Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The Ice Cleansing Spell was no ordinary spell; even after Ning Che mastered it, he still didn't understand how it worked.

Despite this, the learning process went exceptionally smoothly. Ning Che memorized these hundreds of syllables in just one night, and when he recited them rhythmically, they sounded like a long, clear, and melodious song.

The song carried away all distracting thoughts; emotions, like dust, were now swept away, and the mind became clearer.

It's a strange feeling, a bit like drinking an iced drink when you're feeling hot and dizzy.

He got up, carefully put away the copy of "Bingqing Mantra", and went to the training ground.

The training ground was most deserted in the early morning. At first glance, you could only see a few people practicing early in the morning. Only upon closer inspection could you find Lin Ye lying face up directly below the window.

Everything is ready; all that's needed is a chance to be alone.

Failure will reveal a spell, while success might uncover one of Mu Qingming's cards.

He needs to wait until then.

He practiced his swordplay in the dim morning light until the gong sounded.

Twelve days passed in the blink of an eye.

The impending doom dissipated in the broad and stable mountains. More than once, he felt that this was not the same world as the outside world, and he thought of the village that was suffering.

He gradually understood why the fat woman was so arrogant. Someone who had been born and raised in the city would become so arrogant once she joined the mountain guardians.

In the camp today, including Zhong Hongyao, who now works under Ning Che and comes from the Zhong family in the city, everyone is like this.

The feeling of looking down on all living beings will gradually become a matter of course; when they look down from the mountain, they see people as ants.

Ning Che always remembered where he had climbed up from.

Over the past twelve days, his cultivation has naturally improved.

However, the practice of the Frost Flower Technique also brought some side effects. Every night, a different shadow would appear, each with a different face, but all claiming to be him.

These shadows cannot be killed or destroyed; their retreat is only temporary. In a few days, they will emerge from the darkness again, disturbing his mind with all sorts of words.

He stopped responding, but I had to hear it.

This made him very irritable, and an uncontrollable urge to kill welled up in his heart. He could only relieve it with the Ice Cleansing Spell so as not to affect his state of mind.

But this is probably not a long-term solution. Those shadows are accumulating in his marrow sea, growing more and more, and Ning Che does not understand the principle behind their formation.

In addition, he made further progress in the art of golden armor, reaching the level of all-encompassing illumination.

The improvement wasn't significant, although it was considered incredibly fast compared to the average person.

However, his cultivation period was too short. In less than a month, the cultivation he had accumulated was still far too shallow compared to the years, decades, or even more that other cultivators had accumulated.

Even his ability to open the Sea of ​​Marrow was largely due to the Tribulation Bright Frost Flower Technique; his accumulated knowledge was actually insufficient.

If possible, he would certainly like to continue cultivating peacefully like this, and he is confident that he can catch up with Mu Qingming.

But such a good thing is naturally not possible in these mountains.

That day, he had just finished breakfast when he saw law enforcement officers heading straight for him: "Officer Xing, please wait."

They were two men clad in black armor, only their eyes visible. They bowed respectfully to Ning Che, the armor plates rustling as they spoke: "Lord Mu has an urgent audience with you in the council hall and requests your immediate presence."

They arrived as expected.

"Thank you both." Ning Che nodded slightly, his face showing no sign of panic. Following the direction indicated by the guards, he walked straight towards the council hall at the top of the mountain.

The doors to the council hall were open, and several people were already standing inside. Mu Qingming sat at the head of the table, holding a folding fan, smiling but saying nothing.

Two more people came in, making a total of six team leaders and one squad leader present. Mu Qingming then spoke: "There are some tasks in the mountains that you need to do..."

He assigned tasks to everyone, casually explaining the goals and requirements to others, but when it came to Ning Che, he spent a long time showing concern and care.

They asked him if he was settling in well, and whether he had encountered any bottlenecks in his cultivation, and so on. Even Ning Che was taken aback by this sudden concern and could only answer as briefly and cautiously as possible, trying not to reveal any flaws.

Mu Qingming and Ning Che chatted for a while, attracting frequent glances from those around them, before finally getting to the point.

It turned out to be a calamity caused by a demon from Black Rock Village.

Was it a coincidence, or a deliberate arrangement?

He didn't believe in coincidences here. Besides, the monsters in the wasteland had been cleared out, so the pressure on the surrounding villages should have been much less. Moreover, Mu Qingming definitely wanted to use him; the only question was how Mu Qingming intended to use him.

Ning Che remained calm, bowed his head and agreed, then tentatively asked, "This is my first mission. What should I prepare, and who should I bring?"

"Ku Huo is short-handed. You can take two of your men with you. Let Zhao Ban Tou coordinate the rest to reinforce the city's defenses."

Mu Qingming looked at Ning Che and smiled meaningfully: "Lin Ye is a local from Black Rock Village, and he should be a capable assistant to you. Remember to bring him along. As for the supplies, you can collect them from the Personnel Hall according to the rules."

Ning Che nodded in agreement, and after the missions were assigned, he left with the others.

Mu Qingming must have known that he had a good relationship with Zhao He and Chen Mu, so he deliberately separated the three of them and added Lin Ye, making the composition of the team for this operation particularly complicated.

Moreover, what he didn't expect was that this squad leader also had the surname Zhao.

There are quite a few people with the surname Zhao among the mountain guardians, and the Zhao family probably has some history with them.

While pondering the matter, he went to the Personnel Hall to collect his supplies. Apart from rations and water, he only received a dossier, three packets of wound medicine, and a seal to mobilize the carriages.

He opened the file and, to his surprise, it was completely blank. It turned out it wasn't meant for him, but written for him.

Then, he went to the martial arts arena to find Lin Ye.

Lin Ye saw Ning Che walking straight towards him, looking quite unwilling: "What a coincidence, I always run into you when I come here."

"Unfortunately." Ning Che said calmly, walking towards him to meet his gaze. "Commander Mu has assigned a mission; you and I both have to go. And... this time, it's to rescue your family."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye was first taken aback, then roared, "My home? What do you mean?!"

"Literally, our mission this time is to resolve the demonic calamity in Black Rock Village," Ning Che said calmly. "If you want to oppose me and mess up the mission, then Commander Mu will punish you, and I will naturally share in the punishment, but ultimately it will be your family that suffers the consequences."

"Either you follow my instructions and complete this task well—which do you choose?"

"You idiot, can you really help my family?" Lin Ye's distrust was written all over his face.

Ning Che understood that this was enough. He concluded, "Even if I don't want to help you, I at least have to complete my first mission after joining the Mountain Guardians, right? Pack your things and wait for me here. Let's set off as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and went to find another person.

It was neither Zhao He nor Chen Mu.