Chapter 80 - 78: Breaking Out of the Circle
Online there were lots of praises, and fans of Traditional Martial Arts felt vindicated. But of course, there was mockery too.
"Psh, what’s so special about eye pokes and groin strikes? Isn’t it all just attacking vulnerable spots? Anyone who practices Boxing, Sandboxing, or Muay Thai could easily learn to change their strike targets in a few days. What’s there to brag about?"
"Exactly, all martial arts are killing skills, acting as if only Traditional Martial Arts have the ability to kill."
"The UFC champion abroad got into a scuffle with security guards at a nightclub and sent six of them to the ICU single-handedly. How come no one brags about that? Do they think only Traditional Martial Arts can achieve that?"
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No matter how formidable a person or event is, it’s impossible to make everyone like it. If there are admirers, there will inevitably be mockers. The debate over whether Traditional Martial Arts are truly effective has been going on for many years, and Wu Li standing up to make a statement couldn’t immediately reverse many people’s opinions. However, Wu Li’s incident had indeed drawn much more attention than previous ones, with both insiders and outsiders paying attention to or commenting on it.
The first to voice their opinions were people from the domestic fighting scene.
Zeng Yonggang, a winner of the "Grand Slam" in Free Fighting with championships in the Asian Games, the World Cup, China-Thailand contests, China-US contests, and national competitions, said on his Weibo, "I came from a Martial Arts School, and many of the instructors there have backgrounds in Practicing Traditional Martial Arts. To those who say Traditional Martial Arts are not practical, you should go and ask these people."
Liu Feilong, a boxer known for his practical Tai Chi, said on Weibo, "Chen Jia Gou welcomes all those who think Traditional Martial Arts are worthless to come and challenge us."
Olympic Sandboxing champion Li Kesuai: "Ta Gou Martial Arts School was initially founded by the old Boxer Liu Baoshan from Ta Gou Village, located to the east of the Shaolin Temple. Now, it’s the number one Martial Arts School in the country. Anyone brave enough can go there and loudly claim Traditional Martial Arts are ineffective."
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