Chapter 006: Xuan Qi
Regular Chapter
"Third Uncle, regarding the matter of your ailment, you must select those who are trustworthy, especially when it comes to those who will help massage you. It will best if no one is to know about this matter. If this treatment is to fail, then us uncle and nephew will not have to lose so much face," Jun Xie spoke after thinking over for a while.
"Ha ha, even if the treatment were to be successful, I still would not inform anyone about it! Your Third Uncle is not an idiot! What you fear is that this matter will invite trouble for us, right? Besides, if you can truly cure my waist and legs, then both you and I will become the perfect hidden cards for our Jun family! How can I not know about something like this? You little devil, you even tried to use your Third Uncle's face as an excuse."
Jun Wuyi let out a laugh, and then he pinched his face. He suddenly had a startling thought, in his heart he realized; this brat was once his most beloved nephew. Yet, how long has it been since the both of them were so intimate? On the other hand, perhaps it was precisely because they have not been so intimate for such a long time... maybe that was why he had such a strange feeling when he saw him again today.
Portraying himself on the surface as a debauchee for so many years, could it be that there was a different face hidden underneath? Jun Wuyi's gaze was locked onto Jun Xie's back as he turned and was about to walked away, Jun Wuyi's heart bubbled with anticipation.
He looked forward to seeing whether or not his injury can be treated successfully, and even more so, he looked forward to seeing if his nephew truly had... a hidden face?!
"Third Uncle, you have already reached Earth Xuan rank, correct?" Jun Xie asked with laughter.
"You peeping tom!" Jun Wuyi chuckled, his heart felt an incomparable sense of carefreeness, and replied: "I've just reached this realm this year, it's not stabilized yet."
"You're being modest," Jun Xie curled his lips: "What is above Earth Xuan rank?"
Jun Wuyi's face looked startled, he replied. "Xuan Qi cultivation begins with nine levels, after the nine levels comes the Silver level, Gold level, Jade level; the levels end here. Above it are the Earth Xuan, Sky Xuan, and the Supreme Divine Xuan!"
"From the first level to third level, the released Xuan Qi will be noticeable, the colours are, dim red, pink red, and thick red. Fourth level to sixth level, the colour is purple with the same three stages. From seven to nine, the colour is black! Moxie, when you go outside, you must keep a careful lookout for these signs. One careless interpretation could end in disaster!"
"I understand, Third Uncle," Jun Xie smiled, his face remained indifferent.
Jun Wuyi passionately recited: "Silver is the beginning, Gold is growth, Jade signifies the budding process, Nine and below are but ants; Earth Xuan splits everything, Sky Xuan leaves only the air, Supreme Divine Xuan becomes formless, comparable to the Nine Heavens transforming into a soaring dragon!"
"This is the recitals for the Xuan Qi stages! Only when you've reached the Silver Xuan will you be considered a beginner! As for you..." Jun Wuyi looked at Jun Xie, a gentle look appeared in his eyes: "You will have your own path to take. Just because one is a man, that does not mean he must use his own hands to kill."
Jun Xie smiled: "I understand, I am not someone who will kill people all the time." He personally added within his mind: Without any remuneration, there is no way I will kill anyone. Naturally, there is one condition: Do not mess with me!
The current Jun Xie had absolutely no interest in this so-called Xuan Qi, so he did not try to take any steps towards understanding it. After sending Jun Wuyi back to his room, Jun Xie walked back with a slow pace. While walking halfway though, he turned around and went towards the library building.
The reason he entered this place, was none other than the fact that the previous Third Young Master Jun had too little information in his brain. With the exception of information pertaining to sensual pleasures, gambling, eating and drinking, his head was basically filled with nothing else, a sticky blob of worthless mud. No matter how much Jun Xie wanted to glean some useful information from his memories, it was impossible. This was why he needed to spend some time to reorganize everything within his memories. At the very least, he must tidy it up! That way, even if this Third Young Master Jun's brain has no useful information, he could at least understand the state of the Jun family.
Jun Xie entered the library building and stayed inside for the whole day, not going out at all.
"Senior Master, after Young Master left your place, he had a good chat with the Third Master for some time. From the looks of it, Third Master seems happy. In recent years, it is rare to see the Third Master looking so happy."
Within Jun Zhan Tian's study, an old man bowed before Jun Zhan Tian, reporting the whereabouts of Jun Xie.
"?" Jun Zhan Tian's face, which had maintained a calm demeanour all these years expressed a stunned look. This uncle and nephew have always been as incompatible as fire and water for so many years; whenever they meet, both of them will throw looks of ridicule at one another. The more they see one another, the more their eyes will feel sored. How could these two suddenly decide to start a conversation today? In addition, they had a good chat. To think that Jun Wuyi would end up becoming happy from that conversation, this was too surprising, it would not be far-fetched to consider this an abnormal occurrence.
"What were they talking about?" Jun Zhan Tian asked as he drank some tea; his voice remained casual.
"In recent years, even though the Third Master was disabled, he was still able to cultivate himself at great pace. Considering that he is now at the early Earth Xuan stage, I dared not get too close and was unable to hear the contents of their conversation. I was only able to see that both Third Master and Young Master were obviously happy while chatting agreeably away," The old man answered respectfully.
"Agreeable?" Jun Zhan Tian stroked his beard: "How is that possible? For them to be together for so long without anyone dying is already an extremely fortunate event. And yet they were actually chatting agreeably?"
"This matter is absolutely true! Senior Master, after the Young Master left the Third Master, he actually went straight into the library building and has yet to come out! The library building does not have many external factors or influence; I believe it is of minimal importance. But the matter of the Young Master having a conversation with the Third Master is too surprising, that is why I decided quickly report it to Senior Master!"
"You did the right thing, but you said this kid went into the... library building?" Jun Zhan Tian's beard trembled, and his eyes widened in shock: "Are you sure you said it right? That little bastard Jun Moxie actually went to the library building? Instead of the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavillion, Wafting Fragrance Pavillion or others... like that?"
The old man nodded firmly: "It is the library building! There is no mistake, Senior Master!"
Jun Zhan Tian practically jumped up from his seat, then paced back and forth in the room. His usually calm exterior was gone, replaced by a deep frown as he tugged his own beard. "Old Pang, do you know what this bastard plans to do inside the library building?" He suddenly stopped. "It can't be that he's going to set it on fire, is he?"
"The Young Master was reading books inside. Judging by how quiet he was, I felt that he would not be leaving anytime soon, that is why I could feel at ease and return to make a report." Old Pang replied, his mouth restraining the desire to laugh.
"Reading books?!" Grandpa Jun cried out in surprise as he tugged out a strand of his own beard. Curling his lips, he asked. "He is really reading those books?"
"He is, Senior Master."
After thinking for a long while, Jun Zhan Tian waved his hand. "Reading is a good thing. Since that is the case, do not disturb him for now. Once he leaves the library, get me those books that he was looking over for me to inspect. I am really curious, just what is he planning? Could it be he was looking for erotic paintings? Well... it is all right even if that is what he is looking for. Since he is coming of age now, having a look at those things is no big deal, I still remember... He he, Old Pang, do not allow anyone to bother that kid!"
"Understood, Senior Master."
Jun Zhan Tian walked for another two rounds, then he raised his head upwards. Calming himself down, he thought. "If those are not ero... could it be this kid has finally woken up and decided to turn over a new leaf?" He shook his head and sighed aloud. "If this is truly the case, then this old bag will really need to go burn some incense and pray to the spirit of the ancestors..."
Once night time arrived, the butler Old Pang went ahead to collect all the books that Jun Xie read before; in total there were a few dozen, which he bundled over.
Jun Zhan Tian placed each book on the table, his face frowning.
"Xuan Xuan Continent's Current Situation, Continental Travelogue, Continental Mountains Records, Person of the Year List, Records of Strange Flowers and Exotic Grasses, Continental Wars Discussion, Xuan Xuan Art of War..." Grandpa Jun spent the entire night looking over the books that his grandson read, his expressions would change constantly in confusion, surprise, happiness. He would sigh, puff, shake his head, and nod his head. It was estimated that he has used up half his entire life's worth of facial expressions in that one night...
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Chapter 007 Exquisite Hongjun Pagoda
Regular Chapter
During the next few days, Jun Xie chose not to go out at all. Once he woke up in the morning, he would head straight towards the library building, staying in there for the whole day. He maintained the routine without any exceptions. As for the books that he had read, they would all be sent over to Grandpa Jun's side for analysis yet again. After which Grandpa Jun would shake his head, nod his head, sigh and puff; his face alternating between disappointment, shock and pleasant surprise... it seemed he had yet to finish using up all his lifetime's expressions.
In addition, the servants of the Jun family realized that the Young Master has acquired yet another strange hobby. During the day, he would enter the library building for the whole day without ever coming out. However, when night descends, he would instead walk out to the courtyard and seat himself there. The spot he chose to sit was always the darkest spot where the light cannot reach... truly... heretical!
Regarding his new hobby, the servants were actually not too concerned. After all, this was by far better than his previous 'hobbies'.
Tonight, Jun Xie was once again seated below a flower tree, enjoying the thick atmosphere of darkness of the night. In this atmosphere of darkness, one would not be able to glimpse their own fingers even when it was stretched out before them. In Jun Xie's heart rose a feeling of safety and security. Indeed, it is the feeling of security! For Jun Xie who had once become invincible throughout the world as the king of assassins, the safest place can only come from the pitch-black darkness of the night. The night was the only thing that Jun Xie had ever considered to the best and most reliable partner!
As he gazed upon the stars in the night sky, Jun Xie suddenly felt as though he was in a dream. For the past few days, he had read through all the books containing information regarding this world. He had more or less understood the current situation of this continent, however, the more he understood, the more confused he became.
If it were not for the fact that it was written in black and white within the books, Jun Xie would have assumed that he had transmigrated back in time to the ancient Chinese kingdoms. The people, the accents, the culture and the clothing are all similar to that from the Tang and Song dynasties. It is too similar!
Jun Xie groaned as he plopped his head in between his knees, both his hands clutching the back of his head. He grievingly thought. Why? Why am I not in one of the ancient eras of China? If only that were the case, then I would be in a highly advantageous position. The amount of resources I have regarding those eras would be most beneficial. Even if I do not want to change history, I can still take advantage of my foreknowledge, which can put those divine prophets to shame and coast my way through history, avoiding any misfortune!
Xuan Xuan Continent, where in the blazes is this? Gold Xuan, Silver Xuan, Earth Xuan, Sky Xuan... Xuan Qi... Xuan your granddaddy!!! Why is it not internal martial arts?
The only thing that remained familiar was perhaps the ancient and everlasting sun and moon, and the gentle caress of the night. This was the only thing that could give Jun Xie the feeling of familarity.
Jun Xie's face was set like a cold hard stone, his cheek muscles throbbed with pain, as he restrained his desire to curse impulsively and loudly at the Heavens!
At that very moment when Jun Xie was surging with extreme emotions, he suddenly felt a violent wave of headache swept over him. Even with his extraordinary endurance, Jun Xie was still unable to retain a calm face and was forced to grimace his face. The headache suddenly transformed into a wave of dizziness...
Observing through his eyes, it seemed as though the whole world was rotating at an unbelievably intense speed. Even the night sky was transformed into a scattering display of madness. The entire world had suddenly become an illusory existence, and unreal...
Throughout the painful ordeal, Jun Xie panted while biting down his teeth, blood flowing down from his lips. Both his eyes glared forward as he continued enduring, not allowing even a single sound to escape his lips.
I came into this world alone, and thus I must also accept all this pain by myself! In this strange world, I have only myself to depend on and not others! I will never depend on others!
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Utilize all my killing skills, I will forge a path of blood! Annihilate the skies! Decimate the lands! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
Jun Xie was thrown into a state of haziness, when he suddenly felt something appeared within his sea of consciousness. It was a spark of seemingly distant light; however, it appeared that the light was gradually moving closer towards him. As it got closer, it also became brighter, bigger and clearer. In the end, it transformed into a luminescent rainbow coloured pagoda that overflowed with brilliance. The pagoda kept rotating within his sea of consciousness. With every rotation, it released a misty form of sagely radiance.
His body had long since become numb, his four limbs paralyzed, his consciousness slowly blurring, and yet Jun Xie continued staring ahead with bloodshot eyes. He kept on glaring, persisting nonstop as he glared ferociously upon this strange realm without as much as a blink!
After an indeterminable period of time, a cold wind suddenly blew by, causing Jun Xie to feel cold.
The night of the early autumn is indeed still chilly. As this line of thought came to Jun Xie's mind, he became startled as he realized what it meant: To be able to feel cold means that my senses is working again. But, was I not already... He suddenly stood up and found that he was covered in cold sweat. His clothes had been completely soaked with sweat to the point of being uncomfortable.
Jun Xie was inexplicably overcome with a strange feeling of a new born.
Jun Xie, who woke up within Jun Moxie's body can be said to be supporting this body, perhaps by means of transmigrating his mind and soul into it. Nonetheless, Jun Xie remained Jun Xie. But after having endured the unspeakable pain earlier, Jun Xie had truly melded with this body as one. Jun Xie had become Jun Moxie, the true master of this body!
[TL: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
Disregarding the messy state of his body, the first thing Jun Xie did was to sit down cross-legged and closed his eyes. He pushed his spiritual awareness deep into his sea of consciousness, as he carefully tried to comprehend something. Jun Xie had long since realized that the excruciating pain from earlier on was the work of the small pagoda within his body. However, Jun Xie also concluded that there must be something else, which the small pagoda did. Otherwise, how could a simple matter of melding of flesh and soul be accompanied by so much pain? He firmly believed that something else must have happened. This small pagoda is the only thing in existence that Jun Xie can rely on. Thus, without understanding what has happened, Jun Xie will never feel contented.
Within his sea of consciousness, Jun Xie felt that he could clearly 'see' with his own eyes, an exquisite pagoda glowing with the brilliance of seven colours, slowly rotating atop his sea of consciousness. Jun Xie was able to distinctly perceive that each rotation was synchronized with his body's blood and qi flow, each and every time, again and again, an endless cycle...
What is going on here? Jun Xie stared at the small pagoda in surprise. This item's capabilities had exceeded all common sense, causing Jun Xie who was a staunch disbeliever to fall into a web of confusion.
I wonder if I could get closer to take a better look at it? Just as Jun Xie was thinking about this, he suddenly realized that the small pagoda had slowly become larger and larger. After that, the doors to the lowest level of the pagoda suddenly opened; a thick white mist rushed out. In that instant, Jun Xie's awareness became utterly suffused with that white mist. The white mist was so thick it almost felt as though it was solid. Jun Xie took a deep breath and suddenly felt an extreme sense of tranquillity, an indescribably comfort, where even the soul felt buoyed to the point where it wanted to sing happily...
Jun Xie scanned his surroundings only to find out that he had somehow arrived at the very front of the pagoda. Above his head, two ancient texts unveiled themselves: Hongjun Pagoda!
Jun Xie headed inside the room only to find it empty, save the thick white mist flowing around. Suddenly, the thick mist flowed together to form two line of characters: Nine Layered Exquisite Pagoda, First Eternal Art!
Then, the white mist rolled together with a sense of urgency, forming a dim and hazy formula that appeared before Jun Xie's awareness. Jun Xie only had enough time to become startled before the countless characters, symbols and drawings all came together in a revolving spiral. Instantly, he felt a vast amount of information rushing into his awareness. It felt as though a speeding train had just charged straight into a small hut! Yet, the train sped all the way inside without any changes happening to the hut...
All of a sudden, Jun Xie could not help but become dizzy. His head felt as though it was about to explode as he tumbled onto the ground.
Opening his eyes, he realized that he was still lying on the same cold, wet spot as before. Nonetheless, the cultivation formula clearly exists within his sea of consciousness. There was also drawings depicting the pathways throughout the human body, together with the accompanying forms and actions.
"Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune!" Jun Xie mumbled aloud, his eyes flashing sharply as his fists clenched itself!
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Chapter 008 Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune
Regular Chapter
Jun Xie realized that his strange situation had further granted him a mysterious encounter of epic proportions! This 'Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune' is immeasurably mysterious, and its effectiveness will undoubtedly be far superior to others. As for the Nine Layered Exquisite Pagoda, he had no doubt that this is an incomparable treasure!
No matter how ignorant Jun Xie may be, even he had heard of the mythical legend of Hongjun Laozu. It is said that this Great God is the Master of the Three Great Sage Gods: Taishang Dao Jun (Honoured Lord of the Dao and its Virtue), Yuanshi Tianzun (Honoured Lord of the Origin) and Tongtian Jiaozhu (Grandmaster of Heaven). These individuals are heaven-shaking myths without equal under Heaven! For this pagoda to be named after Hongjun Laozu, its abilities can never be questionable.
[TL: I must be a super ignorant person, then... Sigh...]
Jun Xie was almost overwhelmed by the desire to immediately practice the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune, but was finally able to restrain himself. Calming himself down, he inspected his own body and could not help but feel surprised.
The surface of his skin was completely covered by a layer of black, greenish muddy liquid. The unbelievably disgusting muddy liquid was releasing a sickeningly foul stench. In addition, it was a very thick layer!
A name with legendary qualities and origin suddenly appeared within Jun Xie's sea of consciousness: Pulp Rending Meridian Cleanser? Could it be? After just that one time of extreme pain, all the impurities within my body have been ejected out? Jun Xie became uncontrollable ecstatic! If only I knew earlier that there would be this kind of miraculous effect, even another round of pain would be no big deal!
Indeed, as far as Jun Xie was concerned, no amount of pain can be compared with the benefits of increasing his body's strength. As long as his body strength can be upgraded, what was a little bit of pain? No matter how unbearably painful it might be, it was still worth it!
Jun Xie stood up in excitement. Enduring the stench emanating from his body, he swiftly ran towards a pond within his family residence. Unhesitatingly, he jumped in with a resounding plop.
Suddenly, several voices rang out in unison, asking: "Who is it?"
Jun Xie snorted and replied: "Me! This Young Master wants to take a bath; nobody is allowed to disturb me!"
"Ah, it is the Young Master," After that, no more sound was heard.
...
Within the study, Grandpa Jun wrinkled his brows: "What was that?"
Housekeeper Pang quickly went out to check. He immediately returned and replied with a bow. "It is the Young Master, it is reported that he jumped into the Luo Yue pond to take a bath."
"A bath? He jumped into Luo Yue pond in the middle of the night to take a bath?" Grandpa Jun's temper began to rise again, his nose became twisted, his breath became short, he shouted with an uneven voice: "This damned creature!" In a huff, he went to sleep.
For the past few days, he had been looking forward to his grandson turning over a new leaf. At this moment, his expectations had been shattered into a million pieces. All that remained was an unspeakable discomfort throbbing within his chest.
Such is reality, the greater the hope, the greater too the disappointment will be. At this moment, Grandpa Jun really wanted to drag in the damned brat and beat his ass with a stick until it peachy flowers 'blossom'. Then this ungrateful grandson of his will realize why the flowers are so red...
Jun Xie was floating quietly upon the water surface. His body was straightened and he relied on both his hands and feet to gently stabilize himself from time to time, allowing him to float on without sinking. Jun Xie felt himself awash with a feeling of comfort.
After having washed away all the thick layer of dirt on his body, Jun Xie felt as though he had just climbed out of a pit of excrement. His body was completely refreshed. The only problem was that even though his mind and soul had completely melded as one with this body, its strength is still nowhere close to where he was back in his past life. However, after having ejected so many impurities from his body, the current state of his physique, muscles and bones must certainly have improved to a shocking level. Right? Thinking about this, Jun Xie's mouth curled into a smile.
A distance away, the house guards saw their Young Master floating on the water surface. They bulged their eyes as they stared at Jun Xie who was floating on the water surface while remaining motionless, not sinking in the slightest. What kind of divine art is the Young Master practicing? To think that one can float on the water surface just like that. If one were to utilize their Xuan Qi to achieve this feat, than they would require at least a minimum of Jade level Xuan Qi to do so!
[TL: Now this is just a wild guess, but I am guessing these people do not know how to swim.]
After dunking himself for a while, Jun Xie quickly rose out of the pond. While his body was indeed refreshed, what follows was a feeling of weakness, an extremely exhaustive feeling of weakness! Considering how the original Third Young Master Jun never took good care of his body, and considering the painful process of Pulp Rending Meridian Cleanser that he just had to undergo, not fainting on the spot was quite the superhuman feat for Jun Xie.
Supporting himself through sheer will, Jun Xie reached his room. After having changed into a set of white robes, the tender Lolita, Little Ke brought in a bowl of bird's nest soup, her mouth set with a playful smile.
No matter what world it is, strength remains the number one priority! People may be able to live without having influence, but they must never be lacking in personal strength! Even in his past life, Jun Xie had never been so impatient and desirous of enhancing his strength!
Being thrown alone into this world, the only thing that could give Jun Xie peace of mind is strength. A strength so powerful, he can hold the life and death of multitudes within the palm of his hand.
As of now, Jun Xie confidently believed that he had mastered another treasure, the mysterious pagoda. It remained the biggest trump card for Jun Xie in this new world. Jun Xie believed that the secrets within this unfathomably mysterious pagoda would not be limited to just a mere Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune. There would surely be other secrets hidden within it! As for what they may be, that will be up to Jun Xie to slowly unravel them in due time.
In addition, for the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune to be proclaimed as the "First Eternal Art" strengthened Jun Xie's inner conviction. This mysterious art cannot possibly be an average run of the mill technique.
Slowly recalling the practice methods of the first part of the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune, "Great Overflowing Illumination", Jun Xie sat down cross legged on the ground. Mind and body as one, entering a tranquil state of respiration, he slowly began...
"The aura moves Nature, the great illumination overflows, to surpass the Nine Heavens, to thread upon the Celestial Fountain, grasp the Universe; the heart becomes a treasure mountain, the divine spirit's Nine refinements, never to fall into the Yellow Springs..."
After having commenced practice following the method in his mind, he unexpectedly felt nothing at all. Not the slightest bit of qi can be felt, but this did not discourage Jun Xie at all. He started practicing again, monitoring his body at all times without letting it relax at any moment.
After who knows how long, Jun Xie had already practiced following the methods inscribed upon the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune to regulate his body no less than two hundred times, and yet there was still no reaction! His meridians have remained inactive from the beginning to the end. Furthermore, the prolonged amount of time sitting cross-legged had caused Jun Xie's legs to become numb. Even though his body had undergone the Pulp Rending Meridian Cleanser process, the capabilities of the body had yet to be developed. At this point, even his mind had started feeling dizzy and the signs of fainting could be perceived.
Jun Xie took a deep breath one more time, trying hard to keep his mind clear, a resolute spirit emanating from his heart: "I don't believe I cannot succeed in forcing out the qi! When it comes to being evil, I am number one! Who can be more evil than I, the Evil Monarch? This senior will succeed!"
This senior will never fall before other evils! But other evils must fall before the evil me! I am the Evil Monarch! I am the Sovereign of all evils!
Once again, he entered the state of respiration. After a long period of time, Jun Xie felt that his entire body would no longer obey him, his every muscle feeling strained and stiff. He had regulated his body according to the instructions of the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune no less than three hundred times, and yet nothing can be felt!
Jun Xie closed his eyes, forcibly pushing back all the feelings of exhaustion within his body, in his mind there was only one line of thought, a stubborn conviction: One more time... one more time... one more time... more... more...
Finally, after an indeterminable period of time, Jun Xie suddenly felt a slight change in his Niwan Palace within his head. After that, with a flush of heat, a little change could be felt in his meridians. But that feeling was weak and trifling, unnoticeable unless one were to constantly monitor every part of the body. While the qi flow was as thin as gossamer thread, almost to the point of it being non-existent, its essence was truly abnormal. This flow of qi was truly bewildering. For those who practice internal arts, even if they manage to practice to the point of feeling the flow of qi, it should not have condensed to become a solid existence flowing within the body. However, the current Jun Xie who had practiced to the point of stupidity was currently unable to realize this.
[TL: Niwan Palace is a cultivation spot located on the head. It is one of the three dantian spots.]
At the very moment that the abnormal flow of qi similar to gossamer thread appeared, the miniature seven coloured radiant pagoda suddenly rose up from Jun Xie's sea of consciousness. It slowly rotated in the air, exuding a huge amount of white mist with every cycle. The white mist slowly floated around; countless white threads formed by the mist, unseen by the naked eye, suddenly formed upon Jun Xie's body surface. Those threads then slowly penetrated Jun Xie's skin, all the way down to his meridians...
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Chapter 009 Pulp Rending Meridian Cleanser
Sponsored chapter by Nader A.
A big shout out to our sponsor, thank you so much for your support!
At the moment, Jun Xie remained in a dazed state, neither surprise nor joy can be seen on him. He continued practicing the art, regulating his body, seemingly unaware of what had happened.
This Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune is truly immeasurably mysterious, the most superior type of skill since time immemorial. Even if there is still a Heaven, the path of cultivation has always been an act of defiance against Heaven, one that puts a person's disposition to the test. As for this beginner part of this skill, it was truly difficult to practice to the extreme. Other than perseverance and indomitable will, one must also be blessed with this huge opportunity!
Thus, since long ago, even if someone were to obtain the opportunity to practice this Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune, the chances of them succeeding were exceptionally low! Thinking about it, if the practitioner's heart was not firm, that person would likely have given up after practicing for a hundred times and not see any results. This level of dullness is not something that any ordinary person could withstand. Furthermore, if a person's spirit was any weaker, it was unlikely that they would be able to endure it. From the perspective of cultivators, a freak like Jun Xie who could operate the practice routine up to thousands of times is simply one of a kind!
Even if some were to possess this kind of perseverance, without a sufficiently strong spiritual awareness, they would end up suffering from qigong deviation!
As for Jun Xie, he happened to possess all the right characteristics necessary to practice the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune. Jun Xie had always been an extremely unyielding type of person, once he set his mind towards something, he will never change it. To put it in a good way, he is a man of high perseverance. To put it in a bad way... he is a brain dead zombie. Without crashing into a wall, they'll never turn back. But Jun Xie is the monarch of all brain dead zombies who will crash into the wall until he breaks through the wall and still not look back. Today, he who had started practicing this Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune can be compared with a tortoise that had gone out and bumped into a turtle. As it turns out, they are one family.
Besides having the right character and mindset, Jun Xie's luck also played no small role. Obtaining the Hongjun Pagoda was the biggest blessing for Jun Xie, if he had not had the luck to obtain it, then he would have no hope of stepping upon this path.
In addition, Jun Xie's soul was one that had transmigrated over, his spiritual awareness could not be weak. With the help of the Hongjun Pagoda, Jun Moye's body condition was restored while his spiritual awareness became even stronger. All these factors added up, allowing him to abruptly break through the first heavy hurdle in merely one night's time!
Not only was this achievement unprecedented, it would likely become unrepeatable!
The Niwan Palace within his mind began pulsating with an even stronger force, eventually it began following a regular pattern. As it got hotter and hotter, Jun Xie's white skin slowly became completely red...
At this moment, it was already the break of dawn and the sky had cleared! Jun Xie could clearly feel that the qi within his body, which was like delicate thread of silk was becoming livelier as they gradually linked together to form a line.
When the last of the threads came together in unison, completely connecting with one another, Jun Xie suddenly sensed a brilliant light coming to life before him. The light was filled with colourful and varied speckles, as though the entire world's flowers had bloomed before his eyes. The afterglow of all seven colours revolved around him. At the same time, thunderous roars burst forth from his head, suddenly accompanied by lightning. Thunder and lightning rumbled.
However, Jun Xie's eyes remained closed. This meant that all these were occurring within his sense of awareness! This was the first hurdle of the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune: Calm Heart!
Even though Jun Xie could clearly "see" this strange atmosphere, he also firmly remembered that when he began practicing, he had closed his eyes! This imagery was something he should not be able to see, and yet he was able to! What could this mean? This meant that everything before him was nothing more but an illusion!
With that in mind, Jun Xie chose to ignore it, continuing with his exercise; his face was a mask of indifference.
"Boom!" Akin to a bomb, an explosion erupted within Jun Xie's sea of consciousness. Jun Xie's body suddenly convulsed, feeling as though his body had lost something that was once part of it. His spirit swayed about, and then he abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood far away. He then fainted.
These mouthful of blood fell onto the white sheets on the bed, but strangely a black colour emerged from it, seemingly a solid substance. Unexpectedly, it did not flow down, and seemed just like a piece of dark charcoal.
Jun Xie's body fell onto the ground, his body twitching unconsciously. Once again, a dark liquid was slowly forced out from the pores of his skin, slowly rendering Jun Xie's light coloured robe wet, bit by bit, becoming black in colour...
This was the true result of the Pulp Rending Meridian Cleanser!
Previously, when his body had discharged out a layer of filth, those were only the impurities within the skin and muscles at most. At the present moment, what he was forcing out of his body are the impurities within the skeletal frame and his inner organs. As for the blood that Jun Xie had spat out, those are the impurities within the five organs, the most difficult of all the human body parts to cleanse!
Jun Xie's present situation, from the perspective of those who cultivate the Way of the Dao, would be none other than the "shedding" process! That is to say, from now on, he had escaped from the shackles of worldly possessions and desire. He had officially entered the path of cultivation!
For those who practice in the Way, reaching the "shedding" stage would be preceded by a rather painful and lengthy experience. There are those who spent months, years or even decades in order to reach this realm. Some even spent their entire lives in vain and failed to reach this stage. And yet, Jun Xie achieved it in the span of one night! This was truly a miracle amongst miracles. If this news were to spread, it is likely that none of the ascetics would believe it!
Obviously, this was not because Jun Xie's body is special, or was it due to Jun Xie's high level of spiritual power. The reason lies elsewhere, and that was none other than the white mist. The white mist was the most important factor, as it is the purest form of Spiritual Qi from Heaven and Earth. However, Jun Xie had yet to realize this.
In his past life, Jun Xie was a martial arts expert, but had never come across the realm of cultivation. From his viewpoint, all these so-called cultivation in order to achieve immortality was nothing more than a nonsensical subject! As such, even if he were to realize what had happened to his body, the only thing he would think of was that he had an unbelievably huge stroke of luck.
When Jun Xie woke up, he found himself within a large barrel filled with warm water encompassing his body. There were also two little soft hands working hard, scrubbing his body.
Opening his eyes, he saw the young maid, Little Ke. Her head was wet from perspiration and her face red from the heat. Her small hands were holding onto a piece of soft towel, she panted as she cleaned his body with it. Her tiny lips were pursed up tightly, her face filled with an expression of embarrassment, almost to the point of near crying. Her pair of pretty eyes were deliberately directed upwards, only glancing down for a moment when there was a need to scrub a different area. After that, she would move her eyes away again...
"This little girl's shy expression is simply too cute!" Thinking about this, Jun Xie's thoughts suddenly returned back towards himself as he realized that he was actually bare naked. Unable to stop his own feeling of embarrassment, he gave two dry coughs and said. "I'll do it myself." After having said that, he reached out for the towel in Little Ke's hands.
Giving a surprised yelp, Little Ke ran far away while clutching the towel. She trembled as she looked at Jun Xie, her eyes were filled with a sense of panic. "Youngyoungyoung... Master, you... you're awake?"
Jun Xie gave a helpless sigh and replied. "If I am not awake, then are you talking to a ghost now?"
"Ghost?! AHH!" Little Ke let out another scream, this time Jun Xie suddenly realized that he could clearly see the minute little hairs on her face standing up, her face becoming deathly white as though she had really seen a ghost. Jun Xie found himself sighing again. "Stop screaming, even if there is a ghost, their face is probably not as scary as yours, your performance is truly applaud worthy."
"Bang!" The doors of the residence burst open with a bang and a stalwart figure walked inside, taking huge strides each time. "Moxie, you're awake? What happened?" It was none other than Grandpa Jun; behind him were several bodyguards.
Grandpa Jun's voice was filled with anger, he had just finished giving a thunderous 'lecture' to those thirty six bodyguards assigned to protect Jun Xie. What happened yesterday could be considered an unexpected accident, but how could he have guessed that it would happen again today? Grandpa Jun's temper was wholly incited to the point of detonation. What? Do my Jun family look easy to you guys? Do you think you can bully us so easily? It seems this senior will have to show some of my might about! If everyone decides to target my grandson, then how are we going to spend the rest of our days?
Grandpa Jun had assumed that Jun Xie's fainting was due to an assassination attempt...
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Chapter 010 Grandpa Jun raises a storm
Grandpa Jun naturally would not have guessed that last night's incident was in fact a huge heavenly blessing for his grandson, there was no assassins at all! And yet he managed to somehow connect these two unrelated dots together. After hearing that Jun Xie had jumped into the Luo Yue Pond to take a bath, he went to sleep with a heart filled with anger and resentment. Unexpectedly, while he was sleeping soundly, he suddenly woke up with a start, his heart filled with inexplicable fear. Asking around, he received news that there was a problem with Jun Xie, causing his anger to ignite.
"I'm all right, all good, I am really all good here," Jun Xie subconsciously grabbed a towel to cover his crotch, his face filled with embarrassment. He who had been stripped naked without anything left to cover himself had to suddenly face tens of elderly men who came charging in; his body left vulnerable to all eyes. Even though Jun Xie has a very thick skin and a calm state of mind, he was still somewhat unable to accept this.
"What are you trying to cover up? Do you need to be so ashamed to show that thing to your grandfather? I still remember back when you were still a baby, I would often carry you with one hand, while the other hand would play around with that thing." Jun Zhan Tian's words almost caused Jun Xie to choke to death.
At the back, the body guards shoulders relaxed, everyone's face turning red as they restrained themselves, breathing heavily. Several of them stole side glimpses towards the area that the Young Master had covered. Some of them started glancing at one another, their eyes winking and signalling at one another, almost as if they were comparing something...
"Who was it?" Jun Zhan Tian's face fell, turning as cold as ice, his killing intent unleashed.
"Huh?" Jun Xie was confused, but quickly came to understand what Grandpa Jun meant. He then made a face full of shame and lowered his head. "I fell before I could see anything."
"You wastrel!" Grandpa Jun swore; his voice filled with disappointment. After taking another close look at his own grandson to ensure that he was indeed all right, he no longer had any mood to continue looking at his naked body. With this small physique, his grandson simply does not look like a grandson from a military family. Not even a young lady's skin can be compared with him in terms of whiteness! Hmph! This truly is... He reluctantly nodded. "You go have a good rest, then." After that, he turned and headed out, followed by the bodyguards. It was only after that could Jun Xie give out a sigh of relief, putting away the towel covering his bottom area, a cold sweat trickled down.
The next day, the old Duke, Jun Zhan Tian let loose his temper within the golden imperial hall. Pointing at several lords, ministers, imperial relatives and even the Chief Chancellor, he unleashed a barrage of curses. Having had his emotions agitated to an abnormal high, he threatened that if anyone were to attempt to assassinate his only grandson again, then every family will have to give out one life as compensation!
Having stayed quietly for the past few years, Jun Zhan Tian's eruption of anger rendered the entire royal court, both civil and military faction trembling in silence. Even the Emperor himself had to repeatedly comfort him in person.
But there were also those who were insensitive. The Eldest Prince's old supporter, the Royal Doctor, Song Shi Yi, was a newly promoted noble. He was able to climb to his current position with the help of the Eldest Prince's influence, but did not have much knowledge about this old Duke. Counting on the backing of the Eldest Prince, he contradicted Jun Zhan Tian's words and tried to get the Emperor to support him. He was thrashed on the spot by Jun Zhan Tian to the point where his face became a pig's, also losing two teeth.
The Eldest Prince steeled himself and came forth to persuade Jun Zhan Tian, but was granted a kick to his stomach, causing him to roll backwards on the floor. After that incident, everyone became fearful, not a single one dared to move. In the end, the Emperor had to personally come forth to pacify him, smoothing things over and promising him that he would personally guarantee the safety of Third Young Master Jun. Only then was Jun Zhan Tian willing to leave with a face filled with indignation. Just before he left, he stared at each and every one of the princes supporters, causing their legs to turn unsteady like noodles...
This old Duke had been staying his hand for a good ten years. After ten years, he finally threw a fit, scaring the absolute crap out of every civil and military officials of the Royal Court. Within the golden imperial hall, he even dared to strike the Prince, what else would he not do?
His Majesty, the Emperor observed Jun Zhan Tian as he marched off, and was the only one to give out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart. The prestige and might that Jun Zhan Tian showed today was truly imposing, but the Emperor knew all too well that the Third Young Master who was the only successor of the Jun family had thoroughly disappointed this old general. Thinking back on when Jun Zhan Tian had personally come to him, requesting a marriage for Jun Moxie and Princess Ling Meng; that was probably Jun Zhan Tian's final effort to preserve the Jun bloodline.
However, His Majesty had mercilessly rejected the request.
As long as Jun Moxie was still breathing, Jun Zhan Tian would never throw such a huge fit in the golden imperial hall. The reason he went out of control today was due to the fact that he could no longer see any future for the Jun family. The Jun family's enemies both within and without are incalculable; once Jun Zhan Tian dies, his enemies would never show any mercy towards his grandson.
This was the reason why the old Duke had no qualms about going all out! Whoever dares to harm my Jun family, my grandson, I'll harm you first! Since my Jun family had already been forced to such straits, what else is there to fear?
The Jun family was once the awe-inspiring patron saint of the Tianxiang Kingdom. Could it be that they will simply decline into oblivion like this? The Emperor sighed, a pang of regret throbbed in his heart. Perhaps back then...
After having experienced the might of the old Duke, the military officials were all enraptured, while those who had made secret plans for the old Duke immediately decided to drop those plans. Even the Eldest Prince who had suffered a huge loss in face did not show any grievances. At the end of the day, he would only blame that old supporter of his. Ignorant and disgraceful, did he not notice that this old Duke had gone half-mad?
Of course, there were still many of them who held onto their grievances within their hearts. You old thing, you think you can continue living forever? The day you die is the day the Jun family become extinct!
However, this was something that they can only think about deep within their hearts. There are no powers amongst them within the Tianxiang Kingdom with the courage to blatantly confront the old Duke!
Only...
The Royal Preceptor, Chief Chancellor Li Shang had been staying seated without saying a single word, but once Grandpa Jun left, his eyebrows was secretly raised, his face shaped into a smile. It seemed that Jun Zhan Tian was quite protective of this disappointment of a grandson. In that case, then Jun Moxie was Jun Zhan Tian's weakness? Such a kind of weakness is simply too easy to grasp. When a person's weak point is revealed, then no matter how strong that person may be, or how much background that person may have, they are no longer worth fearing...
Staying at a corner without being noticed by anyone, the Palace Army Captain, Meng Ru Fei who was standing opposite Preceptor Li looked at each other, their faces showing a mysterious smile.
Jun Family, Jun Xie's Room.
The doors were closed; Little Ke's face was blushed red, as she obviously wanted to escape.
"Are you scared of me?" Jun Xie wiped his body. Since this little girl had already seen his naked body before, seeing a little more makes no difference. Since this girl does not seem to care, why should he?
"Scared," Little Ke nodded her head immediately. But she then thought about it and quickly said. "No, no, not... scared."
Jun Xie laughed before standing up, getting out of the bathtub... naked. Little Ke screamed again, covering her eyes.
Jun Xie quickly put on his clothes before going in front of Little Ke, smiling. "You can open your eyes now, it is all right now."
Little Ke slowly opened a small crack between her fingers, secretly peering from the hole. After realizing that Jun Xie had truly gotten clothed, she was able to set her mind at ease and put her hands down. Her face was still of a reddish hue, truly lovely.
Seeing how cute she was, Jun Xie could not stop himself from reaching out and gently patting her on the head. Little Ke was surprised, she raised her head and found that Jun Xie's eyes were filled with warmth, akin to that of a big brother seeing his little sister. Not knowing why, her heart calmed down, no longer feeling fearful. She thought: "Right now, the Young Master actually looks pleasing to the eye."
After having these thoughts, she was suddenly startled: "How can I even think that? He is obviously still the lascivious, debaucherous and detestful baddie! I will not allow him to defile my innocence! If he uses force, then I'll just die!" She could not help but took a step backwards, her face becoming completely alert.