On this day, Lin Yan was cultivating within his dream when the entire dream realm suddenly trembled. It rapidly expanded, growing several times larger, reaching an area of tens of thousands of acres.
He was instantly overjoyed. Exiting the dream, he inspected his aperture. Above the silver primeval sea, the Dream Derivation Gu emitted a brilliant aura, shimmering with seven-colored light. Its body had grown another segment, becoming a three-sectioned silkworm, crystal clear, and it had advanced to Rank 3.
"My vital Dream Derivation Gu has finally improved again… let's see what new changes it has gained."
The tension in Lin Yan's heart eased. He activated Dream Derivation Gu and quickly discovered that, aside from the expansion in scale, the dream realm could now simulate dao marks.
The reason the real world existed was because everything—mountains, rivers, and seas—was essentially formed from dao marks.
Previously, at Rank 2, the dream realm could simulate scenes and project opponents, but everything still had a faint sense of illusion. It could not reproduce deeper details such as internal structures, flesh and blood, or the workings of apertures and primeval seas.
Now, at Rank 3, even these could be simulated within the dream realm.
"This means that no matter which path I study, it will become far easier." Lin Yan raised an eyebrow as he thought. "Those who research the human body often resort to cruel methods. If they had a dream realm like this, they wouldn't need to rely on such extremes."
At the same time, the dream realm's time flow had increased once more, now reaching a ratio of twenty to one.
Lin Yan soon ended his seclusion. There was no need to delay any longer—it was time to refine Gu.
As he stepped out of the courtyard, one of the elderly Gu Masters who was tending to flowers looked at him in surprise. "You're coming out now?"
Lin Yan smiled faintly. "I'm going to purchase some materials, feed my Gu, and refine them along the way."
"Oh? So you're finally starting refinement." The old Gu Master chuckled softly. "By the time you come out again, even a Rank 4 Family Elder might not be your match."
Over the past two months, these elders had already been shaken by Lin Yan's terrifying rate of progress. Their impression of him had completely changed, and they now regarded him as one of the Huang Family's future pillars.
To a certain extent, with their support, Lin Yan could already be considered as having formed his own small faction.
After politely bidding farewell to the elders, Lin Yan headed toward the largest Gu material market within the oasis city by Flame Lake. The place was bustling, with a wide variety of goods and abundant supply.
His Flame Path Gu were not rare, so he quickly gathered all the necessary materials for refinement, spending around two thousand primeval stones—enough to support three full rounds of refinement for all his Gu.
But that was not all. Lin Yan also needed to acquire Liquor Worm. The Rank 3 Seven Fragrance Liquor Worm could refine silver primeval essence, making it extremely beneficial for cultivation. To refine it, one needed two Rank 2 Four Flavor Liquor Worm along with seven types of spices, making it an essential Gu for his development.
At present, he only possessed one Four Flavor Liquor Worm and still needed to purchase two Rank 1 Liquor Worm to proceed with the refinement.
Speaking of which, Lin Yan had used Liquor Worm at both Rank 1 and Rank 2. However, because of Relic Gu, its effect had mostly been limited to breaking through small realm before becoming ineffective, failing to fully display its value.
But at Rank 3, it would likely remain useful for a long time. Over the past two months, despite his diligent cultivation, the silver light membrane within his aperture had only developed a small crack. He was still far from advancing to the middle stage.
In the original timeline, after Fang Yuan left Qing Mao Mountain and entered Shang Clan City, even with A-grade aptitude and the assistance of Flesh and Blood Reunion Gu—drawing on the primeval essence of an external Rank 3 peak expert—it still took him two full years to progress from early Rank 3 to Upper Rank 3.
Only after refining a White Silver Relic Gu did he reach the peak of Rank 3.
Lin Yan, however, only had B-grade aptitude and lacked Flesh and Blood Reunion Gu. Even with the help of Seven Fragrance Liquor Worm, it would likely take him around five years to reach the Upper stage.
"Aptitude…" He thought of the three opportunities he had to select from the Family's secret vault. If he was fortunate, he might find a Gu that could improve his aptitude. After all, he was only two percentage away from A-grade.
If that still proved insufficient, Lin Yan had a backup plan. He would delve into Human Path, studying the structure of the human body, and use the dream realm to simulate and develop methods to improve aptitude.
Afterward, Lin Yan easily purchased two Liquor Worm, spending one thousand primeval stones.
During this time, he noticed many Rank 2 Gu Masters arriving at Flame Island to trade for materials. However, most of them were injured.
They sighed as they spoke among themselves.
"The beast tide is definitely coming. Many pregnant earth bears will give birth in a few months. They'll need a huge amount of food, and they'll inevitably attack the oasis."
"There's nothing we can do. Water is the most precious resource in the Western Desert, and it only exists in oases. Since humans occupy them, it's only natural that waves of wild beasts will be drawn in."