Holding the copy of [Hundred Bones Resonance], Gu Chengming returned to his small courtyard.
He arranged the pile of bottles and jars he claimed from the Hidden Sword Pavilion on the stone table, then impatiently opened the [Hundred Bones Resonance] manual.
The content of the technique was just as the female disciple had said: simple and crude.
There were no profound meridian circulation charts, nor were there deep incantations. The entire text explained how to use various extreme methods to stimulate, beat, and temper every inch of bone and muscle in the body.
For example, the first layer, "Iron Skin," required the cultivator to use a hard wooden stick to repeatedly beat the skin all over the body in a specific order and force until a layer of fine blood beads appeared on the surface. Then, they had to soak in a special medicinal liquid to repair the damage, repeating the cycle.
Looking at the almost masochistic cultivation methods in the manual, Gu Chengming didn't feel fear; instead, he rubbed his hands in excitement.
He first found a bottle of "Blood Replenishing Pills" from the pile of elixirs, poured out two, and swallowed them. Feeling a warm current spreading in his abdomen, he took a deep breath and found a hardwood stick about the thickness of an arm from the corner of the courtyard.
"Alright then, let's begin!"
Following the diagram for the first layer "Iron Skin" of [Hundred Bones Resonance], he took off his upper garment, revealing a slightly thin but well-proportioned upper body.
Then, he raised the wooden stick, aimed at his left arm, and smashed it down hard.
Thud!
A muffled sound.
Intense pain instantly transmitted from his arm, causing Gu Chengming to suck in a breath of cold air.
But he didn't stop. Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, he continued to swing the wooden stick.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull sounds of striking echoed in the quiet courtyard.
He followed the order recorded in the technique, from arms to chest, then to his back, not sparing a single inch of skin.
Soon, patches of shocking redness, swelling, and bruises appeared on his skin.
After he had beaten his whole body once, he looked as if he had been fished out of water. He was covered in sweat, his face pale, his lips trembling slightly.
Supporting his body with difficulty, he walked to the stone table, poured a bottle of brown medicinal liquid into a wooden bucket, and then soaked his entire body in it.
"Hiss—"
The moment the medicinal liquid touched his wounds, an indescribable stinging pain hit him, making him grimace again.
But following this stinging pain came a cool and refreshing sensation, as if countless tiny hands were gently massaging his injured muscles and skin.
Gu Chengming soaked in the medicinal bucket for a full two hours.
When he came out of the wooden bucket, the redness, swelling, and bruises on his body had largely subsided, replaced by an unprecedented sense of relaxation and comfort.
He could clearly feel that his skin seemed to have become slightly tougher than before.
However, when he opened the panel, wanting to check the Affection of [Hundred Bones Resonance], he found the panel empty.
No Affection display.
This meant he hadn't entered the sect yet—he hadn't learned it.
'No way...' Gu Chengming was dumbfounded.
He had completed the first round of cultivation exactly according to the requirements of the technique, endured the pain, soaked in the medicine, and yet he hadn't even reached the entry level?
He refused to believe it.
For the next few days, Gu Chengming acted as if he was in a standoff with [Hundred Bones Resonance].
He repeated the same masochistic cultivation every day. Beating, soaking, beating again, soaking again...
The "Blood Replenishing Pills" and body tempering medicinal liquids he claimed from the Hidden Sword Pavilion were being consumed at a visible rate.
However, three days passed.
Aside from making him live in a cycle of "pain and pleasure" every day and turning his skin more and more like tough ox hide, [Hundred Bones Resonance] still showed no Affection.
He still hadn't mastered the basics.
Only then did Gu Chengming realize something in hindsight.
'This technique, although it has no restriction on realm... my aptitude is truly too poor.'
'This body has a weak foundation and mediocre aptitude to begin with.'
'Trying to forcibly master a body tempering technique with extremely high requirements for the physical body using this masochistic method... the difficulty can be imagined.'
'I miscalculated.'
Gu Chengming slumped on the ground, looking at his fresh bruises, wanting to cry but having no tears.
'If I had known this, I would have been better off choosing an ordinary technique with lower aptitude requirements.'
'Now look at this. I spent a pile of resources, suffered quite a bit, and didn't even touch the door.'
Just as Gu Chengming was having a headache over the entry problem of [Hundred Bones Resonance], he didn't notice that because of his "change of heart" these past few days, a certain "person" on the other side had already started to become dissatisfied.
[Huiyuan Sword Art discovered that you haven't touched it for three consecutive days.]
[Is it really true that once you have a new love, you forget the old one?]
Looking at these lines that suddenly popped up on the panel, Gu Chengming couldn't help but be stunned.
'Isn't this the most common love triangle scenario in Galgames?!'
'I'm burning with anxiety over the entry problem of the new love here, and over there, the old love has started to throw a tantrum.'
However, before he could figure out how to appease this "Resentful Housewife," [Cleansing Heart Mantra] on the other side also suddenly popped up.
[The Cleansing Heart Mantra watches everything happening before it with great interest. It finds it very amusing.]
Gu Chengming: "..."
He finally understood what kind of romance target the [Cleansing Heart Mantra] was.
It turned out it was purely a spectator looking for a show?
However, as a seasoned Master of Galgames, how could such a trivial love triangle stump him?
Gu Chengming reacted extremely quickly. Almost at the exact moment the self-pitying text from the [Huiyuan Sword Art] popped up, he immediately put away the expression on his face and replaced it with a look of regret and pity.
He stood up, walked to the wooden sword hanging on the wall, and gently stroked the blade with a gaze full of attachment and reluctance to part.
"Sigh..."
He let out a long sigh, his tone filled with helplessness:
"With my current body, trying to perfectly bring out the true artistic conception of the Huiyuan Sword Art is still too difficult."
As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the pile of unused body tempering medicinal liquid beside him, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
"Originally, I thought that by using a body tempering technique, I could first raise my physical strength so that I could better master the sword intent of the Huiyuan Sword Art. It turns out... did I still think too simply?"
His performance, full of emotion and sincerity, had an immediate effect.
[Huiyuan Sword Art heard your inner voice, and it suddenly realized the truth.]
[It turns out that you neglected it in order to better possess it.]
[It feels that its suspicion just now was truly uncalled for.]
[It feels somewhat moved, and also somewhat guilty.]
[Huiyuan Sword Art Affection +5]
[Current Affection: Friendly (50/100)]
Looking at the rising Affection, Gu Chengming held back from making a smug "Just as planned" face.
'What do you call a Galgame Master? (Tactical lean back)'