Simulated immortality allows me to calculate talent stats.

Upon hearing this, Xu Kun bristled, his emerald eyes fixed on you.

"Meow~, what are you doing, big brother?"

[Your long, dark robe billowed, a triumphant smile playing on your lips: "Such an opportunity as the Tomb of the God of War is only being explored by two or three people; it's a terrible waste."]

Xu Kun's tail practically stood up.

"Meow~, that's no good place. Did Big Brother bring Wei Qi in there so he'd also be burdened with this fate?"

"Two-and-a-half-year-old brother."

Your tone was gentle and refined, yet tinged with emotion.

"What is gained must naturally come at a price. Is Brother Wei the kind of person who begs for handouts? I don't think he'll mind."

Xu Kun silently took two steps back.

"Meow~, big brother, I'm your 2.5 brother, right?"

You lowered your eyes in confusion: "Of course."

"Meow~, then big brother, please don't give me any extravagant gifts in the future. I'm afraid I can't accept them and would feel unworthy."

【"Oh……"】

You chuckled and shook your head, then bent down and ruffled his cat's hair.

"Don't worry, do you think your older brother is the kind of unreasonable person?"

Xu Kun didn't answer, his emerald eyes gazing at you intently.

The meaning is self-evident.

You couldn't resist plucking one of his cat whiskers, making him wince in pain.

"Let's go, let's lay an ambush on Pang Hai and Xu Hui first, and plant a seed of inner demons within them."

After saying that, you got up and left the room.

Xu Kun skillfully leaped up and landed on your shoulder.

Scattered black light particles drifted away, and a person and a cat disappeared into the courtyard.

[Northern part of the city, a slum, simple thatched huts.]

Two boys slept soundly, enduring the chill of late autumn.

[A person lay sprawled out, their youthful face hinting at a future of extraordinary potential.]

The other person slept upright, with handsome features and a tranquil demeanor that seemed out of place in the thatched hut.

Scattered black specks of light drifted in, converging to form a figure.

A black cat was perched on his shoulder.

Your gaze fell upon the two sleeping figures, a hint of melancholy in your expression.

"My brother promised you he'd bring you here again, and here you are now."

You gesture to Xu Kun on your shoulder.

Xu Kun, who had been peering around suspiciously, understood the situation and released an invisible, elusive aura of inner demons, which invaded the minds of Pang Hai and Xu Hui.

Instead of seizing control, they remained hidden among them.

[When the inner demons of the Tomb of the God of War invade, counterattack and devour them.]

[When Xu Kun was imprisoned in the Tomb of the God of War, he needed that person to decipher the reliefs in order to infiltrate another's territory.]

Therefore, he became an important character in the script, participating in the performance.

Now that we're out of trouble, there are naturally no restrictions.

Even with their exceptional talents, Pang Hai and Xu Hui are now just ordinary people, unable to withstand the attacks of their inner demons.

"Okay, meow~"

Xu Kun raised his cat paw and licked it.

You gazed at the two of them intently, then your figure vanished like a mirage.

"Big brother, shall we go find Wei Qi now? He's in the capital? Meow!"

"No, I need to test something else."

"What are you testing? Meow~"

Xu Kun tilted his head in confusion, realizing he understood you less and less.

You didn't answer his question, and returned to the courtyard, but didn't go inside.

Her clear eyes gazed towards the tofu stall next door.

[The front is a stall, the back is a simple dwelling.]

Zuo Shi's father was a compulsive gambler and still frequented casinos; only her ailing mother and she lived at home.

[Silently, you, like an ink stain, seeped into Zuo Shi's boudoir.]

A young girl of sixteen, covered with a thin linen cloth, huddled in the cool autumn breeze.

Her fair and radiant face was pure and beautiful.

"Meow? Isn't that my sister-in-law?"

Xu Kun tilted his head, scrutinizing them, then suddenly grinned arrogantly: "Big Brother, are you going to rekindle our past romance?"

You ignored Xu Kun's teasing.

To you, Zuo Shi is no different from a stranger.

[It's something you pour your heart into.]

[This is Zuo Shi, the one who waited for you in Xiangyang for ten years, sharing joys and sorrows through thick and thin, dressed in white to receive your coffin, guarding your lonely grave, clinging to life just to see you one last time.]

Therefore, you need to take a test tonight, a test about the direction of your emotional evolution and emotional attachment.

[White, jade-like fingertips emerged from the wide, dark sleeves.]

[It severed the senses of the surroundings.]

【"Sending Off on a Final Journey" (Gold)】

[The gaze fell upon the talent attributes.]

"Summon, Zuo Shi."

A divine power overturned this region; time, years, cause and effect were all reversed and disordered, and the rules were rewritten.

[Dressed in simple, elegant attire, like a pure, clear stream, her graceful yet resilient figure emerges.]

Her appearance resembled that of a young woman in her late teens, but she possessed a charm and experience etched by time.

Zuo Shi looked around blankly, his gaze unfocused.

She was deeply impressed by the room's environment and layout.

Seeing the figure on the bed, his eyes held a mixture of confusion and longing.

Suddenly, she noticed a figure standing silently behind her, his long, dark robe blending into the surrounding shadows like darkness itself.

Their figures had become blurred, but their faces remained remarkably clear.

Zuo Shi's eyes widened, revealing a mixture of disbelief and joy; the surging emotions manifested as tears streaming down her face.

"This humble servant..."

Her cherry lips parted slightly, but her chaotic thoughts and emotions prevented her from clearly forming words.

"It's me."

Your smile is gentle, and although you look much younger, your eyes cannot deceive.

"What...what's going on? Didn't I die at the foot of Zhenwu Mountain...how did I return to my youth, to look like you, my husband..."

Zuo Shi had too many questions and doubts, and kept asking them one after another.

"I'll answer your questions later. For now, please take this test."

【"test?"】

Your gaze fell upon the young Zuo Shi, your tone calm: "I want to give her everything you have."

That's right, this is your test.

[Use the golden talent attribute "Sending Off the Deceased" to summon the departed.]

Integrate them into this simulation.

To some extent, this is... possession.

It's nothing more than possessing one's own body.

What is self-awareness? What gives a person the right to consider themselves who they are?

[Across the river of time, you see your younger self. Would you identify with him/her?]

The answer for you is no.

The idea that "the three thousand worlds, the endless selves, are all 'me'" is rejected by you.

You are uniquely yourself, the sole entity of your own mind, consciousness, memories, and true self.

Therefore, in your view, the people you have emotional ties with are Shang Qingdai from the first simulation, Zuo Shi, Pang Hai, Xu Hui, Lü Zhen from the second simulation...

This is why, in the last simulation, you didn't use your past feelings to befriend Shang Qingdai.

Because in your mind, she is not your ex-wife.

[Not that demonic witch who died in your arms by the snowy lake, her eyes filled with longing and reluctance.]

Therefore, tonight's test is necessary.

If successful, you will be able to overturn the rules, disrupt time and space, and rebirth old friends from the past.

If it fails...

[You, who have no emotional attachments or reliance on others.]

This is probably the greatest calamity in the world.