It's very big, very remote, and has a lot of houses?
A hint of doubt flashed in Old Li's eyes, as if he was digesting this overly simplistic description.
Shen Shuning sighed softly, then picked up the conversation, her voice flowing like a clear spring:
" Northern Martial Arts was expanded and renovated from a military base, so its overall style leans towards square and simple."
"Because the location is in the suburbs, and considering the special needs of martial arts training, the entire campus and the buildings within it will be quite large."
"Furthermore, the buildings on campus are all constructed using bluish-gray stone, giving the overall area a solemn and dignified appearance."
Xiao Bai'er blinked and added, "Yes, yes, and the training ground is huge, paved entirely with bluestone slabs. It gets scorching hot in the summer and freezing cold on your feet in the winter."
"I see." Old Li smiled as if he had just realized something, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out. "That's indeed very different from Southern Martial Arts."
Upon hearing this Shen Shuning turned her head slightly, a strand of hair falling beside her fair cheek.
Xiao Bai'er, like a curious child, stepped forward and asked, "Grandpa, you know about the situation in Southern Martial Arts?"
"Yes, you are the fourth and fifth Martial Arts Academy I've received today. The previous three were all from Southern Martial Arts Academy," Old Li said with a smile.
"Oh, I see!" Xiao Bai'er nodded in sudden understanding, then her eyes lit up. "What's Southern Martial Arts like? Could you tell us about it?"
Old Li squinted, recalling the descriptions given by the young men before him:
"They said that Southern Martial Arts was built in the mountains."
Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with pavilions and towers.
"There are many bamboo trees, and when the wind blows, you can hear the rustling sound of the bamboo leaves flapping."
"The training ground is covered with fine sand, which feels very comfortable underfoot."
"Even the training hall is open-plan, with ventilation from all sides, making it especially comfortable for training in the summer..."
As Xiao Bai'er listened to Old Li's story, his eyes widened and his mouth opened unconsciously.
She didn't completely break down until Old Li finished telling his story, and she sadly took Shen Shuning's hand.
"Ah, Shuning, how come Southern Martial Arts is so much worse than Northern Martial Arts?!"
"This isn't an academy for training martial artists, it's clearly a vacation spot!!"
Shen Shuning remained silent, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her face.
She hadn't expected that the architectural styles of the Southern Martial Arts Academy and the Northern Martial Arts Academy would be so different.
Old Li smiled and looked at the two of them, saying, "You're from Linhai, what brings you to Northern Martial Arts?"
"Back when we were taking the test, we were studying at a university in Capital, and Northern Martial Arts happened to be in the same area, so we applied Capital. Who knew there would be such a big difference! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have applied to Capital University!" Xiao Bai'er said indignantly.
Old Li smiled, not believing his words.
"Alright, I'll make a record for you..."
A few minutes later.
Two figures emerged from the Linhai Supervision Bureau once again.
Shen Shuning walked out calmly.
In my ears, I could hear my friend's still somewhat dissatisfied grumbling.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked to her right.
Influenced by her, Xiao Bai'er also stopped in her tracks and looked over.
A Dahuang, about half a person's height, ran out from the path on the right.
Upon seeing the two people, it stood still, examined them carefully, and then immediately turned around and ran back.
"Huh? Does the Supervision Bureau keep dogs?" Xiao Bai'er looked with some curiosity in the direction the dog had just left.
"It's probably from that old man who was raising it," Shen Shuning said in a clear voice.
Xiao Bai'er nodded. This was the only guess they could make, since they had only ever met that old man so far.
Just as Shen Shuning was about to look away and leave, her gaze suddenly stopped again.
Then, that Dahuang came running out of the alley again.
However, this time, it was accompanied by a short-haired girl.
The two froze on the spot the moment they saw each other.
After a moment, Shen Shuning was the first to react.
She glanced at the short-haired girl, then nodded slightly.
Influenced by her, the short-haired girl also realized what was happening and nodded in greeting.
"Let's go!" Shen Shuning gently turned to look at her friend.
"Huh?!"
Xiao Bai'er was taken aback, but quickly recovered.
She first nodded in response to the short-haired girl, then followed while glancing back at her.
Xiao Bai'er only withdrew her gaze when it was out of sight.
She walked forward with blank stares, and after a moment she seemed to come to her senses and looked at Shen Shuning.
" Shuning, that was Le Gu Nan just now, right?"
"Hmm." Shen Shuning nodded slightly, still pondering.
"It really is her!" Xiao Bai'er's eyes widened slightly. "When did she join the Supervision Bureau?"
"They must have joined right after our college entrance exams," Shen Shuning replied after a moment's thought.
"She had the highest score at that time, but she wasn't seen in the school's subsequent promotional materials."
"At the time, I thought she had gone abroad, but now it seems she must have joined our Linhai Supervision Bureau back then."
"So early?" Xiao Bai'er asked, somewhat surprised.
"Mm." Shen Shuning nodded slightly.
"But why does she seem to only be at First Tier?" Xiao Bai'er said, explaining what she had just seen.
"They must have used some special method to contain the Origin Power that was overflowing from them, making it impossible for us to perceive it normally," Shen Shuning said.
"Oh, I see!" Xiao Bai'er nodded knowingly.
If it's a gathering in Le Gu Nan, the dog probably wouldn't, right?
Even if you could, there's still Second Tier after the convergence, so it should be even higher in the first place!
My rank is actually lower than a dog kept by the Supervision Bureau?!
Shen Shuning glanced at her friend, then quickly looked away.
She was pondering what had just happened.
Although they and Le Gu Nan went to the same school, they were not in the same class and had never interacted.
They recognized each other simply because they were among the top students at Linhai No. 2 High School at the time.
Therefore, they merely nodded in greeting and did not go over to start a conversation.
Of course, this might also be because they don't want the other person to feel that they are trying to climb the social ladder.
These days, even those registered with the Martial Arts Association have to pull strings in the past, let alone those from the Supervision Bureau.
The two passed the gatekeeper and walked towards the park gate.
Shen Shuning looked at the sudden increase in the number of people around her, recalling Le Gu Nan from just now.
If Le Gu Nan joined the Supervision Bureau right after finishing the college entrance examination, then it would have been... a year and a half by now...
Is it most likely Second Tier?
but...
Shen Shuning glanced back in the direction of the Linhai Supervision Bureau.
I have a feeling that I've forgotten some things...