Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Ning Che took a sip of the dried vegetable porridge and continued recalling matters related to cultivation: Everything is difficult at the beginning, and cultivation is no exception. There are only three ways to enter this realm: consuming spiritual energy and qi, physical transformation, and seeing the divine in meditation.

The so-called "eating spirits and absorbing qi" refers to consuming food rich in supernatural power using a special recipe. Alternatively, it involves cultivators extracting the power from supernatural materials to directly modify the human body. Such food and materials are collectively called spiritual objects, and the cultivation resources provided by the Shi family are primarily a spiritual object.

This is the mainstream way to open the door to cultivation; almost all the cultivators the original owner saw were of this type. As for physical transformation, it generally requires an extremely powerful physique. Some ferocious beasts can become demons using this method, but it is very difficult for humans.

As for seeing the divine within meditation, that's purely hearsay. The original owner's memories don't seem to hold many details, so the difficulty must have been extremely high.

Thoughts flashed like lightning; Ning Che put down his bowl, already having a plan for the future.

First, he needs to inquire more about this "seeing the divine in meditation" and find out exactly what it is. Then, he needs to train his physical abilities again in this body for a few years.

Thanks to the fact that the original owner was only fourteen and a half years old, and was not spoiled in the village when he was a child, he had a good foundation. Now, his training can be considered half of a child's skill, and there is still hope for his body to transform.

Finally, any news about spiritual objects should be paid close attention. The danger is indeed great, but if there's really no other way, Ning Che will have no choice but to take the plunge.

Moreover, he had been lying down for seven days, and if he remembered correctly, the hunting party would be recruiting in five days. If he could join the hunting party, he could take the opportunity to venture deep into the wilderness, and perhaps, like in the folk tales, some good fortune would come his way.

As for the risks of hunting, since he had already transmigrated to a world with cultivation, he would rather die at the hands of demonic beasts than spend his whole life farming in a village and living as a lowly commoner without even a surname.

Ning Che got up and walked outside.

As dawn broke, his gaze swept over the low-lying earthen houses and towards the distant city of Feihu.

He didn't see Feihu City; that distance of dozens of miles was not something that could be traversed by the naked eye.

But he saw it...

One, two, three, four... ninety, ten suns!

Ning Che looked up, speechless, then quickly looked away and rubbed his stinging eyes.

Naturally, he recalled the legend of Hou Yi shooting down the suns. Had he truly arrived in another world, or had he returned to ancient times?

"In ancient times, those who understood the Dao followed the principles of Yin and Yang and were knowledgeable in numerology..."

Memories flooded back, and he was momentarily stunned, standing there blankly for a long while before regaining his senses. He recalled that there were records of those ten days in this life:

These ten days could also be called ten yangs, but in reality there is only one sun. If you are not afraid of burning your retina and observe them one by one, you will find that one of them is significantly larger. Its trajectory is like the sun on Earth, rising in the east and setting in the west, and it is the sun of this world.

The remaining nine are called Lesser Yang, which traverse the nine directions, representing the nine fields of heaven, also known as the Nine Heavens. Lesser Yang may occasionally dim or be extinguished. Once extinguished, a great calamity will sweep across the world, collectively known as the Nine Calamities.

When the Nine Calamities are approaching, cultivators, spirits, and even intelligent humans and beasts will sense them. Generally, the higher one's cultivation level, the more accurate this sense will be. For example, the Calamity of Withering corresponds to the disaster that causes all plants to wither and die when the Lesser Yang of Heaven is extinguished.

The withering of crops is deadly enough for the village, but what's even more terrifying is that even after the plants are removed from the soil, the scourge of decay will not let them go. Even dried wild vegetables and grains in the granary will rot due to the decay.

Moreover, as the drought continues, meat, and even living organisms, will gradually show signs of decay. While it may not be enough to cause immediate death, slow wound healing and accelerated aging are inevitable.

Therefore, the Great Xia Dynasty had long ago decreed that the Witch God Tower should draw Rejuvenation Talismans for every village under its jurisdiction, which would be delivered to the door by the Mountain Guardians before the drought. This was a seventh-grade, low-level healing talisman; if someone injured their internal organs, just one talisman would be enough to heal them. When used in the drought, it could restore rotten grain, as long as its physical form remained intact.

"The Witch God Tower and the Mountain Guardians are both official institutions representing the Great Xia Dynasty in the city, and they have powerful cultivators. If three Rejuvenation Talismans are issued, two will definitely not be enough. But for my sake..."

Ning Che felt a pang of guilt and wanted to find a way to make amends to Shizhu Village. Just then, a child's clear yet loud voice interrupted his thoughts: "Brother Xingxing, you're awake!"

"What gorilla?"

Ning Che looked in the direction of the sound and saw a chubby-faced boy, no more than seven or eight years old, with a round face that looked rather childish. He was dressed in clothes made of animal hide, his short legs kicking incredibly fast, his little hands clenched into half-fists and waving wildly as he rushed towards him. A sense of familiarity welled up inside Ning Che, but the child's movements were even faster than Ning Che remembered; he crashed into him and grabbed his legs.

"Little Tiger..."

The other person's name slipped out, and Ning Che felt a little dazed. His own body was probably already sacrificed. Would those brothers who had risked their lives for him be heartbroken?

"Second Brother!"

Another call rang out, and from a nearby earthen house, a slender girl in coarse cloth, with bright, lively eyes, emerged from the doorway. She first ran a few steps, then timidly slowed her pace, quickly taking small, quick steps to approach, and complained:

"You're finally awake! You have no idea, when you were lying there, no matter what we tried to feed you—medicine, water, or rice—you wouldn't go down. Xiao Hu and I were so worried!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Che felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

The girl's name was Zhaodi. She was a year younger than the original owner of this body, but in the village, she was already of age to take on household chores. What's more, she also had a mischievous younger brother at home. She rarely had time to go out, yet she was able to bring so many things to feed him during this time.

She wasn't the original owner's biological sister; there was another reason why she called him "Second Brother":

She, Xiao Hu, Man Cang (who is a year older than the original owner and has joined the village hunting team), and Chang Ming (who died three years ago) were the original owner's best playmates over the years.

They once emulated the chivalrous heroes in folk tales, swearing an oath of brotherhood without surnames and calling themselves the "Five Heroes of Stone Pillar." The original owner was the second oldest, thus becoming her and Xiao Hu's second brother.

Ning Che let out a long breath, temporarily suppressing the surging memories. He reached out and stroked Xiao Hu's head, looking at Zhao Di, and comforted her in a gentle tone, "It's alright, I'm fine now. I'm sorry to have worried you."

Xiao Hu finally let go of him, two lines of tears already streaming down his face: "I thought, I thought you wouldn't wake up!... Waaah, thank goodness, you said you'd take me to raid bird nests..."

Ning Che smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll go home and get my things, then I'll take you to raid bird nests, okay?"

"Great! I want to roast two or three big bird eggs!" Little Tiger immediately stopped crying and started laughing, cheering.

Zhao Di leaned down slightly and looked at Xiao Hu, asking, "Did Xiao Hu just happen to run into Second Brother?"

Xiao Hu was taken aback, then explained, "No, Father told me to go find Uncle Shi Yong and Sister Shi Ying. Grandpa wants to discuss something with them."

Zhao Di then put on a stern face and pretended to be angry, scolding, "Then why don't you hurry up and go? How come you forget about the important matter as soon as you think about playing?"

"Oh... well, then—" Xiao Hu's expression immediately darkened, and he looked up at Ning Che with teary eyes. Ning Che patted Xiao Hu's shoulder: "After we're done, tell your father, and then come to my house. I'll take you to collect bird eggs. We'll find ten nests this time, and we can take home any we can't eat, okay?"

"Okay, sure!" Little Tiger nodded vigorously, took two steps, paused, then turned back and said, "You must wait for me—"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely wait for you," Ning Che assured him.

Xiao Hu then left with peace of mind.

Zhao Di stood there watching Ning Che. She stood still, her eyes seemingly holding a thousand unspoken thoughts, which Ning Che could not fathom no matter how hard he tried.

After what seemed like an eternity, just as Ning Che was trying to find a topic to end this awkward staring contest, Zhao Di spoke up: "Could you... not go outside? I'm scared..."

Few things could cause Ning Che such unease as a simple expression of concern. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell a small lie:

He beckoned her closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "I've really had a stroke of good luck this time—just like a chivalrous hero in a folk tale, I've learned a secret body-strengthening technique!"

Zhao Di's cheeks flushed slightly as she reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: "A secret body-strengthening method?"

"Yes, maybe if I master this, I can become a cultivator," Ning Che said seriously.