Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The warm-up exercises from the previous life seem rather silly and absurd in this life.

Zhong Hongyao stopped and looked back, completely absorbed, until Ning Che finished warming up, then suddenly realized what was happening and asked, "What kind of martial art is that?"

"Just practicing casually, just getting some exercise," Ning Che replied casually.

He had just realized that warm-up exercises were no longer of any value to him. The Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique could get him to peak condition in seconds, while warm-up exercises took several minutes.

Modern training methods lack this wondrous quality; compared to some rudimentary martial arts, their only advantage lies in the reduced risk of injury. He had once thought he could use these to transform his body, but that was far too naive.

Zhong Hongyao looked at Ning Che suspiciously, but found him lost in thought again. She gritted her teeth, but had no choice but to go back to rest.

Ning Che didn't notice her subtle changes in expression. Seeing that she had gone back, he continued his cultivation.

until dawn.

The wind on the wasteland has stopped, and the morning light washes the outlines of the village houses out of the night. There is no sound of roosters crowing.

Lin Ye woke up. He rubbed the back of his neck, stood up, and shouted that he wanted to leave immediately. He said that sleeping in this bed made him feel uncomfortable all over, as if he had been beaten up.

Lin Xiuer also woke up. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her expression was calmer than yesterday. She was still holding the child, whose complexion had improved a lot and whose breathing was steady, as if the child was just asleep.

Zhong Hongyao put away the last silver needle. She rolled up the cloth bundle and tucked it into her sleeve. Her fingers were steady, but her complexion was terrible—not pale, but the ashen look that comes from not sleeping all night.

Ning Che glanced at her. She didn't look at him.

Lin Caiwei stood up from the corner. Her movements were light, like a cat getting up from a cushion. She walked to the door, looked up at the gray sky.

"Uncle," she said, "are you leaving today?"

Ning Che affirmed, "Yes."

She nodded, sat upright on the edge of the bed, and waited to leave.

Ning Che did not go to see anyone else, and led everyone to set off directly from the west of the village.

The carriage bumped along the way, and he practiced the Moon Rabbit Breathing Technique inside. He didn't feel any difference between using it during the day or at night, so he got used to practicing it during the day.

We entered the city at noon.

During their previous meal together, Chen Mu had said that mission handover usually took place in the Personnel Hall. Ning Che didn't delay and led Lin Caiwei straight to the top floor.

Lin Ye and Zhong Hongyao went to the clinic to save Lin Xiuer's young son, and parted ways with him temporarily.

He glanced down at Lin Caiwei. The little girl stood beside him, looking up at him with her dark eyes.

"Come with me."

She didn't answer, but simply followed. Her pace was neither fast nor slow, always trailing him by half a step.

They made their way to the Hall of Personnel.

The palace doors were open. Ning Che stepped inside. It was darker inside than outside. Sunlight streamed in through the high window lattices, cutting into slanted beams that fell onto the bluestone floor, where dust motes could be seen dancing.

The clerk on duty sat behind the long desk. He looked up, and Ning Che was about to go forward to hand over the duties.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

The clerk immediately stood up and addressed him as "Commander Mu".

Ning Che also turned around to greet him, while recalling which step it was and who informed Mu Qingming.

The thought process yielded no results.

Mu Qingming walked to the main hall and stood still. He closed his folding fan, tapped it lightly on his palm, and put on his signature smile again: "You returned so quickly after the Black Rock Village demon calamity case. That is quite unexpected for this commander."

Ning Che bowed slightly, displaying impeccable manners, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Reporting to the Commander: There are no demonic beasts causing trouble in Black Rock Village, only remnants of Yin Sha, which have all been suppressed. I have brought the survivor, Lin Caiwei, here for handover."

He didn't say what the Yin Sha was, what happened to the two mountain guardians, or how many corpses were still buried under the sand. He only said that the mission was completed.

The matter was far from over; he wanted to see what Mu Qingming would say.

Mu Qingming's gaze lingered on Lin Caiwei for a moment. The little girl looked up, her dark eyes unfathomable, and smiled at him.

That smile carried a simple joy, like a child seeing someone they knew.

Mu Qingming tapped his palm unconsciously with his fan, again and again.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somber and oppressive.

After a long silence, Mu Qingming suddenly smiled: "Good, what a promising young man." He turned his head and instructed the clerk beside him, "Record: Ning Cheping quelled the demonic calamity in Black Rock Village, and was awarded 500 merit points. His companions were all awarded 400 merit points each."

five hundred!

This is no small sum; it can be exchanged for more than ten spellbooks treasured by the mountain guardian, enough for an ordinary cultivator to benefit from for a lifetime.

Ning Che displayed just the right amount of joy and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Commander."

But he knew in his heart that Mu Qingming certainly didn't have any good intentions. Firstly, he had indeed rendered meritorious service and deserved a reward. Secondly, the generous reward, along with raising the rank of his companions to four hundred, was a way of sowing discord between him and Zhao He and Chen Mu.

After Mu Qingming finished speaking, he gave him a meaningful look and then left without mentioning Lin Caiwei at all.

Ning Che had no idea what he was planning, and continued to hand over the tasks step by step.

The tension inside the hall gradually eased. After Ning Che signed the document according to procedure, he received five blue stones with the character "one hundred" written on them by Xia Wen.

After leaving the Personnel Hall, he turned left and went directly into the Library Hall.

After exchanging a few polite words with Zhao Yunshuo, he inquired about the withered ghost and asked how many merits were required for the "Catching Cicada Steps".

Zhao Yunshuo didn't know what a withered ghost was, but he clearly remembered the renowned martial art of "Catching the Cicada Step":

"This Cicada-Chasing Step is a seventh-grade technique, requiring a full three hundred merit points. Moreover, it's extremely difficult to learn; many people copy it but still can't master it. Have you thought it through?"

Ning Che suddenly remembered that the sharp-mouthed man had exclaimed "Third-Rank Technique," so he casually asked, "May I ask, senior, what are the criteria for classifying the rank of a technique?"

Zhao Yunshuo pondered for a moment and said, "It is probably classified according to the lowest level of cultivators who can unleash its full power. For example, a seventh-grade technique generally requires a seventh-grade cultivator to fully unleash its wonders."

Higher-grade techniques are naturally more difficult to master, but once mastered, they also offer certain advantages. For example, two eighth-grade cultivators of similar strength, one who has mastered a seventh-grade technique while the other only knows eighth-grade techniques, will naturally be stronger.

Ning Che understood, and tentatively asked as if with a sigh, "If that's the case, then if I master a first-grade technique, wouldn't I be invincible against anyone of the same level?"

Zhao Yunshuo indeed revealed the relevant information: "Hmph, you're aiming too high. Do you know that techniques above the third rank are different, including most fourth-rank techniques, which are not something we can possibly master?"

"I wonder what the difference is?" Ning Che feigned a studious demeanor: "This humble one truly does not know, and humbly requests guidance from senior."

Zhao Yunshuo was very pleased with his performance, and cleared his throat, saying, "The law is in Heaven, created by nature; the law is in man, and is used by intention..."