Song Cheng climbed onto the roof, the tiles clinking under his steps. The two women practicing with knives in the courtyard couldn't help but look up at the sound and caught the scene of him releasing the sparrows.

The black band he used to cover his face and his unkempt black hair fluttered in the wind, like fierce black flames, while his complexion, pale without knowing when, made his features seem even more delicate.

The increase in Song Cheng's vitality hadn't brought about a change in his physique.

He was still lean; at most, if he took his clothes off, one would see muscles that were both compact and bursting with explosive power.

Strength, force, and form are all innate qualities, which might reflect in bodily changes, but not necessarily so.

Greater size doesn't always mean greater strength.

At least, that's what Song Cheng believed.

Before traveling through time, he had read stories that could support this idea. How big is a "water droplet"? Not big, yet the power it contains can destroy a colossal warship. How big is a "two-dimensional foil"? Not big, yet a single piece is sufficient to obliterate a galaxy.

Song Cheng laid back on the roof, following the momentum.

In the world of the Heart's Eye, there was only black and white.

Upon closer inspection, the sunlight that was thrown down from the sky was also strands of white.

The earth, buildings, stones—all things inanimate—were black.

In the yard, the two women practicing with knives were white.

Not far away, the fat sheep that had just been slaughtered by the chefs of the Ruyi Commerce Chamber was black.

He turned his head to look at his hands, white.

But he could also feel his eyes, which were black... at least they were black when he was using Trickery Technique.

The heavenly wind carried boundless ink, within which secret white light flowed.

This view was filled with mystery...

Calming his mind, Song Cheng for the first time realized that he might have never truly understood "this world which he had taken for granted."

Lying quietly in such a world, he pondered the "Ninefold Nether Tower."

The ninth layer was the place where the Divine Soul left the body.

The eighth layer, however, was for the use of Trickery Technique—Dark Heaven.

Through the test with the sparrows, he had roughly understood that "Dark Heaven" made the target blind "during the duration of the Trickery Technique," the same as him.

If he was blind, then he would make others blind too.

How similar was this to "Reappear"?

"Reappear" was the scene of an evil spirit's death reoccurring, wherein participants would unwittingly become involved in that scene and then might likely suffer the same death pains that the evil spirit experienced before becoming the corresponding Ghost Servant.

This, Song Cheng could tell from the narratives of "the villagers who escaped from Tang River Village earlier and from Nan Hui," as well as from the Human Skin Ghost Servants who recently attacked the city.

Earlier, Nan Hui and the escaping villagers had described Yune's method of killing: it was a sudden disappearance, followed by becoming a floating corpse in the water.

Since Yune had drowned, she made others drown as well.

By the same token...

The name Human Skin Ghost suggests that this was someone skinned alive, dying with immense resentment.

It was skinned, so it made others get skinned too, and then they turned into its Ghost Servants.

That is "Reappear."

That is also "Trickery Technique."

The only difference is that "Reappear" affects a vast area, while his "Dark Heaven" is merely the size of an inch, locked on a single target, and is fundamentally incapable of creating "Ghost Servants."

Similarly, Yune's strength was a bloody question mark, and his "Trickery Technique" was not included in the strength data either.

Thus inferred, if Heaven and Earth were divided into Yin and Yang, with Yin being black and Yang being white, the strength he could see was only in the Yang realm, not concerning the Yin Soil.

...

...

Song Cheng continued to check his condition.

He raised his hand, touching his face, which was cold.

Then he touched his arm, which was warm.

It was as if two completely different forces were circulating in his body and skull, respectively.

He also reviewed his thoughts and mental state, recalling the process of understanding this "Trickery Technique."

Suddenly, he could not help but laugh out loud.

His laughter was joyful.

"What are you laughing at?" Madam Tong, who seemed to have finished practicing with knives, stood below looking up at him.

Song Cheng laughed because he had realized that "to comprehend Trickery Technique, besides the Yin Qi, it also requires strong, twisted Curse Thoughts, which is a process of forcibly transforming oneself into an evil spirit," but because of his added skill points, this process just flashed in his "memory" without affecting him at all.

In other words, he... reaped the benefits without paying the price.

Just like him practicing the cultivation techniques like "Xuanwu True Force" and "True Form of Xuanwu" to perfection, in reality, requires a lot of resources, but... due to skill points, he was also exempt from all of these costs.

"When the sun shines, I feel good. And when I feel good, why not smile?" replied Song Cheng.

Madam Tong blinked her eyes, wanting to curse a bit, but she held her tongue. Then, as she took Ying to rest on the side, she whispered, "Have you noticed? Ever since Song Cheng started covering his eyes with a black cloth, he's become... more... dashing?"

Ying's face was cold, like a mute wooden doll, but she gently nodded and let out a "hmm" in agreement.

She did think that the young master had become more handsome, like a precious sword slowly revealing its edge from a corroded scabbard.

Just then, outside the door, Ling suddenly came running, her hands cupped around her mouth, shouting, "Young Master, Young Master, the Wang brothers and Gao Lin are here to see you."

As she ran closer, murmuring, "I think they want to ask you for guidance in cultivation.

After all, these past few days, Old Master Zhao from the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall to the south of the city has been beaming with joy; he doesn't hide it when people ask him, claiming that his Water Bird Martial Arts Hall's Cultivation Dharma Method has become more perfect after receiving your advice."

Song Cheng leapt down and followed Ling to go outside.

Just out the courtyard door, it wasn't long before they saw three robust men waiting anxiously.

Upon seeing Song Cheng, the three men hurried up, each calling out respectfully, "Young Master."

Song Cheng asked directly, "Brother Wang, Brother Gao, what brings you here?"

All three hemmed and hawed for a long while, but they eventually expressed their desire: to learn the Cultivation Technique.

They had been defeated by Song Cheng the other day and had since harbored the desire to seek his tutelage. After hearing about Ying practicing martial arts daily in the courtyard with the guidance of the young master, they became even more eager. When they heard about Old Master Zhao these past two days, they came together to discuss, and then mustered the courage to seek guidance.

The Extreme Force is a secret of the An Family, but they were not asking for the complete Extreme Force, just for some advice.

Song Cheng thought for a moment, looked at the three men, and said, "I have two ways of teaching: the first is basic instruction, the second is complete teaching."

The three men were overjoyed.

The eldest of the Wang brothers, Wang Tianchuan, stepped forward and asked, "Young Master, how can we receive the complete teaching?"

Gao Lin followed excitedly, "We are willing to take you as our master, and hereafter treat you as honored as one, and serve…"

He bit back the word "elderly" that was about to slip out.

Song Cheng said, "You must have heard from the lady about the canal issue, right? It's of great significance to the whole commerce chamber. So, after the Ghost Tide is lifted, the lady will figure out a way to get people involved in the canal project."

Wang Tianma slapped his chest and said, "Why does the young master need to mention it? We will do whatever the lady arranges.

My Wang family has been with the commerce chamber for generations, five generations up and down, all here.

If the commerce chamber prospers, we prosper.

Isn't it just right to do the tasks entrusted by the lady and the young master?"

Unwittingly, he had also included the term "young master"...

Song Cheng considered for a moment and said, "Getting involved in the canal project will inevitably disrupt your cultivation. As compensation, I will fully impart the Force Method I command.

Firstly, you won't fall behind in your cultivation progress, and secondly, becoming stronger will also allow you to act more effectively.

Let's forget about formal discipleship; I am younger than all three of you and cannot bear such a title."

The three were already slightly apprehensive, but upon hearing this, they brightened up, as if receiving a gift. The young master truly was generous.

"Young Master," Gao Lin stepped forward to say, "No matter how difficult the canal matter is, I am willing to go. And even if I do not formally become your disciple, from now on I will treat you with the respect due to one."

The Wang brothers quickly expressed their stance.

"I feel the same."

"Me as well."

In Song Cheng's eyes, the goodwill of the three men jumped from 75, 80, 75 all to 85.

And after he nodded, those 85s turned into 90s.

"Then, after I discuss it with the lady, you all can find the time to learn," said Song Cheng.

The three were extremely grateful, each bowing and leaving.

Song Cheng watched their retreating figures, outlined in simple white lines, and then looked up at the sky.

In this world, what's the most important?

People.

Only with people can we resist the Ghost Tide and prevent evil spirits from invading.

He wanted to gather people.

Reputation was the first step.

And cultivating those already present was also important.

Perhaps, in his policy of "Hide Six Reveal Four," the "Hide" was a bit lacking in power.

'I need to grasp the Battle Method of True Form of Xuanwu quickly while also finding a way to look at more Force Methods to see if I can make my True Form of Xuanwu more perfect.'

'To others, a Cultivation Method is incredibly precious. But to me, it's just a brick in the construction of the perfect cultivation technique.'

'Even if I'm willing to give away a few bricks, what I will receive in return will be much more.'

'The Water Bird Martial Arts Hall and Extreme Force, Willow Brushing Force overlap with each other, which is useless for me, but there are other martial arts halls in the south of the city. I could try to explore them.'

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