Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 371 - 339: Big Moves! Big Shot!

Chapter 371: Chapter 339: Big Moves! Big Shot!

That afternoon, Wu Li and Li San left Honolulu together.

Although Wu Li had grandly demonstrated his "Fist Intent" to Bai Tao, Bai Tao ultimately did not teach Wu Li the "Bone Marrow Skill."

People like Bai Tao aren’t prone to changing their minds easily; since Wu Li disagreed with his proposal, Bai Tao wouldn’t impulsively teach the "Bone Marrow Skill" just because Wu Li’s gesture was impressive.

Wu Li was somewhat disappointed, but he did not dwell on it too much. Having a new "Bone Marrow Skill" would have been great, but even without it, he still believed that he could become a Grandmaster! As Bai Tao had said, Wu Li was young, had sufficient spiritual cultivation, and now had plenty of time to gradually enhance his body.

"What are your plans next?"

On the way back, after Wu Li and Li San had discussed Bai Tao’s martial arts realm for a bit, Li San suddenly asked.

Without hesitation, Wu Li replied, "Return to the country to heal, and also prepare to organize a domestic mixed martial arts competition."

Li San showed interest upon hearing this, "You’re going to host the competition yourself?"

Wu Li nodded, "Yes, this competition will see many practitioners of Traditional Martial Arts participate. I want everyone to see that not only can I achieve results with Traditional Martial Arts in the ring, but others can too."

Li San was curious, "Are you so confident in the students from your martial arts hall?"

Wu Li said, "Last August, I discussed with a group of Traditional Martial Arts Masters on improving the martial arts of various schools. It’s been almost half a year now; it’s time to test them in real combat."

Li San was surprised, "That happened?"

Wu Li then roughly explained about refining martial arts techniques and writing the "Modern National Martial Arts Record" with a group of people.

After listening, Li San said with feeling, "You really have put your heart into preserving Traditional Martial Arts."

"Haha!" Wu Li laughed.

In fact, from an outsider’s perspective, many of Wu Li’s actions could indeed seem selflessly aimed at fostering the better development of Traditional Martial Arts.

"Since that’s the case, I’ll return to the country with you. I’d like to see the results of your refined martial arts," Li San remarked casually.

Wu Li looked at him, a warm feeling rising in his heart.

Wu Li knew that Li San was mainly concerned that Wu Li would encounter trouble due to his injuries, which was why he suggested returning together.

Though Li San’s injuries had not completely healed, his strength had almost recovered to seventy percent, which was much better than Wu Li’s condition and sufficient to handle most experts.

"Alright, how long has it been since you last returned to the country?" Wu Li did not refuse Li San’s kind offer, as their friendship was such that there was no need for polite refusals between them.

Looking out at the boundless ocean through the window, Li San spoke with sentiment, "Many years."

...

On April 25, Wu Li, Li San, Chen Gang, and others took a flight from New York to the Imperial Capital of Hua Country.

After getting off the plane, Liu Yuanbo came to pick them up, bringing along more than ten professional bodyguards.

"Master!" Liu Yuanbo greeted with a smile.

Wu Li pointed at the others, "Why such a big entourage?"

Liu Yuanbo laughed, "Master, you’re injured now. For your safety, we really needed to get more people to protect you."

The bodyguards like Xu Chuan recruited before were more for learning by Wu Li’s side and handling miscellaneous tasks; they weren’t really professional bodyguards.

"We should be cautious in the country too," Li San chimed in from the side.

Liu Yuanbo looked towards Li San and saluted with cupped hands, "You must be Master Li, I’ve heard about you from my master, the ’Double Flower Red Stick’ of Hongmen, a real expert."

"This is my disciple, Liu Yuanbo," Wu Li introduced.

Li San nodded with a smile, "Hello, I’m Li San."

Wu Li glanced at the more than ten bodyguards dressed in sharp black suits. System Detection showed that all these men were skilled in at least one fighting skill, with an overall score of at least B-level or higher, indicating a very high average quality, enough to handle most unexpected situations.

"Where did you find these bodyguards?"

After getting into the car, Wu Li and Li San sat in the back, while Liu Yuanbo took the front passenger seat. Wu Li asked,

"G4S," Liu Yuanbo said.

"Huh?" Wu Li clearly hadn’t heard the name before.

Li San, on the other hand, seemed familiar with the name, "Shirik Security Company, known as the largest security company globally, is considered the leading giant in the security field in Asia."

Liu Yuanbo turned his head to glance at Li San and nodded, "That’s right, G4S’s headquarters are in the United Kingdom, their business scope is very wide: from small-scale properties, upscale shops, and bank security, to large-scale services like celebrity bodyguards, cash and jewelry escort services, and alarm systems. Many of our country’s wealthy hire their personal bodyguards from this company."

"Speaking of which, we have quite a few security companies in our own country too, but they started later and are still behind international companies in terms of scale and professionalism. So, those who can afford it still prefer to work with foreign security companies."

"Lǐ Shīfu, I heard that Hongmen also has security businesses in many countries, how is the situation abroad?" Liu Yuanbo brought up a new topic to Li San.

"Abroad it’s more complicated than at home. The demand for security far exceeds that of the domestic market, so the profits from this sector are actually substantial. As I know, many of Hongmen’s branches focus their business primarily on security. Not just Hongmen, but many overseas Chinese organizations and societies also run security services. Wu Li, by making Hua Country’s Kung Fu well-known in the United States, you not only benefited those running martial arts halls but also those in the security business; now the bodyguards who know Hua Country’s Kung Fu are charging a lot more in the U.S. market."

Liu Yuanbo chuckled, "So, does this mean my master indirectly helped those overseas Chinese organizations earn a tidy sum?"

Li San nodded, "Yes, especially those organizations that primarily focus on security business would probably want to give Wu Li a big red envelope as thanks."

"Huh?" Wu Li couldn’t help laughing, having not expected this.

However, talking about this gave Wu Li an idea, "Yuanbo, once our martial arts hall has branches all over the United States, we could consider venturing into the security sector."

Liu Yuanbo was surprised, not expecting such an idea from Wu Li, "Master, the security sector and running martial arts halls, training students for professional competitions are two different things, isn’t this step a bit too big?"

Wu Li replied, "Actually, when I initially removed and modified the killing moves in martial arts, I vaguely had this idea: the martial arts we teach could have two versions. One is what we are teaching now, specially for ring competitions; the other focuses on lethal force and grappling, usable in other fields."

"So, hearing what you just said, it suddenly seems like the other version of martial arts might be good for the security sector, and in the future, we could categorize training for our students."

Liu Yuanbo fell into deep thought, pondering the feasibility of this idea.

Li San, glancing at Wu Li, laughed, "You’re really extreme, aren’t you? Not only did you come abroad to open martial arts halls and compete with us for business, but now you even want to take over the security business?"

"Er."

Wu Li was startled but he caught Li San’s meaning, which was a reminder to him.

The overseas Chinese organizations might also run martial arts halls, but these are not their main focus, so Wu Li encroaching on that market could still go unnoticed or even not provoke those organizations’ displeasure; however, the security field is different, involving significant interests. If Wu Li rashly tried to capture this market, it could lead to a huge backlash.

"Hmm, that is indeed a problem," Wu Li nodded at Li San.

"Yuanbo, let’s not talk about this for now, let’s still discuss the competition," said Wu Li.

Liu Yuanbo followed up, "Master, after you mentioned hosting a competition at the last annual meeting, lots of advertisers came knocking on my door to discuss sponsorship, the highest offer being one billion!"

"Several major video platforms also reached out for the live broadcasting rights of the competition, all willing to pay for exclusive rights. So this competition, if executed well, we might not even have to spend our own money and could make a huge profit."

Wu Li nodded. Normally, hosting such a large martial arts competition would involve substantial expenses: renting the venue, purchasing equipment, paying appearance fees and rewards for the participants, fees for referees and medical staff, and advertising costs, among others.

Even some lesser-known martial arts competitions have to pay a significant amount to television stations or video websites for the broadcasting rights.

But now Wu Li hadn’t even begun organizing yet, and advertisers and broadcasters were already seeking them out. This level of attention, even the most popular martial arts competitions back home like Jianghu Wind and Glory Warrior hadn’t achieved.

"I plan to keep running these competitions, so the first edition must make a big splash. We shouldn’t worry about making money as we have many expenses," Wu Li told Liu Yuanbo.

"First, for the competition rewards, I plan to set an exorbitant prize, even higher than the UFC champion’s reward! This could be a gimmick to promote the event."

"Second, I want to spend a lot to invite foreign experts to enhance the level and watchability of the competition."

"Third, I want to create several kung fu stars from this competition. It shouldn’t just be me known domestically. Star-making doesn’t only require talent but also needs substantial promotional efforts. Besides our own platforms, we must leverage others and be willing to spend a lot on advertising."

Wu Li listed his ideas one by one, concluding, "For this competition, I plan to invest ten billion RMB! If that’s not enough, we can add more!"

Liu Yuanbo was astounded by the scale of Wu Li’s plan, which was magnitudes larger than anything he had planned before!

Li San, looking at Wu Li next to him, hadn’t realized before but now suddenly saw that this guy had the capability to turn the domestic martial arts world upside down!

Note 1: This idea was planted a long time ago and is now being brought up again, do you still remember it?