Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Just when everyone thought it was just a routine Southern Fist routine, Liu Xiang's movements suddenly changed.

He pushed off with his feet, his body soaring into the air, spinning once, his legs whipping out like whips, whistling sharply as they swept to both sides. This was the classic Northern Style move, the "Whirlwind Kick," a fluid and expansive movement that drew a beautiful arc in the air, making it a highly entertaining spectacle.

This kick retained the graceful and powerful style of Northern Kung Fu while maintaining the stability of Southern Kung Fu. Upon landing, it remained in a perfectly balanced stance, with its feet firmly planted and without the slightest sway, as if it had never left the ground.

"good!"

Cheng Xiaodong couldn't help but let out a low shout, his eyes gleaming with excitement. His pen flew across the notebook, and even his breathing became rapid.

Li Tiansheng nodded repeatedly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He adjusted his glasses, his eyes full of admiration: "What a wonderful combination of Southern and Northern styles! The footwork is steady, the punches powerful, yet fluid and graceful. It has flavor, it has the unique characteristics of Guangdong!"

Liu Xiang did not stop and continued to perform the entire set of boxing techniques.

The entire set of punches took only three minutes, yet Li Tiansheng and Cheng Xiaodong watched intently, their blood boiling with excitement. When Liu Xiang finished her stance, she remained in the Siping stance, her breathing steady, not a bead of sweat on her face, only her eyes were brighter, and her entire body felt relaxed and exhilarated.

The training room fell silent instantly, with only Liu Xiang's soft breathing and the sound of the sea breeze outside the window.

After a long while, Cheng Xiaodong was the first to come to his senses. He quickly walked up to Liu Xiang, patted him on the shoulder, and said excitedly, unable to hide his admiration, "Liu Xiang! Your boxing and footwork design is absolutely brilliant! It's practically tailor-made for the screen! The whole routine was incredibly cool!"

Having worked as a martial arts instructor for so many years, Ching Siu-tung has seen countless styles of boxing, but this set of moves was exactly the kind of martial arts action he had always dreamed of.

"Coach Cheng, you flatter me. I only combined some characteristics of Lingnan martial arts with my own ideas. There are still many areas that need improvement and integration," Liu Xiang said modestly, but she also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that her design had been fully recognized by this gold medal martial arts choreographer.

Li Tiansheng also came over, his notebook filled with writing. He pushed up his glasses and said in a serious but admiring tone, "Liu Xiang, this set of boxing techniques has a very good grasp of rhythm, with a good balance of tension and relaxation, and a combination of fast and slow. The first half is compact, the middle is expansive, and the second half is profound. It is very suitable for screen storytelling."

"Producer Li is right. When I was designing, I also considered the feasibility of filming and simplified some of the more complex movements while retaining the core essence." Liu Xiang nodded and said, "However, I think we can adjust some details, such as the height of the whirlwind kick and the angle of the elbow strike. If we make a slight adjustment, the filming effect will be even better."

"That's right, details determine success or failure!" Cheng Xiaodong immediately chimed in, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Come on, Liu Xiang, let's have a practice run. Do the movements again, and we'll see where the details need adjustment."

As he spoke, Cheng Xiaodong walked to the center of the training room, assumed a ready stance, and stared intently at Liu Xiang. Li Tiansheng also walked to the side, holding a notebook, ready to take notes at any moment.

Liu Xiang did not refuse and assumed the starting stance again, demonstrating the boxing technique she had just used with Cheng Xiaodong, only slower and more meticulously, making sure every movement was clear and showing every detail to the fullest.

Liu Xiang also adjusted the details of the movements according to Cheng Xiaodong's requirements, and their coordination was perfect. Li Tiansheng, on the other hand, occasionally chimed in with a few words, offering some suggestions from the perspective of filming: "This movement can be done in slow motion to emphasize the force. This jump can be executed from the side to show a graceful posture."

The three of them spent time in the training room practicing, adjusting, and discussing the movements over and over again, meticulously refining every detail, from the nuances of the movements to the control of the rhythm, and even the filming on screen.

Sunlight streamed through the porthole, falling on the three men and illuminating their focused figures. Beads of sweat gradually appeared on Liu Xiang's forehead, her T-shirt clinging to her body and outlining her taut muscles; Cheng Xiaodong's hair was also disheveled, but his face was full of excitement, showing no signs of fatigue; Li Tiansheng's notebook was filled with dense writing, yet he remained focused on watching the two men's sparring movements.

Time passed slowly, from dawn to noon, and the three of them were completely unaware, immersed in the design and discussion of the boxing techniques.

After Liu Xiang performed the entire set of boxing techniques according to the final revised version, Cheng Xiaodong couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. "Very good, this set of boxing techniques is now fully complete!"

After resting for a while and drinking some water, Li Tiansheng checked the time and said, "It's getting late. There are still many other martial arts instructors training on the cruise ship, mostly practicing Southern Fist. Let's go take a look and learn from their strengths to see if we can add something to our own style."

Cheng Xiaodong and Liu Xiang both nodded in agreement.

The three tidied themselves up, left their training room, and headed towards other training rooms.

In the other training rooms, the martial arts instructors were training on their own, their shouts, the sounds of fists and feet striking each other, and the muffled thuds of sandbags all mingling together.

As Li Tiansheng said, the training here is almost entirely based on Southern Fist.

Everyone practiced until they were drenched in sweat, yet they remained energetic and focused, radiating a deep love for martial arts.

Liu Xiang and the other two stood aside, watching quietly without disturbing the others, only occasionally exchanging a few comments on their actions.

The three spent nearly an hour in the various training rooms, their minds full of insights. They returned to their own training rooms, not even bothering to drink a few sips of water, and immediately stood in the center of the field to adjust.

After another three hours of practice, when Liu Xiang finished the whole set of punches, he felt a sense of exhilaration throughout his body.

"We've been busy all day, let's take a break." Li Tiansheng closed his notebook, pointed outside, "The swimming pool at the stern of the cruise ship is right next to the competition venue. There are fewer people there now, let's go for a dip and relax."

The three changed into casual beach shorts and walked along the corridor to the poolside. The afternoon sun shone on the water, making it sparkle. There were wicker lounge chairs by the pool, and as expected, there weren't many people around. Liu Xiang was the first to jump into the water. The water enveloped his body and instantly dispelled the fatigue of the morning. He stretched his limbs and habitually adopted a swimming style, which was a standard freestyle.

His arm strokes were clean and precise, his leg kicks were even, and his body glided across the pool like an arrow, reaching the other side in just a few seconds.

"Wow! Liu Xiang, you're amazing!" Cheng Xiaodong exclaimed as soon as he got into the water, seeing Liu Xiang's speed. "I thought you were only good at martial arts, but I didn't expect you to be such a fast swimmer!"