Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Second Wish

The gate of the True Transmission Hall remained open.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from within.

Zhou Buping instinctively glanced over, but it wasn’t Li Qian who came out. It was another Inner Sect Disciple who had participated in the True Disciple Selection, and he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

“Eighteen already, the last one is Li Qian.”

He thought to himself.

A lifetime of anticipation rested on Li Qian’s shoulders.

If Li Qian couldn’t do it, then hope would have to be placed on the next generation.

He remembered decades ago, when he himself participated in the True Disciple Selection and failed to comprehend the mural. He still remembered the disappointment on his Master’s face when he learned of his failure.

Therefore, he swore in his heart that he would fulfill the wishes of his Master and the previous generations. For this, he had guarded Wild Goose Gate Valley for decades.

After waiting for a while longer, Li Qian’s figure finally slowly emerged from the True Transmission Hall.

He seemed quite exhausted.

“Master.”

Li Qian walked over and was about to speak.

“Don’t say anything yet, back to Wild Goose Gate Valley.”

Zhou Buping shook his head.

Li Qian looked at the calm Zhou Buping, scratched his head, and felt admiration. Master is Master, truly possessing great composure.

So, the master and disciple left the Divine Sword Hall Plaza and returned to the wooden house in Wild Goose Gate Valley.

Inside the wooden house, everything was very simple.

A shrine.

With several spirit tablets placed on it.

All of them were ancestors of the Heartless Sword lineage.

Passed down to Li Qian’s generation, it was the seventh generation.

After Zhou Buping burned incense and paid his respects, he took a deep breath and then said to Li Qian, “Alright, you can speak now. No matter the outcome, Master can bear it.”

Li Qian was stunned. So Master wasn’t actually calm.

“Master.”

He lowered his head, his voice low, “I”

“It’s alright. If it were that easy, your Grandmaster, with his comprehension and talent, would have figured it out long ago.”

Zhou Buping sighed, comforting him instead.

Even with Li Qian’s high comprehension, it wasn’t possible. Could it be that Grandmaster’s guess was wrong, and the mural didn’t contain the secrets of the Flawless Vajra Method?

“Master, actually, this disciple has already comprehended the Flawless Vajra Method from the mural.”

Li Qian said.

Zhou Buping was taken aback, staring straight at Li Qian, “What did you just say, say it again?”

“Master, this disciple has comprehended the Flawless Vajra Method from the mural.”

Li Qian repeated.

“Comprehended?”

Zhou Buping froze on the spot, feeling as if he were in a dream.

“You rascal, how dare you tease Master. Tell me, how did you comprehend it?”

He finally came to his senses, his eyes shining.

“This disciple used Heartless Sword Intent to communicate with the mural, and a peculiar illusion of someone practicing appeared. At first, it was just the secrets of the Heartless Sword Manual, but later… it changed, evolving into a completely new set of movements called the Immaculate Sword Body, reversing Internal Qi, nourishing the physical body.”

Li Qian said.

“Immaculate Sword Body, reversing Internal Qi, nourishing the physical body… It truly is the Flawless Vajra Method. I didn’t expect it to actually exist.”

After hearing this, Zhou Buping muttered to himself.

“Master, I will now demonstrate the key points of the Immaculate Sword Body cultivation method.”

Li Qian said.

“No need.”

Zhou Buping waved his hand, “It’s useless for Master to learn it. However, you can compile it into a manual, which can be used as the inherited cultivation method for our lineage in the future.”

“Alright, Master.”

Li Qian nodded.

The cultivation of the Immaculate Sword Body required it to be practiced before reaching the Innate Realm, after Postnatal Internal Qi had reached Perfection. Master was a martial artist above the Innate Realm, so he truly couldn’t cultivate it.

“Back then, the Grandmaster of our lineage had two wishes. One was to comprehend the Flawless Vajra Method from the mural and perfect the Heartless Sword Manual. The second was to use the Heartless Sword Manual as the fundamental cultivation method and establish a new main peak in the Divine Sword Sect, thereby carrying forward our lineage.”

Zhou Buping said faintly, “Disciple, this second wish can only be realized by you.”

“Master, can we still establish a new main peak?”

◈◈◈

Li Qian was quite surprised, “Aren’t the seven main peaks of our Divine Sword Sect fixed?”

“Who said they’re fixed? It’s just that establishing a new main peak is extremely difficult. The founder must reach a certain level of cultivation before they have the qualifications.”

Zhou Buping shook his head and said.

“Master, what level of cultivation?”

Li Qian asked curiously.

“Haha, don’t think about it for now. Focus on cultivating the Flawless Physical Body first. Once you achieve Perfect Innate, establishing a new main peak in the future will be as easy as flipping your hand.”

Zhou Buping was in a very good mood.

As he spoke, he took out a wine jar from a nearby cabinet.

“Come, have a few drinks with Master to celebrate.”

He slapped off the lid and poured the wine into two large bowls.

A strong aroma of wine filled the air.

Li Qian couldn’t help but gulp.

He had only tasted Zhou Buping’s treasured wine once, and the aftertaste was unforgettable.

Later, Zhou Buping wouldn’t let him drink anymore.

He didn’t expect Master to be so generous this time.

Li Qian returned to the Time Bell Pavilion in a drunken state.

The wine was delicious.

But it was easy to get drunk on.

Even with Li Qian’s cultivation, he couldn’t handle it.

Li Qian collapsed onto his bed and fell fast asleep.

When he woke up the next day, Li Qian found that the sky was already bright.

He slapped his forehead, he had missed ringing the bell at the Mao Hour.

Drinking really messed things up.

But it didn’t matter, he was a Formal Disciple now, the Odd-Job Hall couldn’t control him anymore.

After washing up, Li Qian ate some Exotic Beast Dried Meat to fill his stomach, and then he started to get busy, checking and adjusting the hourglasses.

When the Chen Hour arrived, Li Qian immediately struck the bell.

Two rings in a row.

The clear bell sound spread far and wide.

Amidst the lingering sound of the bell, Li Qian assumed a stance and began to cultivate the Immaculate Sword Body.

Reversing Internal Qi would put a certain amount of pressure on the meridians.

Therefore, during cultivation, there would be a feeling of soreness and distension in the meridians.

This minor effect was nothing.

After completing one cycle, the Immaculate Sword Body’s progress increased slightly.

From this, it could also be seen that the difficulty of cultivating the Immaculate Sword Body was likely much higher than that of the Heartless Sword Manual.

When he first started practicing the Heartless Sword Manual, one Great Heavenly Cycle also increased the progress slightly, but at that time, the Time Bell was only a Treasure Instrument.

Next, Li Qian only practiced the Immaculate Sword Body three times before he couldn’t continue.

Because his meridians couldn’t handle it.

Reversing Internal Qi was not that simple and easy.

Fortunately, the bell sound had a body-cleansing effect. Under the influence of the bell sound, even if the meridians were slightly damaged, they could slowly recover, preventing any hidden dangers.

In the afternoon, after ringing the bell, Li Qian practiced the Heartless Sword Manual once more to comprehend Sword Intent.

Zhou Buping unexpectedly came to the Time Bell Pavilion again.

“This is the Yuan Meridian Pill, used for nourishing the meridians. Cultivating the Immaculate Sword Body requires reversing Internal Qi, which will inevitably damage the meridians. Taking this pill can alleviate the effects. However, it’s ultimately a pill, it can’t completely eliminate the impact. When you cultivate the Immaculate Sword Body, you must do it within your limits, there’s no need to force the pace. As long as the Immaculate Sword Body is cultivated, you will be able to transform and break through the normal age limitations. Even if you break through to the Innate Realm a few years later, it doesn’t matter.”

Zhou Buping handed two bottles of pills to Li Qian.

“Master, I understand.”

Li Qian nodded.

He wasn’t worried about age at all.

As long as the Time Bell didn’t break, he could live forever, maintaining his Qi and Blood at their peak.