Chapter 1361: Peak of the Cloud Sea, If the Soul Grieves

That was almost exactly himself!

The appearance of this young man, who recited unrestrained poetry and drank merrily, was astonishingly almost identical to Wang Lin's!!

The only difference was the traces of time; although Wang Lin looked like a young man, he was actually nearly two thousand years old, and a scent of age naturally permeated his being.

However, this drinking youth was full of vitality and vigor; no matter how one looked at him, he was merely a Mortal in his early thirties!

Wang Lin stood there, stunned, watching the boat gradually approach, watching the young man on the boat put down his wine cup and raise his hand to wipe away the wine stain from the corner of his mouth.

"Excellent, Young Master's poetry is truly extraordinary. In my humble opinion, this poem should only exist in the heavens, and is rarely heard in the Mortal world. Wonderful, marvelous!" A retainer followed behind the young man. This retainer looked about forty years old, and he shook his head while praising the poem.

"Nonsense. This is clearly a poem left behind by the ancients. The way you speak makes it sound as if this Young Master composed it myself." The young man smiled, picked up a fan from the small table in front of him, and pointed it at the retainer.

The retainer chuckled and didn't mind. He looked up and around, sighing, "Young Master, we don't have much silver left. Renting a boat on the Su City river canal costs a fortune. It's already been four days. Why don't we hurry to the capital…"

The young man shook his head. Someone beside him refilled his wine. He picked it up and took a sip. Just as he was about to speak, his body suddenly paused, and his gaze immediately fell upon the canal bridge ahead.

On the bridge, Wang Lin stood silently, his gaze locking with the young man's for a moment.

The young man's body trembled, and his expression immediately changed. His eyes showed surprise. He gently put down his wine cup, stood up, and cupped his fist toward Wang Lin on the bridge from afar, saying loudly, "Brother, do you have time to come over and drink with me?"

The shock in Wang Lin's mind gradually subsided at this moment. A strange light flashed in his eyes, and he took a step forward. His entire being was like a leaf swept by the wind, lightly floating down onto the boat.

The forty-year-old retainer beside the young man's eyes bulged suddenly. He stared intently at Wang Lin, his expression showing disbelief. What astonished him was not only Wang Lin's movements but, even more so, Wang Lin's appearance, which was almost identical to his Young Master's!

Landing on the boat, Wang Lin didn't speak and sat directly across from the young man.

The young man carefully examined Wang Lin several times, growing more and more surprised the longer he looked. The other person's appearance was truly too similar to his own. He hesitated for a moment, sat down, and instructed his retainer to prepare extra drinking utensils.

Before long, the retainer took out a clean wine cup, placed it on the small table, and personally filled it. While pouring the wine, he kept glancing at Wang Lin, marveling inwardly.

"Brother, your appearance is quite similar to mine. I have traveled and studied in various places, and I have never met a friend who looks so alike. May I ask your name, Brother?" The young man asked with a curious smile.

Wang Lin did not speak. His eyes were constantly filled with contemplation. He picked up the wine cup and drank it all by himself.

Seeing that Wang Lin did not reply, the young man did not mind. He personally picked up the wine pot and refilled Wang Lin's cup.

The gentle sound of water flowing beside the boat entered their ears. Gradually, the boat followed the river channel, passed under the stone bridge, and slowly drifted into the distance. The singing and dancing at the bow continued, but the person appreciating it remained silent.

Wang Lin drank cup after cup of wine. The contemplation and reflection in his eyes turned into strands of chaotic thoughts, stirring his mind and making the wine tasteless.

"What exactly is going on… Why would such a person appear in this Human Trial of the ordeal… This person not only looks like me, but even his Soul is…" Wang Lin frowned and drank another cup of wine.

The young man maintained his smile and remained silent, but the retainer beside him curled his lips and muttered inwardly.

"This is Su City's Osmanthus Aged Wine, and it's very expensive…"

Gradually, night descended, and a slightly cold wind blew across the river canal, lightly sweeping over the boat. The singing and dancing girls at the bow had long since retired, leaving only Wang Lin, the young man, and the retainer.

The moonlight slowly permeated the land, reflecting in the river water. As the breeze passed, the water surface shimmered, looking very beautiful.

The retainer's expression was already impatient. He occasionally looked up at the sky. Before long, seemingly unable to hold back, he bent down and tugged at the young man's clothes, giving him a meaningful look.

The young man shook his head and smiled, ignoring him.

The retainer gave a wry smile and whispered, "Young Master, if we continue rowing, we'll have to pay extra boat fees… and the wine is almost gone too…"

"Drink mine." The contemplative look in Wang Lin's eyes gradually faded. He flipped his right hand and took out a wine pot. This wine pot was not Dragon Blood, but it was also not ordinary wine; if Mortals drank it, it could extend their lifespan and greatly open their intelligence.

Seeing Wang Lin somehow conjure a wine pot, the retainer's eyes almost popped out again, showing a look of terror, and he dared not urge his Young Master another word.

Pouring a cup for himself, Wang Lin placed the wine pot on the table, took a sip from his cup, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said, "This place, this is the State of Zhao, right…"

The young man was also shocked by the scene of Wang Lin producing the wine pot. After a long time, he took a deep breath and nodded.

"Senior is… an Immortal?"

"You grew up in a mountain village, your father is Wang Tianshui, the second child in the family, a carpenter… your mother is Zhou Yingsu, from Zhou Family Village, who attended a private school for a few years. Your mother enlightened you when you were young, starting your education and literacy…" Wang Lin held the wine cup and muttered softly.

These words were like a clap of thunder in the young man's ears, and he stood there completely stunned.

Wang Lin sighed deeply, put down the wine cup, looked at the young man with a very complex expression, and whispered, "The life you chose, continue to live it…"

After speaking, Wang Lin stood up. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, everything in front of him blurred, then completely dissipated in that instant, and everything became clear again.

Taking a step towards the river canal, his entire being shot straight into the sky, gradually disappearing as if walking away.

On the boat, the retainer's body trembled, and he collapsed to the side. His eyes showed terror as he stared blankly at Wang Lin's departing figure, stammering, "Truly… truly an Immortal… Young Master, he really is an Immortal! Young Master, your dream is real!!"

The young man stared blankly at the sky. After a long time, he let out a long breath, looked down at the wine pot on the table, and his eyes showed deep confusion.

Wang Lin was in the sky, looking down at the earth. He was familiar with the appearance of this land; this place was clearly identical to the State of Zhao and Vermilion Bird Star.

"I entered this Human Trial with my Soul. I originally thought the test would be the same as the Dao Inquiry on Tian Yun Star, but I never expected this place was not a Dao Inquiry, but a Heart Demon…"

Wang Lin sighed inwardly, a complex look in his eyes.

"Am I tired of cultivating the Dao… otherwise, how could I have conjured a Phantom Soul that chose a different kind of life…" Wang Lin fell silent.

"Compared to the Dao Inquiry on Tian Yun Star back then, this time I clearly know my own existence, know that all of this is illusory, know that I entered with my Soul, and even know my purpose for being here… I need to go and light the Human Incense…" Wang Lin raised his head, carrying an indescribable melancholy. The moment everything blurred and then became clear, he already understood where the first stage, the Human Incense, was located, and how to light it.

If he wanted to, he could light the first stick of incense right now.

"It's just that, before lighting the incense, I want to take one more look… at them… and at her…" A trace of loneliness and persistent sorrow appeared in Wang Lin's eyes. He knew all of this was fake, conjured by his Soul, a Human Illusion, yet he couldn't help treating it as real. He wanted to take one look at the person who had become his untouchable reverse scale for life… her.

"Just one look, and then I will light this Human Incense…" Wang Lin took a step forward, and his entire being vanished without a trace.

On Great Emperor Star, tens of thousands of gazes were fixed upon the illusory giant turtle's back, on the motionless figure standing beneath the first stick of incense with his hand raised and placed upon it.

A light breeze blew, lifting the figure's long hair and robes, which fluttered gently.

Old Vermilion Bird showed a hint of anxiety in his eyes, watching the figure, his anxiety growing stronger.

"How can it be so slow… With this child's cultivation, lighting the first stick of incense should have been completed long ago. I originally estimated he would light it in two Ke at most, and emerge when one Xi of Incense was finished. Now, almost an hour has passed. This hour is equivalent to more than half a day inside. Could it be that this child, after thousands of years of cultivating the Dao, is still unwilling to see through it, and his Soul has returned to his homeland!"

Si Mozi revealed a hidden sneer at the corner of his mouth, staring at the figure beneath the incense stick, thinking inwardly, "This is only the first stick of incense, and he is already showing weakness. This little bastard absolutely cannot pass the trial. Once he fails, in front of so many Cultivators, this First Young Emperor will lose face…"

Yun Luo Da Si's delicate brows were tightly furrowed, and the speed of the Hand Seals performed by her right hand, hidden inside her sleeve, quickened, seemingly reaching a critical moment in her deduction.

And just at this moment, the Old Vermilion Bird's eyes, fixed on the figure beneath the incense stick, suddenly narrowed. Not just him, but the vast majority of Cultivators present clearly saw two lines of crystalline tears slowly flowing down from the eyes of the white-robed figure, who stood with his right hand placed on the first stick of incense and his eyes closed.

"The Soul returns to the homeland… If the Soul grieves, it returns to the Physical Body, and tears of sorrow flow… What a Human Stage Trial…" Daoist Blue Dream murmured softly, his gaze fixed on the tear stains.

Inside the Human Illusion Realm, Wang Lin stood beneath Mount Heng Yue, looked at the mountain village ahead, and then turned to leave. A streak of tear light flowed from his eyes.

Inside the State of Huofen, Luohe Sect.

Inside the Pill Chamber on the back mountain, a young maiden in the prime of her youth frowned, looking eagerly at the Pill Furnace emitting black smoke ahead and the frowning middle-aged woman beside the Pill Furnace, whispering, "Master, Wan'er failed to refine it again…"

"Enough, enough. You make that pitiful face every time. Go to Medicine Peak behind and pick some Water Moon Grass for your Master. I'll see if I can refine this batch of Medicinal Pills again." The middle-aged woman glared at the maiden.

The maiden cutely stuck out her little tongue, her face beaming with smiles, and quickly ran out of the Pill Chamber.