Chapter 30: Martial Hall

After Zhou Ming had properly rewarded his stomach with a good meal, he went straight back to the Garden Community in the southern part of the city.

Besides checking out of his rental, there were still some things he had yet to retrieve.

“Phew, cough, cough…”

Inside his old residence, Zhou Ming squatted down and retrieved the phone he had hidden in the corner of the wall.

A gentle blow sent dust scattering everywhere.

“Good thing I brought the charger with me, or else I’d have to go back again just to turn this thing on.”

As expected, the phone screen was pitch black—no power at all.

After all, he had been away from home for more than two months.

After waiting over ten minutes, Zhou Ming finally managed to power it on.

“Ding, ding, ding…”

It sounded like a string of firecrackers going off.

Notification after notification—unread messages and missed calls—popped up in quick succession.

Zhou Ming was almost worried his phone wouldn’t be able to handle the bombardment.

He scrolled through them.

At first, it was just Wang Yan and Xiao Yun reaching out normally.

Later, after he hadn’t responded for a long time, they began spamming him with texts and calls.

“Guess it wasn’t a waste getting to know those two.”

Although the fault lay with him, Zhou Ming hadn’t wanted to make them worry, so he didn’t tell them in advance.

And since his old, beaten-up phone had turned useless once he left Qinshan Base, he had hidden it under the bed to avoid damaging it while in the wilderness.

Judging from the state of his home, it hadn’t been robbed while he was gone—probably because even the thieves didn’t think this place was worth the effort, which was why his phone was still there safe and sound.

Then Zhou Ming called Wang Yan first to let him know he was safe.

Upon receiving the unexpected call, Wang Yan began by cursing him out, then proudly announced that he had successfully condensed his Spiritual Seed and tamed a Ferocious Beast cub.

During the call, Wang Yan complained endlessly—thankfully, he had managed to condense his Spiritual Seed before his twentieth birthday.

Otherwise, as his father later told him, if he hadn’t broken through by twenty, his father and mother would have already started “training a new account.”

Wang Yan was filled with resentment toward his father’s words, grumbling in Zhou Ming’s ear the whole time, even questioning whether he was his parents’ biological child.

Once the topic started, Wang Yan wouldn’t stop talking.

In the end, Zhou Ming couldn’t take it anymore and directly hung up.

He had thought Wang Yan would at least express some concern—but instead, it turned into a full-blown venting session.

Looking at the last number in his contacts list, Zhou Ming—who had been decisive and ruthless while in the wilderness—suddenly felt a headache coming on.

As the saying went, “If you’ve taken from someone, your hands are tied; if you’ve eaten from someone, your mouth is sealed.”

For a whole year, Xiao Yun had looked after him like a younger brother.

Zhou Ming owed her that kindness.

Now, after disappearing for more than two months, he wasn’t sure how to face her.

In the end, he still made the call—but held the phone away from his ear in advance.

“Hello, Zhou Ming?”

Unlike his own phone, Xiao Yun’s had caller ID. Seeing the unfamiliar number, she was unsure at first, but her tone carried a hint of concern.

“Sister Yun, it’s me.”

Hearing her voice, Zhou Ming felt a pang of guilt and brought the phone closer to his ear.

“Zhou Ming! I knew you weren’t dead!”

???

Why did that sound so awkward? But hearing how happy she was, Zhou Ming didn’t bring it up.

The two ended up talking for half an hour, mostly catching up on what had happened recently.

Near the end, Xiao Yun mentioned that her birthday was on the 9th of next month. It would also be her younger brother’s farewell banquet, and she invited Zhou Ming to attend—both to celebrate and to let her brother, Xiao Lei, apologize to him.

Originally, Zhou Ming didn’t plan to go. But remembering how, during her last birthday, he had only sent a short “happy birthday” after finding out, he knew he couldn’t repeat that mistake. So he agreed.

After hanging up, Zhou Ming glanced at the calendar. Seeing that there were still more than ten days before Xiao Yun’s birthday, he wasn’t in a rush.

Now that he had returned to Qinshan Base and taken care of all miscellaneous matters, Zhou Ming began planning his next steps.

……

In the eastern part of the city were clustered numerous Martial Halls and Shooting Ranges within Qinshan Base.

The area’s prosperity was second only to the inner city—in some ways, it was even more lively.

The reason was simple.

The inner city housed the major powers, government agencies, and the upper class, where safety standards were too strict.

Ironically, it was sometimes less convenient than the outer city.

The southern district, however, was mostly home to lower-class civilians. Apart from a pet market, there was little of note there.

Wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap, Zhou Ming observed the bustling streets before him—crowds flowing endlessly, cars honking in the distance.

With all the flashy advertisements and massive screens playing on tall buildings, Zhou Ming couldn’t help but feel a brief wave of nostalgia, as if he had returned to his previous life.

But those were things of the past. After calming his mind, he began walking along the street in search of a suitable Martial Hall or Shooting Range.

At the entrance of each establishment stood a kind of public bulletin board surrounded by onlookers—mostly young people in their teens or twenties.

Out of curiosity, Zhou Ming walked closer and discovered that they were detailed introductions for each Martial Hall and Shooting Range.

For example, in front of him was the White Crane Martial Hall, which listed detailed information about its instructors, student achievements, and martial techniques taught.

What interested Zhou Ming most were the descriptions of martial styles. He immediately leaned in to read carefully.

The White Crane Style taught at this hall emphasized agility and precision, focusing on swift movement and one-hit kills—attacking joints and weak points.

It was best suited for women or physically weaker individuals.

For Beast Tamers, it was recommended to follow the Phantasmal Tamer path—combining elemental power with this martial art to unleash its greatest potential.

After reading the posted information, Zhou Ming felt this hall was quite considerate—it even included special notes.

Then again, considering that these Martial Halls didn’t just serve ordinary people but also Beast Tamers, false advertising would likely get a place smashed to pieces within a day—and with no one to complain to.

“Xiu’er, let’s choose this one.”

A young couple beside Zhou Ming were also picking a Martial Hall.

“Chu Hao, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You just noticed this place has a lot of female trainees. Keep dreaming!”

She grabbed her boyfriend by the ear and dragged him toward another hall.

“Xiu’er, no! That’s not what I was thinking! The other one focuses on body conditioning—all muscle guys!”

“Hmph. Perfect. You need to build up your stamina anyway.”

Hearing that last sentence, Zhou Ming couldn’t help but smile.

The nearby pedestrians—men laughing openly, women giggling quietly—clearly understood the joke immediately.

Once the couple left, Zhou Ming didn’t linger either. He continued searching for a Martial Hall that suited him; he didn’t care whether White Crane Martial Hall had more female students or not.

As he examined the various bulletin boards along this famous Martial Street, Zhou Ming gradually gained a better understanding of what each Martial Hall specialized in.

Some, like White Crane Martial Hall, focused on traditional schools with clear styles and full lineages.

Some emphasized practicality and efficiency—free-fighting and brawling techniques—using special medicinal herbs to strengthen the body.

Others specialized in weapons, primarily swordsmanship and bladework, designed for real combat, usually favored by Hunters who ventured into the wilderness.

It could be said that, with the development of the Beast Taming Cultivation System, the martial arts of humanity on Blue Star had gradually begun to integrate into it.

Though only a supplementary method, martial arts had found their own way to survive.