Wenjian Sect, Huiyuan Gate.
Deep within the disciples' quarters, nestled in a secluded and elegant courtyard, the vibe was completely at odds with the peaceful scenery.
Emerald bamboo swayed in the yard. When the breeze passed, the leaves rustled with a sound like shattering jade.
Inside, a man sat before a bronze mirror. He had sword-like brows that swept towards his temples, eyes as bright as stars, a high nose bridge, and distinct lips. He was undeniably handsome. His ink-black hair was secured with a wooden pin in a standard Daoist bun.
It was a hairstyle reserved for men over twenty who had passed their Coming of Age Ceremony—a sign of adulthood.
However, there was no trace of youthful high spirits on this man's face. There was only gloom and impending doom.
He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
As he exhaled, a translucent panel materialized in front of him.
[Name: Gu Chengming]
[Sect: Wenjian Sect · Huiyuan Gate]
[Realm: First Realm, Third Layer]
[Techniques: Huiyuan Sword Art (Beginner), Cleansing Heart Mantra (Beginner)]
[Attributes: Strength 8, Agility 7, Constitution 2, Spirit 12, Charm 25]
[Status:]
• Rotting Root Bone (Continuously stacking negative debuff)
• Essence Blood Deficit (Max HP permanently reduced by 30% and decaying daily. Estimated remaining lifespan: 87 days)
Staring at the bright red text in the [Status] column—especially that terrifying countdown—Gu Chengming felt the room spin.
After the initial shock wore off, Gu Chengming finally accepted reality.
He had transmigrated into a video game.
The game, Immortal Gate, was considered a miracle of the virtual world. It offered near-infinite freedom. Every NPC, even the guy sweeping the floors, had hundreds of thousands of words of backstory and independent AI logic.
Players could explore this boundless cultivation world however they liked. You could join a sect to grind for immortality, roam the world as a vigilante, or form deep bonds with any character—becoming sworn brothers or Dao Companions.
It also had elemental reactions and a super deep combat system.
But Gu Chengming didn't play for any of that.
He played because he was a Galgame Addict.
As a die-hard dating sim fan, how could he resist a game that promised "All characters are romanceable" and "Massive text volume for every NPC"?
He bought it on launch day.
Not only that, he used his programming skills to pull an all-nighter coding a suite of assistance mods: "Affection Visibility," "Key Dialogue Hints," and a "Special CG Gallery Unlocker."
Fully armed, he had logged in with satisfaction.
He went through the classic character creation, picked a sect, breezed through the tutorial, and immediately set his sights on a character whose sprite really hit his strike zone.
And then... there was no "then."
Somewhere during his all-night gaming marathon, his vision went black. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on this antique wooden bed, living as "Gu Chengming."
"Sigh..."
Gu Chengming sighed again, his teeth aching as he looked at the [Status: Essence Blood Deficit] line.
'Where did this lethal status come from?'
Simple. When he was min-maxing his character creation, in pursuit of maximum romance efficiency, he had dumped almost all his "Constitution" points into "Charm."
'High Charm means Affection goes up faster. That is the iron law of Galgames.'
In a game, that's fine. At worst, low stats just meant you were locked out of some high-level gear.
Gu Chengming had even planned his build: romance a specific character late-game, then switch to the Joyous Union Sect (Hehuan) build. Once that engine got running, the Constitution stat was useless anyway. Being weak early on didn't matter.
Game logic is simple and crude.
But when the game became reality, the world applied its own underlying rules, and everything got "rationalized."
The "Low Constitution" stat was corrected by the laws of physics into a fatal medical condition: "Essence Blood Deficit."
'My max HP is dropping daily, and there is a literal countdown to my death. Who could handle that?'
Worse, since he never planned to actually grind levels, he hadn't put any points into "Cultivation Talent." That explained the "Rotting Root Bone" status.
'Rely on my own cultivation to break through and cure myself?'
Gu Chengming estimated he'd be dead and cold before he managed to "Gather Qi" a handful of times.
The future was bleak. Pitch black, really.
Just as he was spiraling into despair, his eyes glossed over the system panel, and a thought struck him like lightning.
'Wait a second.'
'If the game system came with me... does that mean my MODs came too?'
His heart hammered against his ribs.
To maximize his Galgame experience, he had written a core cheat mod. It was simple: every time he successfully romanced a character and raised their Affection to a new tier, the system would award massive amounts of Free Attribute Points and special items.
Since many "Ice Queen" type characters wouldn't even look at you if your level was too low, and Gu Chengming was too lazy to grind, he used this exploit to farm points on low-level characters before challenging the high-tier waifus.
'This... this is my way out!'
As if answering his call, the blue panel flickered. A new window popped up—totally different in style. It was pink, bordered with frilly lace, and right in the center, written in a flashy, artistic font, was the title:
[Cultivation LOVE-LOVE System]
"Holy shit!"
Gu Chengming nearly jumped out of his chair.
"It actually fucking came with me?!"
Questionable naming sense aside, this twist of fate had him over the moon.
He focused intensely on the pink panel. The text began to scroll and shuffle rapidly like a slot machine.
'Here it comes!' According to the script, this is where it displays the "List of Romanceable Targets in Current Area."
Gu Chengming sat up straight, ready for action.
Images of the dozens of female disciples in the Wenjian Sect flashed through his mind. The bubbly Junior Sister, the aloof Senior Sister, the mature Deaconess...
'With my ten years of dating sim experience and a whopping 25 points in Charm, bagging them will be a walk in the park.'
'I just need to capture one or two hearts, get the attribute points, dump them into Constitution, and I'm saved!'
He was already calculating who would be the easiest target to start with.
Just as he was daydreaming about his bright future, the scrolling text slowed down. Finally, it froze and sharpened into focus.
[Current Target: Huiyuan Sword Art]
[Current Target: Cleansing Heart Mantra]
Gu Chengming's smile stiffened.
He blinked, sure he was hallucinating.
He reached out and tapped the pink screen. Nothing happened. The text remained, mocking him.
'?'
A massive question mark rose from the depths of his soul, practically filling the room.
Then, a line of small print appeared at the bottom.
[Please select your Capture Target.]
[Tip: When Affection reaches a new stage, the system will award Free Attribute Points and may unlock special effects.]
"??"