Chapter 106: Completely Convinced—This Is a Ruthless Person (Extended Chapter)

Inside the studio.

Yuan Lang: "Su Mu, I'll be staying here with my master for a while. If you have any questions about action sequences, feel free to reach out to me anytime."

Su Mu replied delightedly: "Could I really learn a trick or two from a master like Brother Yuan? That would be a huge honor!"

[Expression Proficiency +1]
[Emotional Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01...]

Su Mu's eyes and expressions shifted with subtle nuance. Unobtrusively, he made Yuan Lang feel as if he could see right into his inner thoughts. At that moment, Yuan Lang felt that everything Su Mu exuded was entirely sincere. His smile carried the refreshing feeling of a spring breeze.

*Actually, this guy is quite decent...*

Yuan Lang: "It's nothing much. I've been practicing martial arts with my master since I was a child, so I know a thing or two. I can certainly teach you some basic routines."

Su Mu: "It's a deal, then."

He proactively added Yuan Lang on WeChat. Shortly after, Su Mu found an excuse to leave. Both his Horseback Riding proficiency (Level 3) and the blind box task were still incomplete, so he had to seize the time.

Su Mu exited the studio. Under the astonished gazes of the crew members, he mounted "Little Lightning" and headed straight to the nearby stables to continue grinding his proficiency.

Inside the studio, after Su Mu left, Yuan Zheng, Yuan Lang, and even Chen Anzhi were left stunned. To be honest, seeing Su Mu show up on horseback today was something none of them had anticipated. Yuan Zheng had given Su Mu the requirements, expecting it would take at least until after the New Year to see any results. Yet, only a week had passed, and he was already riding on the road.

As for Yuan Lang, he had gained a new perspective on Su Mu. In fact, before arriving, he had already received gossip from his fellow martial arts brothers. Most of it consisted of biased opinions shared in their group chats—the typical stereotypes that many martial arts actors hold toward "traffic idols."

However, Yuan Lang didn't think that way. Having been in this industry for a long time, he was more mature than the junior disciples. He knew that one shouldn't judge by appearances. At the Peak of China awards ceremony, how could someone who earned praise and gratitude from the three major video giants and a renowned director like Zhang Huaimou be nothing more than a hollow shell?

Moreover, the internet was currently flooded with information and comments about Su Mu. With so much nonsense flying around, it was easy to get blinded and lose sight of the truth. As the senior disciple of the Yuan Zheng stunt team, Yuan Lang considered his judgment of character to be quite sharp. Based on Su Mu's demeanor while riding and their subsequent conversation, he was not at all the insufferable person the others described. On the contrary, he was a kind, modest gentleman whose words felt like a gentle breeze.

Thinking of this, Yuan Lang sighed inwardly. He had been away from the martial arts troupe for less than half a year, yet the atmosphere within the school had become so unstable. Martial artists should be broad-minded. How could they point fingers and make reckless judgments just because they didn't land a role? This wouldn't do. It seemed that as the senior disciple, he needed to lead by example.

Yuan Zheng: "Yuan Lang, you just got back, go take a rest."

Yuan Lang: "Master, please go ahead with your work; I know what I need to do."

With that, Yuan Lang turned and left the studio, leaving behind a bewildered Yuan Zheng and Chen Anzhi.

Yuan Zheng: "???"
Chen Anzhi: "..."

...

Over the next few days, Su Mu did not stop his training rhythm. His daily schedule was extremely disciplined. Every morning, he would ride from the hotel to the film set to complete a task, then loop back to the stables to run laps.

As his daily proficiency increased, Su Mu's horsemanship became increasingly refined. From barely being able to manage Little Lightning at the start, he gradually began to pick up speed, eventually galloping across the plains outside the training grounds. To reach this level meant he was already among those who could truly ride—he had technically fulfilled Yuan Zheng's requirements.

But Su Mu felt it wasn't enough. He wasn't after mere speed; he wanted the ability to perform combat maneuvers and stunts while on horseback. While there were many camera techniques that could fake these shots, Su Mu felt that the resulting performance would lack depth. Beyond the lack of authenticity, he couldn't fully immerse himself. Only by mastering everything the character was capable of could he achieve a complete performance.

Just like the days of riding training, he had found a glimmer of the feeling required for the character of Xin Qiji. Every time he galloped, he would imagine the scenes of iron-clad horses and golden spears from that era. Although he only gained a little insight each time, as long as he kept grinding and accumulating these emotions and perceptions, there would naturally be a day of fulfillment. And at that moment, he would be in the most vibrant state to portray Xin Qiji; once he unleashed it all, it would surely stun everyone.

Riding was just an entry point into the character, but an entry point alone was not enough. Su Mu visited Yuan Lang once more. As agreed, he wanted to learn basic martial arts routines and sword techniques. The Xin Qiji in this script was a swordsman. There was one particularly moving scene where Xin Qiji practiced his sword by a campfire in the dead of night in Tai'an City. It was the eve of his plan to resist the Jin army; he had met with a traitorous friend and talked about the war, the Great Song, and the future. Moved by these thoughts, Xin Qiji drew his sword and danced. He wasn't just practicing swordsmanship; he was expressing his burning passion and his heart for the Great Song.

Such a scene required a perfect fusion of external form and internal intent. If one didn't understand the sword or couldn't wield it, they would appear uncoordinated. If the form and the artistic conception didn't align, the audience would lose the visual experience, and the entire scene would collapse. Therefore, to fully interpret the character, all of this had to be learned.

[Sword Routine Proficiency LV1: 1/100]
[Martial Arts Action Proficiency LV1: 1/100]

After learning from Yuan Lang that day, Su Mu activated his proficiency gains. He adjusted his schedule: every morning, he would ride to and from the set to trigger the task, spend the morning riding, and dedicate the afternoon to practicing sword and martial arts routines with the crew. His schedule was packed.

From the beginning, when many thought he was just putting on a show, to later, when they were left staring in astonishment and disbelief, it had taken Su Mu less than a month. In truth, no matter what you do, if you turn into a "grind-god," those around you will start to think you aren't human. That was how Su Mu made them feel now. Every day, he carried the prop sword from the set, rode from the hotel to the stables, galloped all morning, and then practiced sword fighting with the stunt team.

The temperatures in Gubei Province in December were even colder than in Galaxy City, but Su Mu went out regardless of the weather! And the more he ground, the more addicted he became. Especially galloping through harsh conditions, he felt an inexplicable sense of heroism and passion. Su Mu felt he finally understood what "the horse flies fast like Lu" truly meant.

...

At 7:30 in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten. A flurry of hoofbeats approached. The entire crew poked their heads out of the temporary dorms to look. It seemed to have become a habit; hearing this sound meant Su Mu was here to "punch the clock." Although they didn't know why he insisted on riding back and forth to the stables every day, the crew—including the Yuan Zheng stunt team—no longer held the arrogance and prejudice they once had.

To be precise, they were completely won over. They used to talk about how hard the stunt actors worked, but this time, they were actually embarrassed. If anyone dared to say they worked harder than Su Mu now, they would be laughed out of the room.

"Is he here? He seems even earlier than yesterday."
"I'm truly impressed. How can a big traffic star be like this? He's practically killing himself with this training. Is he really that deep into the role, thinking he's Xin Qiji?"
"Sigh. I really want to apologize for what I said before. I shouldn't have underestimated him. I'm not even as good at riding as he is now."
"The routines Brother Yuan Lang taught him—he seems to be improving faster than we did, haven't you noticed?"
"I noticed. That's what surprises me the most. His moves are getting more and more elegant. It's a good thing he's the only one doing this, otherwise, us stuntmen would all be out of a job."
"I'm sold, anyway. Don't call him Su Mu anymore; call him 'God Su'."

As they spoke, Su Mu arrived on horseback, vaulted off with fluid grace.

[Horseback Riding Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01...]
[Task: Horseback round trip: Hotel—Shooting location, 20 times! (20/20)]
[Task Rewards: Proficiency +2000, Skill Point +5.0, Any Attribute +10.0]

Looking at the panel, Su Mu smiled. He had finally cleared the blind box task. Without hesitation, he allocated the points.

"Attribute, max out Stamina!"
[Notification: Addition complete. Current Stamina: 36.1]
"1000 to Sword Routines, 1000 to Martial Arts Actions."
[Notification: Upgrade added!]

[Horseback Riding Proficiency LV3: 3566/5000]
[Sword Routine Proficiency LV3: 560/5000]
[Martial Arts Action Proficiency LV3: 550/5000]

Initially, Su Mu had planned to push his horseback riding to LV4 after finishing the task. However, after the constant grinding these past few days, he wasn't far from the Master level (LV4) anyway. He would certainly reach it by the start of next year, before the film began shooting. So, he allocated the 2000 points to his sword and martial arts skills, which had been lingering at LV2. Now, with 1000 points each, they reached LV3.

His body began to tingle. After a long while, it finally stopped. Feeling the inexplicable experience and proficiency coursing through him, Su Mu felt that if he were to swing his sword now, it might be as simple as spinning a pen in class. Thinking this, Su Mu drew his sword. The prop sword let out a sharp "shing!"

"!!!"
"!!!"

Everyone present was stunned. But the next moment, something even more surprising happened. They watched as Su Mu began to perform his sword routines; the blade moved like flowing water in his hands, even including high-difficulty moves like spinning the sword hilt in mid-air before catching it again.

It had to be said, visually, it was truly handsome. The moves Yuan Lang taught him weren't complicated. After all, they weren't competing in a real arena or fighting for their lives. The moves were mostly for show, aiming for grace and visual flair. Before, as his proficiency increased, Su Mu could only manage to memorize the moves and keep the rhythm correct. Now, however, he had taken a massive leap, and his entire performance exuded a sense of ethereal elegance.

"My god, Su Mu is so handsome!"
"Wow, is this a surprise treat for today?"

Yuan Shuang and several other women emerged from the dorms, looking at Su Mu with starry eyes. In the past, if they had seen this, the others in the stunt team would have been jealous, but not anymore. After all, that man was a grind-god.

[Sword Routine +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]

Finishing the set, Su Mu sheathed his sword with satisfaction. The increase in proficiency truly made him feel like a fish in water. It was only then that he noticed the stunned crowd around him. Yuan Lang had walked up at some point. Watching Su Mu finish in one breath, he remarked: "Su Mu, I didn't expect you to improve so fast. Looks like next time, I'll have to teach you some higher-difficulty moves."

Su Mu turned to Yuan Lang: "Like what?"
Yuan Lang: "Like performing a backflip while drawing the sword. That would look even cooler."
Su Mu: "Got it."
Yuan Lang: "Oh, right. Director Chen and my master said they want you to come over."

...

Inside the studio, Chen Anzhi and Yuan Zheng looked at Su Mu with concern. To be honest, they were just as astonished as everyone else. Yuan Zheng, in particular, was a martial arts director; he understood the difficulty better than anyone. If Su Mu had been specializing in one area, it might have been possible, but Su Mu had been grinding horseback riding, swordplay, and martial arts all at once. That intense level of dedication was almost frightening.

Chen Anzhi looked at Su Mu: "Su Mu, can your body handle this? Do you want to take a break? It's already the end of December; the New Year is almost here. You've done a great job already, there's really no need to push yourself this hard. Yuan Zheng and I are both very satisfied, really!"

Yuan Zheng nodded: "Su Mu, Director Chen is right. I thought you would learn slowly, but you are already fully capable of handling this role. We can just make minor adjustments later. Why not take a few days off?"

The two were genuinely worried now. They had heard Zhang Huaimou say that Su Mu had spent his days butchering fish to prepare for his role in *The Knockout*, but now, he had traded the fish for horses and swords.

Listening to their concern, Su Mu remained unshaken. He had his own requirements for the role of Xin Qiji.

Su Mu shook his head: "I know you're worried, but I can't stop. It's not time to rest yet."
Chen Anzhi: "Ah?"
Yuan Zheng: "Why?"

Su Mu smiled, then changed the subject: "Director Chen, Instructor Yuan, since you both asked, I certainly can't leave it unanswered. But before that, I'd like to say a few words about my hard training during this period. The main point is... so, in summary, that is the long and short of it."

[Public Speaking Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]

Yuan Lang: "Mm, well said!"
Chen Anzhi: "...!?"
Yuan Zheng: "...!?"

PS: More coming later.