Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Law Instrument

It was a new day.

Li Qian woke up as usual, but with a hint of anticipation in his heart.

Today was different.

The Time Bell was about to upgrade.

After washing up, Li Qian arrived at the Time Bell Pavilion early.

The sky was just faintly lit.

It was very quiet.

The subtle sound of sand falling in the hourglass was so clear to Li Qian’s ears.

Suddenly, Li Qian grabbed the striker, exerted force from his waist and back, swung his arms, and struck the bell with a resounding clang, breaking the silence of the mountains and valleys.

At that very moment, the entire Time Bell burst into a strong light, as if enveloping him.

Li Qian felt like he was bathing in a boundless ocean of bell sounds.

The internal Qi in his body seemed to be blessed by some invisible force, and his body involuntarily began to practice the Heartless Sword Manual.

Yes, it was that passive.

As if controlled by an invisible force.

But he was extremely clear and could feel every little change in his body.

It was extremely wondrous.

“I didn’t expect that the cultivation method I usually practice had some deviations. At this position, I must stay for an extra moment, and at this place, I must speed up. The effect is actually so obvious.”

“This movement actually needs to be performed with such Qi circulation. No wonder I always felt a little awkward before, and even Master couldn’t find the reason. No wonder Master said that any cultivation method, practiced differently, will produce different problems, and there will never be a 100% perfect match.”

Li Qian’s spiritual consciousness completely immersed itself in the cultivation controlled by the invisible force for an unknown amount of time.

He enjoyed it immensely.

Because he saw many of his own shortcomings, and many of his questions and doubts were answered at this moment.

When the bell sound completely dissipated.

Li Qian, as if his Primordial Spirit had returned to its shell, completely regained control of his body.

He felt the changes in his body and was deeply shocked.

Because his internal Qi was much stronger than before.

Moreover, when his internal Qi circulated, it formed a more perfect Great Heavenly Cycle.

This meant that the Heartless Sword Manual was now almost perfectly matched to him.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he quickly summoned the system interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Qian.

Cultivation Level: Postnatal （Seventh Level 11/100）.

Sacrificial Instrument: Time Bell （Law 0/10000）.

Martial Arts: Sword-Piercing Fist （Perfection）, Heartless Sword Manual （Major Completion 19/100）.

His cultivation level had actually advanced two minor levels, reaching the Postnatal Seventh Level, and his progress was already at eleven.

As for the Heartless Sword Manual, it had also made rapid progress, entering the realm of Major Completion.

All of this was caused by the Time Bell upgrade.

The upgraded Time Bell had become a Law Instrument.

The characteristics of the Law Instrument Time Bell were that its original functions had been greatly enhanced. Functions like defense and attack were naturally greatly improved, and it also had the ability to conceal one’s aura.

Moreover, the Law Instrument Time Bell also had a new function—self-repair.

Even if the Time Bell was damaged, it could recover.

The most peculiar thing was that the self-repairing power of the Law Instrument Time Bell could also be used on Li Qian, its Sacrificial Master.

This self-repair was not without limitations. Once the self-repairing power of the Law Instrument Time Bell was consumed, it could not be used again for a short period of time and could only be slowly accumulated.

Even so, it was a heaven-defying ability.

Even if Li Qian was seriously injured and could not be treated, the Time Bell’s self-repairing ability could restore him.

It was said that as long as the Time Bell was not destroyed, the Sacrificial Master would not die.

He could be considered immortal in a way.

That was under the condition that he did not suffer any fatal injuries. In reality, he could still die from external forces.

With the Time Bell’s self-repairing power, his survivability had greatly increased.

“It will take 10,000 days, or more than 27 years, for the Time Bell to upgrade again.”

Li Qian sighed inwardly. The time required for the Time Bell to upgrade was getting longer and longer.

More than 20 years was not a short time.

After all, he was only 18 years old now.

It had only been more than three years since he entered the Divine Sword Sect.

“I wonder how much the Time Bell upgrade will affect my cultivation?”

Li Qian’s eyes flickered.

He was also a little regretful that the Time Bell, after upgrading to a Law Instrument, still could not be shrunk. Otherwise, he could have replaced it.

For the next 20 years or so, he would have to continue staying in the Bell Tower.

In the following days, he tested the effects of the Law Instrument Time Bell on his cultivation one by one.

Relying on the daily bell sound cultivation, his daily cultivation progress had returned to about one point.

This speed was terrifying.

Before the upgrade, when he was at the Postnatal Fifth Level, it took him two days of cultivation to increase his progress by one point.

Now that he was at the Postnatal Seventh Level, the difficulty of cultivation had increased significantly, but he could still achieve one point of progress per day. This meant that the auxiliary effect brought by the bell sound was extremely astonishing.

After all, the pills he was using had not changed at all.

The faster the progress, the greater the consumption of Qi and Blood and Spirit.

◈◈◈

With the pills remaining the same, it could only be attributed to the bell sound.

“It seems that this Time Bell can absorb unknown energy and transmit it into my body through the bell sound, providing Qi and Blood energy for my cultivation and replenishing my consumed Spirit.”

Li Qian thought to himself.

This meant that he would not be too reliant on pill resources.

After all, taking too many pills would accumulate pill toxins in the body, affecting future cultivation.

Even the best quality pills were no exception.

Therefore, the pills Zhou Buping provided him with every month were limited.

It was not that Zhou Buping could not afford to give him more, but he was worried that Li Qian would not be able to resist the short-term benefits of cultivating by swallowing pills and would take a large amount, affecting his future martial arts prospects.

As for the Heartless Sword Manual, at the Major Completion level, he could increase his progress by about one point every two days.

He was looking forward to comprehending Sword Intent after the Heartless Sword Manual reached Perfection.

More than a month later.

Afternoon.

The rain and fog were vast.

Since the rainy season had begun, it had been drizzling continuously.

Li Qian was picking vegetables in the rain, preparing to cook them for dinner.

A faint layer of Qi membrane covered the surface of his body.

This was formed by using his internal Qi, with the help of the Law Instrument Time Bell’s defensive properties. With his skillful control, the consumption was very low, but it could isolate the rainwater.

Even if he went out in such rainy weather, his clothes and hair would not get wet.

Just as he was carrying the bamboo basket filled with vegetables back to the Bell Tower, he saw a person standing outside, holding an umbrella.

From the back, it seemed to be a woman.

At this time, the person heard the movement and turned around.

It was actually Song Yingying.

After more than two years of not seeing her, Song Yingying no longer had the innocence of the past, but she looked very haggard, as if she had been through a lot.

“Cousin.”

Song Yingying said.

“Why are you here?”

Li Qian was very surprised.

He had not been in contact with her for so long that he had almost forgotten about her.

“Have you become a Formal Disciple?”

Song Yingying asked.

“Yes.”

Li Qian nodded and entered the Bell Tower.

Song Yingying followed him in and put down her umbrella.

However, her clothes and hair were still wet from the rain.

“What’s the matter?”

Li Qian asked after putting down the bamboo basket.

“I’m working in the laundry room now.”

Song Yingying did not answer directly but started talking about her own situation.

“Weren’t you in the Hundred Herbs Garden?”

Li Qian was surprised.

“I offended someone and was demoted to the laundry room.”

Song Yingying smiled bitterly.

“What happened?”

Li Qian looked at Song Yingying. No wonder she looked so haggard. It was obvious that she had not been doing well.

“Cousin, I shouldn’t have come to you, but I really have no other choice. I was naive and misjudged someone. I revealed some things and brought this trouble upon myself.”

Song Yingying said with a dejected expression.

She regretted it very much now.

If she had stayed in contact with Li Qian, after he became a Formal Disciple, he would have definitely helped her out for her grandfather’s sake.

But there was no medicine for regret in the world.

If she had not been driven to desperation, she would not have had the face to come to Li Qian.

Li Qian knew what Song Yingying was talking about.

Although the person behind Yi Zhong could not do anything to him now that he was a Formal Disciple, it would be effortless for them to deal with Song Yingying.

But Song Yingying most likely did not know about the existence of the Treasure Map.

After all, the Treasure Map was too risky.

The more people who knew, the greater the risk.

Old Song knew this best.

Perhaps in Old Song’s mind, after Li Qian obtained that opportunity through the Treasure Map, he would help Song Yingying out for his sake.