The story proper begins one chapter onwards and feel free to skip ahead, though as an author, I feel obliged to include a foreword section to my work. I believe it is beneficial for the reader to understand the author's context and approach to his own composition, so that they may themselves enjoy the writing as much as the author does.

Although the author composes, it is completely up to the reader to imagine and imbue the text with a spirit, and there I think lies the fundamental aspect of the novel. The story plays out not on some screen or some projector, but in the minds of you, the readers. So read on, and bear with my rambling a little.

How ATOE came about is a little complex perhaps. There are elements of every sci-fi book I have read up till this point within it (I have not read anywhere near however many you think though). If hard-pressed to name a few titles, I would say the following: first and foremost Remembrance of Earth's Past by Liu Cixin, Foundation by Asimov, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, and a miscellaneous array of other hard military sci-fi novels.

What inspired most immediately was The Dark Forest Theory as explored by Liu Cixin (perhaps known better to international audiences as Cixin Liu), a possible solution to the classical Fermi Paradox. It is that spirit of scientific plausibility and rigor that I hope to emulate even a minute fraction of in ATOE. At the same time however I also strive to mesh the somewhat incongruous nature of the webnovel medium (especially that of power fantasy) with the story; the marks of eastern fantasy are prominent in my writing. In a certain sense, I explore how fantastical notions such 'cultivation' may be based in actual science. I hope my writing style is thus not too foreign for readers of web-literature.

In this vein of things, ATOE is itself most definitely also a part of the hard, military sci-fi genre. I try my best to ground the science in reality, and most of the time, reference modern day physics knowledge insofar as it does not completely undermine the plot. Although I do not need to go to such an extent to give reason and base to all the sci-fi I dream up, I think it is in the interest of any good hard sci-fi novel to do so. After all, for the readers of sci-fi, attention to detail and scientific plausibility are what truly lend a story its intrigue and allure.

All that said, please forgive me if I break away from scientific fidelity. Some elements of the story are not easily explained, especially for my ignorance in proper science, and thus must be sacrificed for the sake of plot. That above all is the duty of the author.

So, that's all to my piece of mind. I hope that you enjoy this story.