Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 286 - 260: Appointment, Asking for Help

Chapter 286: Chapter 260: Appointment, Asking for Help

Kermy had never encountered such a bizarre fighting style, and he had never fought an opponent so petite, making him quite uncomfortable at first.

Li Tongyun was extremely agile, constantly moving around Kermy, giving him the feeling of swatting at flies. On the few occasions that Kermy did land hits, Li Tongyun would use an unusual technique to neutralize the force.

Moreover, Kermy felt that his opponent was very familiar with his attack rhythm, always managing to interrupt his offense at critical moments and then counterattack.

What frustrated him even more was that every strike from Li Tongyun had substantial power, causing him excruciating pain.

With his resistance to hits, he could have taken many more, but being so battered by a woman was something he simply couldn’t accept.

And it really hurt!

Kermy turned around and launched another low sweeping kick at Li Tongyun.

His low kicks were threatening; Li Tongyun dared not block them directly nor had a good way to neutralize the force, so she always had to dodge.

Kermy pushed her back, his left leg kicking out but then stopping midway, stamping heavily on the ground as he lunged forward, arms stretched out, grabbing towards Li Tongyun’s body.

After confirming several times how Li Tongyun dodged his low kicks and the distance she retreated, Kermy intentionally threw a feint while pushing her back and lunged forward, ready to manipulate her at will once he caught her due to their difference in strength.

However, just as Kermy lunged, Li Tongyun also stopped retreating; instead, she stepped forward and stretched out her hands.

It seemed that she knew Kermy would throw a feint. At that moment, she accurately grabbed Kermy’s wrists and pulled forcefully forward.

Miscalculating the distance between them, Kermy couldn’t adjust his center of gravity in time. As Li Tongyun pulled him by his arms with force, he felt a tremendous force pulling him and lost his balance. Then he saw Li Tongyun’s arms fold as she stepped forward, her elbows shooting up.

Bang!

Kermy was struck in the chest by Li Tongyun’s elbows and involuntarily fell backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

"You..."

Kermy was shocked. That technique was one Jon was most adept at—the accuracy, the suddenness, and the precise manipulation of his center of gravity made him momentarily feel as though he was sparring with Jon.

However, Jon’s strength was much greater than Li Tongyun’s, and he was also taller; he usually targeted the opponent’s chin, knocking them out with one blow. Li Tongyun’s strike had only hit Kermy’s chest. Although Kermy had fallen, it wasn’t serious, and he could quickly stand and continue the fight.

"Stop fighting!"

The agent from below the ring hurried onto the platform, having watched the intense sparring with trepidation, fearing that Li Tongyun might accidentally get hit too hard, which would have escalated the situation severely.

Li Tongyun glanced at Kermy on the ground, nodded to her agent, then flipped off the platform and headed straight for the exit.

Kermy stood up, watching Li Tongyun’s retreating figure, his expression complex.

Being knocked down using Jon’s favored technique made Kermy realize something—the fighting style was very similar to Jon’s, but because of the difference in size and strength, she had to adopt a more evasive fighting method, unable to attack directly as Jon did. However, both were skilled with elbow strikes, and Jon’s close-range elbow attacks were relentless, leaving no room for response.

Was this woman indicating that confronting Jon head-on was impossible?

Kermy frowned in deep thought.

"Kermy, are you alright?" the agent beside him asked.

Kermy shook his head, "What could be wrong with me?"

The agent looked towards the door: "No wonder there are rumors in the circle that Silvar sparred with her—this woman is really tough."

"No, her real skill is not that." Kermy spoke, recalling the fight where he felt constantly outmaneuvered; his feint with the low kick had been preempted, which had primarily led to his downfall.

As for Li Tongyun’s displayed prowess, Kermy didn’t find it particularly stunning. If they were truly fighting in a ring with gloves on, she would cause even less damage to him.

Li Tongyun might land many hits on him, but just one of his would have knocked her down. Moreover, her evasive approach required a lot of stamina and wouldn’t last long. Thus, Kermy didn’t think Li Tongyun was stronger than him. Perhaps she could compete in a women’s tournament, but against him in the ring, there was no comparison. What he couldn’t understand was why he felt so outmaneuvered? And how did his last feint get seen through?

"Kermy, should I go talk to her again, try to lower the price?" the agent asked tentatively, seeing Kermy deep in thought.

Kermy frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded, realizing that winning the championship was the most important thing; there was no need to quarrel with a woman.

"Alright, talk to her; if I win the championship, we can give her up to three hundred thousand US dollars, which would be an exorbitant price for a coach."

"Leave it to me."

...

Not long after Li Tongyun left the gym, she received a call from an unknown number.

After a moment’s thought, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Ms. Li Tongyun?"

A man’s voice came through the phone, speaking in Chinese.

Li Tongyun switched to Chinese as well, "Yes, that’s me. May I ask who this is?"

"Hello, Ms. Li, I’m Wu Li."

"Wu Li?"

Li Tongyun’s tone rose, slightly surprised, "The one who practices Xingyi?"

"Yes, Xingyi—Wu Li."

"What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering where you are right now? I’d like to meet and talk to you in person."

A glint appeared in Li Tongyun’s eyes, "I’m in Los Angeles but am about to catch a flight to New York this afternoon."

"That’s perfect. I’m in New York. Let’s meet somewhere and talk."

"Okay."

...

At 8:40 PM, Wu Li and Li Tongyun met in a restaurant in New York.

Li Tongyun had just disembarked from the plane, so Wu Li directly arranged the meeting in a restaurant so they could eat while talking.

Wu Li sized up Li Tongyun; she appeared to be in her thirties, with phoenix eyes and willow eyebrows, very fair skin, and a somewhat ordinary appearance but a remarkable demeanor, exuding an indescribable sharpness and efficiency.

Of course, what interested Wu Li most was the data produced by the system detection:

[Plum Blossom Mantis Fist (Master Level), Tai Chi Fist (Master Level), Long Arm Fist (Master Level), Baji Fist (Master Level), Yong Chun Fist (Master Level)...]

[Overall Score: A- (37%)]

Another master-level martial artist!

Moreover, Li Tongyun was proficient in more than a dozen Traditional Martial Arts, even more than Wu Li, which was really surprising.

Although many martial arts share commonalities, mastering one often makes it easier to master others, as Hu Shan once achieved master level in three types of martial arts and eventually created his own style. This is the result of analogous learning. However, mastering multiple styles simultaneously undeniably requires a considerable amount of time to practice and specialize.

Wu Li did not expect to meet a combat trainer who was such an expert in Traditional Martial Arts.

"I heard Miss Li also practices Traditional Martial Arts, may I ask which one you specialize in?"

Although he had already seen it through system detection, Wu Li still asked before continuing the conversation.

Li Tongyun ordered a steak, was cutting the beef with a knife, and when she heard Wu Li, she looked up, smiled slightly, and said, "Riding the Horse up the Mountain, Straddling the Tiger to Fend off Enemies."

Wu Li nodded, "Mantis Eight Forms."

The phrases Li Tongyun mentioned, "Riding the Horse up the Mountain, Straddling the Tiger to Fend off Enemies," were in fact a song formula of Mantis Eight Forms, and also the basics of Plum Blossom Mantis Fist.

Seeing Wu Li instantly identify the source of the song formula, Li Tongyun was impressed. She had intentionally not disclosed the specific martial art she practiced, testing Wu Li, but she did not expect such a young man to have such a deep understanding of Traditional Martial Arts, which was quite rare in this era.

"Correct, I specialize in Plum Blossom Mantis Fist," Li Tongyun said with a smile.

Mantis Fist was created by Wang Wencheng during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Initially trained in Shaolin Kung Fu, Wang Wencheng faced defeat against Zhang Qi, who practiced Long Arm techniques. On his way home, inspired by watching a mantis combat a bird, he thoroughly researched and absorbed the movements of the mantis, combining the essence of eighteen martial arts styles to create two sets, "Beng Bu" and "Eight Elbows," and named them "Mantis Eighteen Combinations."

Through generations of inheritance and modification, many schools emerged, among which Plum Blossom Mantis Fist was one of the major ones.

"Miss Li, you have been practicing martial arts for many years, haven’t you?" Wu Li asked.

Li Tongyun replied, "I started training with my master at six, and it has been thirty years now."

She did not shy away from revealing her age.

Wu Li bowed slightly to Li Tongyun, "Then I should call you Master Li."

Li Tongyun smiled lightly and with a glance at the steak in front of Wu Li indicated him to eat first, "Please eat first, Master Wu."

"Haha," Wu Li laughed and began to cut the steak with his knife and fork.

After a while, Wu Li spoke up, "Master Li, I’ll just say it, I actually invited you to meet because I want to ask you to be my combat trainer. You see, I’m going to fight in the UFC soon."

Li Tongyun nodded, "I know."

"So, would you be willing to help me?" Wu Li asked.

Having heard about her capabilities from Song Yidong and now discovering her deep study of Traditional Martial Arts, Wu Li felt she was an excellent choice for a coach.

Li Tongyun thought for a moment, then said, "Your first fight is with Dan Hu, you should be able to win without my help."

Wu Li asked with a smile, "Why do you say that?"

Li Tongyun looked up at him, "I’ve seen you fight a few times. Your skills are very good, and as it’s your first time in the UFC, confronting someone like Dan Hu won’t be much of a challenge."

Wu Li put down his utensils, "But eventually, I will encounter stronger opponents, and they will analyze my fighting habits, so I need a professional coach to assist me."

"For now, you don’t need my help, we can talk about it later," Li Tongyun responded.

"Hmm?" Wu Li was surprised.

Li Tongyun added, "You should know I never sign long contracts."

Wu Li nodded, "I know, why is that?"

Li Tongyun spoke earnestly, "Because I like to do challenging things. If you are very confident in beating your opponent, why should I bother helping?"

Wu Li paused, then realized, "I see."

No wonder after helping Zhang Weili win the championship, she had left and then went to compete in the men’s division, probably because she felt she had already helped cultivate a champion in the women’s division and was looking for new challenges in the men’s division.

"So, if I encounter an opponent in the future who poses a significant threat, would you be willing to help me?" Wu Li asked.

Li Tongyun nodded, "Two conditions: first, I find it challenging; second, you pay me adequately."

Wu Li was curious, "How would you charge?"

Li Tongyun replied, "It depends on the situation, it varies."

Wu Li probed, "I should be able to afford it, right?"

Li Tongyun chuckled, "I’m actually not short on money, but my effort is valuable. The price is for me to decide, that’s my principle, so I don’t accept bargaining."

Wu Li thought for a moment, "Like, if I were fighting Silvar right now, how would you charge?"

Just as Li Tongyun was about to speak, Wu Li’s cellphone rang; the caller ID showed: Li Li.

"Sorry, I need to take this call," Wu Li said to Li Tongyun.

Li Tongyun nodded to go ahead.

"Hello?"

"Wu Li, where are you right now?"

On the other end of the line, there was urgency in Li Li’s voice.

Wu Li was shocked, could it be that something had happened to Li San?

"I’m in the Manhattan District, Third Avenue, what’s happened?"

"Something’s come up with Tina, I’m currently in Washington and can’t get there myself; I’m sending you the address, could you please check on it?"

"Eh?"

"My brother’s been injured, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to go, please!"

"Okay, send me the address."

Wu Li agreed, then hung up the phone, looking apologetically at Li Tongyun, "Sorry, I have an emergency and might need to leave first."