"What!? What's happening?"
"What's the cameraman filming!?"
"Wen Long? Is Wen Long okay!?"
Fans watching the live stream were filled with shock. Especially the scene where the young star Wen Long screamed pitifully while floating in the air before falling and hitting the sandy ground with a loud thud like a frog.
This live stream video became an overnight sensation. Truth be told, Wen Long saying he was one of the industry's top stars wasn't much of an exaggeration.
He had over a million fans across the country. He could be called a major star that even people who didn't follow him could still recognize his face.
So having to be in such a pitiful state in front of cameras during a live stream would definitely impact his image with fans and followers.
Wen Long's talent agency became even more chaotic than usual. The PR department was dealing with both reporters and people flooding in asking for the truth. The call center was trying to answer phones that were practically burning up the lines.
Meanwhile, Wen Long himself was making a grim face in his private room. He silently read through online comments with his manager woman beside him.
"Even though the footage doesn't look great, you've become completely trending in society right now..." The manager woman spoke while glancing at the young man.
Wen Long was quite visibly angry. He furrowed his brow and replied:
"What's the company saying? I get injured like this and there needs to be compensation." The more he thought, the angrier he got. Even though he wasn't actually injured, just had scrapes that'd heal in a day. But his face-planting and floating mid-air being broadcast impacted his reputation completely.
"The company's trying... but there's not much we can do."
The manager woman didn't know how to answer. Because according to the evidence, they just suddenly got flung into the air and fell down on their own. They even filmed it themselves. Even though ordinary people now knew about cultivators and knew what happened was probably some technique, they still couldn't directly blame anyone!
The country's laws don't cover that yet. And Huang Zihuan didn't show any dangerous movements. The old man just stood there and they got flung. So honestly, it's hard to prove they were injured because of him.
"Besides, there's weird pressure coming from above. I think you shouldn't dig too deep into this."
The manager woman sighed. She'd worked with Wen Long since his debut and been through everything together. She could speak frankly with him. Plus she felt the cultivator world was still very new for ordinary people. Their background wasn't easy to measure.
So the matter was over. She thought Wen Long should find another path. There were still many cultivators who'd probably talk if offered enough money.
But the young man didn't think that way.
"I won't let this end easily..."
His eyes were full of resentment. The more he thought about that young woman's beautiful face full of coldness he'd seen through the screen, the angrier he got.
Where did that woman think she was so special? He went all the way to her house and she didn't even come out herself?
And then making him feel humiliated in front of the public like this. There was no way this would end simply.
Wen Long's eyes narrowed. He was staring at fans' comments appearing online and suddenly had a strange smile.
"...There it is. Even if I can't take direct action, there are other ways, right?"
The manager woman felt like this was going to get more and more intense...
.
.
.
Not long after, the internet saw a phenomenon called "Justice for Wen Long" emerge, with no one knowing it originated from Wen Long's people who were helping to stir it into trending.
They'd been doing this kind of work from the start anyway. And this wasn't their first time doing this. Many stars and celebrities in this country chose to use these services to get themselves trending in society.
The main point was painting cultivators as violent. If they treat stars like this, imagine what they'd do to ordinary people.
"That's pretty violent."
"But in the video, that butler just stood there."
"You didn't watch those videos? Cultivators can attack from far away."
"Yeah, I think so too. Poor Wen Long..."
These comments included people who didn't know the real story and groups of people hired to make this blow up. Until now Wen Long's name had become one of the internet's top trending search topics.
Fans came flooding in to support the young star. They didn't even care what actually happened. Making it so in just a few hours, the young man's pitiful image became a feeling of being bullied.
And not long after, Wen Long posted a message including a video online. It was a video of him lying on a bed with bandages wrapped all over his body. He tried forcing a smile for the camera and said he was fine. But finally acted like he couldn't speak anymore and cut the video off.
He used every bit of his acting ability! He even paid the hospital expensively claiming he felt unwell just to get to lie in a private room!
And because of this video, people almost completely sided with the young star.
The villain became "Bai Fanxian" - a young woman many hadn't even seen. But she was seen as a wicked woman who tricked the innocent young star to come visit and then humiliated him.
Many people saw the terror of rumors firsthand this time.
Especially one "group" watching society's trending attacks on Bai Fanxian with seething emotions.
They were the group calling themselves "Alchemy Empress's Fans."
After the incident at the association seminar, the Alchemy Empress's fan count increased even more. Especially alchemists who witnessed the Heaven-Defying pill refinement that day all became loyal followers of Bai Fanxian.
Normally they'd just talk among themselves. But today they couldn't take it anymore.
"The Alchemy Empress isn't like that!"
"Hmph! Calling all fellow fools. Time to stand up and fight!!"
"Fellow fools reporting in!"
"Fellow fools reporting in +1"
.
.
.
"Fellow fools reporting in +1985"
The Alchemy Empress's fans might have fewer numbers than Wen Long's fans. But these thousands were ALL "cultivators" and "alchemists."
So don't worry about quality at all. Especially in this era called "Cultivator Fever" - for them this was the era their voices were loudest.
"Fellow fools! Forget about fame and money. Right now our Alchemy Empress is being slandered. We all know that with her personality, there's no way she'd respond to this nonsense!"
"That's why we're here! We'll be her voice and speak up for her! This time we fight! Fight with everything we've got!"
No one knew who typed this sentence. But the flames in their hearts blazed fiercely together. They were acting like they were going to battle for their country and loved ones.
But as soon as they started moving, it had more severe impact than many thought.
"Hello? Yes... Master Zhu, does our Xiaoxiao have any cultivation talent?" At Wen Long's talent agency, a manager was on an important call.
This company had dozens of stars under contract. Even though Wen Long's matter was trending, there were still many people managing other contracted stars.
"What!? Cancel? Why!?"
The young manager who'd been in a good mood jumped up shocked. He'd just successfully negotiated with a Martial Master cultivator. The star he managed was going to study under that Martial Master and hopefully get famous soon.
But somehow "Master Zhu" suddenly called to cancel and sent his star back without even starting to teach!
"Hmph! Fools like us don't need reasons! I'm telling you right now—no cultivator will dare take anyone from your company!"
Master Zhu left that strange sentence before angrily hanging up. A few seconds later he found a message that cash had been transferred back to his account. It was the amount he'd paid to negotiate with Master Zhu before.
Not just this manager. Other stars in the company got affected too. Those who contacted teachers got rejected. Those who wanted cultivators for filming all got turned down. They were confused not knowing what was happening!?
"What's wrong with all of them?"
In the company president's office, a man was receiving many unexpected reports from subordinates and secretaries. He couldn't make sense of it because earlier he'd been happy that Wen Long had become the hottest trending star right now.
But in less than an hour, he received rejection messages from almost all the cultivators they'd contacted. And less than ten minutes later, he got the worst news.
"Sir, the Yang Clan's company announced canceling all cooperation with our company!"
His secretary came rushing in looking panicked. This news shocked even the executives. Because the Yang Clan was extremely influential in the entertainment industry. They even had their own large studio and had developed many successful stars. Being rejected by the Yang Clan's company was like being half-banned from the entertainment industry!
"...What the hell is happening?"
The president felt like he'd aged decades in one day. He'd been happy as in a dream for a moment before being woken by harsh reality.
On another side, at a coffee shop, a young man slammed his phone down hard. He still felt angry to his core.
"Brother Yang... all done?"
Sitting across was an ordinary-looking youth in a white shirt. He was one of the Alchemy Empress fans' leaders - "Novice Alchemist."
"Brother Yang" was "Alchemy Is Life." He was a hot-tempered young man and also a group leader. After that day they often went places together until they were practically inseparable.
"Heh! Even fellow fools who barely get by were willing to turn down jobs they worked so hard to get. How can I, the head of all fellow fools, just sit around?"
"The company will lose money... so what?"
"We'll show the Alchemy Empress fans' power. Show the power of 'fellow fools' and let that Wen Long whatever know who he's messing with!!"