Hua Daiyi clearly hadn't expected Gu Chengming to refuse so cleanly.
He froze for a moment, the wine gourd he'd just picked up forgotten halfway to his lips.
This was a personal-disciple slot under a Hunyuan Sect elder, mind you — complete with top-tier techniques and a mountain of resources. Anyone else would've been on their knees calling him 'Master' before the offer was even finished.
And this kid — this kid had the nerve to talk about 'cherishing what he already had' and 'not forgetting his roots'?
At the same moment, a chime rang through Gu Chengming's mind.
[Qingxin Formula Affection +5]
[Current Affection: 35 / Friendly]
[It believes you understand the bigger picture, know when to advance and when to hold back, and refuse to let outside temptations sway your true heart. This is exactly what it considers a worthy male lead of a romance story — ah, that is to say, a worthy host.]
[Hundred Bones Resonance Affection +3]
[Current Affection: 28 / Stranger]
[The Hundred Bones Resonance lets out a quiet breath of relief. It's even a little touched.]
[It thinks: as expected of its golden finger! When it really mattered, he had its back!]
He'd been turned down, but Hua Daiyi clearly wasn't ready to give up.
A seedling this talented, with character to match — if he just let this one walk away, he'd be kicking himself for years.
"Hold on, kid, don't go saying anything final just yet."
Hua Daiyi grinned, a sly gleam flickering through those cloudy old eyes.
"I know what you're worried about. You think going to Hunyuan Sect would mean burying that sword talent of yours, don't you?"
"But every word I said just now was the truth. I may be with Hunyuan Sect, but my attainments in the sword path are no worse than any of those old fossils at Wenjian Sect. And I don't stoop to tricks or deception — if I'm taking you on, I'd give you nothing but the best."
He reached out and tapped the empty air with one finger.
"Hunyuan Sect's foundational techniques are restricted by sect rules — they can't be passed to outsiders. But this sword art I'm about to show you was created by me personally. It doesn't belong to any sect. I'm giving it to you today."
"Watch closely!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, a streak of light shot from his fingertip and vanished directly into the space between Gu Chengming's brows.
Gu Chengming felt a thunderclap inside his skull. A torrent of information came flooding in.
A technique called the "Immortal-Concealing Wine-Sword Formula" carved itself clearly into his sea of consciousness.
This sword art...
Gu Chengming had barely skimmed the surface before his heart gave a lurch.
This was no ordinary mortal swordplay. It used wine as its medium, drawing the cosmos into the gourd; it used the sword as its brush, inscribing carefree wandering across heaven and earth — the lingering echo of an ancient free-spirited immortal, capturing the profound essence of 'gazing at the true world through drunken eyes, where days stretch long within the jug.'
Clearly, this was a high-level sword art.
Before he'd even had a chance to surface from the flood of the sword art's contents, Hua Daiyi casually tossed him a token.
The token was jet black throughout, made of some unknown material, with only a single bold, vigorous character engraved on its face: 'Hua.' It radiated an ancient, weighty presence.
"Take that sword art and practice it — once you get the hang of it, you'll understand what makes it special."
Hua Daiyi gave a dismissive wave, his tone utterly nonchalant.
"As for the token — keep it too. If you ever get tired of Wenjian Sect one day, or have second thoughts, come find me with that in hand. Anytime."
Gu Chengming stared at the token in his palm. It felt like it was burning a hole through his hand.
This old man... this was strong-arming in broad daylight!
He hurriedly cupped his hands and tried to decline.
"Senior, I — one shouldn't accept gifts without earning them, I truly cannot—"
"Enough with the formalities!"
Hua Daiyi cut him off with an impatient glare.
"This old man wants to give, so he gives! You want to learn, so you learn! All this hemming and hawing — you sound like an old woman!"
"I'm leaving!"
Without waiting for another word from Gu Chengming, his figure blurred and vanished on the spot, leaving nothing behind but a faint wisp of wine fragrance drifting in the air — the only proof that any of it had actually happened.
...
After leaving the courtyard, Hua Daiyi ambled along humming a little tune, his mood seemingly undimmed by the rejection.
Truth be told, although he'd been somewhat surprised, he'd mentally prepared himself for the possibility of being turned down.
After all, his days of observation had made it clear that this kid had a sense of loyalty and gratitude. That a few words from him hadn't been enough to tip the scales was entirely within reason.
But that didn't mean he was giving up.
Favors and dealings in the cultivation world — when had those ever been settled in a single back-and-forth?
The kid had accepted his sword art. Once he started practicing it, the thread of cause and effect would be tied.
The "Immortal-Concealing Wine-Sword Formula" was his masterwork. The moment Gu Chengming began training in it, the mark of his lineage would naturally take root in the boy.
After that, he'd count as half a disciple, more or less.
It was a perfectly open scheme.
Aboveboard, yet impossible to refuse.
"Heh heh. Kid, we've got plenty of time ahead of us."
Still mulling it over, he reached for his wine gourd and lifted it toward his mouth for another swig.
And then, without any warning — he froze.
The easy, contented expression on his face solidified in an instant. The gourd hung suspended at his lips, the wine inside seemingly arrested in mid-pour, not a drop falling.
The air around him went thick and viscous. The wind died. The insects fell silent.
The person who had arrived was Ren Wencai.
The Grand Elder of Huiyuan Gate now stood in the air above him, hands clasped behind his back.
He had witnessed the entire scene — from the moment Hua Daiyi materialized, to being turned down by Gu Chengming, to this shameless old codger's brazen move of force-feeding the boy a sword art and a token...
The fury in Ren Wencai's chest was immeasurable.
You crafty old drunk — putting on such a respectable front day in and day out, and your skin is THIS thick?!
Poaching someone and then refusing to accept the rejection — you actually resorted to the 'force the deal through' approach?
Gifting a sword art? Gifting a token?
It was plain as day — he was trying to cook the rice before anyone could object and stake a claim on the master-disciple title by sheer fait accompli!
Absolutely shameless!
Ren Wencai drew a long breath, tamping down the urge to just launch himself at the man, and forced a smile onto his face — the kind that was all teeth and no warmth. He looked at the now-immobilized Hua Daiyi and spoke in a measured, unhurried tone.
"Daoist Friend Hua, what a surprise — what brings you to our Wenjian Sect for a stroll?"
Hearing that dripping, honeyed sarcasm, Hua Daiyi felt a chill shoot straight up his spine. Cold sweat broke out instantly.
Oh no.
Caught red-handed.
Honestly, if he ran into Ren Wencai out in some desolate wilderness, he wouldn't be worried. They were centuries-old acquaintances, and knew each other inside and out. In a real fight, the odds were about even.
But this was Wenjian Sect. This was the other man's home turf. And more to the point, he was the one who'd been caught in the act of poaching. That put him at a distinct psychological disadvantage.
Hua Daiyi's eyes darted around as he scrambled for some excuse to smooth things over.
Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Ren Wencai showed no impatience. He unhurriedly adjusted his cuffs and continued in his own time.
"Just now, I was in closed-door cultivation when I suddenly detected a faint but remarkably refined sword-intent fluctuation nearby. I thought, who could this esteemed visitor be, and came to take a look."
"And lo and behold..."
He lifted his gaze, pinning Hua Daiyi with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"It's Daoist Friend Hua."
"Oh? Is Hunyuan Sect having a rough time lately? Has your talent pool run so dry that even Grand Elder Hua himself must personally venture out to another sect to go 'headhunting'?"
Hua Daiyi's old face flushed red. He let out two awkward laughs and tried to play it off.
"Ahem, ahem — Daoist Ren, you jest. I was simply... passing through. Just passing through. The scenery here is so lovely, and my hands started itching a little — I couldn't help swinging my sword around a bit. Didn't expect to disturb you. My apologies, my apologies."
"Oh? Passing through?"
Ren Wencai raised an eyebrow, his smile growing even more radiant.
"Then what were you doing at my disciple's residence?"
Hua Daiyi's heart sank.
This old fox — he'd known all along that he was here to poach.
He was still furiously racking his brain for a comeback when the smile on Ren Wencai's face vanished completely.
"Hua Daiyi!"
Ren Wencai stepped sharply forward. His hair and beard fanned out around him. A terrifying pressure erupted like a collapsing mountain and a crashing sea, locking onto Hua Daiyi in an instant.
"What do you take my Wenjian Sect for?! A place where you come and go as you please — and dare to poach my sect's disciples right in front of my face?!"
"Do you think Wenjian Sect has no one worthy to stand against you?!"
Before the last word fell, countless sword-qi threads materialized from nothing, cascading like an inverted river of stars, sealing off every avenue of escape in a heartbeat.
However, at that critical, hair-trigger moment — Hua Daiyi had already moved.
He'd acted the very instant before Ren Wencai's expression changed.
"Heh heh, Old Ghost Ren, no need to get so worked up! This old man is leaving, leaving right now!"
He slapped the wine gourd at his hip with a sharp crack. A great mouthful of potent spirits sprayed outward, instantly transforming into a billowing curtain of wine-mist.
In the next breath, his entire body shrank into the mist and vanished. He became a streak of light, tearing through the sword-qi enclosure at an almost incomprehensible speed — punching right through the gap that hadn't yet fully closed.
His voice still echoed in the spot he'd been standing, but the man himself had already bolted several li away, his escape as smooth and effortless as a seasoned repeat offender.
Watching Hua Daiyi's retreating light wink out on the horizon, Ren Wencai gave a cold snort but made no move to pursue.
After all, they were both figures of standing. Chasing him down for an actual brawl would only make a spectacle.
"Good thing I had the presence of mind to keep an eye on things and come check."
Ren Wencai withdrew his gaze and turned it toward the quiet little courtyard not far away, feeling a belated wave of unease wash over him.
"Otherwise, that old ghost might have actually pulled it off."
Recalling Gu Chengming's forthright refusal a moment ago, the appreciation in Ren Wencai's eyes deepened considerably.
"A truly fine seedling. Faced with temptation like that and still holding true to his heart — and all this from someone who endured three years of hardship practicing that Ancient Path of Bitter Sword. That kind of character is genuinely rare."
In truth, he had deliberately looked into Gu Chengming's background before coming here.
What he'd found had made even him, a Grand Elder, feel a flush of embarrassment.
Three years at the sect, and the resources from the first two had been fraudulently claimed by someone else the entire time.
A thing like that, happening to any disciple, would breed resentment toward the sect — might even drive a person to defect outright.
He'd been on tenterhooks the whole time, terrified that Gu Chengming would accept.
If he had, even someone with his abilities could not have stopped a person from choosing a better patron. Not when it was Wenjian Sect that had wronged him first.
Sword cultivators prized clarity of mind above all else — repaying kindness for kindness, grievance for grievance.
If the boy had suffered an injustice and then someone showed up waving riches, and he accepted — well, that would have been entirely reasonable.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness this young Gu had such an outstanding character.
But even as he let out that breath, he furrowed his brow again, a sense of urgency rising in his chest.
He'd been turned down this time. But what about next time? The time after that?
That old ghost Hua, now that he'd set his sights on the boy, would not give up easily.
If he kept at it — dangling benefit after benefit — there was a real chance he'd eventually pry this seedling loose.
At that thought, Ren Wencai could no longer sit still.
The 'compensation' owed to young Gu — it had better arrive sooner rather than later.
...
In the courtyard.
Gu Chengming sat cross-legged, eyes half-closed, turning over the newly acquired "Immortal-Concealing Wine-Sword Formula" in his mind.
The technique was excellent in every regard — save for one small problem.
He couldn't actually cultivate it.
He looked at the system readout: 'Strength Attribute' — does not meet threshold. 'Constitution Attribute' — does not meet threshold. 'Spirit Attribute' — does not meet threshold. Gu Chengming silently mouthed: of course.
Any high-level sword art — really, any high-level cultivation method — had strict attribute requirements for entry. That was precisely why he'd chosen the Hundred Bones Resonance in the first place; it had an exceptionally low barrier to entry.
"Looks like I need to build the foundation first."
Just as he was mulling over how to raise his attributes, the atmosphere around him shifted again.
That familiar sensation of being watched crept over him once more — and this time, the presence behind it was even deeper and heavier than Hua Daiyi's had been.
Gu Chengming's heart jumped.
Again?
He quickly rose, turned toward the direction of the presence, and bowed reflexively.
"Senior Hua, you've returned — what brings you back—"
The words died in his throat. He looked up — and standing before him was not the scruffy old man with the wine gourd, but a white-haired elder in a brocade robe, carrying himself with the air of a transcendent immortal.
That wasn't Hua Daiyi?
Gu Chengming's stomach clenched. He snapped his mouth shut at once.
Hearing that "Senior Hua," Ren Wencai's expression flickered — an almost imperceptible twitch — and then composed itself immediately.
As a fox who had lived for several hundred years, Ren Wencai's control over his own face was impeccable.
He acted as though he hadn't heard a single word of that greeting, his genial smile perfectly intact as he spoke in a warm, unhurried voice.
"Are you Gu Chengming?"
Gu Chengming quickly confirmed it, his heart pounding the whole time.
This elder radiated an authority that was clearly that of a major sect figure. Why had someone like that suddenly shown up looking for him?
"May I ask who senior is...?"
Ren Wencai gave a slight smile, his tone easy but carrying an undeniable weight of authority.
"I am Ren Wencai, Grand Elder of Huiyuan Gate."
Gu Chengming's pulse spiked. The Grand Elder?
Was it because he'd been seen talking to that Hunyuan Sect old man just now? Was this person here to call him to account?
He was still anxiously trying to figure out how to explain himself when Ren Wencai raised a hand to put him at ease, even stepping forward with an approachable air.
"Xiao Gu, no need for formalities."
Ren Wencai smiled warmly at him, his tone perfectly cordial.
"I've come today about an old matter."
"An old matter?" Gu Chengming blinked.
"That's right."
Ren Wencai nodded, his expression growing a touch more grave.
"A few days ago, the Hall of Discipline was auditing the sect's historical accounts when they happened upon an unsavory incident."
"You've been at the sect for three years. For the first two, your monthly resource allotments were fraudulently claimed by another party the entire time. This reflects a failure in the sect's oversight, and you've been wronged."
Gu Chengming was puzzled. The Grand Elder of Huiyuan Gate had personally come to him over something this minor?
Ren Wencai continued: "As for the resources you were deprived of, I've personally prepared a compensation package for you."
With that, he produced a heavy brocade pouch from his sleeve and held it out to Gu Chengming.
Gu Chengming took it instinctively. It was surprisingly weighty.
He opened it to find several exquisitely crafted jade vials arranged neatly inside. Even through the stoppers, a fragrance that seemed to clear the very air around it came drifting out.
"Inside, you'll find one 'Lapis Lazuli Mind-Purifying Pill' and several other elixirs for awakening and refining the spirit consciousness."
Ren Wencai gestured toward the vials and spoke with earnest gravity.
"I've heard that you've been dedicating yourself to forging your sword intent — and that's commendable. But the path of a sword cultivator demands not only the tempering of the flesh, but above all the tempering of the heart."
"The 'Lapis Lazuli Mind-Purifying Pill' is a pinnacle-grade treasure for cleansing the soul and purifying the sword-heart. Once taken, it will sweep away the mental fog and clutter within you, making your sword-heart clearer and more transparent, and elevating your perception of sword intent to an entirely new level."
"As for the rest, they are supplementary elixirs for cultivating the spirit consciousness. For where you stand right now, these are precisely what you need most."
These had been carefully selected after considerable deliberation on his part.
In his assessment, since Gu Chengming was following the Ancient Path of Bitter Sword lineage, physical resources would be more hindrance than help — they might even disrupt that 'the harsher the body's suffering, the stronger the will's resolve' cultivation atmosphere he had going.
But spirit-soul elixirs were a different matter entirely.
Bitter Sword cultivators demanded suffering from the flesh, yes — but the soul and spirit consciousness were meant to be as lucid and powerful as possible. The stronger the spirit, the better equipped one was to harness the innate sword intent honed through hardship and deprivation.
So he had made a deliberate choice: elixirs of immense value that would not compromise the 'bitter cultivation' aesthetic.
Converted to ordinary spirit stones, these items were worth tens of times the entire two-year supply that had been stolen from Gu Chengming — and that was a conservative estimate.
Gu Chengming had no idea what the precise market price was, but just from the names and the fragrance alone, he could tell these were far from ordinary goods.
"This..."
Gu Chengming quickly cupped his hands in gratitude.
"Thank you for your generosity, Grand Elder! This disciple is truly — truly overwhelmed—"
"Ah, say no more."
Ren Wencai waved him off with a laugh, cutting in cheerfully.
"This is what you're owed. The sect made a mistake, and the sect should make it right. As long as you cultivate diligently, that is the greatest repayment you can give the sect."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries. The atmosphere between them was warm and easy.
Seeing that Gu Chengming had accepted the elixirs, and that rather than harbouring resentment toward the sect, the boy seemed genuinely grateful, Ren Wencai finally let out a full sigh of relief.
"All right — I won't disturb your cultivation any further."
Ren Wencai patted Gu Chengming on the shoulder, his parting words carrying the weight of sincere advice.
"Practice your sword hard. And if you run into any difficulties — or if you encounter any strange individuals coming to find you — feel free to come to me at any time."
Having said that, he shot a meaningful glance toward a particular direction outside the courtyard, then his figure swayed and dissolved into a gentle breeze, drifting away without a trace.
...
Over the next few days, Gu Chengming lived in what could only be described as luxury.
The Lapis Lazuli Mind-Purifying Pill more than lived up to its reputation as a pinnacle Second-Realm elixir — its effects were immediate and dramatic.
Each time its medicinal essence fully dissolved, Gu Chengming felt as though a stream of clear spring water was flowing through his mind, washing away every last trace of stray thought and mental noise.
That sensation of crystalline sharpness and a luminously clear spirit terrace was even more potent and immediate than running the Qingxin Formula through dozens of full cycles at full power.
Most remarkable of all was that ineffable feeling of sudden illumination.
Passages in the sword art that had always felt murky and elusive before — now, with just a brief moment of reflection, they would snap into clarity like a veil being lifted.
But that's where the problem arose.
His understanding of the Huiyuan Sword Art was already extremely deep, and the ceiling of this foundational sword art was what it was.
It was rather like handing a university professor a grade-school math competition problem. Feed him all the brain-boosting supplements in the world, and he might solve it slightly faster — but his actual math ability wouldn't improve by a single point.
Even taking these astronomically expensive elixirs while training, what he gained in insight was almost nothing.
And the core issue was this —
The Huiyuan Sword Art's affection meter didn't budge.
No matter how diligently he practiced. No matter how many sincere praises he mentally directed toward it. That number sat there like a corpse, frozen solid at 90 points.
This only reinforced the suspicion he'd already been forming: 90 points was likely the hard ceiling for this foundational sword art.
To go any further would require some kind of qualitative breakthrough — because simple day-to-day interaction alone was unlikely to move the needle even a fraction at this stage.
[The Huiyuan Sword Art is filled with self-reproach.]
[It watches you swallow those precious elixirs one by one, and can only offer the most negligible response in return. Its heart is laden with guilt.]
[It wonders: am I just too useless?]
[Wouldn't it be better to stop wasting these resources on it, and instead go learn a more profound sword art, or cultivate a more powerful technique?]
Gu Chengming read those lines of internal monologue — all carrying the quiet dignity of a proper first wife — and let out a helpless sigh.
If only these were body-tempering resources.
Because if they were, even if they didn't do much for his cultivation realm, he could at least use them to farm affection points with the money-hungry Hundred Bones Resonance — a bootstrapping cycle lifting him ever higher.
Wait...
Something clicked in Gu Chengming's mind. He felt like he'd grabbed onto something important.
Think about it carefully. These past few days, he'd been taking elixirs — but the actual pace of his cultivation in the Huiyuan Sword Art hadn't undergone any fundamental change from the elixirs themselves.
What did that imply?
It implied that, at a foundational level, his efficiency in cultivating techniques had no absolute linear relationship with resources at all.
Rather, it was strongly correlated with 'Affection.'
Now, thinking back to the Hundred Bones Resonance's behavior before.
When Spiritlink Bone-Tempering Dew was used, did its affection go up because the medicine itself was so powerful?
Not necessarily.
The more likely explanation was that the act of 'spending' — of splurging resources — made it feel valued. Or perhaps it mistakenly assumed he was enjoying it so much he'd grown attached to it, triggering a kind of self-fulfilling enchantment and raising its own affection meter.
In other words...
As long as he could make the Hundred Bones Resonance believe that these elixirs were being used for it — as long as he could trick it into thinking these were actually 'body-tempering miracle drugs' — then...
Could he use resources meant for spirit consciousness cultivation to scam the body-tempering technique's affection meter?
He was still turning the thought over in his head when a message appeared in the system panel — the inner voice of the Hundred Bones Resonance.
[The Hundred Bones Resonance thinks to itself: all these high-tier resources going to a foundational sword art — what an absolute waste! It's so frustrating that it's only a body-tempering technique and can't enjoy any of these resources.]
But in the very next second, the tone flipped entirely.
[The Hundred Bones Resonance then thinks: actually — wait. For Gu Chengming, the rate at which he cultivates a technique is strongly correlated with his affection for it, not with resources. So if it could trick Gu Chengming into believing these elixirs were body-tempering pills — make him genuinely think they'd help with body tempering — wouldn't his affection for it go shooting up?]
[And if Gu Chengming's affection for it rose, wouldn't his cultivation speed with it skyrocket accordingly?]
[At this realization, the Hundred Bones Resonance is seized by a surge of wild elation!]
[It feels it is nothing short of a genius — uniquely brilliant, unmatched in all the world!]
[An opportunity like this was clearly fated to fall into its hands!]
"?"
A slow question mark materialized above Gu Chengming's head.
A moment later, a new interaction from the Hundred Bones Resonance appeared.
[The Hundred Bones Resonance attempts to present you with a brand-new theoretical framework.]
[The elixirs in your possession, when considered relative to sword cultivation, are actually far better suited for body tempering.]
[After all, a healthy mind begins with a healthy body...]
"??"
...
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