Chapter 12: Pink Hell

No matter the age or societal mold, teenagers truly are capable of arguing over the smallest of things.

Currently, three girls were undertaking a silent debate regarding the wallpaper and paint of their common room, each desiring a different yet equally flamboyant and feminine color for the entire room, iconic of their personalities.

Su Yuan'er desired a plain light pink coloration, while Li Zhen Yue adamantly demanded for a frivolous purple with painted decorations of cute animals, and Ling Shi Ming would not accept anything other than overlaying the walls with reflective mirror technology, simulating a preferred outdoor environment.

Seated around a circular table in the middle of the commons, the three girls rested their chin on their palms, launching fiery gazes upon each other to determine who would cower first. Wang Xing, the sickly-looking male was quickly ditched and made to tremble quietly in a corner. If these three girls possessed access to worldly qi, perhaps the entire room would be in shambles from their "peaceful" debate.

Such a scene greeted Li Mo Shang upon his entry; three devastating beauties with great alluring charm locked in a civil war, attempting to single out a weakling.

The opening of the door caused the three girls to start with surprise, for they noticed the empty fifth room labeled with the surname 'Li' and were highly dissatisfied with the appearance and demeanor of Wang Xing. Just as men loved beauties with graceful charm, girls desired to be able to gaze upon handsome men with charisma.

Weaklings like Wang Xing were quickly detested by these women, and high expectations were displayed within their expressions as they stared upon the slowly opening door.

Li Mo Shang's appearance did not disappoint such expectations. Sporting a straight jawline, clean face, and short raven hair with black eyes and skin smooth like jade, and arrogance and humility not present within his gaze. Li Mo Shang's presence struck chords of admiration into Su Yuan'er and Li Zhen Yue. However, Li Mo Shang did not respond much to these beauties; after leaving behind his name and year, he promptly departed for the only vacant room in the commons.

Closing the door and confirming it to be locked, Li Mo Shang's indifferent countenance broke, with small beads of sweat shining on his forehead. These three girls were such beautiful women that he had to will his spiritual core to restrain his mind and prevent lustful urges from rising.

Not only that, he would have to find a proper excuse to distance himself from these girls as much as possible; with Su Yuan'er delicate and smooth cheeks with pale red lips, Li Zhen Yue and her slender frame with an ample bosom capable of snatching the gazes of most men, and Ling Shi Ming with her 'indifferent beauty' persona posed extremely excessive and dangerous stimulation for the normal teenager Li Mo Shang. He could sympathize with the cowering Wang Xing he noticed upon entry; daily encounters with these devils of the mind, he would break sooner or later as well.

Regulating his breathing, Li Mo Shang could not help but think once more of creating a mental tasklist for cultivation to avoid deviating from a moderate routine and causing mental and spiritual disruption. Following a rough, concrete outline for cultivating and practicing his spiritual techniques would be highly beneficial in establishing his foundation for martial arts, and the number one priority for spiritual techniques was one that calmed the mind.

Li Mo Shang helplessly surmised that in order to survive in this Magnolia Dormitory, he desperately needed a clarity mantra to not be labeled with the permanent title of 'pervert'.

Tossing the matter of the girls into the back recesses of his mind, Li Mo Shang focused his gaze to properly survey his room. Adhering to a general square format, the room was half a zhang wide and long, as well as three meters high. The walls were a plain white, and the only furniture in the room were a large wooden desk, small bookshelf, closet, and a cotton bed. Lacking the frivolity of the commons, Li Mo Shang preferred the plain décor of his room; such emphasis on plainness would assist in his cultivation.

On the desk was a clean, folded set of uniforms, a large purple terminal, and a large handbook. Picking up the handbook, Li Mo Shang noticed its title, "Blue Rose University Student Regulations and Guidelines".

The book outlined the general responsibilities of the students at Blue Rose University including out-of-campus conduct and protocol. For example, all first-year students had a nighttime curfew at midnight to return to their commons and were prohibited from entering general laboratories without three professors' direct approval. Moreover, any property obtained within the grounds of Blue Rose University was to remain there; any student discovered "exporting" items out of the campus would be immediately expelled, and their families given a massive fine.

The general social conduct of students was quite liberal within Blue Rose University; as the University accepted students primarily due to academic merit, it resulted in a very diverse cultural and societal mold for the university. Hence, and specific societal behavior was to be decided by the students themselves in their commons, and the teachers and staff effectively shed off all responsibility for incidents. Thinking of the exploitable loopholes of this rule, Li Mo Shang could not help but think of the three girls once again; his life at Blue Rose University would truly be hell.

Taking his attention off of the handbook and turning to the terminal, Li Mo Shang observed the device and noticed it to be quite interesting. Sporting a crystal screen with a black shell, the terminal was in the form of a pendant; upon tapping on the shell, the screen lit up with a pleasant noise, and a blue holographic display appeared before Li Mo Shang.

The holographic display first indicated for Li Mo Shang to present his identification card obtained at the administration office; upon presenting it, his identification data appeared onto the display, with a message informing Li Mo Shang that the purple identification card in his hand was now void and useless. Following confirmation, displayed before Li Mo Shang was his itinerary and access privileges along with the basic abilities of hand-held terminals in Nan Qing.

Ignoring his itinerary, Li Mo Shang checked his access privileges. Once he confirmed that he had full access to general knowledge catalogues in the library, Li Mo Shang inadvertently thought of his attempt to create an iron sword via spiritual qi. If his guess wasn't completely unfounded, his failure was due to a lack of knowledge on swordsmithing and weaponry; the mistakes in his imagination manifested a creation more akin to an iron structure, not a weapon for combat. Access to the library would probably allow him to gain knowledge on antique weaponry, and perhaps view an archived record of elementary martial arts.

Finished tinkering with his terminal, Li Mo Shang observed the sets of uniforms on the desk. Blue Rose University had three sets of uniforms for students to wear; a general studies uniform to be worn during lectures, training suit, and formal dresses for societal meetings of business internships taken by students. Blue Rose University would only allow students to wear casual or individual clothing in their commons; those not wearing uniforms following their admission would receive strict disciplinary action.

The general uniform for males was similar to dark denim pants, a dark blue collared shirt, and a coat for cold weather, heavily emphasizing on plainness, lacking even the most minimal decoration or fashion feature. The training suit followed this model, as it was nothing more than a black training martial arts uniform. Only the formal attire imposed by the University resembled something of high societal status, causing Li Mo Shang to wonder if Blue Rose University held a deep-rooted grudge against hedonistic young masters.

Sending a final surveying glance across his room, Li Mo Shang prepared to head to the nearby shopping mall to buy casual clothing and necessities, for his original preparations were left at home, nor was he able to return before the issued breaks. Grabbing a duffel bag, Li Mo Shang opened the door only to be greeted by Su Yuan'er's puppy eyes gazing up at his face.

"Big Brother Li, I think the blue one suits you better!"

"Big Brother Li, pick this one!"

"This one, big brother!"

"Mo Shang, this pair of underwear matches your personality very well!"

During his shopping trip at Golden Tail Mall, Li Mo Shang's indifferent demeanor began to exhibit signs of cracking under Su Yuan'er's relentless hammering. Even before he began to observe goods to purchase, this damnable girl would rush into the shop to choose an assortment for him, causing him to momentarily stiffen and gaze at Su Yuan'er with suspicion.

Her endearing calls deepened his vigilance even more, with the transition from "Big Brother Li" to directly calling him "Mo Shang". Just what did she want from him, did he appear to be a yes-man to women? Moreover, what is she doing now, waving that pair of striped pink men's underwear towards him and calling his name!?

Eventually, Li Mo Shang could tolerate no further as he turned upon the Su Yuan'er walking nonchalantly besides him, invoking a light spiritual pressure as he coldly questioned,

"Just what do you want, calling me 'Big Brother' and 'Mo Shang'? Do you think I look like the type of male overflowing with testosterone?"

Hit by the sudden question by the usually silent Li Mo Shang who had refused to give an answer other than noncommittal grunts and nods, Su Yuan'er started in surprise, before overtaken by delight. Was this ice-cold man finally breaking, and could she get the pie?

"If I said I did it purely out of adoration, would you believe it?"

"Who would?"

Li Mo Shang promptly harrumphed and stalked away, quickly leaving Su Yuan'er behind as he hoisted the filled bag, accelerating his pace. Reality was completely different from romance novels, where characters fell into instant, unshaken love. In this technological and unfeeling society, only direct familial affection could be trusted; all other pursuers of affection or attention possessed an ulterior motive, and Li Mo Shang was in no hurry of becoming a busybody.

Watching the cold young man increase the distance between them, Su Yuan'er pouted before breaking into a dash to keep up with him. With such a slender frame, he had such athletic ability? Anyways, he had an inborn prideful attribute associated only with those at the higher social tiers; she had to tightly hug that golden thigh, and not let go!

"Hey, wait up! Did you do something morally wrong, to quickly walk off like that!?"

Hearing the girl's call as she panted for breath, Li Mo Shang halted as he gazed at the girl before turning abruptly turning his head away. Su Yuan'er's collar had become slightly damp and had opened due to her trying to keep up with Li Mo Shang's brisk walk, and her already alluring curves becoming even more pronounced, the glimpse of two moderately sized peaches capable of locking the gaze of many men. Tossing his scarf over, Li Mo Shang motioned for her to cover up her collar, before walking once more, this time at a slower pace.

Catching his scarf and draping it around her neck, covering up that amorous honeytrap of hers, Su Yuan'er's tired countenance instantly brightened up with a slightly bashful smile on her face, causing envy to run through the onlookers. Walking alongside of Li Mo Shang, she attempted to wrap around his arm, then withdrew it after remembering his ice-cube personality.

Attempting to ignore the presence of the girl next to him as much as possible, Li Mo Shang inwardly groaned about his sufferings, increasing his desire for a mnemonic chant to calm the mind, to prevent any distractions from disrupting his general frame of thought. Pondering over whether the long-lost Buddhist mythologies had any intelligible records for him to reference from, Li Mo Shang was lost in thought before a sharp sense of danger reverberated within his spiritual core.

Instinctively, Li Mo Shang quickly wrapped the unassuming SU Yuan'er into a tight embrace, before directing spiritual qi into his leg muscles, dashing several meters away in an instant. On the ground where they stood previously, existed two large bullet holes.