"Then came all sorts of reflection meetings, followed by internal reviews. In the end, they concluded that our Disciple Assessment system was too rigid and could easily bury talents who'd spent years quietly building their strength. It had to change! It absolutely had to!"
"And that's how it became what it is today."
Jiang Lu spoke with such animated enthusiasm that it was clear he loved gossip about the big sects.
The more Gu Chengming listened, the stranger his expression became.
He could practically picture Elder Ren slapping the table at a sect meeting, spittle flying as he shouted, "We need a Bitter Sword Cultivator of our own!"
And this plot... Why did it sound so familiar?
Gu Chengming even began to wonder if, aside from recognizing his talent, Elder Ren was so invested in him because he also wanted to compete with Yunyue Sect.
After all, the two great sects had been openly and secretly at odds for years. Neither wanted to fall behind the other in this regard.
If he really made a splash in that assessment, Elder Ren would probably get teased to death.
The two chatted for a while longer, and before they knew it, the conversation had circled back to Gu Chengming's injuries.
Seeing Gu Chengming frown in pain now and then, Jiang Lu finally couldn't hold back.
"Senior Brother, your injuries... are you really going to be all right?"
When Gu Chengming started to reply, Jiang Lu hurriedly added, his tone utterly sincere:
"I still have some savings. I earned a few sect merit points earlier by exchanging my self-created sword move, 'Fuhai,' at the sect. If Senior Brother Gu's injuries are serious, these points aren't much, but they should be enough to get some good healing medicine from the Pill Hall. Please, take them. Getting better comes first. You can't let your injuries interfere with the assessment."
Gu Chengming looked at the cloth pouch on the table and thought, Little Jiang's a good guy. He's someone I can count on.
In this cultivation world, where everything revolved around self-interest, it was truly rare to meet a junior brother who sincerely cared about him.
He was just about to refuse and say that he had some high-grade stuff Elder Ren had given him, and his injuries weren't a big deal.
Just then, his vision suddenly blurred.
That familiar, translucent window popped up again.
[Insightful Eyes activated.] Three options appeared clearly before Gu Chengming: [Option One: Junior Brother Jiang, that's very thoughtful of you. But my injuries aren't serious, and besides, I've still got the sacred healing medicine Elder Ren gave me. Save your merit points for your own cultivation.] [Option Two: Then I'll take them. Big Brother Jiang, you're awesome.] [Option Three: Forget the pills. Just send me the merit points.]
"?"
Gu Chengming rubbed his eyes instinctively. Once he realized he hadn't imagined it, a question mark slowly appeared over his head.
Wait, what? You can trigger options just by talking to someone?
That's not how Gala Ge Mu works!
P.S. This chapter is three thousand words. There'll be at least another five thousand words of updates.
This plotline is purely for laughs. The protagonist will only be courting Cultivation Methods!
Also, I'd like to recommend a friend's book.
Synopsis:
Situ Wanren had always believed in an old saying: "An inch more reach means an inch more advantage."
When facing a fist-fighting master, why wouldn't he use a sword or a blade? And if the other guy had a sword at his waist and a blade in his hand, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for him to use a spear?
"What? Your opponent's a spear user?"
Situ Wanren took out a hidden weapon with a sigh, then put it away again. Someone like that called for a crossbow.
When the female swordswoman opposite him turned red with rage and scolded him for having no honor, he gave a cold laugh and pulled out a rope. "Looks like I really need to keep you under control!"
Chapter 46: Staying Home, Afraid of Courting Passersby
Staring at the three translucent option windows floating before him, Gu Chengming felt no delight. If anything, he found the whole thing rather hard to swallow.
The scope of Insightful Eyes was far too broad.
It was one thing when it came to Cultivation Methods. But with Jiang Lu, having these three options laid out before him just felt absurd.
Gu Chengming composed himself and examined the options carefully.
Option One meant turning down the kindness and keeping his distance.
Option Two meant accepting the pills. That would surely deepen their bond and serve as a crucial turning point for the story to come.
But in real life, it also meant owing someone a huge favor and inevitably getting dragged into more Karma down the line.
As for Option Three, it could be summed up in three words:
—Just pay me instead.
It wasn't far off from his earlier analysis. The options still represented different ways of responding to a given situation.
But the options themselves didn't seem to be only about how favorably the person who triggered them felt toward him. They also reflected how favorable they were for him.
Take Option Three. It obviously wouldn't improve his relationship with Jiang Lu. In fact, it would make Junior Brother Jiang resent him.
Option Two, on the other hand, clearly meant taking their relationship to the next level and setting off future events.
All right, enough analyzing.
Gu Chengming decisively chose Option One.
He pointed at the bottles and jars Elder Ren had left on the table, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"My injuries aren't serious. Besides, look, I'm not unprepared. I haven't even finished using the healing medicines Elder Ren brought me. Your merit points were hard-earned, so save them for your cultivation. Try to get a good result in the assessment, too."
Following Gu Chengming's gesture, Jiang Lu looked over. When he saw the patterns on the pill bottles, he couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.
Those were Inner-Supplied Pills from Spring Return Hall. Ordinary disciples couldn't get them even if they had merit points to spend.
"Since Elder Ren gave them to you, I won't presume to interfere."
Jiang Lu might have been a little naive, but he wasn't oblivious to social niceties.
Seeing that Gu Chengming really did have enough medicine and was firm in his refusal, he stopped insisting.
He rose to his feet and gave Gu Chengming a solemn bow.
"In that case, I won't disturb your rest any longer, Senior Brother. I'll come visit again once you've recovered."
"Sure. Take care."
After Jiang Lu left, the little courtyard fell silent again.
Gu Chengming looked at the closed door and had just started to breathe easy when a wave of dizziness washed over him.
He instinctively pressed his fingers to his temples, his brow furrowing.
Was this a side effect of using Insightful Eyes?
Gu Chengming slumped down on the bed and closed his eyes to rest. It took a good while for the dizziness to ease.
He began reconsidering the new passive skill he had obtained.
After putting it to the test and analyzing it just now, Gu Chengming had finally figured out how the thing worked.
Although Insightful Eyes was nominally a passive skill, it was really more like a high-power program running constantly in the background.
It was always analyzing the microexpressions, tones, and unspoken implications of the people around him, then working out the best response for him. Even if Gu Chengming didn't consciously want to activate it, the skill would start running and consume his mental energy whenever an "interactable target" entered its range.
He'd spent ages investigating, but still couldn't find a way to switch it off.
I'm done for. I really do have to be careful—I might end up courting someone just by talking to them.
Clear Heart Art, for its part, seemed rather pleased with his predicament.
[Clear Heart Art couldn't help snickering at your sorry state.] [Insightful Eyes involves the use of the Divine Soul. You're only in the First Realm, and your Divine Soul hasn't yet coalesced. Naturally, you'd find it taxing.] [It changed tack. But that's not entirely a bad thing. This kind of mental overexertion is actually a form of cultivation in its own right.] [Once you get used to operating your Divine Soul at this intensity, you'll naturally be able to control it at will.]
Listening to this, Gu Chengming felt a little less glum. He thought that he ought to avoid people for the next couple of days.
Since he'd made up his mind not to go out, all he could do now was rest at home and recover.
Elder Ren had been right to caution him. Trying to train in his current condition was too much to ask. Techniques like Hundred Bones Song would be especially difficult to practice.
Of course, Hundred Bones Song understood.
As a Body Cultivator, he couldn't train, and even circulating Spiritual Power had to be done with the utmost care.
With nothing else to do, Gu Chengming's gaze fell on the wooden sword resting beside his bed.
It was the standard-issue wooden sword he'd received when he joined the sect. It was plain and ordinary, with even a few scratches along the blade.
"Since I can't use Spiritual Power or do anything strenuous..."
Gu Chengming had an idea. He reached out and took hold of the hilt.
"Practicing the most basic sword moves should be fine, right?"
As an introductory sword technique, the Huiyuan Sword Art didn't focus on explosive bursts of Spiritual Power. It was more about polishing the moves themselves and grasping the "intent" behind them.
Back when his physique had been worth only two points, he'd still managed to master this sword art. Now, there was no reason he couldn't do it again.
Gu Chengming struggled to sit up, but didn't get out of bed. He simply sat cross-legged on the mattress, held the wooden sword, and slowly settled into the opening stance.
A feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced surged through him from the hilt, spreading throughout his body in an instant.
When he'd practiced swordsmanship before, the sword had been the sword, and he had been himself.
No matter how proficient he became, that clumsy feeling of "controlling a lifeless object" had always lingered.
But now...
The moment his fingers touched the hilt, the wooden sword seemed to come alive, becoming an extension of his own body.
He didn't have to consciously adjust its angle or think about how to apply his strength.
Where his thoughts went, the blade followed.
It felt as though... the sword was breathing, answering every beat of his pulse.
[Huiyuan Sword Art favorability bonus: Life and Death Mutual Reliance]
Was this improvement the result of a change in the Huiyuan Sword Art's status?
The last time he'd experienced such a qualitative leap had been when the Huiyuan Sword Art had gone from "Stranger" to "Friendly."
But back then, he'd been weak to begin with. Even though the sword art had become several times more powerful, that was only relative to him.
Now he was operating on a completely different scale. The improvement it brought was almost frightening.
After all, going from one to three meant a gain of only two points, while going from one hundred to three hundred meant a full two hundred points.
Gu Chengming sank into that wondrous sensation, unable to pull himself away.
He swung the sword again.
The wooden sword cut a jagged arc through the air. It wasn't imbued with any Spiritual Power, yet a faint tearing sound seemed to whisper through the air.
He even had the illusion that if he had to face a Second Realm Cultivator right now, he could hold his own for a while with just these few basic sword moves.
The sudden surge of power went to his head. Without thinking, he tried stringing together a more complicated sequence of moves.
He lowered his wrist and channeled his strength through the blade, trying to unleash his Sword Intent.
But the moment he exerted himself—
A soft sound rang out. It didn't come from the wooden sword, but from his lower abdomen.
The next instant, a tearing pain exploded from his Dantian and swept through his whole body.
Gu Chengming groaned. The wooden sword fell from his hand and clattered to the floor.
Damn... I got carried away...
Looks like Elder Ren had been right after all. He really did need to rest.
Seeing this, the Huiyuan Sword Art felt its heart break.
Before you continue