Chapter 251 - Spiritual Retreat

Wang Lin spent the night condensing the evil aura around him. The only sound at night, besides the crickets, was the snoring of some of the men.

Gradually, the sun rose up in the sky and day replaced night.

Wang Lin opened his eyes. He stared at the east and took a deep breath. Two purple qi dragons, invisible to mortal eyes, entered his body. The two qi dragons cycled once through his body, then exited it.

The cycle continued. Wang Lin felt like his body was very light. It was as if he could just walk directly into the sky.

This kind of feeling was something that Wang Lin had never experienced in the past 400 years. It was very clear that only after reaching a certain relaxed state of mind could he feel this aura from the heavens.

In one night’s time, the red substance around Wang Lin once again shrunk to 1/10th of its previous size. Wang Lin was in no rush. He knew that condensing this red substance was not something he could rush. He believed that it was something that will take a long time.

Early in the morning, the people woke up one by one and washed themselves. The old man walked out of the carriage and took a deep breath. He started to perform different types of movements.

After just one glance, Wang Lin was very shocked. Although this person’s movements didn’t have any offensive power, every move would strengthen the body. When used together, their effects were even better.

A while later, the old man stopped and let out a sigh. He hesitated for a bit, then walked toward Wang Lin.

When he got near, he smiled and asked, “Little brother, did you rest well last night?”

Wang Lin silently nodded.

The old man hesitated for a bit before asking, “I wanted to ask where little brother got that 100 year old willow leaf?” With that, his eyes were filled with a pleading look.

Wang Lin said, “I picked it up on the side of the road.”

The old man thought about it for a long time. He bitterly smiled and said, “Little brother… you were very lucky!”

He chatted with Wang Lin for a while. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t get any information out of Wang Lin. The old man secretly sighed as he turned around and left.

If we were to compare ages, Wang Lin was old enough to be the old man’s ancestor. The old man’s trick might work on someone new to the world, but it was nothing compared to what Wang Lin had been through.

While following the group, Wang Lin gradually adjusted himself and eventually became part of the group. Several days passed and within these days, that little servant girl would always come to talk to Wang Lin. However, she would always talk for a while, then her little face would become red. No one knew what she was thinking.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Wang Lin couldn’t help but bitterly smile when he saw the light in the girl’s eyes. He had seen that light in Li Muwan’s eyes many times, so he knew what was going on.

However, Wang Lin knew that he was possibly too old to even be her ancestor, so there was always a strange feeling in his heart.

On this day, the capital appeared before them.

This rank 4 cultivation country’s capital city was really gorgeous, but in Wang Lin’s eyes, it was very plain with no color to it. If it wasn’t for the swirl of spiritual energy, Wang Lin wouldn’t even bother to look at it.

Wang Lin spread out his divine sense and the entire city appeared in his mind. In the capital, there were a total of nine swirls of spiritual energy. The things that were spreading out spiritual energy weren’t cultivators, but towering, black pillars. The amount of spiritual energy released by the pillars depended on each pillar’s size. There was one very large pillar at the center with the other eight pillars surrounding it.

These pillars were very large. Even the smallest would require at least ten people holding hands to make a circle around it. As for the biggest one, it would take over 100 people.

There were people cultivating inside each of the nine pillars. There was also a formation outside the pillars that prevented any divine sense from checking inside, but this formation was completely useless against Wang Lin. He could see with one glance that all of the people sitting inside the pillars were cultivators.

The most powerful was at the late stage of Core Formation and the weakest was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Wang Lin was very interested in these strange buildings. As the group entered the city, Lu Xing noticed that Wang Lin was still staring at the nine black pillars, so he whispered, “Brother Wang, don’t keep staring at them. If you are noticed by someone, there will be trouble.”

Wang Lin rubbed the horse and asked, “Brother Lu, what are these black pillars?”

Lu Xing revealed a look of envy and whispered, “Those are immortal pillars. This place is my country’s capital, so it’s protected by immortals, which is why there are immortal pillars. The king recruited the best craftsmen in the country to craft these nine pillars as the immortals requested.”

“Immortal pillars…” Wang Lin’s expression was strange.

“There are immortals living inside the immortal pillars! My father once personally saw immortals fly out of them.” Lu Xing’s voice was filled with pride. It was if his father seeing an immortal was something that benefited him.

If he knew that Wang Lin, whom he had spent the past seven days with, was thousands of times stronger than the immortals that his ancestor saw, how would he feel?

It has to be said that if the cultivator that his ancestor saw was present, that person would have to respectfully call Wang Lin senior.

Wang Lin withdrew his gaze. He smiled, but didn’t speak.

On a bridge between the northern and southern parts of the capital, Wang Lin said goodbye to Lu Xing’s group. Although Lu Xing hadn’t been together with Wang Lin for long, he was very fond of Wang Lin. He patted his chest and told Wang Lin that if he ever ran into any issues, he could go and find him for help.

As for Lao Er, who had to give up his horse for Wang Lin, he had completely acknowledged him after drinking together so many times.

Lu Xing also said that if someone bullied Wang Lin, he would personally get his boss to act.

Finally, the old man walked out of the carriage. Behind him was a young lady with a white veil over her head. Next to her was the pretty servant girl.

Seeing that Wang Lin was about to leave, the servant girl’s eyes were filled with melancholy.

The old man talked a bit with Wang Lin and the lady with the veil over her head smiled. She didn’t join in the conversation. After bowing, she turned around and left without a word.

The servant girl exchanged a few words with the lady. She then took a little pouch and walked up to Wang Lin. She handed him the pouch and said, “Sister wants me to thank you. There are ten pieces of gold here. This is the consultation fee.”

Wang Lin didn’t refuse. It had been over 400 years since he had touched the mortals’ currency.

Wang Lin clasped his hands and turned around.

It wasn’t until Wang Lin was already far away that the servant girl sighed and returned to the carriage. The group passed over the bridge and entered the southern section of the city.

Wang Lin pinched the ten pieces of gold with his hand as he walked through the capital. This truly was the capital. There was an ocean of people and all sorts of vendors selling stuff on the streets.

Shortly after, Wang Lin’s eyes slightly lit up. In this capital of the mortal world, he saw many cultivators among the mortals.

Although the highest level cultivators were only around the 12th or 14th layer of Qi Condensation, it was something that was very rare to see in other countries.

After pondering for a while, he thought of the black pillars. He guessed that this was what one could call a speciality of a rank 4 cultivation country.

Wang Lin walked casually through the streets until it was afternoon. It was clear that some of the shops weren’t for mortals as they sold magic treasures for cultivators.

There were restrictions outside of these shops that prevented mortals from entering.

The mortals of the capital seemed to know of this as no mortals would walk into these shops.

As Wang Lin passed through, he would walk into shops to check them out. Suddenly, as he walked out of a shop, there was shouting from one direction. He looked over and saw a messy old man being beaten up.

The old man’s wails were coming out non-stop. His voice was shrilling. At the same time, laughs resounded as mouthfuls of blood were coughed out by the old man. It seemed to follow a rhythm; every time the man punched him, he would cough out a mouthful of blood.

After the man punched the old man several times, he stood up and cursed, “Old thing, don’t come to my shop again. I’ll beat you up every time you come. You’re already this age and still so foolish.” After he finished speaking, he spat at the old man.

A middle aged man standing next to Wang Lin sighed. “That old man gets beaten up every day just to see the female servants change. Is it worth it? Ah!”

Wang Lin was stunned. He looked at the old man before turning around to leave.

But before he took more than a few steps, he turned around and saw the old man proudly walking toward Wang Lin as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Wang Lin dodged to the side and his eyes became cold.

The old man walked past Wang Lin. He didn’t stop, but then suddenly turned around. His face was filled with surprise as he carefully examined Wang Lin and said, “Little brother, I see that you are filled with talent and energy. You don’t seem to be a mortal!”

Wang Lin frowned. With his divine sense, he could easily see that this old man was only a mortal without any cultivation. This old man’s body also contained many wounds. It was clear that they were the result of constant beatings.

Wang Lin didn’t have any interest in this person, so he turned around and left. If this old man kept bothering him, Wang Lin wouldn’t mind helping him go to hell.

The old man revealed a look of pity as he shook his head and said, “If there is no way to give you pointers, then you might never reach the Soul Formation stage. Sigh.”

Wang Lin suddenly stopped. All of the pressure in his body suddenly released. He turned around and stared at the old man. “Who are you?!” he asked.

The old man didn’t feel any discomfort toward Wang Lin’s pressure. He placed both of his hands behind his back, looked into the sky, and with a voice filled with age said, “You don’t need to know who I am. You just need to know that I can help you reach the Soul Formation stage.”

Wang Lin’s eyes lit up. No matter how he looked at this old man, he was merely a mortal, but the old man was able to instantly tell what his cultivation level was. The only possibility was that this old man’s cultivation level was far above the Soul Formation stage, so when the old man hid his cultivation, Wang Lin wasn’t able to detect it.

Wang Lin frowned and asked, “How can I reach the Soul Formation stage?”

The old man looked at Wang Lin and said, “I’m already old. The moment I get hungry, I can’t remember anything. I know a very good restaurant. Let’s go there and talk while we eat.” He licked his lips while his stomach growled of hunger.

Fortune Restaurant was one of the most luxurious restaurants in the capital. The old man walked in with this head up and his chest puffed.

It seemed it was beneath the old man to eat in the main hall. After he entered, he walked directly into the private room. When the server saw the old man, his expression became strange, but when he saw Wang Lin walking behind the old man, he quickly went out to serve them.

Wang Lin frowned very hard. He felt like there was something going on here.

The old man seemed to be very familiar with this restaurant. He ordered a bunch of dishes that Wang Lin had never heard of. The table was covered with food and the old man started to eat as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Wang Lin didn’t say a word as he drank wine. His gaze swept past the old man and became even colder.

After the old man had eaten for a while, Wang Lin coldly said, “I’m listening.”

The old man grabbed piece of pork shoulder and took a big bite as he said, “This. Wait until I finish eating this piece.”

After that, the old man ate the entire pork shoulder in a few bites. He let out a burp as he rubbed his hand on his body and said, “The Soul Formation stage requests one to comprehend the heavens, but I believe you already understand that. In addition to this, you must form a domain. Do you know what a domain is? Little guy, once you comprehend what a domain is, you aren’t far from the Soul Formation stage. As for the domain… once I use the restroom we will talk more.” The old man suddenly touched his stomach and stood up with a bitter face.

He seemed to be afraid that Wang Lin wouldn’t let him go, so he let out a loud fart. An awful smell filled the room.

The old man let out an embarrassed smile and quickly left.

Wang Lin waved his hand and a gust of wind appeared to blow away the stench in the room. At the same time, his divine sense was locked onto the old man. The old man’s series of actions were very suspicious, but what he said about Soul Formation matched with what Wang Lin knew. These were things that mortals couldn’t possibly know.

With a look of doubt, a cold light appeared in his eyes as he stood up. He noticed the old man leaving the restaurant through the back door and quickly blending into the crowd.

Wang Lin’s body disappeared from the restaurant and reappeared outside. His eyes were cold as he casually followed the old man.

He only saw that the old man had somehow found the time to change clothes. He was picking his teeth with a small piece of wood. After he picked out a piece of meat, he threw it away and picked at his teeth again.

As the old man walked, he suddenly stopped and looked at a middle aged man that was wearing a purple robe. His eyes lit up as he let out a smile and quickly walked toward the middle aged man.

The middle man turned around and frowned at the old man. He then proceeded to ignore the old man.

The old man suddenly said, “Little brother, I see that you are filled with talent and energy. You don’t seem to be a mortal!”

The middle aged man was stunned. He turned around and looked at the old man with cold eyes…

The old man revealed a look of pity as he shook his head and said, “Unfortunately, if there is no one to guide you, you might never reach the Core Formation stage.”

The middle aged man’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Who the hell are you?”

The old man shook his head and said, “Who I am is not important. How about we find a place to relax? While we relax, we can talk.”

Wang Lin’s face became very dark. That middle aged man was also a cultivator, but his cultivation level was only Foundation Establishment. It was very clear that this old man had learned these things to rip off cultivators.

But that old man was still alive, so this matter didn’t seem simple. Unless Wang Lin was the first person he had ever scammed, the old man wouldn’t be alive today.

If a cultivator was played by a mortal, then no matter who it was, they wouldn’t let the old man off easily.

What was most curious about all of this was that this old man seemed to have the ability to see through someone’s cultivation instantly. If the person was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would say Core Formation. If the person was a Core Formation cultivator, he would say Nascent Soul, and if the person was like Wang Lin, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, he say Soul Formation.

Wang Lin followed this old man the entire afternoon. He wanted to see what exactly this old man’s secret was.

In one afternoon’s time, the old man had tricked a total of four people, including Wang Lin. What was interesting was that he only asked for food and drink. The worst it got was a trip to a brothel.

But the three others, including the purple robed man, didn’t have any intentions of looking for revenge. It seemed the old man’s words had some kind of magical effect on them.

The more Wang Lin saw, the more shocked he was. The old man seemed to have a very good understanding of how to break into the next realm of cultivation. He could just casually say a few things and enlighten them.

As a result, none of them believed that he was a scammer. Instead, they felt as if they had met a senior, so they became very respectful.

After a while, Wang Lin began to ponder. Then, he withdrew his divine sense and stopped following the old man. This old man was too mysterious and Wang Lin felt that it was better for him to not dig too much into it.

The old man was holding a woman in his arms inside a brothel. As Wang Lin’s divine sense withdrew, his eyes lit up. He faintly smiled as he looked at Wang Lin’s direction and muttered, “Nascent soul, and the mid stage of Nascent Soul. Should I help him?”

As he was thinking, the woman in his arm called him with a flirty voice. The old man threw Wang Lin out of his mind and went to enjoy himself.

After he stopped thinking about the old man, Wang Lin pondered for a while. He went to a remote area in the west side of the city and rented a shop for eight pieces of gold. After he cleaned it out a bit, he moved in.

If he wanted to reach the Soul Formation stage, then he must first transform into a mortal to experience mortal life and comprehend the heavens. This was a method that Wang Lin had thought of to break past the Nascent Soul stage. He calmly looked at the shop, then sat down cross legged in the back room and began to experience the world of mortals.

The current Wang Lin was camouflaged inside the populated mortal capital city as he calmly began to comprehend the heavens and life and death. He was fully preparing himself to break past the boundary of the Nascent Soul stage and into the Soul Formation stage.