At the sight of the towering building before him, Chu Tiannan swallowed slightly.
"The East Martial Arts Hall really does live up to its reputation as one of the China Alliance's two great martial arts hall systems. This grandeur... tsk, tsk."
Standing before the main entrance, Chu Tiannan looked inside in wonder, watching the figures coming and going in front of the building.
They were clearly all Martial Artists!
"I never expected there to be so many Martial Artists..." Chu Tiannan discovered in astonishment that over a thousand Martial Artists had entered or left the building in just a few minutes.
That was already a considerable number.
This was only the East Martial Arts Hall in a single base city. If the Martial Artists from the East Martial Arts Hall and North Martial Arts Hall in the other nine base cities were added together...
That would definitely be a staggering number!
"Would you happen to be Chu Tiannan?" Just as Chu Tiannan was still reeling inwardly, a hearty laugh rang out.
Hearing the voice, the young man turned and saw a middle-aged man in a gray combat suit walking over with a smile, then nodded.
"And you are...?"
Chu Tiannan instantly sensed from the other man's aura that his strength was definitely on par with his own.
His combat suit, however, was only D-grade. Clearly, for an ordinary Martial Master, the combat suit they could afford...
Would be C-grade at most, and even a full set of that cost over a million Earth Currency!
"My name is A Lai. Instructor Wang said that if I saw someone wearing a long coat with a sword on his back, I should bring him over," the dark-skinned A Lai said with a smile, rubbing his bald head.
"I've been waiting here all morning, and you're the only one who fits the description. Obviously, there aren't many people named Chu Tiannan, so it must be you."
Hearing this, Chu Tiannan nodded in acknowledgment, inwardly unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Brother, Instructor Wang has been waiting a long time. Come with me!" As he spoke, A Lai pulled Chu Tiannan straight onto an electric cart and said,
"To the office building!"
"Isn't it that Martial Artist building?" Chu Tiannan asked in surprise.
"It's the building up ahead. Since the instructor is on the twenty-eighth floor, there's a place behind the building where vehicles can take the elevator. There's plenty of room inside, so driving is convenient!" A Lai's explanation made Chu Tiannan understand immediately.
On the way, Chu Tiannan entered the East Martial Arts Hall grounds and discovered that they were surprisingly vast, though there were few tall buildings.
"There's a Martial Artist residential area within the East Martial Arts Hall, where Martial Artists can cultivate in peace."
"The rest consists of recreational areas and landscaping that cost a fortune to put in. Of course, once you become a Martial Artist, you'll get a home too."
"Of course, you only have the right to live there, not to buy or sell it!"
"If you need to handle official business, go to this East Martial Arts Hall building. This is the headquarters for the eastern and western districts of South China Base City, and quite a few Martial Artists pass through every day."
Listening to A Lai's enthusiastic explanation, Chu Tiannan gained a basic understanding, but he was also stunned.
"In a base city where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, the price of a home can be driven sky-high, yet becoming a Martial Artist gets you one for free. That contrast..."
Getting ahead in life was also why everyone throughout the China Alliance strove to become a Martial Artist.
Upon entering the building, Chu Tiannan looked around him.
The building's interior was thoroughly high-tech. In particular, the self-balancing elevator was actually voice-controlled.
Even at Haotai Gelin, Chu Tiannan had never encountered a voice-controlled elevator before. Naturally, its cost was outrageously high.
As expected of the East Martial Arts Hall. They really have money to burn... This was Chu Tiannan's inward assessment.
People streamed back and forth without end. With a quick glance, Chu Tiannan noticed that some had weak auras; they were clearly young people who had only recently become Martial Artists.
Some of the more mature, middle-aged people, however, openly radiated baleful auras. After all, they spent years fighting Demon Beasts outside the base city.
It would have been strange if their baleful auras were weak!
Chu Tiannan naturally noticed many Martial Artists carrying weapons on their backs, just like him.
Some carried double-edged shortswords, others a massive axe, and some even had firearms-sniper rifles-on their backs...
There was quite an assortment!
"We're here, brother!" A Lai said with a smile, opening the elevator doors.
"Go straight ahead and you'll reach the instructor's office. Instructor Wang is waiting for you inside. I have something else to do. See you around, brother!"
"Sorry for the trouble, Brother A Lai!" After exchanging contact numbers with A Lai, Chu Tiannan parted ways with him.
"The instructor's office..."
Chu Tiannan kept searching through the labyrinthine building, finally using the three-dimensional map provided by his smart bracelet to reach a brightly lit area.
Ding-dong!
After an electronic scan verified Chu Tiannan's identity, the system's voice sounded.
"Prospective Martial Artist Chu Tiannan, please enter!"