It will be released at seven o'clock tomorrow evening.
Thanks to Editor Dustbrusher, who has been an immense help from the very beginning—offering advice, suggesting titles, handling recommendations, and overseeing the launch. All praise to Dustbrusher!
Thanks to Operations Officer Brook Qingxuan, and to Discipline Assistant I Never Intended to Compete for the Throne!
Thank you to all the readers, both new and old, who continue to follow this story.
A deep bow to you all!
I once replied to a fellow reader that this book has been meticulously prepared, and it’s true. I’ve learned my lessons from the previous two books. For "Great Yu," I only had a single-sentence outline for the later chapters, which made writing extremely difficult. "Linxia" was a bit better—an obscure, alternate-history genre without any golden fingers—and in the middle stretch, the average readership reached over five thousand, but the detailed outline for the later chapters wasn’t thorough enough, leading to a decline in quality and average numbers stalling near six thousand. Still, the storyline in "Linxia" managed to remain relatively complete.
Both books shared a common flaw: after exhausting the sixty or seventy thousand-word detailed outline prepared for the beginning, once the initial tricks were spent, things quickly unraveled. This time, I resolved to learn from past pain and approached the process with the rigor of project design. Each volume was separately documented—from the background and main storyline of the volume, major plot arcs, realm divisions, cultivation methods, martial skills, factions, the training duration for each realm, resource consumption, all the way to character design, with every character having a uniquely crafted personality. Even secondary characters’ growth and transformations, their narrative arcs, and finally, the plot points for each minor realm were meticulously outlined. For just the first three volumes, the detailed outline alone totals two hundred thousand words.
It’s thorough to the extreme. With this level of preparation, I feel it would be hard to go off the rails even if I tried. With such detailed groundwork, it’s like handing a child a freshly carved wooden sword—they see flowers and grass everywhere and want to hack at everything. Some details, having been so painstakingly prepared, would feel wasted if left unwritten.
The advantage is that these details lend greater realism to the world-building. The downside is that some readers who prefer a fast-paced plot may find it a bit verbose, but in the long run, I believe the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
The first point I want to make is this: you needn’t worry about the quality of this book. I can say with certainty that, just taking the first volume currently being written, the events up to the launch only showcase a fraction—barely a tenth or a twelfth—of the true brilliance yet to come. It’s only just begun. Think of the climax at the end of the first life in "Great Yu," or the poignant farewell scene between Fang Lin and his father at the launch of "Linxia"—those emotional peaks haven’t even been touched yet!
The second point: I’m a reader myself, yet lately I find it harder and harder to discover books that truly hold my interest. Many books I read from start to finish, and aside from the protagonist, I can barely recall any supporting characters.
I’m not saying such books are bad—they can achieve great success—but tastes differ. Personally, I find those books to be akin to fast food, like KFC: the first bite is dazzling, but after a few more, you lose your appetite. I prefer something handcrafted, like knife-cut noodles—springy and smooth. In terms of novels, that means vivid, non-stereotypical characters, tight logic, and no lowering of intelligence.
When writing characters, I strive to portray their inner journeys and transformations. Some experienced readers might find this tedious, but it’s like attending a large lecture: the teacher can’t just give a knowing look at a certain point and assume everyone understands—those who don’t are simply left behind. I try my best to strike a balance here, improving as I write.
Well, there’s not much else to say. In closing, let me bow once more to all of you who’ve read this far. I’ll keep writing steadily, and I hope to bring you a truly good book.
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