The veteran acting opposite Leo Vance as the High Priest was Marcus Thorne.
Leo held this senior in extremely high regard. He carried a natural gravitas that, when he turned serious, created an aura so powerful it felt like the air itself was thickening. He was the perfect choice for the High Priest, the pillar of the Outcast world.
In the following days, the filming moved to the center of Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
Within a massive clearing, a gargantuan arena enclosed by towering wooden structures had been erected. This was a venue Leo had specifically designed a month ago during pre-production for the Raten Taishou.
As the filming progressed to the tournament combat scenes, the pace became grueling. Many of the actors chosen for the supporting roles had backgrounds in martial arts or gymnastics. Under Leo's direct choreography and the "Aura BUFF" provided by his system, the fight scenes were turning out to be visually stunning.
"Alright, Sydney, David, let's try a dual-cam setup for this next take," Leo said, nodding to his assistant directors.
He had them film the frantic, high-speed clash between Jade (Feng Shayan) and a rival Outcast. After two or three takes ended in "N.G." (No Good) calls, Leo looked at the footage. While the quality was technically above the industry average, he still wasn't satisfied.
He pulled out his tablet and directly sketched the storyboard for the remaining thirty seconds of the fight. This was essentially giving his directors the "Standard Answer." Every frame, every angle of the blade, and every displacement of dust was mapped out with mathematical precision.
When David P. and Sydney saw the storyboards, their eyes lit up. To a professional, Leo's sketches weren't just plans, they were works of art. They were blueprints for a masterpiece.
Lately, Riley Evans had been the busiest person on set. As the female lead, Jo (Feng Baobao), her character was constant chaos. Between her "immortal" deadpan delivery and her habit of "burying people" in shallow graves during the middle of the night, her workload was immense.
The production reached the segment where a rival faction invades Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
Jo vs. Baren.
"Don't make the lighting too bright. Keep it moody, under-exposed. Move the C-stand to the front right, that's the spot!"
Under Leo's orderly direction, the photography and lighting teams worked like a well-oiled machine. Once everything was set, the clapperboard snapped.
"Scene 3, Take 8, Action!"
After the stuntman playing Baren "knocked out" Riley's Jo, the villain Xia appeared to ask if the job was done.
Suddenly, Riley jumped up, her limbs moving with a strange, jointless fluidity. She ran wildly, and when Baren caught her again with a strike, she didn't fall. She dropped to all fours, supporting herself with her palms and feet.
Her long hair was disheveled, two strands curling up over her forehead like the antennae of an insect. It was the iconic "Cockroach Girl" stance.
Baren's eyes narrowed, and then the chase began. The villain frantically tried to stomp on her, but Riley used a bizarre, flexible footwork, crawling and scurrying across the forest floor with a speed that defied logic.
Thud!
In the middle of a rapid crawl, Riley lost her center of gravity and flipped over onto her side, hitting a protruding root.
"Cut! Halt!" Leo shouted, his voice sharp with concern. He didn't wait for the medic; he sprinted across the clearing.
"Are you okay?" Leo asked, crouching beside her.
Riley had already sat up, forcing a brave smile while waving her hand. "I'm fine, Leo. My knee just took a little hit. Let's reset and go again."
"Are you sure?" Leo's gaze was suspicious. "Which leg?"
Riley gritted her teeth. "Left."
Leo reached down and gently rolled up her pant leg. The knee was already starting to swell and turn a dark shade of purple. In the center, the skin was scraped raw and bleeding. It looked painful enough to stop most actors in their tracks.
"And you say you're fine? We're going to the hospital to get a scan," Leo said firmly.
Riley shook her head, offering a cheerful, stubborn grin. "No need. If I go to the hospital, the wound will scar under a bandage and I won't be able to do the high-kicks tomorrow. It'll delay filming. Just clean it up."
Leo looked at her for a long moment. He secretly scanned her with the System, it confirmed it was just a superficial soft-tissue injury. No bone damage. He smiled helplessly. "Alright, you tough brat. Let's get you patched up."
He brought over a bottle of medical alcohol and personally disinfected the wound.
"AH! Dammit, Leo! Be gentler!" Riley hissed, her fingers digging into the dirt.
"Now you know it hurts?" Leo poked her forehead with mock exasperation. "Filming is important, but your body is the foundation. Be more careful with those cockroach moves."
"Okay, okay, I hear you," she muttered, her head bowing.
After a short rest, they filmed two more takes. Actually, the first one was perfect, but Riley insisted on a "backup" take to ensure the core strength of the crawl was visible.
"Cut! Pass!" Leo signaled.
The staff present were all deeply impressed. Every time Riley filmed, she gave 110%. She wasn't just a "pretty face" assistant-turned-actress; she was a warrior. She was usually cheerful and quick with a cold joke, but on set, she was iron.
But most of all, they were shocked by Director Vance.
Was this really the "Hollywood Hellraiser"? The Beverly Hills brat?
On set, aside from being serious during takes, he was the most down-to-earth person they'd ever met. He didn't act like a "Rich Second Generation." He never complained about the rain or the late hours. In fact, he often paid out of his own pocket to upgrade the crew's catering, and on one legendary night, he had personally cooked for the entire team. The taste was better than any five-star restaurant in Manhattan.
"Oh, if it isn't our Cockroach Girl," Leo joked as Riley walked back to the monitors, still panting.
Since Jujutsu Kaisen, Leo had been dragging Riley to the gym every morning. Now, she had a firm, athletic core. That crawling scene looked simple, but it required immense core strength. Most actresses wouldn't have been able to hold the pose for ten seconds, let alone a two-minute chase.
"You're the cockroach! You're the Cockroach Boy!" Riley retorted, pouting as she grabbed a water bottle.
Leo watched her with a fond smirk. He had been training her constantly, both on and off set. Since she was still technically his assistant, they spent nearly twenty-four hours a day together.
In private, he'd tell her: "Riley, just be natural. Act as 'unplugged' as you usually are when you're tired. Don't overthink it."
"Who are you calling 'unplugged'?" she'd snap. "This is called a peaceful soul!"
"Sure. A soul with no signal," Leo would laugh.
It was this banter that helped her state. She felt a profound sense of security whenever Leo was behind the camera. It allowed her to reach her best state almost instantly. But lately, a new problem had arisen.
Tia , who played the second female lead, Luna, was constantly revolving around Leo.
Tia was diligent, eager to learn, and possessed a "sweet" aura that was hard to ignore. Every time the cameras stopped, she would stick to Leo's side like glue under the pretext of "wanting to improve her acting."
And every time Riley saw them together, she felt a strange, sharp sourness in her chest.
"Tia, Luna is a complex role," Leo was saying, using his break to explain a scene to the younger girl. "She's sweet on the outside, but she's a righteous warrior on the inside. You need to find that fire."
Riley sat nearby, biting into an apple with such force it sounded like a bone snapping. She muttered under her breath, "He just loves being the 'big brother' to every girl on campus. First Maya Lane, then Sydney, now Tia... how many 'sisters' does one man need?"
Tia smiled sweetly at Leo. "Director, you know so much! Thank you! I feel like I'm learning more from you than I did in three years of classes. Why are you so amazing?"
Leo offered a mysterious smile. "You really want to know?"