Open a group to change your life

Chapter 6 Genius Girl

After dealing with the enthusiastic greetings from relatives and friends, Liang Junjie put on casual clothes, donned his Shuihua cloak, and decisively fled this place of trouble.

A piece of land near my home called Liugang Mountain.

Liang Junjie squatted by the reservoir, looking at the scenery before him. The passive cultivation technique within his body was constantly circulating, and strands of spiritual energy flowed through his body.

"The fire elemental energy here is so abundant."

Liang Junjie closed his eyes, feeling the flow of spiritual energy within his body, his Water Lily Cloak rippling slightly. He was slowly absorbing the faint spiritual energy emanating from the geothermal heat through the soil.

He heard soft footsteps behind him, crunching on fallen leaves. Liang Junjie didn't open his eyes, assuming it was an elderly person doing their morning exercise.

"Liang Junjie?"

The voice was very soft, with a hint of uncertainty.

Liang Junjie's spine stiffened. He remembered that voice; he had heard it countless times throughout his three years of high school.

He turned his head.

Yu Xueji stood a few steps away, dressed in a light gray tracksuit, her ponytail tied high, and a few beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked much the same as she did in high school, only her youthful innocence had faded, and her features were more defined. She was holding a bottle of water, clearly there for her morning run.

"Is it really you?" Yu Xueji stepped closer, a faint smile on her face. "It's been so many years."

Liang Junjie quickly stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. "Yu Xueji? What are you doing... here?"

"My family moved to this neighborhood." She unscrewed the water bottle and took a sip. "But you, what are you doing squatting by the reservoir so early in the morning? I noticed you had your eyes closed earlier, were you feeling unwell?"

"No, just... spacing out." Liang Junjie subconsciously stopped the internal energy cultivation technique circulating within his body.

He looked her over; the lingering youthful excitement in his heart had long since faded, but seeing her in person still made him feel a little uneasy.

What startled him even more was that after he withdrew his spiritual power, he vaguely sensed that Yu Xueji's aura was somewhat different.

It was very faint, but it was definitely there. It was a cool, calming sensation, like water plants in a deep pool—not obvious, but enough to be noticed.

"Staring blankly?" Yu Xueji glanced at his light blue cloak, her eyes filled with curiosity, but she didn't ask any further questions. "You're still the same as always, acting strange."

Liang Junjie changed the subject: "You often come here to run too?"

"Yeah, I only started recently." Yu Xueji wiped her sweat. "I sit all day at work, I need to move around. What about you? What are you doing? I heard you're in university?"

"I graduated a long time ago and got a job," Liang Junjie said vaguely.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you... noticed anything different about your body lately? For example, sometimes you inexplicably feel exceptionally energetic, or you get tired very easily? Or... can you sense things... that you don't usually feel?"

Yu Xueji paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Why are you asking that? I'm fine. If I had to say... I've been having some light sleep lately, and I keep having strange dreams, does that count?"

"What kind of dream?"

"It was... I dreamt that I was walking in a very dark place, and sometimes my feet would light up, like I was stepping on stars."

She shook her head as she spoke, "It's probably just stress. Why are you asking?"

Liang Junjie's heart skipped a beat. This description... is interesting. He remembered Huo Chuyu saying that people who have never cultivated but possess spiritual roots sometimes encounter the flow of spiritual energy in their dreams or unintentionally.

He took out his phone, opened the group chat, and glanced at Yu Xueji. Huo Chuyu's task for him was to recruit qualified people, and this woman in front of him seemed perfect. Besides, she was Yu Xueji, someone he knew well, which was better than recruiting just any stranger.

"Yu Xueji," he composed himself, "do you believe... there are things in this world that science can't explain?"

Yu Xueji looked at him, her smile fading, replaced by a probing look in her eyes. "Liang Junjie, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Liang Junjie directly opened a simplified version of the "Basic Irrigation System Overview" document on his phone and handed it over. "Take a look at this."

Yu Xueji took the phone and quickly swiped the screen. At first, she frowned slightly, as if looking at something absurd, but after half a minute, her fingers stopped and her eyes became focused.

"What...what kind of novel setting is this?" she asked, looking up, her tone less certain.

"It's not from a novel," Liang Junjie said in a low voice. "I've practiced it. A lot of people in the group are practicing it too. The dream you just mentioned might be because you have this aptitude."

He paused, then decided to use a more drastic measure. He stretched out his hand, and with a slight thought, he channeled a wisp of spiritual energy according to the fire control technique taught by Huo Chuyu. Above his fingertip, a tiny, almost invisible, and subtly twisted flame appeared.

It was extremely difficult; his cultivation level was too low, and this was already his limit.

Yu Xueji's pupils contracted slightly. She stared at his fingertips, remaining silent for a full ten seconds.

"Magic?" she asked hoarsely.

"I don't have that kind of time." Liang Junjie withdrew his spiritual power. "Believe it or not. But I think you can give it a try. There's no harm in practicing this; at the very least, it can improve your health."

"Besides, you have a good foundation, so it should be easier for you to get started than for the average person."

Yu Xueji didn't speak, but picked up her phone again and started looking at the document again. This time she read it even more slowly.

The sounds of the wind and the gentle lapping of the water against the shore gradually became clearer, and the two fell silent.

After a while, Yu Xueji returned the phone to Liang Junjie.

"You create a group and then send this kind of stuff?" she asked.

"Yes. It's a study and exchange group." Liang Junjie nodded. "There are cultivation techniques, discussions, and my master occasionally gives me guidance."

"Your master?"

"Yeah, the person who taught me all this." Liang Junjie didn't go into details. "How about it? Interested? If you are, I'll add you. You can decide for yourself whether to practice or not. Everyone in the group is someone I know, Chen Zhidong, Huo Zhenhui, and others are there too."

Yu Xueji pursed her lips. She looked at Liang Junjie, seemingly trying to find a trace of joking or lying on his face. But Liang Junjie's expression was calm, even a little too serious.

"I..." she hesitated, "It's okay to take a look."

Liang Junjie immediately used his phone to send her a group invitation. "The group name is 'Your World, Lost You, Cultivation Learning and Exchange Group,' don't laugh, I came up with it."

Upon hearing the name, Yu Xueji's lips twitched slightly. She took out her phone and accepted the invitation.

"It's in."

Liang Junjie saw her profile picture appear in the group member list, and her ID was her real name "Yu Xueji".

"Download the files in the group yourself. If you don't understand anything... you can ask me first," Liang Junjie said. "But don't randomly tag the administrator in the group, the one with my mentor's account. Her temper... is hard to describe."

Yu Xueji nodded, swiping her finger across her phone screen, presumably looking at group chat history and file lists. "These...can they really be used for training?"

"Yes, I can." Liang Junjie affirmed. "Huo Zhenhui's dark circles from playing games all night have disappeared. I posted a video; you can scroll back to see it."

Yu Xueji hummed in agreement, her fingers continuing to slide. The morning light grew brighter, illuminating her profile. Liang Junjie gazed at her focused silhouette, a thought suddenly occurring to him: the myriad images Huo Chuyu had created had once manifested as Yu Xueji's likeness. Was this truly just a coincidence?

He dismissed the idea. Now was not the time to think about such things.

"I have to go." Yu Xueji put away her phone. "Go back... and study this."

"Okay." Liang Junjie also stood up. "Remember, practice secretly and don't tell anyone who isn't involved."

"Know."

Yu Xueji glanced at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions—doubt, curiosity, and a hint of eagerness. "Liang Junjie, if this is true..."

"You'll know if it's real once you practice," Liang Junjie interrupted her.

Yu Xueji didn't say anything more, waved to him, turned around and jogged away along the way she came.

Liang Junjie watched her departing figure, sensing the faint, calm aura emanating from her, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He sat down again, opened the group chat, and found Yu Xueji's private chat window.

"Don't forget to ask me if you don't understand. Sending love."

After sending the message, he turned off his phone and closed his eyes to concentrate again.

His master will come tonight to help him compress his spiritual energy, so he needs to hurry and accumulate more spiritual energy.