Afterward, Lin Yan descended to the fourth floor and began purchasing Gu in bulk. He had enough money, and after days of practice in the dream realm, he already knew what he needed. Since he had no recipes for them, he could only buy Soul Path and Wisdom Path Gu.
He chose Soul Travel Gu, Clear Mind Gu, and Strengthen Soul Gu, all at Rank 3. Because they belonged to rare paths, their prices were extremely high. In total, he spent sixty thousand primeval stones.
Lin Yan was a little shocked. When he cultivated Flame Path, he never felt the pressure—most of his Gu were self-refined, and spending was controlled. But once he started buying high-end paths like Soul Path and Wisdom Path, the cost became obvious.
Fortunately, for his next Flame Path Gu, the Family had ready recipes. For close combat, he chose Flame Blade Gu, and for soul modification, Fire Soul Gu. The materials only cost a few thousand primeval stones, leaving him with about 380,000 primeval stones.
Healing was still a problem. Flame Path was not good at it, and Gu from other paths did not fit his combat system. Once he activated the Flame Demon True Body, most non-flame Gu would be burned away, making them useless in battle.
For now, he could only wait. The beast tide would bring many Gu and materials—maybe he would find something suitable then.
Inside the quiet room, Lin Yan sat still, holding five Gu of different shapes in his palm. His gaze first landed on Strengthen Soul Gu and Fire Soul Gu, both one-time consumable Gu. The former was a pure Soul Path Gu, used to strengthen the soul, increasing thinking speed, improving control over multiple Gu, keeping the mind clear, and allowing longer time spent inside the dream realm. The latter belonged to both Flame Path and Soul Path. It could refine the soul into a more solid form, greatly increasing resistance against Enslavement Path, Soul Path, Wisdom Path, and other mental methods. More importantly, it could be integrated into the Flame Demon True Body, allowing the soul to receive the amplification of Fire Aperture Gu and increase its power several times over.
Lin Yan slowly closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. His consciousness sank inward, arriving in the depths of his mind. It was completely dark, with only a faint blue glow floating in the void. The light twisted and gathered, forming a vague human-shaped phantom identical to his own figure.
"Oh?"
Lin Yan observed carefully. "My total soul strength is actually three times that of an ordinary person… a Three-Man Soul."
Seeing his own soul, Lin Yan felt a trace of surprise. He guessed it might be because he was a transmigrator, and also due to the constant tempering from Dream Derivation Gu.
In the Gu world, apart from the aperture and primeval sea, the development of the physical body and the soul were calculated separately. The body required Strength Path methods—using Gu to transform it into something like copper skin and iron bones, or ice muscles and jade bones, strengthening the body as a container. Then, strength-type Gu could further increase physical power.
The measurement of strength also varied. There were common levels like one pig's strength or one ox's strength, and more special ones like thunder pig strength or green ox strength. Some systems even used units like one jun or ten jun. In general, the stronger the body, the more strength it could handle.
Lin Yan's Glass Flame Bone Gu was one such method, strengthening his bones and increasing his physical power.
The soul followed a similar principle but relied on Soul Path methods. Fire Soul Gu was used to solidify the soul, while Strengthen Soul Gu increased total soul strength. The measurement was simple—based on comparison to an ordinary person. Twice as strong meant a Two-Man Soul, three times meant a Three-Man Soul.
Once the soul reached the limit of the physical body, it could no longer grow freely. It had to be compressed, increasing its density and quality.
Lin Yan activated his silver primeval essence and infused it into the Strengthen Soul Gu. The faint blue-shelled Gu turned transparent, dissolving into a cluster of soft light before flying straight into his forehead.
Within the depths of his mind, a dim, moon-like glow appeared above his soul phantom. Threads of light descended, washing over it again and again. His soul expanded rapidly, growing taller and more solid, until the Strengthen Soul Gu was completely consumed.
When it ended, Lin Yan felt his mind become exceptionally clear. His eyes gleamed with sharpness, and his thoughts flowed smoothly, as if inspiration would come at any moment. After a brief check, a trace of joy appeared on his face—his soul had reached the level of a Twenty-Man Soul.
Under normal circumstances, even Gu Masters who specialized in Soul Path, Enslavement Path, or Wisdom Path would only reach around a Thousand-Man Soul at Rank 5.
Lin Yan did not focus on Soul Path. Strengthening his soul was mainly to defend against such methods, and also to prepare for developing Dream Path in the future. For him, reaching a Hundred-Person Soul by Rank 5 would already be enough.
"It's a pity…" he thought calmly. "Strengthen Soul Gu has its limits. A person can only use it three times in a row before it stops working."