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Chapter 213 - 191 Grouping, Chance Meeting at Night

Chapter 213: Chapter 191 Grouping, Chance Meeting at Night

In the end, twenty-five people passed the test, which meant twelve were eliminated on the first day, a sort of elimination rate that was startling.

Out of the twenty-five, besides Wu Li and Xiaoze Wutian, there were two others who scored above 200, one with 213.5 points and another with 221.5 points.

However, compared to the others, Wu Li and Xiaoze Wutian’s performances were the most outstanding.

The twenty-five people gathered in the second-floor rest area, and Danny looked at everyone with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations to all of you for passing the test. Now, please welcome the star coaches of this season’s TUF Ultimate Fighter!"

As his words ended, the room door behind Danny opened, and Floreson and Charles came out together.

The crowd started to get restless, clearly recognizing the two figures.

There’s no need to mention Floreson, who was already a highly popular lightweight fighter in the UFC, although he had never won the championship, earning him the title of the uncrowned king.

Even though Charles wasn’t in the top three, he held the record for the most submission victories in the UFC and had the most appearances among fighters ranked in the top fifteen in the lightweight category, making him equally popular.

Danny held the microphone and laughed, "Next up, we will be dividing you into teams. The two coaches here have been watching your performance in the tests, and they’ll choose their fighters based on how you performed. Then, for the following two weeks, you’ll compete in teams."

"Is there anyone who wishes to voluntarily join a coach’s team?" Danny asked.

After some hesitation among the crowd, a Brazilian fighter stood up and addressed Charles, "I want to join your team and compete with you in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu."

The first person to volunteer had the goal of challenging the coach in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Put differently, he wanted to challenge the coach. Such behavior might be rare in other reality talent shows, but it was quite common in TUF. After all, the ultimate purpose of these fighters participating in TUF was to join the UFC, and joining the UFC meant defeating one opponent after another to reach the championship. Hence, for them, Floreson and Charles were not only idols but also targets, the very people they aspired to conquer.

Charles, being Brazilian himself and because of the influence of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are many Brazilian fighters in the UFC, including several legendary stars. More than half of the fighters in the UFC have trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which speaks to its status in the martial arts world!

Faced with the challenge, Charles didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled and nodded, agreeing to let the challenger join his team.

Subsequently, other fighters volunteered to join their preferred coaches one after another, with Floreson and Charles not refusing any of them.

When no one else stepped forward to choose a coach, the coaches began selecting fighters. If both had their eyes on the same fighter, the fighter got to choose which coach they preferred.

This process wasn’t much different from other reality talent programs, perhaps for the sake of the show’s impact. Floreson and Charles had several arguments, and it was almost like they would break into a fight right there.

Eventually, only Xiaoze Wutian and Wu Li were left unchosen.

One was a fighting prodigy from Japan, the other known as the strongest man in Southeast Asia. From the tests earlier, it was evident that these two were the most capable among all the fighters present.

"So, for the last two fighters, how will you choose?" Danny asked.

Floreson and Charles almost simultaneously pointed at Wu Li, "I want him."

Xiaoze Wutian’s face stiffened, a mix of annoyance and embarrassment crossing his features. Back in Japan, he was recognized as a genius, and it was the first time he’d been ’overlooked’ like this.

"Haha, both want Wu Li!"

"A fighting prodigy that comes once every five hundred years, and no one wants him, huh."

"Xiaoze Wutian’s face has changed, haha!"

...

The online audience in the live stream began to tease, feeling honored that Wu Li was selected by two UFC stars at the same time.

"Wu Li, both coaches have chosen you, now you can make your choice," said Danny.

Without any hesitation, Wu Li pointed at Floreson, "I choose him."

Floreson’s face broke into a smile, while Charles’s expression darkened as he glared at Wu Li, "I want to know why?"

Wu answered Charles with a counter-question, "Why did you choose me?"

Charles squinted his eyes, "Because I want to teach you ground skills."

Wu Li nodded, "Thanks, but I prefer to knock down my opponents while standing."

Upon hearing that, Charles’s expression turned sour as he stepped forward and locked eyes with Wu Li, "You will soon realize just how foolish that thought is!"

Wu Li smiled, "Trust me, you will soon understand how foolish it is to say that."

"Whoa!"

As Wu Li’s translator conveyed his words, the fighters present began to stir. Although others had refused Charles in favor of Floreson before, none had directly challenged Charles quite like Wu Li.

However, everyone could sense that Charles’s attitude toward Wu Li also seemed a bit off. Had there been a past issue between them?

Charles had a burning anger in his eyes and a fierce expression, while Wu Li was undaunted, holding the gaze.

"Since Wu Li has chosen Floreson, Xiaoze Wutian, you will join Charles’s team. How does that sound?"

Danny, seeing that things were heading in the wrong direction, quickly intervened to smooth things over. As a reality show host, he naturally hoped for conflict and drama, but there had to be a limit. After all, Wu Li had previously come to blows with Xiaoze Wutian, and it wasn’t impossible for a fight to break out with Charles now.

Xiaoze Wutian was speechless. Actually, he didn’t care much about which coach he chose, but he really disliked the feeling of being overlooked. It was clear that Danny was suggesting him to choose Charles to create a balance after Wu Li had chosen Floreson.

"Okay, I choose Mr. Charles," Xiaoze Wutian spoke up.

In the end, he agreed. The reason was simple: since Wu Power was in Floreson’s group, he only had to join Charles’s group to have more opportunities to confront Wu Power.

With the teams formed, the day’s filming came to an end. The staff took all the contestants to their rooms to check in, where they would stay for the next two weeks.

"Wu Power, does that mentor named Charles seem to have a problem with you?"

In the corridor, Chen Gang said to Wu Power.

Wu Power shook his head, "It seems so, but I don’t know why; I believe today was the first time we met."

Chen Gang frowned, somewhat worried.

After all, this wasn’t their home country, and moreover, Charles would be a mentor. If he deliberately made things difficult for Wu Power, it could be troublesome.

Seeing Chen Gang’s expression, Wu Power smiled, "Don’t worry. UFC is eager to sign me right now. He’s just another signed player and can’t influence much. Even if he does make things difficult, it’ll at most end up in a fight. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Chen Gang also smiled and nodded, "Okay, but I’ll still inquire about it to see what’s the reason."

Wu Power, "Hmm, thanks for the effort."

...

At 8 o’clock in the evening, after dinner, Wu Power didn’t join Chen Gang and the others but chose to go for a stroll alone.

Armed with navigation and translation apps on his phone, and considering Wu Power’s exceptional fighting ability, Chen Gang wasn’t worried about his safety and didn’t say much more.

Walking on the streets of New York, the neon lights strung together like dragons, the night deep, the neon dazzling. The main streets were still bustling with cars, and shops and supermarkets on both sides were brightly lit.

"New York doesn’t seem that different from the cities back home," Wu Power thought to himself.

The reason he chose to wander the streets alone was that it had been a long time since he enjoyed the feeling of walking on the street by himself, like an ordinary person, back in his home country.

After returning from the Southern Country, Wu Power’s fame in Hua Country had reached its peak. Stepping out inevitably caused a crowd to gather, so Wu Power, like a celebrity, had to cover himself up tightly before going out, and most of the time, he chose not to leave his home.

Now overseas, where not many people recognized him, Wu Power could finally enjoy the feeling of walking alone on the street without being surrounded by onlookers.

Aimlessly wandering, the pedestrians around him gradually thinned out, and Wu Power unwittingly found himself beside a river.

A night breeze blew over, rippling the water, and the city lights across the river twinkled faintly like stars.

Wu Power stood quietly by the river’s railing for a while, intending to run back, when suddenly there came a screeching noise from behind—it was the sound of car tires violently rubbing against the ground.

Wu Power turned around to see a black car shoot out from a street behind, quickly turning and attempting to drive onto the riverside road. However, it was going too fast, and the driver, who seemed not very skilled, lost control during the drift and crashed into the river’s railing.

Bang!

A section of the railing bulged outward, and the front end of the car was mangled.

For a good while, there was no movement inside the car, as if the driver had passed out.

Wu Power looked around; he was the only pedestrian nearby. He decided to check on the situation; if the driver really was unconscious, he would at least help call an ambulance.

"Now, what’s the emergency number in the United States?"

As Wu Power pondered this, he ran forward.

He hadn’t gone far when the front driver’s side door suddenly opened.

By the nearby streetlight, Wu Power could see a tall woman with yellow skin and big wavy hair getting out of the car.

She had fresh blood on her forehead, wore a light blue strapless dress, and her right leg was covered in blood, with a wound on her knee. Limping, she saw Wu Power and her eyes lit up; she quickly shouted, "Please help!"

"Uh, okay, I will call 911."

Wu Power said, in his halting English, just as she seemed about to fall, he quickly stepped forward to support her. The woman crashed into Wu Power’s arms and half sat on the ground.

"NO!"

To his surprise, upon hearing Wu Power’s words, she shook her head frantically, "Don’t take me to the hospital!"

"Uh, speak slower, I can’t understand you," Wu Power replied helplessly in Chinese without thinking.

Wu Power’s English listening skills were quite basic to begin with, and the woman’s American accent made it even more challenging to understand her quick speech.

When she heard Wu Power speaking Chinese, she paused, then she too said in Chinese, "Don’t take me to the hospital."

"Uh, you..." Wu Power looked at her, about to speak.

Another screeching noise erupted as another black car raced over, coming to a smooth stop at the crash site.

Seeing this, a look of terror spread across the woman’s face. She quickly struggled to her feet, glanced at Wu Power, then gritted her teeth and ran toward the opposite side of the street.

Three burly men got out of the newly arrived car, and as soon as they saw the woman, they immediately started chasing after her.