Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

After learning the basic principles of magic, Ning Che finally entered the stage of learning the "Lung Metal Sword Qi".

This sword energy is born from an invincible killing intent and is constructed in the lungs using magical power. It is usually nurtured in the lungs, and when used, the killing intent is used to lock onto the target, and the sword energy is shot out from the mouth and nose as a white ribbon that can pierce through metal and stone.

Ning Che tried to cultivate according to the methods taught by Shi Gu.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and concentrated. First, he activated the Taiyin Dao Talisman in his sea of ​​consciousness. Strands of clear light flowed along his meridians and eventually converged into his lungs. Then, following the mental cultivation method of the "Lung Golden Sword Qi," he infused his killing intent towards the demonic beast and the three mountain guardians into his lungs, gradually building the prototype of sword qi.

The chilling aura blended seamlessly with the clear light, instantly condensing into a thin, hair-like strand of silver-white sword energy.

Ning Che suddenly opened his eyes, looking quite surprised.

This is... it actually succeeded on the first try?

Upon seeing this, Shi Gu hurriedly inquired. After Ning Che described his condition, the highly respected old village chief, for the first time ever, lost his composure and nearly tore off his beard.

He said that even in the more magnificent cities he had heard of, those so-called peerless geniuses probably wouldn't succeed in mastering this spell on their first try. And Shi Gu himself had taken a full month to complete it.

Ning Che didn't know why. Even practicing the soldier's fist technique wasn't this easy. Could it be that he had an extraordinary talent for this spell?

However, his surprise was quickly replaced by delight, and whatever the reason, it was a good thing.

He calmed himself down and persevered, and in just one afternoon, he steadily condensed a complete sword aura. Unable to contain his joy, he immediately strode into the courtyard, found a wooden stake he used for daily practice, and spat out a beam of silver light.

The sharp energy pierced straight through, creating a hole that was transparent from front to back in the wooden stake, which was about seven or eight centimeters thick.

The power of this Lung-Golden Sword Qi is indeed considerable; the flesh and skin of ordinary demons cannot withstand its indestructible sharpness at all. Only those who possess corresponding magic or cultivate demon bones have any chance of resisting it.

However, there are also two drawbacks.

First, once released, it is completely consumed and needs to be re-condensed; second, its trajectory is rigid, it can only go straight, and it is difficult to cause fatal damage if it does not hit the vital point, so it has limited effect on tough monsters.

After weighing the pros and cons, he thanked Ishigani and then turned and left.

The next day, he still went to the hunting team to practice formations in the morning, and in the afternoon he re-condensed his Lung Gold Sword Qi to quickly improve his strength. As for cultivation, he couldn't worry about it for the time being; he had to ensure he got enough rest at night to deal with the beast tide that could come at any time.

His current limit for condensing Lung Gold Sword Qi is two strands, which is still quite far from the five-strand limit recorded in the classic texts. However, Shi Gu was already extremely shocked—at his peak, he could only condense four strands, while Ning Che had only been practicing this method for two days and had already caught up with his current level.

The formation drills are progressing even more smoothly than expected.

After three days of practice, the hunting team, which had suffered heavy losses and was short-handed in the earlier battle in the wasteland, had actually grasped the basics of this new formation. Whether it was mutual support through cross-cover or coordinated encirclement and suppression, the team members were thoroughly familiar with it. Ning Che only needed to make a few adjustments within the formation, and the hunters would understand and react immediately.

Watching the drills from the sidelines, Shi Yong, seeing the orderly and disciplined movements of the troops, slapped Ning Che hard on the shoulder and burst into laughter. He exclaimed that Xing was born to be a headhunter and that he should pass the position to Xing in the future.

Ning Che simply smiled upon hearing this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He gave most of his share of dried meat to Zhao Di, partly as a way of returning the favor, and partly because the severity of this drought meant that the hunting party was not really lacking in food.

If he wins the next match, he'll get at least a few dozen more kilograms of meat; if he doesn't, he might not even survive to eat it.

Zhao Di didn't want it at first, but after hearing Ning Che's explanation, she accepted it, only scolding him for talking about death again.

As for the village's defenses, although training has made some progress, the situation remains far from optimistic. Ishigu's physical condition no longer allows him to act frequently; at most, he can be used as the village's trump card in life-or-death situations.

The six wounded men with broken legs were initially in stable condition, but they still couldn't get out of bed. Shi Ying had to perform witchcraft twice a day to stabilize their wounds, and after deducting the time needed to recover her magical power, she hardly had any time to go out.

What worried Ning Che even more were the three mountain guardians who remained huddled in the guest rooms.

These three men, except when forced to guard the village entrance at night, spent the rest of their time locked inside. They used some unknown method to prevent anyone from eavesdropping outside; only once, while delivering food, did they witness the fat woman and the sharp-mouthed man arguing.

Ning Che and the others understood that they were like three malignant tumors buried in the village. If they weren't removed before the beast tide arrived, they would inevitably harm the entire village in the future.

That very night, the opportunity arrived.

The sound of gongs echoed, signaling simultaneous attacks from both the wasteland and the forest!

Clearly, something was orchestrating this from behind the scenes; otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to attack so precisely at the same time.

Left with no other choice, the hunting party had to split into two groups, and each group was further divided into two teams, leaving them short-handed. Fortunately, the formation could function as long as the basic units were still intact.

Shi Yong and Ning Che went to the wasteland, while Fu Gui went to the east to fight the monsters in the forest.

The wilderness was already shrouded in night, and the three mountain guardians who should have been there were turning around and running back into the village.

"Where are you going!" Shi Yong roared in fury upon seeing this.

The roar, like a thunderclap, shattered the night. The three fleeing figures abruptly stopped. The leader, a man with a pointed beak, turned around, his face already pale, but still trying to maintain the air of an official. Pointing at the surging darkness behind them, he shouted shrilly, "Where else can we go? There are too many monsters! This shabby defense line can't hold at all! We're going back to the village to call for reinforcements!"

The fat woman beside him was already trembling with fear, her hand gripping the short knife loosely. She echoed him repeatedly, "That's right! We're sent by the imperial court. If we die here, your entire village can't bear the consequences! Get out of the way!"

Only the tall man remained silent, his hand gripping the knife hilt with bulging veins, his eyes constantly glancing towards the barricades to the west, and his feet unconsciously moving in that direction.

Ning Che's gaze followed his movements, and his heart sank instantly.

The western chevaux-de-frise, originally firmly secured with thick timbers and boulders, had its two outermost wooden stakes pried loose from the ground, revealing a gap wide enough for two people to pass side by side. The villagers responsible for keeping watch were now frantically repairing the breach.

He was not afraid to think the worst of these three people, but he never expected them to be so stupid!

It's too late for emergency repairs.

On the desolate plains, packs of wolves swept in, dark and menacing. Pairs of bright, ghostly eyes shone piercingly in the deep night, like hundreds of lamps floating in the darkness, surging toward the defensive line.

Enraged, Shi Yong was about to attack when Ning Che whispered, "Uncle Shi Yong, open the breach head-on!"

Immediately afterwards, he mouthed "Leave it to me" in the moonlight.

Shi Yong understood that Ning Che was right; they had to hold the breach, or the village would suffer.

He snorted angrily, grabbed his machete, and charged to the front of the wolf pack's initial attack. He slashed down hard at the lead wolf, the dull thud of the blade piercing flesh mingling with the wolf's howl.

The other hunters followed immediately, and a great battle was about to break out.