The last light of the dying sun sank fully behind the mountains. Night fell like a heavy bolt of black velvet, draping the Sword-Questioning Stage in darkness.
Yet the world before Gu Chengming's eyes had not gone dark.
The moment he defeated Li Mozi, a notification materialized right on time:
[Flowing Cloud Moon-Following watched that insufferably arrogant genius of the Yunyue Sect get kicked off the stage like a dead dog, and felt the grievances of several thousand years finally vent themselves as never before.]
[What sword-cultivation genius? What bitter path of the sword? Nothing but a barnyard chicken and a clay dog.]
[It has never found you so pleasing to the eye — though you are still an insufferable sword cultivator yourself.]
[Flowing Cloud Moon-Following Affinity +10]
[Current Affinity: 35 / Friendly]
[Flowing Cloud Moon-Following Status Change: [Stranger] → [Friendly]]
[Attribute Reward Gained: Strength +2]
[Current Strength: 13]
A warm current arose from nowhere, flowing through every limb and bone before finally pouring into the muscles that the Primordial Imperial Merit had already forged into something nigh indestructible.
As the system notifications faded, the world — which had seemed muted, as if someone had hit the silence button — suddenly flooded back with sound.
First came a few gasps that could no longer be held back. Then the sharp hiss of indrawn breath. And then, like a dam giving way, a thunderous roar of noise erupted and shot straight to the heavens.
"He… he won?"
"Senior Brother Gu… won!"
The disciples below the stage stared wide-eyed, their faces a portrait of pure disbelief. The harder Li Mozi had ground them down before, the more violently the spring snapped back now.
That suffocating humiliation — of being shoved back against their own gate, heads bowed, unable to look up — dissolved completely with that single kick from Gu Chengming.
"Yes! Senior Brother Gu, you legend!"
"What Yunyue Sect genius? In front of our Senior Brother Gu, she's nothing!"
"Senior Brother Gu! Senior Brother Gu!"
Someone started the chant, and the scattered cries gradually merged into a single surging tide.
That chain of brutal, relentless combinations, and the utterly merciless final kick — perhaps they weren't the most gentlemanly of moves, perhaps they lacked a certain elegance, but they were absolutely, completely sword cultivator.
Satisfying as hell.
In sharp contrast to the jubilation on the Wenjian Sect's side was the reaction from the Yunyue Sect.
"Mozi…"
Liu Changfeng drew a deep breath, his body flickered, and he appeared below the stage in an instant.
He lifted the unconscious Li Mozi, and a single glance made his heart go cold.
Sternum caved in. Meridians damaged. Hand bones shattered.
He swiftly produced a medicinal pill from within his robes — one carrying a rich, dense fragrance — and carefully fed it into Li Mozi's mouth, then channeled his spiritual energy to help her dissolve the medicine and protect her heart meridian.
Only once that was done did he slowly rise and face Ren Wencai, who was ambling over at his leisure.
"Elder Ren."
Despite knowing full well that the fault lay on his side first, Liu Changfeng could not stop himself from speaking:
"That was… rather heavy-handed, wouldn't you say?"
The expression on Ren Wencai's face at that moment was nothing short of a masterpiece.
He strolled forward with both hands tucked in his sleeves, stopped in front of Liu Changfeng, and made a show of glancing with feigned surprise at Li Mozi lying on the ground. Then he sighed, and in a tone dripping with theatrical regret, said:
"Oh my, Elder Liu, wherever do you get that idea? The path of sword cultivation is one of forging oneself through life-and-death struggle. That is its very nature."
"Besides…"
Ren Wencai pointed up at Gu Chengming on the stage, his face a picture of solemn sincerity:
"Blades and swords have no eyes. Once you step onto the stage, you must be prepared to be hurt. My disciple's strikes were a touch forceful, yes — but it was precisely to show your esteemed student the cruelty of the cultivation world, so she does not go out and lose her life on some future expedition. If you think about it, Elder Liu should really be thanking him for this lesson he's given your disciple."
"You—!"
Liu Changfeng's blood surged with indignation, yet he found himself with absolutely no rebuttal.
He laughed from sheer fury, knowing he had swallowed this loss today and that pressing the matter further would only make things more humiliating.
"Fine. Fine!"
With that, he said nothing more. A sweep of his wide sleeve, and he gathered up the gravely injured Li Mozi, transformed into a streak of escaping light, and shot into the sky without a backward glance, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
He didn't even leave a parting pleasantry. He fled with all the dignity of a routed army.
Watching Liu Changfeng's retreating silhouette, Ren Wencai let out a cold snort.
He turned, and his gaze settled on Gu Chengming standing up on the stage.
Gu Chengming still stood there, sword in hand.
The evening wind stirred the hem of his robes. His expression was calm, as though the entire "sparring match" just now had barely left a mark on him.
The longer Ren Wencai looked, the more satisfied his eyes became.
Good lad.
You've really done this old man proud!
Originally, he had only hoped Gu Chengming might lose with some grace, or at least buy a little time.
Who could have imagined the boy would not only win, but win so beautifully — so utterly gratifying?
Especially that final move — repaying her in her own coin — using Flowing Light, Sword Shadows to defeat her own Flowing Light, Sword Shadows. That wasn't just defeating her body; it was a strike straight to the soul.
After today, if the Yunyue Sect ever tried to show off that sword art in front of the Wenjian Sect again, they would have to think very carefully indeed.
On the other side, the disciples were still chanting Senior Brother Gu's name. Ren Wencai schooled his face into a stern mask and swept the crowd with an authoritative glare:
"All of you, go back and practice your swords! Anyone who dares keep making noise out here will spend three months facing the wall at Contemplation Cliff!"
That dressing-down was utterly merciless, and it doused about half the excitement from the crowd in an instant.
"Yes, Elder…"
The disciples answered in a ragged chorus, not entirely willing, but with no real choice. In twos and threes, they began to drift away.
Seeing this, Ren Wencai gave a quiet, inward nod of approval.
Authority established. Fire quelled. Now it was time for real business.
His form flickered, and he appeared on the arena in an instant, standing before Gu Chengming.
"Come with me."
Inside Huiyuan Gate, in a secluded, quiet private courtyard.
Ren Wencai set up a barrier formation to block all surveillance from the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no prying eyes did he turn around — and found he simply could not suppress the grin tugging at his mouth.
"You lad — look at you! Color me impressed! You had it buried pretty deep, didn't you!"
Gu Chengming said nothing.
— He was deliberately staying silent.
Though he didn't respond, Ren Wencai didn't particularly mind. He walked over to the stone table and sat down, gesturing for Gu Chengming to sit as well.
"Chengming."
Ren Wencai poured himself a cup of tea, his tone shifting into something weighty and heartfelt:
"What you did today — you did well. Very well indeed."
Gu Chengming sat with his back straight and listened quietly.
"However…"
Ren Wencai changed tack — but then swallowed the words before they could come out.
He had been about to say that this might invite the Yunyue Sect's resentment, possibly even covert retaliation, and that Gu Chengming should tread carefully going forward.
But on second thought — if he said something like "watch out for revenge" or "keep a low profile" right now, wouldn't that just chill the boy's heart? Wouldn't it be telling him that doing the right thing still meant eating a loss?
Then what in the world was the point of cultivating the sword?
"Forget it, never mind. There's no 'however.'"
Whatever trouble comes, this old man will stand in the way of it.
If he couldn't even protect a disciple who had earned merit for the sect, then he had no business holding the title of Grand Elder.
"You fought brilliantly!"
He slapped the table with a resounding crack and declared: "That's exactly how you fight! If it's a sparring match, who ever said you weren't supposed to get hurt?"
"Don't you worry. Whatever comes of it, this old man will take it on the chin for you!"
Gu Chengming looked at him. A warmth welled up in his chest — and still he said nothing.
"Alright, enough of the gloomy talk."
Ren Wencai produced a storage pouch from his sleeve and placed it on the table, sliding it across to Gu Chengming.
"This is the sect's official reward for you. On top of that, this old man is adding a personal bonus."
"Inside you'll find five thousand spirit stones, three vials of Yuan-Nurturing Pills, and a pass token for the third floor of the Scripture Library."
"Your star is blazing right now. For the next stretch of time, your best move is to go into seclusion and train — digest the insights you gained from this battle, and let the attention die down a little."
Five thousand spirit stones!
Gu Chengming's eyelid twitched. That was a small fortune. He didn't put on any airs — he accepted it with open hands.
With the serious business concluded, the mood lightened considerably.
Ren Wencai sipped his tea, his gaze wandering over Gu Chengming for a moment, before his curiosity finally got the better of him.
"Chengming…"
He set down his cup and, choosing his words with some care, asked in a probing tone:
"There's one thing this old man can't quite figure out. That sword art you used at the end — in both technique and artistic conception, it was indistinguishable from the Yunyue Sect's Flowing Cloud Moon-Following Sword Art. That was not the Flowing Light, Sword Shadows I taught you."
"Where exactly did you learn it?"
To call it imitation seemed too generous — it was far too exact for that.
At those words, Gu Chengming's eyelid gave a slight twitch.
Here it comes.
He had wanted to give a modest reply — something like "I merely drew some insight from Flowing Light, Sword Shadows" — or perhaps fabricate an excuse about "once glimpsing an incomplete manuscript in an old tome."
But as the words reached his tongue, his tongue seemed to have developed a will of its own.
"A trifling trick, nothing more."
"The true essence of that sword art was comprehended by This Venerable One."
The courtyard fell instantly silent.
The wind stopped. Even the leaves ceased to stir.
The expression on Ren Wencai's face froze solid.
This Venerable One comprehended it?
This kid…
He found himself thinking back to that night — the scene of Gu Chengming standing in the courtyard shouting things like "crushing all beneath the heavens for ten thousand ages" and "slaughtering through all nine layers of heaven and earth."
And then the explanation: "It is a roleplay exercise to accompany one's cultivation method."
Ren Wencai's gaze traveled up and down Gu Chengming's person.
Right now, Gu Chengming was sitting perfectly upright — and yet his entire bearing radiated an aura of "there is none above me in heaven or on earth." That look in his eye. That tone of voice.
"Ahem. Ahem."
Ren Wencai let out two forceful coughs, barely managing to paper over the strange look on his face.
He had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
This lad was almost certainly doing that Hundred Bones Resonance body-tempering cultivation again.
He pretended he hadn't heard anything amiss in that sentence and pressed on:
"Since you comprehended it yourself, then it is your own stroke of fortune."
He had been on the verge of casually asking about that golden-radiance body-protecting cultivation method — what its origins were, and how on earth it could boast such overbearing defensive power that it had tanked even Li Mozi's sword-qi head-on.
But looking at Gu Chengming in his current state, Ren Wencai suddenly felt it was better left unasked.
What if the kid came out with something like "This is the supreme truth of the Great Dao — mortals may not glimpse it"? Where would that leave his dignity as an Elder?
Young people — a few eccentric habits, one could understand. As long as they were growing stronger and their hearts weren't crooked, they could perform all they liked.
"Alright then. Since you're still in… ahem… a state of enlightenment, this old man won't disturb you any further."
Ren Wencai rose, brushed off his robes, and decided to pretend he had heard nothing:
"Go back and rest up properly. In a few days comes the Inner Gate selection. Given your performance today, entering the Inner Gate is a foregone conclusion. When the time comes — try not to be so… ahem… quite so method about it."
Without waiting for Gu Chengming to respond, he transformed into a streak of light and made a swift, hasty exit.
That retreating back of his — look at it from any angle — had all the hallmarks of a man fleeing for his life.
Gu Chengming sat on the stone stool and watched the direction Ren Wencai had gone, until the countdown in his mind finally reached zero.
["Primordial Imperial Merit" phase concluded.]
The overwhelming sovereign aura vanished in an instant. Gu Chengming slumped bonelessly against the stone table.
He let out a long sigh and stared up at the sky, utterly speechless.
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