Conquering the Stars and My Haters’ Hearts - Chapter 12

In mere moments, the events of the makeup exam ignited a firestorm on the school’s internal forums.

The fact that anyone in the school could produce a Level A masterpiece was enough to stun the student body. But when the realization hit that the creator was none other than Xie Anning—the boy everyone had spent months ridiculing—the community was left speechless.

Upon hearing the news, the school’s high-level administration immediately convened an emergency meeting. Forget expelling him; they were now prepared to offer Xie Anning whatever he wanted just to ensure such a talent didn’t leave their institution!

After reviewing the exam footage, specialists concluded that Xie Anning must have experienced a “moment of enlightenment” during the process. This sudden breakthrough allowed his Mental Strength to peak, resulting in an extraordinary, one-off performance of a Level A work.

Even as a “fluke,” it was god-tier.

To produce a Level A work at sixteen meant that, barring any accidents, no, as long as he could replicate that “extraordinary state” just a few times, he would already be hailed as a Grandmaster. True artistic talent was far rarer than mecha-piloting geniuses. In the surrounding star systems, the only person who could likely rival him was a legendary prodigy touted as a “once-in-a-century” talent.

The administration immediately approved a maximum-tier scholarship for Xie Anning, along with a “poverty subsidy,” and offered him a private luxury apartment as a dorm. There were even talks of making him the new face of the school’s promotional campaigns, though that was temporarily tabled until they could confirm his output was stable.

On the forums, no one dared to mock him anymore. Insulting Xie Anning now wasn’t just punch-down bullying; it was social suicide. In fact, the tide was turning toward a massive wave of new fans. The school even scrubbed previous toxic threads, fearing that if Xie Anning saw them and felt distressed, he might actually choose to transfer. They were determined to make him feel “the warmth of a family” on campus.

“I still don’t get it, though. Wasn’t his Mental Strength a Level E? How do you jump that high, even with a breakthrough?”

While Mental Strength potential is fixed at birth, actual output usually grows slowly. Xie Anning’s leap was unprecedented.

“I’ve heard that some people have immense power but just can’t tap into it. It takes a massive emotional shock to unlock the gate. Maybe that’s what happened to Senior Xie?”

The theory took root instantly. Everyone knew exactly what “shocks” Xie Anning had suffered: being brutally ignored by Ning Xiujin, mocked by the entire school, and beaten into the hospital by Ning’s fans.

In the past, they would have said a “toad” like him deserved a beating for aiming for the “swan.” Now, they were furious. He’s a genius! What if that beating had caused permanent damage? Those who had personally insulted him now felt like idiots. If a talent like Xie Anning wasn’t worthy of Ning Xiujin, then no one in this school was.

Furthermore, Anders’ behavior became a hot topic. The consensus shifted to the idea that he was a “Green Tea Bitch”—using his arrogant persona just to get close enough to flirt with Xie Anning. As Ning Xiujin’s friend, people wondered if he had actually sabotaged Xie Anning’s original confession just to keep the boy for himself.

When Anders saw these threads, he was livid. But thinking back to the hit he’d ordered on Xie Anning, his expression darkened. If asked, he’d still sneer and say Xie Anning deserved it but what he truly felt in his heart was a secret he kept from everyone. He eventually used his family’s influence to have the most incriminating threads deleted.

Imperial First Military Academy

In front of a floor-to-ceiling window, a handsome black-haired youth stood silhouetted against the skyline. Any visitor would recognize the iconic architecture of the Empire’s most prestigious military institution—a place reserved for the absolute elite.

“Master Xinheng, we’ve cleared it up. Ferdinand is hospitalized because he was defeated by someone in a game. It triggered a Mental Overload,” a subordinate reported via a virtual screen.

“Is that so?” Jin Xinheng turned around with a smirk. “I only left for a short training camp and Ferdinand finally gets his comeuppance? I thought he was too arrogant for anyone to handle.” He looked up. “Has the identity of the person who beat him been found?”

“Not yet,” the subordinate said, trembling. “Their identity is hidden behind extremely high-level encryption. Even with our family’s clearance, we can’t break through.”

Considering Jin Xinheng’s family was the maternal clan of the current Empress, this was a shocking revelation. The “Daddy” streamer was clearly someone of significant background.

“Useless,” Jin Xinheng huffed. “Fine. Gather what data you can.”

“We know he appeared out of nowhere. Powerful Mental Strength, but his mecha control is amateurish. His win over Ferdinand is largely attributed to luck and Ferdinand’s own recklessness.”

This was true. Xie Anning had won through raw mental pressure. Against a prepared opponent, it wouldn’t be so easy.

“Perfect. I’ll turn this person into my stepping stone, right alongside Ferdinand.” Jin Xinheng’s eyes gleamed. Among the high-society peers, Ferdinand had always outshone him in talent and arrogance. Facing him directly was usually an exercise in humiliation for Xinheng.

But this new streamer was a golden opportunity. If he crushed the person who beat Ferdinand, no one could claim he was inferior.

Would he lose? Ridiculous. He was an elite of the First Military Academy. This “Call Me Daddy” was just some lucky nobody who likely didn’t even know basic mecha theory. “Book the highest-tier slot in the Arena,” Xinheng commanded.

“Buy up the ad spaces and broadcast rights. I want the whole world to watch me dismantle him.”

Xie Anning, unaware that the “Protagonist’s Halo” was already drawing predators his way, cashed in his lottery draws.

His first pull was a [Temporary Storage Slot]—a month-long inventory expansion that could hold 10 items. “This Halo is a literal cheat code,” he whispered. “No wonder it costs 800,000 points.”

He quickly finished the remaining draws:

• Healing Potion v1 (x2): Can heal neurological or physical damage in others (with a potency cap).

• Upgraded Stamina Potion: Full energy restoration.

• Water of Misfortune: Can be cast on anyone the user knows by name or face. Target suffers a streak of bad luck for 5 hours.

Xie Anning was pleased. The Healing Potion alone would drive scientists insane if they discovered it, and the Water of Misfortune was straight-up supernatural.

But as the benefits of the Halo arrived, so did the “trouble.”

His first story, Time Will Eventually Fade, was still trending upward, providing a steady stream of Popularity Points. His follow-up—a much heavier, more soul-crushing tragedy was already exploding in popularity, rivaling the platform’s

top author, Wade.

The new work sparked heated debates on forums. Fans were already claiming that “Ning Xie” was a veteran author’s secret alt-account, arguing that no newcomer could possess such emotional depth. They claimed that compared to Ning Xie, Wade and the others were no longer in the same league.

Naturally, this incensed Wade’s massive fanbase.

Wade was the undisputed king of The Galaxy. He was a celebrity with millions of followers, media appearances, and ties to A-list stars. To his fans, Ning Xie was an upstart. Most of them hadn’t even read Xie Anning’s work; seeing it was “interstellar” themed, they assumed it was a cheap knock-off and skipped it. Those who did peek felt the prose was “too plain” compared to Wade’s flowery style and felt cheated by the hype.

Naturally, these detractors couldn’t begin to fathom the emotional impact Xie Anning’s work had on his readers. To them, it was obvious: this newcomer was a social climber using every underhanded trick in the book. They were convinced he had hired a “water army” of fake accounts to manufacture hype. Indignant and feeling as though their intelligence was being insulted, they vowed to stop this “villain” in his tracks, calling for a massive boycott of everything Ning Xie wrote.

The controversy swelled until even Wade himself caught wind of it. Given his status, he wouldn’t deign to actually read a rookie’s work; he felt nothing but cold disdain for the entire affair.

“Teacher Wade, can you believe this newcomer? He actually hired shills to claim his writing surpasses yours! The sheer shamelessness is staggering,” one author remarked during a social gathering with Wade, his voice dripping with performative outrage.

Whether his anger was genuine or not didn’t matter, Wade was surrounded by minor authors eager to curry favor. A single word of endorsement from a titan like him could skyrocket their careers.

“There is no need to concern ourselves with such a person,” Wade replied smoothly. “He is merely a novice.”

“Exactly! Readers have discerning eyes; they won’t be fooled so easily,” the author added quickly. “Look at your fans now, they’re already leading the charge to boycott that pathetic fraud.”

Another guest, sensing the perfect opportunity to brown-nose, chimed in: “You might be gracious enough to overlook him, but we cannot allow someone like that to poison the industry’s standards. We must give him a proper warning!”

Wade’s mood visibly brightened at this. He glanced at them and said, “Don’t go too far. However, some newcomers truly are in desperate need of a lesson.”

With that “blessing,” several mid-tier authors with decent followings went home and began drafting their attacks. Emboldened by the fact that Ning Xie was just an unverified rookie, they dropped all pretense of subtlety, tagging him directly on social media with scathing mockery and open insults.