Open a group to change your life

Chapter 33 Participating in the Round of 64

January 13th, early morning.

When Huo Chuyu dragged Liang Junjie out of bed, he was still savoring the relief of successfully "exploiting a bug" to avoid a wave of dream training last night.

But when he saw that what his master was holding was not the everyday women's clothing, but a slightly formal, more neutral light gray slim-fit trouser suit, paired with matching ankle boots, his last bit of hope vanished instantly.

"Master...we're not going to Senior Qingyi's place again today, are we?" He clung to his last shred of hope.

"Today is a holiday."

Huo Chuyu tossed him the clothes, "Change into these, and come with me somewhere."

"Where to?"

"Cultivation Alliance, South China Rookie Tournament, Round of 64"

Huo Chuyu said calmly, "You and Xue Ji participated in the preliminaries last time, and today is the official competition. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Liang Junjie then remembered that there seemed to be such a thing. A few days ago, when he and Yu Xueji went with Huo Chuyu to register for the cultivator roster, he casually signed them up, saying that it was "to broaden their horizons and beat up some newbies."

He only went up to play against a few weak opponents in the qualifiers, it was just a formality, and he didn't remember much else.

"Should I go too?"

Yu Xueji's voice came from the doorway. She had changed into a neat white tracksuit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, making her look refreshed and energetic.

"Of course, you passed the preliminary round too. Xiao Liang, hurry up and change your clothes, don't dawdle."

Liang Junjie looked at the battle robe in his hand and sighed.

Well, it's still better than a skirt.

The South China branch of the Cultivation Alliance is located in a secluded hillside garden on the outskirts of Guangzhou. It looks like a high-end private club on the outside, but it has a hidden secret inside.

After entering through a specific teleportation array, a vast open-air plaza, shrouded in an array, suddenly opened up before them. Layers of spectator seats were set up around the plaza, and many people, mostly cultivators, were already seated there, their auras varying in strength.

Eight arenas were divided in the center of the square, with array lights flowing around them.

Huo Chuyu led the two to their seats in the contestants' rest area. Today, she had changed into a more formal red outfit, with her long hair tied up. She looked less casual and more like the eldest daughter of the Huo family, exuding a heroic and dignified air, which attracted many curious or awe-inspiring glances.

Liang Junjie and Yu Xueji sat obediently behind her, observing the other contestants around them. Most were young people, with cultivation levels ranging from mid-Qi Refinement to early Foundation Establishment. Occasionally, a few possessed powerful auras and were considered favorites to win.

Just then, a familiar, cool, icy scent approached.

Liang Junjie's back stiffened, and he slowly turned his head.

The Fairy Qingyi walked over, still dressed in a spotless, moon-white Taoist robe, her expression indifferent. Beside her was a young girl.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a light blue gauze overlay. Her black hair was like clouds, styled in an exquisite double bun, and adorned with two small magnolia blossoms.

Her appearance was five or six parts similar to Fairy Qingyi, but her eyebrows and eyes were softer, her skin was so white that it was almost transparent, and her lips were light in color. Her whole person was like a carefully fired thin porcelain vase, with a fragile and pure beauty.

What is most striking about her are her eyes, which are crystal clear and gentle as water, with a natural shyness and kindness in their gaze.

Unlike Yu Xueji's lively spirit, which was both heroic and cunning, this girl's temperament was genuine, gentle, and non-aggressive.

Fairy Qingyi sat down in an empty seat not far from Huo Chuyu. The girl in yellow followed closely behind, sitting quietly beside her with her hands neatly placed on her knees and her eyes slightly lowered, her posture elegant.

Huo Chuyu raised an eyebrow and greeted her, "Qingyi, you're here too? And you brought your apprentice?"

Her gaze fell on the girl in yellow, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Who is this?"

"My little apprentice is Qinghe," Fairy Qingyi introduced briefly, her tone as indifferent as ever.

Upon hearing this, the girl named Qinghe raised her eyes, looked at Huo Chuyu, and smiled a gentle and shy smile. She said softly, "Qinghe greets Senior Huo."

Her voice was soft and melodious, like a spring breeze blowing through a wind chime.

She then turned to Yu Xueji and Liang Junjie behind Huo Chuyu, her smile widening to appear sincere and friendly: "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

Yu Xueji was taken aback by that gentle smile and subconsciously returned the smile: "Hello, I am Yu Xueji."

She has little resistance to this purely harmless type.

Liang Junjie was also affected by the girl's clean and gentle temperament, and his nervousness subsided considerably.

He thought, "This must be Fairy Qingyi's true disciple, right? She seems to have a very good temper, completely different from my master."

Out of politeness, he also gave a friendly smile and naturally extended his hand, mimicking his usual greeting:

"Hello, my name is Liang Junjie."

His hand froze in mid-air.

The gentle smile on Qinghe's face froze almost imperceptibly the moment her gaze fell upon his outstretched hand and his entire being.

A very faint hint of resistance flashed quickly across those clear, water-like eyes.

Or rather, it was an instinctive sense of alienation and discomfort. Although she quickly adjusted her expression and put on a gentle smile again, her body shrank back almost imperceptibly, and she did not reach out to hold Liang Junjie's hand.

"Fellow Daoist Liang..." She nodded gently, her voice still soft, but the natural warmth had faded somewhat, replaced by an invisible barrier.

Liang Junjie's hand hung awkwardly in the air.

Huo Chuyu narrowed her eyes. Fairy Qingyi remained expressionless, seemingly unsurprised by her disciple's reaction, her eyes even filled with admiration.

Yu Xueji glanced at Qinghe, then at the frozen Liang Junjie, blinked, and seemed to understand something.

Liang Junjie awkwardly withdrew his hand, touched his nose, and looked somewhat bewildered.

While I'm not exactly stunningly handsome, I'm not so badly attractive that people would dislike me at first glance, am I? Besides, this Qinghe girl seems so gentle...

He suddenly thought of Fairy Qingyi's "misogyny." Could it be... that his disciple had also been influenced?

Qinghe seemed to realize that her reaction was somewhat impolite. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her eyes apologetically, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist Liang... I... I'm not used to it..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

"Ah, it's alright, it's my fault for being so abrupt." Liang Junjie quickly waved his hand, but inwardly he wondered: Is he not used to shaking hands with men?

This misogyny appears to be in its early stages.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward and subtle for a moment.

Fortunately, at that moment, the sound of a bell rang out from the direction of the arena. A middle-aged cultivator who appeared to be an alliance manager flew up to the central main stage and began to read out the competition rules and the first round matchup list.

Qinghe immediately sat up straight, focused on the main stage, breathed a sigh of relief, and put the little incident from her mind.

But Liang Junjie could sense that when she sat down, she quietly moved a little bit away from him.

Well, it seems this gentle and sweet fairy is an "early case of misogyny".

Liang Junjie touched his face and began to question the meaning of life.

Was I wasted my time wearing women's clothes? No, wait, I wasn't wearing women's clothes today... Could it be because I wasn't wearing women's clothes?

Huo Chuyu's voice rang softly in his ear, tinged with a hint of mockery: "It seems that Qingyi's teachings are effective, and she has truly mastered the art."

Liang Junjie smiled wryly. He glanced at Fairy Qingyi, who sat upright, her eyes fixed straight ahead, as if everything around her was irrelevant.

Today's rookie match, besides the fighting, seems to also require us to be careful not to offend the eyes of that gentle fairy.

Liang Junjie perked up and began to focus on the upcoming match, while also thinking about his and Yu Xueji's opponents.