"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."
Lin Yan felt a trace of regret. For strengthening the soul, Dang Hun Mountain was the best choice in the Gu world. This mountain could shatter the soul, extract its essence, and condense large amounts of Guts Gu, allowing the soul to grow without limit and without resistance.
Dang Hun Mountain was also recorded in The Legends of Ren Zu. It originally stood behind the Gate of Life and Death, a secret realm similar to the underworld, alongside places like the Ghost Gate Pass and Yellow Springs River. Lin Yan knew of its location, but there was no way for him to obtain it.
In the original timeline, Fang Yuan would eventually acquire it, rapidly advancing his Soul Path foundation.
Putting that thought aside, Lin Yan took out the Fire Soul Gu. It was a crimson Gu. After activation, it turned into a transparent flame and entered his forehead, sinking into his sea of consciousness.
Roar, roar, roar!
Within the darkness of his mind, a light red flame ignited, instantly spreading into a sea of fire that engulfed his soul. Wisps of blue smoke rose as the illusory figure began to shrink, becoming more solid. Gradually, its form sharpened, revealing clearer details of his appearance.
Then, his soul opened its mouth and inhaled. The surging sea of light red fire poured into it, disappearing in an instant. His soul trembled, emitting a faint red glow, transforming into a flame soul, carrying a subtle warmth.
He opened his eyes. His pupils had turned crimson-gold, shining brightly, with a ring of faint flames circling them—it was the effect of Fire Eyes and Golden Gaze.
At this moment, the firelight within Lin Yan's eyes intensified, like burning gold, clearly stronger than before.
This was exactly what he had planned. He chose Fire Soul Gu not only to match the Flame Demon True Body, but also to strengthen his Rank 3 investigative Gu, Fire Eyes and Golden Gaze. As expected, beyond seeing through transformation path methods, it now carried a slight offensive edge.
Of course, Fire Soul Gu had its drawbacks. It was exclusive—once used, it would conflict with other soul-related Gu of different paths, such as Werewolf Soul Gu, Water Soul Gu, or Water Thought Gu.
If Dang Hun Mountain was best for strengthening the soul, then Luo Po Valley was best for refining it. It could polish the soul, keep it pure, and avoid interference when using Gu from different paths. Like Dang Hun Mountain, it was originally located within the Gate of Life and Death and was later obtained by Fang Yuan.
After using Strengthen Soul Gu and Fire Soul Gu, Lin Yan's foundation in the Soul Path rose sharply. For now, it was enough. His next focus would be to develop Dream Path killer moves.
The Soul Travel Gu and Clear Mind Gu he had purchased were meant for this. The former belonged to Soul Path, while the latter was a Wisdom Path Gu.
Lin Yan turned his attention inward, observing his aperture and primeval sea. Three different Gu hovered together—his three-segmented, plump Seven-Colored Mirage Worm, the pitch-black, ladybug-like Soul Travel Gu, and the pure white, jade-like Clear Mind Gu.
His expression gradually grew serious. A killer move centered on Dream Derivation Gu could not be perfected within a dream. It had to be tested in reality.
Although he had already thought it through many times, and the two supporting Gu were not lethal in nature, and he had strengthened his soul beforehand with Strengthen Soul Gu and Fire Soul Gu, the process still carried risk.
Lin Yan took a slow breath and focused his mind, splitting his attention into three streams as he activated the three Gu at the same time. One released a soft seven-colored glow, another a deep dark light, and the last a clean white radiance. The three lights intertwined, spreading a faint but mysterious aura through the room.
Seeing this scene, Lin Yan almost laughed. After Dream Derivation Gu advanced to Rank 3, its ability to simulate dao marks had clearly improved—it could now include the dao marks of other Gu without causing rejection.
This was the first step of the killer move, and also the most critical one: making their dao marks resonate.
Back when he created the Four Elements Gu Formation, he had experimented countless times, enduring repeated failures just to force the incompatible dao marks of earth, fire, wind, and water to work together. Compared to that, this step now felt far smoother.
Very quickly, the three lights merged into a dreamlike glow. It rose upward, flowing out from his aperture and primeval sea, then surged into his mind.
Lin Yan's spirit shook. His flame soul trembled, and a wave of dizziness hit him. His body collapsed to the ground as his consciousness drifted into a familiar dream world.
But something was different this time. The vast dream space now had dark clouds gathering along its edges, and its surface was covered by a layer of faint glowing light—hard, yet flexible, like a barrier.
Lin Yan's figure appeared within the dream. He lowered his head and looked at himself. His body was no longer the usual form—this time, it was completely illusory, emitting a faint red glow, clearly different from his previous dream entries.
Lin Yan frowned, trying several times to return, but Dream Derivation Gu gave no response. He immediately understood—this attempt had failed. His soul was trapped inside the dream.
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Author note -- I Heard Reverend Insanity Getting Unbanned?.
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