Soon, the surface of the sea buckthorn became full of pits and holes.
Indeed Gu were living creatures and needed to be fed. If not, they would starve and die. This was also part of the Gu path and something every Gu Master had to deal with.
Lin Yan first fed the Clear Water Gu a piece of aloe. The Cool Wind Gu was easier, it only needed to absorb wind. But the Fire Line Gu was more costly, as it required the leaves of a Rank 1 material, Flame Marsh Grass.
He spent two primeval stones to buy nine palm-sized red leaves, which were enough to feed the Fire Line Gu for about a month. The stronger the Gu, the more valuable its food.
"I only have four Gu worm and it's already this troublesome. If I have a dozen later, won't I spend most of my time just feeding them? And with daily work as well, will I even have time to cultivate?"
At this moment, Lin Yan truly felt how difficult cultivation was. There was no limit to using Gu, but there was always a limit to resources. Even support-type Gu were already hard to maintain. Once a full set of Gu was gathered, the daily cost would be heavy because of this, one could not collect Gu without thinking.
By the time Lin Yan finished his tasks, it was already night. He did not rest and sat cross-legged inside his tent, moving his green copper primeval essence to wash against the aperture wall again and again. Each attempt was weak, like a small ripple against a vast sea.
But he did not stop. This was the only way to improve. Only when he was completely tired and sleepiness took over did he stop. A Rank 1 Gu Master still needed proper rest.
Darkness covered his vision, and his mind slowly went blank. Then suddenly, a faint colorful mist gathered in a strange space, forming an open area around him.
Lin Yan appeared there, looking around in confusion. He had clearly fallen asleep… so how did he end up here?
Lin Yan felt uneasy. Everything had happened too suddenly. He immediately took out the Fire Line Gu and carefully observed his surroundings.
But after standing there for a long time, nothing happened. The space remained empty and silent. He frowned, unable to figure out where he was.
He didn't hesitate and directly made a move. Pointing forward, a red fire line shot out and struck the clouds at the edge of the space. The temperature rose instantly, and the clouds turned red, rolling and boiling.
However, after everything settled, there was still no change.
Lin Yan felt uncertain and continued using the Fire Line Gu. Streaks of red light flashed across the space again and again, followed by dull explosions. The edge clouds were destroyed layer by layer, yet they quickly recovered as if nothing had happened.
Soon, his primeval essence was almost exhausted, and he was about to stop. But at that moment, his aperture suddenly returned to a full state, with green copper primeval essence surging again.
Lin Yan was stunned and quickly thought of a possibility. He said in a low voice, "Return." In an instant, the scene in front of him changed. The colorful light disappeared and turned into darkness. He was back inside his tent.
"As expected… this is a dream."
Seeing this, Lin Yan let out a breath, steadied himself, and looked into his aperture. The Seven-Colored Mirage Worm was moving inside, looking lively.
"Is this the effect of my vital Gu… creating a dream space? So it really is a Dream Path Gu." Lin Yan couldn't hide his excitement. At first, he planned to slowly study this Gu, but this unexpected dream had already shown part of its ability.
After thinking for a moment, he made a decision. He moved his primeval essence and poured it into the Seven-Colored Mirage Worm, activating it.
Soon, his consciousness sank, and the same empty dream space appeared again, with his figure inside.
Lin Yan laughed. "I was searching everywhere, and it turned out to be right in front of me." Now that he understood its basic use, he began testing it again and again.
After entering and leaving the dream space several times, he confirmed its ability. It could create a dream space almost the same as reality.
The cost of using it was very low in terms of primeval essence. Instead, it mainly used mental energy, so staying inside too long would make him tired.
Another point was the flow of time. Time in the dream was faster. One hour outside was equal to three hours inside the dream.
Lin Yan quickly understood what this meant. His training time could be three times that of others. In the dream space, his primeval essence was unlimited, so he could keep using Gu without stopping. His actual training results could be dozens or even hundreds of times higher.
"Of course, there is still the limit of mental energy," he thought. "At my current level, it's better to train in the dream for about two hours each night and use the rest of the time to sleep."
He thought it through carefully. If he had Soul Path or Wisdom Path Gu, it would be even better. Soul Path could strengthen his spirit, while Wisdom Path could help him generate thoughts and keep the dream going longer.
"Wisdom Path Gu are rare, but Soul Path Gu are more common. If I get the chance, I can buy one."
Lin Yan thought to himself, feeling more confident about the future. Now that he understood the effect of the Dream Path Gu, he knew his plans would have to change.