novellhall Chapter 19: Upgrade of Physical Attributes!
Chapter 19: Upgrade of Physical Attributes!
The last afternoon.
The crew was filming a climax scene: the male lead had to face the attack of four or five armed enemies alone in a narrow alley.
The action design for this scene is complex and demands a high level of physical fitness and motor memory from the actors.
As the action choreographer, Brother Qiang personally demonstrated the movement and moves to the male lead.
Chen Xun held his breath, staring intently at the scene.
Qiang Ge's figure darted quickly among the enemies.
Parry, dodge, counterattack...
The movements were fluid and graceful, full of power and rhythm.
Each precise dodge, each perfectly timed burst of power, was accompanied by the falling of gray or green orbs of light:
[Physical Attributes - Reaction +2]
[Physical attribute - Agility +2]
[Physical Attributes - Strength Increased by 2]
[Physical Attributes - Rhythm +2]
……
Chen Xun absorbed everything like he had an auto-loot cheat.
The warm current flowing into his body was almost continuous, and he could feel his control over his body approaching a critical point.
Finally, Qiang Ge completed his last beautiful series of kicks, knocking down all the enemies, and stood still with a steady stance.
Click!
Chen Xun felt as if some shackles within his body had broken!
A strong, pure warmth surged from his limbs and bones, quickly washing over his muscles, bones, and nerves.
He subconsciously adopted the fighting starting stance that he had practiced the most these past few days.
In an instant!
He felt that his perception of every part of his body had become clearer and more acute than ever before.
Many actions that used to require conscious thought and control now seem to have become instinctive.
The transfer of power is smoother, and the sense of balance has improved significantly.
[Limbs: Lv1 (3/200)]
Significantly improved body coordination, strength control, and muscle memory, leading to increased efficiency in learning and mastering basic physical movements.
Breakthrough!
Chen Xun suppressed his excitement, maintained his starting stance, and carefully savored the transformative feeling.
His body seemed to have evolved!
He now has absolute confidence that he can perform those impressive moves in front of the camera without making any mistakes like he used to, looking like a calisthenics athlete.
"Hey kid, what are you posing for? Time to call it a day!"
Qiang Ge's shouts pulled him back to reality.
Chen Xun quickly stopped his attack, jogged over, and couldn't suppress a smile on his face:
"Brother Qiang, that move you just did was so cool!"
"What's the use of being handsome if you still earn hard-earned money?"
Qiang wiped his sweat, looked at Chen Xun, and nodded:
"But you've improved really fast these past few days, your eyes are different now, you're starting to look like a trained fighter."
"It's all thanks to Brother Qiang and all the other big brothers for their excellent teaching!"
Chen Xun expressed his sincere gratitude.
Stop flattering me!
Brother Qiang chuckled and cursed, then said seriously:
"However, Chen Xun, I must remind you that your progress these past few days is based on your certain physical foundation and extreme focus, so it can be considered a crash course."
"True skill comes from years of hard work and practice. Right now... in our words, you're just a paper tiger. You have the pose, which can fool laymen and the camera, but if you really run into someone who's trained, you'll be exposed with a single poke."
Chen Xun nodded seriously:
"I understand, Brother Qiang. I'm just trying to pass the audition and get the job done first. If I really want to pursue this path in the future, I'll definitely have to practice diligently."
"Yes, just keep that in mind!"
Brother Qiang patted him on the shoulder:
"You're not coming tomorrow, are you? Good luck with the audition, and do us Chinese actors something!"
After saying goodbye to Brother Qiang and his fellow stuntmen, Chen Xun walked off the set.
The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, and he subconsciously moved his hands and feet, feeling the lightness and coordination that his limbs brought.
Although Brother Qiang says he's a paper tiger, this paper tiger, at least for now, seems intimidating enough.
……
the next day.
Following the address provided by Robert, Chen Xun arrived at a rather old-looking industrial building in downtown Los Angeles.
This place isn't as glamorous as Warner Bros.
More low-budget independent films will choose this location!
The audition took place in an empty warehouse floor.
The number of people present was small, but their backgrounds were diverse.
Aside from a few white people who were clearly part of the casting team, there were also a few Asian men of varying ages and builds sitting in the corner. They didn't interact with each other, but their eyes held a competitive edge.
Chen Xun even spotted a somewhat familiar face; it was another Asian extra he often encountered on the street corner in Santa Monica.
Their eyes met briefly before quickly looking away, like complete strangers.
A muscular, white man in a tight T-shirt looks like an action director.
He was currently standing with his arms crossed, scanning the Asian actors present with a slightly disdainful look, and muttering to a casting assistant beside him:
"I knew it would be like this. A bunch of bean sprouts or kung fu old men. Bruce Lee has been dead for years. They still think Hollywood wants to watch this."
The casting director was a middle-aged white man who wore glasses and seemed more focused on paperwork.
He coughed, interrupting the burly man's complaints, and then addressed everyone:
"Thank you all for coming. This time we need a young Asian face; the character has quite a few action scenes."
"We will provide a simple fight choreography shortly, which our action director Mike will demonstrate. You will then imitate it in turn. The focus is on the form and momentum, not necessarily on being exactly the same."
Upon hearing this, the action director, Mike, walked to the center of the arena, casually stretched his neck, and made a cracking sound.
He demonstrated a combination of movements:
A straight punch, a side kick, a bent-over sweeping leg kick followed by a simple chokehold.
The movements are not complicated, but they require speed and power, especially the final chokehold, which requires a burst of explosive power and control.
"Did you see clearly? Who wants to go first?"
When Mike finished, he clapped his hands, his tone a little impatient.
A thin Asian boy wearing glasses was the first to raise his hand. When he went up, his movements were soft and weak, like he was doing Tai Chi. He even tripped over himself, which made Mike and the burly stagehand let out a suppressed chuckle.
The boy came downstairs with a blush on his face, head down, not daring to look at anyone.
Then two more went up.
One is that he is overweight and moves slowly.
The other one has some flair, but it's clearly based on traditional martial arts, with wide, sweeping movements. It looks good, but it feels a bit outdated in this kind of modern fighting drama that emphasizes realism.
Mike frowned as he watched.
"Next!"
The casting director's voice also sounded tired.
At that moment, the Asian extra who looked familiar to Chen Xun went up.
He took a deep breath and began to imitate.
The movements were more agile than the previous ones, showing that he had practiced in private. However, when he did the sweeping leg followed by the chokehold, he didn't keep up with the rhythm, and the chokehold was performed in a sloppy manner.
Mike criticized without reservation:
"Too slow! Are you giving him time to sing a lullaby? Next!"
The Asian extra stepped back with a grim expression, muttering under his breath in Chinese, "Damn, what do those foreigners know?"
As he passed Chen Xun, he glanced at him with a smug look in his eyes.
You're no better than me!
Chen Xun sighed inwardly.
This is the current situation!
White people look at you with prejudice, and some of your own compatriots even undermine you from within.
"Next! The one in the black T-shirt!"
The casting director pointed at Chen Xun.