Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

"Yes, we won."

Ning Che looked at the jade-white Crescent Moon Blade in his hand, but showed no joy.

Fu Gui noticed his unusual mood and asked curiously, "What's wrong? You've already slain the demon, what's bothering you?"

Ning Che sighed softly, gazing at the desolate wilderness in the distance: "While that problem has been solved, the food issue is far more critical—but now is not the time to think about that. Let's go back to the village first, and not keep everyone waiting."

Fu Gui's joy subsided somewhat, and he nodded heavily: "Alright, let's go back to the village."

The two returned, still finding no living creatures, only jagged rocks, and their journey was uneventful. As they returned to the village, the news that the demonic scourge had been eradicated spread like wildfire throughout the entire village.

It was just dawn, and the once deserted road was now bustling with people. The villagers surrounded Ning Che and Fu Gui, some busy asking for news, others unable to contain their excitement and cheering, sweeping away the previous gloom.

Clearly, they deeply loathe these monsters, hence their current jubilation.

Ning Che couldn't be completely happy. He recalled Yue Can and his words that he was "the messenger of the Demon Lord".

"Xing! You really killed that monster?" Erzhu squeezed to the front, his eyes wide open, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Slay him." Ning Che nodded, also revealing a smile so as not to spoil everyone's mood: "The demonic threat in the Black Pine Forest has been basically resolved. From now on, everyone can go there freely. At least for the next few years, it will be difficult for such a powerful demon to appear again."

The crowd erupted in cheers the moment those words were spoken.

Death, wounded, starvation, and monsters.

These relentless events had already pushed everyone's emotions to rock bottom. They were all eagerly anticipating victory, and now, Ning Che was bringing it to them.

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long were released at this moment. They cheered, jumped, and cried tears of joy, calling out Ning Che's name. The feast had not yet been prepared, but the celebration had already begun.

Shi Yong pushed through the crowd and walked over. He bumped fists with Ning Che and cheered loudly for him. Ning Che answered the questions of dozens of villagers, and apart from matters related to the Taiyin Daomu, he did not hide anything.

Ning Che was surrounded and talked to for nearly an hour before he was "rescued" by the hunters of the hunting team.

The village couldn't afford a proper feast, so they could only take out some dried animal meat, set up a large pot in the training ground, add some salt, and boil it—that was their victory celebration.

Everyone sat on the ground around the big pot, munching on dried meat, toasting with water as if it were wine, and chatting about the future. Long-lost smiles finally appeared on their faces.

As they chatted, someone started talking about their dreams. Some said they wanted to grow an endless supply of food, some said they wanted to never have to fear monsters again, and some said they wanted their children to grow up safely and peacefully.

Some people turned to look at Ning Che and asked with a smile, "Xing, what is your dream?"

Ning Che took a bite of the jerky, looked at the hopeful faces before him, and couldn't help but smile, recalling that overused joke from Earth: "World peace."

The banquet ended close to noon.

Ning Che suppressed his smile, and together with the demon corpse, Shi Yong, and Fu Gui, went to find Shi Gu to explain the situation.

Shi Gu remained seated in the same spot, like a sculpture meant to symbolize deep thought. Seeing Ning Che enter, his cloudy eyes brightened: "It's done?"

"It's done." Ning Che explained the events in the Black Pine Forest in a few words, omitting the secrets of the Taiyin Dao Record, and only focusing on Yue Can's last words, "All the living things in the entire Black Pine Forest have disappeared. Before he died, Yue Can asked me to go to Black Rock Village to ask about dried meat."

After briefly recounting what had happened, he stated directly, "I'm preparing to set off tonight to infiltrate Black Rock Village and investigate the truth."

"No way!" Ishitani's tone was resolute.

Ning Che was taken aback: "Why?"

"You've been working too hard these past few days, like a bowstring that's always taut. Even if it doesn't snap at the crucial moment, its power will be greatly reduced," Ishigani said with concern. "You should rest for a couple of days. A genius with such a bright future as you should take it easy."

Ning Che frowned slightly. He knew that Shi Gu was telling the truth, but was he really allowed to rest given the current situation?

Every moment is precious, and he dares not be complacent.

"Wait two more days." Ishigani softened his tone and continued to persuade, "Stay indoors for the next two days and take good care of your injuries. It'll be a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with this sword. You don't know swordsmanship yet, do you? I'll find you a sword so you can practice on it. Conserve your energy and wait until you're at your peak before going out. That will give you a better chance of winning."

"I agree with Uncle Shigu." Fugui nodded in agreement. "Black Rock Village isn't going anywhere. Let's go a couple of days later."

Shi Yong chimed in, "Yes, there's no rush. The village's food supply can still hold up."

Ning Che pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, I'll wait two days."

Shi Yong and Fu Gui left first, leaving him behind to study magic. What Shi Gu taught was the Shi family's traditional sword technique, called "Thick Earth Edgeless Sword".

This method is the complete opposite of the unparalleled ferocity of normal swordsmanship. It emphasizes using the sword for defense and is divided into five layers. As skill improves, the defense becomes increasingly tight, eventually reaching a point where it is impenetrable.

Ning Che felt something was off about this; a sword technique that abandoned offense in favor of defense was completely contrary to his philosophy. But since it was a free spell, he figured he might as well learn it, so he listened attentively to the whole thing.

After learning the technique, he returned home and set it aside. Instead, he took out the jade piece engraved with a moon rabbit and began to study it.

As he infused it with his magic power, the jade immediately emitted a clear light, allowing a profound and mysterious artistic conception to enter his mind.

In his daze, he saw the still intact Moon Palace. Among the cloud steps and moonlit ground, there was a fairy in plain clothes whose face he could not see, but whose beauty he could feel, holding a rabbit with six ears.

The rabbit breathed rhythmically, and Ning Che's breathing seemed to be affected as well, unconsciously reaching a similar frequency. He felt as if all the blood and energy in his body were being forcibly pulled to the same frequency, as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making his breathing difficult, and soon he was covered in cold sweat.

The scene shifted, with swirling cold mist like an icy river, and a six-eared rabbit raising its head to exhale frost, letting out a low, long cry. As if spring thunder had suddenly sounded, and all things were revived, Ning Che's fatigue vanished instantly, and his chest felt as if it had been opened up, giving him an unprecedented sense of ease.

He took a deep, blissful breath, feeling as if he could breathe all the way down to his toes.

The scene shifts again, revealing a devastated land, with collapsed mountains and dried-up rivers. A colossal, mountain-like six-eared rabbit is pierced through by an equally massive weapon and pinned to the ground. The scene is deathly silent, yet Ning Che hears a sound.

The sound of a heartbeat.

He could no longer distinguish whether it belonged to the six-eared rabbit or to himself, or whether the two had merged into one.

Even in such profound stillness, there is still an indelible vitality.