Chapter 22 Poke

"Help me out in a bit," Wu Li said as he took off his jacket, speaking to Li Ruqi.

Li Ruqi: "Hmm?"

Wu Li: "Record the whole process of the fight for me."

"Why don't you just live stream it directly, scared of losing?" Li Ruqi asked, puzzled.

Wu Li laughed and shook his head: "It's not too late to live stream when I fight Ren Donglai."

The temporary task given by the system didn't specify an opponent, it was to be settled based on the fame and strength of Wu Li's first live-streamed match's opponent. If Wu Li started live-streaming now and won against the current opponent, the system would calculate the task reward based on this opponent's fame and power.

So of course, Wu Li wouldn't live-stream while competing against these minor characters. That would be a big loss.

"Kid, if you're sure you want to fight, sign this agreement."

Brother Zhao came over and handed Wu Li an agreement.

"Liability Waiver: I voluntarily engage in friendly sparring with the personnel of the Eastward Boxing Club. Should any accidents or injuries occur during this time, I assume all consequences..."

Wu Li glanced over the liability waiver and turned to Li Ruqi: "You can start recording now."

Li Ruqi, surprised: "Now?"

Wu Li nodded: "Yes."

Only after Li Ruqi pointed her phone at them did he speak to Brother Zhao: "If I injure your people, I won't be responsible for it, right?"

"Hah?" Brother Zhao scoffed, "You think you can?"

Wu Li: "Just tell me yes or no."

Brother Zhao sneered: "Yes, you won't be responsible."

Wu Li: "Can I take your word for it?"

Brother Zhao was completely impatient now: "You can! Are you going to fight or not, just sign if you are!"

Wu Li was nonchalant, looking at Li Ruqi: "Got that recorded, huh?"

Li Ruqi nodded: "Mhm."

"Alright." Wu Li signed his name on the agreement and handed it to Brother Zhao.

Brother Zhao snatched the agreement without a look and pointed to the side of the ring: "The protective gear is over there, get it on and you can get in the ring."

Unexpectedly, Wu Li waved his hand dismissively: "No need for that hassle, let's fight by official match rules."

Brother Zhao was first stunned, then laughed in anger: "Fine, if you're seeking death, I won't stop you."

"Little Gao, no need for protective gear, this guy wants to fight by official match rules!"

Brother Zhao shouted towards the person in the ring, and the jeering from the audience picked up again.

"This guy must be out of his mind?"

"I've never seen anyone come to challenge a club and insist on not wearing protective gear."

"Maybe he's a master."

"Pssh, let's see how he gets knocked out in a bit!"

...

On the ring, Gao Bo was putting on protective equipment when he heard Brother Zhao's words, he hesitated for a moment and then took off the gear.

"Xiao Gao, don't hold back later, give the kid a good lesson," Brother Zhao whispered to Gao Bo under the stage.

Gao Bo nodded, "Don't worry, Brother Zhao."

"Ignorant fool," Brother Zhao sneered, glancing at Wu Li not far away, his expression dark.

A few minutes later, Wu Li changed into a pair of black mid-length pants, with his upper body bare and wearing red gloves, and stepped onto the ring. Everyone surrounded the ring, while Li Ruqi stood not far away holding her phone, filming the scene.

Both sides warmed up for a few minutes before Brother Zhao stood in the center of the ring to signal both fighters to approach.

"No elbows, no takedowns, no knee strikes, no attacks to the back of the head, groin, or throat..." Brother Zhao announced the general rules of the contest and then glared fiercely at Wu Li.

"There are no points judges, we'll keep it simple, just one match with no time limit—until one side stays down for ten seconds or submits. Do you have any objections?"

There are several ways to determine the winner in free fighting, but the most common is for judges to assess points based on hits to the head, torso, and thighs; furthermore, knocking down one's opponent can also score points.

Usually, free fighting matches are decided by points, but with no professional scoring judges present, Brother Zhao unilaterally changed the rules. To establish victory now, one side would inevitably have to take a beating.

Wu Li shook his head, "No objections."

"Good! Let the match begin!" Brother Zhao waved his hands and then stepped aside.

Gao Bo raised his guard and slowly advanced towards Wu Li, who, in contrast, stood casually in place, not adopting any stance. If he weren't in the ring, one might think he was just taking a stroll.

"Beauty, your boyfriend doesn't look too impressive."

Down below, a shirtless student approached Li Ruqi and said with a smirk.

With Li Ruqi's beauty and demeanor, she naturally attracted a lot of attention where she stood. Empowered by his own good impression of himself, the student came over to chat her up.

Li Ruqi didn't even glance at him and continued to focus on filming the ring with her phone.

Seeing that Li Ruqi ignored him, the student didn't mind and casually pointed at the ring, saying, "Your boyfriend's stance clearly shows that he..."

"Whoosh!"

He hadn't finished his sentence when a wave of gasps rose from the crowd.

In that instant, Wu Li had suddenly stepped forward, swinging his right foot up from below like a sickle, connecting with Gao Bo's shin.

Piercing Kick!

The move was too abrupt for Gao Bo to dodge, but he hadn't expected to be affected by the kick. The next second, however, his expression changed as intense pain shot through his leg, feeling like his bone had been scraped by a knife. Gao Bo screamed and could no longer stand, collapsing to the ground and clutching his leg in agony.

Except for Wu Li, everyone on the scene wore expressions of disbelief, and many didn't even see what had happened before Gao Bo was on the ground.

Wu Li looked down at Gao Bo with an unperturbed face. The Piercing Kick involved training one's foot to be as sharp as a blade, each kick landing with force. Many who practiced the Piercing Kick would repeatedly kick wooden posts until they could break them with a single strike, marking their proficiency.

Wu Li's recent "pierce" on the opponent's shin caused instant defeat, as Gao Bo's shinbone wasn't conditioned for resistance to hits, rendering him unable to withstand the pain and collapsing.

"Who's next?" Wu Li asked calmly, looking at Brother Zhao.

Brother Zhao's face was ashen. He hurried forward to examine Gao Bo's injury, finding his leg severely bruised and alarming to look at.

In fact, Wu Li had held back when he kicked. He had been afraid to use full force, worried about the potential cost...

After helping Gao Bo off the ring and sending him to the clinic inside Eastward Boxing Club for treatment, Brother Zhao returned to the ring.

The venue was now silent, and no one dared to underestimate the young man in the ring any longer.

"What were you saying just now?"

Li Ruqi had recovered from her initial shock, looking at the nearby student with a mocking smile.

The student's face turned red, and after a long pause, he managed to spit out, "Psh, Zhao Coach is about to take action, your boyfriend won't win."