On May 15, the day after Wu Li’s personal interview video was released, more than 160 students from the professional classes of Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall arrived at the holiday resort where Wu Li was located.
There are over 500 students in the professional classes of Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall, but it’s impossible for all of them to co to the resort for training, so each branch’s coaches could only recomnd two students, adding up to more than 160 people coming to the resort.
In a large courtyard within the resort, a temporary stage had been erected. Below the stage, more than 160 students all stood here.
These students were all male because this ti there were no won’s competitions in the Yanhuang Competition. After all, it was just the beginning, so Wu Li could only concentrate all his energy on the n’s category first and plan to introduce a won’s category once the scale and popularity of the Yanhuang Competition increased.
"Have you heard that besides Wu Li, there will be new coaches at this intensive training?"
"It should be Zhao Lixin, after all, he is National Martial Arts Eighth Rank."
"Sigh, National Martial Arts Eighth Rank requires a top fifteen world ranking, which is too tough."
"Logically speaking, having won the UFC championship, Wu Li should be considered for National Martial Arts Ninth Rank, right?"
"I don’t know. In the last qualification list, I saw that Wu Li was still National Martial Arts Eighth Rank, no one holds the National Martial Arts Ninth Rank."
"Still not Ninth Rank even after being a world champion, then what are the requirents for Ninth Rank?"
...
The students on site were gathered in groups of twos and threes, whispering and discussing. Most of the discussion revolved around who, besides Wu Li, would be coaching this intensive training session and around the issue of Wu Li’s rank.
When Wu Li initially set the National Martial Arts Ninth Rank grading system, Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall internally followed this system to assess students. Those below National Martial Arts Sixth Rank just needed to pass one assessnt to reach that level, and the Martial Arts Hall would issue a certificate to the students, which was a form of honor. For Sixth Rank and above, Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall would reassess them every six months, and those not eting the standard would be downgraded.
Moreover, above National Martial Arts Sixth Rank, it wasn’t just about gaining honor; different ranks were accompanied by corresponding benefits:
National Martial Arts Sixth Rank, students in the professional class could apply to Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall for subsidies for Bone and Muscle Strengthening body refinent dications, one batch per month, with continuous supply for one year.
National Martial Arts Seventh Rank, body refinent dications could be collected three batches per month, practically enough even for daily use over a year.
National Martial Arts Eighth Rank, three batches of body refinent dications per month, with a lifeti supply! Additionally, there is an extra bonus of ten thousand yuan a month, and the company also provides a car and a house.
National Martial Arts Ninth Rank students get shares in Bo Yuan Company!
Therefore, the students of Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall’s professional classes value the National Martial Arts ranks highly; they represent tangible benefits!
The Bone and Muscle Strengthening dications could also be purchased, not just requested. Even at the internal company price, one batch of dication was nearly ten thousand yuan, lasting about ten days. This ant just by being ranked National Martial Arts Sixth Rank, one could essentially earn ten thousand yuan a month from the company, and National Martial Arts Seventh Rank ant thirty thousand yuan!
For every student that Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall cultivated to National Martial Arts Sixth Rank or above, the money invested could be more than what the student paid in tuition fees, aning that for every additional student reaching National Martial Arts Sixth Rank or above, the Martial Arts Hall could potentially incur a loss of money.
There were those in Bo Yuan Company who initially had objections to such rules, but since Wu Li made them, they were ultimately implented.
"If there are no benefits, why would soone abandon mature fighting styles to train in our Kung Fu? Traditional Martial Arts are not easy to develop, but since I have the capability, it wouldn’t matter if we earned a bit less. Moreover, as long as one or two real masters erge from these students, we would truly consider it a profit in the long run."
That’s what Wu Li initially said to Liu Yuanbo, and now it seems that his policy of providing subsidies was the reason why Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall had gained more than 500 students above National Martial Arts Sixth Rank in just one year, including thirty-five at National Martial Arts Seventh Rank.
These students all signed long-term contracts with Bo Yuan Company. Wu Li had the confidence to run the Yanhuang Competition for the long term also because he had such a group of students; otherwise, what kind of competition could he hold without any participants?
And indeed, as Wu Li said, if only a few of these people were trained and beca masters, making a na for themselves, perhaps one day they could help Bo Yuan Company earn back all the initial investnts!
"Hey, check the microphone."
A voice ca from the microphone, prompting the students who were whispering among themselves to stop and look towards the stage in front.
Before long, a few people ascended the stage.
Wu Li, Zhao Lixin, and Li San, three people stood on the stage, with Wu Li in the middle, holding the microphone.
"Students, the reason for calling everyone here is already known, to prepare for the upcoming Yanhuang Competition," Wu Li got straight to the point.
"The official date for the Yanhuang Competition is July 20; there are two months left from now, and I will be conducting a two-month intensive training for you."
"Standing beside are your coaches: Zhao Lixin, National Martial Arts Eighth Rank, specializes in Bagua Palm; and this is Li San, who is also of National Martial Arts Eighth Rank strength, specializing in Tai Chi Fist."
After Wu Li finished the introduction, there was a murmur among the audience.
Many students were familiar with Zhao Lixin’s strength, but the sudden appearance of Li San piqued everyone’s curiosity. National Martial Arts Eighth Rank? This ant a strength level at least within the top fifteen in the world!
Wu Li did not elaborate further; after all, there would be enough ti for these people to experience Li San’s strength.
"However, even with , we only have three coaches for over 160 of you, making it very difficult for us to cover everyone—thus, this intensive training will implent an elimination system!"
Wu Li’s words tightened the hearts of the trainees seated below—they had not anticipated that the training would entail an elimination system.
"I’ve only prepared a hundred beds in this resort where we currently are," Wu Li looked at the trainees and said coldly, "which ans that more than sixty of you will be eliminated today!"
Boom!
There was an uproar among the crowd. Everyone was shocked: eliminating over sixty people on the first day, is this so kind of joke?
However, looking at Wu Li’s expression, it did not seem like he was joking.
An elimination rate of nearly 40%—are you a devil?
Apart from the thirty-seven trainees with National Martial Arts Seventh Rank, everyone else beca anxious.
Wu Li observed the crowd with satisfaction. It was impossible to significantly improve physical fitness in just two months. As for fighting styles and techniques, no matter how well practiced they might be in normal circumstances, they were not guaranteed to perform during a competition, so Wu Li intended to focus on improving these trainees’ ntal toughness and pressure-handling ability.
From the mont they t, Wu Li wanted to put pressure on them!
"Everyone spread out and prepare to execute the Horse Stance!" Wu Li commanded.
Horse stance?
Trainees originally thought they were about to face so difficult assessnt and were surprised to discover it was such a basic exercise.
Under Wu Li’s direction, over one hundred and sixty trainees dispersed, creating so distance from one another, and then began executing the Horse Stance at his signal.
The Horse Stance is the most fundantal practice in all of Kung Fu and an extrely important one. Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall starts training newcors with the Horse Stance and includes it in subsequent assessnts.
The Horse Stance taught at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall was not about rigidly standing still. Such a thod could easily lead to strain.
Horse Stance was about standing like a horse!
The over one hundred and sixty trainees on the scene were all slightly moving up and down as if they were actually riding horses.
When their bodies squatted down, the force would reach the soles of their feet first; when they rose up, the five toes clung to the ground like a chicken’s claws, tightly gripping the floor. Gripping with the toes would engage the bones and muscles of the lower legs, naturally lifting the knees. Once the knees were lifted, the thighs tensed, lifting the waist and tucking in the abdon, bringing the whole body up.
As their bodies squatted down, the toes would relax, the knees would soften, the thighs would loosen, the waist would settle, and the abdon would swell.
The Horse Stance taught at Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall was about constantly shifting the body’s center of gravity in these slight movents. Mastering such Horse Stance not only stabilizes the lower body and strengthens lower limb strength but also enhances control over the center of gravity. It’s an exercise with multiple benefits.
The entry-level Horse Stance assessnt rely required trainees to maintain the stance for fifteen minutes, with constant bodily movents throughout.
Advanced classes demanded a Horse Stance for thirty minutes, and for higher levels, it was an hour. Professional classes, on the other hand, no longer included Horse Stance in assessnts.
In fact, this kind of Horse Stance, when practiced properly with constant focus on shifting the center of gravity, would not easily lead to muscle soreness, and the strain on knees and midsection was minimal. What was really being drained were stamina and concentration.
These trainees were from the professional level, who had each managed at least an hour of the Horse Stance before, so they all began with ease.
However, as ti ticked by, the faces of so trainees began to change.
Once they entered the professional class, many ceased practicing the foundational Horse Stance, devoting most of their ti to Bone and Muscle Strengthening and learning new techniques. Thus, after so ti, many could no longer endure even an hour.
Puff! Puff, puff!
One after another, trainees could not keep up and sat down abruptly onto the ground.
Before they could stand up again, Wu Li’s voice rang out: "Those who fell, leave the line, you can pack up and go ho, you’re eliminated."
The fallen trainees left the formation with faces of defeat and dejection.
The rest of the trainees grew tenser, with many on the brink also biting the bullet to keep up.
Suddenly, Wu Li leapt down from the platform and moved among the crowd.
He wove through the lineup, patting so on the shoulders.
Monts later, Wu Li returned to the platform, "Those I touched, you can leave now, you’re also eliminated."
These trainees stopped, confused, so looking towards Wu Li with expressions of discontent.
Wu Li looked down coldly: "You think I can’t see you slacking off? Think you can outsmart the system with little tricks? Get out!"
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