Ren Wencai shook his head, his tone tinged with regret:
"That child did leave a mark, but he gave it everything he had—even nearly damaging his foundations. And..."
He paused and held up two fingers.
"He's already at Second Realm Perfection. He's only one step away from the Third Realm."
"Second Realm Perfection?"
Zhao Wuji froze for a moment, and the taut string of his nerves instantly slackened.
At the Second Realm Late Stage, leaving a mark on the Sword Seeking Stone certainly counted as a sign of talent. He was a promising prospect the various peaks would fight over.
But... that was all.
After all, though leaving a mark on the Sword Seeking Stone was difficult, for the children of certain Aristocratic Clans with deep foundations, reaching the Second Realm Late Stage and giving it a try still offered a chance.
Still, Huiyuan Gate had been down on its luck for so long. That old fox had really managed to hit the jackpot.
"I see..."
The shock faded from Zhao Wuji's face, replaced by a complicated expression—part envy, part relief. He spoke with a sour note in his voice.
"Leaving a mark at the Second Realm Late Stage still makes him a rare talent! Senior Brother Ren really struck gold this time. Congratulations!"
Though he offered congratulations aloud, in his heart he consoled himself: Thank goodness. He's only a Second Realm Late Stage prodigy. He's enviable, sure, but still within an acceptable range.
"Not at all, not at all. Just luck."
Ren Wencai looked modest, but inside, he was over the moon.
Heh heh, Second Realm Late Stage?
Watching Zhao Wuji's expression of "I'm envious, but I can accept it," Ren Wencai fought back a laugh and exchanged a few more pleasantries with him. Then he made the excuse that he had to return to treat his disciple's injuries and hurriedly took his leave.
The instant he turned away, the sorrow on Ren Wencai's face vanished, replaced by a grin he could hardly suppress.
You old bastard, still trying to pry for information? Do you even know who you're dealing with?
Smoothing his beard, Ren Wencai shook his head. Why is it that ever since I discovered that kid Gu Chengming, I haven't been able to keep the corners of my mouth down?
This isn't good. Not good at all.
Elsewhere, night deepened, and moonlight flowed like water.
After the elder left, Gu Chengming sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated his breath for several cycles. Only when the Blood Qi churning inside him finally settled did he let out a long breath and slowly open his eyes.
His body still ached, but the feeling that he might fall apart at any moment had eased considerably.
"Phew..."
He rubbed his brow, gathered himself, and summoned the System Panel with a thought.
To be honest, although he thought he'd glimpsed the words "Bond Achieved" before passing out, Gu Chengming still wasn't entirely sure.
After all, reality wasn't a game. There was no loading an earlier save.
He'd wagered everything on the stubborn conviction of a Galgame player, believing that if he maxed out every choice, he could reach a Happy End. But what if...?
What if reality was just some garbage game with nothing but Bad Ends?
With that unease in his heart, Gu Chengming looked at the translucent screen floating before him.
The next second, the screenful of pop-up messages nearly startled him out of his wits.
Whoa, how do I have so many unread messages? It's like my screen's being spammed!
He quickly collected himself, and his eyes immediately locked onto the most important message.
[Huiyuan Sword Art saw that you had woken up, and the heart it had kept suspended finally settled.]
[Looking at you in such a miserable state, it felt countless complicated emotions roiling inside. It was moved by your persistence, heartbroken over your injuries, and overwhelmed with relief at having you back.]
In the end, a thousand words jammed in its chest and came out as nothing more than a complaint with the air of a little Resentful Woman.
[You mustn't do anything so dangerous again...]
The text on the screen paused briefly, as if to calm itself down. Then a new line of small text slowly appeared.
[You promised you'd stay with me until the very end.]
At that familiar tone, the great weight in Gu Chengming's heart finally lifted completely.
Thank goodness. It's still the same little Resentful Woman I know.
It hadn't turned into Flowing Cloud Following Moon, nor had it shut itself away completely out of excessive insecurity.
It seemed his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Gu Chengming comforted it in his heart, promising that he wouldn't take another risk next time.
[Huiyuan Sword Art did not reply.]
[It silently circulated its faint Spiritual Power, helping you clear several blocked meridians.]
Feeling the threads of coolness within him, Gu Chengming thought, Now that's more like it.
Just then, Gu Chengming suddenly remembered something. Before passing out, hadn't he seen a "CG Unlocked" notification?
The thought had barely surfaced when the system interface before him shifted. A completely new tab appeared on the navigation bar: [CG Gallery].
Is this the newly unlocked screen?
Gu Chengming's eyes lit up, and he immediately clicked into it.
The interface was simple. At present, only one lonely card was lit up; the rest were gray question marks.
He looked closely. The name on the illuminated card wasn't [Flowing Light Sword Shadow], as he'd previously thought, but—
[Huiyuan Sword Art/ A Sword Art Belonging Only to You]
"Huh? This title..."
Gu Chengming's heart stirred, and he lightly touched the card.
The next moment, it flipped over, revealing an exquisitely rendered illustration before his eyes.
Gu Chengming's previously listless spirits instantly soared.
Now this is a real Galgame!
Gala Ge Mu needs character art!
The next instant, an exquisite illustration slowly unfolded before him.
The background was a field of ruins. Amid broken walls and rubble, the setting sun glowed blood-red. At the very center of the image sat a tiny figure dressed in Coarse Cloth Linen Clothes.
She looked frail and slight, with a little dust on her face and tear tracks still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
But what drew the most attention was the Wooden Sword she clutched tightly in her arms.
The Wooden Sword was crude and roughly made, even a little crooked. It towered over her, looking so absurd it was almost comical.
Yet she hugged it so tightly, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. Facing the viewer, she wore an utterly radiant smile.
Except...
"This..."
Gu Chengming rubbed his chin, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
Isn't this a little too "young"?
He'd thought that, as the Sword Art that had accompanied him all this time, it would at least look like a young woman—or perhaps a married woman.
As Gu Chengming stared blankly at the illustration, a conversation suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Huiyuan Sword Art seemed to notice what you were looking at and was instantly horrified.]
[It tried to block the illustration with dialogue.]
[Stop looking! Don't loo—!]
If I don't look at the CG, what's the point of playing a Galgame?
[Huiyuan Sword Art felt a little bashful. Though the bond between you had long been unbreakable, it was still a little embarrassing to let you see its truest side.]
Just as he was thinking that, another line appeared before Gu Chengming.
[Hundred Bones Ming silently watched the whole thing from the sidelines.]
[It thought, What a mushy old married couple.]
Gu Chengming ignored Hundred Bones Ming's reaction.
He closed the CG screen, but a new question suddenly popped into his mind.
If the CG unlocked by Huiyuan Sword Art was [A Sword Art Belonging Only to You], then where had [Flowing Light Sword Shadow] gone?
And what about that so-called intent of [Flowing Cloud Following Moon]? Had it simply disappeared?
As if to confirm Gu Chengming's suspicions, the instant the thought arose, the system interface once again rippled strangely.
Below the entry that had originally belonged to Huiyuan Sword Art, a new, independent entry slowly appeared.
[Flowing Cloud Following Moon (Remnant)]
[Favorability: 5/Stranger]
"Hm?"
Gu Chengming froze.
It's still here? And it's been made into its own entry?
Before he could react, several lines of text, full of bone-chilling coldness and inexplicable resentment, jumped into view.
[Flowing Cloud Following Moon had been watching from the sidelines for quite some time.]
[Seeing that you had only just noticed it, it let out a cold sneer.]
[Heh. Finally remembered it, did you?]
"?"
A question mark slowly appeared above Gu Chengming's head.
Why does that tone sound so familiar?
[Flowing Cloud Following Moon remembered how, just now, you'd rather risk serious injury than use its power for that Sword Art. Seeing how lovey-dovey the two of you were now made its resentment knot in its chest. It even felt a little sick.]
[What a disgusting Sword Art.]
[What a disgusting Sword Cultivator.]
[Though most Sword Cultivators in this world were self-righteous idiots who all deserved to die.]
[But if it had to pick...]
[A Sword Cultivator like you deserved to die the most.]
"??"
Gu Chengming hadn't reacted yet, but Hundred Bones Ming had.
[It sensed that lofty aura, though incomplete, and was horrified.]
[Holy crap, a Great Skill Master! When did you get here?]
Though that aura was faint, the suppression of status that came from a higher-level Cultivation Method was the real deal.
Seeing that the "Great Skill Master" seemed hostile and clearly bore ill will toward Gu Chengming, Hundred Bones Ming stuck to its principle: fight the weak, flee from the strong.
[Hundred Bones Ming immediately said, Gu Chengming! This new Great Skill Master has insulted you so terribly—it's gone too far!]
[If only it had enough strength right now! It hasn't yet cultivated an indestructible body, so it can't help you vent this anger. To preserve its fighting strength, it can only temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack. It's definitely not because it's scared!]
[Just you wait. Once it has mastered its Cultivation Method, it'll help you settle this score and rip that Cultivation Method's mouth clean off!]
After saying all that, it quickly shrank back into the furthest corner.
Gu Chengming was at a loss for words.
But though Hundred Bones Ming had chickened out, one Cultivation Method wasn't the least bit afraid.
[Seeing its own host being insulted, Huiyuan Sword Art immediately shook off its earlier emotion of being moved, replaced by the fierce protectiveness of a mother bear.]
Before you continue