Blades of the Guardians was written in 2015, while Pegasus was in 2019. Wuxia genre are already made to death…
That's not the point. Like all famous stars, "me2" Wu Jing always does his research on the industry -- watch as much movies as he can fit into his schedule. He probably sat for an early screening of Pegasus 1 back in 2019 and went, dam-n, I need to do a movie where I too am a never-married man who adopted a child kid. The movie needs to include other star(s) that are martial artists irl (I can't help but laugh most ppl who watched Pegasus 1 don't know the muscular guy who worked on Zhang Chi's racing car and kick as fast as Bruce Lee irl or as athletic as Vincent Zhao). I also need to film most of the climatic action in a remote scenic location.
He gave all those parameters to his "research" assistant, and the assistant, went -- man Mr. Wu Jing, sir, have I found just the IP you're looking for...
Blades of the Guardians written in 2015 reinforces the idea that you can only look for a similar IP as Pegasus 1 if it had been around long enough!
ALSO, HERO ADOPTS (NON-BIOLOGICAL) SON HAD NO PRECEDENCE IN WUXIA, PERIOD!!
The closest you could have gotten to hero dad and child son in Wuxia was Jet Li's "The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)".
Deepseek says:
"The movie opens with Jet Li's character returning home to find his family has been massacred. The only survivor is his infant son, whom he saves by carrying the baby on his back during an intense opening fight sequence"
"Yes, in the film, the child is his biological son."
YOU SEE? WU JING WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO "ME2" PEGASUS 1 WHERE THE HERO, ZHANG CHI RAISES/ADOPTS A NON-BIOLOGICAL SON!
"TV drama [and 'Blockbuster' movies, meh] industry should break free from dependence on star popularity, algorithm-driven [aka popularity/popular-theme driven] creation"
Which means Blades of the Guardians displayed the following faults:
1. Dependent on BIG NAMES in martial arts to sell 2. Tried to copy theme of Pegasus 1 (unmarried dad with adopted son, martial artist irl [muscular car repair guy] as assistant character, climax filmed at remote scenic spot
I don't mean Blades of the Guardians is an imitation IP of Pegasus1, but rather Wu Jing went out of his way to source materials like Pegasus1 back in 2019 for his next in-development movie!
Just finished watching Pegasus 1. These days I only have time to watch half a movie each day (unless it's Friday…
The other thing I forgot to mention, the muscular guy that assembled the protagonist's car in Pegasus 1, he's a kung fu master in real life on the level of Vicent Zhao or even Bruce Lee. He's done his own martial arts movie too, but seems like made for TV movie instead of silver screen movie.
This another reason why "me2" Wu Jing wanted to do Blades -- has martial arts + never-married man adopts boy son + climax filmed at remote scenic location.
Just finished watching Pegasus 1. These days I only have time to watch half a movie each day (unless it's Friday…
Pegasus 1 was everything Wu Jing ignored after finding success with Wandering Earth:
It was ALL about technology: Racing with a jetfighter on the runway, using the latest tech advances to quickly repair a broken car, etc.
Meanwhile, Blades was something Manchus using metal blades to fight more advanced Westerners with guns...
Man, Wolf Warriors 2 had Wu JIng fighting drones and cellphones providing guidance to missiles. Wandering Earth had quantum computers and even a VTOL J-20. What did Blades of the Guardians have?!?!
Just finished watching Pegasus 1. These days I only have time to watch half a movie each day (unless it's Friday or the week-ends!)
THE MOVIE HAS CAUSED MY EYES TO ROLL AT BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS:
When Wu Jing watched this movie back in 2019, he was like, aha unmarried man adopts a child kid, climax filmed in remote scenic location -- ME TOO!!
We all know Wu Jing didn't create the Blades IP. But it takes a kind of me2 personality to want to take on this kind of project after the surging popularity of Pegasus 1.
The other mistake Wu Jing was relying on star power to try sell the movie.
GlobalTimes (Chinese news media in English) wrote an article on these two exact flaws: Chasing popular themes and relying on star power as the ultimate causes of movies or dramas "failing". I will reference their exact article when I have time...
I know Blades isn't exactly a box office failure -- but it isn't a success story either. It falls short of achievements made by movies like Nobody (animated Journey to the West parody).
Just finished watching Pegasus 1 for the very first time. I like how Zhang Chi used the "less weight" cheat to WIN (God saw how he had a crappy car to race with so God took his driving partner out of the equation to make the car lighter -- which means it can make up for its slow speed and outrun the faster better car but heavier with two ppl inside).
Just watched first 1hr of Pegasus 1 for the first time. I can see why Blades failed to achieve the success level of Pegasus 3 -- too much me too syndrome. When I saw that the protagonist of Pegasus 1 had an adopted child son, my thought went to Blades and my eyes rolled...
Q: in certain donghua behind the scene motion capture clips involving lots of flying and fighting sequences, how come the motion actors are not seen wearing anything like white dots to indicate their motion? in fact they are dressed in plain casual spring time atire
Deepseek REPLY: See forum post above (link provided above)
Just a heads up for those interested in Live Action Drama <==> Donghua Series crossover works... I always been skeptical of iQiyi donghua series. They often don't look very polished compared to BiliBili or Tencent donghua series.
So, I was wary of their newly released WAY of CHOICES 3D donghua series. To my surprise it's actually the donghua version of FIGHTER of the DESTINY live action drama starring Lu Han. The reason it's called 3D becoze there is already a 2D hand drawn series that is not very good, so the donghua gets remade with 3D CGI characters.
AFTER SO MANY DAYS, BLADES OVERTAKES SCARE OUT'S CUMULATIVE BY 3.54% -- GASP!!Day [I lost count] (Millions of…
Now is a good time to pirate Pegasus 1 & 2. File sharers usually want to feel appreciated for their work, lots of interest in 3 d/t being out in theaters means they can feel the appreciation for sharing the prequels even more!
When BiliBili first uploaded these vids to YT, they didn't have any subtitles. Now they've gone back and added ENG subs to all the previous episodes too! (All the previous episodes are listed in the forum post)
This donghua is the most interesting I've ever seen. Most donghua series are suggestive of ALL the female side…
The way I see it, Han Li never gonna return back to the land continent till Season 3 of the live action drama, where in the donghua he "acquires" a concubine.
Seeing how the donghua has paused [for now] at EP176, I got Deepseek to reveal some potential details about this relationship:
--------
Q: In Fanren Xiu Xian Chuan the donghua, what will become of the woman who became Han Li's concubine?
In the donghua A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, the woman who becomes Han Li's concubine is Mu Peiling. Her story is a poignant tragedy driven by unrequited love and a wavering heart.
Here is a summary of her relationship with Han Li and her ultimate fate:
The Beginning: A Transactional Arrangement. Mu Peiling was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Mu family who joined the Yellow Maple Valley. To escape an arranged marriage she didn't want, she lied, claiming she was already the concubine of Han Li, who was concealing his true cultivation level as a Nascent Soul cultivator. Han Li, needing a partner to cultivate the "Phoenix Starlight Art" to aid his own breakthrough, went along with the story. Their relationship was initially one of mutual benefit, with little emotional attachment.
Falling in Love: A Single Act of Protection. During a trip to a trading convention, a powerful senior cultivator named Nanlong Hou tried to take Mu Peiling by force. Han Li, unwilling to back down, risked a conflict with a powerful enemy to protect her. In the cruel world of cultivation, where concubines were often treated as disposable property, this act of genuine protection deeply moved Mu Peiling. It was at this moment her feelings shifted from obligation to sincere love.
The Cruel Reality: Unreciprocated Feelings. However, Han Li's heart was set solely on the path of immortality and belonged to his true love, Nangong Wan. He rejected Mu Peiling's advances and, in an attempt to settle things, arranged for her to become Nangong Wan's sworn sister. This arrangement, intended as a kindness, was perceived by Mu Peiling as a humiliation and a final rejection. Her unwavering Dao Heart began to crack, giving birth to inner demons.
The Tragic End: Death During Breakthrough. Tormented by her unrequited love and a broken heart, Mu Peiling's state of mind deteriorated. While Han Li was away on a long seclusion or adventure, she attempted to forcibly break through to the Nascent Soul stage. However, her inner demons were too strong. She failed the breakthrough and was consumed by the mental backlash, ultimately perishing.
Aftermath: A Visit to Her Grave. When Han Li eventually learned of her death, he visited her grave at the foot of the mountain where she was buried near the Yellow Maple Valley, quietly reflecting on the karma between them. Her story serves as a somber reminder in the series of how emotional attachments can become fatal entanglements for those who fail to let them go.
--------
It will be interesting to see how much of this is true when the donghua resumes airing this spring (2026)!
This donghua is the most interesting I've ever seen. Most donghua series are suggestive of ALL the female side characters being the protagonist's harem. But they always shy away from actually legally establishing them as his harem.
In Fanren Xiu Xian Chuan, Han Li actually acquires a concubine by legal means. This is a very BOLD step to take for any donghua series, Han Li effectively has Nangong Wan as his future legal wife plus legal concubine with legal signed certificate for "concubinism!"
So, if you guys was awed and wowed by what you've seen in Season 1 of the live action drama, you just wait till Season 3 where they will introduce you to Han Li's concubine!
I wanna watch this so bad! But it’s not in any of my theaters 😢
As someone who watched Nezha 2 in theater last year, I will probably have to sit this one out. Except for Wu Jing, it's full of old farts that are way past their prime. To make it worse, they chose the most R-rated source material to try adapt a family friendly live action movie. How does this even work?
Blades will probably end up like Condor Heroes. I will pirate the 4K version (I have Condor Heroes in 4K on my hard drive which I never plan on watching). This one of those movies you get and keep on your HDD just so you don't have to watch it...
Whenever its available to pirate, please drop a link here.
I don't know about that. Creation of the Gods 2 was much HARDER to pirate than Creation of the Gods 1, even though 1 was better rated with higher box office. Something tells me the worse a movie performs at the box office, the more difficult it will be to download it illegally in 2026!!
He gave all those parameters to his "research" assistant, and the assistant, went -- man Mr. Wu Jing, sir, have I found just the IP you're looking for...
Blades of the Guardians written in 2015 reinforces the idea that you can only look for a similar IP as Pegasus 1 if it had been around long enough!
ALSO, HERO ADOPTS (NON-BIOLOGICAL) SON HAD NO PRECEDENCE IN WUXIA, PERIOD!!
The closest you could have gotten to hero dad and child son in Wuxia was Jet Li's "The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)".
Deepseek says:
"The movie opens with Jet Li's character returning home to find his family has been massacred. The only survivor is his infant son, whom he saves by carrying the baby on his back during an intense opening fight sequence"
"Yes, in the film, the child is his biological son."
YOU SEE? WU JING WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO "ME2" PEGASUS 1 WHERE THE HERO, ZHANG CHI RAISES/ADOPTS A NON-BIOLOGICAL SON!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_(2025_film)
As of Mar 19, 2026 (USD millions):
1 PEGASUS 3 -- $0.92 (daily) $620.17 (cumulative)
2 Blades of the Guardians -- $0.57 (daily) $199.00 (cumulative)
With this kind of growth rate, Blades 2026 will finish behind Nobody 2025 in cumulative...
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202603/1357076.shtml
"TV drama [and 'Blockbuster' movies, meh] industry should break free from dependence on star popularity, algorithm-driven [aka popularity/popular-theme driven] creation"
Which means Blades of the Guardians displayed the following faults:
1. Dependent on BIG NAMES in martial arts to sell
2. Tried to copy theme of Pegasus 1 (unmarried dad with adopted son, martial artist irl [muscular car repair guy] as assistant character, climax filmed at remote scenic spot
I don't mean Blades of the Guardians is an imitation IP of Pegasus1, but rather Wu Jing went out of his way to source materials like Pegasus1 back in 2019 for his next in-development movie!
This another reason why "me2" Wu Jing wanted to do Blades -- has martial arts + never-married man adopts boy son + climax filmed at remote scenic location.
It was ALL about technology: Racing with a jetfighter on the runway, using the latest tech advances to quickly repair a broken car, etc.
Meanwhile, Blades was something Manchus using metal blades to fight more advanced Westerners with guns...
Man, Wolf Warriors 2 had Wu JIng fighting drones and cellphones providing guidance to missiles. Wandering Earth had quantum computers and even a VTOL J-20. What did Blades of the Guardians have?!?!
THE MOVIE HAS CAUSED MY EYES TO ROLL AT BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS:
When Wu Jing watched this movie back in 2019, he was like, aha unmarried man adopts a child kid, climax filmed in remote scenic location -- ME TOO!!
We all know Wu Jing didn't create the Blades IP. But it takes a kind of me2 personality to want to take on this kind of project after the surging popularity of Pegasus 1.
The other mistake Wu Jing was relying on star power to try sell the movie.
GlobalTimes (Chinese news media in English) wrote an article on these two exact flaws: Chasing popular themes and relying on star power as the ultimate causes of movies or dramas "failing". I will reference their exact article when I have time...
I know Blades isn't exactly a box office failure -- but it isn't a success story either. It falls short of achievements made by movies like Nobody (animated Journey to the West parody).
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/35477-a-record-of-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality/148302-a-mortal-s-journey-behind-the-scenes-8-part-mini-series-airs-feb-14-2026?pid=3482424&page=1#p3482424
Q: in certain donghua behind the scene motion capture clips involving lots of flying and fighting sequences, how come the motion actors are not seen wearing anything like white dots to indicate their motion? in fact they are dressed in plain casual spring time atire
Deepseek REPLY: See forum post above (link provided above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Omb3M8txZI
So, I was wary of their newly released WAY of CHOICES 3D donghua series. To my surprise it's actually the donghua version of FIGHTER of the DESTINY live action drama starring Lu Han. The reason it's called 3D becoze there is already a 2D hand drawn series that is not very good, so the donghua gets remade with 3D CGI characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cYjkIygP7M (Way of Choices [2026] EP 1 with ENG subs -- aka Fighter of the Destiny in remade CGI donghua version!)
Day [I lost count] (Millions of USD):
1 PEGASUS 3 -- $2.15 (daily) $599.21 (cumulative)
2 Blades of the Guardians -- $1.13 (daily) $187.34 (cumulative)
3 Scare Out -- $1.01 (daily) $180.94 (cumulative)
13 Zootopia 2 -- $0.01 (daily) $667.10 (cumulative)
($187.34Million/$180.94Million = ~3.54% difference)
On a side note, can Pegasus 3 overtake Zootopia 2's CN cumulative with a few more week-end mega boosts? Hopeful but mostly unlikely...
BTS part 4/8 (aka EP 04):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKkhWeTNR_o
Seeing how the donghua has paused [for now] at EP176, I got Deepseek to reveal some potential details about this relationship:
--------
Q: In Fanren Xiu Xian Chuan the donghua, what will become of the woman who became Han Li's concubine?
In the donghua A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, the woman who becomes Han Li's concubine is Mu Peiling. Her story is a poignant tragedy driven by unrequited love and a wavering heart.
Here is a summary of her relationship with Han Li and her ultimate fate:
The Beginning: A Transactional Arrangement. Mu Peiling was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Mu family who joined the Yellow Maple Valley. To escape an arranged marriage she didn't want, she lied, claiming she was already the concubine of Han Li, who was concealing his true cultivation level as a Nascent Soul cultivator. Han Li, needing a partner to cultivate the "Phoenix Starlight Art" to aid his own breakthrough, went along with the story. Their relationship was initially one of mutual benefit, with little emotional attachment.
Falling in Love: A Single Act of Protection. During a trip to a trading convention, a powerful senior cultivator named Nanlong Hou tried to take Mu Peiling by force. Han Li, unwilling to back down, risked a conflict with a powerful enemy to protect her. In the cruel world of cultivation, where concubines were often treated as disposable property, this act of genuine protection deeply moved Mu Peiling. It was at this moment her feelings shifted from obligation to sincere love.
The Cruel Reality: Unreciprocated Feelings. However, Han Li's heart was set solely on the path of immortality and belonged to his true love, Nangong Wan. He rejected Mu Peiling's advances and, in an attempt to settle things, arranged for her to become Nangong Wan's sworn sister. This arrangement, intended as a kindness, was perceived by Mu Peiling as a humiliation and a final rejection. Her unwavering Dao Heart began to crack, giving birth to inner demons.
The Tragic End: Death During Breakthrough. Tormented by her unrequited love and a broken heart, Mu Peiling's state of mind deteriorated. While Han Li was away on a long seclusion or adventure, she attempted to forcibly break through to the Nascent Soul stage. However, her inner demons were too strong. She failed the breakthrough and was consumed by the mental backlash, ultimately perishing.
Aftermath: A Visit to Her Grave. When Han Li eventually learned of her death, he visited her grave at the foot of the mountain where she was buried near the Yellow Maple Valley, quietly reflecting on the karma between them. Her story serves as a somber reminder in the series of how emotional attachments can become fatal entanglements for those who fail to let them go.
--------
It will be interesting to see how much of this is true when the donghua resumes airing this spring (2026)!
In Fanren Xiu Xian Chuan, Han Li actually acquires a concubine by legal means. This is a very BOLD step to take for any donghua series, Han Li effectively has Nangong Wan as his future legal wife plus legal concubine with legal signed certificate for "concubinism!"
So, if you guys was awed and wowed by what you've seen in Season 1 of the live action drama, you just wait till Season 3 where they will introduce you to Han Li's concubine!
More details in the next spoiler post below....
Blades will probably end up like Condor Heroes. I will pirate the 4K version (I have Condor Heroes in 4K on my hard drive which I never plan on watching). This one of those movies you get and keep on your HDD just so you don't have to watch it...