Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 308 - 279: Seeking Martial Arts Issue 7

Chapter 308: Chapter 279: Seeking Martial Arts Issue 7

The interviews continued, and Liu Yuanbo and others had roughly guessed what kind of person Wu was looking for.

Someone like Wang Ruojun, with some talent and an active mind.

Wu had told Wang Ruojun earlier that every move and technique in Kung Fu was developed little by little by countless predecessors, and that one should not think they could surpass the wisdom of generations with just a little cleverness. That was true, but it didn’t mean that someone learning Kung Fu should rigidly stick to the rules, blindly practicing according to the manual, or just do whatever the master teaches without thinking about the deeper meaning.

Such a person, no matter how hard they train, would only produce stiff Kung Fu, clumsy Kung Fu.

For example, the essence of the Horse Form Continuous Cannon is in the stepping to generate power and control the center of gravity; the techniques themselves are secondary. Wouldn’t it work just as well if you changed Stepping Fist to Stepping Elbow? Or to a shoulder bump with Stepping Side?

Therefore, a person who truly brings Kung Fu to life, when taught one technique by their master, is effectively taught many techniques.

The kind of people Wu was looking to find were those who brought Kung Fu to life and had their own thoughts.

This required talent and also a love for Kung Fu; only those who truly settle down to study it might manage to bring Kung Fu to life.

Moreover, this was very important because the transition from Master Level to Grandmaster Level is a process of gradual self-realization: one must comprehend their own unique Fist Intent, find the most suitable way for them to exert force, and eventually create their own understanding of Kung Fu.

In this respect, Wang Ruojun’s exploration and alteration of the way to exert force was correct, but he had taken this step too early, which is why Wu had to admonish him earlier, just like when Wu himself started learning Kung Fu from his grandfather and soon began exploring how to alter the techniques to better suit his body, resulting in severe criticism from his grandfather.

At the time, his grandfather did not explain why. It was only later, as Wu grew up and went through many experiences, that he understood his grandfather’s hardships and intentions.

One group of trainees after another came in for their interviews, until with the ninth group, Wu once again retained one student to question him individually.

This student was at the National Martial Arts Sixth Rank and was 30 years old, just meeting the recruitment standards.

Unlike with Wang Ruojun, Wu did not criticize him but instead smiled and encouraged him a few times, leaving the student pleasantly surprised.

After this student left, the trainees outside who had not yet been interviewed were somewhat envious.

Judging by the student’s expression, he most likely had passed, and this gave many National Martial Arts Sixth Rank trainees hope, as it showed that Wu valued not only current strength.

Of course, the pressure was also great, because there were only three spots available, and one was probably already taken.

The interviews went on until around 12:40 p.m., before all the trainees had finished. They took a break for lunch and then continued in the afternoon.

The interviews didn’t finish until around 6 p.m., and during this time Wu did not retain anyone else.

In the end, after discussion, Wu decided to hire Wang Ruojun and the 30-year-old Sixth Rank student as his bodyguards, giving the last spot to a 23-year-old trainee with an Overall Score of B (77%). Although the young trainee was slightly behind in his perception and thought towards Kung Fu, he was willing to endure hardships and had the highest Overall Score amongst his age group, so Wu gave him the opportunity.

Eventually, including Xu Chuan, the four bodyguards by Wu’s side were confirmed.

...

December 15th, Qi City TV Station.

A deputy director of Qi City TV Station, the head of the variety department, the show’s director Chen Gang, and related persons in charge from the Mo Yin Company gathered in a meeting room.

The meeting began with speeches from various leaders, the content of which was largely the same, talking about the outstanding achievements of Seeking Martial Arts and then lavishing praise on Wu.

Qi City TV Station’s deputy director: "Wu has contributed more to our TV station than I have as deputy director!"

Head of the variety department, Xiao Qing: "Because of Wu, I’ll have something to boast about to my peers for the next twenty years!"

Mo Yin Company’s person in charge, Cao Yan: "Agreeing to Wu’s request to broadcast live on Mo Yin was the wisest decision I’ve ever made!"

Director of Seeking Martial Arts, Chen Gang: "Well, Wu is awesome..."

In short, it was a round of heavy praise that made Wu somewhat embarrassed.

"Wu, here’s the viewership data for the edited version of the first six episodes of Seeking Martial Arts on Mo Yin, as well as Qi City TV Station’s ratings. Take a look."

Chen Gang handed a piece of paper to Wu who briefly looked at it and saw that from the first episode to the sixth, both the viewership and the clicks were on a straight upward trajectory.

"Wu," said a middle-aged man sitting directly opposite him with a friendly smile. This was Qi City TV Station’s deputy director.

"Seeking Martial Arts as a variety show has broken various records and has become a miracle in the world of variety shows. So, we have to make sure every step we take from now on is stable, aiming to give the show a perfect finale."

Wu nodded, "Hmm, do you have any suggestions?"

Beside the deputy director, Xiao Qing, head of the variety department, said with a smile: "We know you’re now a contracted fighter with UFC, and you might be preparing for your next match. Chen Gang proposed doing a UFC special, which we’ve agreed to. However, the theme of the sixth episode of Seeking Martial Arts is already UFC. If the seventh episode remains the same, it might cause viewer fatigue, so we think we should switch to a new theme."

Wu then understood why so many senior officials had attended the meeting and why they had just showered him with praise: they were concerned that he might invest too much energy into UFC, which could affect the filming of Seeking Martial Arts.

"Although I’m starting to fight in UFC, like everyone else, I hope Seeking Martial Arts will get better and better."

Wu led with his stance, which reassured the leaders quite a bit.

"For the filming of the seventh episode, I have some ideas too."

The deputy director asked with a smile, "What are they?"

Wu Li: "I met a friend from the Hongmen in the United States, for the seventh episode, I want him to recommend some Hongmen experts for us to visit."

Xiao Qing: "That’s a good suggestion. The image of the Hongmen organization has always been pretty good; initially, Mr. Sun was from Hongmen. Our ’Seeking Martial Arts’ seventh episode will be centered around Hongmen members overseas, which I think is great."

Deputy Director: "I think it’s not bad either."

Cao Yan: "Good suggestion."

Wu Li smiled without saying a word. In fact, he had mentioned this idea to Chen Gang before, and he didn’t believe Chen Gang hadn’t reported it to these people, so today’s meeting wasn’t really about what to shoot for the next episode, but rather, everyone wanted to see Wu Li’s stance.

Since Wu Li had now made clear he wouldn’t neglect ’Seeking Martial Arts’ due to UFC, the leaders were more at ease.

As for the filming, to put it bluntly, ’Seeking Martial Arts’ became popular almost entirely because of Wu Li. As things now stood, whatever Wu Li said about how the shoot should proceed would be final, even if he wanted to film himself sleeping every day, these people couldn’t oppose it.

Because opposition was futile. Dare you replace Wu Li? Without him, the popularity of ’Seeking Martial Arts’ would probably plummet immediately, and there were plenty of variety shows out there begging for Wu Li to join them.

Frankly speaking, ’Seeking Martial Arts’ was hot because of Wu Li, a special person that other variety shows couldn’t replicate. Where could those production teams find a guest who would charge at three assault rifles?

So the seventh episode was set like that. After Wu Li finished his final exams, the production team would go back to the United States with him to visit the Hongmen experts.

...

On December 20th, Wu Li returned to Beichuan University.

Despite his low profile, his return still caused a sensation, attracting many onlookers.

With no other choice, Wu Li had to quickly leave the school and agreed to meet up with Chen Dong and Wang Xuecheng elsewhere to have a meal together.

"Damn, worthy of Boss Wu, even your choice of dining places has become high-end?" Wang Xuecheng said to Wu Li at a private dining club in Chuhua City.

This private dining club’s VIP card was actually procured for Wu Li by Liu Yuanbo, and today it was being used expressly to treat the two roommates to a meal.

Chen Dong: "Old Wu, I think that female manager who led us in was looking at you like she wanted to gobble you up."

Wu Li: "How come I didn’t feel that?"

Chen Dong: "That’s because you’re oblivious."

Wu Li: "Maybe it’s because so many women look at me with that kind of gaze, I’ve become accustomed to it?"

Chen Dong: "Shit..."

"What should we eat?" Wu Li asked his two roommates.

Wang Xuecheng: "Is there barbecue?"

Wu Li glanced at the menu: "Yes, then I’ll just order some."

The barbecue arrived not too long after, and the three ordered a case of beer. Just like before, they chatted while enjoying their skewers and drinks.

"It’s still the old Wang’s barbecue that tastes so satisfying," Chen Dong suddenly remarked.

Wang Xuecheng laughed: "Do you think it’s the barbecue that’s tasty? What you’re really craving is the restaurant owner’s wife, you’re so shameless!"

Wu Li: "Hahaha, right, shameless!"

Chen Dong rolled his eyes: "To be honest, when many of our school’s graduates think back on our university, their first thought is actually Old Wang’s barbecue and the owner’s wife. What does that say about us?"

The three looked at each other and then raised their glasses together: "Shameless!"

"Next year will be our senior year, what are your plans?" Wu Li brought up the topic.

Chen Dong: "What else can we do but get on with our graduation projects? As for internships, given our lousy major, we’re destined for construction work after graduation. What good is an internship?"

"F*ck, this reminds me of a picture: a group of people in work clothes, wearing safety helmets, holding a banner saying, ’Failed the college entrance exam? No worries, we’ll wait for you at the construction site; passed the college entrance exam? Congratulations, we’ll still be waiting for you at the construction site after four years...’"

"Haha!" Wu Li laughed, he had seen that picture as well, and indeed, eighty percent of jobs in mechanical engineering were on construction sites.

"What about you, Old Wang? What are you planning?" Wu Li asked.

Wang Xuecheng pondered for a moment: "Me, I’ve been preparing for graduate school entrance exams recently. If I get in, I can put off thinking about the future for a few more years."

Wu Li nodded. Many people pursued graduate school purely out of insecurity and fear of entering society, wanting to delay leaving the academic environment.

"What about you? What are your plans?" Wang Xuecheng asked Wu Li.

Wu Li: "Me? Well, my advisor came to me yesterday and said the university plans to offer me a position to stay in school for graduate studies without taking the entrance exam. I’m hesitating whether to accept it or not."

Wang Xuecheng: "..."

Chen Dong: "..."