Internet-age rebirth for a martial arts epic

Nearly half a century ago, Malaysian-born novelist Woon Swee Oan, better known in the Chinese literary world as Wen Rui'an, penned one of his most popular epics, Shen Zhou Qi Xia (Divine Land Heroes).

Recently, this wuxia classic has been adapted into a new martial arts drama, The Journey of Legend, starring actor Cheng Yi. Since its premiere on Sept 11, the series has been streaming on Tencent Video and iQiyi, generating more than 33 billion views about its related topics on several major social platforms like Sina Weibo.

Infused with innovative cyber and fantastical elements, the story follows Xiao Mingming, a martial arts enthusiast and writer. He accidentally activates a book-writing system developed by his company — a program that projects users into the world of a novel as specific characters, where they must complete the story's plot through their own actions.

Assuming the digital identity of Xiao Qiushui, the overlooked and combat-weak youngest son of a martial arts clan leader, the protagonist begins his journey in obscurity. But after enduring a series of devastating tragedies — including the death of his best friend and the brutal slaughter of his parents and over 120 clan members — he embarks on a quest for revenge, gradually mastering advanced martial arts along the way.

During his search for the murderers, he uncovers a bizarre clue: a hidden stack of confidential letters, written in simplified Chinese. This discovery is deeply anomalous, as the story is set in an ancient dynasty that uses traditional characters. The discrepancy leads him to a startling realization — someone else from the real world must also be inside the narrative.

In an earlier interview with iQiyi, Cheng said: "Almost every (Chinese) boy has grown up with the dream of being a martial artist. But if you could really enter the world of swordsmen, you would find it's quite different from your imagination."

Blending classic wuxia narratives with modern heroic values, Cheng stated he hopes the drama will inspire and encourage a young audience, showing that "everyone can become a hero in their own way".