He has been reincarnated through countless worlds, adorned with billions of mythological terms!

However, when he finally achieved perfection—

On the day of filming, his performance directly shocked half of the staff.

The storyline was forced to stop, and Director Chen awkwardly told him to tone it down.

Yun Yi was initially reluctant:

If things have calmed down, then weren't these seven days of hard work a waste?

But after looking at the staff member lying on the ground and the few people who had wet themselves in fear, he remained silent for a moment before finally agreeing.

Filming lasted for nearly two years.

Director Chen was extremely demanding of every scene—if one take wasn't good enough, they'd do another; if ten takes weren't good enough, they'd do twenty; sometimes they'd shoot just one shot all day.

But the most time-consuming part was the actors playing opposite Yun Yi—the murderous intent on Yun Yi's face was just too intense.

Therefore, Yunyi could only restrain himself time and time again, and after each shoot, he could only hide at the door and grieve in silence.

Director Chen often went over to comfort him.

After filming, post-production began.

Editing, special effects, voice-over, and music—each of these took a lot of time.

The trailer was released when Yunyi was ten years old.

The first trailer is one minute and forty-seven seconds long.

The opening scene is set in complete darkness.

In the darkness, a voice rang out, very soft, as if coming from a very far place.

"What's your name?"

silence.

"Tai Cang".

The boy's voice was calm, yet tinged with a sharp edge.

The screen lights up.

In the mud, a ragged boy knelt on the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth and red-rimmed eyes, but the light in his eyes was bright.

Screen switch.

The boy practiced his sword, over and over again, from dawn to dusk, and from dusk to dawn.

He cut his finger with the sword, and blood dripped onto the snow, but he didn't care.

Screen switch.

The boy stood atop the mountain, with a bottomless abyss behind him and a vast army before him.

His sword lay horizontally in front of him, the setting sun reflected on its blade.

"Come."

Just one word.

Screen switch.

The boy was no longer a boy—he wore silver armor and a black robe, his long hair tied up in a crown, and he held a long halberd upside down, standing above the sea of ​​clouds.

His eyes were cold and stern, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and he exuded a chilling aura that kept people at a distance.

But in those eyes, there was fire—the fire of anger, the fire of hatred, a fire as scorching as magma deep within the earth.

Four characters appeared on the screen: Tai Cang Xi Zhi.

The day the trailer was released, social media exploded.

It's not because the trailer was particularly well-made, but rather—

"Xi Sheng Yuan Tong is back!"

"Yun Yi! It's Yun Yi!"

"Oh my god, he's grown up! He's so handsome!"

"Huh? You've grown up? You're only 10 years old!"

"I don't care, I'm too old."

Due to the national influence of "Xi Sheng Yuan Tong", "Tai Cang Xi Zhi" became a hit even before its broadcast.

The related topics garnered over 5 billion views in a single day, and the trailer's views exceeded 100 million within 24 hours. The top three trending topics on major video websites were all occupied by related topics.

Major media outlets have reported on this:

"Can Taicang Xizhi, Yunyi's comeback work, surpass Xisheng Yuantong?"

"From God of Dawn to God of War: Yun Yi's Path of Acting Evolution."

"Analysis of the trailer for 'Taicang Xizhi': Details you might have overlooked."

Film critics, social media influencers, and ordinary viewers—everyone is discussing it.

Some people are looking forward to it, some are questioning it, and some are watching and waiting—but no one is uninterested.

……

Three months later, the movie was officially released.

On the day of the premiere, Yunyi wore a well-tailored suit and walked the red carpet with Director Chen.

At eleven years old, he has grown taller than he did two years ago, with more defined features and a youthful air about him, but his unique temperament remains unchanged.

Flashbulbs popped and reporters frantically pressed their shutters, while fans screamed on both sides of the red carpet.

"Yunyi! Yunyi! Look this way!"

"Tai Cang Xi Zhi!"

Yun Yi remained calm, his gaze sweeping across the camera lens, a faint smile playing on his lips.

After the premiere, the first group of viewers left the theater, and the first wave of reviews began to appear on social media.

The film reviews were released the next day.

Professional film critics generally gave it positive reviews:

"Yun Yi's acting skills are still on point, and he captures the youthful charm of Taicang Xizhi perfectly."

"The biggest highlight of this movie is Yun Yi's portrayal of the young Tai Cang Xi Zhi. The sense of power that grows out of despair is truly moving."

"Director Chen put a lot of effort into the action scenes this time, and the design of several battle scenes is highly entertaining."

"Especially Yun Yi, the killing intent that erupted from his extreme anger really scared me to death—although I was scared to death, I still have to say: his acting is amazing!"

But what truly ignited public opinion was not the film critics' reviews, but the audience's reviews.

To be precise, it's the audience's evaluation of the adult version of Taicang Xizhi.

The actor who plays the adult version of Taicang Xizhi is Song Zheng, who is thirty years old. He is one of the most popular young actors today, with a handsome appearance, tall stature, and solid acting skills, and has countless fans.

He plays the adult version of Taicang Xizhi in the film, and his role accounts for about one-third of the entire film.

Judging solely from Song Zheng's performance, there is nothing wrong with it.

He portrayed the indifference, power, and loneliness of the adult Tai Cang Xi Zhi very well.

The problem is that he plays the "adult Taicang Xizhi", while Yunyi plays the "young Taicang Xizhi".

When these two Tai Cangxi Zhi appear in the same movie, the audience's impression is as follows:

The young Tai Cang Xi Zhi struggles in the mud and seeks survival in despair. Every fall is heartbreaking, and every time he gets up, it is exhilarating.

His heroic bearing in battle and his murderous gaze when angry almost make one believe that he is the God of Slaughter from mythology.

The adult Tai Cang Xi Zhi – invincible from the moment he appears.

Armored in silver and clad in black, wielding a long halberd upside down, he swept away all enemies, and no opponent could force him to make a second move.

But it feels like it's missing something, at least it can't compare to my teenage years.

As a result, the audience's psychology underwent a subtle change: the first half was impeccable, while the second half felt like eating shit.

Was it because Song Zheng acted badly?

Not really.

With over 100 million fans and outstanding performances in every role he's played, Director Chen wouldn't have spent so much money to hire him.

But the comparison is with Yun Yi—that's where things get a bit complicated.

Public opinion on social media began to ferment:

"After watching 'The Legend of Tai Cang Xi Zhi,' all I can say is: Yun Yi is amazing! Song Zheng... hmm, is that really him acting? He seems so different from the real person?"

"It's not that Song Zheng is bad, it's that Yun Yi is too good."

"Song Zheng's fans, please don't attack me. To be honest, I fast-forwarded through the scenes of the adult Tai Cangxi Zhi."

"Fast forward +1".

"Fast forward +2".

"Fast forward +10086".

Song Zheng's fans were outraged and began to fight back:

"Yun Yi only played the younger version of the character, what's so great about that?"

"The scenes featuring the adult Tai Cangxi are the real highlight, okay? Don't you even know what a sense of oppression is?"

"Song Zheng acted so well, are you all blind?"

But the louder the counterattack, the stronger the public's resentment.

Because Yunyi's performance is genuine, visible to everyone, needs no filters, and is truly good—the only downside is that those who are easily frightened should prepare a diaper while watching.

Although it's not a horror movie, the raw killing intent on the battlefield is incredibly intense.

That's why loyal fans are truly loyal.

You said, "What's so great about being a teenager?"—then why can Yun Yi's scenes make the audience cry, while Song Zheng's scenes make the audience fast-forward?

You said, "The scenes of the adult Tai Cangxi are the essence"—then why are the essence scenes not as appealing as the appetizers?

The scales of public opinion began to tip.

More and more people are coming forward to say: Song Zheng's acting was alright, but Yun Yi's acting was too good, and he outshone Song Zheng.

This comparison is most brutal for Song Zheng—because it's not that he's not good enough, but that his opponent is too strong.

Ultimately, this public opinion storm ended with Song Zheng's team remaining silent.

Song Zheng himself did not comment on the matter at all, except for a Weibo post a week after the movie's release, which read "Thank you for your support" and included a still from the movie.

Yunyi did not comment.

He doesn't even bother looking at social media.

I mainly feel that he didn't get to fully showcase his talent in this movie.

I have absolutely no interest in watching it.