Gal Martial Saint

This old fox had seen everything!

Just as he was racking his brain for words, the smile on Ren Wencai's face vanished completely.

"Hua Daiyi!"

Ren Wencai suddenly stepped forward, his hair and beard bristling. A terrifying pressure erupted like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, instantly locking onto Hua Daiyi.

"Do you take my Wenjian Sect for some kind of free market? Coming and going as you please? And daring to poach my sect's disciple right under my old nose?!"

"Do you truly think my Wenjian Sect has no one?!"

Before his words faded, countless Sword Qi materialized out of thin air, like a river of stars hanging upside down, instantly sealing off all of Hua Daiyi's escape routes.

Yet, at this critical moment.

Hua Daiyi was already prepared.

The instant before Ren Wencai's expression changed, he had already moved.

"Hehe, Old Ghost Ren, no need to be so hot-tempered! This Old Man is leaving, leaving right now!"

He slapped the Wine Gourd at his waist, and a great gulp of strong liquor burst forth, turning into a mist of wine that filled the air.

Then, his entire form shrank, directly merging into that wine mist, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light. With an unbelievable speed, he forcibly tore through the Sword Qi blockade that had yet to fully close.

His voice still echoed in place, but he had already fled several li away, his escape smooth and practiced—clearly a repeat offender.

Watching Hua Daiyi's Escape Light vanish into the horizon, Ren Wencai gave a cold snort but did not give chase.

After all, they were both figures of some standing. If he actually chased after him and started a fight, the commotion would be unsightly.

"Good thing I kept an extra eye out and came over to check."

Ren Wencai withdrew his gaze, turning instead toward the quiet little courtyard not far away, a lingering fear in his heart.

"Otherwise, that old ghost really might have succeeded."

Thinking back to Gu Chengming's righteous and resolute refusal just now, the admiration in Ren Wencai's eyes grew even deeper.

"What a fine seedling. Faced with such temptation, he still held fast to his original heart. Worthy of being one who could endure three years of desolation to cultivate that Ancient Bitter Sword method. Such a disposition is truly rare."

In truth, before coming, he had specifically looked into Gu Chengming's background.

And what he found made even him, the Great Elder, feel a bit embarrassed.

Gu Chengming had been in the sect for three years, and for the first two, his resources had been stolen by someone else!

Such a thing, happening to any Disciple, would likely breed resentment toward the sect, even a desire to defect.

Just now, he had been on edge, terrified that Gu Chengming might agree.

If that happened, even with his heaven-reaching abilities, he couldn't stop the boy from switching allegiances.

After all, the Wenjian Sect owed him that much.

A Sword Cultivator's path demanded clarity of mind—repay grievances, settle scores.

The boy had suffered injustice, and now someone came with a pile of benefits to poach him. If he went along with it, it would be perfectly reasonable.

Fortunately, fortunately, this Xiao Gu had an excellent character.

But then, he frowned again, a sense of crisis rising within him.

He refused this time, but what about next time? And the time after that?

That Old Ghost Hua had set his sights on him; he wouldn't give up easily.

If he persisted, luring him with benefits, he might just succeed in stealing this seedling away.

With that thought, Ren Wencai could no longer sit still.

That "compensation" for Xiao Gu... he'd better deliver it soon.

In the courtyard.

Gu Chengming sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, comprehending the newly acquired Hidden Immortal Wine Sword Art.

This technique was perfect in every way, except for one thing...

He couldn't cultivate it.

Looking at the system text reading "Strength attribute does not meet standard," "Physique attribute does not meet standard," "Spirit attribute does not meet standard," Gu Chengming thought to himself, Just as I expected.

This kind of advanced sword art—or any advanced technique, for that matter—had strict attribute thresholds for cultivation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Hundred Bones Cry, a Body Refining Technique with such low requirements, back then.

"It seems I still need to lay a solid foundation first."

Just as he was pondering how to raise his attributes.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around him shifted again.

That familiar feeling of being watched returned, and this time, the presence was even deeper and heavier than Hua Daiyi's.

Gu Chengming's heart jolted.

Again?

He quickly stood up, bowed his head with cupped hands toward the direction of the aura, and said reflexively:

"Senior Hua has returned—what business..."

Before he could finish, he looked up and found that the person standing before him was not that slovenly Wine Gourd old man, but an elder with white hair and beard, clad in brocade robes, exuding an immortal air.

Not Hua Daiyi?

Gu Chengming's heart tightened, and he promptly shut his mouth.

Hearing that "Senior Hua," Ren Wencai's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Still, as an old fox who had lived for centuries, Ren Wencai's control over his expression was impeccable.

As if he hadn't heard that remark at all, he kept that spring-breeze smile on his face and spoke gently:

"Are you Gu Chengming?"

Gu Chengming quickly affirmed, though his heart was pounding.

This elder's bearing was extraordinary—clearly a big shot in the sect. Why would he suddenly seek him out?

"May I ask who you are, Senior...?"

Ren Wencai smiled faintly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:

"I am the Great Elder of Huiyuan Gate, Ren Wencai."

Gu Chengming's heart jolted. The Great Elder?

Could it be that his contact with that old man from Hunyuan Sect had been discovered? Was this a visit to call him to account?

Gu Chengming's mind churned with anxiety as he scrambled for an explanation.

But then Ren Wencai waved a hand, signaling him not to be nervous, and even stepped closer, looking quite approachable.

"Xiao Gu, no need to stand on ceremony."

Ren Wencai smiled warmly at him, his tone exceedingly cordial:

"Old Man has come today regarding a past matter."

"A past matter?" Gu Chengming was taken aback.

"Precisely."

Ren Wencai nodded, his expression turning somewhat serious:

"A few days ago, when the Department of Merit was auditing the sect's past accounts, they stumbled upon an unsavory affair."

"In your three years since joining, the monthly resources for the first two years were fraudulently claimed by someone else. This was a failure of the sect's oversight, and you've been wronged."

Gu Chengming was puzzled. The Great Elder of Huiyuan Gate would come to him over something so trivial?

Ren Wencai continued, "As for the resources you were cheated out of, Old Man has specially prepared a compensation plan for you."

With that, he pulled a heavy embroidered pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Gu Chengming.

Gu Chengming took the pouch reflexively, feeling its considerable weight.

Opening it, he saw several exquisite jade bottles neatly arranged inside. Even through the stoppers, a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out.

"Inside, there is one 'Glazed Pure Consciousness Pill' and several 'Spirit Awakening Clear Consciousness' pills."

Ren Wencai pointed at the jade bottles and explained earnestly:

"Old Man has heard that you've been diligently cultivating Sword Intent—that's good. But the path of a sword cultivator, beyond tempering the Physical Body, places greater emphasis on refining the Heart."

"This 'Glazed Pure Consciousness Pill' is a sacred item for cleansing the Divine Soul and purifying the Sword Heart. After taking it, it will help you sweep away distracting thoughts, make your Sword Heart more transparent, and elevate your comprehension of Sword Intent to a higher level."

"As for the rest, they are all pills to aid in Spiritual Sense cultivation. For you at this stage, they are exactly what you need most."

This was the result of his careful selection and deep deliberation.

In his view, since Gu Chengming cultivated the "Ancient Bitter Sword" lineage, physical resources would only be a burden, potentially disrupting the cultivation principle of "the more bitter the body, the firmer the will."

But soul-type pills were different.

Though Bitter Sword Cultivators endured physical hardship, their Divine Soul needed to be as clear and strong as possible.

Only with a powerful Divine Soul could one better wield the innate Sword Intent honed through adversity.

Thus, he had deliberately chosen these priceless pills that wouldn't undermine the "bitter cultivation" atmosphere.

Converted into ordinary Spirit Stones, these items were worth dozens of times the resources Gu Chengming had been cheated out of over those two years!

Though Gu Chengming didn't know the exact value of these pills, just their names and the fragrance told him they were no ordinary goods.

"This..."

Gu Chengming quickly cupped his hands in thanks:

"Thank you for your generosity, Great Elder! Disciple... Disciple truly..."

"Ah, no need for words."

Ren Wencai waved his hand, cutting him off with a chuckle.

"This is what you deserve. Since the sect has wronged you, it must make amends. As long as you cultivate diligently, that will be the best repayment to the sect."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries.

After this round of interaction, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Seeing that Gu Chengming had accepted the pills and bore no resentment toward the sect—in fact, was filled with gratitude—Ren Wencai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, Old Man won't disturb your pure cultivation any longer."

Ren Wencai patted Gu Chengming on the shoulder and gave him one last earnest reminder:

"Train your sword well. If you run into any trouble, or... if any more strange people come looking for you, don't hesitate to come find Old Man."

With that, he cast a meaningful glance in a certain direction beyond the courtyard, then his form flickered and he drifted away like a passing breeze.

Over the next few days, Gu Chengming lived quite lavishly.

That Glazed Pure Consciousness Pill truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier Second Realm pill—the effects were immediate.

Whenever the Medicinal Power dissolved, Gu Chengming felt as though a clear spring flowed through his mind, washing away all the tangled distractions.

That sharpness of thought and clarity of spirit was even more exhilarating than running the Clear Heart Art at full power for dozens of cycles.

Most crucial of all was that elusive sense of "enlightenment."

Passages in sword practice that had once felt obscure or difficult now, with just a little thought, opened up like a sudden awakening.

But a problem soon emerged.

His understanding of the Huiyuan Sword Art was already extremely deep, and the ceiling of this Basic Sword Art was fixed.

It was like asking a university professor to solve elementary school math problems—no matter how many brain-boosting walnuts he ate, his speed might increase slightly, but his overall mathematical level would barely improve.

Even while practicing swordplay while chewing on such exorbitantly priced pills, the insights he gained were pitifully few.

The main issue was—