Chapter 126: A Surge in Power

Within the space of his consciousness, Zhou Yi watched as the river of energy finally began to recede. He exhaled a long, slow breath; the crisis had finally been averted. Never again would he court such death!

Twelve pillars stood firm—solid, dense, heavy, and steady—capable of supporting the heavens and anchoring the earth.

As he let out a sigh of relief, Zhou Yi turned his attention to his three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, which had undergone a radical transformation. The twelve towering pillars were forged from a fusion of dense mana and the spatial dimensions of the acupoints. Atop them rested a ceiling formed by that same fusion of mana and space, while beneath his feet stretched floor tiles as white and pure as jade.

The entire acupoint space had been transformed into a vast, majestic hall. The twelve pillars acted as the primary supports for a sprawling, immense ceiling that covered the entire expanse. The jade-like tiles underfoot radiated an aura of ancient, boundless vastness. Because of his reckless risk-taking, he had stumbled into a fortunate mistake; every corner of the hall now emanated an extraordinary and distinct resonance.

The inheritance of heaven and earth had structured the acupoint space, and the massive infusion of energy—a virtual ocean of it—had been utilized. While a small portion went toward increasing his strength, the vast majority had been spent stabilizing the information of heaven and earth, etching it directly into the acupoint space. Though it appeared to be a mere hall, its true nature was far more profound.

Compared to an ordinary hall, Zhou Yi’s current sanctum was entirely different. Yet, looking closely, it seemed the same. Zhou Yi understood, however, that it had indeed changed; the mere integration of the heaven and earth information was enough to render the hall extraordinary.

What was this information of heaven and earth? It was the foundation of a realm, the rhythmic laws that construct the cosmos.

Now that it was solidified within his acupoint space, Zhou Yi could not yet fathom the full extent of the influence it would have on him. But he was certain of one thing: it was undoubtedly a good thing.

Although this meant that, despite the infusion of such a vast river of energy, his raw strength had only reached the fourth stage of the False Core realm, Zhou Yi felt it was well worth it.

The growth of strength is temporary; with hard work, there is always an opportunity for more. It is like a water bucket: increasing strength is merely pouring water into it. As long as there is water, it will eventually be filled. Furthermore, the larger the bucket, the more it can hold. But it is not a simple case of "the larger the bucket, the more it holds"; the quality of the material matters, too. If the material is substandard, what use is a large bucket? As the volume of water increases, so does the weight and pressure, until the bucket itself shatters before it is even full.

Therefore, in terms of development, the size of the bucket and the quality of the material must advance in tandem. That is the true path.

The inscription of the heaven and earth information was akin to improving the material of the bucket. While the interior volume remained unchanged, the material had shifted, as if transforming from wood to iron. The amount of water it could hold remained the same, but the risk of it bursting was gone.

Although the transition to iron made the road ahead more difficult, it allowed for a much steadier path. The path of cultivation is so long that its end is invisible. No matter how fast one travels, how far can one truly go? Only stability is the correct path. By taking it one step at a time, one can travel further.

Thus, after successfully cultivating the Mountain-Heavy Technique and resolving his own internal issues, Zhou Yi had dedicated the vast majority of the energy to improving his own "material"—his fundamental foundation. Looking at it now, despite the near-death experience and the hard-won opportunity, the increase in his raw power was small, but he was immensely satisfied.

Moreover, to say the increase in strength was small is only relative. Compared to the fortune he had harvested, the boost to his power was negligible. Yet, compared to his previous self, the strength he now possessed was unimaginably vast.

Before the breakthrough, he was at the peak of the Heaven-Human stage, with a strength at the first acupoint of the second stage of the False Core. But now? He was at the first acupoint of the fourth stage of the False Core. The gap between the two was two major realms. It might not seem like much, but given that so many in the martial world possessed only the strength of the first stage of the False Core, the disparity was immense.

Even their sect, the Mountain-Backing Blade Gate, with its profound foundation and dozens or even hundreds of practitioners at the False Core stage—enough to rival the rest of the martial world combined—had no one above the third stage of the False Core, excluding their ancestor. And it was unclear if even they had reached perfection.

Although they utilized the Acupoint Infusion Method—where strength cannot be compared to those using the Acupoint Growth Method—the fourth stage of the Acupoint Growth Method could not match the third stage of the Acupoint Infusion Method. But how could Zhou Yi’s strength be measured against others?

Thanks to the river of energy and his "golden finger," after mastering the Mountain-Heavy Technique, his supply of the Light of Enlightenment became abundant. Zhou Yi purposefully controlled this light to shine upon his Dantian space, expanding its area.

The reason for the vast difference in strength between those using the Acupoint Growth Method and the Acupoint Infusion Method at the same level of cultivation lies in the amount of mana.

Limited by the impact on his future, one using the Acupoint Growth Method cannot infuse the acupoints. Thus, the only mana they can use is what is stored in the Dantian realm, and the capacity of that Dantian realm is equivalent to only a single acupoint.

However, those using the Acupoint Infusion Method are different. All three hundred and sixty-five acupoints can be infused with mana. Combined with the Dantian space, their mana capacity is three hundred and sixty-five times that of their peers. Such a massive gap naturally leads to a world of difference in strength.

The reason the Dantian realm is usually only as large as an acupoint is that it relies on the acupoints for its existence, growing alongside them. Without the Light of Enlightenment, it can only passively wait for the acupoints to grow. If one possesses enough Light of Enlightenment, the Dantian space can indeed be expanded.

But the Light of Enlightenment is incredibly rare; its appearance requires various prerequisites. Under normal circumstances, when it appears, people find it insufficient even for expanding their acupoint spaces, let alone their Dantian.

But Zhou Yi was different. During the ordeal of the energy river, he had an excess of the Light of Enlightenment. Faced with the life-or-death danger of an explosion caused by too much energy, he welcomed anything that could rapidly consume that energy; he even wished for more.

Through this twist of fate, the actions Zhou Yi took merely to consume energy brought him unexpected rewards.

With the unhindered radiance of the Light of Enlightenment, his Dantian space expanded continuously. By now, it was ten times the size of an acupoint space. It was not that he could not make it larger, but once the Dantian space reached ten times the size of an acupoint, he suddenly received a piece of information from the inheritance he had obtained. After reading it, he decisively halted the expansion of his Dantian space.