Gu Chengming ignored the constant nagging of Hundred Bones Resonating in his mind.
In situations like this, a galgame player is usually presented with two options.
Option A: Follow the advice, switch to a powerful character, and take the stable path of the meta-gamer.
Option B: Stick with it until the end and break through the so-called "ceiling" in the subsequent plot to unlock the character's True End.
For Gu Chengming, did he even need to choose?
While maintaining a respectful expression toward the elder, he secretly shook his head and laughed in his heart.
Sigh, Old Bai, I'll give it to you that you're easy to charm, but how is it that even your bond-event triggers are so easy to find?
At this point, Gu Chengming had categorized Hundred Bones Resonating as the easiest-to-conquer technique in the entire Wenjian Sect.
Yu Wenqiu’s words had, inadvertently, pointed out the final step for him to "conquer" Hundred Bones Resonating.
"Thank you for the advice, Elder."
Gu Chengming’s expression was sincere. He didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction despite Yu Wenqiu’s belittling of the technique. Instead, he followed her lead and said, "I understand the gravity of the situation. It's just that I have practiced this Hundred Bones Resonating for a long time and used it as my foundation for Qi Building. If I were to switch abruptly, I fear I might suffer some discomfort."
Seeing him say this, Yu Wenqiu found it difficult to press the matter further.
She wasn't the type of person who liked to force her will on others. She had already explained the pros and cons; ultimately, the path he chose was the disciple’s own business.
"Very well."
Yu Wenqiu nodded, her tone returning to its usual lazy and casual state.
"Body tempering is not something that can be rushed. Since you insist, then so be it. However, regarding the mental cultivation method..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Gu Chengming as if she were measuring something.
"Come find me when you have decided on your primary body-tempering technique. At that time, I will select the most compatible mental cultivation method for you based on its characteristics."
"Primary techniques and mental methods must complement each other to go far. If they are mixed haphazardly, you will only get half the results with twice the effort."
Yu Wenqiu’s willingness to personally vet and select a "compatible" mental method for him was no small favor.
Gu Chengming understood this and bowed again. "The Elder’s kindness is deeply etched in my heart."
"Alright, you may go."
Yu Wenqiu waved her hand and picked up the storybook she hadn't finished yet, clearly issuing a dismissal.
"Don't delay my reading."
Holding the newly acquired Tinglan Sword, Gu Chengming didn't linger and turned to exit the Cangjian Pavilion.
By the time he returned to his small courtyard in a remote corner of the Outer Sect, it was nearly dusk.
Gu Chengming closed the courtyard gate behind him, cutting off the noise of the outside world.
"Clang—"
The long sword left its scabbard.
The Tinglan Sword was indeed a graded Dharma tool. The blade was a translucent deep blue, and holding it in his hand brought a refreshing chill that seeped into his heart.
"A fine sword."
Gu Chengming praised, flicking his wrist to perform a sword flourish.
【Huiyuan Sword Manual feels this sword and likes it immensely—it's absolutely enamored with it】
【It hopes you can try out some sword moves with this blade】
Gu Chengming naturally fulfilled its wish.
He practiced the set of basic sword manuals he had long since mastered in the courtyard.
With the enhancement of the Tinglan Sword and the fully automatic assistance of the 【Huiyuan Sword Manual】, the sword light flowed like silk.
After finishing the set, Gu Chengming sheathed his sword and stood still, feeling completely refreshed. The circulation of his spiritual energy was smoother than ever.
"It is indeed handy."
He stroked the cold blade, returned it to its sheath, and placed it on the stone table.
After doing all this, Gu Chengming poured himself a cup of cold tea but didn't drink it.
Instead, he quietly watched the ripples in the tea, and his thoughts began to sink.
The sword issue was resolved. Next was to solve the problem of Hundred Bones Resonating.
【Hundred Bones Resonating is still muttering to itself】
【Emperor Gu, you absolutely must not be fooled by that rogue cultivator’s sweet words! She is clearly jealous of your potential and wants you to practice those trash techniques so you’ll fade into obscurity!】
Gu Chengming began to carefully review the words Yu Wenqiu had said earlier in his mind.
"After the resonance of a hundred bones comes 'Form and Spirit Resonance,' inducing the rhythm of heaven and earth into oneself. This was the delusion of the creator during a lapse of sanity; no one has ever achieved it."
To Gu Chengming’s ears, these words were naturally translated as:
"This technique has an unimplemented hidden realm. This realm is set as 'theoretically existing but practically unattainable.' As long as you achieve it, you can break the system's normal settings and obtain a unique achievement."
In games, settings like "no one has ever achieved it" were usually specifically left for the player to break.
Why could no one else achieve it? Because their "Favorability" wasn't high enough.
Gu Chengming was different. Both the Primal Emperor Art and the current state of the Huiyuan Sword Manual had already broken past their original limits.
Did that mean as long as favorability was high enough, or if specific conditions were triggered, that so-called delusional realm could be manifested?
The more Gu Chengming thought about it, the more he felt this line of reasoning was viable.
The reason Hundred Bones Resonating was stuck at the "Resonance of a Hundred Bones" stage wasn't that it had reached its end, but because it also subconsciously believed that the realm of "inducing heaven and earth's rhythm into oneself" didn't exist.
Otherwise, if Hundred Bones Resonating truly believed it was a peerless divine art, why would it worry about him switching to other body-tempering techniques?
Hundred Bones Resonating needed someone—someone even more determined and even more "blind" than itself—to tell it that it wasn't a delusion.
Thinking of this, Gu Chengming took a deep breath and adjusted his emotions.
"Emperor Bai."
【Hundred Bones Resonating froze for a moment, feeling a bit aggrieved】
【Emperor Gu, are you really going to believe that woman and switch to another body-tempering technique?】
Gu Chengming ignored its words, shook his head, and said with extreme seriousness:
"It's time for us to break through the realm."
【Hundred Bones Resonating was completely stunned】
【It feels your determination, and its grievance vanished instantly】
【Hundred Bones Resonating immediately swept away its previous dejection】
【Good! It's time to break through!】
Of course, wanting to reach this realm required some basis for reference.
In the cultivation world, although epiphany was a shortcut to breaking bottlenecks, all epiphanies were built upon a vast system of knowledge.
Gu Chengming returned to his quiet room. He didn't rush to flip through ancient texts but first calmed his mind and communicated with the gray fog space in his Sea of Consciousness.
However, as soon as he opened the Myriad Wonders Gathering, a message made him freeze.
【Cloud Moon Sect Elder attacked on return journey, suspected encounter with top-tier rogue cultivators!】
Gu Chengming's heart skipped a beat, and his divine sense quickly delved into it.
The post was written vividly. The poster claimed to be a rogue cultivator who happened to be passing by.
【That day, I was gathering herbs in the Cangwu Mountain Range when I suddenly saw sword Qi crossing the sky, blotting out the sun. The Cloud Moon Sect's flying boat was trapped by a sudden mist array, followed by a giant spiritual hand that blotted out the sky and slapped down! Although Elder Liu Changfeng is a fourth realm cultivator, he seemed to have no power to resist in the hands of that rogue cultivator...】
【Currently, Elder Liu Changfeng's whereabouts are unknown, and it is feared he has perished. Cloud Moon Sect has already issued a pursuit order for those two unknown rogue cultivators.】
Looking at this description, Gu Chengming's expression became somewhat strange.
"It shouldn't be what I'm thinking, right?"
Putting this news aside, Gu Chengming focused his mind and began to ask around in the "Myriad Wonders Gathering."
However, half an hour passed, and there were very few responses.
Most were just vague guesses.
It seemed there was a reason why Hundred Bones Resonating was so obscure. No one was willing to spend time researching a technique that was easy to learn but extremely difficult to advance.
"Fine, I'll have to rely on myself."
Gu Chengming exited the Myriad Wonders Gathering, tidied his clothes, and walked out.
Since he couldn't find the answer online, he would go offline.
The Wenjian Sect had stood for thousands of years; surely there would be some clues among the vast ocean of texts in the Scripture Repository.
Wenjian Sect, Scripture Repository.
As a vital location of the sect, the Scripture Repository was as crowded as ever today.
Quite a few disciples recognized him. After all, a First Realm, Sixth Level defeating a first Realm, Eighth Level by using their own technique against them and trampling a Cloud Moon Sect genius... such a feat was enough to make him famous in the Outer Sect.
The disciples who recognized him greeted him with a mix of admiration and enthusiasm.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Gu!"
"Seeing Senior Brother Gu!"
With someone leading the way, the surrounding disciples also gathered around, greeting him warmly.
An Outer Sect disciple who was organizing the bookshelves was the first to react. He quickly put down his work, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully:
"Why does Senior Brother have time to visit the Scripture Repository today? Are you looking for a specific technique?"
Gu Chengming looked gentle, nodding to each in return. He didn't seem distant, nor was he overly intimate. His calm and composed demeanor made the surrounding disciples admire him even more.
He was really putting those 25 Charisma points to work.
"Thank you for your kindness, fellow junior brothers."
Gu Chengming politely declined the disciple's offer to lead the way. "I'm just browsing, looking for some miscellaneous books to pass the time. I won't trouble you all."
After dismissing his enthusiastic sect brothers, Gu Chengming walked straight to the most remote corner of the Scripture Repository.
What was stored there weren't powerful techniques or secret manuals, but travelogues of past cultivators, unofficial histories of the cultivation world, and various incomplete fragments of unknown authenticity.
Gu Chengming casually brushed away the dust, his gaze scanning the yellowed spines one by one.
《Illustrated Guide to Exotic Beasts of Jiuzhou》, 《Gazetteer of the Southern Wilderness》, 《On a Hundred Ways to Eat Spiritual Grass》...
He patiently flipped through them one by one.
Finding clues was like panning for gold in sand; it required immense patience and luck.
Half an hour later, Gu Chengming held an old book titled 《On Body Tempering》. It contained many records and insights into body tempering, along with many annotations left by people who had read the book.
After flipping through it for a while, Gu Chengming indeed found insights related to Hundred Bones Resonating, consisting of only four words:
"A peerless technique!"
The annotations below were almost all "Agreed," "Never seen such a top-tier body-tempering technique," "Easy to learn with an extremely high ceiling, highly recommended for poor cultivators."
【Seeing this, Hundred Bones Resonating was instantly satisfied and proud】
Seeing this, Gu Chengming felt a bit subtle. Why did it feel like sarcasm?
He flipped another page and saw another line of annotations, written with an extremely pained stroke:
"A bunch of bastards, tricking people into practicing this trash technique. My family savings were emptied, and I can't progress. Beware, beware."
【Hundred Bones Resonating flew into a rage】
Gu Chengming: "..."
He shoved the book back.
Another half hour passed. He opened a book called 《On Bone》, which also had methods for practicing Hundred Bones Resonating.
This book was much more serious. The entire text discussed the relationship between bone density and spiritual energy conduction efficiency.
The author seemed to be an alchemist who used extremely detailed data to analyze the pros and cons of different demonic beast bones.
However, at the end, the author's conclusion was:
"Human bones are naturally weak; it's better to replace them. If one can replace the entire skeletal system with True Dragon bones, the limits of many body-tempering techniques can be broken."
—Saying it was the same as saying nothing.
After flipping through over a dozen ancient texts, they were either absurd legends or completely unworkable theories, which made Gu Chengming feel a bit of a headache.
"Is there really no way?"
He leaned against the bookshelf, watching the sun gradually set in the west, and a trace of disappointment inevitably rose in his heart.
If there really was no way, he might have to rely on the Together We Can Do It Art to suggest it to himself and break through by sheer force of "I think I can."
The probability of failure for that would obviously be much higher.
Gu Chengming took a deep breath, and his gaze fell on the bottom shelf, in a corner pressed down by several large volumes where the book title was almost invisible.
He reached out and pulled it out.
This was a thick ancient book bound in unknown beast skin. On the cover were five simple words—《Great Chronicles of Daqian》.
"Daqian?"
Gu Chengming was slightly stunned. He was not unfamiliar with this name at all.
Daqian was not an ordinary mortal kingdom; it was a behemoth located thousands of miles away from the Wenjian Sect, occupying the most fertile Central region of Jiuzhou. Although it was called a dynasty, the Daqian Imperial Family itself was a great cultivation clan, and there was no shortage of Great Cultivators in the court.
They governed cultivators with laws and suppressed sects with Dragon Qi. Their power was so vast that even the Jiuzhou Alliance, formed by many sects like Wenjian Sect, had to show them respect.
More importantly...
A distant memory flashed through Gu Chengming's mind.
Before he transmigrated, in the game 【Xianmen】, besides the traditional sect cultivation route, there was another core gameplay mode highly sought after by players—
Court and Official Career.
Unlike the free and easy life of a sect, the Daqian official gameplay focused on being involved in the world.
Players could take imperial exams to gain official titles, starting from a small county magistrate and climbing to the peak of power step by step.
In this process, they not only had to handle cases involving demons and monsters but also engage in intrigue with various factions in the court.
Back then, the game groups didn't discuss sword technique combos all day, but rather "High EQ Quotes for Civil Servants," "On the Art of Gift Giving," and "A Hundred Ways to Interpret Daqian Law."
In the end, cultivation became a side job, and taking the civil service exam was the main profession.
With a bit of nostalgia, Gu Chengming flipped open this 《Great Chronicles of Daqian》.
This book was not an official history but a collection of miscellaneous notes, recording various strange events, palace secrets, and folk legends that occurred in the Daqian Dynasty over three hundred years.
At first, Gu Chengming just flipped through it casually, treating it as reading stories for amusement.
The book recorded an interesting story about a Minister who was impeached by the Censorate for taking a fox demon as a concubine; it recorded a year when the capital suffered a great drought, and the National Teacher set up an altar but ended up attracting a lightning tribulation that struck himself; there was also an introduction to the unique "Official Qi" cultivation system of Daqian—
—Officials loved by the people could condense the will of the masses, becoming impervious to all spells and causing evil to retreat.
As he read, Gu Chengming reached the middle and latter parts of the book. A chapter titled 《Old Records of the Music Bureau》 caught his attention.
This chapter recorded some past events of the Music Bureau of the Daqian Ministry of Rites.
The Music Bureau was in charge of the empire's rites and music, responsible for music and dance at major occasions such as sacrifices and court assemblies.
And in a record about the "Musical Rhythm Reform of the Late Emperor's Reign," Gu Chengming saw a name—Pei Ming.
"Former Vice Minister of Rites, Pei Ming, was exceptionally gifted and proficient in music, especially the ancient zither. However, his temperament was eccentric, and he often made shocking statements."
"Pei Ming believed that all things in heaven and earth have their own rhythm. The sound of wind, rain, thunder, and even the sound of blood flowing in the human body can all be incorporated into music. If one can find the rhythm of universal resonance, one can draw the power of heaven and earth into the body and achieve physical sainthood."
Seeing this, Gu Chengming’s finger suddenly stopped.
The sound of blood flowing in the human body?
Resonance?
This description... how was it so similar to the core concept of Hundred Bones Resonating?
"Pei Ming was not only a master of music but also a unique body cultivator. He did not cultivate spiritual energy or refine Golden Cores, but spent his days obsessed with using various musical instruments to vibrate his own bones. People often saw him on stormy nights, standing naked atop mountain peaks, using his body as a bell to resonate with the thunder, emitting inhuman roars from his mouth."
"His colleagues all thought he was insane, and some censors even impeached him for 'eccentric behavior unbecoming of an official.'"
"But Pei Ming didn't care, once saying: 'You all cultivate for longevity, I cultivate for my true self. The body is a zither, bones are strings, and blood is the wind. As long as it's tuned well, one can play the sound of the Great Dao!'"
The body is like a zither, bones are like strings... wasn't this the "resonating of sinews and bones deep within the hundred bones" of Hundred Bones Resonating?
The book continued to record:
"Later, Pei Ming was demoted to a commoner and exiled three thousand miles for unrecordable matters."
"During his exile, Pei Ming’s whereabouts became unknown. He only left behind a fragmented manuscript titled 《Record of the Great Sound》, which later surfaced in the martial world before its location was lost."
Gu Chengming felt as if he had found a treasure. Although the book didn't directly provide a secret manual, in the latter part of this miscellaneous talk, the author seemed quite interested in Pei Ming’s theories and actually recorded some specific concepts from Pei Ming’s 《Record of the Great Sound》 regarding "inducing the rhythm of heaven and earth."
"...Pei Ming once said that to induce the rhythm of heaven and earth, it cannot be done with brute force. One must first find one's own 'fundamental frequency.'"
"Human bones vary in length and thickness, and their inherent vibration frequencies are also different. Ordinary cultivation often forcibly pours spiritual energy in, like a cow chewing a peony. The correct way should be to first quiet the mind and listen internally to find that trace of the weakest bone resonance."
"Using this sound as a guide, adjust the breathing frequency to synchronize the blood flow speed with the bone resonance. When the hundred bones resonate together, one can view oneself as a giant resonance chamber."
"At this point, sense the external sounds. The rhythm of the wind through the treetops, the rhythm of water dripping through stone, and even the rhythm of the stars' rotation... find the point that matches one's own frequency, and trigger it instantly!"
"Like the harmony of zithers or the resonance of bells and drums. The power of heaven and earth will follow this resonance, pouring into the body without resistance, cleansing the sinews, tempering the marrow, and reshaping the golden body!"
Gu Chengming felt as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through his mind. All the confusion he had encountered while practicing Hundred Bones Resonating was suddenly resolved at this moment.
No wonder Yu Wenqiu said the subsequent realms were delusional, because according to conventional cultivation logic, this method was indeed incomprehensible.
But for Gu Chengming... wasn't this just tuning a radio frequency?
His expression became somewhat excited.
The method for breaking through had been found.
A few days later, Wenjian Sect.
The back mountain of Huiyuan Gate was shrouded in a layer of cold, damp mist.
Relying on the increasingly large information and trading network of the "Myriad Wonders Gathering," a series of bounties posted by Gu Chengming soon received responses.
"Buying lightning-struck wood at a high price; the older the better."
"Seeking a niche spiritual plant called echo grass, dead or alive."
"Urgent need for the throat bone of a second realm Earth-Shaking Bull; preference given to intact ones."
Gu Chengming was currently standing in his study, the desk before him covered with these materials.
The 《Great Chronicles of Daqian》 was spread open to one side, the page about Pei Ming's method of body tuning having been read by him countless times until every word was etched into his mind.
"The theory is correct, and the logic holds up."
Gu Chengming’s finger lightly tapped the table, making a rhythmic sound:
"Lightning-struck wood is used to purify the bone quality and eliminate noise; echo grass is used to widen the meridians and form a resonance chamber; the throat bone is used to set the pitch."
【Hundred Bones Resonating was uncharacteristically silent for a while】
After a long time.
【It said somewhat hesitantly: Is this method perhaps a bit too risky?】
"If it succeeds, it will be a complete transformation."
Gu Chengming said with a smile:
"With Emperor Bai’s help, why should I worry about failure?"
【Hearing this, Hundred Bones Resonating felt its heroic spirit soar, and its hesitation vanished】
【In that case, let's gamble!】
【It is, after all, the Primal Boundless Sovereign of Myriad Daos, Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, Supreme of the Universe Emperor Art!】
【Emperor Gu, go ahead and do it! Even if it means damaging its own foundation, it will protect your heart and meridians!】
Gu Chengming nodded slightly and said no more.
He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.
Inhaling like a thread, long and continuous; exhaling like an arrow, short and powerful.
As the rhythm of his breathing changed, the blood in his body began to vibrate at an extremely strange frequency.
"Thump... Thump... Thump..."
That was the sound of his heart beating.
At first, it was very weak, but as Gu Chengming completely immersed his divine sense into his body to find that trace of the nearly imperceptible "fundamental frequency," the heartbeat began to amplify, becoming as heavy as a war drum.
"Buzz—"
Responding to it were the thirty-six pieces of lightning-struck wood around him.
Under the pull of his Qi, the wood began to tremble slightly, emitting a low buzzing sound.
This sound was not piercing, but it seemed to penetrate directly through the skin and act upon the bones.
Pain.
That was the pain caused by bones rubbing and squeezing against each other during the vibration.
Gu Chengming’s face instantly turned pale, and cold sweat poured down like rain, but he clenched his teeth, his body remaining motionless.
The frequency wasn't high enough yet.
"A bit faster..."
He muttered in his heart, forcibly urging his blood to flow faster.
"Bzz bzz bzz—"
The buzzing became louder and louder, finally merging into a visible wave of sound that echoed, overlapped, and amplified within the small array space.
Crack.
A soft sound.
Under this high-frequency vibration, a fine crack appeared in Gu Chengming’s forearm bone.
But this was only the beginning.
As the resonance deepened, that terrifying vibrational force spread through his entire skeleton. Ribs, spine, leg bones... every bone was groaning, every bone was trembling as if they would completely shatter at any moment.
And at this moment, the so-called "rhythm of heaven and earth" was still far out of reach.
He had only just touched the threshold, yet his body was already on the verge of collapse.
【Hundred Bones Resonating was greatly alarmed】
【Emperor Gu! This path is wrong! This isn't body tempering, this is ritual suicide!】
【While there is life, there is hope; it's fine even if we don't break through!】
Although Hundred Bones Resonating talked about "life and death" all day, it was only at this moment that it realized it wasn't as detached as it imagined.
"Don't say such things!" Gu Chengming spoke through gritted teeth. "At worst, I'll be seriously injured and lie in bed for a few months; I won't die."
"Didn't we agree to stand at the peak of the immortal world together? If we stop now, how can we talk about sweeping across the ages!"
【Hundred Bones Resonating watched you covered in blood, watched your bones cracking inch by inch yet you still refused to give up】
【In this moment, all of its self-doubt vanished before this sheer ruthlessness】
【It thought: to hell with 'no way forward'!】
【If Emperor Gu says there is a path...】
【Then even if the sky falls and the earth rends, even if the Great Dao collapses, it will forge a path for you!】
Boom—!
Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, that golden light representing 【Hundred Bones Resonating】 burned without reservation.
It no longer hoarded its own origin, no longer cared about the so-called consequences, and poured all the insights and power it had since its birth—even its tiny bit of "self"—into this gamble.
Gu Chengming’s skin began to split, and blood sprayed out like mist, turning him into a bloody figure.
His entire skeleton shattered in an instant, but at the moment of shattering, that burning golden torrent forcibly wrapped, squeezed, and reshaped those broken bones.
It was in this moment between life and death.
"Buzz—"
A strange sound suddenly rang in Gu Chengming's mind.
No, not in his mind.
It was within the heaven and earth.
The wind stopped, and the rustling of the bamboo forest disappeared.
Then, Gu Chengming heard it—he heard the pulse of the earth beneath his feet, the breath of the distant mountains, and the rotation of the stars above.
That sound was grand, vast, and encompassed all things.
That was the Sound of the Great Dao.
—Found it.
Gu Chengming no longer needed to deliberately guide it, nor did he need to painfully maintain the frequency.
Because at this moment, his body, his flesh, and every heartbeat of his were already... synchronized with the rhythm of this heaven and earth.
"Rumble—"
The surrounding spiritual energy gathered toward the small courtyard as if being summoned.
They poured into his body through every pore. Those newborn bones, under the wash of this massive spiritual energy, rapidly became translucent, glowing with a faint jade-like luster.
Broken bones reshaped; a complete transformation!
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Chengming slowly opened his eyes.
The candle in the room had long since burned out. He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
There were no exaggerated muscles, nor any earth-shaking phenomena.
But with a gentle clench, a fine and orderly series of cracks echoed from within his body, like a hundred bells ringing in unison.
That was—the resonance of a hundred bones, the resonance of form and spirit.
At the same time, a prompt appeared before his eyes.
【CG Successfully Unlocked!】
【CG/The Path Forged For You】
In the next moment, the CG screen expanded.
Entwined in golden flames, white hair flowing wildly, fists wrapped in plain cloth, shattering the dark firmament as if the world were dust.
Amidst the ten thousand beams of brilliant light, a sudden glance back—opening a heavenly path upon the ruins.
Meanwhile, a line of small golden text was annotated below.
【When the false is taken for true, the true becomes false; where nothingness is taken for existence, existence also becomes nothing.】
【Though the Imperial Seat is hollow and the legends are but delusions.】
【It shall burn its body as a torch and refine its soul as fuel.】
【To pave a path to heaven for you.】
【Current Favorability: 100/∞ (Inseparable in Life and Death)】
Gu Chengming looked at the ∞ symbol at the favorability limit, and a question mark appeared over his head.
What do you mean your favorability has no limit anymore?
Rate on N.U.
