Chapter 1141: New Year Wishes 2024 Building on the Past and Ushering in the Future

Happy New Year, everyone! Did you enjoy the New Year's three-day holiday? I hope you ate well, slept well, and had a great time!

Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous, and joyous New Year, with academic success, fruitful careers, smooth sailing in love, happiness for your entire family, and immense wealth!

It's the beginning of the year, so let me share a few more thoughts. Catching the tail end of 2023, I finally received the badge for achieving over 10,000 average subscriptions, which marks a successful conclusion to 2023.

While this might be an easy feat for other established authors, it was no simple task for my book, which started with low numbers. Our average subscriptions grew steadily from just 181 when the book was first released in September 2022.

When I used to write, I wasn't even aware that people paid attention to such metrics, but I'm glad we finally achieved it, right?

By the end of 2022, we reached 3,000 average subscriptions; by the end of 2023, we surpassed 10,000. So, what about the end of 2024...? It's certainly something to look forward to.

Additionally, following my editor's suggestion, I've merged my pen names. From now on, I will once again be known as "Fengxing Shuiyunjian."

In 2014, I started writing as a newcomer on the original platform, worked hard, and gradually achieved recognition. In 2022, "Jiufang Ye" also began writing as a newcomer on Qidian Chinese Network, worked diligently, and slowly made a name for himself.

It's been a full decade of writing, and in a flash, it feels like another cycle has completed.

Let's talk about our 2023. Within the story, Chuan Ge'er found himself and his direction, blew up the Heavenly Palace, tricked Nairuo, and resolved the complicated relationships within the He family. He finally established his own power base in a difficult situation, laying the groundwork for greater endeavors in the new year.

Outside the story, we've laid the most traps and hidden the deepest plotlines, setting the stage for major conflicts to erupt later on. Our goal is for each revelation to trigger a chain reaction. I, Shuiyun, once worried that these pre-laid plotlines would take too long to unfold and that the book might not last until their grand reveal.

Fortunately, you all gave it ample time and patience. Now, the deepest groundwork has been largely completed, and everything is moving in the right direction.

In 2024, Chuan Ge'er will uncover the secrets of elemental power, the secrets of gods and demons, the secrets of the departed immortals, and the secrets of the Great Square Cauldron.

With each secret revealed, the fundamental nature of the world will be significantly unveiled, leading to conflicts and disputes. As more and more secrets are uncovered, the story will unfold like melting ice, revealing its true core.

Some readers have consistently pointed out that the main plot and focus of *Xian Ren* have always seemed ambiguous, half-revealed, and unclear. I apologize for this, as it was intentional on my part as the author.

After a decade of writing, I certainly understand the benefits of a clear main storyline; my previous books were written that way too. However, *Xian Ren* is different; we have a greater ambition with this one.

Laozi said, "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao." Buddha said, "It cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken." Is it that I don't want to explain it? Rather, I cannot. The theme of this book is too profound and too closely intertwined with reality to be explicitly stated from the outset.

To explain just one aspect: There are so many truths in this world, and a thousand lectures from others cannot compare to learning a single lesson through personal hardship. One must ultimately discover these truths for themselves.

The protagonist of the book, He Lingchuan, is exactly like this: he cuts through the mist, transforming from confusion to conviction, from aimlessness to unwavering resolve.

Similarly, the world outside the book has always been ambiguous, half-clear and half-obscure. How many people can truly say they were born knowing the main path of their lives?

We, too, must cut through the mist to find our direction and the meaning of life. Only by finding our path and moving forward with determination can we achieve something significant.

2024 has arrived, and the story within the book will progress layer by layer, gradually becoming more complete and coherent.

I hope that we, in the world outside the book, can also advance step by step towards more fulfilling lives.

In this brand new year, let's work together and witness it unfold!

— Fengxing Shuiyunjian / Jiufang Ye, January 1, 2024.

P.S. There will be an extra chapter later today.