Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 147 - 133: Master Dong

Chapter 147: Chapter 133: Master Dong

Qi City, Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall.

A man of medium height stood outside the grand entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, dressed in blue cloth trousers and a washed, slightly white faded short-sleeved shirt. His pectoral muscles were well-developed and sweat drenched the front of his shirt, sketching out distinct lines.

His name was Dong Yunfei, and he was 40 years old.

As he entered the Martial Arts Hall, a female receptionist saw him and proactively greeted him with a smile, "Hello, how may I assist you?"

Dong Yunfei felt a bit uneasy. He hesitated before responding, "I heard you are hiring coaches. I’m here to apply."

"Alright, could you please fill out some personal information first?" The receptionist skillfully handed Dong Yunfei a piece of paper and a pen.

"Umm, I haven’t been a coach before. I practice Traditional Martial Arts. You specifically recruit for this, right?" Dong Yunfei asked hopefully.

The receptionist smiled and nodded, "Yes, we welcome all Boxers who practice Traditional Martial Arts, but if you want to be a coach, you still need a certain level of skill."

Dong Yunfei suddenly felt more nervous. "I—I’ve practiced for thirty years. Is that okay?"

The receptionist said, "I’m not the one to decide. Our Master is actually here today. I’ll take you to meet him; he’ll make the decision."

Dong Yunfei nodded, unconsciously clenching his fists.

The receptionist led Dong Yunfei deeper into the Martial Arts Hall. Inside, a few coaches were training a group of students to box, a sight that made Dong Yunfei feel slightly dazed as he recalled scenes of practicing boxing as a child.

Back then, there was a teacher in Dong Yunfei’s village who taught boxing for free. Many parents sent their children to learn, not only to strengthen their bodies but also to keep them supervised and prevent them from running around outside.

Dong Yunfei was also sent to learn boxing by his parents when he was ten. He didn’t know which Fist it was, and the teacher never said. He simply practiced with everyone else.

Many kids learned boxing together, and some would find ways to slack off. Even if the teacher saw, he wouldn’t say much, and over time, more and more kids started slacking. Dong Yunfei was more honest; he would complete everything the teacher assigned. If told to swing fifty punches, he wouldn’t just do forty-nine.

As they grew older, fewer and fewer kids came to learn boxing. In the end, only Dong Yunfei and two other kids continued to visit the teacher daily.

One day, the teacher asked Dong Yunfei if he wanted to become his disciple. Dong Yunfei didn’t really understand and went home to ask his parents. They said it was a good opportunity, so Dong Yunfei formally became a disciple.

On the day he became a disciple, his master told him that what he was learning was called White Ape Fist.

"Please sit here for a while. I’ll go find the Master, and I’ll be back soon," the receptionist’s words interrupted Dong Yunfei’s memories.

"Okay, thank you," Dong Yunfei expressed his gratitude.

The receptionist smiled, nodded, and walked away.

Dong Yunfei looked around. There was a row of stools behind him. He thought about it but decided not to sit, just standing there waiting.

The wait made Dong Yunfei rather anxious. It wasn’t that he felt it was taking too long but rather he was too nervous, fearing he might miss this opportunity.

He had left his village at the age of twenty to work in the city.

Initially, he worked at a construction site. Once, a fight broke out on the site involving one of his fellow villagers. Worried his fellow villager might be at a disadvantage, he stepped in to help.

He had practiced White Ape Fist for ten years and easily knocked down the opponents.

Later, the foreman heard about this and approached Dong Yunfei, saying with his fighting ability, why was he earning such little money on the construction site? He offered to help him make more money.

The twenty-year-old Dong Yunfei was tempted, so the foreman took him to fight in underground boxing rings.

At first, lacking experience, he lost several matches, but gradually, he got the hang of it, fought increasingly bravely, and his record improved alongside his income.

Later, a manager from a professional Free Fighting club noticed him and wanted to sign him as a professional fighter. Dong Yunfei agreed because he was told professional fighters earned more!

After a brief period of training, Dong Yunfei fought in several Free Fighting matches and managed to win each, albeit barely, by points.

However, the manager told him his fighting style was not eye-catching. His wins were not decisive enough, lacking entertainment value to attract spectators. He wouldn’t become popular this way.

At that moment, Dong Yunfei faced two choices: change his fighting style or get out and go back to underground boxing.

Having seen some of the splendor and high incomes of top professional fighters, Dong Yunfei certainly did not want to go back to underground boxing, so he agreed to change his fighting style.

However, after the change in style, which emphasized aggression and offense, Dong Yunfei lost several matches in a row and was completely abandoned by the club.

Unwilling to just bow out of professional competitions, Dong Yunfei later signed up for many matches under his own name.

He tried changing his fighting style, but soon realized it didn’t suit him. Later, he attempted to return to his original style, but as the manager of the first Martial Arts club had said, his style lacked flair and struggled to win over the audience. Hence, no company or club was willing to promote him. Even if he performed well in competitions, he couldn’t make a name for himself, and without fame, there was no value.

Over the years, Dong Yunfei made many attempts, but unfortunately, they all failed. Someone told him his situation was somewhat similar to a foreign Boxing Champion known for evading attacks, whose style was also unappealing. In the professional Boxing scene, where knockouts were the norm, this champion mostly won by points. The audience was greatly divided over him, yet that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the top and highest-paid Boxing Champions in the world!

After hearing this, Dong Yunfei did a lot of research and analyzed his own situation, realizing there were two reasons he couldn’t succeed like the other Boxer. First, he didn’t have the exceptional strength to remain undefeated.

Second, the domestic system wasn’t as developed as those abroad.

In China, whether it’s Boxing, Kickboxing, or Mixed Martial Arts, there aren’t unified, high-level, large-scale professional competitions like those abroad. In Boxing, other countries have four major professional leagues with highly mature business models, making billions in profit each year. Mixed Martial Arts abroad boasts the UFC, where influential fights can involve hundreds of millions of US dollars. Kickboxing, though less influential, has high-quality professional competitions like K-1.

In China, at most, a few clubs join with a company to pull sponsors and hold a major competition, inviting many amateur fighters.

Without a recognized professional platform, a comprehensive talent development system, or a mature business model, many fighters like Dong Yunfei were either overlooked or discarded.

After reaching this conclusion, Dong Yunfei chose to retire at the age of thirty-five.

Having no savings after retiring, he couldn’t open a Martial Arts Hall, engage in business, or become a coach due to his poor communication skills.

To make ends meet, Dong Yunfei worked as a bouncer in bars, a personal bodyguard, a security guard in residential complexes, and a sparring partner in Martial Arts halls...

Now, at forty, he had achieved nothing.

With children to educate, home loans to pay, and parents to support, Dong Yunfei desperately needed a stable income!

He saw Wu Li’s interview video online and looked up the salary for coaches at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall, which sparked his interest. So, he travelled from afar, full of hope, to try his luck.

Soon after, a young man approached with several others.

Dong Yunfei immediately recognized Wu Li leading the group.

His heart began to race, even more nervous than his first time competing.

"Hello."

Wu Li came over and reached out to shake his hand.

"Hello, hello!" Dong Yunfei quickly extended his hand, slightly bowing as he shook hands with Wu Li.

"What’s your surname?"

"No need for formalities, my surname is Dong, Dong Yunfei."

"Master Dong, what Fist have you trained in, and for how long?"

"White Ape Fist, for almost thirty years."

"Great. Can you demonstrate a set for me?"

"Sure."

Dong Yunfei stepped back a few paces, took a deep breath, posed in a fighting stance, and started his performance.

Having left the professional arena five years ago and barely practiced since then, plus his own ineloquence, he really wasn’t sure if Wu Li would be impressed.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

The White Ape Fist was dynamic and powerful, primarily using Ming Jin. Dong Yunfei, hoping to be selected, gave it his all, constantly hitting with crisp sounds.

It had been a long while since he’d completed a full set, but many of the movements were ingrained in him, almost instinctively displayed now, reminiscent of the days he first learned under his Master in that small courtyard, punching and kicking.

Swinging arms, revolving wrists, circles with straight arms, relaxed limbs, extended punches... Dong Yunfei exhibited each characteristic of the White Ape Fist.

Soon, he finished the sequence and stopped, nervously looking towards Wu Li.

Wu Li stepped forward, saluted with cupped hands, and said, "Master Dong, on behalf of Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall, I welcome you to join us!"

Dong Yunfei was stunned initially, then his eyes welled up at forty.

Maybe it was because he’d finally found a stable and satisfactory job, or perhaps it was because it had been a very long time since someone had addressed him so respectfully:

Master Dong.

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