In 2016, William released the single "Plan W", which topped local music charts and reached ten million downloads in 12 hours. On 27 August 2016, William embarked on his first solo tour Inside Me which kick-started in Beijing. It was subsequently held in the cities Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing and Guangzhou.
In 2016, William starred in the tomb-raiding drama The Mystic Nine, which serves as a prequel to the popular web drama The Lost Tomb by Nanpai Sanshu. The Mystic Nine achieved success, placing first in television ratings and setting a record for the most online views garnered in a day, and has accumulated over 10 billion views. William gained a surge in popularity for his role as Fo Ye, and was named the "Person of the Year" at the iQiyi All-Star Carnival. The same year, he starred alongside Jessica Jung in the romantic comedy film I Love That Crazy Little Thing and featured in Guo Jingming's fantasy blockbuster L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties.
In 2016, William was appointed as the first Chinese ambassador of the NFL China.