Volume Two: Shadows of the Past - Chapter Ninety-Five: The Era That Belonged to Him Has Arrived

As the May Day holiday came to a close, the box office rankings for the released films gradually became clear.

The most regrettable of them all was undoubtedly Zhang Qishan's film, *Bloody Battle on Ancient Ridge*. Even with Chen Jing's help in promotion, the box office earnings of *Bloody Battle on Ancient Ridge* still fell short of Hollywood's imported blockbuster, *Alien War*.

Half a month had passed since the films' releases, and *Alien War* sat atop the box office charts with over 1.1 billion in revenue, while the second-place *Bloody Battle on Ancient Ridge* had just broken the 1 billion mark. Although the gap between the two films was only around 100 million, everyone could see that, barring any unexpected miracles, *Bloody Battle on Ancient Ridge* would not be able to catch up to *Alien War*. While domestic Chinese filmmakers felt a sense of regret for Zhang Qishan, they couldn't help but sigh that Hollywood's sci-fi movies still held greater sway with the general public, lamenting that China lacked the talent to produce top-tier science fiction films.

However, the most eye-catching phenomenon of this box office battle was not either of the top two contenders, but rather the biggest dark horse of the season: Chen Jing's directed film, *SPL: Sha Po Lang*. It closely followed *Bloody Battle on Ancient Ridge* with over 700 million at the box office, securing the third position overall.

Though this box office figure might not seem particularly towering compared to the top two, everyone knew it was the debut feature of a rookie director, Chen Jing, and moreover, an action film produced on a modest budget of just over 20 million.

With its outstanding and visceral combat choreography, *SPL* redefined the concept of the action film for audiences, emerging as the biggest dark horse of the box office war. As both the director and lead actor of *SPL*, Chen Jing naturally drew immense attention. Naturally, the entire supporting cast of *SPL* also shot to fame. In particular, Liu Manqiang, who played the assassin A-Jie, became the most popular breakout star after Chen Jing. After all, the intense alleyway fight scene between his assassin character and Chen Jing's protagonist, Ma Jun, had already been hailed by viewers as a legendary sequence. It was simply inevitable for Liu Manqiang to become a sensation.

Furthermore, Wang Zhou and his Wang Stunt Team, credited as the action directors for *SPL*, were riding an unprecedented wave of popularity thanks to the film's martial arts success. They suddenly became highly sought-after by film directors, with numerous productions eager to hire them as action choreographers.

Consequently, fueled by the explosive popularity of *SPL*, the market value of all its main cast members skyrocketed.

It is worth mentioning here that while Chen Jing was only just beginning to make his mark in the film industry, he was already a household name in the music circle.

To promote *SPL*, he had previously launched a Weibo campaign promising ten songs to top contributors. As half a month passed, the lucky winners officially released the ten exclusive singles they received from Chen Jing. Overnight, Chen Jing's songs once again dominated all major Chinese music charts. In particular, Xue Yue had released her second personal album two days prior, and the lead single, *Annual Rings*, continued her signature ancient-style sentiment. Within days of its release, it surpassed all of Chen Jing's other tracks to claim the number one spot on China's Most Popular Music Chart.

Indeed, the current Chinese Most Popular Music Chart looked like Chen Jing's personal playlist, with nearly every song on it belonging to him. Thus, his fans often joked that the only thing capable of defeating one of Chen Jing's songs was another song by Chen Jing himself.

Thus, Chen Jing's momentum in the music industry became unstoppable. Every pop singer firmly believed that the secret to becoming a hit was simply acquiring a song by Chen Jing. However, Chen Jing was notoriously exclusive and never wrote songs upon request. Aside from the previous Weibo giveaway and the recent promotional track gifted for Zhang Qishan's film, the only people who ever stood a chance at getting his music were the actors signed to Jingrun Entertainment. Because of this, many prominent singers demanded a newly written song by Chen Jing as a mandatory clause when negotiating contracts with Jingrun. Consequently, Jingrun had no choice but to repeatedly pressure Chen Jing to increase the frequency and volume of his submissions. Yet, unyielding as ever, Chen Jing stubbornly delivered only a few tracks a month to the company, remaining completely unfazed no matter how urgently management pressed him.

Faced with an utterly peerless and indominable Chen Jing, Jingrun could not push him too hard and ultimately had to drop the matter.

And so, the era of Chen Jing arrived in the Chinese music scene. Everyone agreed that if Chen Jing's dominance over the music charts could persist for a year or two, he would truly become the new deity of Chinese music.

Yet, Chen Jing himself paid little attention to any of this. Having already gathered his core team, he had traveled to a pre-arranged shooting location to commence production on his next film.

After selecting an auspicious date and holding a successful startup ceremony, Chen Jing officially announced that filming for his second movie, *Swordsman II: The Legend of the Swordsman*, had officially begun.

***

The plot of *Swordsman II: The Legend of the Swordsman* follows Linghu Chong, who, while in the midst of retiring from the martial arts world alongside his fellow apprentices, accidentally discovers that Invincible East is colluding with Japanese pirates in a treasonous plot. He resolves to join forces with Ren Yingying, Xiang Wentian, and Lan Fenghuang to rescue Ren Woxing and subsequently eliminate Invincible East, reclaiming the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

Without a doubt, the most dazzling and crucial character in this film is Invincible East. Therefore, to ensure the role was portrayed to perfection, Chen Jing personally approached an actress he believed was a flawless fit for the part: Xie Shuxia, to play Invincible East.

True enough, just days after Chen Jing reached out to her, Xie Shuxia called him to confirm that she had accepted the role of Invincible East.

Overjoyed by her consent, Chen Jing immediately threw himself into pre-production. The remaining supporting roles were naturally cast from Jingrun's pool of artists.

The male lead, Linghu Chong, was naturally played by Chen Jing himself. Characters like Xiang Wentian and Lan Fenghuang were new actors selected from Jingrun's roster. The role of Ren Woxing went to Liu Hao, who had previously collaborated with Chen Jing by playing Zhang Guozhong in the previous film, *SPL*. As for Linghu Chong's junior apprentice brother, in the spirit of maximizing utility, Chen Jing invited assistant director Wang Shumin to make a cameo appearance. Wang Shumin readily accepted the proposal—after all, anyone with a passion for filmmaking secretly harbors the desire to act.

The final two significant roles—Ren Yingying and Invincible East's personal maid—were filled by old acquaintances making special appearances. During the casting days, Ling Ruohan suddenly dragged Xue Yue over to Chen Jing and boldly announced her intention to play Ren Yingying.

Faced with Ling Ruohan's sudden urge to act, Chen Jing could only smile wryly and accept. Although Ling Ruohan's acting skills posed a major challenge, Chen Jing believed he could shape her into shape. Moreover, upon catching sight of Xue Yue standing beside her, a brilliant idea struck him. He immediately decided that Xue Yue should play Shishi, Invincible East's loyal personal maid.

With that, the main cast for *Swordsman II: The Legend of the Swordsman* was fully finalized.

The set constructed for Chen Jing's film crew was nestled deep within a desolate wilderness forest.

"Haha, A-Jing, do you think this outfit I'm wearing looks pretty?" Ling Ruohan asked with a smile, spinning around gracefully before Chen Jing in a traditional Miao ethnic costume.

Chen Jing gave her a thumbs-up and praised with a grin, "Of course it's pretty. Sister Ruohan always looks her best, no matter what."

Hearing his compliment, Ling Ruohan beamed instantly. "Hehe, you certainly know how to flatter people, A-Jing."

"Alright, alright, alright. Stop flirting over there. Chen Jing, go change your clothes and get ready for the shoot." The only person in the crew daring to speak to Chen Jing in such a manner was naturally assistant director Wang Shumin. Dressed in attire resembling that of a Mount Hua Sect disciple, she urged him forward. The next shot required capturing the scene where Linghu Chong and the others discover Ren Yingying injured inside a forest cabin. Originally, the scene of Ren Yingying being attacked was supposed to be filmed first, but because it was still daytime, they had to shoot the subsequent sequence instead.

"Alright, I'm coming right now," Chen Jing replied, rushing off to change.

One had to admit that with his exceptional physique, Chen Jing looked stunning in virtually any costume.

Clad in the robes of a Mount Hua disciple, his posture appeared even taller and straighter, complemented by his makeup and flowing long locks, giving him the undeniable aura of a classic martial arts hero.

Ling Ruohan could not help teasing him upon seeing this. "Whoa! A-Jing, you really were born to be a star. Look at this face, this figure—tsk tsk tsk. Absolutely peerless."

Too lazy to argue with this female rascal, Chen Jing turned his attention to organizing the crew and preparing the set for the upcoming shot.

"Cut!"

"Ruohan, you need to show more expression right here."

"Oh oh, right, right. I understand."

Chen Jing offered a helpless smile. "All right then, let's take it from the top."

Moments later...

"Cut!"

With a wry smile, Chen Jing said, "Ruohan, your expression here is way too forced."

Realizing she had messed up yet again, Ling Ruohan stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "Sorry, let's go again, let's go again, let's go again. I'll nail it this time, for sure."

Shaking his head, Chen Jing knew that Ling Ruohan had not yet entered the right emotional state for acting. Under such conditions, repeating the take a hundred times would yield the exact same result.

"Never mind, let's shoot someone else's scenes first. Sister Shumin, take over the camera for a moment," Chen Jing instructed Wang Shumin before turning to Ling Ruohan. "Come here, Sister Ruohan, walk with me. Let's run through the scene together so you can find your rhythm."

"Okay," Ling Ruohan murmured submissively, trailing after Chen Jing toward the edge of the woods.