Reverend Insanity: Dream Gu

The change was difficult to define. It did not directly increase Lin Yan’s cultivation, dao marks, or attainment, nor did it simply accelerate his thoughts. After examining himself for several moments, he finally found the closest word to describe it.

Talent

Talent was different from attainment. Attainment represented one’s understanding of a path, while talent determined how quickly one could learn, comprehend, and deepen that understanding. Two Gu Immortals might possess the same attainment level, yet one could spend years creating a killer move while the other completed it within months.

Lin Yan could now clearly feel that difference. His attainment levels had not changed. Flame Path and Formation Path remained at Grandmaster, Dream Path and Refinement Path at Quasi-Grandmaster, Thunder Path and Flying Path at Master, while Human Path and Earth Path remained at Quasi-Master.

What had changed was his ability to use that knowledge. Insights from different paths connected more easily, old problems revealed new solutions, and ideas he had never considered before emerged one after another.

Lin Yan had never considered himself a true genius. His achievements relied heavily on Dream Derivation Immortal Gu, memories from his previous life, and the experience he had accumulated over countless years. Without these advantages, his natural talent alone could never have brought him this far.

But now, with the Human Path immortal formation temporarily sharpening his mind, ideas surfaced faster than he could examine them. For the first time, Lin Yan experienced the overwhelming advantage of extraordinary talent.

Integrating the five newly refined Immortal Gu into his existing killer moves would normally have required months of experimentation and deduction. Yet with his attainments in several paths, Calculation Immortal Gu, Dream Revelation Immortal Gu, and Dream Derivation Immortal Gu supporting him, that process could be shortened tremendously.

Lin Yan naturally would not waste this opportunity. He sat beneath the Thousand Wishes Tree, entered the Dream Realm, and immediately began deducing how to integrate the five Immortal Gu into his existing killer moves.

Calculation Immortal Gu examined each idea, Dream Revelation Immortal Gu brought sudden flashes of inspiration, while Dream Derivation Immortal Gu allowed him to test every change without consuming real resources. Even failure became useful, revealing flaws and leading him toward new possibilities.

The first killer move he improved was Crimson Virtue True Body. It originally used Fire Control Immortal Gu, Transform Fire Immortal Gu, and Three Flavors Otherworldly Flame Immortal Gu as its three cores. After several attempts, Lin Yan successfully added Lead Fire Immortal Gu as the fourth.

Crimson Virtue True Body not only became much stronger, but also gained a new ability. By burning Flame Path immortal materials, Lin Yan could temporarily push its power beyond its normal limit. The more valuable the materials he sacrificed, the greater the increase in strength.

Prairie Fire underwent an equally dramatic change after Scorching Heat Immortal Gu became its fourth core. Its flames grew hotter and harder to extinguish, while both their range and destructive power increased tremendously. Once fully unleashed, fire covered heaven and earth, burning mountains and boiling rivers until everything within range was swallowed by a sea of flames.

After witnessing its new power, Lin Yan felt that the name Prairie Fire no longer suited it.

Afterward, Lin Yan turned to Mystic Sun Myriad Flames Great Handprint, Raging Flames Engulfing the Body, and Fire Transformation Robe. He added Immortal Gu whose abilities matched their existing effects, then replaced and rearranged hundreds of supporting mortal Gu to accommodate the changes.

He did not pursue greater power blindly. If two Immortal Gu conflicted or made a killer move too difficult to activate, he abandoned that combination and tried another. By the end, all three killer moves had become much stronger while remaining stable enough for battle.

Lin Yan continued until the ideas flowing through his mind gradually slowed. Only then did he notice the exhaustion buried beneath that extraordinary state. As soon as he left the Dream Realm, it overwhelmed him. He barely managed to activate the Soul Devouring Demon Subduing Formation before losing consciousness.

When Lin Yan awakened, an entire month had passed within Flame Sovereign Blessed Land. His body remained weak, and even his thoughts felt heavy. He attempted to continue improving the remaining killer moves, but the earlier flood of inspiration had vanished.

Calculation Immortal Gu still processed countless possibilities, while Dream Derivation Immortal Gu allowed him to test them freely. His attainments had not changed either. What he lacked were new directions worth pursuing.

Lin Yan soon understood the reason. During that brief period, he had already turned nearly all his current knowledge and experience into improvements. Until he gained new insights or raised his attainments further, forcing himself to continue would accomplish little.

”The Thousand Wishes Tree truly is my good fortune.”

Lin Yan sighed as he looked toward the enormous tree. This was the second time he had experienced such a change. The first occurred when the Thousand Wishes Tree helped him create new Human Path Gu worm, though the effect had been much weaker and ended quickly.

After the completion of the Raging Fire formation, the Thousand Wishes Tree had amplified his talent to a completely different degree. For a brief period, thoughts that normally required days of contemplation had surfaced almost instantly.

It reminded him of Star Constellation Immortal Venerable’s Derivation Formation and the Human Path killer move Humble Reciprocation. The latter transformed a Gu Immortal’s accumulated knowledge and experience into a continuous stream of inspiration. The deeper their understanding, the greater the results it could produce.

Killer moves could be improved, Immortal Gu recipes could be completed, and even attainment could rise through this process. Raging Fire had yet to reach such a level, but both methods clearly shared some of the same Human Path profundities.

The formation could not create knowledge from nothing. Once Lin Yan had explored every possibility within his current understanding, the flow of inspiration naturally faded. Even so, it had allowed him to complete several years of deductions in short time.

”This alone saved me several years.”

Lin Yan had planned to gather the discoveries and achievements of every Gu Master in Flame Sovereign Blessed Land through the upcoming Blessed Land Grand Survey. He would study their findings, combine them with his own understanding, and slowly use them to improve his killer moves.

Most of that work was already complete. Once the Grand Survey provided him with fresh knowledge and new ideas, the Raging Fire formation could help him draw out their full value and begin another round of deductions.