Li Yi stood by the medicinal cauldron, observing the process. He had to admit, the people of Shi Village were certainly tough when it came to their children.

Every child was immersed in the medicinal bath, screaming loudly with twisted expressions, each of them looking as if they were wearing a mask of agony. Meanwhile, their parents stood by, laughing joyfully.

Li Yi thought back to his own childhood and the hardships he endured. It seemed that now it was the turn of these little ones to suffer.

Among the ten parents present, eight shared the same thought, while the other two were pondering how to make the medicinal effects stronger. The stronger the effects, the more intense the pain would be.

This was the survival rule in the Great Wilderness: endure the pain of the medicinal bath, and your body would grow stronger, allowing you to survive in the harsh environment.

In this savage land, where ferocious beasts roamed and toxic miasma filled the forests, everyone living here had to fight for survival.

At this moment, Shi Linhu squeezed over to Li Yi. "You might as well join them in the bath."

"Ah!" Li Yi didn’t have time to react before Shi Linhu picked him up and threw him directly into the cauldron.

Shi Linhu didn’t give Li Yi a chance to refuse. After all, if Li Yi felt uncomfortable being the only one not participating, he might hesitate, so Shi Linhu simply tossed him in without warning.

"AAHHH!!!!" A loud scream echoed as Li Yi was hit by a sudden shock, but he quickly suppressed the urge to cry out. Though he had never gone through such an experience, his ability to endure pain was much better than these children’s, especially when it came to resisting agony.

As an orphan, Li Yi had endured many hardships to survive to the age of twenty, and only he knew the depth of the pain he had suffered.

So, despite the initial shock and pain of being thrust into the cauldron, he quickly gritted his teeth and endured the torment.

Moreover, he quickly realized that, although it hurt, there was also a strange sense of comfort beneath the pain. He understood that his body was reacting to the intense agony by releasing dopamine, temporarily numbing the pain.

The children around him, on the other hand, had likely grown accustomed to the pain, so their bodies wouldn’t release dopamine to counter it. For them, the agony would likely last longer.

Li Yi, despite the initial rush of discomfort, gritted his teeth and endured the pain, knowing it would subside. But just as quickly, the pain surged back again, flowing up from his feet to the top of his head.

Sitting in the cauldron, Li Yi found himself next to Shi Hao.

The little boy seemed unfazed by the pain, only occasionally coughing up a bit of blood as the medicinal bath bubbled. As the temperature of the cauldron gradually decreased, the pain began to subside as well.

Li Yi felt as though every part of his body was in pain. He felt like a shrimp being braised, his whole body a fiery red.

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At this moment, Shi Yunfeng lifted Shi Hao out of the cauldron. "How do you feel?" he asked.

Shi Hao burped loudly and sleepily answered, "I’m full."

His carefree response made all the adults around him burst into laughter.

Li Yi, struggling to climb out of the cauldron, couldn’t help but laugh at Shi Hao’s innocent answer. Perhaps, at this moment, Shi Hao was the happiest he had ever been. It was unlikely that he would feel this carefree again in the future.

Li Yi lay down on the bed, having felt nothing but pain in the cauldron. Now, however, he could feel the gradual changes in his body—he was becoming stronger.

He wasn’t sure why, but after the medicinal bath, he felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness despite already having rested earlier.

The next morning, he woke up early, feeling completely rejuvenated. His bed was covered in large patches of dead skin. The strange thing was, although he had entered the cauldron fully clothed, there wasn’t a single trace of blood on his clothes. It seemed that all the impurities had been absorbed into his body.

He raised his arm and noticed his previously rough skin had become smooth and fair, with not a single blemish left. He looked even more handsome than before. Moreover, he could feel that his muscles and bones had undergone subtle changes. It was a transformation, though not as dramatic as being reborn. However, the results were undeniably impressive.

He opened the cart and checked the newly refreshed items:

* Barbecue Seasoning (1 kilogram): 5 points

* Rock Candy (1 kilogram): 4 points

* Jiao Iron Bone (A beast’s bone, used in forging to greatly enhance the strength and sharpness of weapons, or can be ground into powder and consumed to strengthen the body. 500 grams): 15 points

* Wangzai Milk (250ml x 4. A unique item that can be refreshed when in contact with a destined child): 30 points

* "No one understands me better..." (Item. When used, you randomly acquire a new ability, such as healing with disinfectant): 50 points

Today, there was one more item than usual, which seemed to be random. Li Yi still didn’t know the upper or lower limits of the refresh.

The last item seemed very useful—being able to acquire a random ability would certainly be a big help. But it was also a gamble. If the ability turned out to be useless, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Right now, Li Yi didn’t have enough energy points, so he decided not to take a risk. He thought it might be better to trade with the villagers for more points instead.

He exchanged all the items except for the abilities, preparing for future trade. His energy points quickly dropped, leaving only thirteen.

The sun had just risen, and many people in the village were already awake. Li Yi lived in Shi Yunfeng’s home, one of three stone houses next to each other. Li Yi’s room was the farthest left.

The house next to his gave off a sweet milky and medicinal fragrance, with a large pot of milk boiling, into which Shi Yunfeng had added various herbs.

Many villagers were awake now, and a group of children was gathered at the well, drawing water and washing.

Li Yi grabbed a handful of rock candy and put it in his pocket, walking to the well to wash himself. As he washed, he felt his body had grown much stronger than before, both in terms of strength and speed.

The children gathered around him, curious, since Shi Village was small, with only about three hundred people. To these children, any outsider was a fascinating sight.

Shi Hao was also there, not so much bathing as playing in the water.

Li Yi took out a few pieces of rock candy and held them in his palm. The children gathered around, staring at the candy, but none dared to take it.

In the Great Wilderness, survival rules dictated that they should never eat anything they hadn’t seen before—many poisonous things could be lurking. These children had been taught since birth to be cautious, as they had seen friends die from eating unknown foods.

Shi Hao, however, was fearless. He grabbed a piece of rock candy and popped it into his mouth, immediately feeling the cool and sweet sensation spread inside.

He smiled, and the other children, seeing that he was fine, hesitated no longer and tried it for themselves. The moment they tasted it, they were all astonished by how sweet it was.

For these children, who had never known sugar, it was a revelation. They could only describe the taste as "sweet and delicious."

"Little one," Shi Yunfeng called out, and Shi Hao scrambled over, rolling and tumbling in his excitement.