Lin Yan was astonished. It was truly mysterious. Ever since he obtained Dream Derivation Gu, it had never required feeding and had always remained in perfect condition.
Because of this, he had long formed a speculation—the Dream Derivation Gu fed on dreams. Each time he entered the dream realm, it was equivalent to nourishing it.
Now that it had advanced on its own, Lin Yan came to a conclusion. It must be related to the influence of those mysterious dao marks, refining the Dream Derivation Gu alongside his own advancement to Rank 2.
"This is excellent… I never managed to find its refinement recipe."
Lin Yan was quietly delighted and immediately began testing the effects of the Rank 2 Dream Derivation Gu. After several attempts, he confirmed that the time ratio within the dream had increased once again, now reaching a shocking ten to one.
At the same time, its range had expanded significantly, allowing him to construct far more complex environments.
This made his combat training far richer and more realistic.
"Using Dream Derivation Gu alone is too wasteful." He began to think further.
"I should find other Gu Worms to combine with it and develop killer moves. If I can pull others into dreams and let them fight real, intelligent phantoms, it would greatly improve combat experience. At the same time, it could even be used to exchange information."
A new direction slowly took shape in his mind. Lin Yan considered it for a moment, but in the end, his current cultivation was still insufficient, and the number of Gu worms he possessed was limited, so he temporarily set the idea aside. Even drawing others into dreams required careful preparation; otherwise, it would be too easy to expose his own trump cards.
A few days later, Aunt Liu successfully acquired two Liquor Worms, and the four types of fine liquor were also prepared.
Lin Yan repeatedly simulated the refinement process in the dream realm before carrying it out in reality, eventually refining the Rank 2 Four Flavors Liquor Worm.
"Haha, success!" He held the small Gu worm in his hand. Compared to the Liquor Worm, the Four Flavors Liquor Worm was slightly larger, but still resembled a soft silkworm, with a pair of bright black eyes.
Four-colored light swirled continuously around its body—red for spicy, blue for bitter, yellow for sweet, and green for sour.
In the original work, Fang Yuan's cultivation speed with the Liquor Worm was already comparable to A-grade aptitude. Now, with his top-tier B-grade aptitude combined with the Four Flavors Liquor Worm, Lin Yan could surpass the three A-grade geniuses in cultivation speed.
At the same time, he used the Four Flavors Liquor Worm to refine mid-grade red steel primeval essence, partially replacing the function of Fire Coal Gu, reducing consumption when activating Gu worms and further increasing his combat strength.
He sat cross-legged and placed the Four Flavors Liquor Worm into his aperture, continuously refining essence. Around him, primeval stones were consumed one after another. The light red primeval sea gradually deepened in color, surging against the Rank 2 light membrane, which already showed several cracks.
Lin Yan had not slacked off in this past month, cultivating diligently day and night. He was confident that with just over a month more, he would step into the middle stage.
Time flowed like water. The temperature of Shajing Oasis gradually cooled, and winter quietly arrived. Within the Huang residence, upon hearing that Lin Yan had come out of seclusion, Aunt Liu gracefully walked into the courtyard, a trace of joy on her face.
Ever since the newcomer competition, Young Master had been in seclusion for nearly three months. Such relentless cultivation even made her uneasy, fearing he might have pushed himself too far.
When she saw Lin Yan standing in the courtyard, she paused slightly. The young man's features were sharp and refined, his robe fluttering lightly. His figure was tall and slender, his bearing calm, his spirit full—his entire presence carried a quiet, captivating aura.
Lin Yan noticed her daze and asked, slightly puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Aunt Liu snapped out of her daze, covering her lips with a soft laugh, her eyes lingering on him a moment longer than usual. "Young Master is becoming more and more imposing… just like those heroic young lords from the stories."
"Those young lords don't live long," Lin Yan replied with a faint, helpless smile, glancing at her before looking up at the sky. "It's been a year… I'm sixteen."
Nine years remained until the start of the plot. He lowered his gaze and inspected his aperture. The primeval sea had already transformed into a vast Scarlet Red sea, marking his Rank 2 Middle Stage cultivation, while the wall membrane had evolved into a water membrane, flowing with a steady rhythm. The Four Flavors Liquor Worm continuously refined deep red high-grade primeval essence, circulating with a quiet, powerful pulse.
If it were his original self, he would still be struggling just to reach Rank 1 Peak. Now, he had completely broken through the limitations of this body.
The price, however, was clear—his primeval stones were exhausted, and his resources had been pushed to the limit.
Lin Yan's expression grew thoughtful. He considered whether to use the Red Steel Relic Gu to directly step into Upper Stage, then rely on the Four Flavors Liquor Worm to refine Peak-level primeval essence, and finally sell the Four Elements Gu Formation to replenish his reserves.
At that moment, Aunt Liu's voice sounded again, gentle yet carrying a hint of urgency, pulling him back from his thoughts.
Doctor Mo, the Gu Master stationed in Han Family Village, had begun acting unusually. As expected, it was related to the inheritance.
Lin Yan had long instructed Aunt Liu to place a sharp and discreet servant to keep watch, and now, at last, traces had surfaced.