[Huiyuan Sword Art believes that before long, you'll go looking for a new Cultivation Method. Something stronger, better, and more dazzling.]
[Who could truly appreciate an unremarkable sect Basic Sword Art like it? Its final destination was nothing more than a forgotten corner, where it would become a stepping-stone on the path to a higher sword realm.]
Holy crap, she really was a Resentful Woman! And the kind whose resentment soared to the heavens!
Staring at that almost tangible aura of bitterness washing over him, Gu Chengming felt a subtle sense of déjà vu. A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and he slapped on the perfect label.
Right, a widow with a husband. Got it.
This type of Target of Affection was relatively niche in the GALGAME market, but it had a fiercely loyal audience.
As a connoisseur who had sampled countless works, Gu Chengming had, of course, explored quite a few himself.
He could even recall several classics right away, such as I'm a Weak Widow or Temptation of the Young Widow Manager.
As everyone knew, whether they were Resentful Women or widows, their complaints, sarcasm, and refusal to let anyone near them all sprang from the same thing: an extreme lack of security.
What they needed most was companionship that could pierce their defenses, and unwavering affirmation.
So compared to tsunderes, airheads, or energetic girls, these characters were actually the easiest to win over once you found the right approach.
Once he figured that out, the confusion in his heart vanished.
It was only sword practice, right? Bring it on!
The self-pitying monologue of [Huiyuan Sword Art] continued on the panel.
[It had seen too many disciples like you. They'd swear up and down when they first joined, then within three months, they'd shelve it and chase after sword arts that sounded more impressive...]
Gu Chengming paid no heed to its endless grumbling.
He stood up, walked to the weapon rack in a corner of the courtyard, and took down the most ordinary Green Steel Longsword. The blade felt cool in his hand, its metal weight unmistakable.
He took a deep breath and assumed the opening stance of Huiyuan Sword Art.
No more talk. Just do it!
Drawing on the memories in his mind, he began practicing the moves one by one.
His movements were clumsy. In his "Essence Blood Depletion" state, his body felt weak and unsteady; even a simple bow stance made his legs tremble. The blade sliced through the air without a sharp whoosh, producing only a faint, sluggish whistle.
[You practiced Huiyuan Sword Art from beginning to end. Proficiency +1.]
A system notification appeared on the panel. At the same time, those gray little words in the form of a Resentful Woman appeared again.
[Huiyuan Sword Art noticed your movements. It sighed inwardly, thinking this was nothing more than another three-minute burst of enthusiasm.]
Gu Chengming had no time for it. He steadied his breathing and began again. Thrust, chop, lift, hook, tap... He repeated the moves he remembered over and over.
Soon, sweat soaked through his undershirt and clung to his skin, making him uncomfortable. His arms began to ache from swinging the sword again and again.
[You practiced Huiyuan Sword Art from beginning to end. Proficiency +1.]
[As your movements grew more resolute, though they were still clumsy, the sarcastic inner monologue of Huiyuan Sword Art gradually quieted.]
[It watched you practice the sword art in silence.]
Gu Chengming had completely fallen into his own rhythm. He forgot the time and his body's exhaustion. All that remained in his mind was the flow of the sword moves.
From clumsy to somewhat smooth, from halting to barely connected. He could feel his control over his body improving by the tiniest amount with every swing.
[You practiced Huiyuan Sword Art from beginning to end. Proficiency +1.]
Before he knew it, the westering sun had sunk behind the distant mountains. The sky shifted from gold to crimson, then finally deepened into twilight blue.
The light in the courtyard rapidly dimmed. Only a few stars that had appeared early twinkled in the sky.
"Whew..."
Gu Chengming finally stopped and leaned on his sword, gasping for breath.
He looked as though he'd been fished out of the water. Sweat dripped from his hair and chin, splashing against the flagstones at his feet.
A tide of muscle soreness and bone-deep fatigue surged over him, leaving him barely able to stand.
The gray text on the panel updated again.
[Huiyuan Sword Art silently watched you practice all afternoon. It didn't know how much of your enthusiasm was sincere.]
[It also thought that a weakling with a constitution like yours could probably only practice the most basic Cultivation Method for now. Perhaps you hadn't chosen it sincerely at all—you simply had no other choice.]
Did it have to make it personal?
Gu Chengming stared at the line of text, his face dark with exasperation.
But the next notification that popped up on the panel instantly sent his irritation flying to the heavens.
[Huiyuan Sword Art Favorability +5]
[Current Favorability: 15/Stranger]
All right, so it was the type to talk tough but feel otherwise.
Watching the Favorability climb steadily by five points, Gu Chengming nodded with satisfaction.
If its Favorability went up, it could insult him all it wanted. What it said was true anyway; this body really was a complete weakling.
Just then, another unexpected notification appeared on the panel.
[Clear Heart Art watched the whole thing from the sidelines and found it rather interesting.]
[Your mind suddenly felt crystal clear, as though a spring had flowed through it. Your thoughts were more peaceful than ever, and Clear Heart Art automatically completed one full circulation.]
Huh, he could get an unexpected bonus like this?
Gu Chengming blinked in surprise. As that cool sensation spread through his mind, his spirits lifted.
The sharp pain in his exhausted, aching body seemed to ease, becoming more bearable.
Even more strangely, the moves of Huiyuan Sword Art he'd practiced all afternoon now played back in his mind like a movie, frame by frame. Details of force and transitions he hadn't noticed before suddenly became crystal clear.
Did Clear Heart Art always have this effect?
He had no time to wonder why this was happening.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock at the door broke the quiet of the courtyard.
"What's the difference between a speedrun romance and being a Yuzu Chef?"
"Knock, knock-knock."
Two steady knocks came from the courtyard gate, interrupting Gu Chengming's mental review.
He pulled himself away from that clear, almost enlightening sensation and dragged his aching body over, step by step. Then he opened the gate.
A man stood outside.
He wore the same Huiyuan Gate disciple robes as Gu Chengming. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his features were well-defined. His expression seemed somewhat mature, and his brow carried a steadiness beyond his years.
The visitor was named Jiang Lu.
When the gate opened, he was about to speak, but the moment he saw what Gu Chengming looked like, he swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue.
Gu Chengming's bangs were soaked with sweat and stuck messily to his smooth forehead. His breathing hadn't fully settled, and he was drenched, his clothes soaked through. He looked rather disheveled.
Jiang Lu's eyes flickered.
He still remembered when he had first joined Wenjian Sect, feeling unfamiliar with and intimidated by everything. It had been Senior Brother Gu who'd helped him complete his admission paperwork and shown him around the sect.
He discreetly sized up the man before him.
Although this senior brother's cultivation talent was truly awful, it couldn't be denied that, in terms of looks alone, he really did deserve the words "immortal grace and peerless elegance."
It was a shame his heart wasn't set on the Dao Path, and he'd squandered all those precious years elsewhere.
Jiang Lu gathered his scattered thoughts and returned to his usual calm expression. He cupped his hands toward Gu Chengming and exchanged greetings.
"Fellow Daoist Gu, I'm sorry for the trouble. What happened to you...?"
His gaze swept over Gu Chengming's soaked clothes, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"It's nothing..." Gu Chengming smiled. His breathing had steadied considerably. "I was just practicing swordsmanship."
At the words "practicing swordsmanship," Jiang Lu's expression turned a little complicated. He hesitated for a moment.
He had come on behalf of his master to deliver a message. He'd expected to find a dejected, listless Gu Chengming, but hadn't anticipated this scene. The speech he'd prepared now seemed somewhat out of place.
But his master's orders were not to be ignored. After a brief pause, he decided to explain.
"Fellow Daoist Gu."
Jiang Lu's tone grew more serious.
"I've come at my master's request to tell you something."
He explained that things had been unsettled within Wenjian Sect recently. The various "gates" under its authority had been embroiled in no small amount of rivalry, and Huiyuan Gate had inevitably been caught up in the turmoil.
"My master asked me to remind you."
Jiang Lu lowered his voice.
"Please improve your cultivation as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you perform poorly in the sect's assessment a month from now, you may be expelled."
At this point, Jiang Lu also thought of another possibility that had been whispered about among the disciples.
Word was that Huiyuan Gate had been thrust into the limelight this time because of the outrageous stunt Senior Brother Gu had pulled a while ago.
He'd gone straight to that talented junior sister from Daoning Gate, the one hailed as a "Dao Seed," and confessed his love in public, hoping to become her Dao Companion.
Never mind that the junior sister was as cold as ice and never gave anyone the time of day. The difference between them alone was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Naturally, Senior Brother Gu had returned empty-handed and with his nose bloodied.
The incident had made him a laughingstock, and it had also humiliated Huiyuan Gate in front of disciples from other sects. People had mocked them behind their backs for quite a while.
A toad lusting after a swan was practically the consensus.
Forget the elite disciples from other sects who admired the "Dao Seed" junior sister. Even within Huiyuan Gate, plenty of people probably thought he'd disgraced their sect and wished he'd get out of Wenjian Sect already.
Of course, Jiang Lu didn't voice any of those filthy speculations and gossip.
He had simply done his duty and delivered the message.
If Gu Chengming had known what Jiang Lu was thinking at that moment, he would probably have felt utterly speechless.
After all, the only reason the original "Gu Chengming" had done something like that was because, in the game, the "Dao Seed" junior sister's character art had been so beautiful that it had struck right at his kink.
Who could have guessed that a few clicks of the mouse would get him transported into the game for real?
After hearing Jiang Lu out, Gu Chengming fell silent.
In fact, from the memories of this body, he knew that compared with other cultivation sects, Wenjian Sect was already much more humane.
It was rare for disciples like him, who faced the risk of being expelled for failing to advance their cultivation, to turn up more than once every few years.
Gu Chengming had been in the sect for so long, yet his cultivation was still at First Realm Level Three. That was a rare thing throughout Wenjian Sect.
The sect provided cultivation resources, naturally, but it couldn't let you keep taking them while contributing nothing.
Besides, even if you really were expelled, the process wasn't a matter of utterly ruining you.
The sect would abolish your Cultivation Method, use a secret technique called "Clear Spirit Platform" to make you forget cultivation, and then give you a large sum of silver so you could return to the mortal world, become a wealthy landowner, and live out the rest of your life in peace.
But!
Abolish his Cultivation Method? Use Clear Spirit Platform?
Now that his Target of Affection was a Cultivation Method and his attempt to win it over had officially begun, wasn't that a straight-up Bad End express train in a GALGAME?
Without the Cultivation Method, his Target of Affection would disappear. What the hell would he even play then?
At the thought, an intense sense of urgency seized Gu Chengming.
He raised his head, his gaze more solemn than ever. He bowed deeply to Jiang Lu and said in a firm voice:
"Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. I'll remember it."
Hearing the words "Senior Brother," Jiang Lu looked rather embarrassed instead. He hurriedly waved his hand and corrected him.
"You're too kind. I'm not your senior brother; I'm your junior brother."
Gu Chengming looked at the other man's face, which seemed at least thirty years old and "somewhat mature," and didn't know what to say.
Seriously, why did you look so much older than your age?
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud. He promptly corrected himself.
Before you continue