Lin Yan turned his attention to the three Rank 1 Flame Path Gu floating within his aperture. This part was not difficult. With dream realm simulation, Refinement Path had already become one of his main focuses, as it was the foundation of a Gu Master.
In a sense, the Refinement Path was like the industrial capacity of a modern nation. The stronger the foundation, the faster resources could be converted into strength.
Fang Yuan was the best example. In the later stages, he relied on Refinement Path to reach Rank 9, becoming Heaven Refining Demon Venerable. When facing other Venerables, he could mass-produce Gu, with Rank 9 Immortal Gu appearing continuously, overwhelming his opponents.
Lin Yan had already instructed Aunt Liu to purchase the necessary materials. The primeval stones came from his earlier transaction. Shan Xia had delivered the Red Steel Relic Gu along with two thousand primeval stones, and he had also provided her with the written details of the killer moves.
However, he was not in a hurry to refine the Red Steel Relic Gu, planning to use it at a later stage, just like before. The materials required to refine the three Rank 1 Flame Path Gu were inexpensive, only around three hundred primeval stones, enough to endure several failed attempts.
"If the refinement succeeds, it's far more cost-effective than directly buying Rank 2 Gu. But if my refinement skills are lacking, then it's just a loss."
Lin Yan shook his head. His uncle likely did not expect him to successfully refine Gu yet, only to gain experience.
"Dream Realm."
In the next moment, he silently called out, and his consciousness sank into an empty space. Within the dream realm, Lin Yan waved his hand, and various Gu materials emitting firelight appeared. He began with refining Fire Line Gu. Its Rank 2 form was Fireball Gu, which Lin Qingyao had used before, possessing considerable power.
The method was to first place Fire Line Gu into the flames, then gradually add fire oil, a small sulfur sphere, and finally the heart of a Flame Wolf.
Lin Yan carefully controlled the fire and added each material step by step, adjusting the temperature accordingly.
Bang!
Before he could finish adding all the materials, the flames suddenly erupted. The explosion sent a shockwave outward.
Lin Yan's face was instantly burned and distorted by the blast. The Fire Line Gu, lying within the flames, was covered in cracks and on the verge of collapse.
"The temperature was slightly too high… again."
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Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, a month went by.
Lin Yan refined Gu in his dreams every day, while also deducing new killer moves using his recently acquired Gu worms. Only after thoroughly perfecting each refinement method in the dream realm did he proceed to refine them in reality.
In the end, he successfully refined Rank 2 Fireball Gu and Rank 2 Fire Armor Gu, the latter being the advanced form of Fire Cloak Gu. During the process, he failed only three times.
This was normal. Even a Grandmaster of Refinement Path could encounter failure, no matter how familiar they were with a Gu recipe.
Fortunately, refining Rank 2 Gu was relatively safe and would not completely destroy the Gu worms upon failure.
As for Fire Coal Gu's Rank 2 refinement, Kindling Gu, he had already mastered its method. It retained the same effect, reducing the primeval essence consumption of Rank 2 Flame Path Gu.
The reason he had not refined it yet was because Fire Coal Gu was a core component of his Four Elements Gu Formation. He planned to wait until reaching Rank 2 Peak, when it would no longer be needed, before upgrading it.
At present, his Gu worms were as follows:
First Rank—Cool Wind Gu, Sand Pit Gu, Clear Water Gu, Fire Coal Gu, and five Fire Pattern Gu already integrated into his body.
Second Rank—Fireball Gu, Fire Armor Gu, Fire Eye Gu, Walking Fire Gu, and Red Steel Relic Gu.
In total, he possessed more than a dozen Gu worms, far exceeding others of the same level, which naturally made feeding them quite costly.
Rank 1 Gu were easy to maintain, but the newly refined Rank 2 Gu, Fireball Gu and Fire Armor Gu, required the leaves and roots of Yan Ze Spiritual Plant as food.
Yan Ze Spiritual Plant was a Rank 2 material, the superior form of Flame Marsh Grass. The fortunate part was that the Family cultivated it and could supply it steadily, though the cost was not low.
"It's a good thing the Family's Gu recipe inheritance is complete. Otherwise, feeding alone would become a problem."
Lin Yan let out a quiet sigh, feeling a trace of pressure in his heart. What about Rank 3… and Rank 4? He couldn't help but wish he had access to Food Path Gu. Food Path was a niche path, but its potential was immense. It not only simplified the feeding of Gu worms but also provided great benefits to the Gu Master himself.
Unfortunately, recalling the original work, there were very few Food Path inheritances. Most Gu Masters had never even heard of it. It only began to flourish after the arrival of the Great Era.
"There's still one Gu I must refine—the Four Flavors Liquor Worm."
Its method was to refine two Liquor Worms using four types of fine wine—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy.
"With dream derivation, this will allow me to maintain rapid growth even after reaching Rank 2."
As Lin Yan thought about this, a new idea surfaced. With his Dream Derivation Gu, he could potentially earn resources by deducing killer moves and Gu recipes for others.
Back then, when Fang Yuan first became an Immortal, he had been extremely poor and relied on Wisdom Gu to deduce Immortal Gu recipes for others to survive.
However, this was not urgent.
Lin Yan instructed Aunt Liu to quickly acquire two Liquor Worms. Each Rank 1 Wine Gu cost around five to six hundred primeval stones, and with the sixteen to seventeen hundred he had, it was more than enough.
"Now, I just wait for news."
Lin Yan sat cross-legged in the secret chamber, preparing to re-enter the dream realm and spar with Shan Shayuan to further temper his newly acquired Flame Path Gu worms.
With four Gu covering defense, movement, offense, and support, his setup was already extremely strong for Rank 2.
As expected, he made clear progress in the dream. He could now exchange a few moves with Shan Shayuan, though in the end, he was still defeated.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Just as Lin Yan revived again in the blank dream realm, the entire world suddenly began to tremble.
At the edges, swirling clouds lit up with colorful radiance, brilliant and dreamlike, spreading outward without stop. The previously empty ground began to shift, forming soil and grass, while in the distance, forests and streams gradually took shape.
"What's going on?"
Lin Yan was startled by this sudden transformation. Fearing something had gone wrong, he immediately withdrew from the dream.
In the next moment, his consciousness returned. Seeing the familiar walls of the quiet room, he let out a breath of relief and quickly examined his aperture.
Within the primeval sea, his vital Dream Derivation Gu had clearly changed. The originally chubby, mirage-like worm had grown longer, dividing into two segments, surrounded by a thicker, more vibrant halo. Its aura had unmistakably reached Rank 2.
"It actually advanced to Rank 2?"
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