Chapter Summaries

Ding Ling comforted Liu Piaopiao, accepted her affection, and received another Sovereign Light. He then taught her the Northern Darkness Divine Art, leaving her astonished by her new strength and wondering how powerful he was.

• Du Juan'er asked Yin Tianchou to persuade Ding Ling to take the male lead in her film, and Yin Tianchou agreed to try.
• Ding Ling took Liu Piaopiao to a restaurant and amusement park, then spent the night with her after she confessed that she liked him.
• The next morning, Liu Piaopiao reached Affection 100, and Ding Ling claimed the Sovereign Light that emerged from her soul.
• Ding Ling offered to teach Liu Piaopiao true martial arts and demonstrated his power by leaving a deep palm print in a tabletop.
• Ding Ling guided Liu Piaopiao through the Northern Darkness Divine Art, and she quickly mastered it and discovered her superhuman abilities.

Ding Ling began turning his troupe into a movie-making team, filming Huang Feihong with himself and Liu Piaopiao in the leads. Du Juan'er joined the troupe after witnessing his directing and acting abilities, but her manager's demands led Ding Ling to reject her team's proposed contract terms.

• After Liu Piaopiao's improved performance impressed Yin Tianchou and the troupe members, Ding Ling promised to teach them martial arts when he had time.
• Yin Tianchou told Ding Ling that Du Juan'er wanted him to star in a martial arts movie, and Ding Ling decided to make Huang Feihong with the troupe instead.
• Ding Ling directed and starred in Huang Feihong, with Liu Piaopiao as the female lead and Yin Tianchou, Zhao Fei, and Ou Yaozu in supporting roles.
• Du Juan'er visited the set, saw Ding Ling produce flawless scenes and draw actors into character, and decided to join his troupe.
• Du Juan'er's team brought a contract with restrictive terms, but Ding Ling rejected their demands, prompting her manager to protest.

Ding Ling rejected Du Juan'er’s attempt to join his troupe after her agent demanded concessions, then completed the film Huang Feihong with his cast in half a month. He planned to arrange its distribution and release across the mainland, Xiang City, Japan, and South Korea, while the troupe celebrated its prospects.

• Ding Ling ended negotiations with Sister Cui after she spoke condescendingly about the troupe and demanded a share of its benefits.
• Du Juan'er asked Liu Piaopiao to plead with Ding Ling, but Liu Piaopiao explained that the troupe had stopped recruiting and was focusing on its feature film.
• Yin Tianchou, Liu Piaopiao, Ou Yaozu, and the others filmed Huang Feihong under Ding Ling’s guidance, and Ding Ling completed and edited the movie in half a month.
• The troupe praised the finished film and asked Ding Ling about its release and distribution.
• Ding Ling said he would travel to the mainland and use his Xiang City Film Company connections to arrange distribution, aiming for a simultaneous release in several regions within a week.

Ding Ling secured a simultaneous East Asian release for his Huang Feihong film, and the troupe celebrated its opening as established industry figures predicted it would fail. Strong first-day attendance and audience response proved those critics wrong, leaving Du Juan'er convinced Ding Ling’s rise was unstoppable.

• Ding Ling used his connections and hypnotic techniques to arrange distribution and screenings across East Asia, impressing Ou Yaozu, Liu Piaopiao, Yin Tianchou, and the other troupe members.
• Huang Feihong opened across Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and other countries with extensive promotion, while Du Juan'er’s manager and other industry figures dismissed the film as a rushed failure.
• Du Juan'er urged Sister Cui to stop criticizing Ding Ling, but Sister Cui insisted the film could not succeed.
• After learning the first-day attendance had reached sixty or seventy percent, Du Juan'er investigated and found that Ding Ling’s fans, the advertisements, and his appeal to female viewers had drawn crowds.
• Du Juan'er concluded that the film’s word of mouth would boost attendance further and admitted that she and Sister Cui had overestimated their own importance.

Sister Cui regretted mishandling Ding Ling’s contract negotiations as Huang Feihong’s East Asian box office soared. Ding Ling began filming the sequel, while Liu Piaopiao’s fame and devotion to him grew alongside the film’s success.

• Du Juan'er comforted Sister Cui and agreed to have Xiao Li coordinate future cooperation with Ding Ling and his associates.
• Huang Feihong earned 12.38 million across more than a dozen East Asian countries on its opening day, and Ding Ling predicted its total would exceed 200 million.
• Ding Ling assigned roles for the second Huang Feihong film, A Man Should Better Himself, and started filming two days later.
• Liu Piaopiao reflected on her rising fame as Thirteen Aunt, her gratitude toward Ding Ling, and her relief that her violent ex-boyfriend had been imprisoned and faced execution.
• As Huang Feihong’s box office climbed and Liu Piaopiao became a star, women in the crew regretted not pursuing Ding Ling sooner.

The troupe completed Huang Feihong 2 while the first film became an East Asian box-office hit, earning more than 532 million. As the distributors prepared the sequel’s release, Ding Ling’s troupe began making Huang Feihong: Lion King and looked forward to even greater success.

• The Welfare Association girls kept pursuing Ding Ling, while Liu Piaopiao guarded her relationship and asked Ou Yaozu how to balance closeness with giving Ding Ling space.
• Liu Piaopiao promised to introduce Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu to friends, and Ou Yaozu vowed to help her protect her relationship with Ding Ling.
• Ding Ling’s crew finished Huang Feihong 2 in under half a month, and the troupe applauded after watching the completed film.
• The troupe reported that Huang Feihong 1 had earned 532.98 million across East Asia and topped box-office charts in multiple regions.
• Distributors collected copies of the second film to prepare its release, while Ding Ling’s troupe began filming Huang Feihong: Lion King with another loan.

Ding Ling’s Huang Feihong films brought him huge box-office success and left rivals in Xiang City envious and anxious. As he filmed The Lion King at breakneck speed, other directors realized they could not match his pace and resolved to compete by making better movies.

• Yin Tianchou, Ou Yaozu, Liu Piaopiao, and the others admired Ding Ling after learning how much his movies had earned.
• Du Juan'er and Sister Cui regretted missing the chance to work with Ding Ling, while Du Juan'er expected Liu Piaopiao to become a major star through his upcoming films.
• Ding Ling’s team filmed The Lion King so quickly that other directors were stunned by the production’s pace.
• Company bosses berated directors for failing to match Ding Ling’s speed and quality, and the directors feared losing income, staff, and authority to his productions.
• The directors rejected a boycott as too risky and concluded they could only try to make excellent movies to compete with Ding Ling.

Huang Feihong 2 broke one billion at the box office, while Huang Feihong 3 opened to huge crowds and continued Ding Ling’s run of success. Ding Ling promised bonuses to the crew and secured eager distribution partners for future sequels.

• Huang Feihong 2 earned 670 million in its first week and passed one billion after half a month, while the cast and crew celebrated its success.
• Ou Yaozu reflected on Ding Ling’s work ethic and resolved to stay humble and keep following him.
• Ding Ling promised to set aside one percent of each film’s box-office share for crew bonuses and another one percent for actors, with shares based on contributions and screen time.
• Ding Ling screened his finished third film for international distributors, who praised it and signed distribution contracts.
• Huang Feihong 3 began screening while the second film was still in theaters and earned 80 million on opening day.

Ding Ling completed the seven-film Huang Feihong series, which earned more than 10 billion at the box office and made him an international superstar. After a week’s rest, he began filming the Fong Sai-yuk series and planned to develop his troupe’s other performers.

• Film companies tried to recruit Ding Ling or copy his Huang Feihong films, but they failed to match his success and settled for earning money from distribution and cinemas.
• Ding Ling completed Huang Feihong and the Iron Chicken vs. Centipede in ten days, while Yin Tianchou, Ou Yaozu, and Liu Piaopiao worked with him and celebrated the series’ growing success.
• The Huang Feihong Septology wrapped after more than five months, and Ding Ling gave the troupe a week off and paid out substantial bonuses.
• The seven Huang Feihong films earned more than 10 billion in box office, while rival productions starring other actors were rejected by audiences.
• Ding Ling said he planned to make films for Stephen Chow, Ou Yaozu, Liu Piaopiao, and the others, then began filming the Fong Sai-yuk series after the break.

Ding Ling accepted a rare interview at the Ding Family Drama Theater, where he explained his extraordinary productivity and demonstrated his photographic memory. He revealed plans to make about a dozen films that year, including projects starring Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu.

• Ding Ling agreed to hold an interview after Yin Tianchou reported that reporters were disrupting the troupe's work, and Ou Yaozu announced the arrangement.
• The reporters gathered at the theater, where Liu Piaopiao organized their questions and limited the interview to one hour.
• Ding Ling said he worked for twenty-three hours a day, stayed focused, and had a photographic memory.
• Ding Ling demonstrated his memory by reciting passages from a magazine after briefly flipping through it, astonishing the reporters and his troupe members.
• Ding Ling said he planned to shoot about a dozen films that year, including films starring Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu.

Ding Ling’s interview amplified his fame and attracted lucrative advertising offers, while Fong Sai-yuk became another box-office hit worldwide. The opera troupe then began filming Tang Bohu Points at Qiu Xiang, with Yin Tianchou in the lead and nervous about his first starring role.

• Ding Ling praised Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu and announced that films tailored for them would arrive in the second half of the year, while turning away reporters who wanted to join his troupe.
• Ding Ling’s interview spread around the world, boosted television ratings, and brought the opera troupe advertising offers worth tens of millions that Ding Ling rejected.
• Ding Ling completed the two Fong Sai-yuk films, which impressed viewers with their production and martial arts after filming in about twenty days.
• Fong Sai-yuk opened to huge audiences, earning one hundred million in Asia and ten million dollars in Europe and the Americas on its first day.
• Ding Ling began directing Tang Bohu Points at Qiu Xiang, starring Yin Tianchou as Tang Bohu and Liu Piaopiao as Qiu Xiang, while Ou Yaozu encouraged the anxious Yin Tianchou.

Ding Ling’s films turned Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu from supporting actors into box-office stars, while his reputation as a talent scout drew aspiring actors to his sets. After making thirteen successful films in a year, Ding Ling left his troupe’s rising stars poised to take on more creative responsibility.

• Yin Tianchou starred in Tang Bohu Points at Qiu Xiang, which Ding Ling completed in a month and which earned more than 400 million at the East Asian box office.
• Ou Yaozu starred in Hong Fan Qu, which took two months to film and later earned more than 600 million worldwide.
• Newspapers praised Ding Ling for discovering Yin Tianchou, and hopeful extras flocked to his sets to be noticed and cast in his films.
• Ding Ling selected promising extras for supporting roles and personally guided them as they appeared in Hong Fan Qu and other productions.
• Ding Ling made thirteen films that year, including Du Sheng and Kuai Can Che, while Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu supported each other in one another’s films.
• Ding Ling’s troupe grew famous, with Ding Ling, Liu Piaopiao, Ou Yaozu, and Yin Tianchou recognized as its leading stars.

Ding Ling’s troupe turned its members into internationally renowned stars, while he eventually stopped making films and trained Liu Piaopiao in cultivation. Decades later, the troupe’s stars remained youthful and kept producing films, with Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu crediting Ding Ling for their success.

• Ding Ling’s films made Ou Yaozu, Yin Tianchou, Liu Piaopiao, Zhao Fei, and the other troupe members international superstars, leaving Du Juan’er and Sister Cui to regret missing their chance.
• Ou Yaozu and Yin Tianchou graduated with Ding Ling’s film outlines and promised to direct films together while continuing to appear in each other’s movies.
• Ding Ling stopped acting and directing, prompting fans to call for his return, while Liu Piaopiao continued making films and learned Ding Ling’s cultivation method.
• Over the following decades, the troupe’s members stayed youthful, and Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu became prolific action-film directors and stars.
• Yin Tianchou and Ou Yaozu surpassed Ding Ling’s fame but continued to praise him in interviews for discovering and teaching them.

Ou Yaozu and Yin Tianchou revealed that Ding Ling’s troupe cultivated Kung Fu Hustle, provoking a worldwide rush to learn martial arts and a backlash against Ancient Country. Meanwhile, Ding Ling taught Liu Piaopiao an immortal technique and prepared to leave, leaving her desperate to go with him.

• Ou Yaozu and Yin Tianchou demonstrated their martial arts on a foreign broadcast and credited Ding Ling with teaching them, prompting the host to ask to learn Kung Fu Hustle.
• The revelation that martial arts preserved youth and extended life caused wealthy foreigners and people around the world to seek instruction in Ancient Country.
• Foreigners accused Ancient Country’s martial-arts community of hiding its knowledge, but the community said its inheritance had been lost, while Ding Ling’s troupe continued teaching selected students.
• Ding Ling’s troupe benefited from the attention as its films broke box-office records, and Ding Ling guided Liu Piaopiao onto the Immortal Dao.
• After Liu Piaopiao discovered she could fly, Ding Ling told her he was a god and that he had taught her an immortal technique; she begged him to take her when he left.

Ding Ling promised Liu Piaopiao that he would take her when he left, and he gave her and the troupe members several days to settle their affairs. Ding's Opera Troupe donated most of its immense wealth before announcing its departure from the film industry, leaving fans and film companies reacting to the news.

• Ding Ling reassured Liu Piaopiao that she could leave with him in a few days, and she went to handle her affairs.
• Ou Yaozu, Yin Tianchou, and the others asked Ding Ling to take them along, and he gave them time to settle their affairs.
• Ding Ling, Liu Piaopiao, Zhao Fei, and the others donated most of their assets to the country and poor families, while reserving some money for awards supporting talented people.
• Ou Yaozu and the others announced that they were leaving the film industry, prompting fans to plead with the troupe not to retire.
• Film companies and directors reacted to the troupe's departure with a mixture of excitement and concern.

After Liu Piaopiao, Yin Tianchou, and the rest of Ding's Opera Troupe left the film industry, audiences abandoned cinemas and the market collapsed. Film company presidents searched for Ding Ling, hoping to persuade him or bring the troupe back.

• Distribution companies and cinema chains tried to persuade Yin Tianchou and the others to reverse their retirement, but the troupe had already divided and donated most of its assets and left to pursue cultivation.
• Netizens and moviegoers discovered that films had worsened without Ding's Opera Troupe, and cinema attendance fell as audiences stopped going to theaters.
• Actors and extras reported fewer jobs and opportunities, while casting increasingly depended on backroom deals rather than fair auditions.
• Cinema closures, layoffs, and shrinking businesses spread through the film industry as the audience and market contracted sharply.
• Film company presidents ordered their subordinates to find Ding Ling so they could ask him to return or persuade Liu Piaopiao and the others to come back.

Ding Ling entered the world of The Romantic Saint and met YOYO as Xiao Han began pursuing her, quickly becoming a rival for her attention. After arranging an advertisement with YOYO, Ding Ling exchanged contact information with her, while Xiao Han recruited his friends to distract him and planned to pursue YOYO at riding lessons.

• Ding Ling arrived as Xiao Han first encountered YOYO, and YOYO became interested in Ding Ling’s appearance and fluent Korean.
• Xiao Han learned that YOYO was visiting his company to shoot an advertisement and discovered she had asked Ding Ling to accompany her.
• Xiao Han investigated YOYO’s schedule, signed up for activities she planned to attend, and asked Liu Lei, Tang Huai, and Ai Mu to keep Ding Ling occupied.
• Ding Ling and YOYO exchanged contact information after discussing an advertisement, and YOYO left intrigued by his abilities and the simple business card he had given her.

Ding Ling built a company empire and arranged an exceptionally generous contract to bring YOYO under his company, hoping to keep her close through modeling and film work. YOYO accepted the contract after a lawyer confirmed its terms, and she prepared to leave her South Korean agency.

• Ding Ling secretly moved billions into his accounts and used the money to buy a commercial building, acquire eight factories and two entertainment companies, and recruit capable employees.
• Ding Ling instructed President Chen to sign YOYO to a long-term contract, and President Chen personally visited her while she was horseback riding.
• President Chen offered YOYO a five-million signing fee, a business vehicle, a luxury mansion, and access to advertising and film roles, with the company paying the penalty for ending her existing contract.
• YOYO had a lawyer review the contract and confirmed it contained no loopholes or false promises.
• YOYO agreed to sign and decided to quit her South Korean agency.

YOYO signed a long-term contract with Ding Corporation and discovered that her friend Ding Ling was its chairman. Ding Ling made her his secretary and spent time with her, leaving YOYO increasingly fond of him and wondering whether he was pursuing her.

• YOYO accepted Ding Corporation's generous offer and signed a thirty-year contract, while her favorability toward Ding Ling rose.
• President Chen brought YOYO to the company's headquarters, where she recognized Ding Ling as the chairman who had arranged her contract.
• Ding Ling asked YOYO to work as his secretary and help her learn the Ancient Country language through their conversations.
• YOYO worked alongside Ding Ling for several days, admiring his efficiency and growing more fond of him.
• Ding Ling began taking YOYO to meals, movies, and amusement parks, and she blushed as she wondered whether he wanted to date her.

YOYO wondered whether Ding Ling was courting her as he took her on dates and promised to help her career. Ding Ling filmed a series of story-style advertisements starring YOYO, and within weeks they had gone viral, leaving her with first-tier-level online attention and growing admiration for him.

• YOYO blushed when Ding Ling held her hand and took her to dinner, where he told her she would soon begin filming company advertisements and promised to support her.
• YOYO embraced the chance to prove herself after blocking former contacts who had mocked her ambitions.
• The next day, Ding Ling directed and appeared in a range of short-story advertisements for Ding Corporation products, drawing unexpectedly strong performances from YOYO.
• The advertisements went viral in less than half a month, and YOYO's online traffic rose to levels comparable to a first-tier celebrity.
• YOYO read daily trending topics and praise from netizens, who admired her acting and speculated that she was Ding Ling's girlfriend.
• YOYO felt grateful and overwhelmed by her sudden popularity, crediting Ding Ling's directing and acting with helping her performances shine.