Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 119 - 108 Gazing into the Legendary, Traces of the Master

Chapter 119: Chapter 108 Gazing into the Legendary, Traces of the Master

That afternoon, Wu Li uploaded the video shot by Liu Yuanbo onto Mo Yin, which immediately caused a sensation.

Wu Li couldn’t live stream while he was abroad, and he didn’t post much either because he was focusing on the competition, so his popularity had completely waned. He live-streamed the night he returned to the country, but the number of people online was just over ten thousand, which is the reality of the internet.

Fortunately, his fan base was still there. After all, there were more than thirty million fans. As soon as Wu Li uploaded today’s video, the number of likes and comments began to soar.

By 7 p.m., Wu Li’s video heat had once again topped the Mo Yin trending list and made it onto the Weibo hot search list.

When it comes to performances of Traditional Martial Arts in China, those that look good in action are a dime a dozen, and martial arts movies have all kinds of patterns, leaving the national audience almost aesthetically fatigued. Moreover, the criticism has always been that while they look good, they can’t actually fight.

But, the video of Xingyi Spear that Wu Li released this time, with its speed, power, and accuracy of thrusting, even laypeople could see that it’s definitely not for show—too hardcore!

The key was the momentum of Wu Li’s charge, combined with his looks, which was just too cool, and he effectively gathered a wave of fans online. This time, there were even more male fans than female fans, with many guys fantasizing about being like Wu Li, wielding a long spear and fighting in battle, taking the enemy’s head as effortlessly as reaching into a bag!

At 10 p.m., the number of people in Wu Li’s live stream once again passed one hundred thousand. Most people in the live stream were clamoring for Wu Li to perform the Xingyi Spear again, while others asked if Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall would teach Xingyi Spear and when classes would start?

Wu Li took the opportunity to promote Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall and mentioned that the spear class would be placed in the advanced level and that there would be dedicated courses in the future.

It was foreseeable that after tonight, there would definitely be another small surge in people signing up at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall.

Since he was live streaming at home, Wu Li couldn’t demonstrate the spear for his viewers, but he did share a lot of knowledge about it with them.

There has been considerable research on spears in China, and there are even specific competitions, though only in Taiwan, which is quite niche. Before today, had it not been for Wu Li’s demo video, many Chinese people probably wouldn’t have had any concept of spears, assuming that they were only used as weapons in ancient times, when in fact, there are quite a number of enthusiasts in modern times.

"Compared to foreign countries, our country actually lags far behind in the development of traditional weapon combat," Wu Li said to the screen. "Fencing competitions, Soldier Attack, and Sword Dao from Japan have all become professional contests that are continuously promoted in the modern era."

"Especially Japan’s Sword Dao, I feel that they are doing the best in cultural exportation. Their swords, which are actually more like knives, initially copied our Tang Swords, which formally spread to Japan during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. After a long history of wars, various swordsmanship schools emerged."

"Actually, now, many of our young people can effortlessly name various Japanese swordsmanship schools, like Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, One Sword Style, Yagyu Style, etc. However, we know very little about the weapon schools of our own country’s Traditional Martial Arts. It has to be said that in terms of cultural export, we really aren’t doing as well as others."

Wu Li reflected, saying that domestic swordsmanship wasn’t widely disseminated, partly because cultural exportation wasn’t well executed, and partly because many domestic swordsmanship schools primarily practiced routines meant for performance, with very few that could actually be used in real combat being passed down.

Before the Tang Dynasty, swordsmanship was mostly used in battle formations, aiming to defeat the enemy, simple and practical. During the Song Dynasty, the military started to abandon swords in favor of knives, and swordsmanship was perfected among the civilians, becoming more focused on intricate changes, and was mostly used for private duels.

However, after the Ming and Qing dynasties, private duels greatly decreased, leading directly to a lack of real combat experience among swordsmen, causing many sword techniques to decline, unable to be passed down.

"Streamer, can your Xingyi Spear beat the Flying Swordsmanship?"

At this moment, a comment in the chat caught Wu Li’s attention and made him laugh because Flying Swordsmanship was a fictional sword technique from a Japanese manga and didn’t actually exist. But at the same time, Wu Li felt somewhat sad that some people could believe in the incredible prowess of a fictitious martial art from another country, yet found it hard to believe that their own ancestors’ teachings could be effective in real combat.

Wu Li said with a laugh, "In this world, many martial arts techniques actually originated from specific times and places. For instance, Xingyi Spear was mainly developed for charging in battle formations, while many Japanese sword techniques were created according to factors such as the enemy’s armor, the weight and material of the weapons during different eras. For example, during wartime when the enemy had thick armor, sword techniques would focus on chopping and thrusting, the simpler, the better. During the Meiji period, when there were more private duels, sword schools emphasized more on variation and positioning."

"So, to compare the pros and cons of two martial arts techniques, first you need to see what its intended purpose was and whether it achieved that purpose, as well as its effectiveness and combat record. Then, you can make a relative comparison, which would be objective. If you insist on putting them together for a fight recklessly without considering anything else, then all I can say..."

Wu Li paused here and calmly continued, "Give me a Xingyi Spear over three meters long, no matter what sword technique you use, be it Natural Reasoning Heart Flow, One Sword Style, or even if you could actually use Flying Swordsmanship, if I can’t thrust and kill you within ten seconds, consider it my loss."

As soon as this was said, the live stream quieted down for a few seconds, then the screen was filled with a continuous stream of "666".

Actually, Wu Li wasn’t exaggerating or joking when he said "an inch longer, an inch stronger." It wasn’t just an empty phrase.

With a spear over three meters long against a sword just over one meter, it was slaughter! Wu Li needed only to flick his wrist and it equated to his opponent running several steps. A mere movement of his arm was sufficient to thrust at his opponent. And what could his opponent do to harm Wu Li except throw their sword at him?

If one were unarmed against a weapon, they would need to be at least two realms higher than their opponent to stand a chance at fighting. Similarly, to fight with a shorter weapon against Wu Li’s longer one, one would need to be at least two realms above Wu Li.

Wu Li was now a Master Level martial artist, and to be two realms higher than him, in the system’s terms, would be Legendary!

After reading books by various Grandmasters from the period of the Republic, and combining that with his current realm, Wu Li speculated that people like Guo Yunshen, Sun Lutang, and Li Shuwen were all Grandmaster Level fighters. These individuals already represented the pinnacle of National Martial Arts. Beyond that, the Legendary Realm as referred to by the system, was something Wu Li couldn’t even begin to fathom nor find a reference for. With his current realm, he couldn’t even imagine what a Legendary status could be.

Since the system had assigned him the task of "Master’s Name," it indicated that there must be at least ten Master Level martial artists in this world, and Wu Li felt there might be even more, considering examples like Zhao Lixin.

But a Grandmaster above a Master, did such people still exist in this world? Wu Li was skeptical about that. As for those above Grandmasters, the Legendaries, Wu Li didn’t believe such people existed at all, not in the past, and perhaps only in the future with the help of the system, could he dare to dream.

So, Wu Li dared to make such a statement in front of over a hundred thousand people: Give me a Xingyi Spear and no matter what sword or sword school you use, I’ll definitely pierce you within ten seconds!

That night’s live broadcast earned Wu Li 120,000 Fan Value. His bold declaration made the headlines and the hot search lists again.

If someone else had said this, netizens might have dismissed it as bragging, but the speaker was Wu Li. Supported by one after another of his past exploits, the vast majority just thought he was the man, exuding sheer dominance.

This directly led to a surge in the number of people signing up at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall, prompting Liu Yuanbo to call Wu Li to start preparing to open more branches.

Opening branches now was no problem with available stores, funding, and students. The only thing missing was coaches, so Wu Li had to consider training a new batch of coaches, and it was also a good opportunity to properly teach Xu Chuan.

However, as Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall would continue to expand, Wu Li knew he couldn’t handle everything alone. He considered bringing Zhao Lixin on board to help shoulder some of the burden. Besides, he could invite other high-level martial artists from different styles to join. This would not only command respect but also enrich the curriculum at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall. Wu Li wasn’t satisfied with just teaching Xingyi Fist there.

Therefore, Wu Li planned to fully commit to completing the task of "Master’s Name." After all, by finding true Traditional Martial Arts Masters, the chances of encountering great masters would greatly increase.

Once, while in New Country, Wu Li had discussed with Zhao Lixin about paying a visit to his master, the military combat instructor Hong Wenbo, once he returned to his country.

Given that Hong Wenbo could teach a student like Zhao Lixin, it’s clear the military combat instructor was no ordinary person. Wu Li hoped that by visiting him, he could get leads on other high-level military martial artists.

Unfortunately, Zhao Lixin was still in New Country recuperating and would not return until he was more mobile. As for Hong Wenbo, he was busy with official duties and the instructor was in the Capital City, making it inconvenient for Wu Li to impose on Hong Wenbo to take him to visit, so the visit to the instructor had to be put on hold.

Suddenly, Wu Li remembered a few individuals from his time in Qi City. Yan Baili, who taught Yong Chun, and several people from the Qi City Martial Arts Association. Although they were not at a high realm, having been with the Martial Arts Association for so many years, was it possible they knew or were aware of some high-level martial artists?

Wu Li was suddenly excited at the thought. Regardless, this was another clue, and he immediately decided to book a flight to Qi City and visit Yan Baili and others in person.

At the same time, as Wu Li booked his ticket to Qi City, the variety department of Qi City TV Station happened to be discussing him.

"Do you think it’s okay switching a normally documentary-style program into an outdoor reality show?" someone asked with a hint of concern.

Xiao Qing, the head of Qi City TV Station’s variety department said, "I have confidence in this new concept, as well as in Wu Li. Everyone has seen his capability to create buzz and trends. This is a good opportunity, and I believe we have the chance to create a hit variety show!"

"Now it all depends on whether Wu Li is willing to accept our invitation."

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