7 The Exquisite Hongjun Pagoda

Jun Xie didn't go out over the next few days. He would wake-up in the morning, and would head straight to the library. Then, he would stay there the entire day. There were no exceptions to this routine. Grandpa Jun would go through the books read by him on a regular basis. Grandpa Jun's expressions would change from disappointment to shock, and then to pleasure… It seemed that Grandpa Jun had yet to exhaust the entire range of his facial expressions.

The servants of the Jun family assumed that their Young Master had picked-up another peculiar hobby. He would remain in the library building throughout the day, and would walk out and sit in the courtyard during the night. Moreover, the spot that he had chosen to sit was the darkest corner of the courtyard; it was far away from the reach of light.

The servants didn't seemed to be concerned about his new hobby. After all, it was better than his past 'hobbies'.

Jun Xie was seated under a flower tree at the moment. He was enjoying the dark aura of the night. It was so dark that one couldn't spot one's own hand. However, Jun Xie was feeling safe and secure. The darkness of the night was naturally the safest place for someone who used to be a master of assassins and an invincible personality. The night had always been Jun Xie's best and most reliable partner.

Jun Xie felt as if he was in a dream as he gazed at the stars. He had read several books containing information on this world in the past few days. So, the situation in the continent had become more or less clear to him. However, he became more and more confused as he continued to read.

Jun Xie would've assumed that he had landed himself in an ancient Kingdom if it wasn't for the black and white letters in the books. The people, the accents, the culture, and the clothing seemed similar to that of the Tang and Song dynasties. In fact, they were too similar.

Jun Xie sunk his head between his knees, and held the back of his head with both hands. He groaned as he thought, [Why? Why is this not the ancient era of my country? I would be in such an advantageous position then. The resources that I have concerning those eras would have been really useful. I could've taken advantage of my foreknowledge… even if I don't wish to change history. It could've put those divine prophets to shame… and coast my way through history while avoiding any misfortune.]

[Mystic Mystic Continent, where in the damned hell is this place? Gold Mystic, Silver Mystic, Earth Mystic, Heaven Mystic… Mystic Qi… Mystic your granddaddy!!! Why is it not internal martial arts?]

The only things that had remained familiar was the sun, moon, and the pleasant night. And, only these things felt familiar to Jun Xie.

Jun Xie's face looked like a cold stone; his cheeks throbbed with pain as he restrained himself from cursing out at the Heavens.

He started to feel a violent headache as he struggled through the surge of extreme emotions. He couldn't retain a calm face even with his extraordinary endurance; his face grimaced in pain. The headache soon turned into dizziness.

He felt as if the world around him was rotating at an unbelievable speed. The night sky seemed to his eyes like an insane show of madness. The whole world seemed unreal to him; like an illusory existence.

Jun Xie panted and bit his lip in pain; the blood flowed down his lips. He glared ahead as he went through the pain without letting out a single sound.

[I was alone when I came into this world. So, I'll bear this pain alone. I can only depend on myself in this strange world… and no one else. I'll never depend on anyone else.]

[Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! I'll use my killing skills… and will forge a path of blood… will wipe-out the skies… and will obliterate the lands… Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!]

Jun Xie felt hazy. Suddenly, something appeared in his realm of consciousness. It seemed to be a spark of distant light. However, it seemed to be moving closer to him. It started to become clearer, brighter, and bigger as it got closer. It finally transformed into a luminescent rainbow-colored pagoda. It seemed extremely brilliant, and kept on rotating within his consciousness. A vivid form of sagely radiance was being emitted out with each of its rotation.

Jun Xie continued to stare ahead with bloody eyes even though his limbs were paralyzed, his body numb, and his consciousness slowly dying. He continued to glare at the unusual realm without batting an eye.

A gust of a wind blew past him after an undetermined period of time. Jun Xie started to feel cold.

[The early autumn night is still chilly.] Jun Xie realized something as this thought crossed his mind, [I can feel the cold. This means that my senses are working again. But, was I not already…] He got up and realized that he was covered in cold sweat. His clothes were drenched in his sweat to the point of being uncomfortable.

Jun Xie felt as if he was a new-born in this world.

Jun Xie had woken-up inside Jun Moxie's body. He had tried to support his body by migrating his mind and soul into it. However, Jun Xie had remained Jun Xie. But now, he felt that he had fused into Jun Moxie's body by going through that pain. Now, Jun Xie had become Jun Moxie – the true master of this body.

Jun Xie disregarded the messy state of his body, and sat down cross-legged. He then closed his eyes. He pushed his spiritual awareness into his consciousness as he tried to understand something. Jun Xie knew that the extreme pain that he had felt earlier was due to the presence of a small pagoda within his body. However, he realized that the pagoda did something else too. Otherwise, would why he feel so much pain through the simple process of the fusion of soul and flesh? Jun Xie was certain that something else had also happened. He realized that he could only rely on the small pagoda. Also, he would never feel satisfied until he understood what exactly had happened.

Jun Xie felt that he could clearly 'see' the pagoda in his consciousness. It was glowing with brilliance of seven colors, and was rotating atop his consciousness. Jun Xie could clearly see that each of its rotation was in sync with his body's Qi and blood flow. It was being synchronized repeatedly in an endless cycle.

[What's happening here?] Jun Xie looked at the pagoda in surprise. He had always been a strong disbeliever. Yet, he felt confused as he realized that the pagoda's capabilities had surpassed the boundaries of common sense.

[I wonder if I can get closer and take a better look.] Jun Xie was still thinking when the small pagoda started to grow bigger in size. Suddenly, the door of the lowest level of the pagoda opened, and a thick white mist emerged out of it. Jun Xie's awareness started to fuse with that white mist. The mist was so thick that it almost looked solid. Jun Xie took a deep breath. He felt as if a sense of calm had taken over him. He felt an utter sense of comfort. Even his soul rose to a level where it wanted to sing happily…

He observed his surroundings, and was surprised to realize that he had arrived right in front of the pagoda. He saw two words inscribed above his head in an ancient language – Hongjun Pagoda.

He entered the room. He saw it was empty; except for the white mist that floated around him. Suddenly, the thick mist moved, and gathered together to form two rows of words – Nine Layered Exquisite Pagoda – First Eternal Art.

The mist then rolled and formed a hazy-looking formula in Jun Xie's awareness. Jun Xie was startled. But then, the characters, symbols, and drawings moved and formed a revolving spiral. Jun Xie felt a vast amount of information entering into his awareness. It felt as if a huge train had entered into a small hut. However, the train continued to rush without causing any damage to the hut.

Suddenly, Jun Xie started to feel dizzy. He felt as if his head was going to explode. Then, he fell to the ground.

He opened his eyes, and realized that he lay on the same cold spot as before. However, he realized that the cultivation formula still existed in his consciousness. He could also see the diagrams that represented the pathways throughout the human body. The accompanying forms and actions were also present.

Jun Xie clenched his fists. His eyes shone brightly as he mumbled aloud, "The Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune!"