Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 172 - 157: A Street of Martial Arts Halls

Chapter 172: Chapter 157: A Street of Martial Arts Halls

Wu Li spent half a month in Qi City, simultaneously healing and teaching Xu Chuan, while discussing the improvement of Martial Arts with Dong Yunfei, Guo Dongyang, and others.

On July 9, Wu Li and the Seeking Martial Arts program team set off for Southern Country, flew to Hanoi, and then took a car to Yuhe City.

According to Yan Baili’s introduction, his master’s Martial Arts Hall was located in Yuhe City, a hall opened by a descendant of Ruan Jiyun’s lineage.

Ruan Jiyun was the patriarch of the Yong Chun Fist style in Southern Country. From 1939 to 1954, he taught Yong Chun to the Chinese and Southern Country natives in Hanoi. Afterwards, some of his disciples also began to teach Yong Chun Fist, making it a widely-spread Martial Arts within Southern Country.

Around 8 o’clock in the evening, the group finally arrived at Yuhe City.

Southern Country’s economy wasn’t very developed; their best cities could only be compared to third- or fourth-tier cities in Hua Country, and Yuhe City was not considered top-tier even within Southern Country, so the city didn’t look very prosperous.

Many in Wu Li’s group were traveling abroad for the first time. On arrival in Yuhe City, everyone chose to get off and walk, experiencing the foreign culture slowly as they strolled the streets.

There weren’t many skyscrapers—walls in the streets and alleys showcased various graffiti; most of the local girls wore traditional outfits similar to the Hua Country’s qipao, called Ao Dai; many rode motorcycles whizzing by; and the single-story houses were painted with colorful pictures.

"Cross this street and just ahead is Yuhe City’s Martial Arts Street, also known as Martial Arts Street," a female tour guide hired by the program team introduced to everyone. Her name was Wang Xuan; her father was Chinese and her mother was from Southern Country, and she grew up in the Southern Country.

"Why is it called Martial Arts Street?" someone asked.

"It began with a single Martial Arts Hall located there called Jiyun Hall, opened by a Chinese Boxer to teach Yong Chun Fist," Wang Xuan explained.

Wu Li nodded; Jiyun Hall was precisely the hall they intended to visit this time.

"Later, as the number of people coming to learn Martial Arts increased and Jiyun Hall gained fame, many other Chinese Boxers went there to open halls and teach. At the time, lots of the locals thought Hua Country’s Kung Fu was very formidable," Wang Xuan continued.

There were over one million Chinese abroad in Southern Country, mostly with origins from Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Since these provinces had many people involved in Martial Arts Training in the past, there was also a significant number of Martial Artists in Southern Country.

"As the number of Martial Arts Halls on that street grew, gradually, anyone who wanted to open a Martial Arts Hall in Yuhe City would establish it there; it wasn’t only Hua Country’s Martial Arts, but Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, Boxing, and others were all taught on that street," Wang Xuan introduced.

"With so many martial arts halls, representing a variety of Martial Arts, weren’t there any conflicts?" Wu Li inquired.

Wang Xuan couldn’t help looking at Wu Li a few more times, and said with a smile, "Of course, there were conflicts, and nearly every day."

"There are bound to be conflicts of interest with everyone opening Martial Arts Halls on the same street. Dojo challenges are quite common, and at its most intense, you could watch more than a dozen fights a day. There’s a rule here: the fights take place out in the open on the street for everyone to see, so losing is quite disgraceful for a Martial Arts Hall. If they can’t regain their honor quickly, they lose face to continue operating, and the students will leave rapidly, so without real skill, it’s impossible to secure a foothold on Martial Arts Street."

"Locals who go to Martial Arts Street to learn Martial Arts prefer those with a longer history of operation. If a new hall opens, the locals will observe for a while, and only when a new hall manages to stay open for a month without being defeated will people start attending it for Martial Arts training."

While introducing, Wang Xuan kept looking at Wu Li.

"Director Wang, why do you keep staring at our Master Wu?" teased a staff member.

"Yeah, ever since getting off the bus, she’s been looking at our Master Wu. Is our Master Wu really that good-looking?"

"Haha, Director Wang, you have to focus on explaining to us."

After spending some time together, the crew knew that although Wu Li was very violent when it came to physical confrontations, his temperament was actually quite good most of the time, so they all started joking with him.

Wang Xuan, at 21 this year, had wheat-colored skin and a sweet smile, was a youthful and beautiful young girl. Dressed fashionably, she turned heads walking down the street.

Upon hearing everyone’s jokes, she wasn’t shy but laughed openly: "Well, Master Wu really is quite handsome."

From the first moment she saw him in the crowd, Wu Li stood out with his looks and aura, like a crane among chickens; it was hard not to notice him. Living in the Southern Country, she rarely paid attention to the news from Hua Country, and was not aware of Wu Li’s fame back home, but that didn’t stop her from taking a few more glances at the handsome guy with the impressive presence.

Unbeknownst to himself, ever since that night when he had initially touched the threshold of Fist Intent, his aura had begun to quietly change.

"Oh~" the crowd teased.

Wu Li smiled without taking notice of the crowd and then asked Wang Xuan, "Is Jiyun Hall the oldest martial arts hall opened on Martial Arts Street?"

Wang Xuan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Wu Li, smiling sweetly, "Yes, Jiyun Hall is the most historic martial arts hall on Martial Arts Street. It has even produced a particularly famous master."

"Oh?"

Hearing about a famous master, both Wu Li and Director Chen Gang were intrigued. Chen Gang quickly asked, "What kind of master is he, and is he still here?"

Wang Xuan explained: "The master’s name is Hu Shan, and you can’t find any information about him online. But if you ask anyone in Yuhe City, they should know who Hu Shan is. He is reputed as the number one real combat master in Southeast Asia."

"Real combat master," Wu Li repeated these four words, noting that it was rare for martial arts experts to specifically emphasize real combat.

"Number one in Southeast Asia?"

Hearing this, Chen Gang’s interest was piqued. Their trip’s purpose, aside from visiting the Chinese Boxers at Jiyun Hall, was also to have Wu Li challenge the local martial arts masters. Now that they’ve heard of a master acclaimed as the number one in Southeast Asia, it was a pleasant surprise. However, he was skeptical: "If there’s no information available online, this means Hu Shan hasn’t fought in public matches. How is he then known as the number one in Southeast Asia? Is it a self-proclaimed title?"

Wang Xuan shook her head: "I’m not too clear on the specifics, but several martial arts champions from the Southern Country have visited and exchanged moves with Hu Shan in private. Afterwards, they all publicly admitted that they were no match for him."

"If he’s so formidable, why doesn’t he compete?" a crew member asked.

Wang Xuan: "I’m not sure about that, but what I do know is that the title of Southeast Asia’s number one real combat master isn’t self-proclaimed; it is recognized by many. Around here, even claiming to be the number one in Yuhe City can lead to daily challenges, so without real skill, no one dares to talk big."

Wu Li nodded, "That’s true. Director Chen, it seems like we’re in luck, stumbling upon a master right away."

As they were talking, Wang Xuan suddenly pointed ahead, "Look, we’ve arrived at Martial Arts Street."