Early in the morning, the Shan Family caravan set off. All the Gu Masters were in good spirits. After being away for so long, they were finally returning home.
Lin Yan looked into his aperture. The dark green primeval sea was calm and steady, and he felt at ease. For ordinary people, even if their cultivation rose like this, their combat strength would not change much.
But for him, who trained day and night in the dream, his experience was already ahead of his cultivation. Using the Relic Gu to raise his level allowed him to fully match his strength.
He walked to the Rank 3 Earth Brick Gu House and returned the Liquor Worm. Shan Xia looked at him carefully, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Reaching Rank 1 Peak at your age… you're only fifteen years and seven months, right? Your cultivation can definitely rank in the top ten of your generation."
Lin Yan smiled. "I was lucky and got a Green Copper Relic Gu." It was normal for others to see his cultivation at a glance since he didn't have a concealment Gu, but that didn't matter. His real strength was not just his level.
Shan Xia smiled and said, "If you're interested, after the newcomer competition, you can join my caravan. Doing some trade can help your cultivation."
"I'll think about it, Elder Sister." Lin Yan gave a vague reply. He really needed to think about how to earn resources in the future. Cultivation consumed too much. Being able to reach Rank 1 Peak so quickly was partly because of his uncle's support.
Reaching Rank 2 and Rank 3 would require even more. Fortunately, he had ways to earn. He remembered many Gu recipes from the original story. He could test and restore them in the dream, then sell them to the family.
As for working as a trade runner, that was just working for the family. The profit was too small, and he didn't care for it.
"The family system protects people, but it also takes from them step by step. Only those at the top truly benefit." Lin Yan sighed inwardly. This was normal. It had always been like this. People at the bottom had little choice, and lone cultivators had it even worse.
In the evening, the caravan saw a large oasis ahead. At its center were three big lakes, far larger than the Red Willow Oasis, several times its size.
At the edge stood rows of tall, ancient trees. Their leaves were sharp and red like needles. These were Acupuncture Trees, a type of Fire and Wood Path plant. They were usually calm but would attack fiercely if threatened.
This was the Shan Family's outer defense. Inside the oasis were many villages, while the main family controlled the area around the lakes, where streets and buildings were developed.
"We're finally back. I wonder if my wife prepared something for me." The Gu Masters in the caravan talked casually, their mood relaxed.
When Lin Yan heard the name of the oasis, he was stunned. "Shajing Oasis? The Shan Family? No wonder… is this that Shan Family?"
He quickly recalled part of the original story. This place had been mentioned before. The Shan Family itself was not very famous, but the key point was that a person named Han Li would be born here. In the future great era, he would rise step by step, reach Immortal Ascension, and even reach Rank 7 Peak, becoming well known across the Five Regions.
This was from Fang Yuan's first life. At that time, Fang Yuan took three hundred years to become an immortal through Blood Path, then ruled for five hundred years. Later, he refined the Spring Autumn Cicada and was reborn, starting everything again.
His advantage was too great. He had knowledge of the future, five hundred years of experience, and the ability to rebirth again. It was almost like having a second chance every time.
If someone pushed him into a desperate situation, he could simply return and change everything. Even before others could act, they might already be dealt with.
Facing such a person, Lin Yan did not plan to confront him early. He would wait until he found a way to deal with the Spring Autumn Cicada.
However, it also had a weakness. Every time it was used, the user's luck would become very poor. Even things that should succeed could go wrong.
In any case, nothing went smoothly for Fang Yuan in the early stage of his second life. He kept facing setbacks, almost like the story was made to suppress him.
After becoming an immortal in his second life, because his luck became extremely poor, he planned to connect his luck with others to share the burden. That was when he went to find the young Han Li, who had not yet opened his aperture.
"…Really?"
Lin Yan felt a chill run down his back. He had no preparation at all to face Fang Yuan. Right now, he just wanted to confirm one thing—whether Han Li had already been born.
If Han Li was already around ten years old, it meant Fang Yuan had already finished the early stages, ten years had passed, and he had likely completed the Imperial Court contest and reached Immortal Ascension.
If that was the case, Lin Yan could only leave.
"The Spring Autumn Cicada… its advantage is too great."
Lin Yan felt a headache as the caravan entered the oasis. Shan Xia and Shan Shayuan still had to report back and deal with the caravan matters, but he was free. He didn't even return home and went straight to find Han Family Village.
This was not hard. He knew it was near the edge of the oasis, close to a grassy area. As a Shan Family Gu Master, it was easy for him to find it.
Soon, he arrived at Han Family Village. Under the watch of the surrounding mortals, he looked toward a stone house not far away. An ordinary-looking boy was squatting outside, playing in the dirt.
Lin Yan thought, There's no child named Han Li in this village. Does that mean he hasn't been born yet? Could this boy be his father… or maybe they aren't even married yet?
He quickly figured out the timeline. Han Li would be born about ten years later, and around the same time, Fang Yuan would rebirth in the Southern Border. Twenty years after that, Fang Yuan would reach Immortal Ascension.
"I still have ten years… no, twenty years." Lin Yan's tense mood eased. He almost wanted to laugh. The pressure from Fang Yuan was too great. That man was walking a path of destruction, with no regard for anything.
"Damn it… all because of heaven's will." Lin Yan complained inwardly. Being controlled and pushed for five hundred years, forced to struggle nonstop… it had shaped Fang Yuan into something extreme.
Even so, Lin Yan did not relax too much. Reaching Immortal Ascension in twenty years was almost impossible, even for top talents. Not everyone was Fang Yuan.
Logically, since he came ten years earlier than the original timeline, he should be in Fang Yuan's first life, with hundreds of years ahead.
But things were not that simple. The Fang Yuan he would face would only be the one after rebirth, not the earlier version.
The only thing Lin Yan could rely on was himself. Whether he could reach that level or not was uncertain.
He could only move step by step. Just as he was about to leave, the Gu Master guarding Han Family Village arrived. It was an old man with a worn face.
The old man spoke with a respectful tone, "My name is Mo Han. May I ask if there is anything I can help you with?"
Hearing this, Lin Yan turned and looked at him. From the waist token, he could tell the man was a Rank 2 Gu Master. It was normal for him to act this way.
First, Lin Yan was from the Shan Family, so his status was higher. Second, reaching Rank 1 Peak at this age meant his future was promising.
Lin Yan asked, "Doctor Mo?"