The night breeze was faintly cool, but the atmosphere in the small courtyard had gone rather stiff.
Well. Explaining this was going to be a little difficult.
"Ahem..."
Gu Chengming's mind was racing, though he kept his expression carefully composed. He clasped his hands in a respectful salute and said, "The two Elders have misunderstood. What this disciple was just practicing is the Hundred Bones Resonance."
Ren Wencai and Zhao Wuji exchanged a glance.
This body-tempering technique was an unorthodox one, but it was hardly a secret within the sect. The method was all about using the body as a furnace and resonating through the hundred bones — the process was demanding enough, sure, but nobody had ever seen anyone practice it quite like this.
Seeing that neither Elder had spoken yet, Gu Chengming steeled himself and began to improvise.
"Over the past few days of training with this method, this disciple suddenly felt the true intent contained within it. That true intent is fierce and unyielding — as though it seeks to shatter the bonds of heaven and earth and sweep across all eight corners of the world."
[Hundred Bones Resonance is overjoyed, thinking: Emperor Gu truly understands me. This is precisely the invincible sovereign's true intent that belongs to this Sovereign!]
Gu Chengming ignored the sycophantic commentary in his head and continued with a perfectly straight face.
"However, this disciple is slow-witted. Though I can sense that intent, I have never been able to fully resonate with it, which has caused my cultivation progress to stall. After much agonized thought, this disciple hit upon an unconventional remedy."
Zhao Wuji's brow furrowed slightly. "What sort of remedy?"
Gu Chengming asked the two Elders to wait a moment, then ducked back into his study.
The candle inside flickered softly, the desk buried under a mess of papers. He made a show of rummaging through them — really just using the moment to slow his heartbeat — then grabbed the stack of "rough drafts" he'd prepared long in advance to pass the time.
Returning to the courtyard, he produced a sheaf of paper covered in writing, and held it out to the two Elders as he spoke.
"In his leisure hours, this disciple enjoys writing... ah, serialized adventure stories. The protagonists of these stories tend to be figures who endure tremendous hardships before ultimately becoming unrivaled under heaven."
"It occurred to this disciple on a whim: if one were to immerse oneself in the mindset of such a character, and recite their bold and sweeping declarations aloud — might that not help one resonate with that domineering true intent?"
"So just now, this disciple gave it a try. I never expected... the results to be so remarkably effective. I simply got too carried away, lost myself for a moment, and disturbed the two Elders. This disciple is truly at fault."
Ren Wencai took the sheaf of papers and skimmed a few lines by moonlight.
Atop the immortal summit, contemptuous of all the world... when the day comes that yin and yang are thrown into chaos, I shall dye the blue heavens crimson with my demonic blood!
Ren Wencai: "..."
Zhao Wuji: "..."
Immersing oneself in a story character's mindset in order to find resonance with the technique's domineering true intent.
It sounded absurd, yes — but in the cultivation world, people had been known to do far stranger things in pursuit of enlightenment.
The reasoning was internally consistent, and looking at Gu Chengming — his eyes clear, his logic coherent — he showed no signs of having gone cultivation-mad.
"I see."
Ren Wencai let out a long breath and handed the drafts back to Gu Chengming.
"This method of yours for seeking enlightenment... while it is certainly creative, do take care not to become so lost in it that you can no longer distinguish fiction from reality."
Zhao Wuji still harbored a trace of doubt in his heart, but he couldn't find any crack in the story, so he could only nod.
"If it is required for your cultivation, then so be it. Only — do not make such a loud commotion in the middle of the night again. It invites misunderstanding."
With the misunderstanding resolved, the atmosphere relaxed considerably.
Just then, Ren Wencai seemed to remember something and asked offhandedly, "These stories of yours... is this all you've written?"
Gu Chengming blinked, and answered without thinking, "There are a few finished copies — I gave them to Elder Yu earlier."
"Elder Yu?" Ren Wencai paused, his tone turning a touch peculiar. "Which Elder Yu?"
"Elder Yu Wenqiu of the Hidden Sword Pavilion."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ren Wencai's expression underwent a spectacular transformation.
First came shock, then exasperation, and finally a deep, heavy concern settled in. He held his tongue for a long moment before speaking in a tone laden with earnest advice.
"Chengming, in the future — if you have nothing pressing — try to keep your contact with Elder Yu to a minimum."
Gu Chengming: "?"
Looking at Ren Wencai's expression — that pained, unsaid look of a man trying to warn someone away from a bad influence — Gu Chengming felt a strange flicker of emotion.
Elder Yu... just how bad is your reputation in this sect?
"This disciple will keep that in mind," Gu Chengming replied obediently.
Now that the matter was settled, the two Elders had no reason to linger.
Ren Wencai offered a few more reminders about cultivation matters. Zhao Wuji, seizing on the topic of the tournament rankings, managed a rather stiff compliment or two — "steadfast Dao-heart," "neither arrogant nor rash" — and then the two took their leave.
But after they had walked some distance from the small courtyard, Ren Wencai suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhao Wuji.
"Something's off."
Zhao Wuji's heart lurched. "What's off?"
He thought Ren Wencai had noticed something suspicious in Gu Chengming's behavior just now.
But instead, Ren Wencai narrowed his eyes, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, and said:
"What exactly were you doing wandering around outside my outer-sect disciple's residence in the middle of the night?"
Zhao Wuji: "..."
He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word to say.
"Senior Brother Ren, I..."
"Enough, don't bother explaining! I understand completely!"
Ren Wencai let out a cold snort, shook his sleeve, and walked away.
"If I catch you sneaking around to see Chengming again, don't blame me for going straight to our Sect Master senior brother to report you!"
Watching Ren Wencai's indignant figure disappear into the night, Zhao Wuji stood alone in the evening wind, feeling utterly wronged with no way to defend himself.
---
After seeing the two Elders off, Gu Chengming shut the courtyard gate and collapsed into his chair.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his heart full of weary resignation.
He'd managed to bluff his way through this time — but if every future activation of Primordial Imperial Merit meant falling into that cringe-inducing "Sovereign" mode, he was going to embarrass himself in front of the entire sect sooner or later.
And those lines about "sweeping through the ages" — fine once or twice, but who could stand reciting that every single day?
"Hundred Bones Emperor," Gu Chengming called out.
[Hundred Bones Resonance: What does Emperor Gu command?]
"This 'Sovereign' status... is there really no way to turn it off? Or at least dial it back a little?"
In his sea of consciousness, Hundred Bones Resonance went quiet.
After a long pause, it let out a faint, mournful sigh.
[Hundred Bones Resonance says: Alas, Emperor Gu — a true powerhouse has no need to concern himself with the gaze of ants.]
[However, since you insist... very well. This Sovereign shall deduce a refinement, and see whether this technique can be improved.]
The moment those words faded, a notification popped up.
[Hundred Bones Resonance has entered a state of contemplation.]
"Holy—!"
Gu Chengming's eyes lit up, his heart surging with delight.
Old Bai, whatever else anyone might say about you — when it counts, you really come through.
About a quarter of an hour later.
A flash of light in his sea of consciousness, and the new notification arrived right on schedule.
[CG Status Updated]
[Hundred Bones Resonance CG / Primordial Imperial Merit (Improved): Derived from Hundred Bones Resonance's experiences within the illusory realm, fused with its own extreme conviction in the principle of "destruction as the precondition for rebirth," subsequently refined by Hundred Bones Resonance to meet specific needs.]
[Effect (Active): Can be activated in two stages.]
[Stage One: The host receives the blessing of "Primordial Imperial Aura." During this period, physical defense increases by 30%, and the host gains the special status: "Weak Sovereign." Duration is significantly extended.]
[Stage Two: Physical defense doubles. The host gains the special status: "Sovereign."]
[Duration: 40 minutes (Stage One extendable to 1 hour)]
[Cooldown: 2 days (reduced as CG unlock level increases)]
[Current Unlock Level: 30%]
Absolute legend, Hundred Bones Emperor.
Gu Chengming studied the brand-new attribute panel.
Stage One's defensive bonus was a bit lower, but it more than made up for it with its duration — and the speech patterns weren't quite so outrageously pompous, making it perfectly serviceable for supporting daily cultivation or handling ordinary fights.
The most immediately noticeable change: after activating Primordial Imperial Merit, Gu Chengming's self-address shifted from "this Sovereign" to "I." His tone was still a little... imperious, but it at least fell within the range of a normal human being.
---
In the days that followed, Gu Chengming's life finally settled back into tranquility.
Each day, he would find a window of time when no one was around and activate Stage One of Primordial Imperial Merit.
The CG unlock rate was slower than using Stage Two directly — but it was safe and inconspicuous, and that was what mattered.
And then, one morning a few days later.
With a faint, clean crack somewhere inside him, the bottleneck that had plagued him for so long shattered as easily as a sheet of paper.
Spiritual energy trickled in like a gentle stream, filling his dantian and sea of qi — noticeably denser than before.
First Realm, Sixth Layer. Done.
---
Daoning Gate. Jingshui Pavilion.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo blinds, illuminating every mote of dust drifting through the air with perfect clarity.
You Yuyao knelt at her desk, a spotless white silk cloth in hand, carefully wiping down the long sword she called "Autumn Water."
Once she finished polishing the blade, she uncapped a small bottle of sword oil with a crisp, cool fragrance and applied it to the edge, stroke by careful stroke.
When all of that was done, she sheathed the sword and set it on the topmost rack, then drew a slow breath, closed her eyes, and began circulating Jingshui Pavilion's cultivation method.
Since the day of her defeat at the training grounds, her heart had never quite found its footing.
Humiliating?
Naturally it was humiliating.
She was an inner-sect disciple of Daoning Gate, trained in the exquisite Flowing Cloud Sword Art — and she had been beaten to a complete standstill by someone using the most rudimentary entry-level sword technique, left without so much as a chance to fight back. She had even broken down crying in public.
For those few days afterward, she hadn't dared to step outside her door.
But as time passed, the initial shame and resentment gradually faded, replaced by something more complex and harder to name.
A loss was a loss.
She was simply outmatched. There was nothing to argue about.
Especially when the news came that Gu Chengming had placed seventh in the tournament — that final, lingering hope that he'd simply gotten lucky was completely crushed.
She had always prided herself on defending Senior Sister Su's honor. But looking back now, she had gone out of her way to provoke a fellow disciple she'd never even met before, with cutting words and reckless behavior. That wasn't defending her senior sister — that was dragging Daoning Gate's name through the mud.
A loss was a loss. Being outmatched was nothing to be ashamed of. What was truly shameful was being unable to accept a loss.
When you've done something wrong, you own it.
You Yuyao bit her lip. She was spoiled, yes — but she wasn't unreasonable.
Having recognized her own pettiness and prejudice, she couldn't simply pretend nothing had happened.
She had to go explain herself to him.
Besides — this score wasn't settled yet! Last time she'd lost so badly because she'd underestimated him and let her composure crumble. That was on her.
The apology was the apology. But she was getting that rematch sooner or later.
Her mind made up, You Yuyao rose to her feet with a sharp motion and straightened her robes.
But she'd barely taken a few steps out of Jingshui Pavilion before she ran into a problem.
Where did Gu Chengming live?
She'd been so focused on picking fights before that it had never once crossed her mind to find out.
After turning it over in her head, she thought of one person — Jiang Lu.
---
After some searching, You Yuyao finally tracked Jiang Lu down at a tea stall in the disciple market.
"Jiang junior brother."
You Yuyao walked over, making a deliberate effort to keep her voice mild — though the pale blue Daoning Gate robes on her back still made the disciples nearby reflexively tense their shoulders.
Jiang Lu had been right in the middle of a lively story when someone called his name out of nowhere. He turned around — and nearly sent his teacup flying.
The battle at the training grounds that day was still fresh in his memory.
Surely she's not here for revenge because she couldn't take the loss?
"Senior Sister You?" Jiang Lu swallowed. "What brings you to look for this junior brother?"
You Yuyao didn't waste words. She got straight to the point: "I want to know where Gu Chengming lives."
Jiang Lu's heart sank. Sure enough, she's here for revenge. His eyes darted sideways as he prepared to play dumb and stall, for the sake of his senior brother Gu's safety.
Then he heard You Yuyao continue: "What happened last time was my fault — I was too reckless. I've come to apologize in person today. And to deliver a formal challenge while I'm at it."
"Apologize?"
Jiang Lu froze, convinced he'd misheard.
This proud and imperious Senior Sister You — was voluntarily going to someone's door to apologize?
He studied her expression carefully. Her gaze was clear and steady; the hostility that had sharpened her brow before was gone, replaced by something open and frank.
Jiang Lu's heart immediately lifted.
This is great news.
He'd been worried ever since Senior Brother Gu won the match — winning was one thing, but he'd also managed to thoroughly offend Daoning Gate in the process. That was bound to mean trouble down the road.
Now that You Yuyao was willing to make the first move and back down, there was a real chance to bury the hatchet. Better to resolve a grudge than let it fester.
"How admirable of you, Senior Sister!"
Jiang Lu immediately perked up. "Senior Brother Gu's place is a bit out of the way and hard to find — why don't I lead you there myself?"
You Yuyao gave a small nod, her expression softening slightly. "Then I'll trouble you, Junior Brother Jiang."
"Not at all, not at all — right this way, Senior Sister!"
Jiang Lu led the way ahead, already scheming about how, once they got there, he could help smooth things over between these two and ideally get Senior Brother Gu to put on a display of magnanimous grace — enough to put this whole business to rest once and for all.
The two of them set off one after the other, passing through the disciple market and winding along the mountain path toward the secluded little courtyard where Gu Chengming lived.
---
The sun was sinking in the west, a few brilliant streaks of evening cloud lingering on the horizon, casting a faint wash of gold and red over Gu Chengming's small courtyard.
Gu Chengming sat upright at the stone table, spine perfectly straight, hands resting loosely on his knees — a quiet but unmistakable air of pressure radiating from him without any apparent effort.
This was his daily Primordial Imperial Merit cultivation session. At the moment, he was in the Stage One "Weak Sovereign" state.
The Weak Sovereign state lacked the full authority of the Sovereign — but it also lacked the full insufferability of the Sovereign.
All in all, with the Primordial Imperial Merit CG active, the current Gu Chengming was still approximately half a normal person.
Knock knock knock.
Someone rapped on the courtyard gate — quick, firm strokes.
Before Gu Chengming could even respond, that already rather weatherworn wooden door was shoved open.
You Yuyao strode in with long, confident steps, Jiang Lu trailing behind her.
The girl was still in her pale blue Daoning Gate disciple robes, sword slung across her back, that habitual air of pride and forcefulness written across her features.
Even though she'd come with apologies in mind, the arrogance she'd been raised with made her look far more like someone arriving to pick a fight.
She entered the courtyard, and her gaze locked immediately onto the figure seated at the stone table. Her footsteps faltered for just an instant — then quickened.
"Gu Chengming. Good, you're here."
You Yuyao swept her eyes across the courtyard. Seeing Gu Chengming seated perfectly still without rising, she frowned ever so slightly — but said nothing, and walked straight to the other side of the stone table.
Gu Chengming's heart dropped.
Oh no.
The state hasn't worn off yet.
Under normal circumstances, he would have stood up and exchanged some polite pleasantries, or found an excuse to send them away.
But right now...
He could feel that force called "Imperial Aura" surging through him. It wasn't as overbearing as Stage Two — but it was still exerting a substantial pull on his state of mind.
If he tried to throw them out and something like "how dare insects set foot in this Sovereign's sacred ground" came out of his mouth, then there would be absolutely no salvaging today's situation.
Jiang Lu, sharp as ever, had already picked up on that faint but unmistakable aura of pressure surrounding Senior Brother Gu.
Usually Senior Brother Gu didn't say much, but the feeling he gave off was always warm and understated.
Today, though... just sitting there, Senior Brother Gu somehow made it feel difficult to breathe.
"Senior Brother Gu, Senior Sister You came here especially to—" Jiang Lu steeled himself and tried to break the ice.
Gu Chengming said nothing. He simply dipped his chin slightly — a minimal acknowledgment.
Jiang Lu: "..."
You Yuyao, for her part, didn't really notice any of this.
She drew a slow breath and did her best to look like she wasn't squirming.
This was, after all, her first time apologizing to anyone — and of all people, to someone she'd looked down on without reservation before. That left her feeling completely at a loss for what to do with her hands.
The words she'd carefully rehearsed all refused to come out the moment they reached her lips.
So, to cover her awkwardness, she simply dropped onto the stone stool and picked up the wine jug Jiang Lu had brought along.
"About what happened before — that was my fault."
As she spoke, she poured herself a bowl of wine, her tone a little stiff, her eyes carefully trained on the sloshing liquid rather than Gu Chengming's face.
"I'm not the kind of person who can't accept a loss."
With that, she lifted the bowl toward her lips.
But at that very moment.
Gu Chengming — who had been completely silent up until now — suddenly spoke.
"What's this, little You."
"Is the wine going to pour itself into my bowl?"
Well. That went sideways anyway.
____
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