Chapter 54: The Essence of Ghost Art

Song Cheng climbed onto the roof, the tiles rustling under his feet. Although the two women in the courtyard were practicing their blades, they still looked up and glanced over, just in time to see him release a sparrow.

The black cloth covering the youth's eyes and his unkempt black hair both danced in the wind like fierce black flames, while his skin, which had become somewhat pale at some unknown point, only served to highlight the delicacy of his features.

The strengthening of Song Cheng's blood energy did not bring about any changes to his physique.

He remained as thin as before; at most, removing his clothes would reveal the dense, explosive muscles hidden underneath.

Strength, power, and form are all internal things; they might reflect in changes to one's physique, but it is not inevitable.

The larger something is, it is not necessarily the stronger.

At least, that is what Song Cheng felt.

Before he transmigrated, he had read stories that could serve as evidence. Is a "water droplet" large? It is not, but the power contained within it can destroy a massive, towering warship. Is a "two-way foil" large? It is not, but a single sheet is enough to destroy a galaxy.

Song Cheng took the opportunity to lie down diagonally on the roof.

In the world of Heart Eye, only black and white remained.

Observing closely, the sunlight cast down from the sky was actually composed of strands of white.

The earth, buildings, stones, and all inanimate objects were black.

In the courtyard, the two women practicing their blades were white.

Not far away, the fat sheep just slaughtered by the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce cook was black.

He turned his head to look at his own hands: white.

Yet he could feel that his own eyes were black—at least they were black when he used his Ghost Art.

The heavenly wind blew up endless ink-wash, and within the ink-wash, secret white light flowed.

Such a vision was full of mystery. Calming his heart, Song Cheng discovered for the first time that he perhaps had never understood this world he had long since taken for granted.

He lay quietly in this world, pondering the Nine-Layer Nether Tower.

The ninth layer is the place where the Soul leaves the body.

The eighth layer, however, is the place to cast the Ghost Art—Black Heaven.

Through the test on the sparrow, he roughly understood that "Black Heaven" simply makes the target a blind person for the "duration of the Ghost Art," just like him.

He is blind, so he makes others blind as well.

How similar is this point to "Chongxian"? Chongxian is the reenactment of the scene before a Ghost dies; participants will unknowingly be drawn into that scene, and then it is highly likely they will experience the same pain of the Ghost's death before it, subsequently becoming a corresponding Ghost Servant.

Song Cheng could know this from the accounts of the villagers who escaped Tanghe Village and Nan Hui, as well as from the Human-Skin Ghost Servant that attacked the city recently.

Previously, Nan Hui and the escaped villagers explained Yun E's method of killing: she would suddenly disappear, and then the victim would become a floating corpse in the water.

Yun E drowned, so she made others drown as well.

By the same logic, the name Human-Skin Ghost, once heard, suggests it was someone who was skinned and then died while harboring immense resentment.

It was skinned, so it makes others be skinned as well, subsequently becoming its Ghost Servant.

This is "Chongxian."

This is also "Ghost Art."

It is just that the range of "Chongxian" is vast, while his "Black Heaven" is only a square inch in size, can only lock onto one target, and is fundamentally incapable of creating a "Ghost Servant."

Likewise, Yun E's strength was a blood-red question mark, so his "Ghost Art" was not factored into his strength data.

Following this logic, if one says heaven and earth are divided into Yin and Yang, with Yin being black and Yang being white, the strength he can see is only in the Yang realm, not questioning the Yinrang.

Song Cheng continued to check his own condition.

He raised his hand and touched his face; it was cold.

He touched his arm again; it was hot.

It seemed as if two completely different forces were operating separately within his body and his head.

He checked his thoughts and mental state again, while recalling the process of comprehending this "Ghost Art."

Suddenly, he couldn't help but laugh.

He laughed very happily.

"What are you laughing at?" Tong Niangzi did not know when she had finished practicing her blade, and she stood below looking at him.

Song Cheng laughed because he discovered that "to comprehend a Ghost Art, besides Yin energy, one also needs powerful, twisted Curse Thought; it is a process of forcibly transforming oneself into a Ghost," but because he used Add Points, this process only flashed in his "memory" and did not cause him any influence at all.

In other words, he gained the benefits but was exempted from the cost.

Just as when he cultivated techniques like Xuanwu True Strength and Xuanwu True Form to Completion, which actually require massive resources, but... because of Add Points, these were all exempted as well.

"The sunlight is good, so my mood is good. If my mood is good, why not laugh?" Song Cheng replied.

Tong Niangzi blinked, very much wanting to curse a few times, but she still didn't speak. Then, when she pulled Ying'er to the side to rest, she whispered: "Have you noticed that ever since Song Cheng covered his eyes with the black cloth, he has started to... become dashing?"

Ying'er's face was cold, like a wooden person who couldn't speak, and she only nodded gently and gave an "Mm." However, she did feel that her husband had added a bit of handsomeness, just like a precious sword hidden in a rusted scabbard slowly revealing its edge.

Just at this moment, outside the gate, Ling'er suddenly ran over, cupped her hands into a megaphone, and shouted: "Husband, Husband, the Wang brothers and Gao Lin are here to see you."

She muttered as she ran closer: "I think they want to ask you for advice on cultivation.

After all, these past two days, Zhao Laoyezi of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall in the south of the city has been beaming with joy, and when others asked him, he didn't hide it, only saying he received your guidance and his Water Bird Martial Arts Hall's cultivation method has become more perfect."

Song Cheng flew down and followed Ling'er toward the outside.

Not long after stepping out of the courtyard gate, he saw three burly men waiting anxiously.

Seeing Song Cheng, the three hurriedly came up, each respectfully calling out: "Husband."

Song Cheng said directly: "The two Brother Wangs, Brother Gao, what is the matter?"

The three fidgeted for a long time before expressing their intent: they were there to seek instruction on techniques.

That day, the three had been defeated by Song Cheng and already harbored the desire to ask for advice. Later, hearing that Ying'er was actually practicing martial arts in the courtyard every day and had her husband guiding her, they felt even more restless. Hearing about Zhao Laoyezi's situation these past two days, they gathered to discuss it and then came to ask for advice with thick skin.

Jue Jin Jin Jin is a secret transmission of the An Family, but they were not asking for the complete Jue Jin Jin Jin, but rather for pointers.

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

The three were ecstatic.

Wang Tianchuan, the eldest of the Wang brothers, stepped forward and asked, "Son-in-law, I wonder how one can be taught completely?"

Gao Lin followed up excitedly, "We are willing to apprentice ourselves to you, and thereafter treat you with the etiquette of a disciple, to provide for you in your old..."

He forcefully stifled the word "age" from "provide for you in your old age."

Song Cheng said, "The Young Miss has spoken of the Yunhe matter, has she not? This concerns the entire chamber of commerce. Therefore, once the Ghost Tide is unsealed, the Young Miss will find a way to arrange for people to enter the Yunhe project."

Wang Tianma patted his chest and said, "Does this need to be said by you, Son-in-law? Whatever the Young Miss arranges, we shall do."

Our Wang family are also veterans of the chamber of commerce; five generations up and down have all been here.

If the chamber of commerce is well, we are well.

Is it not only right to go and do the work assigned by the Young Miss and the Son-in-law?"

Unknowingly, he had also added "Son-in-law" into the mix. Song Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Going to the Yunhe project will inevitably delay your cultivation. As compensation, I will fully impart the strength techniques I have mastered."

Firstly, it will not cause your cultivation progress to fall behind, and secondly, becoming stronger will allow you to act more effectively.

As for apprenticing, let's forget it; I am younger than the three of you and cannot bear that title."

The three had originally been slightly apprehensive, but upon hearing this, good heavens, it was equivalent to a free gift; this Son-in-law was a man worth following.

"Son-in-law," Gao Lin stepped forward and said, "Regarding the Yunhe matter, even if there are ten thousand difficulties, I am willing to go. And even without apprenticing, from now on I will treat you with the etiquette of a disciple."

The Wang brothers hurriedly expressed their stance.

"Me too."

"Same here."

In Song Cheng's eyes, the favorability ratings of the three jumped from 75, 80, and 75 respectively, all to 85.

And after he nodded, these 85s all became 90.

"Then, after I discuss it with the Young Miss, you may set aside time to learn," Song Cheng said.

The three were incomparably grateful and left one after another, bowing.

Song Cheng watched their plain white-lined backs, then looked at the sky.

In this world, what is most important?

People.

Only by having people can one resist the Ghost Tide and prevent the Ghosts from invading.

To gather people.

Reputation is the first step.

And cultivating those who are already there is also very important.

But perhaps, the "hide" in his "hide six, reveal four" strategy hid too little strength.

"I must hurry to comprehend the combat techniques of the Xuanwu True Form, and at the same time, I must find a way to look at more strength techniques to see if I can make my Xuanwu True Form more perfect."

"To others, cultivation techniques are incomparably precious. But to me, they are just bricks to build a perfect cultivation technique."

"Even if I am willing to part with them, it is only parting with a few bricks. And what I gain will be much more."

"The Water Bird Martial Arts Hall's techniques overlap with Jue Jin Jin Jin and Fuliu Jin Jin Jin, so they are useless to me, but there are other martial arts halls in the south of the city; I can go and try to dig some up."

(End of chapter)