Choosing the Best

"Pass!"

On the fifth day of filming, as Wen Yishan directed the camera to turn around, Zhang Xuezhou, who was lying in the cave backdrop, suddenly got up.

This is the second death that has occurred while he was filming Swordsman.

When Zuo Lengchan was killed by Linghu Chong, it also meant the end of his role in the story.

Zhang Xuezhou rubbed the makeup off his face, and the actor playing Linghu Chong quickly came over to help remove his makeup.

"What did you call me?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Young Master Zhang, my name is Ning Que, the Ning Que of 'better to have nothing than something bad'!"

The actor playing Linghu Chong was overjoyed. After so much time, the rich young master who had previously frightened him was finally asking his name.

Ning Que wasn't just trying to curry favor with Zhang Xuezhou; he simply couldn't curry favor with anyone else.

He could sense that many people in the crew were extremely polite, but also very reluctant to leave.

Apart from Zhang Manqian and Zuo Teng, who were gentle in their attitudes, the others merely nodded slightly to him and didn't utter a single word in conversation.

"Your Dugu Nine Swords technique is quite good. You hit me in three places: between my eyebrows, in my throat, and in my chest. Your fighting skills are excellent," Zhang Xuezhou praised.

"That's all thanks to the excellent planning of the martial arts instructor and that old man. I only learned a fake move and mastered it," Ning Que said.

"It's already quite an achievement to have mastered it," Zhang Xuezhou said. "I haven't even learned this sword technique myself!"

"I learn everything quickly," Ning Que said in a low voice, "But I can't master anything!"

You've done very well!

"Young Master Zhang, I'd like to ask you something!"

"Go ahead and ask!"

Do martial arts techniques really exist in this world?

Ning Que looked at Zhang Xuezhou.

He was terrified of Zhang Xuezhou's gaze, but after struggling several times, he looked at Zhang Xuezhou again, hoping that Zhang Xuezhou could give him a definite answer.

Wen Yishan could tell that Ning Que wasn't stupid.

The crew did indeed have many important figures present; even special forces personnel like those in the special task force could only serve as underlings.

This may be the limit he can reach in his lifetime.

If he doesn't take this opportunity to ask, he'll find it difficult to get the real answer.

"Are you getting too caught up in the role?" Zhang Xuezhou teased.

"No... no," Ning Que hesitated for two seconds before whispering, "You didn't practice the Sunflower Manual from the original novel of 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.' That really allows you to cultivate something!"

"Um?"

"I can feel a surge of internal True Qi within me, but I don't know how to use it. You must believe me, I'm not lying!"

Ning Que pointed to his body and then to the Niwan Palace (a point on the back of the head).

This made Zhang Xuezhou look at it from all angles, and then he tentatively asked a question.

"What's your online name?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

Are you asking for contact name?

Ning Que quickly took out his visual device, preparing to add Zhang Xuezhou as a friend.

"Dongfang Sheng?"

"Actually, I quite like this character. He climbs up from humble beginnings to become the best in the world, but unfortunately, I don't have the right temperament to play that kind of role!"

Upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou read out his communication ID, Ning Que felt a little embarrassed and quickly explained the origin of his name.

Do you use this name on the novel website as well?

"The website name is Dongfang Sheng 45," Ning Que said. "The homonym is Dongfang Sheng, which means 'I'm Dongfang Sheng.' Too many people have chosen this name, so I couldn't get a spot and had to add a number after it!"

"Dongfang Sheng is 45!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at Ning Que with great interest.

He never expected that this pretty boy from film and television would be so enthusiastic about the world of martial arts, and even have the audacity to practice martial arts haphazardly.

If there weren't some genuine passion involved, it would indeed be difficult to explain Ning Que's seemingly idiotic behavior.

He reached out and placed his hand on Ning Que's wrist, feeling a slight surge of energy mixed with the pulse.

This is indeed Law Power.

The other party was one of the cultivators who, through their own abilities, managed to Realm Entry, part of their extensive recruitment effort.

"Why didn't you go find Dongfang Shuo, the author of the Sunflower Manual?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Couldn't find it," Ning Que said in a low voice. "Someone like him only writes this book when he's in the mood, so it's impossible to find it. I strongly suspect that the scriptwriter just randomly inserted a martial arts technique into the book!"

"I have an idea!"

"You must be a big shot too. Does our... really have unparalleled martial arts?" Ning Que asked in a low voice, "Or... does genetic martial arts really exist?"

Even the most popular young actors are still just actors.

Even Wen Yishan couldn't reach the top, let alone Ning Que.

Although he was acting, Ning Que was still bombarded with public opinion. Whenever he thought about the Sunflower Manual he practiced while engrossed in the novel, and the Dugu Nine Swords whose purpose he had no idea about, Ning Que began to doubt the reality of this world.

He felt he lived in one world, but there were others living in another.

It's like the world of Swordsman, where ordinary people farm and grow vegetables, while villains and heroes roam freely amidst the chaos.

He felt that in the real world he was just a farmer, a farmer who couldn't see the true nature of the world.

This prompted him to repeatedly seek confirmation.

Although he is the lead actor in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer and one of the most important actors in the cast, Ning Que shows no trace of arrogance or diva-like behavior typical of a lead actor.

He was dedicated to his acting, trying his best not to offend anyone else on set, and Ning Que was also constantly searching for his own answers.

He looked at Zhang Xuezhou, hoping that the other party could tell him the truth, even if it was just to comfort him and give him a glimmer of hope to pursue the truth.

"You..."

With his own development barely under his control and even facing crises from time to time, Zhang Xuezhou clearly had no energy to care about others, even if they were cultivation geniuses.

Zhang Xuezhou originally intended to directly refuse Ning Que's offer, dismissing him with a joke, and mentioning that it was wishful thinking on Ning Que's part.

But looking into Ning Que's eyes, he saw Zhang Manqian struggling upwards, he saw himself, and he saw many others pursuing the truth in the battle of public opinion.

Some people are simply driven by gossip, but many others genuinely yearn to enter another world.

But these people should be disappointed that the world is not ready to welcome them.

Neither the realm techniques brought by Zhang Xuezhou nor the development of human genes were prepared for widespread adoption by the general public, and even popularization among major Lineage was difficult.

Otherwise, many Lineage members wouldn't compete to the point of near-life-or-death battles, and there wouldn't be so many disheartened gamblers in casinos.

Limited resources mean that only a select few can be pioneers, and only when these pioneers keep moving forward can the power of technology gradually reach ordinary people.

For ordinary people, access to certain technologies may be delayed by as much as a century.

Human genetics is likely one of them, and it may take even longer.

It's very difficult to make rapid progress in this kind of environment.

"Practice the Sunflower Manual and the Nine Swords of Dugu diligently. I have some related elixirs. If you can endure hardship and cultivate diligently, you might be able to join us someday!"

Zhang Xuezhou ultimately did not refuse Ning Que, and was even willing to give him a sufficient amount of Origin-Nurturing Pill paste.

He hoped that the other person's talent would not be just a flash in the pan, but would continue.

That might allow Ning Que to have more contact with others, and could even give back to them.

No one makes meaningless investments, and there is indeed a certain barrier to entry to follow in their footsteps.

For Zhang Xuezhou and others who had crossed the threshold before, this was a difficult journey they had experienced, but it was precisely because they had gone through it that Zhang Xuezhou felt it was necessary for Ning Que to go through it as well.

He's not the type to snatch someone else's umbrella if he gets wet in the rain; rather, the competition at the top is too selective, favoring only the best.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that some Lineage members are eliminated. At least these people have some wealth and can still make a living, rather than losing their lives on the journey of constantly striving for advancement.

If Ning Que were to force his way into this world without gradually adapting, he would inevitably face a future of being shattered to pieces.