Chapter 436

Zhao Qiang's luck was not bad; he actually managed to snag a premiere ticket online. He had browsed some forums before, and the ticket resale prices there got him quite excited.

Fortunately, his family situation was decent, and he was a die-hard fan of both Jiang Heng and Battle Through the Heavens; after hesitating for several days, he ultimately decided to go to the event site.

Arriving at the Olympic venue, seeing the crowded crowds, with celebrities arriving from time to time, Zhao Qiang was instantly infected by the atmosphere, feeling more and more that coming to the site was totally worth it.

And when Guli Nazha walked the red carpet, Zhao Qiang excitedly shouted along with the crowd, "Xiao Xun'er!", "Xiao Xun'er!"

Although the film had not yet been released, Nazha was already no longer an unknown.

Because the crew had opened an official Weibo, they had already posted the cast's posters and stills long before.

Guli Nazha's portrayal of Xiao Xun'er was absolutely beautiful in appearance, with a fresh and delicate temperament, perfectly matching the imaginations of book fans, and she had already garnered a large following.

After the trailer was released, her fight scenes in the film could be said to have instantly captivated a bunch of netizens.

Zhao Qiang's reason for not wanting to sell his premiere ticket was simply to be able to see his goddess up close at the event!

"Xiao Xun'er!"

"Xiao Xun'er!"

Wearing an evening gown, her beauty beyond compare, Guli Nazha stepped onto the red carpet and entered the main venue, while fans continued to shout excitedly.

Someone said, "It's so worth it, so worth it, to see Nazha in person!"

"She's also too beautiful; I feel she looks even better than Jing Tian and Liu Yifei!"

"No, each has its own merits!"

The male fans were happily discussing.

At the main venue, everyone was also praising Nazha's beauty; after all, she's the female lead, so she deserves the treatment.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wei, who played Xiao Yan, was somewhat of a nobody.

He, too, was selected through open auditions and was quite handsome, but since the male guests dominated the main venue and the female artists were a bit reserved, he ended up feeling somewhat "neglected".

"Thirty years west of the river, thirty years east of the river, do not bully the poor youth!"

Zhang Wei silently recited his lines in his mind, then stood in the corner with a cheerful smile.

"Director Jiang is here, Director Jiang is here!"

Someone shouted, and everyone turned toward the entrance, seeing Jiang Heng in a very well-fitted suit walking over alone.

"Director Jiang, congratulations! Another big film is about to be released; I'm sure it will break box office records again!" Han Sanping walked over first.

In recent years, China Film's cooperation with iQiyi has become increasingly rare, but their relationship remains decent; for Jiang Heng's film premiere, Han Sanping basically always shows up.

For some of China Film's important film promotions, Jiang Heng will also chime in with a couple of kind words, emphasizing mutual support.

"Thanks for the kind words, Chairman Han!"

"It's not me speaking nicely; it's your strength, obvious to all, haha!"

After Han Sanping finished speaking, he glanced around; the bosses of the other film companies also laughed along, though their smiles inevitably carried a hint of bitterness.

Because audiences' demand for movies is limited—like a couple who normally only watch one or two films on weekends—when Jiang Heng's effects-heavy blockbuster is out, other films struggle to perform.

Thus, in most cases, a single film by Jiang Heng dominates an entire release window.

For example, in previous New Year stalls, a bunch of films would go crazy, with new releases coming one after another. But in the 2012 Spring Festival stall, only four films premiered on the same day.

Besides the highly anticipated Battle Through the Heavens, there was also a low-budget animated film, a low-cost comedy, and an art film.

One could say that, aside from Battle Through the Heavens, there wasn't a single contender.

Of course, even those with some strength wouldn't choose to go head-to-head in the Spring Festival stall, lest a box-office flop cause huge losses.

One could say Jiang Heng is the "demon king" of the Chinese-language film market, with many film and TV company bosses hoping he'd cut back on output.

After finally waiting for the news that Jiang Heng would take a year off, they then got Battle Through the Heavens instead; they hope that once this film wraps, Jiang Heng can truly rest for a while.

Inside the main venue, there were many guests, and Jiang Heng's small talk with each person was brief.

After only a brief chat, the event ceremony began.

First, the beautiful host appeared, first mentioning the original novel's astonishing achievements and huge influence, then the fans' expectations, and finally inviting Jiang Heng onto the stage to say a few words about his creative thoughts.

The beautiful host asked, "With so many web novels out there, and plenty of classics, why choose to adapt this one?" Jiang Heng's answer was: "Hot-blooded, the Xiao Yan in the original novel has an unyielding hot-blooded spirit, very infectious. Moreover, the plot of the original novel is also written very classically!"

Because there was a film-watching segment, Jiang Heng only spoke for over ten minutes before stepping down.

Afterward, the lights in the main venue dimmed, and the big screen lit up.

After the opening animations of Longbiao and iQiyi, a voice came through: "Dou Qi, level three!"

"Whoa!"

Many original fans were delighted beyond expectation; they didn't expect the opening to be the plaza test scene, which seemed to faithfully follow the source material.

On the big screen, Zhang Wei's portrayal of Xiao Yan exuded youthful vigor, with a fresh and handsome look that closely matched the original description.

And Guli Nazha's Xiao Xun'er seemed to step straight out of the book, leaving countless viewers bright-eyed.

"Jiang Heng's eye for talent is really good; he actually managed to pick such a promising newcomer!"

In the guest seats, the boss of Tangren Media, Cai Yirong, gazed at Xiao Xun'er on the big screen, feeling immensely envious, thinking how great it would be if she had discovered her earlier and signed her to his company.

Too bad such things can only be wished for.

On the big screen, the plot progressed quickly, soon reaching the scene where Nalan Yanran breaks off the engagement.

In the film, Nalan is played by Zhao Liying, whose bearing is heroic and vigorous, possessing the aura of a heavenly prideful maiden.

And Xiao Zhan portrayed by Rong Guang exudes an even more domineering aura; seeing his fists clenched, a pale cyan battle qi covers his whole body, faintly coalescing on his face into an illusory lion's head, while his entire body is shrouded in an illusory lion's form.

Jiang Heng's film may have plot flaws or shortcomings, but its special effects and fight scenes are among the best globally.

Just the showdown between Xiao Zhan and Ge Ye makes the original fans' blood boil, especially Zhao Qiang with tears welling up and excitement uncontainable, because he is about to hear the line 'Don't bully the poor youth!' again; overall, the plot progression of the broken engagement scene is very fast, serving as an introduction to the whole film.

And as Xiao Yan departs, the music swells at just the right moment—a vigorous, uplifting pure piece that sounds somewhat like the score of Chinese Paladin, making the original fans' blood boil even more.

Next came Yao Lao's appearance; when Chen Daoming's portrayal of Yao Lao appeared on the big screen, many people were stunned.

Because in the new film's press conference, trailer, and previous various promotions, the character Yao Lao never appeared.

Many original fans still worry that Jiang Heng might have deleted this character, which would be far too damn much of a modification.

But I never expected that they would actually cast Chen Daoming to play this role! (End of chapter)