Even so, Lin Yan felt a faint unease. Before heaven and earth, he was like someone stripped bare—aside from his thoughts, everything else could be seen through.
He either had to ascend to immortality as quickly as possible, or refine a Gu that could erase Heaven's Will's perception. The original novel mentioned My Will Gu, but there was no clear recipe recorded.
"Even if my cultivation advances quickly, my foundation is still too shallow. I'll need a large number of Gu recipes and knowledge of materials before I can deduce it through dreams."
Lin Yan exhaled softly. There was no immediate solution, so he set the matter aside and turned his attention to the inheritance.
As expected, it did not match the wealth one would expect from a Rank 4. On the Wood Path side, there were only three Rank 3 Gu—Iron Thorn Gu, Jumping Grass, and Grass Puppet Gu.
All of them had appeared in the original novel. The first was a defensive Gu, its ironwood body hard as steel and capable of counterattacking. The second was a movement-type Gu. The third was used to create puppets—by injecting primeval essence, it could, in areas with vegetation, continuously generate vine armor and grass soldiers.
The ordinary grass soldiers produced by a Rank 1 Grass Puppet Gu were only suitable as training targets, but those created by a Rank 3 Grass Puppet Gu were strong enough to kill a Rank 1 Gu Master.
"But this is the Western Desert… a wasteland for Wood Path."
Lin Yan frowned slightly. These Gu could only truly function within oases. The vast desert was the true environment here, which meant their value was effectively cut in half.
A normal Rank 3 Gu would be worth several thousand primeval stones. In the Southern Border, the three together could easily reach twenty thousand. Here, even ten thousand would already be considered good.
"Forget it… it's still a free gain." He shifted his attention to the remaining Gu, his gaze falling on three round beads with a metallic sheen—one jade green, one crimson red, and one bright silver.
These three Gu were far too familiar. Lin Yan's expression changed slightly. "Green Copper Relic Gu… Red Steel Relic Gu… and White Silver Relic Gu?"
Finally, there was a blurred Gu resembling a curled-up infant, its body folded like a peach, giving off a strange fragrance, almost like a ginseng fruit—it was precisely a Rank 3 Human Elixir Gu.
Lin Yan's gaze flickered slightly. In the original story, Mo Han had likely used this Gu for his first life extension, and later, for his second attempt, he set his sights on Han Li.
The three Wood Path Gu were average at best, but the remaining four were of considerable value.
"But why are there Relic Gu here? A Rank 4 Gu Master wouldn't need them anymore…"
Lin Yan frowned and reread the contents of the bookworm. Soon, he grasped the reason, and his heart shook.
"The Bone Herb Devil… while researching longevity, actually touched upon the Human Path?!"
Human Path was an extremely special path, on the same level as Heaven Path. Both were suspected to contain the secret of eternal life. The highest achievement of Heaven Path was Fate Gu, while the pinnacle of Human Path was the Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu, which would appear more than twenty years later.
At the same time, Heaven Path produced Lifespan Gu, while Human Path produced Relic Gu. These were formed in places rich in human qi, and neither could be artificially refined. Both paths were obscure and extremely difficult to comprehend.
Lin Yan knew that the true inheritance of Human Path lay within a book called The Legends of Ren Zu, something akin to the collection of myths and legends from his previous life.
It recorded many methods of refining legendary Gu, yet it was also like an allegorical text, filled with profound meaning—truly the "book of books" in the original work.
Everyone who read the same passage of The Legends of Ren Zu would gain different insights, and these differences often subtly pointed toward their future path.
After transmigrating, Lin Yan had naturally read it. At first glance, it seemed full of truth, but when he tried to grasp it more deeply, he found nothing concrete to hold onto.
Because cultivating Human Path was not about attainment, but about experience. In this aspect, the older one was, the greater the advantage. The richer one's life experiences, the deeper the understanding gained.
Some things could only be understood after one had personally lived through them. Many powerful figures only truly comprehended The Legends of Ren Zu in their later years, using it to derive killer moves, develop Gu, and explore new paths.
Lin Yan… was still too young. Although he had graduated from university in his previous life and had been tempered by society, even choosing to follow his instincts into danger and explore, it was still far from enough. That kind of experience… was too shallow.
He turned his attention back to the Bone Herb Devil's inheritance. The man's life had been full of twists and turns, and in his later years, he devoted himself entirely to researching methods of extending lifespan. At first, he believed the Human Elixir Gu belonged to the Wood Path, but during his research, he unexpectedly discovered that it did not belong to any known path. Its essence was actually similar to Relic Gu.
That realization opened up a completely new direction for him.
Afterward, he studied The Legends of Ren Zu and gained some insights, though he himself did not realize that what he had touched upon was the Human Path.
"Human Elixir Gu belongs to the Human Path… that makes sense," Lin Yan thought.