To Jing Yu, these outrageous stunts were, in a way, just publicity tactics.
After all, in the gaming world, Bluestar Media & Film Company wasn't exactly a household name. Globally, there were tons of long-established gaming giants — companies that not only had massive portfolios but also legendary titles like 'Final Fantasy', 'Tetris', 'Minecraft', with tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in sales.
When it came to funding and production capability, Bluestar's game division was clearly at a disadvantage. So to promote the game, Jing Yu had to do something others couldn't.
And yes — that "something" was Jing Yu himself.
Only Bluestar had him — pulling off a real-life sword combat performance at an international gaming conference, looking damn good while doing it, and delivering serious visual impact.
"Wait, seriously — were those sword moves real? Or were they just filmed like a drama scene?"
"Totally real. Look at the clip — it was filmed on someone's phone, no wires above him, no assistants. That's just pure, raw ability."
"But can someone even do moves like that? They were so fast, so sharp, and so freaking cool."
"No need to ask — didn't he literally just do it?"
"Dude, I'm losing it. His 'corporate' image is so strong now, I forgot how amazing he was in the 'Rurouni Kenshin' film. Back then, I thought he was already peak handsome — didn't expect him to be so restrained during filming."
"Forget whether it works in real combat — those moves were straight-up gorgeous to watch."
"I almost passed out from how good it looked."
"Seriously, just look at the crowd in the video. Every foreigner looks like they've seen a ghost."
"I used to think things like qīnggōng (light body technique) weren't real… until I saw Old Thief run up a wall in three steps and mid-air switch sword stances. What if he's actually the last disciple of some hidden martial arts sect?"
"That's not even his only talent! Dude's got music skills, go-playing skills, scriptwriting, acting… and now sword combat too? This guy is just casually stacking S-tier talents."
"Is there anything this monster can't do?"
"Well, yeah. According to insiders, Old Thief died over 100 times in his own game's beginner village."
"...What?"
"I'm serious. The game is based on him, and he couldn't even beat the tutorial using the character modeled after himself."
"That's hilarious. The guy moves like a wuxia master in real life, but give him a keyboard and mouse, and suddenly he's trash?"
"Apparently! Word's been going around. A bunch of employees said it — he's bad, but he loves playing."
"Absolutely dying over this."
Actually, Jing Yu's overseas sword demo was more effective than all the polished trailers at building global hype for 'Rurouni Kenshin'.
Not just gamers — Great Zhou media outlets exploded with coverage.
"Jing Yu Reveals Secret Identity as Hidden Martial Arts Master!"
"The Only Real Fighter in the Film Industry"
"The New Rising Star of Great Zhou Action Cinema!"
Media outlets wrote anything that could catch attention.
Though his three dramas this season weren't as hot as 'Attack on Titan' or 'Gundam SEED', Jing Yu's personal popularity was through the roof.
Everyone was waiting for him to break new records again. No one expected him to go quiet on TV and go wild in gaming instead — and even generate massive buzz overseas.
Of course, Jing Yu himself kept an eye on the media. And from the looks of it? His goal was accomplished.
All that money spent on hired PR? Worth it.
"Man… this stuff is tough," Jing Yu muttered to himself in a foreign hotel room one night.
If it were a new drama, he'd never need this kind of hype machine.
But in gaming, unless you're a 20-year-old studio with a massive following, no one's going to watch your every move.
Bluestar's game division had low visibility among global players, so he had to create something people couldn't ignore.
But as he scrolled through the thousands of foreign comments on his new account — questions about the game, his own persona, theories about 'Rurouni Kenshin' — Jing Yu felt a bit… satisfied.
And on major gaming forums around the world, the game's anticipated ranking kept rising rapidly.
Major platforms also began their preorder campaigns.
Of course, unlike the big publishers, Jing Yu paid for all the promo himself.
Basically: spending money for exposure.
After reading through the game discussion, he finally went to sleep.
Over the next two weeks, Jing Yu's international tour continued.
But real-life stunts only went so far — by now, most gamers already knew that 'Rurouni Kenshin' was dropping at the end of November.
What really mattered now was: first-day reviews.
And that would be up to the market.
After finishing the campaign trail, Jing Yu and his team returned to Great Zhou.
It wouldn't be the last time either.
Next year's 'Pokémon' and 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' games would also need global promo. And those would be even bigger in scale.
But the moment he landed, Jing Yu barely had a day of rest before jumping back into company work:
Signing deals with ad agencies
Handling internal staff reshuffling
Dealing with poaching incidents
Resolving scandals like minor actors publicly trashing Bluestar in hopes of breaking the contract and going solo…
These were things Jing Yu had only seen in news stories in his previous life — but now they were happening in his own company.
They seemed small, but every one of them needed their personal attention.
With a big company came endless nonsense — things he never imagined he'd have to deal with.
On top of that, 'Spirited Away' was about to begin full-blown promotion.
Exhausting abroad, and even more exhausting at home.
By mid-to-late November, Jing Yu had burned through a week of nonstop work just to catch up.
Meanwhile, the winter drama season entered its later stage.
'My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected' has aired for two seasons now and built a massive fanbase. Factions emerged — Yukino fans, Dango(Yui) fans, Sensei(Shizuka) fans, Iroha fans, Saika fans — and spent their days debating who the best girl was. Even Saika, the "weird one," was still seen as a potential female lead contender. These fan wars were even more intense than those in Jing Yu's past life.
One news outlet even reported that two roommates at a university stopped speaking and requested a dorm change over a fight about whether Dango or Yukino was better.
'Hyouka' stayed strong as always, with moe queen Chitanda gaining steady popularity.
She and Yukino were now seen as the two dominant dark forces of the current drama market.
While 'My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected' fan wars were internal, fans of Chitanda and Yukino were also clashing hard. Every video comment section had titles like:
"Who's More Captivating: Chitanda Eru or Yukinoshita Yukino?"
With thousands of replies each.
As for 'Ef: A Tale of Memories'?
Though it trailed the other two in ratings, its emotional impact was unmatched.
Between the double-male-lead heartbreak arcs and the tragic backstory of Yuuko Amamiya and her twisted relationship with Yuu Himura, every episode felt like a gut punch.
New romance viewers, especially? Crushed.
But the more depressing it got, the more fans loved it.
Despite the trauma, it held a 9.7 rating across platforms, with fans praising it — and then immediately cursing Jing Yu in the forums:
"Heartless!"
"You monster!"
He replied to a few comments on his own socials, explaining that yes, the show cut a lot of content — but he even dropped some game-only lore as bonus info for the fans.
Then, on November 24th…
Everyone at Bluestar snapped into focus.
Everyone knew how much their boss cared about the game division now.
'Rurouni Kenshin', 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', 'Pokémon' — combined investment? Over 1 billion.
People hear big numbers on the news and get numb, but in reality?
Very few companies in Great Zhou were bold enough to throw that kind of money into gaming.
Most studios were still stuck in browser games, spending more on celebrity promos than development. Jing Yu had even starred in one year ago, wearing cringe armor, shouting:
"If you're my bro, come fight me!"
A black mark on his resume.
Bluestar might be new to games, but in terms of investment?
Only two companies in Great Zhou had outspent them this year.
'Rurouni Kenshin' was the testbed for it all.
The quality of Bluestar's game production, the foundation for Jing Yu's entertainment empire — it all hinged on this.
Once the 24th passed…
The preorders went live.
In one day, Bluestar released three announcements, including new ads featuring Jing Yu and Xia Yining in full Kenshin and Yukishiro costumes. Drama fans? Ate. It. Up.
"Come on, Old Thief. Stop reviving Yukishiro. She's been dead for five years! You really brought Xia Yining back for this again? Fine! We'll buy it, okay?!"
"So, wait — in the game, does Kenshin really fall for some girl named Kaoru and forget about Yukishiro?"
"Don't forget, really. Didn't he promise her in the film that once the new era arrived, he'd lay down his sword and never kill again? That's why his game weapon is a reverse blade."
"Yeah, but let's be honest — Kenshin ten years later doesn't feel as strong. He even jokes around now. Feels like an ordinary guy."
"I think his swordsmanship improved, but he's lost that deadly aura. Like, fighting to kill and fighting to disable are worlds apart — even for Kenshin."
"I just hope Kaoru's written well. She doesn't have to be as legendary as Yukishiro, but at least don't make her boring."
"Honestly, don't expect too much romance. Even if Kaoru's great, she'll never live up to Yukishiro. I'm just hoping the combat storyline is solid. The trailer showed that bandaged guy and Aoshi — they look cool, but the plot better deliver."
"Come on, this is Old Thief. His stories are always on point. As long as gameplay and combat mechanics are smooth, this game will explode."
"Been a Kenshin fan for five years — even just for the story, I'm buying. Launch discount is 5% off, preorder is 168 yuan. Already paid. Up to you guys."
"Student budget can't handle 168…"
"Old Thief's holding a raffle on his socials. 500 winners. Or just watch streamers — Qinyun Video will have a ton of live streams. Go watch there."
"I really hope this sells big. The film was god-tier. Please don't mess it up with the game."
"Game streaming's pretty hot this year. Lots of streamers said the game's test version was hard. Hope they boost visibility."
"I want it to sell at least 8 million copies globally."
"Only 8 million? Even 'Fate/stay night' broke 10 million!"
"Yeah, but 'Fate/Zero' built up the fanbase first. Kenshin is just a movie — not as much exposure. The conversion rate to gamers won't be as high."
"That's fair. But honestly, I still think Kenshin deserves better than Fate."
"Let's not start a war. Everyone has their taste. You like wuxia; others like Saber."
As launch day approached, the long-silent Kenshin fandom roared back to life.
In just one day, global preorders topped 490,000 units — stunning many in the industry.
Though the next day, things normalized — about 110,000 more copies sold.
The game hadn't launched yet, so gameplay and word of mouth were still TBD.
Most early buyers were drama fans — but even their support had limits.
The real test?
That would come on release day.
Which was…
Just a few days away.