Lin Fei fell into deep contemplation. He understood clearly what this implied. It meant that under normal circumstances, reaching the fourth layer was the pinnacle of the Great Dream Heart Sutra!

However, there evidently exists a fifth layer. This surely harbored some "secrets." After all, the fifth layer of the Great Dream Heart Sutra cannot be exchanged. It must be personally imparted by the Great Dream Ancestor!

As for the conditions needed to be taught the fifth layer of the Great Dream Heart Sutra, one must seek an audience with the Great Dream Ancestor to find out.

But Lin Fei was not in a hurry. He now wanted to explore the wonders of the fourth layer of the dream. Thus, Lin Fei began to immerse himself in the dream. The second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer!

Until he reached the fourth layer.

Everything around Lin Fei seemed to have vanished. He had arrived at the fourth layer. The flow of time here was ten thousand times that of the Divine Realm!

In other words, one day in the Divine Realm equates to ten thousand days in the fourth layer of the dream. Almost twenty-seven years!

This was a terrifying figure. A horrifying speed of time flow.

Lin Fei, just like before in the third layer of the dream, began to "evolve" the world. He also started to "seclude" himself in the fourth layer, studying and comprehending the Dao of the World.

After all, spending ten or so days was still manageable. And ten days in the Divine Realm. In the fourth layer of the dream, it equates to two hundred seventy years!

Nearly three centuries, Lin Fei wasn't even fifty years old yet. Let alone secluding himself for nearly three hundred years. But this was necessary to "liberate" the Dao of the World, allowing the Dao of the World to comprehend and cultivate "on its own." To see, to what extent the Dao of the World can be elevated.

Currently, the cultivation progress of the Dao of the World was merely 17%. Surviving nine heavenly thunders last time, he only gained a 10% increase in cultivation progress.

"Let's begin."

Lin Fei took a deep breath. He then started evolving the world.

Lin Fei had already found his rhythm. In evolving the world, whenever an inspiration or a flash of insight occurred in his mind, he would try to evolve it.

Failure was inconsequential. After all, it was all within the dream. He was in control of everything. If he failed, he would simply start over.

Time was abundant, even exceedingly prolonged. Lin Fei could fully immerse himself in evolving the world. As for whether he could comprehend, or how much he could comprehend, he left that to the Dao of the World. To let the Dao of the World comprehend and cultivate on its own.

Time slowly passed. One year, two years, three years, four years, five years...

"Your Dao of the World has gained insight from evolving the world."

"Your Dao of the World's cultivation progress increased by 1%."

After five whole years, Lin Fei's Dao of the World had increased by 1%. The effect wasn't as good as the last time, which took about three years.

However, this wasn't certain. After all, comprehending the Dao requires a moment of enlightenment, a flash of insight. So, if a sudden insight occurs, the progress of the Dao of the World naturally increases.

Ten years, twenty years, thirty years...

In the following period, Lin Fei's Dao of the World didn't have any new realizations. or rather, no new flashes of insight. For thirty full years, there was no gain. But, when it came to fifty years,

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Boom."

The world Lin Fei was evolving in the dream, suddenly expanded dramatically, as if it had undergone a metamorphosis. It seemed like the entire world had significantly increased in power, or rather, elevated in level.

For instance, from a minor world, it elevated to a True Monarch-level minor world!

Simultaneously, Lin Fei heard the long-missed voice of the system in his mind.

"Your Dao of the World has a new comprehension."

"Your Dao of the World's cultivation progress increased by 10%."

Lin Fei's spirit was jolted. The Dao of the World had directly increased by 10%, a rare occurrence. This indicated that the Dao of the World truly had a significant insight.

In fifty years, the cultivation progress of the Dao of the World increased by 11%. Actually, this was quite remarkable. And Lin Fei's evolution did not stop there.

Eighty years, a hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years...

"Swish."

After three hundred years, Lin Fei suddenly opened his eyes. Three hundred years in the fourth layer of the dream. For Lin Fei, it had been exceedingly long.

Yet, in the Divine Realm, only eleven days had passed. Lin Fei's consciousness swiftly returned to the Divine Realm.

Looking around his private chamber at home, Lin Fei felt somewhat estranged. Having spent three hundred years in the fourth layer of the dream, waking up felt like a lifetime had passed.

This sensation was somewhat unsettling. After all, in the fourth layer of the dream, Lin Fei had genuinely "arduously cultivated" for three hundred years!

If one were to immerse continuously in the fourth layer of the dream, continuously cultivating arduously for three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, three hundred thousand, or three million years, what kind of changes would occur?

Lin Fei could no longer imagine. When the duration of arduous cultivation becomes overly prolonged, it's not entirely beneficial for the spirit.

In fact, the longer one immerses in the dream and cultivates, the less likely one is to have inspirations. And even less likely to have insights into the Dao.

"System."

Lin Fei also wanted to see. In three hundred years in the fourth layer of the dream, how much had the Dao of the World progressed?

Host: Lin Fei

Martial Realm: Martial God (eight thunder tribulations)

Great Dream Heart Sutra: Fourth Layer

Four Symbols and Five Elements Creation Technique: 5,300 particle worlds

World Dao: Progress 28%

When Lin Fei saw that his Dao of the World had reached 28%, his first reaction was not excitement. Instead, he frowned, feeling a sense of heaviness in his heart.

He remembered clearly, in the fourth layer of the dream, at fifty years, he had achieved an 11% increase in the Dao of the World. But after three hundred years had passed, the Dao of the World had still only increased by 11%.

That is to say, the subsequent two hundred and fifty years were essentially fruitless. The Dao of the World hadn't even increased by 1% in cultivation progress.

"Indeed, arduous cultivation for its own sake is meaningless. The elevation of the Dao of the World requires a moment, an instant of enlightenment. Once there's an understanding, the Dao of the World can be elevated. However, although the effect of arduous cultivation isn't great, the cultivation progress of the Dao of the World is indeed increasing, and that's enough!"

Lin Fei contemplated. Now that the cultivation progress of the Dao of the World had reached 28%, it indicated that arduous cultivation in the fourth layer of the dream was effective.

Moreover, this was only after a mere day's time. So, Lin Fei took a few more days to fully adjust his mindset and state. Then, he re-entered the fourth layer of the dream, and resumed his "arduous cultivation." Each "arduous cultivation" session for Lin Fei lasted three hundred years, which was roughly a little over eleven days in the Divine Realm.

This duration was just right. If the cultivation time were any longer, it would impact Lin Fei's spirit. Three hundred years was appropriate. Regardless of whether the Dao of the World improved, he would wake up, recover his mental state in the Divine Realm for a while, and then continue.

Thus, the cycle repeated. Three hundred years, six hundred years, nine hundred years, one thousand two hundred years, one thousand five hundred years...

In a blink, Lin Fei had arduously cultivated for about three thousand years in the fourth layer of the dream.

Of course, these three thousand years were not continuous but in intervals of three hundred years. The total cultivation time amounted to three thousand years. And Lin Fei's gains were significant. He achieved approximately 25% more in cultivation progress.

Adding to the previous 28% progress, Lin Fei's Dao of the World cultivation progress had now reached 53%.

This was more than half the progress needed for a complete understanding of the Dao of the World. Lin Fei had mastered half of the Dao of the World!

However, at this point, arduous cultivation in the dream had essentially ceased to be effective. Or rather, there were no longer any new insights gained in the Dao of the World through arduous cultivation in the dream.

In the last three hundred year session, there was no improvement in Lin Fei's Dao of the World. Continuing to cultivate arduously in the dream had become meaningless, he needed to find another way.