Top Scholar

Let's chat for a bit in Chapter 23.
As is customary, I'd like to say a few words before starting the book, but the reason I've delayed it until today is because... I'm quite embarrassed...

His previous book was an attempt to try a new style of historical writing, but as we all know, it was a disastrous failure, marking the lowest point in his two-decade career. For a writer who still harbors some pride, the torment he endured is unimaginable.

Actually, the monk spent a full six months preparing for the previous book, consulting countless reference books that would be taller than a person if stacked up. He revised the beginning eight times, and countless minor revisions as well, showing his utmost dedication. But the result was a huge disappointment; last year was truly a miserable and miserable experience…

Fortunately, my longtime readers have remained steadfast in their support... Many of them have been readers for over a decade. Many don't actually enjoy the supernatural and fantastical elements, but they persisted in subscribing purely to support this poor monk. And my dear Lao Niu and his friends have been diligently helping me boost the popularity of my chapter reviews; I am truly grateful.

With your support and encouragement, I finally finished writing my last book and proved my professional ethics, which is a way of living up to the expectations of my readers who accompanied me during my low points.

During this period, I also did a thorough review and reflection. Some issues were technical, such as the so-called historical fantasy, which ended up being a hodgepodge; I also thought that as long as I wrote seriously, it would necessarily be good. But in reality, there are many people who write seriously, while truly good works are always rare. The two are clearly not equivalent, but rather an inclusive relationship.

Furthermore, in the process of repeated revisions, I forgot that this is first and foremost a web novel, and everything must adhere to the basic rules of web novels, but I foolishly threw that to the back of my mind...

And so on and so forth, I've summarized a lot of points.

The purpose of summarizing is to learn from mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future.

Thus, the book "The Top Scholar" came into being.

As soon as I opened the book, some readers commented that the stubborn kid was back. I think this is a form of affirmation, showing that I can admit my mistakes and correct them. As long as I can maintain this valuable quality, I won't become greasy, and I can sit at the same table with young people with a straight face!
Furthermore, many people worry that with the masterpiece "Official Rank One" preceding it, how can "The Top Scholar" offer anything new? There's no need to worry. "Official Rank One" was written in 2009, a full sixteen years ago. In those sixteen years, the world has undergone earth-shattering changes; our lives and values ​​have been completely transformed.

Therefore, both the protagonist and the author's understanding of the world within the book are completely different. Thus, *The Top Scholar* is bound to be a completely different book. As for the differences, readers will experience them as the story unfolds. Mainly, I can't explain it clearly right now; I can only express my feelings through my writing and gradually understand this change.

Furthermore, I must say, it's so much more enjoyable to write about what you're good at! No need to be so cautious, like you're crossing a river with your eggs in your hands. You have the entire plot planned out, the characters introduced, all crystal clear in your mind—that's how you truly authentically write.

Although the previous book's success has definitely affected the early promotion of this book, for example, the featured page recommendation is only given for one day now... Waaah, it's so cruel.

But that's how the rules are, and there's nothing the monk can do but try his best to write a good book and win everyone's support. Then, relying on everyone's support, he can gradually climb up the new book charts.

The good news is that after a week of hard work, we've finally climbed from outside the top 80 last week to 12th place now. Unfortunately, due to screen limitations, we can only display up to 10th place, so please continue to support us by voting. If you haven't read the book yet, check out the latest chapter to keep up with the pace, and let's strive to break into the top ten!
Normally, asking for votes would mean adding more chapters. But this time, to make it easier for everyone to read from the start, the monk has changed it from updating only 4,000 words a day during the previous new book period to two chapters of 6,000 words each.

I'm still only one-eyed, and I've meticulously crafted this book, daring not to be careless in the slightest. I spend eight hours a day writing with one eye to produce these six or seven thousand words. Then each chapter requires over an hour of revisions, so I usually don't finish until midnight. Once it's done, I'll practically have a Sharingan...

Therefore, I don't think it's shameless to ask for votes while maintaining the current update frequency.

Okay, I guess I'm still a little shameless...

In short, please, this time you must rise to the occasion!!!
(End of this chapter)