In a gloomy, desolate cave, two children, one older and one younger, sat around a campfire, diligently preparing their food for the night.
Three rats and a long snake had been skinned, skewered on sticks, and set to roast.
Chen Mu had been in too much of a hurry when he headed up the mountain that day and had forgotten to bring his salt pouch, so they had to make do.
The dry rat meat still had a gamey stench, but Chen Mu and Duoduo ate with relish. They had been hungry for most of the day and were nearly starving.
The snake meat was a little more tender than the rat meat and tasted sweet and fragrant. Chen Mu ate only a little, leaving most of it for Duoduo.
"Brother, this turtle is so pretty, but why won't it move?"
After they had eaten their fill, Duoduo held the White Turtle Chen Mu had just dug up in her arms, her big eyes full of curiosity.
"It's probably... dead?"
Chen Mu wasn't sure either. No matter how he tapped the turtle, it didn't move at all. It did seem dead, but there wasn't the slightest sign of decay on its body, and its flesh didn't quite feel dead to the touch.
It suddenly occurred to him that turtles generally lived in water. Perhaps giving it some water would help.
He immediately took out the waterskin he carried with him, held the White Turtle upright with its head facing up, and poured a little water into its mouth.
There was no response when the water first fell on it, but after a while, the White Turtle's mouth seemed to open a little. Greatly encouraged, Chen Mu hurriedly poured a big mouthful of clean water into its mouth.
After drinking the water, the White Turtle finally opened its eyes and glanced at Chen Mu.
Chen Mu felt a little uneasy. The White Turtle's eyes were especially bright and expressive, and it felt as though it were smiling at him.
"Wow, Brother, it's come back to life! It's come back to life!"
Duoduo clapped her little hands with delight, full of wonder.
"Mmm~~ It's been a long time since I had a drink of water. Little fellow, pour me a little more."
An aged voice came from the White Turtle. Chen Mu was so startled that his hand jerked, and he dropped it on the ground.
"A monster?!"
Chen Mu had an adult's experience, after all, and didn't lose his composure. He picked Duoduo up and retreated several steps, placing himself in front of her.
The White Turtle lay on its back on the ground, unable to turn over. After struggling a few times, it spoke helplessly. "You don't need to be afraid! I won't hurt you. Quick, turn me over. This is too uncomfortable."
Chen Mu looked the White Turtle over suspiciously. Seeing no danger, he picked up a stick from the ground, walked over, and used it to flip the White Turtle onto its other side. Only then was it much more comfortable.
"Are you a demonic beast? But how can you talk?"
Chen Mu had heard the village elders say that many exceptionally gifted demonic beasts lived in the Wilderness. They possessed immense power and great intelligence and were absolutely not to be provoked.
They were divided into ranks one through nine according to their strength. The higher a demonic beast's rank, the more powerful its abilities, but Chen Mu had never heard of even the most powerful ninth-rank demonic beasts being able to speak human language.
"Hehe, don't be surprised. I am an innate divine beast. Once I reached adulthood, I naturally came to understand human language." The White Turtle spoke slowly and in a kindly tone, putting Chen Mu considerably more at ease.
"An innate divine beast?... A divine beast that can't even turn itself over. Do you think I'll believe that?"
The divine beasts of legend could fly through the heavens, tunnel through the earth, move mountains, and fill seas. Chen Mu couldn't help curling his lip.
"Ahem, ahem~ That's because someone sealed my Spiritual Power! As I am now, I really am no different from an ordinary turtle..."
The White Turtle coughed twice in embarrassment, then turned serious. "But don't worry! After all these years, the seal has begun to loosen. When it is undone someday, I'll be sure to repay you well."
Chen Mu thought it over and was already mostly convinced by what the White Turtle had said. After all, the fact that it could talk meant it couldn't possibly be an ordinary demonic beast. And if it really were an evil demonic beast, there was no need for it to lie to two weak children like them, was there?
"Forget about repaying me! You seem to have had it pretty rough. You were buried in the ground, so you must have eaten dirt for years!~"
Chen Mu relaxed, held Duoduo in his arms, found a comfortable place to sit, and began chatting with the White Turtle.
The White Turtle had lived for many long years and was widely learned. It told Chen Mu many things he had never heard before, and the two gradually grew much closer.
"Neither of you has any cultivation at all, yet you dared to venture into the Wilderness. You really are newborn calves who aren't afraid of tigers!"
"Grandpa Turtle, I had no choice. In our village..."
Chen Mu told the White Turtle about his little sister and the village, leaving it sighing with emotion.
"Heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs... I never expected that after sleeping for over a thousand years, you humans would still be having such a hard time in the Wilderness! Back in the old days..."
The White Turtle seemed to recall something and fell silent, looking somewhat downcast.
Chen Mu noticed that Duoduo had fallen asleep without him realizing it. He spread out some dry grass and gently laid her on the ground, then added a few thick logs to the campfire and adjusted their positions so they would burn better.
"Grandpa Turtle, I'm going to sleep. You should get some rest early too!"
With that, Chen Mu found a comfortable spot and lay down.
The White Turtle stared blankly ahead and only came to its senses when it heard Chen Mu's voice.
Then it suddenly asked, "Chen Mu, do you want to learn a cultivation method?"
At those words, Chen Mu shot to his feet, thrilled. "You... you have a martial artist's cultivation technique?"
"No!" The White Turtle shook its head.
"Then what do you mean?"
Chen Mu's disappointment showed plainly on his face.
It was no wonder Chen Mu reacted this way. In the Wilderness, the weak were prey to the strong, and the strong were revered. Becoming a martial artist was nearly everyone's goal.
Martial artists were people who had cultivated their bodies to the limit and given rise to Internal Force within them. They were the group of people who stood at the very pinnacle of human society.
In Chen Mu's village, the children were taught from an early age to exercise their bodies and strengthen their muscles and bones. But because they lacked a suitable cultivation technique, fewer than ten people in the entire village had cultivated Internal Force.
But he had heard the village elders say that anyone who learned a profound martial artist's technique would definitely be able to cultivate Internal Force.
He dreamed of obtaining a martial artist's technique, which was why he had been so excited.
"Chen Mu, don't be so hasty. Although what I have isn't a martial artist's technique, it's not the least bit inferior to one. In fact, it's much better. What I have is the Path of Talisman Cultivation," the White Turtle said with a chuckle.
"Talisman cultivation?" Chen Mu thought of his previous life. He seemed to have come across the term in some novels, but he had never heard it in this life.
"The Dao of Talismans is the Dao of analyzing all things in heaven and earth. It is also the most profound and difficult of all cultivation paths. Only those with genuine talent can achieve anything in it.
"There's no use telling you more. Stand behind me. If you have talent, you'll naturally be able to learn the cultivation method from it. If you can't understand it, that means you have no talent, and giving you the chance would be useless."
Chen Mu thought that made sense. Whether it was martial arts or talisman cultivation, as long as it made him stronger, that was enough. He wasn't in a position to be picky.
So he did as he was told and stood behind the White Turtle.
"I'm ready!"
"Do you see those patterns on my back? Look carefully, and don't move," the White Turtle instructed him carefully.
As soon as it finished speaking, a dazzling light shone from the White Turtle's back, and the phantom image of a stone stele faintly emerged.
Chen Mu subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to shield himself, but the moment his eyes met the light, he became completely motionless, as if he had been struck by an immobilization spell.