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Chapter 95 - 91: Twin Masters, A-Class Powerhouses!

Chapter 95: Chapter 91: Twin Masters, A-Class Powerhouses!

Wu Li looked at Hong Wenbo in surprise, "But why? Such a large corporation, isn’t the amount involved possibly several billion? Why would they think of asking me, who’s only somewhat famous, to fight?"

Indeed, in terms of fame in the martial arts world, Wu Li could only be considered somewhat famous. After all, on the stage, he had only won one lightweight championship, and that was a regional competition. Even though his defeated opponents included ONE Championship signed fighters like Han Yuanfei, there were still many stronger than Han within the country.

Hong Wenbo gave a wry smile, "Because this competition’s rules are closer to actual combat, the danger is much greater than in regular competitions. Very few well-known fighters are willing to accept it."

Wu Li’s gaze shifted, "Oh, what kind of rules?"

Hong Wenbo said, "There are almost no rules, no weight classes, no protective equipment or gloves, bare-knuckle fighting. Besides no eye-gouging, groin strikes, or throat hits, there are no other restrictions. There are no referees, the fight only ends when a participant voluntarily gives up or one side loses the ability to resist."

Wu Li nodded, these rules were almost like actual combat.

"Why not just make it actual combat?" Wu Li asked.

Hong Wenbo took a sip of his drink and slowly said, "Firstly, this is an official competition with government permission, both sides will have insurance. With disputes involving several billion in funds, having government involvement also plays the role of a mediator, otherwise big corporations not keeping their word and going back on agreements are all too common."

"Secondly, setting such rules is also to facilitate the recruitment of MMA experts for the competition, but in the end, it’s still difficult to find top-tier fighters."

Wu Li nodded in understanding. Top-tier MMA fighters made plenty of money and weren’t short of it, so how many would be willing to take the risk to fight in this kind of competition?

Although MMA’s rules are said to be the closest to actual combat, there are actually many restrictions. Besides banning eye gouging and groin kicks, it also prohibits vertical elbow strikes downwards, attacking small joints like fingers and toes, kneeing or elbowing an opponent’s head when they are grounded, stomping on an opponent’s body, or kicking an opponent’s head - what’s known as soccer kicks...

MMA competitions that didn’t ban soccer kicks and stomps in the past were quickly halted due to being too bloody and high in injuries. Current MMA competitions, compared to before, have become "civilized."

Fenglin Group’s competition with New Country’s Yu Corporation is even more open than previous MMA fights—bare-knuckle, no referee! Think about the danger, and you’ll understand.

"I won’t hide it from you," Hong Wenbo said, looking at Wu Li. "In the past twenty-plus years, New Country has held over twenty such competitions, roughly one each year, and every competition has had severe injuries, with five cases of people being crippled and two deaths."

Wu Li took a sip of his drink, getting a grasp on the brutality of the competition.

Hong Wenbo continued, "Actually, before Fenglin Group expanded overseas, they anticipated they would eventually encounter such fights, so they have been preparing early, hiring martial arts experts for a significant amount of money."

"Five years ago, when I was still a police officer, due to a mission, by a stroke of luck, I connected with people from Fenglin Group. They learned about my instructor’s background and hoped I could introduce some Traditional Martial Arts experts to them. So, I found my instructor, and he introduced me to his closed-door disciple, who is effectively his true disciple and, I suppose, my junior in martial arts too."

"My junior truly inherited the skills from our instructor and is a real expert. Had he not joined Fenglin Group, by now, he could have been in the UFC, maybe even contending for the Boxing Champion’s belt. These years he has helped Fenglin Group resolve two similar disputes, and they treated him well. His assets are now over a billion, holding shares in several companies, far more successful than I am," Hong Wenbo said with self-deprecation.

Wu Li nodded, having previously felt that Hong Wenbo, the squad captain, was no ordinary man—a man who could decide on his own to let him stay a few more days at the police station. It seemed to be due to Fenglin Group, or more precisely, due to his junior in martial arts.

"Why doesn’t your junior just fight in this competition?" Wu Li asked.

Hong Wenbo gave a bitter smile, "My junior suffered a mishap during training recently and hasn’t recovered from the injury, unable to compete."

Wu Li nodded, the idea of mishaps in training did not surprise him. Ordinary people learning martial arts could easily tear a groin just doing splits, and muscle strains were all too common. For those practicing Traditional Martial Arts, particularly Internal Fist which involves movements of muscles and bones, one could indeed easily run into issues with carelessness.

"This time, it’s not actually Fenglin Group who’s taken an interest in you, but me. I’m planning to recommend you to give it a try. Fenglin Group is also quite anxious now, looking everywhere for people," Hong Wenbo said. "People with strong combat readiness are the best for this kind of competition. I trust your martial arts skills and combat ability, so I want you to give it a try."

Wu Li finally understood; that made much more sense. After all, this was a competition involving several billion—it definitely couldn’t be decided by Hong Wenbo alone. At most, because of his junior’s relationship, he could recommend someone, though Wu Li guessed he would still have to go through several rounds of selection.

"Little Wu," Hong Wenbo sincerely said, "there’s definitely risk in this competition, but the benefits are substantial. If you want to open a Martial Arts Hall in the country, or even if you think of going abroad in the future, having Fenglin Group’s support can save you at least ten years of hard work!"