Free Web NovelChapter 1301: Volume 5 Summary and Reflections
As I type the words "End of Volume,"
I feel a vast sense of peace.
After going through a climax as monumental as that of the Sword Immortal, figuring out how to bring this segment of the story to a smooth conclusion is actually harder than writing the climax itself.
I take my time writing it, and the extremely frenetic emotions I’ve felt during this period are also gently settling down with it.
This world, along with my heart, has found tranquility.
And so, I can continue moving forward.
Now I’m sitting at my desk, just finished lunch not long ago, poured a cup of warm water, and began to write the end-of-volume summary in a meticulous and unhurried manner.
I write what comes to mind, and if the words I choose don’t quite hit the mark, please forgive me. After all, my heart... is already on vacation.
This volume begins with an ambush at Long River and ends with fame on Guanhe Platform, creating a sense of destined cycling, like reincarnation.
I find myself pondering even now.
What would Jiang Wang at this end of Long River feel when he looks back at Jiang Wang at the other end?
And me, at the beginning of May, looking back at the me who penned the first words of this arduous journey, also can’t help but feel a complex mix of emotions...
The structure of this arduous path is immense, one being the Battlefield of Mystical Realm, the other the Yellow River Gathering.
I took a great risk by placing the core climax at the Yellow River Gathering.
Because it is too hard.
The first challenge of the Yellow River Gathering lies in the fact that all readers have immense expectations for it, as it has been highlighted since the first Chapter as a grand world event.
This level of expectation demands an experience that surpasses all peaks to be satisfied.
Under such anticipation, a small problem could be magnified tenfold.
The second challenge of the Yellow River Gathering is that most readers already know the outcome, or rather, they have their own firm understanding of it. freёwebnovel.com
How can I write suspense where there is none? How can I elevate expectations when the outcome is already foreseen?
The third challenge of the Yellow River Gathering is the competition among the pride of Various Countries, each needing to live up to the name of being a national prodigy.
Otherwise, the so-called "Battle of National Prodigies" could easily devolve into a farce where the protagonist hacks through weaklings like chopping vegetables, a "clumsy jump competition of chickens."
Apart from the protagonist, everyone else would just be an extra.
If that were the case, the Yellow River Gathering would be a joke.
How do I establish a variety of impressive prodigies, instead of merely having them line up to announce their names? Especially when many characters have only just been introduced, and I don’t have enough time and space to lay their groundwork properly.
Besides this, I must try my best to sketch the situations of each country, to show readers the world I see, an era of great contention!
Every country in Red Heart Across Heaven is not merely a symbol; each has its own glory and history. And I must build the readers’ recognition in a very short span of pages. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
If these countries all take the stage and the readers are still in the dark about them, that’s my failure.
And I only have the time of the Yellow River Gathering.
How do I manage to write a narrative that feels splendid when the stars shine the brightest, given these conditions?
How do I truly establish the "Prodigies" and make readers feel that this truly is a great era where prodigies rise together!
It’s hard.
Very hard.
But I think, only this level of difficulty is worthy of Red Heart Across Heaven’s readers and their support for this book.
Only this kind of challenge is worthy of my own expectations, worthy of the heart and soul I’ve poured into this world.
I don’t want to repeat myself; I aim to do the very best I can in each volume.
So I choose the hardest path.
I want to write a true Gathering of Prodigies!
Only when the true prodigies gather and the stars truly sparkle, can Jiang Wang’s ascent to glory truly shine.
A crane amongst a flock of chickens, if not distinguished, is but another mediocrity.
The world of Red Heart Across Heaven is not one where you continuously level up and change maps (no offense, just a different genre).
Each character participating in the Yellow River Gathering is a national pride, the top figure of their respective countries.
They will inevitably affect the situation of Various Countries for the next ten, a hundred, or even more years, and thereby affect the whole world; their importance is self-evident.
The Yellow River Gathering itself is also the first time to present to the readers the layout of the world’s Various Countries. For the first time, so much of the current world’s fog has cleared...
Ladies and gentlemen, this world has opened its arms to you.
Please come to experience it, please come to feel it!
Meanwhile, I’m also adding to the history and fleshing out details.
For example, I wrote a little about Qi, a bit about Liang, a bit about Wei. I’ve delineated the prodigies and conflicts of these countries, and in the process, I’ve also enriched the details of the historic battle between Qi and Xia, allowing everyone to sense the cruelty and grandeur of that struggle for supremacy.
It is the same with the battles in the Valley.
I’ve done a lot of this meticulous work, laying it amidst the waves of dramatic climaxes. At first glance, it’s easy to miss; but with careful consideration, these details are the very reality of this world.
The entire Yellow River Gathering features dozens of new characters, one after another taking the stage.
For many here, the goal was simply to establish a rough image and introduce a bit of their nation’s situation, facilitating future storytelling. Wherever the plot might lead, these narrative threads can be easily picked up again.
In such a short time, within such a narrow space,
If there are two or three new characters who manage to stand out, then I’ve achieved my writing goal.
If readers can remember four or five characters, that would be considered a success.
If more than five characters are remembered, that would be beyond my imagination!
So at this moment, dear readers, without flipping through the pages, recall, how many have you remembered?
