Chapter 216: Feng-Diao Battle, Wu Xia Golden Age, the Greatest Winner

After dinner, someone suggested going to sing KTV for fun, but Yan Li didn't join in.

It wasn't because he was eager to release his stored-up material for Jiang Xin—today was the premiere of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

He wanted to observe everyone's reactions, then push the Feng-Diao battle forward.

Instead of returning to the hotel, Yan Li went to Yi'an Garden—his office had a computer and a TV, and crucially, it was quiet, far better than the hotel.

Aside from Yan Li leaving for business, most people chose to stay for the next round, making it awkward for those who wanted to leave.

Yan Li was the boss; he could act as he pleased, and besides, he'd paid for dinner and clearly said he had important matters to attend to—no one was upset.

But others still had to maintain their social circles, lest they be called petty or antisocial.

Still, once they arrived, sang a bit, and got into the groove amid the lively atmosphere, hardly anyone cared whether someone had left or stayed.

So Yang Rong greeted Tong Dawei, the biggest name present, then left first.

Not long after Yang Rong left, Jiang Xin noticed.

There weren't many female actors here today, and the two of them were the most prominent and popular; they'd just had an unpleasant exchange, so it was natural to pay attention.

Thus, Jiang Xin, who'd felt her bond with Yan Li had grown closer during dinner but hadn't yet made up her mind, was spurred by Yang Rong's early departure.

With a sudden resolve, Jiang Xin slipped away without even saying goodbye.

The KTV wasn't far from the hotel; fearing Yang Rong, Jiang Xin didn't bother reapplying makeup or changing clothes—she just went straight to knock on Yan Li's door, and the harder she knocked, the colder her heart grew.

No one?

Jiang Xin pulled out her phone, thinking of calling Yan Li, but wondered if that might be too much.

After much hesitation, she called anyway. Yan Li answered, saying he was working at the company. Jiang Xin dared not ask more, and hung up after a few brief words.

"Looks like I overthought it."

Jiang Xin felt she'd been overly sensitive—Yan Li had already said he'd return to work after the meal, and it was normal he'd go somewhere else since the hotel wasn't convenient.

Yang Rong leaving early might've just been because she disliked the noisy KTV booth.

Still, Jiang Xin found herself inexplicably heading to Yang Rong's room, rehearsing what to say, then knocking on the door.

No one again!

Jiang Xin: "..."

That short little thing looked so innocent, spoke so softly—and yet she pulled this stunt on me.

But Jiang Xin misunderstood Yang Rong—the latter wasn't at the hotel because she was chasing after Yan Li, but because she was going to see Wang Ou.

"Look at my arm—it's all red, and my neck hurts too."

Yang Rong rolled up her sleeve to show Wang Ou; this time, for her sake, she'd suffered greatly.

"Oh my, Rongrong, you've worked so hard."

Wang Ou rubbed her arm sympathetically, then couldn't help adding: "Why let her bully you? Hit her back."

"I'd have to be able to beat her."

Yang Rong grew angry as she spoke: "She's half a head taller than me, built even sturdier than you, stronger too—and I wasn't prepared, so she just pinned me down."

"Don't worry, I've got this on record—I'll find a way to get you revenge."

Wang Ou spoke with fierce solidarity; not only was Yang Rong involved because of her, but even if they were just personal enemies, she'd still stand by Yang Rong.

Come on, she was at least Yi'an's Second Sister, a veteran who'd followed Yan Li for years.

Sure, Dong Xuan was untouchable, Qin Lan was untouchable, Fan Xiaopang was untouchable, Li Bingbing was untouchable... but Jiang Xin wasn't about to swagger around her.

"Don't just sit there—what are you planning to do now?"

Yang Rong wasn't easy to placate; "later" could mean any year in the future—she hadn't come to Wang Ou just to get empty promises.

"Don't rush. Think it through. Take it slow."

Wang Ou soothed her, though she wasn't afraid of Jiang Xin, she wouldn't dare show up at her door—what would Yan Li think of her? Even Fan Xiaopang wasn't that bold.

Even Jiang Xin only dared to pull Yang Rong aside and threaten her—if she truly laid hands on her, Yan Li would kick her out immediately.

"Violence doesn't solve problems. If we're going to act, let's use a smarter method—make her suffer more, hurt more, and have no one to complain to."

Yang Rong glanced at her: "Who said anything about violence?"

She pulled Wang Ou close and whispered into her ear, then said: "Make it obvious—I'll make that Jiang woman feel so sick tomorrow she'll wish she'd never been born."

"Little girl looks sweet, but her heart's wicked—still, I like it."

Wang Ou tapped Yang Rong's forehead, then pulled her along to help pick out clothes—cool and sexy, but not too flashy, and crucially, easy to move in.

In the end, they chose a green velvet dress with a suit collar and a tight fit, leaning toward an evening gown.

Last time Yan Li took her to Shanghai for a business event, she hadn't had time to buy clothes—Wang Ou learned her lesson and later bought two outfits suitable for business occasions during her free time in Dongyang.

She hadn't gotten a chance to use them for business yet, but wearing them to impress Yan Li wasn't a waste.

Afterward, Wang Ou applied makeup while selecting shoes, spending even longer than she had picking out the dress.

Yang Rong was getting impatient: "Enough already—there are so many shoes, you can't possibly need more time. If you keep dawdling, we'll both be asleep."

"You don't understand."

Wang Ou had shared some private matters with Yang Rong, claiming they told each other everything—but she hadn't revealed everything.

As a result, Yang Rong had always assumed Wang Ou bought shoes because she liked them.

That wasn't wrong—some women loved shoes, others loved handbags, some liked scarves; Yang Rong knew one woman who hoarded shoes even more obsessively than Wang Ou.

Under Yang Rong's urging, Wang Ou picked a light apricot-colored pointed heel, creating a visual contrast with the dark green dress and enhancing its elegance.

After changing, Wang Ou grabbed her small bag and prepared to leave, but Yang Rong still felt uneasy.

"You're sure you can find him? And you're not even calling ahead to prep things—you're just going straight there?"

"Relax. Do you think I'm Bai Hun? Just wait for my good news."

Wang Ou waved confidently and left. Yang Rong didn't go either—she simply stayed overnight in Wang Ou's room, which wasn't the first or second time.

Thinking of Yan Li's mention of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" premiere, she turned on the TV to watch.

This drama aired on more satellite channels than "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," specifically four: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, and Guangdong.

She turned on the TV and randomly picked a channel; "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had already started.

The plot had already reached the point where young Yang Guo was sent to Zhongnan Mountain to study martial arts, then bullied by the Quanzhen Sect's Taoist monks.

Yang Rong checked the time; if the premiere had aired two episodes, it was either the end of the first or the beginning of the second.

Xiao Longnü had not yet appeared; Yang Guo was not played by Huang Xiaoming, but by child star Ding Dang as the young Yang Guo.

"The pacing is really fast."

After all, this was a novel with the protagonist written by Jin Yong, and Yang Rong had read the original "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

Though she hadn't read it carefully, she vaguely remembered much of the early plot—had it already been only one or one-and-a-bit episodes, and they were already about to introduce Xiao Longnü?

But she could understand: the earlier plotlines were just setup; TV adaptations cut what they could, and getting the leads onscreen as soon as possible was the real point.

As she pondered, the plot finally reached Yang Guo accidentally stumbling into the Tomb of the Living Dead, where Sun Laopo rescued him—and Liu Tianxian's Xiao Longnü made her entrance.

Dressed in plain white robes, she stepped forward on white silk, ethereal and cold as the moon.

The drama deliberately crafted Xiao Longnü's stunning debut, with atmosphere, plot, camera work, editing, and music all perfectly aligned; Yang Rong was briefly awed.

As an 80s-born, Yang Rong's most unforgettable Xiao Longnü was unquestionably Li Ruotong from the 1995 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

Comparing Liu Tianxian's version now, regardless of who won, at least in appearance and aura, Liu wouldn't be attacked too harshly.

Jin Yong's dramas had immense influence, with many classic versions and iconic character portrayals; every new adaptation inevitably faced comparison with all previous ones.

New versions, having just appeared, had few supporters and struggled to overshadow those long-broadcast, widely beloved, or emotionally cherished versions.

If it wasn't instantly crushed by the old versions, if it had some merit, that was already quite good; if it could rival or match them in certain aspects, it could be called a success.

Yang Rong felt a bit envious; everyone understood the popularity of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

If Liu Tianxian's appearance and aura matched the role, she'd already succeeded half-way; if the drama itself held up, her fame might climb another level.

If she remembered right, the girl had only just turned adult, and before this, she was already a popular rising star—climbing another level might mean she was now aiming to catch up with the Four Little Divas.

How many of those 70s and 75s-era top actresses could withstand her? Would the entertainment circle soon become her domain?

Yang Rong pondered for a while, feeling a touch of melancholy, but then realized: who became famous or not had nothing to do with her.

For the acting profession, Yang Rong had no great ambitions.

Mainly because she was lazy, didn't want to push herself so hard; compared to filming, she preferred staying home playing or traveling.

Of course, if she could rise further, it would be better—more money, more stability—but if she couldn't, she wouldn't force it; she already had a formal position with the Shanghai Theater Troupe, so even if she didn't film, acting in plays still ensured she never lacked food or clothing.

Wang Ou sometimes teased her with Yan Li's resources and money, and Yang Rong wasn't entirely unmoved—but compared to other actresses, she was far less affected.

In fact, compared to Yan Li's money and resources, she actually preferred hearing Wang Ou talk about her private moments with Yan Li.

At this point, the two episodes of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" ended; Yang Rong took one of Wang Ou's face masks and prepared to apply it before sleeping.

She had to admit: though she'd criticized Wang Ou's unhealthy values, Wang Ou's lifestyle was undeniably more comfortable than hers.

She went shopping, bought clothes and shoes costing thousands without blinking, used only premium cosmetics, even had custom-made products from Xiangjiang, replaced her phone and computer with new models every so often, flew first class, and stayed in five-star hotels…

Though Wang Ou played the female lead, her fame had been small before, and her pay was low; her family didn't drain her dry, let alone give her money.

With such luxurious living despite low income, it was obvious where the money came from.

The longer Yang Rong knew Wang Ou, the less she advised her; sometimes, she even started borrowing Wang Ou's cosmetics.

Whether it was psychological or not, premium face masks felt more comfortable than ordinary ones…

Lying in bed with the mask on, her phone rang; she picked it up and saw it was Wang Ou—surprised, she answered.

"Done already? So fast today?"

"Mm."

Wang Ou whispered: "No, Boss Yan was busy with real business—I just called you to keep myself company."

"Tsk tsk."

Yang Rong couldn't help teasing: "Looks like your charm isn't that great. All that boasting you do with me—why not just strip him and jump him? Didn't you say he was hot and couldn't resist the temptation?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Wang Ou's breathing suddenly grew uneven, then fell into an odd silence—but faint, muffled sounds could still be heard.

After one or two minutes, Wang Ou spoke again: "Rongrong…"

"Rong your grandpa."

Yang Rong's face darkened; she wasn't stupid. Wang Ou's odd behavior, combined with her own experience listening to livestreams—she could easily imagine what was happening.

"Don't… don't be mad. I'm just bringing you good news."

Seeing she'd been caught, Wang Ou smiled sheepishly, explained, then gradually relaxed—the lingering echoes seemed to last for days.

"You're nuts."

Yang Rong blushed and cursed, tossing the phone away; she sat fuming, then heard the noise again—realizing the call hadn't been hung up.

She got up, picked up the phone, and angrily pressed the end button—but her finger hovered there, never actually pressing down.

Seconds ticked by until the sounds on the other end stopped; moments later, a slightly surprised male voice came through the phone.

"The call wasn't hung up?"

Yang Rong, who had been listening intently, snapped back to reality, frantically ended the call, then blushed and hurried into the bathroom.

————

The next day, Yang Rong, who had no scenes, unusually didn't show up on set; Jiang Xin, seeing the mark Yan Li's neck bore from Wang Ou's intentional design, couldn't help burning with anger.

That short, surnamed Yang guy was too despicable—he'd pulled the old trick of feigning one move while secretly executing another…

But Yan Li ignored Jiang Xin's growing agitation and focused instead on the premiere ratings of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

Today's newly released statistics showed "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had been a huge success.

Zhejiang Satellite TV, which aired the drama, topped the ratings with an average of 2.94; Jiangsu Satellite TV ranked second; Henan and Guangdong ranked slightly lower, at fifth and seventh respectively.

On the day of the joint premiere by the four satellite channels, the market share surged past 20%.

This performance is even better than the premiere of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

Jin Yong dramas are Jin Yong dramas; Zhang Dahuizi's reputation is no joke; no matter how much the Phoenix vs. Eagle battle is hyped, the Eagle's momentum is greater.

However, compared to the ratings, the public reception has been somewhat noisy.

Criticism can be found on every front, but the main focus is on Ding Dang's portrayal of young Yang Guo.

How to put it? As a child actor known for playing mischievous, clever roles, Ding Dang isn't lacking in wit, but he isn't a handsome boy.

Whether Yang Guo is the most handsome male lead in Jin Yong's Wu Xia is still debatable, but he is certainly one of the most handsome—renowned for his ethereal beauty and elegance; Ding Dang has none of that.

Liu Tianxian's portrayal of Xiao Longnü also faces some controversy, but the positive and affirming voices outweigh the negative.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng benefited from its competitors' mediocrity, standing out by contrast; audience expectations were low, so its reputation naturally soared.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes doesn't lack strong competitors; under Zhang Dahuizi's famed name, there are many advantages, but it also causes people to unconsciously raise their standards for him.

On the same exam, Yan Li scoring 60 is passing, 80 is a surprise, 90 is divine.

But even if Zhang Dahuizi scores 80, some are dissatisfied; if he scores 60, he's garbage among garbage.

So Yan Li anticipated the reception of The Legend of the Condor Heroes; it's just begun airing and hasn't fully unleashed its power—what's coming may be even more spectacular.

Yan Li, having seen The Legend of the Condor Heroes, knows exactly where its biggest weakness lies—at least in the early episodes, it will inevitably face mockery.

Thinking of this, Yan Li pulled out his phone and called the producer of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes probably already started trashing us—go along with them, add fuel, no, don't rush to retort; first help them insult."

"Don't be afraid to say it harshly—yes, I can insult too; arrange a few leaders to point fingers and curse—they should be as wild as possible."

"Best of all, create the impression that the Phoenix vs. Eagle battle has already been decided."

"Also, contact the media in Xiangjiang and Taiwan Province—I have use for them."

"…"

After making these arrangements, Yan Li called Zhang Dahuizi: "Zhang Laoshi, get ready to fire."

"Already fired. Wait for the news."

Zhang Dahuizi replied, and that afternoon, during an interview, he publicly expressed his opinion on The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng for the first time.

He rambled on about depth, connotation, style, and spirit—his words, in essence, boiled down to three words—

Yan Li is no good!

Meanwhile, many media outlets and online platforms began promoting The Legend of the Condor Heroes and denigrating The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, which just days ago was hailed as a potential Wu Xia classic and the benchmark for Gu Long dramas, suddenly became "dog shit."

This enraged the fans of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

As the most popular TV drama of the past period, it had no shortage of devoted fans; though caught off guard, their voice was still substantial.

Yet The Legend of the Condor Heroes' premiere ratings were real; The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng lacked effective weapons to counter.

Then—the weapon arrived!

In the fourth episode of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the male lead Huang Xiaoming finally appeared, grinning and calling Liu Tianxian, who was nearly ten years younger than him, "Auntie."

Boom!

If during the premiere, The Legend of the Condor Heroes had only minor flaws and overall received a neutral or even slightly positive reception,

then Huang Xiaoming's debut caused its reputation to plummet instantly.

【Props are thoughtful, sets are realistic, visuals are beautiful—only the male lead is a failure】

【So awkward—their appearances: Yang Guo could be Xiao Longnü's father, yet he calls her "Auntie"】

【Being old is one thing, but the acting is painfully awkward, clinging and weird】

【I beg you, Huang Xiaoming, watch your own playback—can you really watch that stupid expression? I got goosebumps】

【I used to think Ren Xianqi's Yang Guo was the ugliest; now I've met the most disgusting one】

【…】

Almost half of The Legend of the Condor Heroes' negative reviews target Huang Xiaoming—threads on Tieba, Tianya, and Tudou are flooded with insults.

Seeing this sudden reversal, Yan Li was utterly unsurprised.

He had previously encouraged and stoked The Legend of the Condor Heroes' arrogance precisely for this moment—mediocre noise is nothing compared to a satisfying reversal and slap in the face.

True to form, fans of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng seized Huang Xiaoming's flaw and launched a counterattack against The Legend of the Condor Heroes, with even many bystanders joining in.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes, which had been smug the day before, instantly turned muddy and humiliated.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng vs. The Legend of the Condor Heroes

In terms of casting and lead performances, the former utterly wins.

There's no way around it: The Legend of the Condor Heroes centers on Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü; no matter how well Xiao Longnü is cast, if Yang Guo flops, the whole drama is ruined.

Similarly, The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng centers on Lu Xiaofeng; even if you pulled all other characters—Hua Manlou, Ximen Chuixue, Sikong Zhaixing—from the novel, if Lu Xiaofeng is poorly cast or poorly acted, the drama is ruined.

So far, Zhang Zhilin is already considered by many to be the best Lu Xiaofeng; he hasn't been universally recognized yet, only because too little time has passed.

Liu Tianxian's Xiao Longnü still has to compete with Li Ruotong, but Huang Xiaoming's Yang Guo has already been trampled underfoot.

Of course, this is the outside world's view; Yan Li, who has seen the finished product, knows Huang Xiaoming's performance isn't that bad.

Huang has acting ability—especially in the later, middle-period scenes where Yang Guo becomes devoted and weathered; in Yan Li's personal view, even if not the best version, it ranks among the top.

But his early performance is a major drag.

This is a common flaw among most actors: they can play old, but not young.

If they had self-awareness, they could hold back—though it might feel slightly off, the overall impression wouldn't be terrible, and they'd survive this phase.

But Huang Xiaoming didn't hold back; he deliberately chased after so-called "youthfulness," failed to grasp the right balance, and delivered a pathetic performance.

The worst part is, if he'd been paired with a female co-star his own age, though the effect might still be poor, it wouldn't be so jarring.

Unfortunately, his scene partner is a girl under twenty—visibly youthful, full of collagen—making him look like a clown by contrast.

This awkwardness persisted until nearly the middle of the plot, when Yang Guo began to grow, mature, and steady himself—only then did it gradually fade.

So Yan Li understood that although the criticism was loud now, Huang Xiaoming and Yang Guo's reputations would improve somewhat in the middle and later stages.

But not all viewers would make it to the end, and the overall rating would certainly be dragged down—especially given the hostile stance toward *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng*; even if you performed well, it might not matter much, but if you performed poorly, you'd be dragged into the spotlight.

Even Yan Li himself, despite objectively holding a relatively high opinion of Huang Xiaoming, didn't hold back when it came to striking.

When he traded barbs with Zhang Dahuizi, he directly targeted Huang Xiaoming.

"I think Huang Xiaoming's performance was poor—more than half the fault lies with the production team, highlighting weaknesses while avoiding strengths."

"I don't believe the entire crew didn't notice the problems with that Yang Guo—why didn't anyone point them out?"

"Moreover, I believe Huang's image and style simply don't suit Yang Guo—this was a casting mistake from the start. I heard it was Zhang Laoshi's decision, made against all advice, so he bears primary responsibility."

"As creators, we must avoid obstinacy and arrogance—the consequences of self-importance are severe."

"…"

Although Yan Li's criticism was aimed at Zhang Dahuizi, labeling Huang Xiaoming a casting mistake also represented Yan Li's rejection of Huang Xiaoming.

Someone dug up that Yan Li had a good relationship with Nie Yuan, who had originally competed with Huang Xiaoming for the role of Yang Guo, suggesting he was avenging his friend.

Yet this was merely Yan Li's gentle slash—later, a heavyweight guest's review would deliver a fatal blow.

A passionate Xiangjiang journalist took a DVD of the drama to Jin Yong and received the following evaluation.

"The actor playing Yang Guo is slippery and shifty; when facing Xiaolongnu, he's exaggerated and frivolous, showing no respect for his master—as if he's seducing Xiaolongnu. I don't like it."

Jin Yong had a close personal relationship with Zhang Dahuizi and held high praise for his Jin Yong adaptations, but mostly for costume, makeup, set design, and thematic intent.

As for the actors, he praised them often—but he also criticized them when necessary.

Previously, Li Yapeng had been criticized by Jin Yong for portraying Ling Yufeng as dull and stiff, lacking grace; now, with Huang Xiaoming's poor performance, he spoke out directly.

As the original author, Jin Yong's evaluation, while not definitive, could not be easily ignored.

Huang Xiaoming and *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* faced an increasingly difficult public situation.

At this moment, another enthusiastic Taiwan-based journalist interviewed Gu Long's son.

In contrast to Jin Yong's dissatisfaction, Mr. Xiong gave extremely high praise to the actors of *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng*.

He even complimented Yan Li and Yi An, saying they had sincerely crafted a Gu Long martial world that people longed for, and expressed hope to continue collaborating with Yi An to promote Gu Long's martial arts fiction.

Gu Long had three sons; after his death, the three brothers formed the 【Gu Long Works Management and Development Committee】.

A nicer way to put it was promoting Gu Long's martial arts culture; a harsher way was selling their father's copyrights to make a living.

But regardless of which description you chose, they sincerely wished their father's works would become wildly popular, so they could benefit from the glow.

Thus, Gu Long's sons genuinely held Yan Li in high regard for making *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng* a hit and did not hesitate to praise him.

One criticized, one praised.

Never mind whether it was marketing hype—whether Jin Yong or Gu Long's son carried more weight—*The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng* was dominating the public discourse over *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*.

Still, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* wasn't without countermeasures: its viewership ratings were high.

Despite poor reviews, the "Feng-Diao War" generated maximum buzz; *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*' viewership surged after a brief fluctuation.

Ratings quickly broke 4%, market share for several satellite channels kept rising, and Xiaolongnu and Yang Guo, amid controversy, appeared in countless households.

Smart satellite channels in Jingcheng and Moshu, seeing this, began rebroadcasting *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng*.

Although rebroadcasts naturally had lower ratings than *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, they still performed remarkably well.

Jingcheng TV, having moved first, even entered the top three in its time slot more than once.

At its peak, one night saw six satellite channels—broadcasting both *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng* and *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*—simultaneously occupying the top ten.

Due to the astonishing popularity, other satellite channels grew envious; one even directly rebroadcast the Li Tianwang version of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* during the secondary prime time slot.

And surprisingly, the tactic worked well.

Because Zhang Dahuizi's *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* had high ratings but poor reviews, the old version's broadcast created a stark contrast and genuinely attracted many viewers, briefly breaking into the top three in its time slot.

Others tried to copy it, but there were too few Lu Xiaofeng TV series, and their quality posed no threat.

In the end, CCTV-6 reaped the benefits.

Lu Xiaofeng TV series were hard to schedule, but there were still some old films—so they rode the wave and enjoyed the perks.

But since they couldn't air *The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng*, they aired other Jin Yong dramas or Gu Long dramas instead.

Major satellite channels cared about their image—or had already milked the dividends—and even when they aired such shows, they placed them during daytime or the wee hours; local channels had fewer scruples and simply aired any suitable martial arts drama from their stockpile.

According to incomplete statistics, from mid-March to early April, roughly thirty-plus television stations followed suit and aired martial arts dramas.

The media cried out: "Feng-Diao War! Martial Arts Golden Age!"

Whether it was truly a martial arts golden age was debatable, but the martial arts craze had indeed been ignited by the clash between these two dramas.

Beyond the two dramas' rivalry, it sparked a collision between the Jin Yong and Gu Long martial arts worlds; there were many martial arts fans, including numerous celebrities.

With blogs at their peak, many celebrities and big V's brawled on their blogs.

The martial arts section on Tianya became so active, with so many posts, it was forced to redirect traffic to other sections.

Baidu Tieba saw its first-ever "bar-busting war" sparked by martial arts novels and characters.

Jin Yong fans unleashed a barrage against the smaller group of Gu Long fans, but later, internal divisions emerged among Jin Yong fans over which male lead was stronger and which female lead was more beautiful, giving Gu Long fans a chance to breathe.

Yet if you asked which online platform saw the fiercest fighting, it had to be Tudou. com.

A significant proportion of supporters for both dramas gathered there, clashing sword-to-sword in a specially created section.

Slowly, more bystanders and martial arts fans joined the fray, and the numbers kept growing.

It was already intense enough, but Tudou. com then contacted the main creators of both productions and invited them to drop in via video to thank their fans.

Good heavens—if Tudou. com hadn't been well-prepared, its servers might have crashed.

According to Tudou. com's backend statistics, at the peak of the Feng-Diao War, the site gained nearly 100,000 new user registrations in a single day.

This was terrifying by the standards of the internet at that time!

Meanwhile, the more users Tudou. com gained, the livelier it became, and original videos kept emerging, creating a suction effect on other video sites.

A few well-developed sites barely held on; smaller sites, if they continued like this, would lose all creators and users, eventually being sucked dry.

According to Wang Wei's plan, regardless of whether it was real or not, after the Phoenix Eagle battle, Tudou. com's user base would surpass ten million, creating a cliff-like lead over competitors.

This would raise Tudou. com's valuation to at least several times its previous level, with Wang Wei aiming to raise $10–15 million by selling 15–20% of the company's shares.

In other words, Tudou. com's conservative valuation exceeded $50 million, equivalent to nearly 400 million RMB.

At the time, Yan Li had acquired 30% of Tudou. com's shares; excluding resources and other factors, he had spent only $1 million—nearly 8 million RMB—and its current value stood at $15 million, roughly 120 million RMB.

In just about half a year, it had multiplied more than tenfold?!

Yan Li knew the internet industry had huge bubbles and massive profits, but he hadn't expected it to be this extreme.

Of course, this was merely Tudou. com's valuation—whether it could actually raise this amount still depended on negotiations—but in this era, as long as the project was good, there was no shortage of capital willing to bet big.

Yan Li felt a pang of reflection; the outside world assumed that "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" had become massive hits, and he had grown rich from producing and distributing these two dramas.

Few realized that his true biggest profit did not come from the dramas themselves, but from Tudou. com.

Production, distribution, platform endpoints—you still have to build an industrial chain…

(End of Chapter)