Looking up through the car window, he could vaguely see that some people had already taken their seats in the car.
Lin Tong was among them, but the Second Senior Sister was not seen.
Upon seeing Hu Qi and the others, Lin Tong immediately motioned for them to get on the car.
Due to the short distance, Hu Qi was the first to get on the car.
Once inside, he scanned his gaze around.
What met his eyes were mostly young men and women in their twenties, with more males among them.
These individuals wore black and red martial arts uniforms, stood tall, and had excellent spirits, clearly indicating their strength.
They were, like Hu Qi and the others, students from other branch clubs in Qirong City.
To be able to stand out from hundreds of people, they naturally wouldn't be weak.
While Hu Qi was observing the people inside the car, these individuals were also secretly observing Hu Qi and the others.
However, because Lin Tong was present, they did not speak.
Hu Qi walked to a seat at the very back, near the window, and sat down.
Not long after he sat down, Ye Li, who had followed him, after looking around, perhaps because both of them were from Class Two, also came to Hu Qi's row.
She reached out and pointed to a seat.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
"Of course, feel free," Hu Qi glanced at her and nodded.
Subsequently, the car started and drove towards the next branch club.
Before long, after picking up five more people from another branch club, the bus finally drove out of Qirong City.
During this time, Hu Qi briefly counted the number of people.
Excluding Lin Tong, the driver, and a few others, there were a total of twenty-five people in the car, including him.
Five slots per branch club meant there were five Red Scale Club branch clubs within Qirong City.
As for the Core Class, it was not in Qirong City, but in Anshan City, a hundred kilometers away.
Compared to Qirong City, Anshan City was larger and more developed, a true provincial capital.
The slight bumps of the vehicle, combined with the sunlight, induced a faint drowsiness.
About an hour later, the bus arrived on a wide road.
One side of the road was the outline of a bustling city, with tall buildings scattered in an orderly fashion, their glass curtain walls reflecting the dazzling sunlight.
The other side was yellow sand and reefs, as well as the boundless, turbulent sea.
The waves continuously crashed against the reefs on the shore, splashing white foam and emitting roars.
The blue waves, soaring seabirds, and distant, faintly visible islands, with the sea breeze carrying a salty scent, flowed in.
This beautiful scene attracted the attention of many students in the car.
Anshan City is located in the eastern core of the Xi Ya Federation's territory.
It is surrounded by the sea on three sides, boasting a long coastline and numerous ports, making transportation extremely convenient, with light rail and subways extending in all directions.
At this moment, they were driving on the coastal highway on the outskirts of the city.
As the car continued to move forward, the blue coastline disappeared from everyone's sight, and the car entered Anshan City.
Gradually approaching the urban area, the scenery on both sides of the road became increasingly prosperous.
Finally, the car arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Although Anshan City is surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is not without large mountains.
Near the city center, there is a huge mountain range called Anshan, which is also the origin of Anshan City's name.
Soon, the car slowed down and finally drove into a place called Anshan Academy, where armed guards could be seen standing guard at the entrance.
"We're finally here, Snake Heart Gate!"
At this moment, Ye Li, who had been sitting quietly on one side since getting on the car, suddenly spoke after only saying a single sentence earlier.
A rare blush of excitement appeared on her face.
"Snake Heart Gate? What is that? Aren't we joining the Red Scale Fighting Club Core Class?"
Seeing this, Hu Qi's eyes flickered, recalling that when Lin Tong introduced Helinta before, he had mentioned Snake Heart Gate once, but at the time, because there were Black Blood Species matters to deal with, he didn't ask further.
Hearing this, Ye Li turned to look at Hu Qi, a surprised expression on her face.
She blinked.
"You don't know?"
She wasn't stunningly beautiful, just average, but she was the kind of girl who grew on you, and this action, combined with her slightly chubby face, made her appear quite cute.
Seeing Hu Qi shake his head, she looked at him strangely and explained in a low voice.
"Snake Heart Gate is the Red Scale Fighting Club, which is also the Core Class.
You can understand it as the Red Scale Fighting Club being just an peripheral industry of the Snake Heart Gate; only those who successfully join the Core Class are considered true students of the Snake Heart Gate."
Hu Qi's heart stirred; this did not exceed his speculation.
Just as he was about to ask something else, the bus jolted.
Then, with a "whoosh" of air brakes, the car stopped.
"Everyone, we've arrived, please get off!"
At this moment, Lin Tong, who was sitting at the very front, called out.
Everyone quickly got up and lined up to get off the car.
Because Hu Qi and Ye Li were sitting at the back, they were not in a hurry; they simply took their luggage and waited in their seats for those in front to get off first.
"This is my Paper Crane number; if you have any questions, you can ask me anytime."
Ye Li said, shaking her phone, which displayed a QR code for adding friends.
"Okay, I will."
Hu Qi took out his phone, scanned the QR code, and added her as a friend.
Soon, the two followed the crowd and successively got off the car.
Hu Qi noticed that beside their bus, there were several other identical buses parked.
"Those should be Core Class students from other places, just like us."
Ye Li, walking ahead, seemed to notice Hu Qi's gaze and explained to him.
"The Red Scale Fighting Club under the Snake Heart Gate exists not only in Qirong City but also in over a dozen nearby cities."
"I see."
Hu Qi nodded.
…
"Alright, you all wait here for now; someone will come to find you shortly, and if you have any questions, you can call me."
At this moment, Lin Tong, who was walking ahead, turned around and clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.
With that, he turned and hurried away from the place.
Facing such irresponsible behavior, everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Fortunately, not long after, someone noticed a group of young men and women in black and red martial arts uniforms approaching from a distance.
Although their martial arts uniforms were also black and red, upon closer inspection, they differed slightly from those of the Red Scale Fighting Club.
A small red snake was embroidered on the back and chest, but some had two snakes, and others had three.
Leading these individuals was a burly, bear-like bald man, his bald head gleaming under the sunlight like polished marble.
His facial contours were rugged, and beneath his thick eyebrows, a pair of tiger eyes shone brightly, their gaze sharp enough to pierce through people's hearts.
According to his self-introduction, his name was Wang Luo.
He would also be the teacher who would teach them the Breaking Limit Method in the future.
Regarding the pacing of this book, it might be a bit slow in the initial stages, but as the protagonist's strength increases, the pace will appropriately quicken later on.