Lin Yan, though exhausted, felt invigorated. A great joy surged in his heart; after three months of arduous effort, he had finally broken through.
In the original novel, Fang Yuan's first advance to Rank 3 relied on unorthodox methods, bringing heavy side effects. His second attempt, after re-cultivating with A-grade aptitude and using Bone Flesh Unity Gu to draw in Rank 3 peak true essence for cleansing, still took considerable time.
Lin Yan had no previous life experience, so being stuck for three months was reasonable.
This obstacle was the greatest challenge he had encountered so far, but fortunately, he had overcome it. From today onward, he had stepped into the level of a Family Elder, capable of retreating safely even when facing a thousand-beast tide led by a Thousand Beast King.
After two more Stage, he could prepare for ascension. He was sixteen years and four months old, with outstanding aptitude, and there were still more than eight years before the original timeline began.
Lin Yan wanted to laugh, but one concern lingered—his aptitude was no longer sufficient. B-grade aptitude still provided some help for breaking through Rank 3, but it would be completely inadequate for Rank 4. Only A-grade aptitude could maintain an advantage.
From this point on, his cultivation would only become more difficult.
"I have the Bone Devil's inheritance experiment about Gu Masters' bodies… can I create a Gu that helps break bottlenecks, like how Relic Gu boosts cultivation?"
Lin Yan thought for a moment, then shook his head. The chances were low. The Bone Herb Devil was only Rank 4—his understanding of Human Path couldn't be that deep. On top of that, the dream realm created by Dream Derivation Gu still had flaws and couldn't fully simulate the human body. Otherwise, he could have tested everything inside it.
For now, he could only wait for Dream Derivation Gu to reach Rank 3.
"First… deal with the people outside." Lin Yan's eyes turned cold. He had already sensed everything happening beyond the courtyard.
Lin Yan had barely stepped out of his quiet room when a wave of noisy voices flooded into the courtyard.
The moment the Gu Masters saw him, they shouted, "Lin Yan is here!"
One of them stepped forward and cursed, "You coward, parasite, living off privilege! Everyone is working hard for the Family, yet you stand aside and do nothing!"
Lin Yan didn't react. His gaze swept coldly across the crowd, and in the next moment, his Aura surged. The pressure of Rank 3 spread out like a tide, pressing down on the entire courtyard.
In an instant, the Gu Masters at the front turned pale, forced to stumble back as their bodies trembled uncontrollably, fear rising from the depths of their hearts.
Lin Yan looked down at them and spoke calmly, his tone carrying absolute dominance. "I am Rank 3. What can you do to me?"
"Rank 3…?! How is that possible… sixteen years old and already Rank 3?!"
Everyone present fell into silence, their faces filled with shock. Rank 3 cultivation—within the Huang Family, even if one was not officially appointed, such a person was already regarded as a Family Elder.
Among so many Gu Masters, only a handful could ever reach this level, yet Lin Yan had done so just past sixteen.
The realization sent a chill through the crowd. A genius like this, someone who could set records in the Family's history—and they had just offended him. Did they really have any way out?
Huang Mo, standing nearby, was momentarily stunned, his expression shifting. In the end, he stepped forward with a forced smile. "As expected of a peerless genius of the Huang Family, achieving such cultivation at this age."
Lin Yan didn't respond with courtesy. His gaze remained cold as he said, "Were you the one who incited them to trespass into my residence? According to the rules of the Gu World, disturbing a Gu Master's secluded cultivation invites endless retribution."
Huang Mo's face stiffened. Seeing Lin Yan's attitude, he dropped the pretense and spoke with a cold tone, "Hmph, Lin Yan, don't think that reaching Rank 3 allows you to ignore Family rules. You haven't completed a single mission—"
Before he could finish, Lin Yan cut him off sharply.
"Enough."
"Come to the arena and Fight me to the death."
Huang Mo was stunned when he heard this. He hadn't expected Lin Yan to be so uncompromising, directly demanding a fight to the death. He hesitated, not because he feared losing—the other party had just reached early Rank 3, while he himself was already at late Rank 3, the gap in cultivation was obvious. Moreover, Lin Yan had only just advanced, so he definitely hadn't had time to acquire new Rank 3 Gu worms or establish a combat system. His actual combat strength was likely still at the Second Rank level.
What Huang Mo truly feared was something else. If he injured Lin Yan, the consequences would be severe. Lin Yan's talent was monstrous, far surpassing the other geniuses, and the Family would undoubtedly protect him. If anything went wrong, the backlash would fall entirely on him.
But at this point, he had no way to retreat. Once matters reached Rank 3, certain rules became absolute, and he had indeed crossed the line.
His face darkened as he laughed in anger. "Good. Then let me test your strength for the sake of the Family. Don't turn out to be all show and no substance."
The surrounding Gu Masters exchanged uneasy glances. Under Lin Yan's furious shout of "Scram!", they no longer dared to stay and quickly dispersed from the residence.
The two made their decision and headed straight for the training ground.
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Bonus Chapter ✅