Lin Yan possessed Fireball Gu, Fire Armor Gu, Walking Fire Gu, and Fire Eye Gu. If he used it on Fire Eye Gu, his reconnaissance ability would greatly increase, and if used on Fire Armor Gu, his defense would rise significantly.
For ordinary Gu Masters, this flaw was too extreme. Strengthening one aspect meant abandoning another, making it highly restrictive in real combat.
Lin Yan, however, nodded in satisfaction. "But I have many Gu worms. By controlling the rhythm of battle and rotating their usage, I can maintain overall strength. The most crucial point is that I can use the Fire Aperture Gu within my body as a substitute, avoiding any burden."
He quickly saw through the essence. Borrow Fire Gu did not simply transfer power, but borrowed the Dao Mark fragments carried by one Gu worm and overlaid them onto another Flame Path Gu. The original Gu temporarily lost its Dao Marks, which was why it could no longer be used.
Although the flames produced by different Flame Path Gu appeared similar, the Dao Mark fragments they carried were fundamentally different.
In truth, Borrow Fire Gu would be more suitable when paired with Otherworldly Flame Gu, allowing for greater flexibility and adaptability to different environments. However, most Otherworldly Flame Gu were Rank 4 or above, beyond what Borrow Fire Gu could utilize.
This was also a fundamental limitation, especially since Borrow Fire Gu had no further refinement path.
Lin Yan, however, remained optimistic. He planned to gather more Flame Path Gu recipes and see if he could push this path further himself.
He immediately refined the Borrow Fire Gu and purchased its required food. The cost was not low—it required Provoke Fire Bamboo—but since the Family supplied it, it wasn't troublesome.
After returning, he refined the four Fire Pattern Gu and two Fire Aperture Gu one by one, integrating them into his body.
Standing in the quiet room, nine crimson patterns flowed across his skin, glowing vividly. His body appeared firm and radiant, carrying a faint reddish jade luster. At the same time, a swirling crimson mark appeared in each palm, though still dim, as no energy had yet accumulated.
Lin Yan carefully sensed the changes. With nine Fire Pattern Gu and two Fire Aperture Gu reinforcing him, even without activating any Gu, his body alone could withstand ordinary blades without injury.
Now, his core Gu had taken shape, and his combat system was finally beginning to form.
The next step… was Rank 3.
Borrow Fire Gu was, after all, a Rank 3 Gu. It wasn't unusable at his current level, but its consumption was too high—only Rank 3 white silver primeval essence could truly sustain it.
His gaze steadied. Sitting cross-legged, he took out primeval stones one after another, absorbing and refining them as the vast dark red primeval sea within his aperture surged violently, crashing again and again against the crystal wall.
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Time passed quietly, and a month later, Lin Yan had no choice but to come out of seclusion.
Winter had ended. With the arrival of the new year, Shan Shayuan was preparing to leave Shajing Oasis to lead a caravan for trade.
Before departing, he handed over a Gu. It was a peculiar Gu worm—round like a crystal sphere, palm-sized and translucent, with drifting clouds inside. Within those clouds, the faint image of an old man holding a staff could be seen, carrying an immortal-like presence. At this moment, his expression was calm.
This was Elder Gu, a Rank 3 storage Gu capable of holding up to a million primeval stones. The amount stored could be judged from the old man's expression.
Shan Shayuan spoke in a low voice, "I've sold your Human Elixir Gu. That old bastard Shen Kuang paid a full million primeval stones. We split it evenly—these five hundred thousand are yours. Use them well."
Hearing this, Lin Yan's spirits lifted. Since his transmigration, he had earned primeval stones here and there through small gains, but none of them could truly be called an opportunity.
This… was different. This was his first real fortune.
The reason Lin Yan had reached this point with only tens of thousands of primeval stones was, on one hand, because cultivating Flame Path was relatively economical, and on the other, because he had squeezed every bit of value out of his resources.
Now, he could finally loosen his grip a little. Five hundred thousand primeval stones was enough to purchase two full sets of Rank 3 Gu worms, and even add a few Rank 4 Gu on top.
Of course, he still couldn't compare to Fang Yuan. After leaving Qing Mao Mountain and rebuilding his cultivation to Rank 2, Fang Yuan obtained the Bone Legacy and sold over two thousand Gu, earning more than nine hundred thousand primeval stones.
And that wasn't all. Later, he dominated the Shang Family arena, winning battle after battle and accumulating over two million primeval stones. Even then, it was only barely enough to push his cultivation to Rank 4 and achieve minor success in his Strength Path combat system.
Lin Yan didn't bother comparing himself to that. Flame Path consumed far fewer resources than the long-declined Strength Path. By his estimation, this amount was more than sufficient to support him all the way to Peak Rank 3.
Shan Shayuan looked at his nephew and said, "I'm leaving. Be careful in your actions. The Family won't go too far." With that, he turned and left.
Lin Yan watched him go and let out a quiet sigh. He didn't rush to the Gu house to buy more Gu worms. Without reaching Rank 3, buying more would be useless, and feeding them would only become a burden.
More than a month had passed, yet he still hadn't broken through the Rank 3 barrier.
From Rank 3 onward, cultivation became significantly more difficult. Those with lower aptitude often had to rely on demonic methods to force a breakthrough, and even then, it was common to be stuck for decades.
Back on Qing Mao Mountain, Fang Yuan had used extreme methods—refining Gu with living sacrifices—to forcibly reach Rank 3, paying a heavy price in the process.
Lin Yan had sufficient aptitude and a clear future ahead, so he had no intention of taking such a path.
Later, he returned to his residence, his resolve firm. He would not step out again until he broke through to Rank 3.