Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Amidst a myriad of thoughts and emotions, Ning Che began chanting an incantation.

"The essence of ice, the spirit of frost, soaring through the clouds, defying the darkness..."

The noise had all disappeared; it hadn't appeared for some time, but now it had resurfaced, trying to interfere with Ning Che's judgment.

Their ability to deceive people has indeed improved somewhat. Ning Che almost thought it made a lot of sense and was almost convinced that it was his idea.

But it can never be that; that missing little bit is what truly resonates with him.

Some things cannot be made up for afterward; once you compromise, you will continue to compromise.

Could this rat demon, who disregards human life, be spared temporarily in order to open up his dantian? If it's to break through to the seventh rank, the sixth rank, or even higher, what will he have to do? Is dying of old age enough to comfort the departed?

Is it possible that one day he too will wantonly slaughter people and then grandly claim that it is a necessary sacrifice in order to gain greater benefits?

If you can't hold the line, where does the bottom line come from? The saying "the dragon slayer becomes the dragon" probably begins here.

As for that so-called wise teacher, we cannot conclude from this that it is also an evil demon, preparing a despicable conspiracy. Perhaps it really is a seeker of the Dao like Yue Can, willing to die in order to reopen the blocked path.

Ning Che held such people or demons in high esteem.

But even if it is, Ning Che is not prepared to accept it.

Of course, it wasn't just because of concerns about side effects. Even without side effects, Ning Che still wouldn't choose to accept it. Because cultivation isn't a competition, but a long and arduous journey.

Are there any warriors in the world who fight with performance-enhancing drugs? Relying on external aids to achieve breakthroughs is destined to be fragile and uncontrollable, which he does not pursue.

The black energy was pinned down by the silver needles and could not pass through the wrist pulse for the time being.

The dantian was still half-open, echoing the black energy in the distance.

But Ning Che did not hesitate. He circulated his cultivation technique, allowing his magical power to flow along his meridians and converge in front of the door.

If you can't break it open the first time, then try twice or three times.

He didn't believe that he couldn't open his dantian without that thing.

But seemingly moved by his sincerity, the crimson light extinguished, and the previously empty door opened instantly. Magical power surged into it, like crashing waves, creating countless echoes.

They surged in all at once, filling Ning Che's consciousness and making his vision go completely white.

A figure stood in the white light, his back to him, wearing a camouflage uniform covered in mud, torn, and stained with blood. Several holes pierced his chest, through which a hazy white light could be seen.

A person who seemed both familiar and strange; his figure flashed by, and Ning Che tried to touch him, but couldn't catch up.

The door solidified, then suddenly opened.

The primordial energy of heaven and earth flowed into the meridians, cleansing the muscles and bones inch by inch.

Several times more powerful than before surged from his dantian, causing a feeling of fullness in his meridians. Some of this power also reached his left hand, but was not blocked by the silver needles.

Upon encountering Ning Che's magical power, the black energy instantly melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun, and was expelled from his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes, a clear light flashing in them.

Then, he saw Zhao He standing there, dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?"

"Feed?"

"Zhao—He—"

With Ning Che's roar, Zhao He snapped out of his daze and stammered, "You, you just... broke through to a higher realm?"

"Yes, why are you looking at me like that? Have I changed?" Ning Che asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhao He explained with exaggerated gestures, "No, just now, that Taiyin suddenly became so huge, then flew down and entered your body, and then you started glowing, your whole body glowed, and there was a shadow behind you!"

"Huh? What kind of shadow?"

"I can't see clearly, but the figure is similar to yours, very bright, about 1.5 meters tall."

Ning Che frowned, unsure of what was going on. He could only write it down and prepare to ask Zhao Yunshuo when he got back.

After a moment, Zhao He finally calmed down, leaned closer, and stammered, "Congratulations."

I also wish you a speedy breakthrough.

Ning Che smiled and offered his blessings, then closed his eyes to feel the changes brought about by the breakthrough.

First, his magical power has greatly increased, several times over, making it unlikely that he will run out of energy using the Great Snow Blade. His physical attributes have also noticeably improved, and are continuing to increase slowly and naturally.

He focused his mind and could see his dantian, a pure white expanse, like pristine snow. Through this hub, he could directly control himself with his magical power, or quickly draw upon his physical energy and convert it into magical power.

Their strength has undoubtedly increased dramatically once again.

He showed a look of joy, and then continued his practice.

After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened.

Zhong Lingsu came out carrying her medicine box, sweat beading on her forehead, a few strands of hair clinging to her cheeks. Her steps were noticeably slower than when she entered, and she spoke weakly, "The patient is stable. The dressing needs changing again, and she must avoid drafts for at least three days, and her diet must be bland—"

She was halfway through her sentence when she saw Ning Che's left hand.

It was spotless, with no trace of the bluish-black color that had ever been there.

"This is?"

Ning Che was still shaken by the near-death experience, but he didn't say it aloud. He simply explained, "It must be because I accidentally broke through to the next level and was forced out by the poison."

"what?"

The girl stared at him with wide, disbelief in her eyes. Ning Che wasn't lying, so he wasn't afraid and met her gaze calmly.

After a long while, she suddenly looked away, lowered her head to put away the needle, and moved quickly.

As she collected the items, she muttered to herself, "There's actually such a way to detoxify; what a strange person."

"It really was an accident, I didn't mean to do it," Ning Che said sincerely.

She looked at him with disbelief, put away the silver needles, and asked, "Then tell me, how did you force the poison out?"

Ning Che flexed his left hand: "I'm not really sure either, it's probably just a coincidence."

"There are no such coincidences." Zhong Lingsu raised her eyes, her brows furrowing slightly. "This kind of poison is extremely difficult to treat. The fact that I happen to know how to cure it is only because my third brother specialized in studying this type of demonic poison back then, and said that apart from extremely yin and yang spiritual medicines, there is absolutely no shortcut!"

"Your third brother?" Ning Che paused, his thumb rubbing the hilt of the knife.

"Zhong Siqi." She fastened the medicine box, the metal clasp making a soft click.

Ning Che wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt her voice had deepened slightly: "He used to be a mountain guardian too. Strangely enough, he was always talking about doing good deeds for the people, and he would rush to any dangerous place..."

As she was talking, she suddenly stopped and walked towards the side room with her medicine box.

After taking a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his back to Ning Che, and said, "Don't rely on your high cultivation level to tough it out. Do you really think you're made of iron? Be careful, if you get poisoned again, I... I might not be here!"

"understood."

Ning Che watched as the moonlight illuminated her hair and lengthened her shadow, and responded with a sound of agreement.