Huayu: Starting with Hextech

He said nothing, but simply raised his eyes slightly and looked into the void.

That gaze was indifferent and disdainful, carrying a coldness that transcended the mundane world and a hint of barely perceptible weariness.

The camera pulls back, revealing him clad in dark armor, a black cloak draped over his shoulders, his figure as upright as a mountain.

The background is a desolate and vast scene of the demon realm, and he stands alone between heaven and earth, as if he has been standing there for millions of years.

The scene fades out, and the subtitle appears: "Demon Lord Chonglou, stay tuned."

A short post-credits scene that lasts only a dozen seconds!

In those ten seconds or so, it was like a drop of water being poured into a pot of boiling oil, and it exploded instantly!

GG started playing on TV.

However, on the internet, major TV drama forums, online communities, and the newly emerging Weibo platform were all flooded with the same name almost at the same time.

[The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 Tieba Forum]:

"Holy crap! Who's that red-haired guy at the end?! He's so cool!!!"

"Chonglou! The Demon Lord Chonglou from the game! The design is incredibly accurate!"

"That look! That aura! It gave me goosebumps!"

"Cast list! Look at the cast list! His name is Lin Xiao! A newcomer!"

"I need all the information on Lin Xiao in one minute!"

[Weibo Trending Search]:

The hashtag #仙剑三重楼# has risen from the bottom of the list at a visible speed.

Clicking through, all you see are screenshots and GIFs of that post-credits scene.

"That three-second shot was so handsome it made me swoon!"

"This is what a Demon Lord should be like! Overflowing with domineering aura!"

"Those purple eyes are so beautiful! Absolutely stunning!"

Lin Xiao's phone started vibrating wildly.

Notification sounds from Weibo, QQ, and SMS kept ringing incessantly.

He picked it up and unlocked the screen.

The number of messages on Weibo is jumping at an alarming rate, from a few hundred to 1000+, 5000+, 10000+... His private message list is overflowing, and messages mentioning him keep popping up.

The number of fans skyrocketed, starting from tens of thousands after the initial promotion, and then breaking through 100,000, 200,000, 300,000... racing towards even higher numbers.

He clicked on his latest Weibo post, which was an official poster of "Chinese Paladin 3" posted in conjunction with the production team's promotion.

The comments below have completely changed direction.

Previously, there were only a few scattered comments from fans and friends, but now they are being flooded with new faces:

[Top comment]: "Lord Chonglou! From now on, I am your demon subject!" (2.3 likes)

[Second most popular comment]: "This young man's acting is so good! One look from him made me imagine a 100,000-word tragic love story!" (18,000 likes)

[Third most popular comment]: "How can I marry the Demon Lord? I need an answer urgently." (1.5 likes)

[Fourth most popular comment]: "Looking at the cast list, I was surprised to find out they're newcomers from the Shanghai Theatre Academy? With that look and that presence, they have a bright future ahead!" (1.2 likes)

[Fifth most popular comment]: "Am I the only one who noticed that he and Zi Xuan (Tang Yan) had a face-to-face shot in the opening credits? I'm totally shipping this tragic love couple!" (1.1 likes)

On the forum, the discussion thread about Chonglou and Zixuan, the "Louxuan CP", has grown to a high level.

Various analysis posts, screenshot posts, and acting discussion posts have emerged one after another.

Some people even dug up a few behind-the-scenes clips and leaked photos from the set of "Chinese Paladin 3" a few months ago, and repeatedly analyzed the blurry scenes of Lin Xiao and Tang Yan acting together, imagining a series of epic forbidden love stories between a demon and a descendant of Nuwa.

The media always has the keenest sense of smell.

Before the next day even arrived, entertainment media editors on the night shift were already rushing to write articles, with headlines such as:

[A hidden gem of a newcomer emerges in "Chinese Paladin 3"! Demon Lord Chonglou makes a stunning appearance, boasting both good looks and acting skills!]

[Another handsome actor joins the ranks of period drama heartthrobs? Newcomer Lin Xiao shines with his role as "Chonglou"!]

[The "Chonglou" Effect: The Secret Weapon Behind the Pre-release Popularity of Chinese Paladin 3?]

Lin Xiao put down his phone, leaned back on the sofa, and let out a long breath.

The room was still dimly lit, with only the flickering light from the TV screen on his face.

An indescribable emotion surged within my chest.

There was the expected calm.

He knew all along that "Chinese Paladin 3" would be a hit and that the character Chonglou would be outstanding.

But when all of this actually came in such a surging way, the impact of being seen, recognized, and even loved by tens of thousands of people instantly exceeded purely rational expectations.

A sense of accomplishment. A sense of excitement. A sense of relief that "it has finally begun."

He recalled the [Exposure Boost Card] that the system had previously issued, which was designed to increase the level of discussion about him and his relationship with Tang Yan before and after the airing of "Chinese Paladin 3".

It now appears that this effect is being perfectly realized, and may even be amplified several times over due to the charm of the character Chonglou and the stunning effect of his dozen or so seconds of screen time.

In his mind, the system's notification sounded at just the right moment, clearer than ever before:

[Ding! Detected that the host's starring work, "Chinese Paladin 3," has officially aired and sparked widespread attention and discussion.]

[The work's influence continues to spread... The host's personal reputation has significantly increased.]

Reputation. Influence. These abstract data, measured by the system, were now being vividly presented to him through the frantically jumping numbers on the screen, the overwhelming discussions, and the media's eager reports.

My phone vibrated again; it was a WeChat message from Tang Yan, several messages in a row:

"Lin Xiao! Did you see that?!"

"Weibo! Forums! Everyone's talking about you!"

"Lord Chonglou is so handsome! (smirking)"

"I'm so happy! Everyone loves our characters!"

The words are filled with excitement, pride, and a sense of accomplishment.

Lin Xiao replied: "I saw it. Your portrayal of Zi Xuan was also great."

Tang Yan replied instantly: "(Shyly) No way... Everyone's been talking about you and Chonglou. But it seems like a lot of people like our pairing!"

She specifically mentioned the couple, her tone carrying a sweet, tentative undertone.

Lin Xiao smiled and didn't delve into the topic, simply replying, "Get some rest; we have filming tomorrow."

Tang Yan: "Yeah! You too! Goodnight! (heart emoji)"

Lin Xiao put down his phone, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

The night sky of Shanghai was illuminated by dazzling lights, and the stars were nowhere to be seen.

But at this moment, he seemed to feel countless gazes from all over the country piercing the night sky and landing on his name and the character named "Chonglou".

This is just the beginning.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 has only aired two episodes, and Chonglou's story has not yet unfolded.

"Du Lala's Promotion Diary" is currently being filmed.

The Myth is about to take over.

Further afield, there are "Palace" and "Scarlet Heart"... many possibilities await.

But tonight, those few seconds of stunning brilliance, the surge in popularity, and the overwhelming attention acted like a shot in the arm and a resounding clarion call.

This heralds the official start of the era for actor Lin Xiao.

He closed the curtains, returning to darkness, with only the faint light filtering in from the window reflected in his eyes, bright and resolute.