Chapter 1255: Immortal Tea Party Flash Gold Plain

The Lantern Festival has passed, and I, Shuiyun, want to extend a belated New Year greeting to everyone. While I'm at it, I'd like to chat about this month's updates.

By the way, the titles of the last two volumes will be changed. Naming them 'Bailie (Part 1 and Part 2)' had its original considerations, but it led many readers to mistakenly believe that the Yangshan Archipelago and the Shanjin Plain lacked significance. Therefore, we will be changing 'Bailie (Part 1)' to 'Yangshan.' As He Lingchuan's first base and a landmark achievement, the Yangshan Archipelago truly deserves its own volume title.

Meanwhile, 'Bailie (Part 2)' will be renamed 'Shanjin.' This volume is set to be the most crucial in the central region after the immortals' disappearance, both in terms of its scope and content. As for 'Bailie' itself, it serves as a mere stepping stone, a "carrot on a stick," guiding He Lingchuan to a new world and the establishment of an independent power. It presents no significant challenge. Once the protagonist is capable of managing the Shanjin Plain, bringing it under his control will naturally follow.

Additionally, today I, Shuiyun, would like to discuss the design philosophy behind 'Shanjin Plain' and the thought process involved in this current stage.

He Lingchuan has seen rare opportunities and infinite possibilities within the Shanjin Plain. Therefore, for those of you who have been following the story, his intentions for the Shanjin Plain should already be quite clear. To fail to seize a given opportunity is to invite misfortune.

The Shanjin Plain is vast, teeming with life. While it has never been short of heroes and champions, for centuries, no one has ever managed to achieve lasting unity, fulfilling the goal of "unity after prolonged division." So, I ask you to consider: what has truly been missing?

If the Shanjin Plain could be unified by brute force alone, why did Mou Kingdom, despite possessing the most formidable immortals, fail to achieve this? To this day, it continues its attempts to infiltrate the Shanjin Plain, while emerging nations like Ya Kingdom merely covet it from afar, not daring to make a move. Historically, Panlong City conquered the Xiji Kingdom in mere days, yet its rule collapsed after only two years, forcing it to relinquish the Longchuan trade route and Yuheng City. Even within the Panlong world, He Lingchuan had to employ every available method to stabilize the situation. It's easier to conquer a country than to govern it.

So, what about the Shanjin Plain, an area hundreds of times larger than Yuheng City? With such an expansive frontline and intricate geographical challenges, even with millions of valiant soldiers, a grand endeavor would be difficult to accomplish if occupied territories in the rear were already rebelling while the front lines were still engaged in battle. The difficulty of governing any single area here will be no less than that of Yuheng City. And let's not forget, Beijia remains active in this region.

For He Lingchuan to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, he will require superior wisdom—wisdom that surpasses that of his predecessors. This isn't something that can be resolved by just one or two ideas from He Lingchuan (or me, Shuiyun). It requires a complete and well-structured plan that is not only fresh and engaging but also highly actionable.

As the narrative unfolds, the story of the Shanjin Plain may appear fragmented. However, every event, every character, and every emotional journey could serve as a crucial pivot point for He Lingchuan as he constructs his plan. I've deliberately embedded many clues, hoping that when He Lingchuan's plan comes to fruition, readers will then recognize the underlying connections and foreshadowing from previous chapters. This is why some of these threads are buried a little deeper. Nonetheless, each subplot has been meticulously crafted to ensure it is both interesting and impactful for readers. Fortunately, the protagonist has begun to lay out his grand strategy. I invite everyone to follow his perspective and witness the process of building something monumental from the ground up.

Many readers might prefer to see grand theories and abstract discussions rather than detailed practical implementation. I understand that this isn't due to readers being superficial, but rather a concern that the author's "theory guiding practice" might prove to be unconvincing or poorly executed. Now, the protagonist has essentially handed his proposed plan over to me, the author, to grapple with. To avoid this becoming a laughingstock, I, Shuiyun, have been dedicating an increasing amount of time to the design phase, which now surpasses the time spent on writing itself. The complexity of this plan has also far exceeded my initial projections from two months ago. While it's becoming increasingly challenging, the transformation it's undergoing is significant.

At the moment, not only are readers feeling impatient, but even the protagonist is nudging me daily! :) However, this kind of work simply cannot be rushed. I frequently discard and reconstruct ideas, and my "draft-in-progress" often gets heavily edited or completely rewritten. In fact, the greatest flexibility I have lies in managing the length of my accumulated drafts. My current draft backlog is just under 100,000 words, with about 10,000 of those having been painstakingly completed during the Spring Festival. This reserve allows me to ensure internal consistency and provides more space for careful thought and necessary adjustments. It is both my safeguard and my treasure.

Many of my fellow writers produce freely and passionately, trusting that once they begin writing, the rest will simply fall into place. While I admire their approach, I honestly lack the ability to complete a work in a single flow. Instead, I must rely on the painstaking, "dig in deep and fight a slow, steady battle" method. I respect my peers' talent and genius, but I will also diligently safeguard my own patience and dedication.

I sincerely ask for your continued patience, allowing me more time for planning and for my draft backlog to grow. How about we aim to resume normal updates in April? I assure you, I will not slack off and will diligently work on building up my drafts.

Let's work together!

—Fengxing Shuiyunjian / Jiufang YeFebruary 25, 2024