Going Through the Procedure

When Chen Chuan entered the dormitory building, the security guard on duty stepped forward to greet him. "Student, please show your student ID." He pulled his card from his pocket and handed it over. The guard took it and slotted it into the punch recorder beside him. The indicator lights flashed, and after punching a sequence based on the color codes, the machine rattled and clattered before spitting out a slip with Chen Chuan's name on it. Returning the card and slip, the guard said, "Student Chen, this is your entry-and-exit slip for today. Keep it safe. Your room is Room 4, District 1, on the seventh floor." Chen Chuan thanked him. As he headed toward the stairs, he noticed the dormitory building actually had an elevator. With hardly anyone around at this hour, he walked over and pressed the button. The metal grille doors slid open with a screech of sliding steel. He stepped inside and pressed the button for the seventh floor. With a slight jolt, the elevator began to ascend. After a brief wait, the tumbler roller clicked over to number seven. The floor settled under his feet, the doors slid open, and he stepped out. Before him was a spacious hall spanning several hundred square meters. Overhead signs pointed the way: Districts 3 and 4 to the left, Districts 1 and 2 to the right. Turning right, he found District 1. Ahead lay a wide carpeted hallway lined with four pairs of facing doors. At the end of the hall, he found his room, Room 4. He unlocked it with his key. The moment he stepped inside, he saw a floor-to-ceiling window across the room. The curtains were drawn open, letting the late-morning sunlight spill across the floor. He set his luggage aside, walked over, and pulled the curtains wider. Standing there, he had a clear view of the grounds below. At the foot of the building lay a stretch of emerald water fringed by weeping willows. Having studied the campus map, he knew this was the academy's famous Spring and Autumn Lake. Across the water stood the Wuyi College Administration Building. A running track circled the lake, where quite a few students were currently strolling. After taking in the view for a moment, he turned to inspect the interior. It was a private dormitory of about ninety square meters. In addition to a bedroom and living room, it included a drying room, a bathroom, and a personal training room. Water and electricity were supplied around the clock, while out in the common area were a lost-and-found board, public telephones, and an internal dispatch box. On the desk, he found a dormitory guidelines handbook. Housekeeping came daily to clean the room and change the linens, and personal laundry could be sent to the laundry facility downstairs. However, outside food was forbidden, smoking and drinking in the rooms were strictly prohibited, and hanging posters on the walls was not allowed... All in all, there were plenty of rules. He skimmed through it to get the general idea, then planned to head to the cafeteria for lunch, leaving the rest for when he returned. *Thud, thud, thud...* A knock sounded at the door. It had been left slightly ajar. Turning around, he saw a student about two or three years older than him, dressed in the same Upper Dorm uniform, standing there with an unfriendly expression. Chen Chuan asked, "Can I help you, Senior?" The young man stood in the doorway and asked rather curtly, "You're Chen Chuan, right?" "And you would be, Senior?" The student waved a slip of paper at him, irritation plain in his voice. "I'm Shu Han, the senior assigned to orient you. I waited for you all morning without catching a glimpse of you! I was left hanging out there, and the other students made a laughingstock out of me. I've been here three years, and I've never seen a freshman act this arrogant." Chen Chuan offered an apology. "I'm sorry, Senior Shu. The school had some matters for me to handle this morning, so I wasn't able to contact you beforehand." He guessed the administration had likely failed to pass the message down—perhaps an oversight, or perhaps entirely deliberate. But since the matter was settled, he prepared to pull out his travel slip to clear up the misunderstanding. Shu Han, however, merely looked him up and down, rolling his wrists. "Enough. Since you're finally here, talking won't accomplish much. As your orientation senior, I need to test your level first to get a read on you. That way, I'll have more substance to write in my report later." Chen Chuan said, "Oh? Is that part of the orientation procedure?" "Cut the chatter! I'm the senior here—think I don't know the ropes better than you?" Shu Han put on an impatient front, though his eyes shifted ever so slightly. Chen Chuan smiled and looked him over. "Sure." Procedure or not, he was indeed curious about the caliber of the upperclassmen. He had witnessed Wei Chang'an's performance firsthand. Going strictly by what the man showed, he was truly formidable, fully living up to his status as a third-year. Judging from that brief display inside the telephone booth, Wei Chang'an had most likely mastered jin. As Yu Gang had put it, even within Wuyi College, someone like that belonged to the elite. Unfortunately, there hadn't been time or opportunity to spar with him, but seeking a pointer or two from the Class A senior standing before him would serve nicely. Shu Han glanced around. "Not enough room to move here. Follow me outside." Chen Chuan readily agreed, following him out to the open area on this floor. It was actually a training arena covering over five hundred square meters—more than enough space for spectators and a proper bout. When they stepped out, an upperclassman was leaning against the wall, waiting idly. Seeing the pair emerge, he grinned. "What's this? Going through the procedure?" Shu Han gave an affirmative grunt. Fighters inevitably had tempers. Some young students who had never tasted a proper beating believed they were second only to the heavens, looking down on everyone and mouthing off during orientation. Clashes were practically unavoidable, and words were useless in such moments—only fists could settle it. Thus, it had become an unofficial procedure, a custom forged by the students themselves. Usually, once an unruly newcomer took a beating, they fell in line, and then everyone could talk reason in peace. Chen Chuan was an unusual case. His attitude was perfectly polite, and there might well have been valid reasons for his absence. But leaving someone hanging without a word and making him wait an entire morning had genuinely provoked Shu Han, so he wanted to run him through the procedure. At the same time, he had heard that Chen Chuan knocked out that monster Zhong Wu right after enrolling. Some people had even compared Chen Chuan to one of Shu Han's former idols. That rankled, and he wanted to take the freshman's measure himself. The other upperclassman was intrigued. He walked over to Chen Chuan and offered a handshake. "Student Chen, right? Good to meet you. I'm Shen Shao. I've heard about you—man, you have no idea how famous you are right now! Even third-years like me have heard your name. Taking down a freak like Zhong Wu—I genuinely respect that. Go easy on him in a moment, will you? Don't break your Senior Shu. He's actually a decent guy, just a bit fired up from waiting on you all morning. Especially since he just got dumped a few days ago. Cut him some slack." Shu Han bristled. "What are you talking about? Can't you leave out the irrelevant nonsense? Do I look like I need an underclassman to cut me slack? And for the last time, I didn't get dumped! It was a mutual rejection!" "Right, right, I get it. She rejected you first, and then you rejected her." Flustered and annoyed, Shu Han snapped, "Do you and I need to go through the procedure right now instead?" Shen Shao held up his hands. "Fine, fine, I'll shut up. Watch yourselves, though. School just started—getting hurt over this isn't worth it." Chen Chuan could tell Shen Shao just enjoyed watching drama unfold, but he didn't mind. Back at Yu Gang's, Lu Ke had been his only sparring partner, and later he had to go all the way to boxing gyms to find opponents. Having someone willing to spar with him for free was something he welcomed with open arms. If he lost, he would uncover his shortcomings; if he won, it would advance his Second Self. What was there not to like? He stepped to the side and warmed up briefly. When he turned back, Shu Han was already waiting for him.