Everyone ascended, but I didn't get on board

Chapter 180 Pure Goodness and the Seed of Injustice

The official competition is tomorrow. After arriving in Beijing, the group went to the hotel to rest first, and their respective instructors gave their students a final reminder.

Qiu Ci was no exception. He once again carefully explained the strengths and weaknesses of the three, as well as the loopholes and common mistakes in their swordsmanship. He also predicted the opponents and crises they might encounter tomorrow.

All three listened attentively and said they had taken notes. Then they went back to their rooms to rest and prepare for tomorrow's match.

Qiu Ci was just about to discuss with Old Man Juanshan how to capture the system tomorrow when the doorbell rang again. She paused for a moment, then gestured for Juanshan to disappear. When she opened the door, she found the three people who had left had returned.

"What's wrong?" Why are you back again?

"Teacher Chu, we...we have something we want to tell you!" The three looked at each other and spoke cautiously.

"Come in." She stepped aside to let them into the room. "What is it?"

The three of them suddenly became awkward, pushing each other and lowering their heads as if they didn't know how to start a conversation.

Finally, the little green-haired boy gritted his teeth and said, "Teacher Chu, do you... do you have some misunderstanding about Lan Shou?"

"Huh?" Qiu Ci was taken aback. Who is Lan Shou?

“Teacher Chu, although Lan Shou is not talkative, he is a very nice person,” the other two quickly added.

"Yes, Teacher Chu, I had some problems with my swordsmanship before, but I didn't even realize it myself. It was Lan Shou who reminded me. He's really kind."

"Yes, yes, teacher, you just don't understand him yet."

Qiu Ci was confused for a moment before she realized that they were talking about the old man from Juanshan.

No, when did she have a problem with Juanshan?

"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, even more confused. "How did you come to the conclusion that I misunderstood him?"

The three of them exchanged glances, as if to encourage each other, before speaking one after another.

"But...but, when you guide us in training, you never guide Lan Shou."

"Moreover, the illusion array you set up always makes the three of us enter first, while Lan Shou is always the last one."

"Also, you found a master craftsman to forge special spirit swords for the three of us, except for Lan Shou."

"And just now too, the competition is tomorrow, and you told the three of us some things to pay attention to, but you didn't tell Lan Shou."

“Teacher… even though he’s just a substitute, he still gets to play, so you can’t… you can’t treat him differently.”

Autumn Farewell: "..."

Juanshan: "..."

So, they came all this way because of her differential treatment and their dissatisfaction with their teammate 'Lan Shoushan,' and they came to speak up for their teammate? This is simply... a terrible injustice!
Does the old man from Juanshan need guidance? He was taught his own clone technique by the old man!
Qiu Ci was momentarily at a loss for words, and even felt inexplicably guilty in the face of the three people's sincere gazes.

"I didn't look down on him." Qiu Ci sighed. Thinking back on the past month of training, she realized that she had indeed been a bit too obvious. She had only focused on instructing the three of them and hadn't talked to Juan Shan about swordsmanship or anything like that, let alone given him any hands-on guidance. It was normal for them to get the impression that she was deliberately isolating him.

As for why she felt that Juanshan didn't like to talk, that's because... he was constantly communicating with her telepathically! He hadn't stopped for days on end, okay? Sometimes it was so much that she found it noisy.

"The reason I don't often instruct him in swordsmanship is because he doesn't need instruction!" Qiu Ci had no choice but to make up a reason, half-truthfully. "I didn't tell you before because I was afraid of discouraging you. His understanding of swordsmanship is actually superior to yours."

"Really...really?" This time, the three of them were stunned.

"Of course!" Qiu Ci could only keep up the act. "Besides, I live close to him, and we often run into each other on the way to the training hall. We've already discussed any issues on the way, you just didn't see it. Haven't you noticed that we arrive at the training hall one after the other every day?" In fact, they always went together.

After thinking about it carefully, the three of them realized that this was indeed the case, and they nodded in understanding.

"Teacher Chu, you really... don't have a problem with Lan Shou?" Little Green Hair asked again to confirm.

"Of course not!" Qiu Ci practically swore an oath. "I understand your desire to help your teammates, but you didn't tell Juan... Lan Shou about coming here, did you? If you don't believe me, you can ask him. And in your eyes, am I someone who treats others differently?"

The three hesitated for a moment, and even a hint of shame appeared on their faces. Qiu Ci explained a few more times, and then the three left with joy, as if they had put down a heavy burden.

"Those are three kind-hearted lads." Seeing that the people had left, Juanshan reappeared. "They actually stood up for their companions over such a small matter." This would be impossible on other continents, since all resources are limited. Who would stand up for someone with fewer resources just because they have more?

"Yeah, they're all pure good, and I've become the victim!" Qiu Ci rolled her eyes speechlessly.

"Hahahaha..." Old Man Juanshan also laughed out loud, and quickly clasped his hands and said, "It is this old man who has implicated you."

"Alright." Qiu Ci didn't mind and waved her hand, saying, "They'll probably come looking for you. Go back and explain things to them first, so you don't give yourself away."

“Yes, Master. No problem, Master.” Juanshan nodded.

Then, in a flash, he disappeared from the spot.

------

National Middle School League.

Each province has roughly the same number of students participating in the league, around ten to fifteen. However, the federal region is vast, and with the addition of students from some special areas, the total number of participants is over a thousand, even more than in previous provincial competitions.

Qiu Ci also glanced at the list and arrangements of the participants and found that Yizhong City was really not that great in the entire Federation. He originally thought that the number of Nascent Soul cultivators was already quite good, but upon closer inspection, he found that more than 70% of the provincial teams had Nascent Soul students.

Especially in the provincial teams from prosperous areas like Beijing, Shanghai, and Dong Province, the entire team consisted of students at the Nascent Soul stage, and she even saw one at the late Nascent Soul stage. Such strength in the competition was undeniably high.

It will be very difficult for Yizhong City to achieve a ranking in the national league. I wonder how Feng Shanming will react when he encounters these opponents.
Qiu Ci thought about it and realized that with his current strength, failure was almost certain unless he used the system to cheat. In other words, the opportunity she was waiting for would come soon, and if all else failed, there was always Juanshan as a backup.

While it might be a bit unethical for a max-level player to dominate a newbie village, the fact that the player is one of our own... well, it doesn't really matter.

Qiu Ci was instantly relieved and began to check out Little Green Hair's opponents.