As for Human Path Gu, he continued experimenting freely within the dream realm. Progress was slow, but not without results.
Combining the Bone Herb Devil notes, observing thousands of cases of others refining Relic Gu and Human Elixir Gu, and recalling the Human Path records from the original timeline, Lin Yan gradually grasped a key point.
All Human Path Gu were built on one foundation—Human Qi. Human Qi represented everything that made up a person. It included aptitude, talent, experience, and knowledge, as well as the strength of the body, the depth and quality of the soul, the attainment of one's path, familiarity with Gu and materials, understanding of the world, and even one's luck.
In essence, a person was a collection of Human Qi. This was also the key to ascending to immortality. If one's Human Qi was insufficient, ascension would fail without exception.
Lin Yan's thoughts deepened. There were even legends of a Human Path Secluded Domain called Human Mountain Human Sea. With enough accumulated Human Qi, it could bring the dead back to life. The most direct way to increase Human Qi was also the most extreme—slaughtering hundreds of millions of Human to gather it.
Human Elixir Gu targeted a specific part of Human Qi—lifespan—enhancing it directly, while Relic Gu focused on another part—aptitude—improving it step by step.
There was clear proof of this in the Gu world. In the Southern Border, the super force Chai Family had once produced a terrifying result. Their Old Ancestor developed a prototype of Human Mountain and created the Human Path killer move Talents into the Urn, which could gather and transfer the aptitude of countless ordinary humans onto the Family's direct descendants.
Originally, that ancestor only wanted to extend lifespan, but the result turned out to be far more useful, giving the Chai Family a lasting advantage.
Lin Yan took inspiration from this. Instead of starting from nothing and searching for rare Human Path materials, he chose a different route—using Relic Gu as the core to refine a new Gu that could enhance aptitude, while keeping the success rate high.
Compared to building a complete recipe from scratch, this method was much more efficient.
He already had a direction. What remained was continuous experimentation. Time was not a problem. With the dream realm's flow of 20:1, a single year inside was equivalent to twenty years of research.
"It's time to exit seclusion and see if the Gu I acquired today are to my liking."
Lin Yan stepped out of the courtyard, his mood calm and relaxed. From a distance, he noticed a group of Gu Masters gathered at the entrance of the Flame Lake Gu Chamber. All of them were injured, their bodies stained with blood, carrying a sharp, oppressive killing intent.
One of them was arguing loudly with Min Jun. "Eight thousand primeval stones is too low! Our team lost three people just to kill that Thousand Beast King, the Blazing Sun Flame Wolf, and bring this back!"
The others echoed him, clearly unhappy, their voices rising one after another.
Min Jun remained expressionless. "How you obtained it and what price you paid is your concern. The Gu Chamber has its rules. The highest purchase price for this Gu is eight thousand. I've already done what I can within my authority."
Hearing this, the group fell silent for a moment, their faces full of frustration and helplessness.
Lin Yan stepped closer and looked at the Gu being traded. It was dull gray, its shell rough and unremarkable, but his heart stirred—Accumulated Ash Gu.
This was a top-grade Flame Path healing Gu. He had been waiting for months and finally found one that suited him.
Even so, he did not act immediately. He stayed silent, waiting for Min Jun to finish the deal. If possible, he wanted to take it at the lowest price.
Soon, the group of Gu Masters left. Among them, Huang Xi glanced toward the nearby courtyard and saw Lin Yan's familiar figure. His expression became complicated, but he was not surprised to see him here. After eight months of tempering, although somewhat hindered by the beast tide, Huang Xi had reached the Upper stage of Rank 2 and was close to the peak. Even so, compared to Lin Yan, he still could not move as freely.
At this moment, Lin Yan's sharp soul sensed someone in the departing group glancing at him, but he paid it no attention. He stepped forward and greeted Min Jun, "Uncle Min Jun…"
Min Jun raised an eyebrow, spreading open the Accumulated Ash Gu in his hand. "You want this Gu?"
Lin Yan scratched his head with a faint smile. "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you."
Min Jun chuckled. "Eight thousand primeval stones. Take it. I knew you were collecting healing Gu, so I set this aside for you."
"Thank you, Uncle Min Jun."
Lin Yan immediately took out the primeval stones and accepted the Accumulated Ash Gu, placing it into his aperture. This Gu fed on ashes, making it extremely easy to maintain. Although he already had many Gu, he had been slow to choose a healing Gu, and the feeding cost had always been one of the main concerns.
Moreover, Accumulated Ash Gu belonged to the Flame Path and could perfectly fit into his combat system. Its potential was very high—the more ash left behind after flames burned, the stronger its healing effect. When paired with the Prairie Fire killer move, the synergy was almost perfect.