The sun was setting, and the residual light was like blood.
A figure resembling a wild man emerged from a mountain forest.
Lin Ping gazed at a small hill not far away, his eyes sparkling with bright Divine Power.
“I finally made it out, and the direction is correct.”
According to the topographical map drawn by Yun Lingyu, on the other side of the small hill was a small mountain village that lived by hunting.
Recalling his experience of wilderness survival in the Misty Mountains, Lin Ping's eyes showed a hint of emotion.
For the past month, every evening, he would use an iron pickaxe to dig a hole in the ground as a shelter, then hunt with Flying Locust Stone.
It could be said that his ability to remain so energetic and strong was thanks to his Mining and Flying Locust Stone skills.
“Let's go.”
Lin Ping excitedly walked towards the small hill.
It was dusk now, and if he hurried, he might still be able to get a bowl of hot soup from the villagers.
......
About half an hour later.
Lin Ping was stunned by the scene before him.
This small mountain village, nestled against the mountains and relying on hunting for generations, did indeed exist, but it had now been reduced to ruins.
Whether attacked by Yao Beasts or wild beasts, not a single villager survived, and a pungent scent of blood Qi permeated the air; severed limbs and broken arms were everywhere, like a living hell, too horrific to behold.
Lin Ping shook his head and sighed, his steps, which were about to turn and leave, suddenly changed direction, heading towards the nearest damaged house.
The tattered Mining clothes he wore truly could not be worn any longer.
When he emerged from the house again, he had already changed into a set of clean coarse cloth clothes; besides another set of clothes for washing in his pack, there was also some salt, and he was wearing a pair of boots made of beast hide.
After bowing to the house's main door and expressing his gratitude for the clothes, Lin Ping walked away.
There was nothing he could do about the fate of the small mountain village.
Only by leaving this place quickly could his heavy heart find some relief.
“Woof! Woof!”
Just then, two faint whimpers came from a pile of debris to the right of the house.
Lin Ping paused and looked at the pile of debris.
A small dog with shiny black fur emerged, looking at him with weak, helpless eyes.
“So be it!”
“There are no survivors here, and I am alone. I'll take you with me!”
Lin Ping picked up the Big Black Dog, holding the iron pickaxe in his hand, and walked further and further away, his figure finally disappearing at the end of the village road.
A mountain breeze blew, and withered leaves drifted down, as if telling a story!
......
Da Niu Village.
Inside a wooden house courtyard.
Lin Ping lay comfortably on a bamboo chair, holding a golden-brown, glistening roasted pork rib.
This place was no longer within the Yan Family's sphere of influence, so he felt completely at ease.
Lin Ping's gaze fell on a Big Black Dog beside him, and he said with a smile, “Little Black, doesn't this roasted wild boar smell especially fragrant?”
“Woof~ Woof~”
The Big Black Dog nodded excitedly, rubbing against him.
The reason Lin Ping could communicate with the Big Black Dog without any hindrance was because he was proficient in beast language.
Initially, when he picked up the Big Black Dog from the small mountain village, he only wanted a companion on the road.
Who knew that as he chatted casually with Little Black along the way, the gray stone slab in his mind actually displayed—Beast Language Introduction.
Then, through their time together, without him even realizing it, he became proficient in beast language.
And Little Black, though unable to speak, could understand his words.
This was naturally thanks to Lin Ping's continuous teaching.
The reason he appeared in Da Niu Village was because three months ago, while passing by, he rescued a group of hunters who were being attacked by fierce beasts.
At the warm invitation of this group of hunters, he came to Da Niu Village. When the village chief learned that he was alone and had no fixed abode, he insisted that he stay.
Lin Ping thought that the journey to Silver Moon City was long and required a lot of travel expenses, so he decided to temporarily stay here, hunt to earn some silver, and then depart later.
Who knew that once he settled down, he completely let himself go.
One person and one dog began to constantly seek out masters in the village to learn various skills: hunting, treating illnesses and digging for herbs, blacksmithing, carpentry, and he even learned the entire funeral Dao from Old Daoist Wang of the neighboring Pig Cage Village, with suonas blaring everywhere; he learned with great success.
Especially when the Big Black Dog performed rituals, its bells jingled loudly. People from all ten villages and eight li around, upon seeing it, would give it a big thumbs up, praising its spiritual nature, which made it extremely satisfied, wagging its tail to the sky.
Lin Ping was inherently an optimistic person. After escaping the mine, he naturally returned to his true nature. Besides, having many skills is never a burden. Because of the gray stone slab, he was full of hope for the future. Even if he couldn't cultivate to become an Immortal, with these eighteen skills, and by dedicating himself to some martial arts later, he and Little Black could live a fulfilling life.
“Hey, Little Black, eat slower!”
Lin Ping was startled. This Big Black Dog had actually eaten his portion of the roasted pork leg while he was lost in thought.
Woof!
The Big Black Dog reacted quickly, swallowing it whole. Lin Ping was dumbfounded, speechless for a long time...
Clang! Clang! Clang.....
Just then, a rapid gonging sound echoed from the village, spreading in all directions. This was the assembly signal for a major event in the village.
Lin Ping narrowed his eyes slightly, got off the bamboo chair, and threw the clean-picked roasted rib to the ground.
“Could it be bandits entering the village? Little Black, let's go take a look.”
“Woof!”
The Big Black Dog also spat out a piece of pork leg bone from its mouth and followed Lin Ping running out of the courtyard.
In the village, countless people, upon hearing the gonging sound, grabbed their tools and rushed out of their homes, heading towards the village entrance. There were grandmothers with spatulas, hunters with bows and arrows and broadswords, grandfathers with hoes, and many young men and women with various weapons.....
Their eyes all gleamed with fierce light, and they shouted, “Who dares to be presumptuous in Da Niu Village?”
On a large rock in the open space at the village entrance, two black-robed men were seated: a withered old man and a dark-faced middle-aged man.
Hearing the continuous clamor.
The black-robed old man slowly opened his eyes, revealing a displeased look, and glanced at the village chief.
The village chief's body trembled, and he quickly said respectfully, “Please, Immortal Master, don't be offended. The villagers might have mistakenly thought that bandits had entered the village. I will tell everyone now.”
“Cough! Cough!”
The village chief coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then said loudly, “Everyone, quiet down. The reason I called everyone to assemble today is not because bandits have entered the village, but because an Immortal Master has descended upon our Da Niu Village to recruit those with Immortal fate.”
The originally noisy crowd immediately quieted down after hearing the village chief's words, their gazes falling upon the black-robed figures, their eyes showing excitement.
Immortal fate, who wouldn't want it?
Seeing the crowd quiet down, the black-robed old man revealed a satisfied smile and slowly said, “Heavenly Dao Sect is recruiting disciples. All those with Spiritual Root can enter our sect and embark on the path to Immortality.”
“May I ask, Immortal, what is a Spiritual Root?” a villager asked, emboldened.
“There are five types of Spiritual Roots: five-element miscellaneous Spiritual Root, four-element low Spiritual Root, three-element middle Spiritual Root, two-element high Spiritual Root, and one-element Heavenly Spiritual Root.”
As he finished speaking.
The black-robed old man waved his hand, and a jade-white stone the size of a basin slowly landed on the table in the open space.
“Whether you have a Spiritual Root or not, you only need to place your palm on the stone to know.”
Upon hearing this, everyone began to whisper among themselves, and the clamor continued.
“Quiet!”
The black-robed old man frowned and coldly shouted, “Now we begin testing for Spiritual Root. All those under twenty-five years of age may participate.”
Upon hearing this.
The young people in the village were all excited, lining up to step forward and extend their palms.
But very quickly, they were filled with disappointment, because the white stone showed no reaction at all.
“Impossible, I have natural Divine Power, how could I not have a Spiritual Root?”
A young man muttered, his eyes full of disbelief. Then he suddenly turned and knelt down, shouting, “Immortal, could it be that the stone made a mistake in testing?”
“Presumptuous!”
The middle-aged black-robed man sitting on the stone, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and with a wave of his hand, a crimson fireball shot out, directly striking the kneeling young man. With a loud bang, a great fire ignited, and an incredibly terrifying heat wave radiated out, forcing everyone to retreat several steps.