Ten pangolins worked tirelessly day and night in three shifts, and within a single day they had dug three hundred meters. They dug from the outside of the Daoist temple to the underground chamber at the base of the mountain, then excavated a two-meter-wide space outside the chamber walls.

After rewarding the pangolins with a meal of roe deer meat, Zhang Chen let them go.

It was nighttime by then, and Zhang Chen carried a bucket to the main hall to continue stealing the Power of Incense.

Involuntarily, Zhang Chen's gaze moved towards the Jade Talisman in the statue's mouth, seeing it also devouring the Power of Faith. Its speed of devouring the Power of Incense was much faster than his.

"What is Prince Pingbian's Mansion planning? Aren't they worried about angering the Yellow Heaven Dao?" Zhang Chen was puzzled. Logically, there was no need for Prince Pingbian's Mansion, having allied with the Yellow Heaven Dao, to employ such petty tactics, right?

But this was none of Zhang Chen's concern; instead, he absorbed boldly, knowing that if anything went wrong, he could blame it on Prince Pingbian's Mansion.

In one night, he gained a million Points. As the early class bell rang, Zhang Chen quietly left, blended into the crowd after the morning class, and discreetly made his way to the underground chamber wall. His eyes watched the divine power flowing on the chamber wall, thinking, "I wonder if this divine power is a fixed amount or constantly replenished. It should be constantly replenished, right? After all, divine power will fade with time. Without continuous divine power replenishment, it wouldn't last."

"What's really going on? Why not just try it and know?" Zhang Chen extended the mouthparts of his Innate Mosquito from his palm, directly piercing into the divine power within the wall, and without hesitation began devouring.

Suck~

Suck~

As Zhang Chen devoured, the divine power on the wall started flowing like water, with a stream always replenishing it as he drank.

Seeing this, Zhang Chen relaxed: "Indeed, it's being continuously replenished by the Power of Faith, so I can absorb it boldly."

Thinking this, Zhang Chen stroked his chin, pondering: "But isn't it wrong? If that's the case, why bother polishing the statue? Why not just devour it underground?"

"I'll just tell Xiaodouding to skip polishing the main hall; I only want to devour the Power of Faith without working," Zhang Chen murmured to himself.

Zhang Chen devoured for two hours; as the divine power continued flowing in, he felt utterly liberated.

Once Zhang Chen sensed the time was right, he quietly returned to the courtyard, spotting Xiaodouding practicing martial arts.

"Senior Sister, I need to ask you a favor," Zhang Chen beckoned to Xiaodouding.

"What do you need, kid?" Xiaodouding stopped, turned to Zhang Chen, curious.

"Could you take care of skipping that hall polishing job for me, asking the unlucky one to report to the temple and find someone else?" Zhang Chen requested Xiaodouding.

Xiaodouding gave Zhang Chen a surprised look but said nothing, smiling: "No problem! No problem! I'll handle it for you tonight."

After that, Xiaodouding dashed out of the yard, making Zhang Chen laugh inwardly, knowing she still had a childish heart as she had experienced Soul Emergence but lacked stability.

Seeing things taken care of, Zhang Chen didn't linger longer and stealthily returned underground to continue devouring the incense divine power. For him, every moment was Skill Points.

As time flowed swiftly, Zhang Chen initially needed eight days to upgrade the Water Stabilizing Rune, gathering eight million Points. However, through nonstop devouring of incense Points, losing the constraint of time, he gathered the needed Points within just three and a half days.

In the underground space, Zhang Chen looked at his Golden Finger Interface:

[14 Skill (Twelfth Tier): Water Stabilizing Rune (0/8011200)]

[Points: 8012000]

"Upgrade."

Without a second thought, Zhang Chen clicked, and instantly the Points vanished; the skill interface exploded, turning into countless snowflakes, which then formed intricate rune chains and reassembled. After fifteen minutes, the skill appeared on the Golden Finger Interface:

[14 Skill: Sea Calming Pearl]

[Note: Capable of fixing the water's origin]

A simple introduction, yet it left Zhang Chen somewhat unnerved, as fewer words meant more information.

What is the water's origin?

Something called the origin is surely nothing simple.

"A wonderful item! Truly a wonderful item," Zhang Chen looked at the Golden Finger Interface, where the Sea Calming Pearl was no longer just text but manifested as a blue pearl.

That pearl was azure, the size of an egg, appearing extraordinarily beautiful.

But he wouldn't dare to test the Sea Calming Pearl; any anomaly it caused might alert the Yellow Heaven Dao, possibly triggering preemptive measures. That wouldn't be good news.

"This pearl, having materialized, has relieved me of a great worry. No matter what changes occur during the Divine Enthronement ceremony, with this Sea Calming Pearl, there'll always be hope for overturning," Zhang Chen felt relaxed, then turned to the chamber, where divine power flowed along the walls without any depletion of incense power.

"Yet, something feels off. Though the incense power hasn't diminished, endlessly replenishing from all directions, its sheen seems to have dulled," Zhang Chen noticed the wall's subtle change.

Vigilant now, Zhang Chen pondered, "Strange, why this change?"

"But I have no choice now. Even with changes, absorbing is necessary. For me, accumulating experience Points quickly means absorbing incense faith. With such profits at hand, how could I resist?"

Zhang Chen muttered, extending his sinful hand towards the Power of Faith again, starting his devouring.

In the adjacent chamber, Gu Mingyue and Wu Changming stood before a pool, approximately two meters in diameter, filled with golden-yellow water. Around the pool, four spring outlets spewed yellow water, channeling into the pool.

"Strange!" Gu Mingyue suddenly remarked, staring at the pool.

"What is it?" Wu Changming asked, puzzled, moving closer.

"Look at the pool water; isn't it down by two levels compared to seven days ago?" Gu Mingyue pointed at the golden-yellow water, speaking up.

"No way!" Wu Changming's smile disappeared as he heard this, his expression turning serious.

They scrutinized the water, realizing it indeed descended by a few levels compared to seven days ago.

Wu Changming inhaled sharply: "How is this possible? The spreading of teachings below is thriving; how could the accumulated Power of Faith decrease instead of increase, showing negative growth?"

It seemed impossible, yet it occurred.

Negative growth?

It's like seeing a ghost.

If the incense power here experiences negative growth, then what are the disciples collecting on the mountain below?

The incense collected there exhibiting negative growth? What a joke! Not only have they failed to collect Power of Faith, but they've also incurred a loss? That's unheard of!

"Could it be that someone recently mobilized incense power extensively in a battle? Or did the Great Virtuous Master extract Power of Faith for cultivation? Could the Master be about to exit?" Gu Mingyue's eyes showed excitement.

If the Great Virtuous Master exits, his powers will escalate, surely rewriting the world's order.

The Great Victory Dynasty could be overturned, with the Yellow Heaven Dao advancing limitlessly.

"Send a message to inquire if the Master encountered problems," Wu Changming suggested.

"The Master stated, only when this pool is filled can the Divine Enthronement begin. Now that accumulated faith in the pool has sprung a leak, it's imperative to investigate thoroughly. Whether the spread of teachings in the mountains below encountered issues or someone drew incense faith in a recent conflict affecting the enthronement progress, it all needs thorough investigation and must be addressed to the stewards in the sect," Wu Changming said.

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