"Alright, how about you guys have a ring match? See who has better kung fu?"
Chen Bo said, his anticipation evident.
The four men exchanged glances, then nodded and said, "No problem!"
In their eyes, their skills should be more than enough to defeat someone like Wang Shu.
"All of you, come at me together!"
Wang Shu also turned to look at the four men, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He hadn't originally intended to pick a fight with them, but these four had been relentlessly mocking him along the way.
Now that he had an opportunity to teach these four a lesson, he didn't mind getting some practice in and seeing just how strong this Grandmaster's inheritance truly was.
"Kid, you're too arrogant! We're all Taekwondo black belt experts. Don't come begging for mercy later!"
Upon hearing that Wang Shu had challenged them to all come at him at once, the four men became enraged, pointing at Wang Shu.
"Okay, he said for you four to come at him together, let's save some time!"
Chen Bo, ever the instigator, kept urging them on.
The four men exchanged glances again and decided to attack together.
They then all took off their shoes and began to perform the signature preparatory movements of Taekwondo.
"Flashy moves, nothing to fear!"
Wang Shu sneered as he observed their ostentatious stances.
Qin Hesong, sitting in the judge's seat, also couldn't help but smile. Having dedicated his life to the study of traditional Chinese martial arts, he held a deep disdain for this so-called Taekwondo from Korea.
Even if it were ten of them, Wang Shu could have defeated them all so thoroughly that their mothers wouldn't recognize them, all with the set of moves he had just performed.
But sadly, in China today, parents were sending their children to learn such superficial techniques, even competing based on belt colors.
Meanwhile, the superior traditional martial arts of China were largely ignored, with very few willing to learn them.
"Make your move!"
Wang Shu said casually to the four men before him.
The four men signaled to each other and then attacked Wang Shu in pairs.
The two in front launched their signature flying kicks towards Wang Shu's head, while the two behind followed up with kicks aimed at his lower body.
The two pairs intended to attack Wang Shu simultaneously from both the upper and lower levels.
However, Wang Shu remained remarkably calm in the face of their coordinated assault.
True martial arts, after all, were about quickly identifying an opponent's weaknesses and exploiting them for a decisive victory.
This was the origin of the saying, "In martial arts, speed is paramount!"
As soon as the four men had initiated their attacks, he had already spotted their vulnerabilities.
He then directly extended both hands, grabbed the ankles of the two men who were kicking towards him, and pulled hard.
The two men, like kites with broken strings, fell vertically from mid-air.
The two men attacking Wang Shu's lower body had no time to react as a massive shadow loomed over them.
A second later, all four lay sprawled on the ground before Wang Shu. Two had even been knocked unconscious on the spot.
"Impressive! That method of defeating them was flawless!"
Qin Hesong stood up from his seat, clapping and cheering.
The way Wang Shu had neutralized the attack today was truly brilliant, something he had never witnessed before in his lifetime.
"Don't neglect the good things our ancestors left us to learn these flashy, useless tricks!"
Wang Shu said with a smile, dusting off his hands as he looked at the men on the ground.
The men had already regained consciousness, their faces ashen.
They had never imagined that they, as proud Taekwondo black belt masters, could be defeated so easily by someone else.
"Alright, Wang Shu wins this round. Do any of you have any further issues?"
Chen Bo, seeing that the outcome was decided, picked up the microphone again and addressed the men on the ground.
The four men, their faces pale, wordlessly got up and walked away.
"Okay, Wang Shu, you're our male lead!"
Chen Bo stepped forward and shook Wang Shu's hand.
He had waited too long for this film, having auditioned thousands of people to find an action-capable male lead.
Finding Wang Shu now brought him a great sense of relief.
"Thank you, Director!"
Wang Shu replied with a smile.
"Alright, you can go back and rest today. We'll discuss the specific contract and salary tonight!"
Chen Bo continued.
Wang Shu then left the film crew and headed to the second set for his audition.
Upon arriving at the location of the second film crew, Wang Shu noticed that the scene was entirely different from the first.
There weren't as many people queuing.
So, when Wang Shu reported in, a staff member immediately led him into the audition room.
As it was a historical drama and the role was that of an emperor, every applicant needed to wear a dragon robe beforehand.
Wang Shu was no exception, so he wasn't taken directly to the director but was first led to the makeup room to change into a dragon robe that had been prepared.
As Wang Shu donned the dragon robe, the makeup artist in the room couldn't help but gasp, rubbing her eyes.
"This... this looks like a real emperor!"
The makeup artist stared at Wang Shu in the mirror, her hands trembling.
"Your Majesty, your makeup is done!"
The makeup artist said cautiously.
Wang Shu was taken aback. What did this young lady just call him?
However, he didn't have time to inquire further and boldly walked into the audition hall.
Credit where it was due, the directorial team had been very diligent. The entire audition hall had been set up to resemble a palace, complete with a dragon throne.
And apart from the cameras, there was no one else in the audition hall.
So, as Wang Shu entered, he naturally walked towards the dragon throne.
"Director, the next actor for the audition has entered the scene!"
In another room, Liu Chuan, the director of this film, sat in front of the monitor.
The assistant director beside him reminded him.
For the past week, Liu Chuan had essentially lived in this room, eating, drinking, and sleeping, rarely venturing out.
He had auditioned countless people for this role over the course of a week.
He had even tried asking deliverymen to try on costumes and see how they looked on screen.
It was this intense work that had left Liu Chuan feeling mentally drained.
He had even dozed off in front of the monitor just a moment ago.
"Hmm? Another new actor?"
Liu Chuan excitedly climbed up from his desk and asked the assistant director.
"Yes, this one was recommended by Young Master Wang!"
The assistant director replied.
"Young Master Wang? Which Young Master Wang?"
Liu Chuan asked, puzzled, unable to recall which Young Master Wang it was.
"It's the young master of Longdao Film City, Wang Shicong!"
The assistant director clarified.
"He recommended him? Can he recommend any good actors?"
Upon hearing that it was the idle young master from Longdao Film City who did nothing productive, he frowned, expressing his disappointment.
He didn't believe this young master would recommend any reliable actors.
"Director, he's already changed into his clothes. Why don't you take a look?"
Seeing the director's lack of interest, the assistant director spoke up again.
"Alright, I'll take a look!"
Liu Chuan turned his gaze to the monitor. After all, since he was here, it wouldn't hurt to take a glance. If it didn't work out, they could simply dismiss him.
However, to his surprise, he was shocked.
On the screen, Wang Shu sat upright on the dragon throne, clad in a dragon robe. Even without any extra movements or lines, he exuded an aura of solemn dignity and majesty.
"Found him, this is the feeling!"
Liu Chuan's drowsiness vanished instantly. He had merely intended to glance casually.
But that single glance jolted him awake.
The man on the screen had, at that moment, transformed into the emperor he had envisioned.
Despite his youth, he possessed an innate imperial aura.
"The actor is entering the scene, I want to see his adaptability!"
Liu Chuan said into the walkie-talkie.
His audition methods had always been unique.
He would place each auditioning actor into a scene and let them determine the direction of the plot, thereby assessing their suitability.
The extras, who had rehearsed their roles countless times, then took their positions and began performing the scene.
The original scene depicted a young king admonishing his court officials after taking the throne.
However, in this audition, the plot's progression was to be decided by Wang Shu himself, who would also have to improvise his lines.
Looking at the court officials before him and the cameras constantly changing angles, Wang Shu instantly understood the director's intention.
He then decided to take the initiative and guide the extras according to his own thought process.
"There are five Grand Academicians in the court. It is truly necessary to dismiss four. The Six Ministers, it is truly necessary to dismiss three. Look at these seven men, who among them is not gray-haired? Who among them is not a pillar of the court? Who among them is not my in-law... "
As the actors playing the ministers just took their positions and were about to deliver their lines, Wang Shu spoke with a solemn expression.
When they looked up at the young man on the dragon throne, they were stunned, as if they were truly in court.
Some were even so shocked that they involuntarily knelt down.
"These lines, these reactions, this demeanor, absolutely superb!"
At this moment, in front of the monitor, Liu Chuan was also stunned by Wang Shu's delivery.