No one expected that this controversy would be resolved by Jiangnan's opponent.
However, Xiao Xueming was also called a true master by many for his magnanimous spirit.
He genuinely wanted the martial arts genre to flourish, and his actions were solely to prevent an excellent work from being overlooked.
Even if this work was his rival, the person who had taken his place in the martial arts industry.
Xiao Xueming deserved the respect of many industry professionals!
Under his guidance, the controversy surrounding this drama gradually subsided.
People were more focused on discussing the plot and the characters within it.
"My favorite character in this drama is Zhang Sanfeng; he's exactly how I imagine a martial arts master to be!"
"I like Yang Xiao the most; this character is practically a protagonist template!"
"To the person above, add 'early protagonist template,' and for 'late protagonist template,' I'll give it to Yin Liting!"
"Haha, a daughter marrying her former love rival, how much imagination does it take to write such an incredible plot!"
"Yin Liting: You stole my woman, so I'll damn well steal your daughter!"
"Yang Xiao must be thinking, 'What the hell is going on...' "
Speaking of Yang Xiao, we have to mention the story of Yang Buhui and Yin Liting.
Initially, everyone thought Yang Buhui was one of Zhang Wuji's harem, especially since they had a childhood connection.
But then there was a sharp turn that completely threw the audience off track.
While taking care of Yin Liting, Yang Buhui actually fell for the man who had once loved her mother.
It must be said, this plotline was the most surprising in the entire series, truly an epic bombshell.
Fortunately, Yang Xiao was part of the Ming Cult and had a free-spirited nature; if he were a righteous person, it would likely have led to bloodshed.
"I wonder if Yang Xiao ever questioned life in the quiet of the night..."
"If my daughter married my love rival, I'd be filled with murderous intent!"
"Yin Liting is around forty years old, marrying a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl; it's the pinnacle of life!"
"Uncle Yin the Sixth states, 'I've been disabled for so many years, shouldn't I get some compensation?'"
"I wonder how complex Yang Xiao's feelings were when he heard Yin Liting call him father-in-law..."
Yang Xiao was originally a very outstanding character in the entire drama.
And the feud between him and Yin Liting, which ended in this manner, while hard to believe, was acceptable to many viewers. After all, this way, they truly owed each other nothing.
Regardless, although the ending of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" was controversial, its achievements were undeniable.
Furthermore, Ting Yu, at the Era Music Festival, released a preview of Jiangnan's new drama with the song "Rival."
It was another martial arts type of television series.
However, Jiangnan had already released several different martial arts dramas, and fans were very much looking forward to whether this new series would be resting on his laurels or achieve a greater breakthrough.
...
With the conclusion of the Era Music Festival and the finale of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," the two giants of the domestic entertainment and film industries remained on the trending topics for over a week, and their popularity finally began to wane.
Finally, it was the end of February.
As the watchful celebrities in the domestic entertainment circle breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to create some buzz for themselves, Xinghui's two consecutive Weibo posts once again captured everyone's attention.
"Jiangnan's film for the International Film Festival has finished shooting and will invite the two top domestic film and television visual effects companies to jointly complete the post-production of this drama, with an unlimited budget!"
The moment the words "unlimited budget" were uttered, many netizens erupted!
Everyone knew that Jiangnan had finally secured his qualification for the International Film Festival through his own merit.
He definitely attached great importance to this film festival.
However, no one expected him to value it so highly!
Not only did he invite the two top special effects companies to jointly complete the post-production of this film, but he also set no budget limit for post-production.
There has always been a saying in the domestic entertainment industry that actor salaries are too high, resulting in the visual effects of dramas being worth less than five cents. This has also led to many productions, advertised as costing billions, having ridiculously fake visual effects.
Because the money was all spent on actor salaries, various production teams were spending their money inefficiently.
The reason Jiangnan's team stood out was that their actor salaries were not high, and many actors even made guest appearances. The cost savings from salaries were then invested in post-production, making the entire drama appear exceptionally well-made.
So, what kind of astonishing work would emerge from this film participating in the International Film Festival if its post-production budget had no upper limit?
In addition to the news about the International Film Festival, there was also news about Jiangnan's new television series.
"Jiangnan's new drama will adopt a completely new approach, exclusively streaming on Tencent Video, scheduled to premiere on March X, with four episodes updated weekly!"
This news was even more astonishing.
Because news of this new drama had only been released a few days ago, and it was set to air in just over ten days.
"How is this possible? And in such a short time, even Jiangnan's team couldn't have produced it!"
"Did Xinghui get the date wrong?"
"What good work can be done in such a short time..."
"Don't mess around. While we want to see the drama quickly, we can wait for a few months. What quality can rushed work have?"
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Although everyone was eager to see Jiangnan's new drama, they also knew that ten-odd days were not enough to film a martial arts drama, let alone a serial drama.
Even Jiangnan's team couldn't do it. Even if it were produced, it would be rushed work, and the quality would likely be unsatisfactory.
Just as netizens were preparing to demand an explanation from Jiangnan, Tencent Video's official Weibo posted ten consecutive messages!
"Jiangnan's new drama will adopt a 'filming while airing' model on this platform, with four episodes updated weekly, allowing everyone to fully experience the joy of chasing dramas!"
"Thank you to the Jiangnan team and Xinghui Entertainment for their recognition of this platform!"
"Tencent Video announces that during the broadcast of the new drama, the platform will launch a membership giveaway event, with weekly updates offering unlimited free memberships!"
"..."
Tencent Video's excitement and enthusiasm were evident to the entire internet.
By playing the long game, they got everything they wanted!
Tencent Video, inspired by Wangyun Music's approach of courting Ting Yu, had been making overtures to Jiangnan.
From the beginning, Tencent Video had bet on Jiangnan, providing maximum resource support for every one of his works. Even if Jiangnan had high popularity and didn't require their homepage recommendations or pop-up recommendations, these works still achieved excellent viewership.
Yet, they still did everything they could.
Now, they had finally earned an opportunity.
An opportunity for exclusive online broadcasting of Jiangnan's new drama!
And it was an opportunity to exclusively broadcast Jiangnan's most anticipated work during his peak popularity!
Tencent Video was truly striking it rich this time!