Gu Lingyun (New Version) · chat.title

Inside the grand hall during morning lecture, Elder Shen sat high above the assembly, holding forth on the Great Dao of immortality as profound, esoteric doctrines rolled off his tongue one after another. Slumped in a seat at the very back of the hall, Gu Lingyun's mind had drifted off ages ago. The words went straight into one ear and right out the other, without a single phrase sticking. He had a dazed illusion of being trapped in his high school morning study hall again, chin propped in his hand, teetering on the edge of falling dead asleep. "Gu Lingyun!" The Elder called his name, the shout echoing throughout the hall. Gu Lingyun jerked awake, startled back to his senses. Only then did he realize the Elder was demanding an answer from him. Scrambling to string together a few generic clichés, he babbled out something half-hearted like, "The Dao resides within one's heart, forged through ceaseless cultivation..." Stumbling and blathering his way through the ordeal, he finally sank back into his seat, rubbed his nose, and grumbled under his breath: "This old geezer's lectures are more torturous than high school evening self-study. Serving hard time in prison wouldn't be this grueling." The senior disciple beside him had exceptionally sharp hearing and caught every single syllable. Leaning in with curiosity, he lowered his voice to whisper, "Junior Brother, what kind of cultivation art is this 'evening self-study' you speak of? Judging by the name, does it require cultivating under the cover of night?" Without missing a beat, Gu Lingyun deadpanned with complete earnestness, "Not at all, not at all. It is a grueling method of bitter cultivation I witnessed in a dream realm during my youth. It is entirely beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, and not something meant for outside ears." The senior disciple nodded thoughtfully. "I see. To think Junior Brother was blessed with such an extraordinary encounter." Gu Lingyun offered a strained chuckle, silently breathing a sigh of relief. Just then, the bronze bell outside the hall finally chimed. Gu Lingyun scooped up his sword, eager to slip away and make a run for it. But the moment he stepped out the doors, the long-dormant system chimed in his mind once again: *"Ding! Target detected—20 meters ahead. Please establish contact with the target as soon as possible."*