Sacrificial Artifact System: From Bell-ringer to the Ancestral Patriarch of the Sect-Chapter 2 Striking the Bell

"It's definitely different, we're just servant disciples while they are Official Disciples, which come with much better conditions. Official Disciples themselves have higher aptitude than us. It's said that, on average, an Official Disciple can sense Inner Qi within a month, and for those top-tier geniuses, it can be achieved within just a few days. In the path of Martial Arts Cultivation, without talent, mere hard work is of little use. You never know, they might be working even harder than you, plus they have ample Cultivation Resources...."

Old Song said with a chuckle, "As servant disciples, we need to be content, not to covet beyond our reach, and simply strive within the scope of our capabilities."

"I'll remember that, Elder Song."

Li Qian quickly responded.

Elder disciples like Old Song, with their extensive experience and knowledge, spoke with profound truth and reason.

Old Song smiled; right now, Li Qian was performing quite well, but people change, especially the young and ambitious. They always aspire to climb higher and become an Official Disciple, not knowing the difficulties and dangers along the path, how many fall on their journey.

He had seen far too many.

The Chen Bell Platform has seen many servant disciples come and go.

Regrettably, none could endure the loneliness, hardship, dullness, or the job with no future prospects, and without any substantial benefits, later shifting roles through connections.

Now, it remains to be seen how long Li Qian can hold on.

"Li Qian, you've learned quite a bit from this old man these past few days. Tomorrow's 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. bell will be in your hands,"

suddenly, Old Song's tone turned stern.

The job of the Bell-ringer, though not a burdensome one, cannot tolerate any distraction. Every hour on the hour, the bell must be struck, never early, never late.

If one were to miss the timing, and it's discovered by the inspectors of the Divine Sword Sect, punishment would be inevitable.

Old Song became a Bell-ringer in his teens and has struck the bell for sixty-four years, whether in scorching summers, freezing winters, or during thunderstorms and gales, he never once made a mistake.

....

A sound woke Li Qian while he was sleeping soundly.

He jolted awake and jumped up.

"Song, Elder Song..."

He remembered that today he was to ring the bell.

Having no alarm clock, he had slept too soundly and had no idea what time it was now.

"To be a Bell-ringer, you must first learn to manage your own sleep schedule, to be able to sleep on time, and wake up on time,"

said Old Song. "Of course, you've just become a Bell-ringer and are certainly not used to it yet. For the next while, you must get yourself into a regular sleeping routine."

"I understand, Elder Song."

Li Qian quickly got out of bed and dressed.

Outside, it was still pitch-dark.

The weather felt a little cool at this time.

It was drawing close to late autumn.

After getting out of bed, the first thing Li Qian did was check the hourglass to tell the time.

And with Elder Song waking him, it was now the fifth watch of the tiger period, around 4:10 a.m.

There were still over forty minutes until the time to strike the 5 a.m. bell.

After freshening up, he went up to the Bell Platform.

Old Song was already there.

He stood tall like a pine, and although his face showed his age, his spine was still straight.

Just how advanced is Elder Song's Martial Arts Cultivation?

According to what Li Qian knows, Martial Arts are divided into Ninth Grades.

To generate Inner Qi is to be a Ninth Grade Martial Artist.

Although just a Ninth Grade Martial Artist, for servant disciples, it might well be the ultimate goal.

Because from the initial Qi sense to cultivating Inner Qi, there are several hurdles to overcome.

Li Qian began to get busy.

Because he needed to check the condition of the hourglass.

There were hourglasses below the Bell Platform, and there were also hourglasses on it.

After ensuring there were no problems with the hourglass, Li Qian began to wait.

An inexplicable sense of nervousness suddenly sprouted within him.

This was his first time ringing the bell.

When the time reached the seventh watch of the tiger period, the previously motionless Elder Song finally turned around, looked at Li Qian, and said, "Get ready."

Li Qian nodded.

He moved over to the position of the striking rod.

Since the Chen Bell was very large, the striking rod was also not small, nearly ten feet long and thicker than a person's thigh.

It was not clear what type of wood was used to make it, but it was obviously extremely hard and heavy.

The part of the Chen Bell that had been struck bore marks.

But the striking side of the rod showed no significant wear.

He positioned himself, sank his waist into a horse stance, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and placed both hands on the thick striking rod, slowly starting to push it.

Now it was just an adjustment to get familiar.

"Keep your eyes on the hourglass while adjusting, so you can accurately grasp the time to strike the bell," reminded Old Song.

Li Qian nodded.

His gaze also fell on the nearby hourglass, and he could see that the fine sand inside was getting less and less.

It should only take a few more minutes before it ran out.

Once it ran out, it would be the time of mao.

The seconds passed by, one after another.

Li Qian could even hear his own heartbeat.

Suddenly, there was only a sliver of sand left in the hourglass, not yet fallen.

"Strike."

Old Song shouted.

Li Qian suddenly flung his arms open, pushing the striking rod backwards, and after a few swings, as the rod gained sufficient amplitude, he put all his strength into it and struck the Chen Bell as fast as he could, as forcefully as he could.

Along with a muffled bell sound, it spread towards the various peaks of Divine Sword Sect.

The last thread of sand in the hourglass also fell to the bottom.

The timing was just perfect.

Mao time had arrived.

At the same time, a mechanical-like voice sounded in Li Qian's mind.

"Ding, Sacrificial Artifact System activated, binding host in progress...."

Startled, Li Qian, who didn't stand steady and still had his hands on the striking rod, was unexpectedly pulled by the enormous force of the rod's swing and fell backwards uncontrollably.

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Fortunately, Old Song reacted quickly, supporting the rod with one hand and grabbing Li Qian's collar with the other.

Not only was Li Qian about to fall, but the striking rod, with its large sway, might also hit the Chen Bell a second time.

If it struck a second time, it would be considered an accident.

"Li Qian, what's going on with you? Your first bell striking and you nearly caused a serious problem," Old Song said in a deep voice, looking at the still bewildered Li Qian.

"Old Song, I..." Li Qian couldn't possibly say that a strange voice suddenly popped up in his mind, startling him.

"Be more careful next time," Old Song didn't elaborate further.

"Yes, Old Song," Li Qian hurriedly nodded.

"Alright, hurry and prepare for the chen time bell striking," Old Song waved his hand.

Li Qian quickly got busy.

After everything was set up, Old Song checked it over once, and there were no problems.

"Next, you'll need to slowly adapt to this lifestyle, not slackening at all, at the same time, don't be too tense either," Old Song instructed.

"Old Song, I will," Li Qian listened earnestly.

After Old Song left to make breakfast, Li Qian stood next to the Chen Bell, recalling the voice that had appeared in his mind.

Suddenly, it was as if an illusion appeared in front of him, and the things he saw began to blur.

His heart panicked, and he tried to rub his eyes, but in the next moment, his blurry vision became clear again.

Yet, a small light screen appeared in front of his field of vision.

On this small light screen, there was some textual information.

Host: Li Qian.

Cultivation: None.

Sacrificial Artifact: Chen Bell (Mortal 1/100).

Martial Arts: None.

Traits: Indestructible Chen Bell, long life to the Sacrificial Master; strike once a day, refine and protect the Dao Bell; bell sounds for enlightenment, body cleansing, and Qi Cultivation.

...