Chapter 148: The Ultimate Hype Strategy

The transformative evolution of his capabilities brought Liu Qingshan much more than a boost in self-confidence; it also sparked a noticeable shift in his personal aura.

He had stumbled upon this discovery accidentally. While attempting to interpret the Heavenly King Talent Card, he sensed that his aura was undergoing a subtle, imperceptible metamorphosis.

It was an influence and infection born from a certain shift in his ideological realm, akin to spring rain silently moistening the earth, an endless and flowing immersion that gradually shaped him.

Standing before the full-length mirror to examine himself for any differences, he genuinely perceived subtle alterations in his posture, appearance, attire, temperament, and behavioral patterns.

It was a personality trait that could only be intuitively grasped rather than clearly described—an inner charm that belonged uniquely to him, resembling the sublimation of an innate inner charisma.

He could not tell whether this was some combination of inner spiritual equilibrium and cultural cultivation, but he could sense that it was a direct reflection of the dynamic characteristics of his psychological activity.

To put it more colloquially, it was a noble and refined aura that arose from the fluctuations of his state of mind, one that easily influenced those around him.

In other words, its true charm lay primarily in this unique temperament—an aura that held an appeal for both men and women alike, representing an intrinsic and positive charisma.

Liu Qingshan did not indulge in this feeling for long, knowing that such a shift in temperament was like an external possession that could not impart the slightest direct influence upon real life.

What he cared about far more was the enhancement of his various skill statistics; those were his greatest reliance for survival in the future.

The entire remainder of the night was spent in the practice room, his mind continuously immersed in the relentless drills of the Seventy-Two Divine Subduing Techniques.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken. Yesterday, the crew had wrapped up the filming of Jack assassinating Lok.

Today would transition to another assassination sequence, also scheduled for a night shoot, set in a small public square and the telephone booth beside it.

Of course, this was only the portion of scenes Liu Qingshan needed to shoot; the crew had other arrangements for the daytime, reportedly a literary scene by the seaside.

To be frank, Liu Qingshan held immense enthusiasm for this production. Each of the intense battle sequences possessed its own distinct characteristics, and he looked forward to them eagerly, even as a mere bystander.

Yet, due to the heavy emphasis on fighting and killing, the overall tone of the film was violent, shrouded in darkness for the majority of its runtime.

This meant that, given the bloody and violent scenes of police-triad slaughter, whether *SPL: Sha Po Lang* stood any chance of passing mainland China's stringent censorship for a public release remained a major question mark.

Today was not without business for him either, as the promotional tour for *The Myth* was set to return to Hong Kong from the mainland the day after tomorrow.

The Emperor Cinema at Fortune Plaza would serve as the first stop for the film's global theatrical release. Since Hong Kong was Jackie Chan's birthplace and career springboard, it was naturally chosen as the premiere location.

As early as a few days ago in Beijing, Liu Qingshan had received word from Jackie Chan instructing him to arrive at the Emperor Cinema in three days to attend the premiere.

Originally, he only had a few cameo shots in the film, so receiving a special invitation naturally stemmed from other reasons.

He recalled that after the filming schedule in the mountainous region where Kim Hee-sun encountered danger was completed, the production team had specifically shot a sequence of pure martial arts footage exclusively for Liu Qingshan.

Today, he was heading to the Junjing Hotel, operated by Emperor Motion Pictures, to meet with Chairman Yang Wan-cheng for a final review of that video footage, after which it would be officially released online.

This step was one of the major highlights of the film's promotional campaign, something Liu Qingshan and Yang Wan-cheng had already agreed upon back in Chang'an.

Its primary purpose was to leverage Liu Qingshan's supreme martial prowess and highly aesthetic kung fu display captured in the video to deliberately spark a nationwide craze and reverence for Chinese martial arts.

Through the influence generated by the video, they hoped to stimulate a boost at the box office for *The Myth*.

The explosive media fallout regarding Liu Qingshan that had erupted previously had sent shockwaves through Hong Kong that were every bit as intense as those felt on the mainland.

This could easily be seen from the fact that he was already a household name among Hong Kong's martial arts community—a deliberate result of Emperor Motion Pictures' orchestrated guidance.

Even various rumors circulating within the industry about him, along with all sorts of speculations concerning his combat strength, were likewise the products of someone secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Now, coupled with a video that could showcase Liu Qingshan's true, unfathomable strength just as the rumors claimed, it would once again ignite people's intense curiosity about him, thereby adding fuel to the fire for the film's promotion.

The conversation he had shared with Yang Wan-cheng back then covered a vast amount of ground, and rumors surrounding their behind-closed-doors discussion had long been rife among both the film crew and Emperor Motion Pictures.

Now that the moment of unveiling the mystery had arrived, the moment Liu Qingshan's figure appeared in the Junjing Hotel and word spread, the gazes fixed upon him in the hallway became glaringly obvious.

Not until he caught sight of Yang Wan-cheng did Liu Qingshan pat his chest with lingering fear and say, "To be able to see Uncle Yang in one piece has finally allowed me to breathe a massive sigh of relief. Why is it that the moment I step foot in your place, I feel like I'm being watched by countless people?"

Yang Wan-cheng laughed heartily and replied, "That's because they've only ever heard your great name without laying eyes on you in person. Seeing the legendary figure himself today is naturally going to cause quite a sensation!"

"Oh? Am I really that famous now? I think the only work of mine that has been released is just one film, right?"

In truth, both of them knew very well that their hour-long secret conference back then had been far more than a casual chat.

Without answering, Yang Wan-cheng simply handed over a cigar.

Liu Qingshan's penchant for cigars was not merely due to a nicotine addiction, but rather a personal habit whenever he was deliberating major affairs—a preference that Yang Wan-cheng happened to share.

As wisps of smoke slowly curled and lingered between the two men, Liu Qingshan broke the silence.

"I am extremely glad now that I didn't form a partnership with Huayi Brothers back then. Today, China Film has provided tremendous assistance to the development of my Snow Domain Studio. If the special effects research and development for *Kung Fu* can be completed on schedule, the backing from China Film will have played an enormous role."

Following the opening of Snow Domain, Liu Qingshan had taken in a technological team numbering nearly a hundred people. Although there were subtle government undertones behind them, outwardly they operated under the banner of support from China Film.

Though those individuals were quite young and lacked the professional caliber to participate directly in core research and development, they were fully capable of handling myriad trivial tasks.

This relieved a tremendous burden from the external special effects artists he had hired, allowing them to pour more of their energy into core technological production.

Hence, Liu Qingshan felt such deep sentiment, knowing full well that Yang Wan-cheng possessed channels to receive this insider information.

True to expectation, upon hearing this, Yang Wan-cheng revealed the seasoned, profound smile characteristic of a cunning strategist.

"Indeed, Huayi could never offer you that level of assistance. China Film established its digital scientific research team several years ago, yet it lacked professionals like those in your team, such as Frederic."

"It is entirely foreseeable that the final cut of *Kung Fu* will deliver a massive high-tech shockwave to the contemporary Chinese-language film market, as it will be the very first production in the true sense to break free from the shackles of Hollywood's high-tech special effects monopoly."