Chapter 36 1/2

Sheng Quan didn’t have time to appreciate the smiles of the props team.

The Ten Great Immortal Palaces had completely captured all her attention.

She intentionally avoided checking the construction progress before, wanting to treat herself to a visual feast after its completion.

And Yu Xiangwan, true to his role as the “miracle creator” in the novel, had indeed achieved a 200% effect in building the Ten Great Immortal Palaces.

At least, compared to the expensive special effects scenes she had seen in previous fantasy dramas, the real and finely crafted items in front of her now were far more impressive.

The Immortal Palaces were secondary; the most wonderful aspects were the various mechanical props like the coiled dragon pillars, whether large or small. In “Cultivators,” the background was not about cultivating immortality but true cultivation. It featured not only mythical beasts but also various types of artifacts.

In the words of the scriptwriter, it was natural for people to seek convenience by nature. Among the many cultivators, there were those willing to endure hardships, those who enjoyed comfort, those who pursued the great path relentlessly, and those who followed it with emotion. In the vast world of cultivation, the appearance of various types of cultivators was not surprising.

Moreover, considering that cultivators generally had a lifespan of several hundred years and a long and profound historical heritage, it was impossible not to have some inventions and creations, especially when spiritual stones were a form of renewable energy, and so on.

From this vast worldview, one could see the writer’s ambitious desire to create an entire fantasy universe. Coincidentally, Sheng Quan shared a similar ambition.

Even more coincidentally, her wealth was enough to support all these ambitions.

As the Ten Great Immortal Palaces were the most powerful sects in the cultivation world, the artifacts used here were the most numerous and the latest. The various building props originally planned to be done with special effects were now vividly presented in front of everyone.

Accompanied by Sheng Quan, Yu Xiangwan used his magnetic and gentle tone to introduce each one:

“These moving puppet soldiers are equipped with the latest technology. To provide a visual impact, they all have a uniform height of three meters, follow their own patrol routes, and can be controlled backstage when scenes require it.”

“The eyes of this dragon have automatic tracking functionality, similar to a surveillance camera. If a moving object appears in its line of sight, its head will move slowly to follow.”

“The flying boat parked on the high platform in front is made of wood on the outside. The long leaves on both sides will gently swing up and down, but for flying scenes, we still need wires and special effects.”

“The disciples’ residence can also be used as a crew room for shooting. The kitchen is over there.”

Xu Man followed behind, her eyes wide open.

In filmmaking, it was not possible to shoot the entire story from start to finish as per the script. When the Ten Great Immortal Palaces were still under construction, she took the entire crew to explore scenic places across the country.

In fact, the exterior scenes had not been completed yet. She had just heard that construction was finished and brought the art props team to see, plus she left them to arrange the set.

After the tour, she would fly back to the current shooting location in the mountains to continue filming.

And now…

“I don’t even want to leave after seeing all this. The architecture, the design, the effect when filmed—it’s all so amazing.”

With each “artifact” she saw, Xu Man could immediately envision how it would appear in certain scenes. Even without close-ups, it seemed like shooting with such seemingly commonplace things would be a visual feast for the audience!

She was just imagining it and already felt elated.

This feeling was like having hot water ready to cook instant noodles at your fingertips, with a pack of instant noodles and a sausage ready to go.

Sheng Quan could understand Xu Man.

Although she wasn’t a director, she was a seasoned audience member.

In her past life, she had visited film and television bases during travels, but they were mostly exteriors of ancient cities. After a quick tour and taking some photos, it was done. However, with the Ten Great Immortal Palaces in front of her, nearly every few steps revealed some details worth stopping to appreciate.

Not to mention that “Cultivators” was destined to be a hit. Even if it wasn’t, just from ticket sales alone, she could probably earn a considerable amount of money.

Clearly, not only Xu Man and Sheng Quan could see this, but also the investors and representatives who took the time to visit and admire:

“Under Sheng’s leadership, there are truly outstanding talents. In such a short time, they’ve managed to achieve such impressive results.”

“When the film is finished, no matter what we do, we will definitely make a profit.”

“Not just a profit; even I want to take a stroll. When it opens to the public, it will definitely be a treasure trove.”

Now they somewhat regret not being more insistent on investing in the construction together. The effect was simply beyond their imagination.

Some investors even suggested, “We can release news that the Ten Great Immortal Palaces are real buildings when the filming is completed and ready for release. This will definitely generate a wave of excitement and attract audiences.”

Film crews usually keep the content and sets confidential. They not only sign confidentiality agreements with actors but also prohibit any unauthorized filming or leaking of related information. Larger productions even directly close the set during shooting.

“Nurturer” naturally followed the same practice. From the beginning of construction, the entire area had been surrounded, and agreements had been signed with the construction team to maintain confidentiality. With so many developers building skyscrapers in the city, people passing by wouldn’t think of entering to take a look.

However, that was the initial idea of the investors. Now, standing in front of a “palace” that seemed more real than real, they immediately changed their minds.

Leaking the set design wasn’t a big deal. After all, the era of flourishing cultivation fantasy films was long gone, and they weren’t afraid of someone copying them. Even if someone did want to copy, with such a large piece of land devoted to building a real palace, they wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Moreover, cultivation fantasy films were already cool, and “Nurturer” had a lower starting point than other films. With such a conscientiously designed set, the benefits definitely outweighed the drawbacks.

The more they thought about it, the more beautiful it seemed. With a bit of anticipation, they looked toward Sheng Quan.

Sheng Quan did not agree but instead said, “The promotion team has other plans for this.”

She didn’t continue on this topic but asked Xu Man, “How long will it take for you to finish filming the exterior scenes and return for shooting?”

Xu Man wanted to answer “immediately,” but she remained clear-headed. Regrettably, she replied, “It will take at least half a month.”

Exterior scenes were not easy to film, especially in real settings. It wasn’t a quick process, and judging by Xu Man’s complexion, which had darkened by three degrees, it was evident that filming in real locations was both tough and challenging.

“Half a month, that’s alright.”

Sheng Quan said, “Let those who have finished filming return first, including the extras. Didn’t we mention before that the large scene of the ‘Gathering of Ten Thousand Swords’ requires training? Use this half a month for training.”

Xu Man also thought it was a good idea.

The Gathering of Ten Thousand Swords was indeed a grand scene. Although it didn’t require ten thousand extras, it did need at least five hundred for the desired effect. Coordinating five hundred people to perform the same action while looking good definitely required training.

Moreover, each entrance of the Ten Great Immortal Palaces had a large square, providing ample space for training.

After Xu Man nodded, the matter was set in motion.

The extras had no objections to training. After all, training meant getting paid, and staying and eating at the film crew’s expense while signing confidentiality agreements were nothing new; those in the industry were accustomed to it.

Once the agreements were signed and they arrived at the scene, the hundreds of people were amazed.