Here is a polished English translation with a smooth, novel-like tone similar to Reverend Insanity:
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A full month passed in silence.
Inside the cavern, a faint crimson glow spread through the surroundings. It came from countless red flowers carpeting the ground, emitting a beautiful radiance that dyed the stone walls in a deep, blood-like hue.
At the heart of this sea of flowers, a small stream flowed quietly—its source the Spirit Spring. The soft sound of running water echoed gently within the cave. As one approached the source, small hills of primeval stones began to appear, and atop one of these mounds sat Jian Long, cross-legged.
Since the arrival of autumn, the temperature had dropped noticeably. The cold was especially harsh inside the cavern, where sunlight could not reach. Over the past days, Jian Long had hunted several wild beasts, using their fur to craft simple yet effective clothing to ward off the chill.
Wrapped in thick furs, with his long hair falling to his shoulders, he looked more like a barbarian than a youth.
Yet his expression remained calm.
Over the course of this month, he had devoted all his time to refining his Aperture.
And today—
he had reached a critical point.
He was on the verge of breaking through from the initial stage to the middle stage.
Within his Aperture, the jade-green primeval sea was in turmoil.
Waves surged and crashed violently against the walls again and again, each impact carrying immense force, as if trying to shatter an invisible barrier.
The storm intensified with every passing moment.
Yet in complete contrast—
Jian Long remained utterly still.
His breathing was steady.
His mind, calm as water.
He knew…
the breakthrough was only a matter of time.
But after a few minutes of refinement, just as he approached the critical moment—
something unexpected happened.
The primeval sea suddenly grew turbulent.
It slipped completely out of his control, its waves surging violently toward the walls of the Aperture, expanding at an alarming rate.
In that instant, Jian Long felt as though his Aperture could explode at any moment.
He did not hesitate.
He gathered all his will, trying to suppress the chaos.
But—
the more he tried to control it, the more violent the primeval sea became.
"What is happening?!"
His heart trembled.
For several minutes, he struggled to calm the waves, barely able to breathe. His muscles tensed, and his eyes turned bloodshot from the strain.
Yet—
it was all in vain.
It was like trying to stop a raging storm… with a small fan.
"Am I… going to die here?"
The thought surfaced in his mind with unprecedented clarity.
Then—
the storm reached its peak.
And exploded.
But contrary to his expectations…
the Aperture did not shatter.
In a single instant, everything fell silent.
The primeval sea became completely still.
Not a single ripple remained.
It was calm… utterly calm.
And when he looked closely, he noticed the change.
Its color had shifted from deep jade-green… to a lighter, purer green.
He had broken through.
He had reached the middle stage.
But that was not what shocked him the most.
His gaze fixed on something else—
the percentage of his primeval sea.
It was… 100%.
"What… is this?"
He froze for a moment.
Although his knowledge of the Gu world was limited, he knew one thing for certain:
He had never heard of a Gu Master whose primeval sea aptitude increased on its own without the use of a Gu worm.
Normally, the opposite would happen.
Aptitude would decrease due to injuries or external damage.
But to increase…
that was unheard of.
After thinking for a while, however, he gradually calmed down.
In the end… it was only a 1% increase.
Nothing worth overthinking.
He assumed that the earlier turmoil had been caused by this sudden change.
And since 100% was the limit—
it would not happen again.
But soon…
he noticed something strange.
The primeval sea…
was moving on its own.
Without any guidance from him, the waves began striking the walls of the Aperture in a steady, precise rhythm.
It was not chaotic.
It was—
perfect.
Even more precise than when he controlled it himself.
And the most astonishing part…
the level of the primeval sea was not decreasing at all.
Jian Long's eyes widened slightly.
This…
was incredible.
If the primeval sea could refine the Aperture on its own, then his cultivation speed would become terrifying.
To understand the significance of this, one had to recognize the two major problems every Gu Master faced on the path of cultivation.
The first—
time.
A Gu Master was still human.
He had a life to live—work, family, responsibilities.
He could not abandon everything and focus solely on cultivation.
The second—
resources.
Refining the Aperture consumed the primeval sea.
And once it was depleted…
it would take twelve full hours to recover to its peak, regardless of aptitude.
That was a long time.
The walls of the Aperture would heal faster than the primeval sea could naturally regenerate.
Especially for those with lower aptitude.
This was why Gu Masters required large amounts of primeval stones to sustain their cultivation.
Because of these two limitations—
many Gu Masters, despite having the talent, were unable to progress further.
At first glance, this did not seem to apply to Jian Long.
He had both time… and wealth.
But that was only temporary.
He had already decided—
once he reached Rank Two, he would leave this mountain and head toward a major city.
And when that time came…
he would lose his isolation.
He would lose the easy access to this vast wealth.
At least…
until he found a way to carry it with him.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"If refining the Aperture walls doesn't consume my primeval sea… then what about this?"
He raised his right hand.
In the next moment—
a sharp metal spear shot out from his palm, slicing through the air with a piercing sound before slamming into the cave wall.
Normally, this attack would consume about 10% of the primeval sea at the initial stage, or 5% at the middle stage.
But this time—
nothing changed.
The primeval sea remained still.
Full.
It did not decrease… not even by 1%.
Jian Long's eyes widened.
"This… is impossible!"
He could not hide his shock.
In fact, this discovery…
made him even happier than the realization that his Aperture was refining itself automatically.
Because this ability—
meant only one thing.
Superiority in combat.
In the world of Gu Masters, battle was not merely about strength or skill.
At its core…
it was a precise calculation.
Every attack had a cost.
Every move consumed a portion of the primeval sea.
And in the end—
the one whose primeval sea ran dry first in the middle of a battle…
was the loser.
For this reason, Gu Masters could never unleash their full strength.
They had to conserve… calculate… retreat.
But Jian Long—
was different.
He could fight with his full power.
Without hesitation.
Without calculation.
Without fear of exhaustion.
"This… is incredible."
he muttered softly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I don't know whether this is normal in the Gu world or not…"
"But with this ability…"
He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting into the depths of the dark cavern.
"…I finally feel that I have a real chance of surviving outside this mountain."