AI video · Case study
Wanyao Tulu Zhuan: choosing a story, handling discarded shots and building a series
See why viewers return to the finished series, what its makers chose, what audiences questioned and how to run a small original test.
Published · Reviewed
Latest addition · How viewers shape the next season
Watch season one on Hongguo ↗Platform response · season oneHongguo displays 49.59m heat and 81 episodes
Heat is the platform's own metric, not views or revenue. Checked September 23, 2026, not a live figure.
Check this resultRead the context and editorial assessment
Jiang Yuechu's demon-hunting and growing powers carried Wanyao Tulu Zhuan into a long-running series. Interviews explain choices in story and shots; original-platform comments from seasons eleven and twelve show that emotional stakes and character models can become competing audience concerns. The evidence below separates released work, reported production, viewer reaction and undisclosed income.
Series progress · from public sources
From season one to the next: work and audience
Each point links to an original work page or maker statement, with dated metric definitions.
Season one · the work takes shape
ReleasedReporting says it launched in March 2026 without a day. Hongguo lists 81 episodes; the page showed 49.59m heat on September 23. Its synopsis identifies Jiang Yuechu, Tiger Mountain God and the Hundred Demons Scroll.
- Audience and reach
- In an interview, the team recalled roughly one quiet week before metrics rose.
- Maker’s choice
- Interviewees say they chose 3D and discarded about a third of early finished material; shot records are unavailable.
First eight seasons · maker's highlights
ReleasedGuangyu Chupin published an eight-season recap on July 15, 2026, connecting Jiang Yuechu's growth through Tiger Mountain God, Green-Faced Wolf Lord, White Flood Dragon and Black Mountain Bear Lord; that is not the season-eight premiere date.
- Maker’s choice
- This is the creator's selected promotional highlight reel, not a production log for each season.
Season eleven · character costs and model criticism
Released ·Hongguo lists 164 episodes. China Newsweek reported 124.84m first-day heat and first place on its hot list. Those are reported platform heat and rank, not views or income.
- Audience and reach
- Original-platform comments praise character conflict and world-building while criticizing new models and facial shape. These are visible comments, not a representative survey.
- Maker’s choice
- Guangyu Chupin says it read praise and criticism after season ten, chose to show the cost of growth and repeatedly revised shots, emotion and pacing.
Season twelve · from reservations to released work
ReleasedHongguo lists 200 episodes. Its official account said reservations exceeded 7.2m on September 4; on September 5 the maker commented on the released work's page. The former is pre-release reservations; the latter is not a premiere date.
- Audience and reach
- September 5 comments praise the Baihua sect scene and criticize blurred faces, lip sync and the emotion of dialogue.
- Maker’s choice
- On the same page, Guangyu Chupin acknowledges criticism of models, visual style, voice, dialogue and character feel, and says it will keep improving.
Season thirteen · released
Released ·Hongguo's September 30 announcement schedules season thirteen for October 1. On October 2 its original platform listed the season and 209 episodes, updating the September 5 production status. The catalogue does not establish that BitShovel played every episode.
Evidence limit First-day heat and rank come from reporting, reservations from an official platform post, and episode counts and comments from Hongguo pages. These measures cannot be added; comments do not represent all viewers, and production is not release.
01
Verified material
See the work and its result
See Jiang Yuechu, the Hundred Demons Scroll and Tiger Mountain God before comparing heat, reservations and views.
Hongguo lists 81 episodes in season one: Jiang Yuechu hunts demons and acquires powers in Tang-era fantasy, with Tiger Mountain God prominent at the start. In a July 15 eight-season recap, Guangyu Chupin selected Tiger Mountain God, Green-Faced Wolf Lord, White Flood Dragon and Black Mountain Bear Lord as highlights of that growth. This is the maker's selection, not a complete account of each season. View the work and recap before judging the character, action and turns.
On September 23, 2026, season one showed 49.59m in Hongguo heat. China Newsweek reported 124.84m first-day heat and a number-one hot-list rank for season eleven; Hongguo's official account said season-twelve reservations exceeded 7.2m on September 4. These are dated page heat, reported opening-day heat and rank, and pre-release reservations—not interchangeable view or revenue counts.
- Watch season one on Hongguo
- Watch the maker's eight-season highlights
- Check the official season-one poster and work page
Sources for this section: Hongguo season-one work page · Guangyu Chupin's eight-season highlights · China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo Xuanyou · Official Hongguo season-twelve reservations post
02
Public account
Why this story and a 3D format
Beyond the source's lead and power system, the maker reports three filters: memorable character, moving plot and achievable images.
In a China Newsweek interview, founder Wang Yusen says the team applied for adaptation rights to Na Yaomo Shi Jiang Daren! through Fanqie's rights platform. His three selection tests were a memorable lead, a story that keeps moving and images the team can realize. Fanqie's current page for Cong Bianshen Shaonü Kaishi Zhanyao Chumo shows the same core Jiang Yuechu, Hundred Demons Scroll and Tiger Mountain God elements; we have not seen the rights agreement or title history.
The team chose 3D rather than realistic AI imagery because, interviewees say, it fit their art strengths. That decision affects character models, settings, shot continuity and rework, beyond a style label. A new maker needs their own rights, story and production capacity; this team's agreement and format are not a universal shortcut.
Sources for this section: China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo Xuanyou · Fanqie's current source-story page · Li Xuexue's on-site production interview
03
Public account
When a generated shot cannot be used
The maker describes planning the image before directing AI; the roughly one-third season-one discard rate remains an interview claim.
Wang Yusen argues in an interview against feeding a whole novel passage to AI for a generic storyboard: the maker first imagines the image and then directs the tool. In another on-site interview, an animation director describes an internal canvas linking each shot's characters, story, setting and action, with progress and style checks. This supports a human-led shot and selection process, but no actual shot sheet or software screen is public.
The founder says about one-third of season-one finished material was discarded; another interview describes roughly 30% early waste. Both are interviewee estimates, not our tally. Reporting does not show which shot failed in identity, action, lighting or lip sync, nor the corresponding inputs, failed versions, revisions and cost. Sample prompts and other tools' demos must not be presented as this series' rework.
- Inspect another project's original storyboard and prompts →
- Compare a real first take and selected shot →
Sources for this section: China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo Xuanyou · Li Xuexue's on-site production interview
04
Public account
How viewers shape the next season
From the first quiet week to seasons eleven and twelve, comments reveal feedback and choices without proving what caused growth.
An on-site interview recalls a quiet first week followed by growth, but provides no distribution analytics, promotion spend or packaging versions to establish the cause. China Newsweek reports 124.84m first-day heat and a number-one hot-list rank for the August 15 season-eleven launch; Hongguo lists 164 episodes. That is a dated platform result, not season-one views.
On the season-eleven page, Guangyu Chupin says it read praise, disappointment and requests after season ten, then chose to show the cost of growth and repeatedly revised shots, emotion and pacing. Some viewers liked the character struggle; others disliked the new character models. Season twelve lists 200 episodes. Its maker acknowledges criticism of models, style, voice, dialogue and character feel. Some viewers praised the Baihua sect sequence; others criticized blurred faces, lip sync and expression. A serial must attend to story and visual continuity, but a few comments do not establish overall satisfaction.
Season thirteen has moved from the September 5 production report to release: Hongguo announced an October 1 premiere, and its page listed 209 episodes on October 2. The new work allows further comparison across seasons; an intention to improve does not itself establish that character or lip-sync problems are fixed.
- See season eleven and the maker's comment
- See season twelve and viewer comments
- See the released season thirteen
Sources for this section: Li Xuexue's on-site production interview · China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo Xuanyou · Hongguo season eleven and maker comment · Hongguo season twelve and maker comment · Hongguo's released season thirteen · Official Hongguo: season thirteen launches October 1
05
Evidence still needed
The economic questions beyond heat
Popularity may create revenue, but this title's contracts, costs, receipts and profit are undisclosed.
Rights, writing, assets, storyboards, generation, post-production and distribution form a chain that may have economic value. Wang Yusen told China Newsweek that the company would fund future experiments with existing earnings, but disclosed no income for Wanyao Tulu Zhuan itself. First-day heat, reservations and reported aggregate views are different measures; none yields this title's settlement.
The public record also lacks a complete production budget, labour hours, compute invoices, promotion spend, platform contract, receipts and profit. Start with the rights-cleared scene exercise above, record the full cost of each usable shot and check current platform entry and payment terms. Your own results and receipts are needed before committing to a series.
Sources for this section: China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo Xuanyou · Li Xuexue's on-site production interview · Hongguo season-one work page · Official Hongguo season-twelve reservations post
A BitShovel exercise · not the maker’s tutorial
Try one original scene and record each decision
This is a small BitShovel exercise informed by public evidence, not the Wanyao team's original workflow. Make one understandable scene and decide whether further investment is justified.
Before you begin
- Use an original or clearly licensed short story; record the rights scope rather than adapting this novel without permission.
- Set the target duration, available tools, spending ceiling and time budget first.
Choose a filmable moment
Use the maker's three reported filters—memorable lead, moving plot, achievable image—to choose one decision or turn in your own story.
- Keep
- A 100-word premise and rights note
- Check
- Without lore notes, another person can say who wants what and what blocks them.
Plan shots before prompting
Sketch or write the subject, action, framing and emotion for four to six shots before deciding what to generate.
- Keep
- A numbered shot list
- Check
- The shot list alone conveys the action and turn, and every shot has a story purpose.
Make candidates and log failures
Set a character and setting reference, make at least two candidates for each key shot, and log inputs, tool version, time and spend.
- Keep
- A/B candidates, generation log and rejection reasons
- Check
- Check identity, readable action and continuity shot by shot; redesign or remake failures.
Finish a watchable cut
Assemble selected shots, add sound, captions and transitions, and keep rejected versions.
- Keep
- A roughly 30–60-second cut and version comparison
- Check
- Hide the explanation and ask an unfamiliar viewer what happened and what was unclear.
Review response and cost in a small test
Test on a channel where you have release rights and record available starts, completions, specific comments and total cost.
- Keep
- A feedback sheet and revision list
- Check
- Separate opening, understanding and completion, and interest in more; do not treat views as income.
Make one final choice: If the central action remains unclear or rework exceeds the preset budget, shorten, redesign or stop. Consider another episode only when viewers understand it, production is sustainable and rights and distribution are clear.
These steps and checks are BitShovel's design, not the production team's prompts, tools, rejected-shot samples or revenue model.
Sources and limits
Where the material comes from
- Hongguo season-one work pageOriginal platform work pageChecked
Season identity, 81 episodes, platform heat and original playback; heat changes.
- Li Xuexue's on-site production interviewOn-site reporting · republished by CRIPublished Checked
Internal canvas, roughly 30% early discarded output and a quiet first week; interviewee accounts.
- China Newsweek interview with Wang Yusen and Luo XuanyouMaker interview · republished by SinaPublished Checked
Three story filters, 3D choice, human-led shot intent, roughly one-third discarded; season-eleven opening figures are reported.
- Fanqie's current source-story pageOriginal platform novel pageChecked
Checks Jiang Yuechu, the Hundred Demons Scroll and Tiger Mountain God; does not establish title history or rights terms.
- Guangyu Chupin's eight-season highlightsOriginal creator clipPublished Checked
Maker-selected highlights from Tiger Mountain God to Black Mountain Bear Lord, not a production log.
- Hongguo season eleven and maker commentOriginal platform page and signed commentChecked
164 episodes, specific model criticism, and the maker's account of feedback and shot, emotion and pacing decisions.
- Hongguo season twelve and maker commentOriginal platform page and signed commentChecked
200 episodes, praise and model/lip-sync criticism; maker said on September 5 that season thirteen was in production.
- Hongguo's released season thirteenOriginal platform work pageChecked
Checks the season-thirteen page, 209-episode catalogue and original-work entry; not playback of every episode.
- Official Hongguo: season thirteen launches October 1Official platform account · WeiboPublished Checked
September 30 announcement of the next day's launch, checked alongside the existing work page.
- Official Hongguo season-twelve reservations postOfficial platform account · WeiboPublished Checked
September 4 claim of over 7.2m reservations; reservations are not views.