What’s going on? Ethan Brooks looked at the small tower in shock and doubt. This thing was completely beyond the bounds of common sense, plunging Ethan Brooks, a staunch atheist, into a state of genuine confusion.

I wonder if I can take a closer look? As soon as Ethan Brooks had this thought, he suddenly noticed that the small tower seemed to be slowly growing larger. Then, the main gate on the first floor at the bottom suddenly swung open, and a thick white mist whooshed out. In an instant, Ethan Brooks’s entire consciousness was engulfed by the white mist. The mist was so dense it was almost tangible. Ethan Brooks took a deep breath and suddenly felt a wave of comfort wash over his whole body—an indescribable sense of ease, even his soul felt a joyful urge to sing...

Ethan Brooks looked around and realized that, without knowing when, he had already arrived in front of the tower’s entrance. Above his head, three faintly visible ancient characters: 鸿钧塔!

Ethan Brooks walked inside. It was empty, filled only with that almost tangible white mist swirling about. Suddenly, the mist began to churn, and two lines of large characters slowly appeared: Exquisite Nine-Layered Tower, The Greatest Merit of All Time!

Then the mist churned even more urgently, and suddenly a hazy incantation appeared in Ethan Brooks’s mind. Ethan Brooks was just startled when countless characters and diagrams began to spin violently before his eyes, then all at once, as if being force-fed, they were crammed into his consciousness—like a speeding train suddenly crashing into a tiny hut! And, astonishingly, after crashing in, everything went silent...

In that instant, Ethan Brooks couldn’t help but feel dizzy, his head about to explode, and he collapsed to the ground.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself still lying on that same damp, cold patch of earth as before. Yet in his mind, a cultivation technique was now clearly imprinted, along with a diagram of the body’s meridian pathways and a series of human-shaped postures...

“Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique!” Ethan Brooks murmured, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes, his fists unconsciously clenching tight!

Chapter Eight: Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique

Ethan Brooks knew that, by a stroke of fate, he had encountered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! This “Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique” was so mysterious and unfathomable, its effects were bound to be extraordinary! And this nine-layered exquisite tower must be an incredible treasure!

Even if Ethan Brooks was ignorant, he had at least heard of the legendary Hongjun Patriarch from Chinese mythology. It was said that this great being was the master of the three supreme deities: the Supreme Lord of Dao, the Primordial Heavenly Lord, and the Lord of All Things. That was a figure of unimaginable power! Since this tower bore the name of Hongjun, how could it be anything less than extraordinary?

Ethan Brooks was almost unable to contain his eagerness to start cultivating the Creation of Heaven and Earth Technique, but fortunately, his temperament was steady and he managed to restrain himself. Only then did he have time to check his own body—and was immediately shocked.

He saw that his skin was covered in a thick, sticky, pitch-black layer of filth, emitting a nauseating stench. It was actually quite a thick layer!

A term from legend suddenly popped into Ethan Brooks’s mind: cleansing the meridians and purging the marrow?! Could it be that after suffering so much pain, I’ve expelled all the impurities from my body? Ethan Brooks was instantly overjoyed! If I’d known it would have this effect, then... it would have been worth enduring even more pain just now!

Indeed, given Ethan Brooks’s temperament, as long as he could improve his strength, what did a little pain matter? Even if the pain was nearly unbearable, it was still worth it!

Excited, Ethan Brooks stood up, forced himself to ignore the stench coming from his body, and dashed to the pond at home, diving in with a splash.

Suddenly, several voices shouted at once, “Who’s there?!”

Ethan Brooks snorted and said, “It’s me! Young master wants to bathe—no one is allowed to bother me!”

“Oh, it’s the young master.” With that, all was silent.

...

In the study, Mr. Brooks frowned. “What was that noise?”

The steward, Mr. Palmer, quickly went out, then returned and bowed, “It was the young master. He said he jumped into Falling Moon Lake to take a bath.”

“Bathing?! Jumping into Falling Moon Lake to bathe in the middle of the night?” Mr. Brooks was so angry his nose was almost crooked, his voice nearly breaking. In a fit of rage, he suddenly roared, “That little rascal!” He flung his sleeves and went off to bed. The hope he’d harbored these past few days that his grandson would mend his ways was suddenly and completely dashed, leaving him with an inexplicable sense of frustration in his chest.

That’s how life is—the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Mr. Brooks truly wished he could drag that rascal over right now and give him a good beating, so that this disappointing grandson would finally understand why the flowers are so red...

Ethan Brooks floated quietly on his back on the water, his whole body lying flat, using only gentle movements of his hands and feet to keep from sinking, feeling utterly at ease.

Having completely washed away the thick layer of filth, Ethan Brooks felt as if he’d just crawled out of a cesspit, his mind and body refreshed. The only regret was that, although he had now truly merged with this physical body, his cultivation was still far from the level needed for inner vision, let alone comparable to his previous life. But to be able to expel so many impurities at once—surely the current state of his muscles and bones would surprise even himself? As Ethan Brooks thought about this, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.