Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

The first day of the casting call, in the conference room of Tianxing Entertainment.

A thick stack of actor information was laid out on the table. The director team, screenwriter team, producer, and art director were all present, and everyone had the same question in their minds—what kind of Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 was Lin Yuan going to make?

The producer spoke first, bringing up the most practical question: "Director Lin, why don't you just cast the hottest young actor right now for Jing Tian? That guarantees viewership and reduces the pressure of publicity."

Lin Yuan flipped through the documents in his hand without looking up: "Because Jing Tian isn't an idol. In the early stages, he's a cowardly, greedy, and talkative nobody. If the actor starts with a protagonist's aura, all his later growth will be ineffective."

The meeting room was silent for two seconds; no one responded.

Lin Yuan flipped the first list over and pushed it to the center of the table.

Jing Tian: Hu Ge.

The problem is, Hu Ge refused.

The reason is straightforward: Jing Tian's previous roles are too similar to those he has played, and the audience is afraid that it will feel repetitive; in addition, his condition has been unstable since the car accident, and he is unsure whether he is suitable to play the male lead.

The producer relayed the news, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became slightly awkward. Someone had already started preparing a shortlist.

Lin Yuan didn't speak, picked up his coat, and said, "I'll go talk to them myself."

Meeting at a coffee shop, Hu Ge cut to the chase: "Director Lin, I feel this role might really not be suitable for me."

"Do you think Jing Tian is the same as the characters he played before?" Lin Yuan pushed the script over, flipped it open, and pointed to a few places. "Jing Tian, ​​at the beginning, is just a lazy worker in Yong'an, wanting to get rich, afraid of trouble, and stubborn. It's not that he lacks a sense of responsibility, it's just that he hasn't encountered the day when he must take responsibility. When he does, it's after he's lost everything, and only then does he force himself to become a hero."

Hu Ge didn't speak, staring down at the few pages of the script.

Lin Yuan then said, "There's one more role."

Hu Ge looked up.

"Fei Peng," Lin Yuan said, "the number one divine general in the divine realm, lonely for a thousand years. The character you truly need to portray isn't just a young boy, but three different lives—the same soul, pushed along by fate through three eras."

Hu Ge remained silent for a long time, the steam from his coffee cup slowly dissipating. Finally, he looked up and said four words: "Director Lin, I'll give it a try."

The news reached the conference room, and the producer stared at the list for two seconds before finally asking, "Three roles for one person... Hu Ge really accepted?"

Lin Yuan hung his coat back on the back of the chair, sat down, and said, "I'll take it."

Lin Yuan's first choice for the role of Xu Changqing was Wallace Huo, but he was turned down on the first contact because his schedule was full.

The production team listed several candidates, including Taiwanese and Hong Kong actors, all of whom were famous and available. They auditioned in turn, but Lin Yuan rejected them all.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Lin Yuan pushed a character analysis onto the table and said, "They're playing a Taoist priest, not Xu Changqing. Changqing appears cold on the surface, but he's not truly indifferent; it's restraint. He seems heartless on the surface, but it's because he can't possess what he wants, not because he doesn't love. He knows his fate and what he carries. If you confuse these two things, the character is ruined."

No one in the meeting room brought up the alternative list again.

The production team ultimately adjusted the filming schedule, making room for Wallace Huo's schedule, and rescheduled the filming for both sides, reaching an agreement.

On his first day of filming, Wallace Huo had his makeup test. He was bare-faced, dressed in white, and carrying a long sword. He just stood there, saying nothing and making no deliberate expressions.

Everyone fell silent for a second.

Lin Yuan looked at it for two seconds and said five words: "This is Chang Qing."

The most troublesome character is Tang Xuejian.

Yang Mi was originally slated to star, but due to scheduling conflicts, she was unable to participate, so the production team began holding open auditions.

One by one, actors auditioned, and one by one they were rejected—some were too sweet, not like Xuejian; some were too mature, lacking girlish charm; some were too gentle, lacking the spirit of the eldest daughter of the Tang family.

Lin Yuan frowned as he stared at the list. The internet was already buzzing with discussion about "who will play Xuejian in Chinese Paladin 3." Yang Mi was still in first place in the vote, and the pressure from public opinion was growing day by day.

Ten days into filming, Yang Mi hadn't joined the crew yet, so the production team had Tang Yan fill in for her, filming a few scenes without Xuejian.

But Lin Yuan watched Tang Yan's audition and shook his head. "Xue Jian isn't a naive girl. She can cry, but after crying, she'll yell back. That's not right."

The producer was somewhat troubled and asked Tang Yan how to arrange things.

Lin Yuan didn't speak immediately. He flipped through the cast list beside him, then looked up and said, "Let her try out for Zi Xuan."

The styling team immediately changed her into a purple outfit and restyled her hair. Tang Yan stood in front of the mirror, and her demeanor changed at some point. Something slowly sank into her expression. The suppressed sorrow of waiting for three lifetimes and not getting what she wanted was not acting; it seeped out.

After watching from the side, Huo Jianhua spoke, saying only one sentence: "She is Zixuan."

Later, Yang Mi's schedule became available, Xuejian returned to the role, and Tang Yan was cast as Zixuan. A temporary replacement thus became the most suitable candidate for another role.

The casting of Longkui was a lucky accident.

Liu Shishi originally came for the role of Zi Xuan, but after she tried it out, Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "You're too clean-cut. Zi Xuan needs to be more alluring." Then he changed the subject and asked her to try the role of Long Kui.

Lan Longkui auditioned; she was weak, kind, dependent on her brother, and her eyes were full of grievances, as harmless as a blade of grass about to be broken.

Lin Yuan called a halt, changed to Red Dragon Sunflower, and with the change in appearance, Liu Shishi appeared. Her entire aura shifted, becoming mad, obsessive, and filled with a thousand years of resentment. The things hidden in her eyes were suddenly different.

Lin Yuan said, "Long Kui has been found."

As for the supporting roles, Chonglou needed to be over 185cm tall, have a sinister charm, and be imposing. We tried a group of people, but none of them were right.

In the end, Huang Zhiwei was chosen. Lin Yuan said that what he valued was not his aura, but the sense of propriety that "stands in the demon realm, but understands loyalty and righteousness better than many people."

Maoshan chose Lam Chi-chung. The original script didn't emphasize the character's sacrifice, but Lin Yuan added a scene specifically for him, explaining in a single sentence: "The more ordinary the character is, the more painful his sacrifice will be."

In the later stages of casting, many newcomers submitted their applications, wanting to play disciples of Mount Shu, supporting roles, or villains, along with a promotional tagline: "Large fan base, which can help boost the show's popularity."

The producer came over with the list of names and asked Lin Yuan for his opinion. Lin Yuan pushed the stack of documents back and said, "Chinese Paladin 3 isn't a celebrity showcase. In the end, what the audience remembers isn't who has the highest popularity, but who brought the characters to life."

The day the cast list was announced, Tianxing Entertainment's official Weibo account posted it, and Weibo crashed for three minutes.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3

Jing Tian/Fei Peng/Long Yang – Hu Ge

Xu Changqing – Wallace Huo

Tang Xuejian/Xi Yao – Yang Mi

Zi Xuan – Tang Yan

Longkui – Liu Shishi

Paris polyphylla – Huang Zhiwei

Within ten minutes, the hashtag #ChineseParadise3GodlyLineup# filled the top five trending topics, and the comments section was filled with "god-like" comments.

Someone dug up the casting stories for each character and posted a long thread, from Hu Ge playing three roles to Tang Yan unexpectedly taking on the role of Zi Xuan, outlining the logic behind the casting and concluding with a summary:

"Now do you know why Lin Yuan was able to win an Oscar at nineteen? Because before casting actors, he first figured out the fate of each character."

This post has been forwarded over 100,000 times.

Lin Yuan didn't go on Weibo that day. The script was revised by three more pages. The interior shooting is scheduled for tomorrow, and the art department still needs to finalize two set details.

The release of the list is just the beginning; this world is not yet finished.