Western Desert, Tang Family Immortal Formation Space.
Fang Yuan sat cross-legged, eyes closed in quiet cultivation.
His mind swept across his own soul. His soul foundation, once at the level of tens of millions of human souls, had now plummeted to around one million — just barely above that threshold.
"Before, after traversing the first act of the dream, my soul foundation still had over nine million human souls remaining. Now, after the second act, it's down to just over a million. I nearly fell to the hundred-thousand level."
Fang Yuan silently compared the two figures in his mind.
The second dream act was longer than the first, and the toll on his soul was far more severe.
If it had been an ordinary Gu Immortal with a slightly weaker soul foundation, they wouldn't have been able to endure it at all. Forget an entire act — they couldn't even have survived half of one.
All of this pointed to one conclusion: the Dao of Thieves dream before him was extraordinarily difficult to explore. No wonder the Tang Family and Tang Fangming had spent so many years working at it — it was like a newborn infant gnawing on a boulder hard as iron.
"Tang Fangming was still able to create so many Mortal Dream Path Gu. It shows that this man truly possessed both talent and aptitude, and was no ordinary individual."
Fang Yuan recalled his previous life. Five hundred years ago, Tang Fangming had created the Dream Path Immortal move — Steal Dreams.
In the past, Fang Yuan had assumed the Shadow Sect was pulling strings behind the scenes. But now, after exploring two acts of the Dao of Thieves dream consecutively, he believed that Steal Dreams was more likely Tang Fangming's own genuine creation.
The first act of the Dao of Thieves dream had caused his Dao of Thieves attainment to skyrocket to the Grandmaster level.
After clearing the second act, his attainment had risen further to the quasi-Supreme Grandmaster level.
"Only one more step away from the true Supreme Grandmaster realm." When Fang Yuan focused his mind in quiet contemplation, he could feel that tantalizing prospect, as if it were within arm's reach.
"Just one more act of the Dao of Thieves dream — if I succeed, I will definitely reach the Supreme Grandmaster level of the Dao of Thieves!" At this thought, even with his extraordinary composure, a flicker of fervent desire stirred in his heart.
The gap between a Supreme Grandmaster and a Grandmaster was enormous.
The Grandmaster realm meant comprehending yin and yang and the workings of heaven and earth, understanding the mysteries of the universe, transcending the mundane to become an Immortal among Immortals, a sage among sages.
Upon reaching the Grandmaster realm, one could apply knowledge across related fields. Using the techniques of one's primary Path, one could simulate the characteristics and advantages of other Paths. For example, within the Black Fan True Inheritance, there was the move "A Hundred Years of Harmony" — originally a Time Path killer move, yet it could achieve effects akin to the Path of Faith.
The Supreme Grandmaster realm, on the other hand, meant one's understanding of a Path had approached the Dao itself, and one's comprehension had reached the limits of heaven and earth. It could be said that one had exhausted all the mysteries of that Path!
The late Burning Sky Demon Woman had reached the Supreme Grandmaster realm in the Path of Flame, and the current Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, Ancestor Snow Beard, was a Supreme Grandmaster of the Path of Snow.
At this level, Burning Sky Demon Woman could sense Flame Path Dao Marks with extreme precision. That was why, previously, she had added a sliver of Flame Path Dao Marks to each piece of Flame Path Immortal material before laying her trap against Fang Yuan.
Ancestor Snow Beard, meanwhile, could freely deconstruct and reassemble various Immortal Path killer moves at will. In the earlier battle at the Reverse Flow River, he had skillfully dismantled his signature battlefield killer move to counter Heavenly Court and other formidable enemies, gaining the upper hand.
A Supreme Grandmaster of the Path of Formations could directly utilize the Dao Marks existing in nature to set up formations. Often, using only a handful of Mortal Gu, one could deploy an Immortal-level Gu formation at a specific location.
Above the Supreme Grandmaster, there was yet another realm — the Supreme Grandmaster Supreme.
A Supreme Grandmaster had exhausted all the mysteries of a Path within heaven and earth. If Fang Yuan became a Supreme Grandmaster of the Dao of Thieves, then he would hold complete mastery over every mystery of the Dao of Thieves in the entire world. There would be virtually nothing about the Dao of Thieves that he failed to understand.
In other words, a Supreme Grandmaster had fully decoded an entire Path within heaven and earth.
The Supreme Grandmaster Supreme, however, had to innovate — to take that one step further, to attain mysteries of the Path that heaven and earth themselves did not possess, leading the entire natural order.
The Grandmaster realm typically required hundreds of years, even several centuries of accumulated insight. In his previous life, Fang Yuan's five hundred years of experience had cultivated his Path of Blood to the Grandmaster level.
The Supreme Grandmaster realm generally demanded thousands of years, even several millennia of accumulation. Some Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals possessed attainment at this level.
As for the Supreme Grandmaster Supreme, that was no longer a simple matter of accumulation — it required innate genius and extraordinary talent. Without such breathtaking aptitude, even living for tens of thousands of years would not allow one to become a Supreme Grandmaster Supreme.
That was why, throughout all of history, Gu Immortals who had reached the Supreme Grandmaster Supreme realm were exceedingly rare.
The world acknowledged that all Ten Venerables were Supreme Grandmaster Supremes. Before them, there had also been legendary figures — for instance, the three widely known Supreme Grandmaster Supremes of the Path of Refining: Ancestor Long Hair, the Heavenly Tribulation Freak, and Immortal Void Extermination.
"The Grandmaster realm, the Supreme Grandmaster realm — I can rely on dreams to continuously elevate my attainment. But the Supreme Grandmaster Supreme realm cannot be achieved through dreams." Fang Yuan understood this clearly.
This was obvious.
The Supreme Grandmaster Supreme realm was about creation — bringing forth what did not exist. Everything in these dreams was the legacy of those who came before. Therefore, by relying on dreams, one could raise one's attainment to the Supreme Grandmaster level at most.
"Once I reach the Supreme Grandmaster level of the Dao of Thieves, even if there are still many acts left in the Dao of Thieves dream, I will no longer be able to advance my attainment within it."
This was also the foundation of Fang Yuan's cooperation with the Tang Family.