Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

After the sword energy opened the path, the two ran at full speed, ignoring the churning mist and howling ghosts behind them, which could no longer catch up with them.

Ning Che had exhausted his sword energy, and Fu Gui was still in shock. Neither of them intended to linger. After catching their breath outside the black pine forest, they hurried back to the village.

The journey home remained peaceful, the wasteland lifeless. Ning Che frowned, but he had no energy left to care.

With the moon high in the sky, the two finally returned to the village. Ning Che went straight to bed as soon as he entered the house, but then he suddenly remembered Shi Xiujuan's crazy words. She had said, "You have to drink Qinghui water, otherwise you'll rot..."

Ning Che hesitated for a moment, then opened the window, placed the seeds on a cloth, and put them on the windowsill to bask in the moonlight.

After placing the seeds, he took off his coat, lay down and went to sleep. When he woke up, it was already the next morning.

After gazing at the roof beams for a moment to regain his senses, Ning Che got up and checked the seeds by the window.

The seeds remained bluish-purple and shriveled, showing no signs of change.

Ning Che was not surprised. He got dressed, grabbed a handful of dried meat, and ate as he walked, preparing to go find Shi Gu.

The next decapitation strike must be carried out only if the enemy can be located. Moreover, his actions in the Black Pine Forest exposed a serious problem: once the enemy is not in the open, he becomes a sitting duck.

Supplementary reconnaissance methods are necessary, and it would be best to have a defensive spell as well. In his view, only by knowing oneself and one's enemy, and being able to both attack and defend, can one be considered to have initially formed combat capability.

The village was noticeably more lively on the way.

Because of the unusual disappearance of the surrounding monsters, the village was able to recuperate. In the alleys, women could be seen repairing courtyard walls with their children, and hunters were sharpening weapons and mending leather armor in the training ground.

But he could still see a sense of unease about the uncertain future on the villagers' faces. As he passed Shi Ying's two-story house, he heard faint sobs, reminding him that the calamity had never truly gone away.

Without stopping, he went straight to find Shi Gu.

Shi Gu was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, basking in the sun, with two wooden cups facing each other in front of him. When he saw Ning Che enter, he looked up, smiled, and pointed to the stone bench opposite him: "I knew you would come. This is spiritual water that we found at the residence of those three mountain guardians. Try it."

Ning Che sat down, picked up the cup, and took a sip. It was a little spicy, but after swallowing, it made his magical power more active. He didn't hide his surprise and asked, "What is this spiritual water?"

Ishigani explained, "It's a treasure that aids in cultivation. Drinking it regularly can make cultivation twice as effective, but it's very expensive. The cup in front of you alone is worth over a thousand coins. It's something only city dwellers can afford."

Ning Che silently abandoned his idea of ​​drinking the spirit water and instead began to recount his experiences in the Black Pine Forest, finally revealing his need: "This trip to the Black Pine Forest made me realize that I still have serious shortcomings. I wonder if you have any detection or defensive spells?"

"That's true." Ishitani didn't continue.

Ning Che assured him, "I can exchange it for the demonic body of the mastermind behind it all. It's at least an eighth-rank demon, and an anomaly with such high intelligence; it must be incredibly valuable."

Upon hearing this, Ishigani's expression gradually turned serious: "After escaping death, your first thought was to address your weaknesses instead of indulging in temporary victory. And you didn't become arrogant because of it. I've lived to be this old, and I have nothing more to teach you."

He paused, then continued, "But the spells I know are mostly from the Shi family. In principle, they cannot be passed on to outsiders, otherwise we will both be in mortal danger."

Since it's said that it's not allowed in principle, then there's room for compromise.

Ning Che naturally understood the implication, and sat up straight, saying, "I will definitely not let them find out."

Shi Gu laughed heartily, then explained, "This defensive technique is called the Golden Armor, and this reconnaissance technique is called Climbing Mountains..."

Under his careful guidance, Ning Che gained a basic understanding of these two spells. These Shi family traditions were clearly structured, with each step explained in detail, unlike the vague and unorthodox methods like the Lung Gold Sword Technique, where Ning Che himself didn't know how to cultivate the third sword aura.

The Golden Armor is divided into four levels: Initial Light, All-Encompassing Illumination, Bright Armor, and Iron Wall.

The so-called "initial light" refers to the beginning of a spell, which can condense a light barrier that can withstand attacks. This layer alone is already enough to be considered a defensive spell.

But the Shi family's heritage doesn't stop there. The second layer, the all-encompassing light, allows the light barrier to cover the entire body without any flaws or omissions. Before the magic power is exhausted, one is practically invulnerable to blades and spears.

The third layer of the armor requires repeatedly inscribing sixty-four defensive runes until they can manifest when activated by spells. At this level, in addition to regular attacks, it can also resist many other magical effects and even provides some protection for the soul.

The final layer of iron wall was extremely refined and was said to be indestructible, which Ning Che found quite fascinating.

The Ascending Mountain Technique has three levels, and this spell is quite mysterious. When activated, it's as if one is parting the clouds and ascending to the mountain peak, where everything is laid out before one's eyes. Each level is like climbing an even higher mountain. It is said that if all three levels are mastered, one can have a panoramic view of a radius of a hundred miles.

Ning Che was overjoyed to have obtained these spells and was about to take his leave to practice them when Shi Gu stopped him, saying, "What will you say if the Shi family finds out?"

"My father taught me that," Ning Che replied without hesitation.

Shi Gu burst into laughter again, then suddenly stopped, looking at Ning Che with a very complicated expression: "You're very good. How come I never noticed how talented you were before? Perhaps, perhaps, you really can go out and go to Feihu City, to a bigger and farther place—don't die."

"I will try my best," Ning Che replied solemnly, then performed a junior's bow and turned to leave.

He had planned to return to his house to focus on practicing magic, but just before he was about to leave, images of the villagers flashed through his mind. Their friendly smiles and hopeful eyes appeared one by one. In the end, he turned around and went straight to the training ground.

Shi Yong was leading the hunters in practicing their battle formations when he saw Ning Che approaching. He immediately sheathed his sword and strode forward to greet him, his face beaming with joy: "Ning Che, you've finally arrived! I heard you returned safely from the Black Pine Forest, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief!"

Ning Che smiled, his gaze sweeping over the hunters in the training ground, then turning to Shi Yong. After a few polite words, he stated his purpose: "Uncle Shi Yong, the demonic beasts have all disappeared recently. Is there still enough food?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yong's smile vanished instantly, and he sighed heavily, saying, "If we eat sparingly, it can last for half a month, but we can't stand eating dried meat every day! Dried meat is certainly much more durable than grains and vegetables, but I'm afraid it won't last more than seven or eight days before it spoils."

These past few days have been strange; not even a wild rabbit or rat can be seen in the wasteland. There's nowhere to hunt to fill the gaps. If this continues, it might be very difficult to drag this out until the drought ends!