It's Time to Go Back and Forge Anew

To prevent "too long, didn't read," I'm putting the main points upfront.

This is not a "major revision to escape" or an announcement of abandonment. I will continue to update while I work on the major revisions.

Yesterday, I finally finished the lengthy second volume. The plot of this second volume dragged on and on, and I stuffed it with quite a few things that felt superfluous. Regardless, I've completed the Xinyue Arc / Academy Arc. According to plan, I should be moving on to the third volume, the Shenjing Arc / Research Institution Arc.

However, I must now offer my apologies.

My humble work has already been serialized for over 500,000 characters. I was genuinely surprised to receive so much support from my readers. If I could have continued at this pace, I believe I could have risen to prominence. But now, I want to be willful and rework the earlier parts.

I've wanted to do a major revision of the previous content for a long time. It was around chapter 130, when I temporarily slowed down my update pace, that I introduced the "Inner Devil" element.

I regretted it the moment I finished writing it—how could I have written something like that? It was clearly a huge flaw, completely out of sync with the rest of the story!

Then, I mentioned it in my reader group, saying it was a flaw and I didn't like it myself.

My few readers naturally agreed. "Yes, yes, it's really not good."

And that's when I got this idea.

I personally dislike this setting very much, so why did I create this forced, unpleasant element?

When I was conceptualizing and outlining this work, my grandfather had just passed away.

Perhaps I projected too much, treating Wang Qi as a complete reflection of myself in reality. The person who became fragile after losing a loved one wasn't the protagonist I wrote, but me.

I was raised by my grandfather, so I had a very close relationship with him. But during his serious illness, I was preparing for a rather important exam and couldn't be with him. Each visit was only for a few hours. This is my biggest regret in life.

After my grandfather's death, I stayed alone in my room, not wanting to do anything, just reading books and watching anime, like a complete failure. Predictably, I failed that exam. Then, I entered a slump.

It was during this period that I started writing this book. And the protagonist was too deeply influenced by me.

When I emerged from that low point, I myself couldn't adapt to this character.

What kind of person is Wang Qi? He is a seeker of truth, the kind of scientist I idealize.

He's like Von Neumann, mastering many things through one.

He's like Pauli, blunt and unrestrained.

He's like Feynman, happy-go-lucky, acting on impulse, and prone to courting disaster.

Of course, it would be best if he were as popular with girls as Schrödinger.

And then... I can't connect this miserable child I'm currently writing with the idealized seeker of truth from the original setting.

I feel like I can't go on. So, I've decided to start over.

After having this thought, when I looked back at the earlier parts, they just didn't feel right.

Firstly, this is my first book, so I had no idea how to pace it.

The second volume's plot dragged on too long, with too many irrelevant details overshadowing the main storyline and foreshadowing. To make matters worse, two months ago, my computer broke down, and all my drafts and detailed outlines disappeared. I lost some control over the novel, and the second volume's plot became a mess.

Additionally, the protagonist's characterization was unsuccessful. From the protagonist's name, you readers can probably guess the style I like. However, I focused too much on this style and neglected the most important aspect.

Wang Qi is a scientist. Scientists are sometimes close to being insane, but they are definitely not chaotic.

Unfortunately, this protagonist doesn't exhibit the qualities of a scientist at all. According to the original setting, he did have a mental breakdown for a few years due to his worldview collapsing after transmigration, but he should have regained his composure when he achieved enlightenment. However, his seemingly strong but disorganized learning jumps from one thing to another, which is not how a scientist works. Correspondingly, there's a lack of satisfying moments—at least for me.

However, losing the detailed outline and original setting is probably an opportunity for me, a chance to start anew.

While continuing to update the work, I will also rewrite the earlier content. Once the rewriting is complete, I will re-publish the book.

Relatively speaking, however, recent updates might not be very stable, and the character settings will shift towards the new ones. The new version of Wang Qi will remove the protagonist-tormenting elements and lean slightly towards Feynman and Pauli.

That child who lived with lifelong regret for his family will remain in my cloud drive.

Finally—I apologize for wasting your rewards.