Chapter 1611

It’s been a while since we last chatted. Today, I’d like to share a few thoughts with you.

Based on your comments on the updates from the past few days, Chapters 1585-1589 were relatively well-received, but Chapters 1590 and 1591 drew significant criticism.

Don’t think I, as the author, don’t analyze my own shortcomings. I absolutely do.

Today, I’ll use these two chapters as examples to explain my design philosophy for immortal battles.

The battle between Dong Rui and Cao Wendao primarily centered on one concept: professionalism.

As practitioners of a rare and specialized profession, the battles between demon puppeteers naturally needed to be unique.

One considers himself a master, the other a genius; one has formal training, the other is self-taught; one is an established success, the other a rising talent.

Both sought to prove themselves the undisputed number one. Therefore, beyond the spectacular duel of demon puppets, their battle also had to showcase a high-level competition within the same specialized field.

Compared to typical battles, this was a contest on a different plane.

As anyone familiar with World War II knows, beyond the heroic efforts of soldiers, military scientists on all sides were constantly striving to decipher enemy weaponry and enhance their own nation's armaments. This kind of high-level intellectual warfare is not something ordinary people can easily engage in.

In the context of this story, whoever first deciphers the opponent demon puppeteer's strategies, techniques, and applications gains the upper hand in the battle.

A brilliant mind's approach to solving such a problem needs to be both logically traceable and ingeniously unpredictable.

We can view Dong Rui as an expert in the fields of science and engineering, needing to use keen observation, bold hypotheses, and careful verification to decipher the opponent's demon puppet creation and control strategies. Conversely, Cao Wendao engaged in the same process against Dong Rui.

As this was an elevated form of combat, the pacing inherently differed.

In previous and future encounters, Dong Rui often prevails by leveraging his professional advantages or the unique aspects of his profession. Therefore, this internal professional battle presented a particularly valuable opportunity and a crucial window to showcase Dong Rui's true combat prowess.

Compared to a prominent demon puppeteer like Cao Wendao from Beijia, Dong Rui was merely an obscure junior.

So, how can a latecomer defeat an established practitioner? Or, where exactly does the "advantage" of being a latecomer lie?

The answer lies in these words: intrinsic core competitiveness.

In terms of the craftsmanship and techniques for creating demon puppets, Dong Rui might not necessarily be more advanced than Cao Wendao. However, when it comes to interacting with and controlling demon puppets, as well as understanding and mastering the battle's inherent rhythm, Dong Rui—who trains daily alongside He Lingchuan—undoubtedly surpasses Cao Wendao, who relies primarily on traditional study.

This represents the process of the cutting-edge overcoming the outdated, and the latecomer triumphing over the pioneer. Personally, I believe this aspect is well worth emphasizing.

Conversely, because Dong Rui has already surpassed Cao Wendao in terms of core competitiveness, his growth and success are a natural outcome of his own diligent efforts, rather than relying on the protagonist's aura.

In this book, I aim for every important character around the protagonist to keep pace, progress alongside them, and shine in their own right.

So, when some readers criticize my writing as "filler," they're actually misdirecting their complaints. The real issue might be that I, as the author, tend to delve too much into internal monologues.

—Fengxing Shuiyun Jian / Jiufang Ye, August 20, 2024