Fang Yuan sat in a meditative pose while Fang Zheng stood to the side.
Fang Yuan was attempting to explore the small dream realm that the system had given him- but he needed to take some precautions first.
Dream realm exploration had exploded onto the scene in the future- but was still several centuries behind in the present day. Dream realms were just being explored and if the prophecy of the Three Venerables was true, would culminate in the development in the Great Dream Immortal Venerable some years later. Fang Yuan, despite his knowledge as a regressor, did not know who the Great Dream Immortal Venerable was as she had yet to emerge.
Dream realms were manifestations of dreams, as the name implied. Their main use was to refine dream gu, and to obtain attainment levels in various paths.
Attainment was oftentimes confused with knowledge of a path- but they were different even if they overlapped somewhat. Attainment was different from knowledge of a path, and more of an instinctual understanding of the methods and ways of that path.
As an example, an experienced doctor might not have as much theoretical or book knowledge as a recently graduated medical student. And still, if presented with a patient, the experienced doctor would be able to diagnose the issue nearly at a glance while the newly graduated student would have difficulty with it despite their perhaps superior theoretical understanding.
In the same way, if someone's attainment level of a path increased, while they would also usually have more knowledge of the path and its various gu worms, they would also be able to piece together new developments or solve problems like the arrangement of gu worms or the formation of killer moves far easier than a novice would be able to. With time they would even be able to think of new aspects or uses for certain gu worms in the path.
Attainment levels were divided into Ordinary, Master, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, and Supreme Grandmaster. Between each of these major attainment levels there was a 'quasi' stage such as quasi-Master, quasi-Grandmaster, etc.
The most obvious way of raising attainment levels was by studying the path in detail. Fang Yuan was a Grandmaster in the Blood Path as he had chanced upon one of the inheritances of the Blood Sea ancestor. He was a Master in the Refinement Path from simple experience in refining gu worms, as well as Flying from the same. Most mortals, however, would only remain at the Ordinary level throughout their lives, with less than 1% reaching Master attainment.
While attainment levels did not increase one's battle strength directly- it was theoretically possible to be a Supreme Grandmaster and only be at Rank 1, they did greatly increase one's ability in multiple indirect ways. They made it easier to deduce new gu recipes, made it easier to make new killer moves, and also made it easier to counter enemy attacks or defenses of the same path. The best part of attainment levels was that they did not obstruct each other in any way, meaning one could raise one's attainment level in various paths and they would not only not interfere with each other but also synergize in some ways with one another, helping one make complex killer moves and giving inspiration for the same.
The best way of raising them, however, was through dream realms. In the future, dream realm exploration would explode, and numerous 'geniuses' would emerge in the world with massive attainment levels in various paths. During that time, Masters and Grandmasters would become commonplace even among mortals.
Dream realms could raise one's attainment level instantly- that which had taken Fang Yuan nearly two centuries and the guidance of an expert in the field could be attained within a few weeks.
That said, there were several dangers to exploring dream realms as well. For one, it could damage one's soul, and if one was not careful enough, one could remain trapped within a dream realm. That, or their soul could be damaged severely to the point that their bodies would remain nothing but lifeless husks.
As it was, Fang Yuan only had an ordinary soul as he had no strengthening methods readily available to him. The best way to strengthen one's soul was the use of Guts Gu obtained from Dang Hun Mountain, a secluded domain of heaven and earth. However, Dang Hun Mountain was currently in the Hu Immortal Blessed Land which would only open up in a few years, after the Three King's Inheritance had. Fang Yuan, despite his knowledge of this would normally not be able to try and obtain Dang Hun Mountain even after regression as his time to advance was limited, however, with the help of the system it might indeed be possible to grow strong enough to obtain Dang Hun Mountain!
'If I get strong enough, Dang Hun Mountain can be mine in this timeline!' Fang Yuan thought. With the increase in the strength of his soul, it would make exploring dream realms even easier in the future. With his knowledge of the future, he could easily outpace other people by leaps and bounds in this field, attaining great heights in various paths.
The system assuaged him that this was a simple dream realm with practically no risks, but Fang Yuan was not one to place blind faith in anyone. He had examined it to some extent himself before placing it back in his inventory- and this is why he had employed Fang Zheng to stand guard of him while he did so. Intense pain could wake someone from a minor dream realm as long as they weren't too deeply entrenched inside, which is why Fang Zheng was instructed to hurt Fang Yuan's arm if he didn't wake up in ten hours.
Fang Yuan removed the dream realm from his inventory- it was barely the size of a pomegranate seed. It looked like a small blob of gel that shone in various prismatic colors like a thin layer of oil upon water that hung in the air. Fang Zheng looked at it with confusion as Fang Yuan entered the dream realm.
He found himself lying on the floor, looking up at a ceiling. He tried moving his arms and legs, but found that his movement was quite limited.
'Hold on... why does this seem so familiar?' Fang Yuan wondered before barely being able to turn his head with great effort to see an infant lying beside him. Whenever one first entered a dream realm, they would usually take a glance at what tools they were given. But Fang Yuan found nothing- he had no gu worms, no cultivation, he could not even move his arms or legs fully as if they were tied down. But they weren't- it was just that they felt heavy as if they suddenly weighed ten times as much as normal.
He was in a crib, and the infant sleeping beside him seemed to be somewhat familiar as well.
'So is this a baby's dream realm? How odd,' he thought. Dream realms gave attainment levels precisely because they borrowed on other people's attainments who had lived in the past. What deep attainment could a baby possibly have?
He lay there for a while before someone entered his field of vision, appearing like a giant given his tiny size.
It was a woman with soft features, one whom Fang Yuan recognized only from a portrait he had once seen long ago at a funeral.
'Mother...?'