The story ahead was too uneventful, so I won't continue writing it.
In other words, this book is finished.
It shouldn't count as a botched ending; nearly all the loose ends have been tied up.
When I finished the book, I actually had a lot to say, but my mind was a muddle. I wrote a whole pile of closing remarks, then felt they were too melodramatic after reading them and deleted them all. So, this is it.
For the next book, I plan to write a plot-driven power fantasy. The protagonist will have a Golden Core Universe as soon as he steps outside, using it to turn the tables and advance.
The setting will resemble the modern era, depicting a mysterious world where Daoist arts and technology intertwine. It will follow a group of Madmen pursuing immortality. The protagonist will be an official investigator; he has some ambitions, cultivating in secret with the help of his cheat while striving for greater power.
This book stepped into far too many pitfalls. The next one probably won't.