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

"I'll take it."

Li Qian made his decision.

Although he wanted to save up contribution points to exchange for Martial Arts Secret Manuals later, at this stage he needed to first improve his cultivation to the level of Inner Qi and become an Official Disciple before that.

As for Martial Arts Secret Manuals and such, he would figure out a way later.

Without becoming an Official Disciple, he always felt insecure.

Chen Yong, standing by, was quite surprised to see Li Qian spend ten contribution points to buy a bottle of Qi Blood Pills. The servant disciples who came here often purchased secret books of cultivation... such as the Transformation Strength Method.

It is something that many servant disciples would make use of.

Even if servant disciples were to trade the Transformation Strength Method with each other... they would still need to opt for the black market.

Because the transfer of contribution points between disciples, in principle, is not allowed.

Only the black market could make it happen.

It shows that the black market itself is tacitly condoned by the higher-ups of the Divine Sword Sect.

"Alright."

The stall owner's tone also changed slightly, not as flat as before.

Exchanging a bottle of Qi Blood Pills for ten contribution points made him quite satisfied.

Servant disciples were all very shrewd, often choosing to save up contribution points. Those who truly chose to exchange for elixirs like Qi Blood Pills were few.

Then, the stall owner packed up the items on the stall and took Li Qian to the innermost room.

The lighting here was the brightest.

There sat a portly middle-aged man.

"Steward Li, please help me change the contribution points."

The stall owner wore a mask, appearing not to want to reveal his true identity, yet his tone carried a sense of reverence towards the middle-aged man.

"No problem."

The middle-aged man, Steward Li, sat up straight, "Give me the contribution certificates of both parties involved in the trade."

Li Qian and the stall owner hastily took out their Contribution Wooden Tokens.

The shape of their Contribution Wooden Tokens differed greatly.

Li Qian became more certain that this person was an Official Disciple.

This Contribution Wooden Token, seemingly simple, actually contained a sophisticated miniaturized mechanism.

The entirety of the wooden token fitted tightly, not revealing any internal workings.

And it couldn't dare be opened.

Once damaged, the Contribution Wooden Token would be voided and the stored contribution points would reset to zero.

Steward Li then took out a delicate key, inserting it into the top of the token and slowly turning it.

"The transfer of contribution points is done, after you both sign here, it will officially take effect."

After returning the Contribution Wooden Tokens to them, Steward Li took out a ledger, instructing them to write their names in it.

Apart from adjusting the number on the Contribution Wooden Tokens, related departments in the Divine Sword Sect also strictly recorded the use of contribution points.

Should there be any discrepancy between the token's points and the records, an investigation would be immediately launched.

This matter was taken very seriously.

Contribution points within the Divine Sword Sect functioned as a complete currency system, and should any issue arise, its negative impact was conceivable, potentially leading to the collapse of the contribution point system.

After completing the trade, Li Qian and Chen Yong browsed around the black market a bit longer, finding quite a few good items.

There were even Internal Cultivation Methods.

However, these Internal Cultivation Methods were not from the Divine Sword Sect... as the Divine Sword Sect strictly forbids the trading of their own internal mental methods.

Unfortunately, the contribution points required for these Internal Cultivation Methods were too high, often costing thousands to tens of thousands.

For servant disciples like Li Qian, it might take hundreds of years to accumulate enough.

This kind of trade was clearly aimed at Official Disciples.

It was simply not something servant disciples could afford.

After leaving the black market, Chen Yong couldn't help but ask, "Brother Qian, why did you buy Qi Blood Pills? Isn't that too wasteful?"

"I had no choice, the progress in cultivating Sword Stabbing Fist is too slow. I thought that taking Qi Blood Pills might speed it up a bit."

Li Qian sighed as he spoke.

"Brother Qian, I heard from a senior brother... unless it is during a breakthrough, using a Qi Blood Pill will cause significant dependency if taken during regular cultivation sessions... Once stopped, it will slow down the progress of one's cultivation...."

Chen Yong said.

"I know that."

Li Qian nodded.

Elder Song had already mentioned this to him.

Using elixirs to aid one's cultivation required mastering a certain rhythm. Even if one had an ample supply of elixirs, they could not be used too frequently, lest it leads to a dependency, which would be extremely detrimental to subsequent cultivation progress.

Chen Yong seemed to sense that Li Qian wasn't really taking his words to heart and did not say anything more.

After parting ways with Chen Yong, Li Qian headed straight to the Bell Platform.

In contrast to the brightly lit base of the mountain, the summit was shrouded in darkness.

Thankfully, there was moonlight.

Upon returning to the Bell Platform and opening the door, Li Qian's eyebrows slightly furrowed when he noticed that a strand of hair tied to the door was broken.

"Has someone come in again?"

A thought flashed through his mind.

In fact, for the past few months... each time he descended the mountain, mysterious individuals would stealthily infiltrate the Bell Platform.

He just treated it as if it had never happened.

But this also gave him a sense of urgency within.

Now the intruder was merely sneaking in, looking for something... but what if they lost patience? Would they make a move against him directly?

For this reason, he was eager to cultivate Inner Qi and become an Entry-Level Martial Artist sooner.

At least that would increase his ability to defend himself.

"Never mind, the sooner I take the medicine, the sooner I can break through and become an Entry-Level Martial Artist."

Li Qian's eyes sparkled with determination. After entering his room and locking the door, he lay down to sleep.

The next morning.

Before striking the bell, Li Qian swallowed a Qi Blood Pill.

The pill didn't taste good, having a spicy flavor.

After entering his stomach, it transformed into a warm current that spread throughout his body, instantly making him feel extremely hot.

He waited for the hourglass to nearly run out, then took position, held the bell ringer, and swung forcefully. Accompanied by a heavy strike against the Chen Bell, a clear and resonant bell sound echoed.

At this moment, he felt the Inner Strength within his body starting to surge.

He immediately began practicing the Sword Stabbing Fist on top of the Bell Platform.

One time, two times, three times...

The effect was different after taking the Qi Blood Pill. The blood and qi were explosive, filling his body and continuously transforming into a torrent of Inner Strength. Under the propulsion of the fist technique, it repeatedly struck towards the last meridian path.

Until the effect of the pill was completely exhausted, Li Qian felt somewhat weary in spirit.

But a look of excitement appeared on his face.

Although the meridian had not been completely opened, the effect was much better than before taking the Qi Blood Pill.

At this rate, after taking three to five more Qi Blood Pills, he would likely be able to completely open the meridian.

When the time came to strike the bell again, Li Qian continued to practice the Sword Stabbing Fist, but the effect was vastly different.

Fortunately, the ringing of the bell alleviated much of the mental exhaustion caused by his consecutive cultivations.

He didn't dare to take Qi Blood Pills consecutively within the same day.

He decided to take one pill per day.

Several days passed like this.

When Li Qian took the sixth Qi Blood Pill, and during the second practice of the Sword Stabbing Fist, the surging Inner Strength struck the meridian like a tidal wave.

After several repetitions, suddenly, Li Qian's entire body shook. He felt an electric tingling sensation emerging right at the center of his abdomen, surging up to his chin.

Boom!

His mind roared, and for a moment, his consciousness seemed to plunge into a void, but he quickly regained his senses. His perception expanded a hundredfold, acutely sensing the massive change within his body.

The surging Inner Strength, after forming a complete Grand Circulation, began to undergo a strange transformation.

From Inner Strength to Inner Qi.

Stream after stream of Qi emerged, circulating continuously, and eventually converging into the Qi Sea at the Dantian in his abdomen.

....