Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan felt as if their bodies were being torn apart by countless data streams, yet they remained intact under the protection of the Emperor Scale and the Flame Emperor Fire. When the light faded, the two found themselves in a bedroom filled with a girlish atmosphere; the pink walls were covered in anime posters, and the bookshelves were packed with physical copies of Battle Through the Heavens.

At the desk, a girl with twin tails wearing panda pajamas was typing frantically. Her milk tea cup still had tapioca pearls stuck to the side, and the window popped up in the bottom right corner of her screen was the document interface for Xiao Family Battles the Heavenly Dao, with the chapter title clearly reading: "Xiao Zhan Angrily Executes the Administrator."

"This is the Creator?" Xiao Yan stared, dumbfounded, as a fire lotus flickered at his fingertips. "She's... much more down-to-earth than I imagined."

The girl whipped her head around, a straw still in her mouth, her eyes wide. "How did you get in here?! This is the author's backend, no unauthorized personnel allowed!" She clicked her mouse in a panic, attempting to close the document, but accidentally triggered the "Inspiration Overload" program. The entire room began to shake violently, and the posters on the walls transformed into physical figures that scurried about the room.

Xiao Feng raised the Imperial Jade Seal, its light temporarily stabilizing the chaotic space. "We are Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan from the Douqi Continent, here to discuss the liberation of our world with you."

"Liberation?" The girl took off her glasses to wipe them, revealing dark circles under her eyes. "Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to write a novel? Every day I have to think of plots, fill in plot holes, and deal with readers urging for updates. I originally wanted you to follow the outline—it's easy and profitable—but you just had to go and stir up trouble!" She suddenly grabbed her milk tea cup and took a deep gulp. "Now look, the 'Universal Creation' mode has crashed the server, and the editor calls me every day to yell at me!"

Xiao Yan noticed the tablet on the desk. The screen displayed the "Qidian Author Backend," and the "Xiao Family Fan Club" IDs dominated the top hundred of the donation leaderboard. "Actually, the readers love your story. As long as you give us the space for free development and we all create together, it might turn out even more spectacular."

The girl raised an eyebrow. Her fingertips danced across the keyboard, and a massive projection of a "Plot Tree" appeared in the air, each branch representing a different narrative direction. "See this? This is the plot trajectory of the Douqi Continent. Xiao Xuan..." She clicked on a light point, and the scene of Xiao Xuan writing with a brush appeared on the screen. "...is nothing more than a tool character I created on a whim to push the main plot forward."

Xiao Feng felt the Emperor Scale grow hot, and a sigh from Xiao Xuan echoed from the depths of his soul. So that is how it is... Father always thought he was writing history, never knowing he was merely a character under someone else's pen.

"But it's different now!" Xiao Yan suddenly ignited the Flame Emperor Fire, burning parts of the plot tree into ash. "We are going to break these settings! Every life should have its own choices, rather than being bound by an outline!"

The girl was about to retort when her phone suddenly rang. The caller ID read "Editor-in-Chief." She answered with a grimace, only to hear a roar from the other end: "What is going on with you? The subscriptions for Xiao Family Battles the Heavenly Dao have exploded, but the comment section is full of people calling the plot cliché! Readers want innovation, do you understand?"

Xiao Feng seized the opportunity to take out the digital version of the Yongle Encyclopedia. "We can help. Earth has countless excellent literary works that can provide you with inspiration. For example..." He pulled up the military strategies from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. "Use this wisdom to improve the combat system of the Douqi Continent."

The girl's eyes lit up, and she snatched the data device to begin flipping through it frantically. "This 'Empty Fort Strategy' setting is great! I'll change it so the Xiao family disciples use holographic projections to scare off the Soul Clan's mechanical legions! And this 'Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats'—I'll change it to using Heavenly Flames to condense arrows..." She suddenly stopped and looked at the two of them warily. "What are your conditions for helping me?"

"Grant the Douqi Continent complete freedom." Xiao Feng looked her straight in the eyes. "Shut down the Heavenly Dao AI, delete the outline lock, and let every life create its own story."

The girl chewed on her straw, thinking for a moment, before suddenly inputting a string of code into the keyboard. The Heavenly Dao Mountains server began to vibrate violently. "Fine! It's not like writing to the outline is original anyway; might as well try universal co-creation. But I'm saying this upfront: if the data plummets, I'm initiating a 'Plot Reset' immediately!"

Just then, Xiao Yan's phone (which he had brought from Earth and miraculously had a signal) rang. The caller ID displayed "Mysterious Number." Upon answering, a voice with a Cantonese accent came through: "Hello, is this Xiao Yan? I am Jin Yong. I've seen your story and I'd like to discuss the setting of merging martial arts with Douqi..."

The girl excitedly snatched the phone. "Master Jin! I absolutely love your work! We could change the 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms' into 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Flames' and use Douqi to power the technique..."

Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan exchanged a smile, feeling the heavy burden on their shoulders lighten significantly. The system prompt sounded right on cue:

Ding! Successfully persuaded the Creator, unlocking the "Universal Creator" era!

Reward: "Infinite Inspiration" buff (efficiency of all creative acts increased by 1000%), "Reader's Love" aura (gain unconditional support from the populace of all planes).

Remaining word count: 1207567 - 2700 = 1204867 words

Suddenly, the room's window was smashed open, and Hun Dan in his USB drive form rushed in, a red "Formatting in Progress" warning flashing on his body. "Wait! I want to participate in the creation too! I promise not to cause any more trouble. I have a super great idea—let me be the Xiao family mascot, responsible for being cute every day!"

Xiao Yan pushed him away with a fire lotus in disgust. "Clean the virus off yourself first before you talk!"

The girl closed her laptop, stood up, and stretched. "Come on, let me take you to see the secrets of a higher dimension. But I'm warning you, don't be surprised if you see something strange."

She opened her wardrobe, which contained not clothes, but a portal radiating seven-colored light. As they stepped inside, the scene before them left them completely stunned—countless parallel worlds floated in the air like bubbles. Each bubble depicted a different version of the Douqi Continent: in some, Xiao Yan had become a gourmet chef; in others, Xiao Feng had started a tech company; and in some, Xiao Zhan was a lead dancer for square dancing on Earth.

"Welcome to the Multiverse Library," the girl introduced proudly. "All possible stories are stored here. From today on, the fate of the Douqi Continent will be written by yourselves."

Xiao Feng gripped Xiao Yan's hand, the Emperor Scale and the Flame Emperor Fire reflecting off each other. "Little Yan, our journey has only just begun."