'My romance target... is a manual?'
Gu Chengming's brain blue-screened for a full three seconds. He stared blankly at the two lonely options.
Huiyuan Sword Art: The sect's basic sword style. Broad, sweeping moves, but with a cold and detached nature. Extremely tricky to master.
Cleansing Heart Mantra: A support skill to clear the mind and banish distractions.
'What is this? The Cultivation version of Object-Waifu Collection?'
'But even Object-Waifus are usually things like Sword Spirits or Fox Demons! What the hell is a "Technique" supposed to be?'
Gu Chengming took a deep breath, forcing himself to cool down.
Whatever. This was his only lifeline.
The death countdown from his "Essence Blood Deficit" wasn't a joke.
'Fine. Romance it is. It's just grinding Affection points, right?'
As a grandmaster who had conquered triple-digit numbers of dating sims, what hadn't he seen?
He'd dated aliens, robots, ghosts, and monster girls.
So now he was dating a textbook.
'It... probably won't be that hard. Right?'
His finger hovered in the air, wavering between [Huiyuan Sword Art] and [Cleansing Heart Mantra].
Finally, he gritted his teeth and made his choice, tapping the former.
[Target Selected: Huiyuan Sword Art]
The panel flickered, switching to the main interface.
[Huiyuan Sword Art]
[Affection: 10 (Stranger)]
'Okay. This is the UI I know.'
Seeing the classic layout, Gu Chengming felt a strange sense of comfort.
'But, hold on.'
'Where's the sprite? Where's the character art? How am I supposed to get immersed in the romance without a cute anime girl on the screen?!'
'Who's going to compensate me for the lack of visuals?!'
Ignoring the lack of eye candy for a moment, Gu Chengming analyzed the situation.
'New problem.'
'Why is the starting Affection so low? Usually, base Affection sits between 30 and 50.'
'10 points? That's basically "Random NPC on the street" level. That's the kind of score that drops into the negatives if you accidentally bump into them.'
As if hearing his inner voice, a new line of small, sorrowful grey text slowly surfaced below the name [Huiyuan Sword Art] on the panel.
[Huiyuan Sword Art believes you are no different from the other disciples of the Huiyuan Gate. You can barely manage the simplest tasks and have never truly persevered with it.]
'Eh?'
'The flavor between these lines... why does it reek of a resentful housewife?'
Before Gu Chengming could think too much about it, more grey text appeared.
[Huiyuan Sword Art believes it won't be long before you go looking for a new Cultivation Method. Those stronger, more excellent, more flashy techniques.]
[After all, who would truly value a plain, basic sect sword art like it? Its ultimate fate is merely to be forgotten in a corner, serving as nothing more than a stepping stone to higher and more profound sword paths.]
'Holy crap, it really is a resentful housewife! And the resentment is sky-high!'
Looking at this overflowing aura of resentment that was almost tangible, a subtle sense of déjà vu surfaced in Gu Chengming's heart. A flash of inspiration struck his brain, and he slapped a precise label on it.
'Ah, the "Widowed Housewife" archetype. Got it.'
While this type of romance target is relatively niche in the Galgame market, it possesses an extremely loyal fanbase.
As a connoisseur who had tasted countless works, Gu Chengming had naturally dabbled in quite a few.
He could even immediately recall several classics, like I Am a Weak Widow or The Temptation of the Young Widowed Innkeeper.
Everyone knows that with this type of character—whether a resentful wife or a widow—their complaining, sarcasm, and pushing people away actually stem from the same core issue: extreme insecurity.
What they lack most is companionship that can pierce their emotional defenses, and persistent validation.
So, compared to tsunderes, airheads, or energetic girls, once you find the right approach, this type of character is actually the easiest to romance.
Once he figured this out, the confusion in his heart instantly vanished.
'It's just practicing swordsmanship, isn't it? Bring it on!'
On the panel, [Huiyuan Sword Art]'s self-pity continued.
[It has seen too many disciples like you. Swearing solemn oaths upon entering the sect, only to shelf it within three months and chase after those sword arts that sound more impressive...]
Gu Chengming ignored the nagging complaints.
He stood up, walked to the weapon rack in the corner of the courtyard, and took down the most ordinary green steel longsword. The blade felt cool to the touch, carrying the heavy texture unique to metal.
He took a deep breath and assumed the opening stance of the Huiyuan Sword Art.
Without another word, he started grinding!
Drawing upon the memories he had inherited, he began to practice the moves one by one.
His movements were stiff. His body felt weak and floaty due to the "Essence Blood Deficit" status; even a simple lunge made his legs tremble slightly. The blade sliced through the air without any sharp whistling, making only a sluggish whoosh.
[You have completed a full practice of the Huiyuan Sword Art. Proficiency +1.]
A system notification popped up on the panel. At the same time, the grey "resentful housewife" text appeared again.
[Huiyuan Sword Art noticed your movements. It sighed in its heart, feeling this is just another bout of three-minute enthusiasm.]
Gu Chengming didn't have time to pay attention to it. He adjusted his breathing and started again. Thrust, chop, lift, hang, point... he repeated the moves from his memory over and over.
Sweat soon soaked his inner shirt, sticking to his skin and bringing a sticky discomfort. His arms began to ache from the repetitive swinging.
[You have completed a full practice of the Huiyuan Sword Art. Proficiency +1.]
[As your movements become more determined, though still clumsy, Huiyuan Sword Art's sarcastic inner monologue has gradually quieted down.]
[It watches silently as you practice the sword.]
Gu Chengming was completely immersed in his own rhythm. He forgot the time, forgot the fatigue of his body; only the flow of the sword moves remained in his mind.
From stiff to slightly smooth, from stumbling to barely coherent. He could feel that with every swing of the sword, his body control was improving almost imperceptibly.
[You have completed a full practice of the Huiyuan Sword Art. Proficiency +1.]
Unknowingly, the sun dipped into the distant mountains. The sky turned from gold to crimson, finally settling into a deep twilight blue.
The light in the courtyard dimmed rapidly, with only a few early stars twinkling in the sky.
"Phew..."
Gu Chengming finally stopped. Leaning on his sword for support, he gasped for air in large gulps.
It looked as if he had just been fished out of the water. Sweat dripped from the tips of his hair and chin, smashing into tiny flowers on the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.
Muscle soreness and bone-deep fatigue surged like a tide, making him almost unable to stand.
The grey text on the panel updated again.
[Huiyuan Sword Art silently watched your entire afternoon of practice. It doesn't know how much of your enthusiasm is sincere.]
[It thinks again, a weak piece of trash like you can probably only practice a basic technique like it right now anyway. Perhaps you didn't choose it sincerely, but simply had no other choice.]
'Why the personal attacks?'
Gu Chengming looked at that line of text, black lines appearing over his face.
But immediately after, a new notification popped up, instantly tossing that bit of unhappiness to the nine heavens.
[Huiyuan Sword Art Affection +5]
[Current Affection: 15 (Stranger)]
'Alright, so it's a case of "mouth says no, body says yes."'
Seeing the steady five-point increase in affection, Gu Chengming nodded with satisfaction.
'Since it's willing to raise affection, let it humiliate me all it wants. What it said is the truth anyway; this body really is an absolute piece of trash.'
Just then, another unexpected notification popped up on the panel.
[The Cleansing Heart Mantra watched the whole process from the side and found it quite interesting.]
[You suddenly feel your mind become clear, as if a cool spring has flowed through. Your mind is peaceful like never before. The Cleansing Heart Mantra has automatically circulated for one cycle.]
'Eh? There's this kind of unexpected harvest too?'
Gu Chengming was slightly stunned. As the cool sensation spread through his mind, he felt his spirit lift.
The sharp pain in his body from exhaustion seemed to be smoothed over significantly, becoming bearable.
Even more wondrous was that the moves of the Huiyuan Sword Art he had practiced all afternoon were now replaying clearly in his mind like a film, frame by frame. Many details of force exertion and transitions he hadn't noticed before suddenly became clear.
'Does the Cleansing Heart Mantra originally have this effect?'
Before he could think more about why this happened...
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking broke the silence of the small courtyard.