“You have absorbed power from death and obtained 1 Freedom Attribute Points!”

“You will be resurrected in three seconds!”

…

Song Shi’s shattered body quickly disappeared and he recovered under the bed unscathed.

Upon opening his eyes, Song Shi’s eyes were glowing with light, which gave him a unique aura. He looked extraordinary and exuded a certain ethereal feeling.

If a cultivation expert was here, they would be able to tell that Song Shi was in a state where his Dao heart was bright.

In this state, his mind would be very calm and his thoughts would be in an ethereal state. This meant that his thoughts would be clear and his cultivation would be twice as effective.

This state had little to do with one’s Physique. It was mainly related to one’s Comprehension and mental realm. Some were born with it whereas some will reach it through special cultivation in the Postnatal realm.

To a certain extent, those with a clear Dao heart were even more special than those with spiritual roots. No matter what they cultivated, they were very powerful. Even if they did not have spiritual roots, they would still accomplish great achievements in martial arts cultivation.

In his ethereal state, Song Shi’s mind could process information in a flash, similar to lightning and some of his previous doubts were quickly resolved.

“I understand now. To cultivate this cultivation technique, I can’t circulate too quickly. Otherwise, it’s equivalent to overloading. My meridians will definitely not be able to withstand it!”

Song Shi said with a smile. He had finally understood the reason behind the key problem he encountered while practicing this martial art technique .

This was the main principle of cultivation that he had comprehended after using ten deaths and without any martial arts foundation.

These information were all exchanged with his lives!

“Seventh Young Master, are you alright?”

The night guard asked, followed by the sound of someone yawning.

He was a little puzzled. Why was this young master not sleeping at night? Why was there a banging sound?

“I’m fine. I bumped into the bed.”

Song Shi looked outside. It was almost dawn.

Time really passed quickly when he was cultivating.

He decided to strike while the iron was hot and sat cross-legged to cultivate again.

The Dao Heart Illumination Talent gave him ten points of Comprehension at once. Combined with his powerful Spiritual strength, his mind was extremely clear. He felt that the Genuine Qi in his body had become very easy to control as if he was controlling his arms.

This time, after he reached a new breakthrough, he slowed down the circulation of his Genuine Qi and started cultivating steadily.

White smoke kept coming in and out of Song Shi’s nostrils. His head was also emitting smoke which made him look quite magical.

His hands were red and fierce Genuine Qi was flowing in them, constantly tempering his palms.

His cultivation had completely stabilized.

As he had more EXP now, if Song Shi felt that his meridians could not take it anymore or if his Genuine Qi showed signs of losing control, he would be able to stop instantly.

This way, no problems would occur anymore.

As he circulated his Qi one cycle after another, the True Qi in his Dantian became thicker and thicker and his palms also turned bronze.

This was a sign that the Iron Sand Palm was about to achieve initial success.

If Dai Dou was still alive and could see Song Shi’s current state, he would definitely be dumbfounded.

Song Shi’s progress in cultivation overnight was equivalent to an ordinary beginner who has been cultivating for two months. Even those with a better Talent attribute would need a month to reach Song Shi’s current level.

It was now late in the morning, in addition to the number of times he had cultivated before he died, Song Shi had accumulated sixty-eight cycles.

He could feel a domineering power condensing in his middle Dantian. If it was released, it would not be a problem for him to be able to shatter either stone or wood.

He opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of hot air which reached ten feet before slowly dissipating.

It was exceptionally quiet outside. The sun was shining brightly, making Song Shi feel even more peaceful.

He glanced at the bare jujube tree in the courtyard, his eyes shining.

Upon raising his hands and looking down. Song Shi also realized that his skin had turned redder and more exquisite.

“I’ve mastered the Iron Sand Palm. I can catch weapons with my bare hands. Coupled with the Unfettered Hand, I should be quite powerful.”

He muttered and shifted his attention away from his cultivation practice.

He opened the system interface and took a look.

Race: Human

Spirit: 28.0

Physique: 29.1

Comprehension: 21.4

Talent: Fire Spirit Root, Innate Divine Strength, Dao Heart Illumination

Ability: Iron Sand Palm (Beginner)

Energy: Yang energy 37, Genuine Qi 4

Freedom Attribute Points: 7

Lottery Chance: 0

His Physique had increased by 0.5 points again. However as this increase was a result of his own cultivation, it felt different.

“Eh, why does my ‘Energy’ have an additional Genuine Qi? Looks like it’s not the same power as Yang energy.”

He was a little surprised to find an additional statistic.

“Perhaps this Yang energy is used as Connate Qi and is related to cultivation. Whereas the Iron Sand Palm Internal Strength technique I am cultivating refined Essence Qi from the Physique Stats and can be considered a new energy.”

Song Shi was deep in thought. “In that case, martial arts and cultivation can be carried out at the same time, as long as both energies are not in the same Dantian.”

He had previously wondered if practicing martial arts would affect cultivation. Now, it seemed that it would not. The two should be able to synchronize or overlap with each other.

After thinking about this, he immediately felt hungry.

“I must have exhausted my Essence Qi while cultivating…”

Song Shi muttered and shouted outside, “Xiao Mei, get ready to wash up!”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Xiao Mei replied crisply and quickly brought in a silver basin.

Xiao Mei was wearing a plain long dress and was in her prime. She was beautiful, especially her big eyes, which were watery and appeared spiritual. She was very good-looking but she was unlucky. Her father had sold her to the Song family as a maid when she was a child.

However, Song Shi was not interested in the young maid that served him. He walked over calmly, washed his face casually and started to eat breakfast.

Even though he had restrained his appetite, he still made Xiao Mei top up the meat dish several times causing the girl to be dumbfounded at the amount he ate.

She peeked at her young master’s stomach from time to time and upon realizing that it was not bulging, she was very puzzled.

Song Shi coughed and broke the silence. “Where’s Big Smart? Why didn’t I see him this morning?”

Xiao Mei came back to her senses and a hint of fear appeared on her face, “Brother Liu was called to deal with something. I heard that all the dogs in the house died last night…”

“What!”

Song Shi was stunned. No wonder it was so quiet in the morning. There was no barking at all.

“They were really all dead. I peeped at a dog just now and it was bleeding from all seven orifices. It was so scary.”

As Xiao Mei spoke, she grabbed her sleeves tightly.

“It’s normal for one dog to die, but for so many to die…”

Song Shi thought of the dog barking crazily last night. Could it be something ‘unclean’ again?

The night before yesterday, he had encountered a ghost who had bothered him while he slept. Moreover an old gatekeeper, a skilled guard and a monk had died the next day.

Today, all the dogs died. No matter how he looked at it, there was something ‘dirty’ targeting the Song family.

No, it probably wasn’t as simple as ghosts.

“The winds howl around the highest peaks1. The Song family is extremely rich. I’m afraid they’ll be bearing the brunt of this chaotic world.”

Song Shi frowned and thought. He had enjoyed a rich life in this family for more than ten years. Even if he had no feelings for them, he was grateful. He naturally did not want the Song family to be destroyed by anything

However, he wasn’t strong enough right now. It was even difficult for him to deal with Dai Dou, who had just turned into a zombie. He had to take it one step at a time.

“Many people from the main branch died. I heard that a maidservant even went crazy.”

Xiao Mei told him what she knew.

“Oh, the main branch again.”

Song Shi couldn’t help but think of what the female ghost had said when she begged for mercy under him.

“Yes, it’s really strange. Something happened to the main branch too the night before yesterday.”

Xiao Mei nodded, “I heard that they gathered the dead dogs in the martial arts arena and are preparing to burn them all.”

“Take me there.”

This matter was related to him personally hence Song Shi planned to investigate it carefully.

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy could you win a hundred battles.

Moreover he would also be able to safely court death upon finding out more.