Hong Kong Film: Starting Undercover from the Five Tigers!

Mr. Ma's eyes were full of surprise and admiration: "You child, you are truly a promising talent for martial arts. However, the final hurdle will not be so easy."

"I'm ready." Liu Wenhao wiped his sweat.

Mr. Ma slowly walked to the center of the field and casually assumed a horse stance. The seemingly simple movement instantly transformed his entire demeanor, making him appear as steady and steadfast as a mountain.

Chapter 1224, the Dharma Gate!

"Young man, I am seventy-two years old and have practiced martial arts for over fifty years. Are you sure you want to fight me?"

Liu Wenhao felt unprecedented pressure, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter: "Confirmed."

Mr. Ma stood there, not in any fighting stance, just a normal horse stance, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. But Liu Wenhao felt an immense sense of oppression, as if he were facing a mountain.

"Come on," Mr. Ma said calmly.

Liu Wenhao took a deep breath and charged forward. This time he held nothing back, pushing his speed to the limit, his fist hurtling through the air as it headed straight for Mr. Ma's face.

However, Mr. Ma simply turned slightly to the side and easily dodged the punch. Not only that, he also pushed Liu Wenhao with the momentum, and Liu Wenhao felt a subtle force coming from him, causing him to involuntarily take a few steps forward.

"You're too impatient." Old Mr. Ma shook his head. "Martial arts emphasizes stillness like a mountain and movement like thunder. Right now, you only have thunder, not mountain."

Liu Wenhao steadied himself, somewhat confused: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you haven't learned to control your power yet." Mr. Ma said with his hands behind his back, "You are very strong and fast, but like a wild horse that has broken free, you have no control over it."

Unconvinced, Liu Wenhao charged forward again, this time unleashing a barrage of punches, each aimed at Mr. Ma's vitals. But miraculously, Mr. Ma simply dodged and deflected, neutralizing all his attacks.

Moreover, Liu Wenhao found that he was getting more and more tired as he fought, while Mr. Ma was relaxed and at ease, and his breathing was not even disordered.

"How is this possible?" Liu Wenhao stopped, his face full of confusion. "How did you do that?"

Mr. Ma smiled and said, "That's the difference between skill and experience. I can predict every punch you throw, and I've seen every move you make countless times."

"Then I'll fight in a way that you can't predict!"

Liu Wenhao suddenly changed his strategy, abandoning his straight-line attacks and instead circling around Mr. Ma, searching for an opening. To his dismay, however, Mr. Ma maintained his horse stance, his body slightly turned, always facing him.

“Young man, you’re overthinking it,” Mr. Ma suddenly said. “The highest level of martial arts is not complexity, but simplicity.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mr. Ma moved. He simply took a step forward and extended his right hand, but that one step and that gesture made Liu Wenhao feel as if the whole world had changed.

It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed him, rendering him unable to move.

Mr. Ma gently placed his palm on Liu Wenhao's chest. The force was not great, but Liu Wenhao felt as if he had been hit by a truck. He was sent flying backward and crashed heavily into the wall.

The audience was silent.

Liu Wenhao struggled to his feet, feeling a tightness in his chest, but he wasn't seriously injured. He looked at Old Mr. Ma in shock: "What kind of kung fu is this?"

"Tai Chi." Mr. Ma slowly withdrew his hand. "Use softness to overcome hardness, and borrow strength to strike back. The stronger you are, the greater the force that will be rebounded back at you."

Liu Wenhao was somewhat unconvinced: "Let's do it again!"

He charged forward again, this time more cautiously, each punch a tentative probe. But the result was the same; Mr. Ma always managed to deflect his attacks in the simplest way and then defeat him in one move.

After being knocked away three times in a row, Liu Wenhao finally stopped, panting heavily.

"Are you convinced?" Mr. Ma asked.

Liu Wenhao was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I'm convinced."

Chapter 1225: Promising!

This was the first time he had encountered an opponent he couldn't understand in martial arts. Every move Master Ma made was extremely simple, yet its effect was ridiculously strong.

"Then, as agreed, you will study here with me for a month," Mr. Ma said with a smile. "But before that, I want to ask you a question. Why did you challenge me?"

Liu Wenhao thought for a moment: "I was expelled from school, and I want to prove that I'm strong."

"Who are we proving this to?"

"To prove to those who look down on me," Liu Wenhao said, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. "To let them know that I can live well even without a school."

Mr. Ma nodded: "I understand. But have you ever thought about how your current actions are any different from those of the people you dislike?"

Liu Wenhao was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"You use violence to prove yourself, and they use power to suppress you. Essentially, it's all about the strong bullying the weak." Mr. Ma walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. "A true strong person doesn't need to prove anything to anyone."

This statement made Liu Wenhao fall into deep thought.

“Master is right.” Ah Hu woke up at some point and stood up with difficulty. “Young brother, you are very strong, but you still need to adjust your mindset.”

Mr. Ma turned to the students watching and said, "As you have all seen today, martial arts is not just a tool for fighting, but also a method for self-cultivation. This young man may be young and impetuous, but he is exceptionally talented and worthy of our learning."

The trainees nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with more respect as they looked at Liu Wenhao.

“Then, starting tomorrow, you will officially become my student,” Mr. Ma said to Liu Wenhao. “However, I want to warn you in advance that my training will be very strict, so you should be prepared.”

Liu Wenhao nodded: "I'm not afraid of hardship."

"Very good." Mr. Ma nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's call it a day. Be here promptly at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

Liu Wenhao packed his things and was about to leave when Mr. Ma called him back: "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"what?"

"Don't spread what happened today online," Mr. Ma said earnestly. "Martial arts are for strengthening the body, not for hype."

Liu Wenhao thought for a moment and nodded: "I understand."

As Liu Wenhao walked out of the martial arts gym, the sun was setting, and the streets were bustling with traffic. He felt a mix of emotions as he walked among the crowd.

Today's defeat was a big blow to him, but it also opened his eyes to a wider world. He realized that martial arts is not just simple fighting, but also has so many profound aspects.

My phone rang; it was my mother calling.

"Wenhao, where are you? The school called to say you didn't go to class today."

Liu Wenhao hesitated for a moment: "Mom, I've been expelled from school."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the mother sighed: "What happened?"

Liu Wenhao briefly recounted what happened, omitting the part about challenging the opponent.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Mom's voice sounded very tired.

"I found a place to learn kung fu, and it may take a month."

"Learn kung fu?" Mom's voice rose eight octaves. "Wenhao, stop fooling around! What will you do without a diploma?"

"Mom, please believe me this once, okay?" Liu Wenhao stopped in his tracks. "I'll prove that even without going to school, I can still be successful."

Chapter 1226 Practicing Boxing!

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, Mom said, "Okay, but you have to promise me you'll come back in a month, and then we'll discuss what to do next."

"Okay, I promise you."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Wenhao looked at the sunset in the distance, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

Perhaps this month will change the course of his life.

At 5:30 a.m. the next morning, Liu Wenhao arrived at the entrance of Zhengwu Hall. To his surprise, Mr. Ma was already there, practicing Tai Chi.

"You've arrived quite early." Old Mr. Ma finished his stance, glanced at his watch, "but it's still late. Martial artists should rise earlier than the sun."

Liu Wenhao was a little embarrassed: "Master, I thought it was six o'clock..."

"Six o'clock is for regular students." Mr. Ma pushed open the door of the martial arts school. "If you want to learn real martial arts, then naturally there will be different standards."

The martial arts gym was empty except for the two of them. Old Master Ma led Liu Wenhao to the backyard, where there was a small square surrounded by various training equipment.

“Let’s start with a five-kilometer morning run, then some basic exercises.” Mr. Ma pointed to the path in the distance. “Remember, keep a steady pace, don’t sprint.”

Liu Wenhao found it strange: "Master, didn't I already prove my strength yesterday? Why do we have to start from the basics again?"

Mr. Ma glanced at him and asked, "You think you're very capable?"

"At least I'm better than the average person," Liu Wenhao said, somewhat unconvinced.

"Then tell me, how much of your strength did you use when you fought me yesterday?"

“With all my strength.”

"what about me?"

Liu Wenhao paused for a moment, carefully recalling the events of yesterday. Mr. Ma had remained calm and composed throughout, his breathing steady, without even breaking a sweat.

"You... didn't use your full strength?"

“I didn’t even use one-tenth of my strength,” Mr. Ma said calmly. “If I had used my full strength, you would be lying in the hospital right now.”

These words completely shocked Liu Wenhao. He thought he was already very strong, but he never expected that the gap between him and a true master would be so huge.

"Do you still think basic exercises are useless?" Mr. Ma asked.

Liu Wenhao shook his head: "Master, please teach me."

"Very good." Mr. Ma nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, the foundation of martial arts is like the foundation of a house. If the foundation is not solid, even the tallest building will collapse."

The training that followed was extremely tough for Liu Wenhao.

The five-kilometer morning run is just an appetizer; what follows is practice of various basic movements. Horse stance, lunge, half-step, crouching stance—each movement must be maintained in the correct posture for more than ten minutes.

At first, Liu Wenhao thought it was easy, but after ten minutes, his legs started to tremble and sweat poured down like a waterfall.

"Master, what's the use of these movements?" Liu Wenhao gritted his teeth and persevered.

"The horse stance is for stabilizing the lower body, the bow stance is for practicing power generation, and the empty stance is for agile movement..." Mr. Ma corrected his movements from the side, "Every basic movement has its purpose, don't underestimate it."

After a morning of work, Liu Wenhao was almost completely exhausted. He had never imagined that such a simple, basic movement could be so tiring.

"Master, how about taking a nap?" Liu Wenhao slumped to the ground.

"A midday rest?" Old Mr. Ma raised an eyebrow. "The sun isn't even high in the sky yet, what's there to rest for? Get up and practice your boxing."

Chapter 1227 Half a year!

Liu Wenhao was on the verge of tears, but managed to stand up with difficulty.

Mr. Ma began teaching him the basic routines of Tai Chi. The movements, which looked slow and gentle, were actually extremely difficult to practice. Every movement required precision, and every part of the body had to coordinate.

“No, your hand gesture for ‘Wild Horse Parts Its Mane’ is incorrect,” Mr. Ma patiently corrected. “Remember, Tai Chi emphasizes the guidance of intention, not rigid imitation.”

"Mind-guided guidance?" Liu Wenhao wiped his sweat. "Master, this is too mystical!"

Mr. Ma did not answer, but instead demonstrated "Wild Horse Parts Its Mane" himself. The same movement seemed to come alive in his hands, every detail brimming with charm.

"Did you feel it?" Mr. Ma asked.

Liu Wenhao nodded. Although he couldn't pinpoint the exact difference, he did feel that Mr. Ma's movements had a more "flavorful" quality.

"This is the essence of martial arts." Mr. Ma finished his stance. "The external form is easy to learn, but the inner charm requires a long period of understanding."

The afternoon training was even more rigorous. In addition to continuing to practice basic movements, Mr. Ma added equipment training.

“Lift this iron ball, 100 times each time.” Mr. Ma pointed to a 20-kilogram iron ball.

Liu Wenhao gritted his teeth and began practicing. The first 50 repetitions were alright, but then it started to get difficult. By the time he reached 90, his arms were trembling violently.

"Keep going!" Mr. Ma encouraged from the side. "The worst thing you can do when practicing martial arts is to give up halfway."

After finally completing 100 repetitions, Liu Wenhao felt as if his arms no longer belonged to him.

"Very good, rest for five minutes, then switch to another device."

From 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Liu Wenhao hardly stopped, except for mealtimes.

When he got home, he was so tired that he didn't even want to talk and went straight to sleep.

The training continued at 5:30 the next day, and the third and fourth days...

A week passed, and Liu Wenhao felt like he was about to die. The intense daily training pushed his body to its limits, but miraculously, he wasn't injured; instead, he felt his physical abilities improving rapidly.

"Master, why do I feel like my strength and speed are increasing?" Liu Wenhao asked.

"Because your previous training methods were incorrect," Mr. Ma explained. "You were simply training your muscles without developing your body's potential. True martial arts training involves engaging every cell in your body."

"Every single cell?"