Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Odd-Job Disciples

Divine Sword Sect.

The once-every-three-years disciple recruitment had officially ended.  

Outside the Odd-Job Hall.  

Hundreds of Odd-Job Disciples, wearing standard gray clothing, stood in neat formations.  

A middle-aged man in a blue robe was reading from a register.  

This person was a Deacon of the Odd-Job Hall, assigning tasks to the newly entered Odd-Job Disciples.  

Odd-Job Disciples, in name, were disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, but in reality, they were specifically recruited for labor.  

Their martial arts talent was very average.  

Those with sufficient talent had all entered the Inner Sect.  

Even so, people were still desperate to squeeze into the Divine Sword Sect as Odd-Job Disciples.  

Even if they couldn’t become Formal Disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, Odd-Job Disciples were still eligible to cultivate.  

After a few years as an Odd-Job Disciple, they could leave with some skills and make a name for themselves.  

If they were lucky enough to succeed in cultivation and pass the Divine Sword Sect’s assessments, they had the opportunity to enter the Inner Sect and become Formal Disciples, which was a chance to rise to the top.  

“Li Qian.” 

“Here.” 

An ordinary-looking, thin young man hurriedly stepped out from the ranks.  

“You are to report to Time Bell Pavilion now.” 

The middle-aged man in the blue robe said.  

“Yes.” 

Li Qian acknowledged the order.  

But he was a bit dumbfounded.  

He was originally a transmigrator from Earth. After learning that this was a world where martial arts reigned supreme, he had made up his mind to cultivate martial arts and become someone of high standing.  

Unfortunately, his martial arts talent was average. After fierce competition, he had luckily passed the Divine Sword Sect’s assessment and become an Odd-Job Disciple.  

He knew that among the assignments for Odd-Job Disciples, the best option was undoubtedly to serve as an Odd-Job Disciple on the seven Main Peaks of the Divine Sword Sect. This was because they could come into contact with the Peak Masters, Elders, and True Disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, enjoy the best treatment, and have a greater chance of obtaining cultivation resources.  

If they were lucky enough, they might even receive guidance and rewards.  

The next best option was to enter the various Halls.  

Some Halls were involved in the Divine Sword Sect’s vast external industries and required a large number of Odd-Job Disciples. Although the chances of obtaining cultivation resources in these places were a bit smaller, the treatment was good, and there were plenty of perks.  

The worst assignments were the chores in the nooks and crannies of the Divine Sword Sect’s mountain gate, such as the Laundry Room, Cleaning Room, and Night Soil Room. These tasks were not only dirty and tiring but also offered no perks.  

These were also the places that were most short-staffed. Many Odd-Job Disciples couldn’t stand this kind of life and eventually gave up their Odd-Job Disciple status and left.  

The Time Bell Pavilion where Li Qian was going wasn’t particularly dirty, tiring, or difficult, but it was definitely a place with no perks whatsoever.  

“This is ridiculous. I paid so much money, and they assigned me such a lousy job.” 

Li Qian was indignant.  

He had bribed the Deacon of the Odd-Job Hall in advance.  

That money was all his savings.  

The only fortunate thing was that he hadn’t been assigned to those dirty and tiring jobs.  

Perhaps it was still due to the bribe.  

“It seems those who were assigned to good jobs paid even more than me.” 

Li Qian sighed deeply.  

In any place, human relationships were the main theme.  

Even within a powerful martial arts sect like the Divine Sword Sect, it still existed.  

Li Qian left the Odd-Job Hall, holding a token representing his status as an Odd-Job Disciple at Time Bell Pavilion, and walked towards Time Bell Pavilion.  

After many twists and turns, and encountering several checks, Li Qian finally saw Time Bell Pavilion.  

Time Bell Pavilion was just an ordinary bell tower, standing on a mountaintop with a considerable altitude.  

The scenery was quite beautiful.  

On a giant rock, a bell tower was built, with a huge bell placed on top.  

“Dong!” 

Suddenly, a deep bell sound rang out.  

It spread far and wide.  

It could be heard clearly throughout the entire mountain gate of the Divine Sword Sect.  

Li Qian vaguely saw a figure on the bell tower.

◈◈◈ 

Someone was ringing the bell.  

Dong!

Dong!

With an interval of a few seconds each time, the bell rang three times and then fell silent.  

“Three rings of the Time Bell, does that represent the Si Hour?” 

Li Qian thought to himself.  

This world didn’t have clocks or other timing devices, so time was announced through the Time Bell and gongs.  

He arrived at the foot of the bell tower.  

An old man with a hunched back, wearing gray clothing, came out from the bell tower.  

“Li Qian greets Senior.” 

Li Qian hurriedly bowed.  

This old man in gray clothing was probably also an Odd-Job Disciple. At such an old age, he must have been a veteran among the Odd-Job Disciples in the Divine Sword Sect.  

More than ninety-nine percent of Odd-Job Disciples would leave after a few years, but there were some exceptions. Those who had no family, wife, children, or daughters would stay in the Divine Sword Sect forever.  

They would work and contribute to the Divine Sword Sect all their lives, and the Divine Sword Sect would also allow them to spend their old age within the mountain gate.  

It seemed that this old man belonged to this category.  

“I’ve been nagging for so long, and the Odd-Job Hall finally sent someone over.” 

The old man revealed a smile.  

He was old and found it a bit difficult to ring the bell on time every day.  

Now that a new Odd-Job Disciple had arrived, he could finally enjoy his retirement.  

“Come with me.” 

The old man said as he entered the bell tower.  

The bell tower was divided into two floors. The lower floor was the living quarters of the bell ringer, and the upper floor housed the Time Bell.  

Li Qian hurriedly followed him inside.  

As soon as he entered, Li Qian saw more than a dozen hourglasses of various sizes placed on the opposite wall, each one leaking fine sand.  

The old man pointed to the hourglasses and explained.  

These hourglasses were all timing devices.  

The reason there were so many was to ensure accuracy through comparison.  

After listening to the old man’s explanation, Li Qian basically understood.  

However, it was too complicated.  

If only there was a clock that could also provide timed reminders, how wonderful that would be.  

“The first ring of the Time Bell must start from the Mao Hour, with an error no more than ten breaths. At the Chen Hour, it must be rung twice, and finally, until the You Hour, it must be rung seven times. Then you can end the day’s Time Bell announcements. As for the period from the Xu Hour to the Yin Hour, it is announced by the Gong and Drum Room, and has nothing to do with our Time Bell Pavilion.” 

The old man continued, “Since hourglasses have a certain degree of error, we also need to observe the celestial phenomena and constellations to make adjustments and corrections. I will teach you these things slowly.” 

Li Qian listened attentively.  

He would be working at Time Bell Pavilion from now on.  

This was his future livelihood in the Divine Sword Sect, and it was related to his future path in martial arts.  

His martial arts talent was average, but hard work paid off. Even if he couldn’t become a Formal Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, he still wanted to learn some skills so that he could make a living outside after leaving the Divine Sword Sect.  

For the next two days, Li Qian followed the old Senior to learn.  

Since the old Senior’s surname was Song, Li Qian respectfully addressed him as Old Song.  

Old Song was almost eighty years old.  

If he were an ordinary person, he would have been lying in a coffin for many years at this age.  

At the same time, he also began his martial arts cultivation.  

However, he hadn’t sensed any Qi yet.  

Old Song occasionally gave him some guidance on cultivation.  

“You’ve just started cultivating, it’s normal to have no Qi sensation. It took me more than three months to finally find my Qi sensation back then.” 

Seeing Li Qian’s dejected expression, Old Song said with a smile.  

“Old Song, does it take that long just to sense Qi? Those Formal Disciples should be much faster, right?” 

Li Qian asked curiously.