Jun Xie knew that by sheer coincidence, he had stumbled upon a destiny rarely seen in a lifetime! This 'Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique' was so mysterious and profound; its results were bound to be extraordinary! And this Nine-Story Exquisite Pagoda must surely be an incredible treasure!

Even the most ignorant person like Jun Xie had heard tales of Hongjun Laozu from Chinese mythology. Legend held that this great deity was the master of the three supreme beings—Taishang Daojun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Jiaozhu—making him an unbelievably monumental figure! How could a pagoda bearing the name Hongjun possibly be mediocre?

Jun Xie was nearly desperate to begin cultivating the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique, but his temperament was steady, and he managed to restrain himself. Only then did he have the leisure to examine his own body, which startled him greatly.

He saw that his skin was covered in a layer of black, sticky, utterly repulsive substance that continuously exuded a nauseating stench; it was a thick coating!

A term existing only in legend suddenly flashed through Jun Xie’s mind: Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Washing?! Had he endured such agony only to expel every impurity from his body? Jun Xie was instantly ecstatic! If he had known the outcome would be this profound, then... enduring the pain for a little longer would have been worth it!

Indeed, given Jun Xie's disposition, as long as his personal strength could improve, a little suffering meant nothing; even if the pain was agonizingly unbearable, it was inconsequential!

Jun Xie excitedly stood up, forcefully ignoring the stench emanating from him, and darted towards the pond at his residence, jumping in with a plop.

Suddenly, several voices demanded in unison, "Who goes there?!"

Jun Xie snorted, "It's me! The Young Master wishes to bathe; no one is to disturb me!"

"Oh, it is the Young Master." Silence descended instantly.

...

In the study, Old Master Jun frowned, "What was that noise?"

The steward, Old Pang, swiftly went out and returned, bowing, "It was the Young Master, sir. He said he jumped into Luoyue Lake for a bath."

"A bath?! Jumping into Luoyue Lake in the middle of the night to bathe?" Old Master Jun’s nose practically flared with anger; his voice nearly cracked. In a sudden burst of rage, he roared, "That unfilial degenerate!" He swept his sleeve away and retired to bed. The hopes he had held for his grandson to finally mend his ways over these past few days vanished completely, leaving him with a heavy, indescribably uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

Such is life; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Old Master Jun truly wished he could seize that degenerate right now and administer a thorough thrashing until his bottom bloomed with red patches, making this disappointing grandson understand why roses are red...

Jun Xie floated serenely on the water’s surface, lying flat on his back, using only slight, occasional movements of his hands and feet to keep from sinking, feeling immensely content.

Having completely washed off the thick grime, Jun Xie felt as if he had crawled out of a cesspit—refreshed to the very core. His only regret was that although he had now truly merged with this physical body, his cultivation level was far from allowing him internal sight, let alone comparison to his previous life. But to be able to expel such a vast amount of bodily impurities at once... the current state of his sinews and bones must surely be astonishing, right? Thinking of this, Jun Xie’s lips curved into a slight smile.

The distant guards watched the Young Master floating motionlessly on the water, yet refusing to sink, their eyes widening in shock: What divine art was the Young Master cultivating? To simply float on the water like that? If explained by Xuan Qi cultivation, this required at least the Jade Profound Realm to achieve!

After soaking for a while, Jun Xie quickly climbed ashore. His body felt clean, certainly, but this was immediately followed by a feeling of weakness, extreme weakness! After all, the original Third Young Master Jun had nearly reduced this body to an empty frame, and now, after such violent Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Washing, and the merging of spirit and essence, it was a testament to Jun Xie's superhuman willpower that he hadn't fainted outright.

Forcing himself back to his room, Jun Xie changed into a soft, white robe, picked up the bowl of bird's nest porridge delivered by the delicate little loli, and a playful smile touched his lips.

No matter the world, strength is paramount! A person can lack status, but they must never lack their own inherent power! Even in his past life, Jun Xie had never felt such an urgent craving for the enhancement of his strength!

Alone in this world, Jun Xie felt that the only thing that could grant him absolute peace of mind was his own immense power—the peak strength capable of controlling the life and death of all living beings!

And now, Jun Xie was confident he had grasped another treasure trove. That mysterious pagoda was his greatest reliance in this current life. Jun Xie absolutely refused to believe that such a mysterious and profound pagoda contained only this one set of Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique scriptures; there must be other functions! And these functions awaited Jun Xie to uncover them slowly, bit by bit!

Furthermore, the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique, touted as the 'Foremost Art of Antiquity,' gave Jun Xie a burgeoning sense of confidence! How could such an esoteric cultivation method be ordinary?

Slowly recalling the circulation path for the first level of the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique, 'Illuminating the Great Manifestation,' Jun Xie sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, uniting his mind and spirit, calming himself to breathe, and slowly beginning the circulation...

"Spiritual light stirs into action, illuminating the Great Manifestation; Intent ascends to the Nine Heavens, feet tread the Immortal Spring; Heaven and Earth grasped by the self, the Heart is the Treasure Mountain; Spirit and Soul refined nine times, avoiding the Yellow Springs..."

Completing one cycle yielded no sensation whatsoever, nor the slightest hint of Qi perception. Yet, Jun Xie was not discouraged; he began the cycle again, guarding his spiritual center, never letting down his focus.

Unsure how much time had passed, Jun Xie had circulated the technique according to the instructions of the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique no less than two hundred cycles, still without any reaction! The meridians remained utterly stagnant. Sitting cross-legged for so long caused his legs to grow numb; although this physical body had undergone Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Washing, its capacity for physical endurance had yet to be truly developed. Even his head felt dizzy, showing signs of imminent fainting.

Jun Xie took another deep breath, striving to maintain clarity in his mind, and his heart hardened: I refuse to believe I can't cultivate Qi perception! When it comes to wickedness, I am number one! Who can be more wicked than me, the Evil Sovereign? Damn it, I will not believe in this (evil/unorthodox)!

I shall not believe in any evil! But every evil must believe in me, this evil! I am the Evil Sovereign! I am the King of the Wicked!

He once more entered the long process of breathing and circulation. After a long while, Jun Xie felt his body completely slip beyond his control; nearly all his muscles stiffened. He circulated along the path of the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique for another estimated three hundred cycles, still without any discernible feeling!

Jun Xie kept his eyes closed, forcefully suppressing the fatigue in his body, holding only one stubborn belief in his heart: One more cycle... one more cycle... one more...

Finally, after who knew how long, Jun Xie faintly felt a slight twitch in his Niwan Palace above his head, followed by a warmth. A minuscule sensation suddenly appeared within his meridians, but the feeling was as faint as a thread, almost imperceptible without complete focus. This thread of Qi, though fine as silk and nearly non-existent, possessed an extraordinarily solid essence. Such internal energy was truly strange, because even beginners who managed to cultivate Qi perception would never achieve such density. However, the current Jun Xie, mired in a hazy state, failed to realize this.

The very instant this thread-like, yet exceptionally solid, breath emerged, within Jun Xie's sea of consciousness, the small, seven-colored flowing light Pagoda slowly rose. It rotated gently in mid-air, and with every rotation, a large plume of thick white mist spewed forth. The white mist slowly drifted into the air, and countless white wisps, invisible to the naked eye, suddenly manifested on the surface of Jun Xie’s body, then slowly seeped into his skin, infiltrating his meridians...