Chapter 30: Applying for the Competition

Qi City's winter, though not as bitterly cold as Chuhua City's, had a chilling dampness that penetrated to the bone.

Wu Li, who could train bare-chested during the harsh winters of Chuhua City, felt quite uncomfortable in Qi City.

"What lousy weather!"

On November 26th, under a persistent drizzle, Wu Li persevered through his morning workout before heading back to the hotel for a change of clothes and taking a car to the Qi City Sports Bureau.

After returning from Eastward Boxing Club yesterday, Wu Li started looking into the procedures required to organize a fighting competition: rules dictate that official fighting competitions must be registered with the relevant Martial Arts organization and approved.

For example, if Wu Li wanted to host a Free Fighting competition, he had to get it registered with the Martial Arts Sports Management Center and obtain permission from the Martial Arts Association, which fell under the General Administration of Sports. Therefore, Wu Li was now on his way to the Qi City Sports Bureau.

Perhaps due to the rain, the bureau's lobby was deserted when Wu Li arrived.

After searching for a while, Wu Li found an office door half-open.

Knock, knock, knock, he rapped on the door.

"Hello, could you tell me where I need to go if I want to apply to hold a fighting competition?"

A young girl sitting in the office brightened up at the sight of Wu Li and said with a smile, "For organizing fighting competitions, you'll need to visit the Martial Arts Association. They're on the third floor."

"Okay, thank you." Wu Li nodded and turned to leave.

The girl watched Wu Li's retreating figure, feeling as though she'd seen this guy somewhere before.

…

Wu Li reached the third floor and confirmed the Martial Arts Association's office location after asking around. He found an office labeled "Comprehensive Room" with four middle-aged men, all slightly overweight, seated inside.

"You want to hold a fighting competition?"

One of the men got up and approached Wu Li, smiling, "Come in, please take a seat."

Pouring Wu Li a glass of water, the man sat next to him and asked, "Which organization are you with?"

"I'm not with any organization," Wu Li said. "I want to organize a fighting contest as an individual."

"Under an individual's name?" The man sized up Wu Li quietly before asking, "What scale of competition are you planning to hold, and where?"

"At Eastward Boxing Club in Qi City, just a match between two people," Wu Li explained slowly.

The man frowned, "Just for two people, you want to organize a competition?"

Wu Li spread his hands flat, "If we don't hold a competition, they won't let us fight."

"What do you mean by that?" the man asked, puzzled.

Wu Li sighed, "The other party and I were originally just sparring privately, but the police got involved suddenly, insisting we fight in a formal competition. Otherwise, they consider it brawling and want to take us to the station."

The man couldn't help but chuckle, although seeing Wu Li's serious face, he asked, "Are you sure you want to go through with organizing a match just for this?"

Wu Li nodded, "I'm sure. Can you tell me what procedures I need to follow?"

"Hmm," the man pondered for a moment. "Young man, this is not going to be easy. Come, take a look at this."

He stood up, leading Wu Li to his desk, and handed him a brochure.

"This is a promotional brochure for an upcoming fighting competition in our city," the man explained.

Wu Li saw the bold words on the cover: "Extreme Martial Arts." After the summary came the event's objectives:

1. Enhance the city's image

2. Boost the political and business economy

3. Promote social harmony

4. Foster cultural tourism

5. Accelerate sports development

…

Pointing to the objectives, the man said, "For us to apply for a competition, we have to submit a report, these are the objectives others have for holding competitions. Yours seems to be more about settling a personal grudge—how could you apply for that?"

Wu Li was speechless.

He hadn't anticipated that a fighting competition could be linked to social harmony. What could he say to that?

But Wu Li was not one to give up easily. He responded to the man, "Besides submitting a report, what else is required?"

The man shook his head, "You also need a venue, equipment, referees, professional medical personnel, insurance measures, health certificates for the participants..."

While talking, the man handed Wu Li a stack of documents. "These have detailed requirements. Additionally, you'll need to fill out the forms in the appendix, get them signed and stamped by relevant departments, and then compile them into a complete proposal to submit to me. I'll write an application report, and if the leaders approve it, you can hold your competition."

Wu Li took the stack of documents from him and felt an even stronger urge to beat up Ren Donglai...

"Thank you," Wu Li said, managing a strained smile.

The man nodded, "Any other questions?"

"Not at the moment," Wu Li left the Comprehensive Room with a pile of paperwork.

"Ha ha, this is really amusing!"

After Wu Li left, the others in the office couldn't contain their laughter.

"This young man sure has some grand ideas—applying for a competition just for two people to fight."

"From the looks of it, he seems like he really wants to try. Doesn't he realize how unlikely the leaders are to approve such a competition?"

…

"How's it going? Is everything progressing smoothly?"

Once Wu Li left the Sports Bureau building, he received a call from Li Ruqi. She knew Wu Li was applying for the competition today and, as a pretext for potential follow-up reporting, kept an eye on any developments on Wu Li's end.

"Let's talk when I get back," Wu Li sighed.

Back in his hotel room, after Li Ruqi briefly went through the documents Wu Li had brought, she tossed them onto the table and complained, "Isn't this way too complicated?"

Wu Li ignored her, silently calculating whether the money he had would be enough.

Organizing a competition is expensive, even if it's just Wu Li and Ren Donglai fighting one-on-one. According to the requirements in the documents, the expenses were substantial.

Firstly, hiring a referee would cost money, and here the referee had to hold a certificate from the Martial Arts Association. Then, there were expenses for medical personnel and necessary medical supplies. If the venue were to be Eastward Boxing Club, given Ren Donglai's nature, there would undoubtedly be a fee.

Even without the costs for publicity, athlete appearance fees, and competition prize money, Wu Li estimated that he would need to spend at least tens of thousands. If it weren't for the support of the system, he couldn't afford it.

And the most frustrating part was that even if Wu Li had the money, it wasn't guaranteed the competition would be approved.

"Why not just forget about it?" Li Ruqi advised after hearing Wu Li's explanation. "I'm worried you might end up throwing away tens of thousands for nothing. Anyway, after yesterday's scene, many people online now think Ren Donglai is no match for you, that he's too scared to fight you."

Wu Li shook his head, determined, "No, I have to fight this match!"

Li Ruqi replied, "The problem is, what can you do if they don't approve it?"

Grinning, Wu Li looked at Li Ruqi and said, "Ruqi, for the sake of more exciting news to come, shouldn't you offer a bit of support?"