Martial Saint Gal

If being "ambushed" in the market for the first time could be attributed to Gu Chengming's despicable and shameless tactics.

But this time?

With her present, having been on guard, and even initiating the engagement to create distance. What was the result? He couldn't even touch the hem of their clothes before being taken down within two breaths.

What did this prove?

It proved that the previous "ambush" was merely an excuse! It proved that these two girls were simply outmatched and unwilling to admit defeat.

"Oh dear..."

Ren Wencai broke the silence at the opportune moment.

With his hands behind his back, he ambled over to Su He and the other girl. He bent down, feigning a thorough examination, then straightened up and looked at Elder Liu with feigned concern.

"Junior Sister Liu, it seems your two disciples are indeed a bit..."

He paused deliberately, as if finding it difficult to speak, then sighed.

"They've always focused too much on practicing techniques and their bodies are too weak, aren't they? How could they fall so easily from a gentle touch by an outer disciple like me?"

As he spoke, he deliberately sighed again and reprimanded Gu Chengming in a tone of disappointment:

"Gu Chengming! You really are something!"

"Didn't I tell you to spar? How could you use so much force? What if you injured the two Senior Sisters? Hurry up and apologize to Elder Liu!"

Gu Chengming readily complied, cupping his hands.

"This disciple knows his mistake. I will pay attention to the degree of force next time and handle it with care."

"You... you all..."

Elder Liu trembled with rage, pointing at the teacher and disciple pair who were clearly in cahoots. She couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Although her temper was known to be fiery and her protectiveness of her disciples legendary, she wouldn't have reached the position of Elder in the Wenjian Sect without basic judgment and reason.

Losing was losing.

And it was a loss so complete that there was nothing left.

If she were to make a scene now, it wouldn't just be her losing face, but the face of the Daoning Gate as well.

Elder Liu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in her heart.

"This matter is my fault. I wronged you."

"Blame my lack of discernment, blame my inability to recognize good from bad. I ask for your forgiveness."

With that, she waved her wide sleeve, gathering the unconscious Su He and Li Miao from the ground.

She couldn't bear to stay another second. Her feet seemed to carry her as she transformed into a streak of light, taking the two burdens with her, and shamefully shot up into the sky. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the horizon.

Her retreating figure looked utterly pathetic.

"Farewell, Junior Sister!"

Ren Wencai shouted after her retreating form.

Only when the streak of light had completely vanished did Ren Wencai retract his gaze and turn around.

He looked at Gu Chengming, the amusement in his eyes almost overflowing.

This Liu An, relying on the Daoning Gate's superior numbers, had often obstructed him in sect meetings. This incident today allowed him to vent all the accumulated grievances of years past.

And...

Ren Wencai's gaze swept over Gu Chengming, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

That old man from the wine sect had gone to great lengths to poach Gu Chengming, even gifting him the Hidden Immortal Wine Sword Art.

Ren Wencai had initially been worried that this young Gu would succumb to temptation and truly switch to practicing that sword art, ultimately being lured away by that old man.

But now...

Faced with the temptation of a profound sword art, he was able to maintain his original intentions and remain unmoved by external temptations.

Truly a disciple worthy of our Huiyuan Gate.

Of course, he had no idea that Gu Chengming couldn't practice it because he didn't have enough attribute points.

Ren Wencai's smile faded, and he resumed his usual calm, unfathomable demeanor.

He stood with his hands behind his back, nodding slightly, and said in a gentle tone:

"Hmm, well done."

"You have upheld the sect's reputation without truly harming your fellow disciples' foundations. Your control over the situation was adequate."

Gu Chengming quickly lowered his head. "Thank you for your praise, Elder."

Ren Wencai looked at Gu Chengming, increasingly satisfied, and began to ponder.

That old man from the wine sect had already gifted him a cultivation method. As his legitimate elder, wouldn't it seem petty if he didn't show any gesture of goodwill?

What if this boy changed his mind later and decided the Hunyuan Sect offered better treatment and left?

No, he had to offer some incentive.

"Cough."

Ren Wencai coughed lightly, flipped his palm, and a yellowed, thin booklet appeared in his hand.

"Your performance today was quite good. And I see that while your sword techniques are fast, they lack power between moves, relying purely on skill to win."

"This Flowing Light Sword Shadow was obtained by this old man during my travels in my early years. It's not some peerless divine skill, but its advantage lies in its agility and variability, specializing in the 'speed' technique."

"Take it and study it well. Don't let my painstaking efforts go to waste."

As he spoke, the booklet lightly drifted into Gu Chengming's hand.

Gu Chengming's heart stirred.

"Thank you, Elder, for bestowing this method!"

Ren Wencai nodded with satisfaction.

Then, his gaze fell upon Jiang Lu, who was standing nearby.

If he only rewarded Gu Chengming, it would be unfair and not conducive to unity among fellow disciples.

As the saying goes, blessings should be shared.

"Jiang Lu, although you didn't make a move today, your reporting was still meritorious."

Ren Wencai flicked his hand casually, and two exquisite small porcelain bottles flew towards Jiang Lu.

The latter received them somewhat clumsily and thanked him.

He thought to himself, no wonder his master told him to interact more with Senior Brother Gu. It was for this reason.

In a way, he was also benefiting from this.

Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Six Taking a Concubine for Her Husband

After thanking Ren Wencai and exchanging pleasantries with Jiang Lu, Gu Chengming returned to his small courtyard under the moonlight.

He weighed the Flowing Light Sword Shadow in his hand. The texture of the paper was somewhat rough, but it couldn't hide the faint, sharp sword intent emanating from within.

If it were anyone else, they would probably be eager to open the secret manual by now, perhaps even practicing a few moves on the spot.

But Gu Chengming didn't rush to open this Cultivation Method. Firstly, he wasn't sure if he could even practice it...

Secondly, with a clear path to gain Hundred Bones' favor, the correct approach was definitely to max out its affection first.

In the following days, Gu Chengming continued to use Dragon Blood Grass to increase its affection as usual.

"What potent medicinal power! Truly worthy of Dragon Blood Grass!"

"Hundred Bones Roar! Help me suppress this beast!"

[Hundred Bones feels the non-existent, immense medicinal power raging within!]

[To not betray this peerless divine medicine, to not betray your trust, it is doing its utmost to circulate, solely to digest the medicinal power!]

And so, the days passed in this harmonious atmosphere of "I deceive you, you believe me, and we both have a bright future."

Finally, on a night with a clear, starry sky.

As the last stalk of "Blood Activating Grass" was consumed, the steadily rising affection bar finally broke through that crucial node.

[Hundred Bones thinks that it has seen countless people in its life, and you are the only genius most likely to rise from obscurity with it and establish a foothold in this world.]

[If you die, it will, just like in the storybooks you write, reconstruct your physical body for you!]

[Affection +2]

[Current Affection: 60]

[Status Change: Promoted from [Friendly] to [Like]]

The leap in affection status brought one fixed attribute point and one free attribute point.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Chengming willed it, and poured that free attribute point entirely into the "Constitution" column.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart began to beat violently.

His previously somewhat pale skin gradually took on a healthy, rosy glow. His bones crackled, and his muscle definition, while not becoming exaggeratedly bulky, became tighter and more resilient.

[Current Constitution: 5 -> 7]

And below this line of data, the changes were most intuitive.

[Current Remaining Lifespan: Six Years]

It had directly surged from a precarious seven hundred-plus days to six years!

"Hoo..."

Gu Chengming let out a long breath.

And the surprises didn't end there.

The leap in Constitution directly led to an increase in the capacity limit for spiritual energy within his body.

The bottleneck that had previously kept him at First Realm Level Four shattered like a paper-thin window under the torrent of such boundless vitality.

There was no need to deliberately guide it.

The abundant qi and blood and Spiritual Power within his body rejoiced, surging along his meridians, breaking through barriers, and converging in his dantian.

Hummm--

The air vibrated slightly, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn in.

First Realm Level Five, achieved naturally.

With his cultivation broken through and Lifespan extended, Gu Chengming, in great spirits, did not choose to rest and celebrate.

Striking while the iron was hot, he took out a Jade Slip from his embrace.

It was the advanced sword technique—Flowing Light Sword Shadow—that Ren Wencai had gifted him earlier.

This sword technique was quite well-known within the Wenjian Sect, its core principle being "speed." When practiced to mastery, the sword strikes would be like flowing light, the shadows moving with the body, making it difficult to discern reality from illusion, a true weapon of slaughter.

A sword technique differed from a sword art. Strictly speaking, a sword technique was a type of move, akin to a… skill?

Therefore, logically, it shouldn't have overly high attribute requirements.

Of course, conversely, it likely wouldn't trigger any strategy options.

Gu Chengming thought this as he extended his divine sense into the Jade Slip.

[System Notification: Host detected attempting to cultivate Flowing Light Sword Shadow.]

[Constitution attribute not met] [Agility attribute not met] [Strength attribute not met]

[Flowing Cloud Following Moon Sword Art (Fragment), requirements not met]

Gu Chengming looked at the string of red warnings and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

"This damn…"