Xia Chuan stood atop the verdant foot of Bailong Mountain, his heart racing with excitement. As the energy of faith surged within him, he felt the power stir deep in his core. The Book of Wisdom's voice echoed in his mind, clarifying the profound nature of this newfound force.
"Master, this is the power of faith. It will hasten your cultivation, advancing your strength at an unimaginable speed."
"Power of faith?" Xia Chuan's eyes sparkled with intrigue. The very concept seemed mystical, an ethereal force that could transcend the mundane and propel him forward on his path to mastery.
In that moment, he stretched out his senses, and there it was—like a vast river of energy flowing toward him. Six hundred million believers from the miniature world had each contributed a spark of faith, an offering that had gathered into a mighty torrent. Their devotion, though small in each individual, had become immense when united.
With a sudden rush, the golden energy flowed into him, a dazzling stream that enveloped his body.
Boom!
The energy swirled within him, pouring into his Dantian, where it melded with the qi already present in his body. The internal qi swelled, circulating wildly. His meridians expanded, every channel in his body filling with power, as if the very fibers of his being were becoming one with the heavens themselves. It was the Humming Tuna Gong in action, the secret technique that devoured energy like a whirlpool, drawing in everything around it with insatiable hunger.
The qi surged through his body, breaking through the meridians with a force so great it felt as if the very earth trembled beneath his feet. The energy seemed to stretch on without end, like a powerful beast devouring the heavens.
For an entire day, Xia Chuan stood still as the torrent of energy continued to fuel his cultivation. The flow was relentless, as if an ancient force had awakened within him.
Boom, boom, boom!
The internal qi continued to circulate, faster and faster, until at last, the energy began to stabilize.
Xia Chuan opened his eyes, a satisfied smile crossing his face. His body thrummed with vitality. Every meridian had been fully penetrated, every channel opened to its fullest potential. His cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Bronze Realm—Perfection.
"I've done it!" Xia Chuan's fist clenched in triumph. The power coursing through his body was immense, even greater than the most legendary warriors of ancient times. He could feel the sheer force at his command, the power to shatter mountains with a single strike, to crush his enemies like a tiger hunting its prey.
His body had been tempered by the qi, his flesh and bones honed to an otherworldly resilience. The strength that now surged through him was no mere mortal's strength—it was the strength of a being who had touched the very limits of human potential.
"To think it took only a day to reach the peak of the Bronze Realm... The power of faith is truly a wondrous thing," Xia Chuan marveled. In the miniature world, ordinary humans would spend years, even decades, to reach such a state. Yet, with the blessings of his millions of followers, he had advanced with unparalleled speed.
But this was only the beginning. Xia Chuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. If he could gather even more followers, perhaps tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions, the rate of his cultivation would be like a rocket ascending into the heavens.
Unlike the practitioners of Xuanhuangxing, who relied on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Xia Chuan had discovered that his path to power was far more direct. The power of belief—this ethereal force—could propel him forward at a pace that surpassed all traditional cultivation methods.
"With such a vast number of miniature humans in the world, the potential for power is endless," Xia Chuan murmured to himself. If he ruled even a fraction of the miniature world, he could harvest a limitless supply of faith, and with it, accelerate his rise to unimaginable heights.
His thoughts were interrupted by the Book of Wisdom's voice once again.
"Master," it said, "there seems to be a spatial tunnel nearby."
Xia Chuan's heart skipped a beat. The mention of a spatial tunnel brought forth memories of the Special Affairs Bureau's warnings. Could it be true? Had a tunnel connecting different worlds truly appeared near Bailong Mountain?
His pulse quickened. The possibilities that lay beyond this spatial rift were endless. Without hesitation, he rose to his feet, his mind set on exploring what lay on the other side of this mysterious opening.