Chapter 3: Faith

Su Wuchen could clearly sense that this descending palm from the heavens was aimed directly at him, because he was right at the center of it.

But who was making this move?

A Golden Core True Person?

A Nascent Soul True Monarch?

Such overwhelming power exceeded anything Su Wuchen could have imagined. He felt every ounce of terror he had ever known in his life erupt in that instant. Shrieking, he turned and fled, desperate to escape the Qixi Festival Sect.

He didn’t want to die!

The wanted posters across all of Alkaid Province hadn’t managed to kill him. He absolutely refused to die here!

He burst out of the Qixi Festival Sect, escaping onto the open ground outside and spotting the stairway leading down the mountain.

But…

“Boom!”

The colossal palm shifted direction and slammed down with finality, smashing solidly onto Su Wuchen beneath it. The earth quaked violently, sending clouds of dust exploding into the air.

After the thunderous impact, all fell silent.

The remaining people within the Qixi Festival Sect stared blankly at the scene beyond their mountain gate. As the swirling dust slowly began to clear, they saw the massive handprint embedded in the ground.

What was this?

The disciples of the Qixi Festival Sect were not only shocked but filled with an intense fear of the unknown.

…

Su Xiaoyu withdrew her hand.

She studied her palm. On it was a tiny, barely perceptible red dot—a trace of Su Wuchen’s blood. The speck of blood left from swatting a mosquito would have been far larger than the spot now on her palm. This gave her a clear sense of just how minuscule the tiny ancient-costumed figures inside the box truly were.

So, what did this diorama box actually represent?

Su Xiaoyu felt a mixture of intense curiosity and nervousness. After putting the lid back on the diorama box, she picked up her magnifying glass and began observing the situation inside again.

Once the dust had fully settled, the tiny costumed figures, after standing around dazed for a while, finally reacted. They began approaching the edge of the gigantic hand-shaped crater, peering down at what was inside. They spoke to one another in tones still thick with undisguised shock, speculating about the cause of this “divine miracle” that had appeared before them.

Even the gravely wounded Tong Shishi was surrounded by the crowd and questioned for information. But how could even Tong Shishi possibly explain the situation before their eyes?

So, after some discussion, everyone turned their attention to other matters.

After Su Wuchen’s assault, the Qixi Festival Sect had suffered devastating casualties. The dead needed to be buried, and the wounded required immediate treatment.

Su Xiaoyu watched as some of the tiny costumed figures cast healing spells to rapidly close the wounds of the injured. She also saw others consuming various Spirit Pills to heal themselves.

The various actions of the Qixi Festival Sect members caused Su Xiaoyu’s expression to shift repeatedly.

She was a web author, never short of reading web novels. She had encountered all sorts of creative, outlandish concepts. This allowed her to swiftly form a preliminary judgment about the scene before her.

Inside the diorama box was a Cultivation World!

A Cultivation World that should only exist in novels and entertainment media had actually appeared within a mysterious diorama box!

What exactly was going on here?

‘Could this be my transmigration golden finger?’

Su Xiaoyu mused.

Having read countless novels, she naturally understood that transmigrators were often accompanied by a golden finger, a tool to distinguish the protagonist from everyone else. She happened to be a transmigrator herself, so having a golden finger didn’t seem all that strange.

But if this diorama box truly was her golden finger, what could she use it for?

A brief thought sent a jolt through her heart.

Could she take the Spirit Pills out of the diorama box to heal her legs?

Her crippled legs were incurable by the medical science of the real world. She was likely destined to never leave her wheelchair. But a problem unsolvable in reality might not be such a difficult matter within a Cultivation World.

Just the thought made Su Xiaoyu feel her heart pound, beyond her control.

If one could stand upright, who would willingly remain confined to a wheelchair forever?

And what about the possibility of learning the various immortal cultivation techniques from inside that world? If that were possible, the changes it would bring would be even more astonishing!

Taking several deep breaths, Su Xiaoyu did her best to calm her tumultuous emotions and steady herself.

Afterward, she looked at the diorama box and decided to conduct an experiment.

She reopened the lid and reached her hand inside once more. But this time, she didn’t let her hand emerge directly above the Qixi Festival Sect. Instead, she brought it down near the edge of the diorama box, grabbing a large tree atop one of the mountains. With a gentle pull, she effortlessly uprooted the giant tree completely.

Su Xiaoyu began to retract her hand. But just as she was pulling her hand back out of the box, she felt her grip suddenly loosen. The giant tree she had been holding slipped from her fingers and plunged downward.

“Hmm?”

Su Xiaoyu froze, looking inside the diorama box. She watched as the giant tree plummeted through the sky within the box before crashing into the mountains below with a thunderous impact, sending up clouds of dust.

She couldn’t take it out?

She was absolutely certain she had gripped that giant tree very tightly. Yet the tree had still slipped away. This could only mean that the diorama box was preventing her from removing its contents.

As Su Xiaoyu pondered this, some golden text suddenly appeared on the outer wall of the diorama box, drawing her attention.

Faith Value: 0.

Faith Value Required to Retrieve Magpie Mountain Giant Tree: 500.

After the golden text flashed, the Faith Value fixed itself at the upper right corner, while the description of the Magpie Mountain Giant Tree vanished.

“I get it now. Items from the diorama box can be taken out, but they require something called Faith Value. But… how do I obtain Faith Value?”

Su Xiaoyu couldn’t help but fall into thought.

Judging by the name, this substance seemed to be related to faith. Could it mean that she needed to gather faith?

If she wanted to obtain faith…

Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the Qixi Festival Sect.

The sudden fall of the Magpie Mountain Giant Tree from the sky had caused intense tremors and noise. Many disciples within the Qixi Festival Sect had noticed and were now peering in the direction of the tree’s crash site.

“Do I need to get Faith Value from them?”

Su Xiaoyu murmured to herself.

Moreover, if retrieving items from the diorama box required Faith Value, then merely learning the immortal cultivation techniques inside wouldn’t require taking the manuals themselves out, would it? In that case, was it possible for her to master them?

Su Xiaoyu felt there were far too many things worth experimenting with.

Regardless, these developments had enlivened her heart, filling her with boundless hope for the future.

Lifting her magnifying glass, she peered back toward the Qixi Festival Sect.