When Chen Chuan entered the dormitory, a security guard ca up to him. "Student, please show your ID."
Chen Chuan took his student card from his pocket and handed it over.
The guard took the card and inserted it into a nearby terminal. An indicator light flashed on. He then punched a few keys according to a color code, and with a few clicks, a slip of paper with Chen Chuan’s na printed on it erged.
The guard returned the Na Card and the slip to him, saying, "Chen, this is your entry slip for today. Please keep it safe. Your dorm is room four, area one, on the seventh floor."
Chen Chuan said thanks and headed for the stairs, only to discover that the dormitory building actually had an elevator. There didn’t seem to be anyone around at this ti, so he walked over and pressed the button. With a characteristic tallic grinding, the grille door rattled open. He stepped inside, pressed the button for the seventh floor, and the elevator lurched upwards.
After a short wait, the dial rolled to the number seven. The floor dipped slightly as the elevator doors slid open, and he stepped out.
Before him was a large hall, several hundred square ters in size. Signs overhead indicated the different areas: three and four to the left, one and two to the right. He headed right and found Area One. A wide, carpeted corridor stretched before him, with four doors on each side.
He found his room, number four, at the end of the corridor. He took out his key and opened it. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a floor-to-ceiling window across from him. The curtains were drawn open, and the near-noon sunlight was streaming in from outside.
He put his luggage aside, walked over, and pulled the curtains open a little wider.
From his window, he had a clear view of the grounds outside. Below was an erald lake, its shores lined with willows. He’d seen it on a map and knew this was the academy’s famous Spring and Autumn Lake. Across the water stood the Wuyi Academy’s administrative building. There was also a track circling the lake, where he could see a number of students out for a stroll.
After gazing out for a while, he finally turned to survey his new room.
It was a single-person dorm, roughly ninety square ters. In addition to a bedroom and living room, it also had a drying room, a bathroom, and even a private training room. The room ca with twenty-four-hour water and electricity, and just outside in the hall were a lost-and-found board, a public telephone, and an internal mail-drop box.
On his desk, he found a dormitory handbook. A dedicated staff would clean the room and change the bed linens daily. Clothes could be sent to the laundry room downstairs for cleaning. However, food was not allowed in the dorms, nor were smoking and drinking. Furthermore, it was forbidden to put up posters or similar items on the walls...
The list went on and on.
He scanned the rules for a bit to get the general idea, then decided to head to the cafeteria for lunch. Everything else could wait until he got back.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
Just then, he heard a knock. The door wasn’t fully closed. When he looked back, he saw a student two or three years his senior, wearing the sa academy uniform, standing there with a hostile look in his eyes.
Chen Chuan asked, "Can I help you, Senior Brother?"
The student stood there and asked in a rather impolite tone, "You’re Chen Chuan, right?"
Chen Chuan asked, "And you are, Senior Brother?"
The student brandished a slip of paper at him and said, his voice thick with resentnt, "I’m Shu Han, the senior in charge of your orientation. I waited for you all morning, but you never showed up. I was just standing out there waiting like an idiot, with the other students laughing at . This is my third year, and I’ve never t a new student as cocky as you."
Chen Chuan said apologetically, "I’m sorry, Senior Brother Shu. I had so school business to attend to this morning and wasn’t able to contact you in advance."
’The academy probably didn’t pass the ssage along,’ he guessed. ’Maybe it was an oversight, or maybe it was deliberate. Either way, it’s over now.’ He prepared to take out his entry slip, which should clear up the misunderstanding.
Shu Han, however, just looked him up and down and flexed his wrists. "Alright, you’re here now, so there’s no point in talking. As the senior assigned to you, I need to test your skill level first. It’ll help understand your abilities so I can write a more comprehensive report to submit later."
Chen Chuan said, "Oh? Is that part of the orientation process?"
"Stop asking stupid questions. I’m your senior. Of course I know more about this than you do," Shu Han said with an impatient scowl, though his eyes darted away for a second.
Chen Chuan smiled and sized him up for a mont. "Alright, then," he said. ’Doesn’t matter if it’s part of the official process or not. I’m curious to see how skilled the upperclassn are anyway.’
’He’d seen Wei Chang’an’s abilities for himself. From what little Wei Chang’an had revealed, he was incredibly skilled—truly worthy of being a third-year student. Based on that scene in the phone booth, he had most likely mastered Power. And according to Yu Gang, anyone who reached that stage was considered an elite, even at Wuyi Academy.’
’It was a sha he didn’t have the ti or opportunity to spar with Wei Chang’an. But this was a chance to learn a thing or two from another senior—an A-class student, no less.’
Shu Han looked around and said, "It’s too cramped in here. Follow outside."
Chen Chuan readily agreed and followed him to an open space on the sa floor. It was effectively a Training Ground, over five hundred square ters in size—more than enough room for a fight with spectators.
When they stepped outside, another senior was leaning against a wall, looking bored. He saw them erge and grinned. "What’s this? Ti to go through ’the process’?"
Shu Han grunted.
It’s a known fact that people who practice combat arts tend to have a bit of a temper. So of the younger students, who haven’t yet been properly humbled, act like they’re second only to God, looking down their noses at everyone. They can be incredibly confrontational during orientation, which inevitably leads to conflict. When that happens, talking is useless. You have to let your fists do the talking.
So, it had beco a sort of unofficial process—a separate set of rules the students had co up with. Generally, all it took was one good thrashing to make a troublemaker see reason. After that, you could have a calm, rational discussion.
Chen Chuan’s case was different, though. His attitude was fine, and there were probably other reasons for his delay. But being left hanging all morning without any word had really gotten on Shu Han’s nerves, which is why he wanted to go through with the "process."
At the sa ti, he had also heard that Chen Chuan had knocked out the monster Zhongwu right after enrolling. So people were even comparing Chen Chuan to one of his own forr idols. He wasn’t convinced and wanted to see for himself what Chen Chuan was made of.
The other senior’s interest was piqued. He walked right up to Chen Chuan and extended his hand for a handshake.
"You must be Chen, right? Hey, I’m Shen Shao. I’ve heard about you. Man, you have no idea how famous you are now. The news even reached a third-year like . The fact that you could take down a monster like Zhongwu... I’m genuinely impressed. Hey, go easy on him in a minute, alright? Don’t break your Senior Brother Shu. He’s a good guy, really, just hot-headed today ’cause you kept him waiting. Plus, he just got his heart broken a few days ago, so you should cut him so slack."
Shu Han grew indignant. "What are you talking about? Can you stop spouting irrelevant nonsense? You think I need an underclassman to go easy on ? And for the last ti, I didn’t get my heart broken! We just mutually rejected each other."
"Right, right, I get it. She rejected you first, and then you rejected her."
Shu Han, now both embarrassed and angry, snapped, "Maybe you and I should go through the ’process’ right here, right now?"
Shen Shao said, "Alright, alright, I’ll shut up. You two be careful. School just started, it’s not worth getting hurt."
’Chen Chuan could tell Shen Shao just loved to watch a good show and wasn’t above stirring the pot, but he didn’t mind. Back with Yu Gang, he could only practice with Lu Ke. Later on, he’d had to go to a fighting gym to find opponents. Now, he had a free sparring partner right in front of him—an opportunity he welcod.’
’If he lost, he could identify his weaknesses. If he won, it would advance his Second Self. It was a win-win situation, so why not?’
He went to the side and ward up a bit. When he turned back, Shu Han was already waiting for him.
...
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