Gal Martial Saint Chapter 42

"Then came all sorts of reflection meetings, internal reviews, and finally the conclusion: our Disciple Assessment system is too rigid, prone to burying talents who accumulate slowly before bursting forth. It needs to change! It absolutely must change!"

"So it became what it is now."

Jiang Lu spoke with animated enthusiasm, clearly relishing this kind of gossip between major sects.

The more Gu Chengming listened, the stranger his expression grew.

He could even picture Elder Ren Wencai slamming the table at a sect meeting, spittle flying as he shouted, "We need our own Bitter Sword Cultivator too!"

And this plot... why did it sound so familiar?

Gu Chengming even suspected that aside from cherishing talent, Elder Ren's keen interest in him might also stem from a desire to compete with the Yunyue Sect.

After all, the two major sects had been locked in open and covert struggles for years, neither willing to fall behind in this regard.

If he truly stunned everyone in that assessment, Elder Ren would probably be the target of endless sour remarks.

The two chatted a while longer, and the topic inevitably circled back to Gu Chengming's injury.

Watching Gu Chengming's occasional wince of pain, Jiang Lu finally couldn't hold back.

"Senior Brother, this injury of yours... is it really alright?"

Seeing Gu Chengming about to speak, he quickly added first, his tone utterly sincere:

"I still have some savings—merit points I earned from the sect by creating my own sword technique, 'Fuhai.' If Senior Brother Gu's injury is serious, these points aren't much, but they're enough to exchange for some good healing pills at the Medicine Hall. Please take them, Senior Brother. Focus on recovering first—the assessment can't be delayed."

Gu Chengming looked at the cloth pouch on the table and thought to himself, Little Jiang, you're good people. A solid friend.

In this cultivation world where profit reigned supreme, meeting a junior brother who genuinely cared for him was no easy feat.

He was about to refuse, saying he already had high-grade medicine from Elder Ren and it was no big deal.

Just then, his vision suddenly blurred.

That familiar translucent frame popped up again.

[Insightful Eyes activated.]

Three options clearly appeared before Gu Chengming:

[Option One: Junior Brother Jiang, you have a kind heart. But this injury of mine is nothing serious, and I still have the healing elixir Elder Ren gave me. Keep your merit points for your own cultivation.]

[Option Two: Then I'll take it. Brother Jiang, you're awesome.]

[Option Three: Don't want the pills. Just V me the merit points.]

"?"

Gu Chengming instinctively rubbed his eyes. After confirming he wasn't mistaken, a question mark slowly formed on his forehead.

Wait, what? Even talking to you triggers options?

That's not how it worked in Gala Ge Mu?!

PS: This chapter is three thousand words, with at least five thousand more to come.

This segment is purely for fun—the protagonist will only pursue cultivation methods!

Also, recommending a friend's book.

Synopsis:

Situ Wanren always believed in an old saying: An inch longer, an inch stronger.

When facing a boxing grandmaster, why would I use a sword or blade? And when my opponent draws a blade or sword, isn't it reasonable for me to use a spear?

What? My opponent trains with a spear?

Situ Wanren sighs as he puts away his hidden weapons, then pulls them out again—against this, he needs a crossbow.

When the female warrior's face flushes red as she angrily accuses him of lacking martial virtue, he sneers and pulls out a rope. I really need to rein you in!

Chapter 49: Chapter 46—Don't Go Out, Afraid of Triggering Passersby

Staring at the three translucent option boxes floating before him, Gu Chengming felt not excitement but a headache.

The scope of Insightful Eyes' effect was far too broad.

Facing a cultivation method was one thing, but facing Jiang Lu, these three options laid out before him felt utterly absurd.

Gu Chengming steadied his mind and carefully examined the three options.

Option One: Refuse the kindness, maintain distance.

Option Two: Accept the pills—this would surely deepen their bond, a key node for triggering subsequent plot.

But in reality, it meant owing a huge favor, inevitably dragging him into more Karma.

As for Option Three, it boiled down to three words.

—Cash it out.

It wasn't far off from his earlier analysis—different responses to the same event.

But the options themselves didn't just seem to gauge the positivity of the relationship with the triggerer; they also measured the "positivity" toward himself.

Take the third option, for example—it clearly wouldn't improve his relationship with Jiang Lu at all; instead, it would only make this Junior Brother Jiang resent him.

The second option, on the other hand, was obviously the one to deepen their bond and trigger subsequent events.

Alright, no more analyzing.

Gu Chengming decisively chose option one.

He pointed at the bottles and jars Elder Ren had left on the table, his tone light and easy:

"My injuries aren't serious, and besides, look—I'm not unprepared. Elder Ren sent all these healing medicines, and I haven't even used them up yet. Your contribution points were hard-earned; keep them for your own cultivation and aim for a good ranking in the assessment."

Jiang Lu followed Gu Chengming's gaze, and when he made out the patterns on those pill bottles, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

Those were Inner-Supplied Pills from Spring Return Hall—ordinary disciples couldn't exchange for them even with contribution points.

"Since they were gifted by Elder Ren, this junior brother won't overstep."

Though Jiang Lu was a bit straightforward, he wasn't ignorant of social graces.

Seeing that Gu Chengming truly didn't lack pills and was firm in his refusal, he didn't press further.

He stood up and gave Gu Chengming a solemn bow:

"In that case, this junior brother won't disturb Senior Brother's rest. Once Senior Brother has recovered, I'll come to visit again."

"Alright, take care."

After seeing Jiang Lu off, the small courtyard fell silent once more.

Gu Chengming looked at the closed door and was about to let out a sigh of relief when a wave of dizziness surged over him.

He instinctively pressed his temples, his brows furrowing.

—Is this the side effect of using 'Insightful Eyes'?

Gu Chengming collapsed onto the bed and rested with his eyes closed for a good while before the dizziness subsided slightly.

He began to re-evaluate this newly acquired passive skill.

After the practical test and analysis just now, Gu Chengming finally understood how this thing operated.

This [Insightful Eyes], though nominally a passive, was more like a high-energy program running in the background.

It constantly analyzed the micro-expressions, tones, and subtext of everyone around him, parsing out the optimal solution—even if Gu Chengming had no conscious intention to activate it. As long as an "interactable target" appeared within the skill's detection range, it would automatically start running, consuming Gu Chengming's mental energy.

Gu Chengming studied it for a long time but couldn't find a way to turn this state off.

Damn it. Now he really had to be careful not to charm someone just by talking to them.

The Clear Heart Art, for its part, was quite gleeful about this.

[The Clear Heart Art can't help but snicker at your miserable state.]

[Insightful Eyes involves the use of the Divine Soul. With your current first-realm cultivation and uncondensed Divine Soul, it's only natural that you find it taxing.]

[It shifts its tone, but this isn't entirely a bad thing. This kind of mental overexertion is actually a form of unconventional training.]

[Once you get used to this intensity of Divine Soul operation, you'll naturally be able to control it freely.]

Hearing this, Gu Chengming's frustration eased considerably. He figured he'd just have to minimize contact with people over the next couple of days.

Since he'd decided not to go out, the only thing left to do was stay home and recover properly.

Elder Ren's advice was indeed correct—practicing martial arts now was a bit too much for him. At the very least, techniques like Hundred Bones were hard to cultivate.

Of course, Hundred Bones understood.

He couldn't train as a Body Cultivator, and circulating Spiritual Power had to be done with extreme caution.

Bored out of his mind, Gu Chengming's gaze fell on the wooden sword resting by his bedside.

It was the standard-issue wooden sword he'd received upon joining the sect—plain and ordinary, with even a few scratches on the blade.

"Since I can't use Spiritual Power or engage in strenuous activity..."

Gu Chengming's heart stirred, and he reached out to grip the hilt.

"Practicing the most basic sword forms shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The Huiyuan Sword Art, as an entry-level sword technique, didn't emphasize Spiritual Power bursts. Instead, it focused on refining the sword forms themselves and comprehending the "intent."

Back then, with only two points in constitution, he'd managed to get started with this sword art. Now, it was naturally even less of an issue.

Gu Chengming forced himself upright. He didn't get out of bed but sat cross-legged on the mattress, holding the wooden sword as he slowly assumed a starting stance.

A sensation he'd never felt before coursed through his entire body from the sword hilt.

In the past, when he practiced swordsmanship, the sword was the sword, and he was him.

No matter how skilled he became, that sense of "manipulating a dead object" always lingered.

But now...

The moment his fingers touched the hilt, the wooden sword seemed to come alive, becoming a part of his body.

There was no need to deliberately adjust the angle, no need to think about the mechanics of force.

Where his mind went, the blade followed.

That feeling was as if... this sword was breathing, responding to every pulse of his.

[Huiyuan Sword Art Favorability Bonus: Life and Death Mutual Reliance]

Was this the improvement brought by the change in the Huiyuan Sword Art's state?

The last time he'd felt such a qualitative shift was when the Huiyuan Sword Art went from "Stranger" to "Friendly."

But back then, he was very weak himself. Even if his sword technique became several times stronger, it was only relative to his own past self.

Now the scale was different, and the boost it brought was terrifyingly obvious.

You see, going from one to three only added two points, but going from one hundred to three hundred was a full increase of two hundred points.

Gu Chengming was immersed in this mysterious sensation, unable to pull himself out.

He swung the sword again.

The Wooden Sword traced an obscure arc through the air. There was no Spiritual Power imbued in it at all, yet a faint tearing sound came from the air itself.

He even had the illusion that if he faced a Second Realm Cultivator right now, with just these basic sword techniques, he could hold his own for a while.

This surge in power made him a little carried away. Subconsciously, he wanted to try linking more complex sword moves.

He sank his wrist, channeling force through the sword's body, trying to unleash this Sword Intent.

But just as he exerted himself—

A Light Sound came, not from the Wooden Sword, but from his lower abdomen.

Then, a tearing pain exploded from his Dantian, instantly flooding his entire body.

Gu Chengming let out a muffled groan. The Wooden Sword clattered to the ground with a bang.

Damn... got too cocky...

It seemed what Elder Ren said was right—he really did need to rest.

Seeing this, the Huiyuan Sword Art was immediately heartbroken.