Dharma Tool

It was a new day.

As usual, Li Gan got up, but a hint of anticipation stirred within him.

Today was different.

The Chen Bell was about to upgrade.

After washing up, Li Gan headed to Chenzhong Terrace early.

The sky was only just beginning to lighten.

It was very quiet.

The faint sound of sand falling in the hourglass rang so clearly in Li Gan's ears.

Suddenly, Li Gan grabbed the Striking Pole, put his back and waist into it, and swung it with both hands. A clear, ringing note shattered the silence of the surrounding mountains.

At that very instant, the entire Chen Bell burst into brilliant light, as if it had enveloped him.

Li Gan felt as if he were bathing in an endless ocean of bells.

The Internal Qi within his body seemed to receive some invisible blessing, and his body began practicing the Heartless Sword Art against his will.

Yes, it was entirely involuntary.

It was as if an invisible force controlled him.

Yet he was astonishingly clear-headed, able to feel every minute change in his body.

It was incredibly strange.

"I never realized that the mental cultivation method I usually practice still has some flaws. At this point, I need to linger a little longer, while here, I need to speed up. The difference is so obvious."

"This movement requires such precise control of my Qi. No wonder it always felt awkward before, and even Master couldn't figure out why. No wonder Master said that every cultivation method produces different problems for different practitioners; no method can be a perfect fit for everyone."

Who knew how much time had passed? Li Gan's consciousness sank completely into the cultivation directed by that invisible force.

He relished it.

He could see the countless flaws he had left in his practice. So many problems and questions were answered in that instant.

When the bell's sound finally faded away,

Li Gan felt as if his Primordial Spirit had returned to its orifice, and he regained complete control of his body.

He sensed the changes within himself, and his heart shook with astonishment.

His Internal Qi was far more abundant than before.

Moreover, as it circulated, it formed a more perfect Greater Celestial Circuit.

That meant the Heartless Sword Art now matched him almost perfectly.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He quickly summoned the System Interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation Base: Postnatal Realm (Seventh Layer 11/100).

Sacrificial Tool: Chen Bell (Dharma Tool 0/10000).

Martial Arts: Sword Piercing Fist (Perfection), Heartless Sword Art (Great Accomplishment 19/100).

His cultivation had advanced by two minor layers, reaching the Seventh Layer of the Postnatal Realm, with his progress already at eleven.

The Heartless Sword Art had also made tremendous strides, reaching Great Accomplishment.

All of this was because the Chen Bell had upgraded.

After its upgrade, the Chen Bell had become a Dharma Tool.

Its original functions had been greatly enhanced. Its defensive and offensive power had naturally increased enormously, and it had also gained the ability to conceal its aura.

Furthermore, the Dharma Tool Chen Bell had another function—self-repair.

If the Chen Bell was damaged, it could recover.

Most wondrous of all, the Dharma Tool Chen Bell's power of self-repair could also be used on Li Gan, its Sacrificial Master.

This self-repair was not without limits. Once the Chen Bell's self-repair power was used up, it could not be used again for a short while; it had to slowly accumulate more.

Even so, it was an ability that defied heaven.

Even if Li Gan suffered severe injuries that could not be treated, the Chen Bell's self-repair ability could still restore him.

They said that as long as the Chen Bell remained intact, its Sacrificial Master would not die.

In a sense, that meant he could live forever.

That was only if he never suffered a fatal injury. In reality, he could still die if killed by an external force.

With the Chen Bell's self-repair power, his chances of survival had greatly improved.

"The Chen Bell will need ten thousand days to upgrade again. That's more than twenty-seven years."

Li Gan sighed inwardly. The time needed for each upgrade was getting longer and longer.

More than twenty years was an awfully long time.

After all, he was only eighteen.

He had been at the Divine Sword Sect for just over three years.

"I wonder how much the Chen Bell's next upgrade will affect my cultivation?"

A glint flickered in Li Gan's eyes.

He also regretted that after upgrading into a Dharma Tool, the Chen Bell still could not shrink. Otherwise, he could have put the bell away.

For the next twenty-odd years, he would have to keep living in the Bell Tower.

Over the following few days, he tested the Dharma Tool Chen Bell's effects on his cultivation one by one.

By cultivating to the sound of the bell each day, his cultivation progress returned to its usual pace of one point a day.

That speed was frightening.

Before the upgrade, when he was at the Fifth Layer of the Postnatal Realm, it took him two days of cultivation to gain one point of progress.

Now he had reached the Seventh Layer of the Postnatal Realm, where cultivation was much harder, yet he could gain one point a day. That meant the assistance provided by the bell was astonishing.

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

The faster his progress, the more vital energy and mental strength he must be expending.

With the Medicinal Pills unchanged, the only possible explanation was the bell's effect.

"By the looks of it, the Chen Bell can absorb some unknown energy and send it into my body through its ringing, providing vital energy for my cultivation and replenishing my mental strength."

Li Gan pondered.

That meant he would not have to rely too heavily on Medicinal Pills.

After all, taking too many Medicinal Pills caused pill toxins to build up in the body, affecting one's future cultivation.

Even the highest-quality Medicinal Pills were no exception.

That was why Zhou Buping only gave him a set number of Medicinal Pills each month.

It was not that Zhou Buping could not afford to give him more. He was worried Li Gan would be unable to resist the short-term benefits of cultivating with Medicinal Pills and start taking them in large quantities, harming his future in martial arts.

As for the Heartless Sword Art, at Great Accomplishment, he could gain about one point of progress every two days.

He looked forward to comprehending sword intent once the Heartless Sword Art reached Perfection.

More than a month later.

Afternoon.

Rain and mist shrouded everything.

Ever since the rainy season began, it had been drizzling for days on end.

Li Gan was out in the rain, picking vegetables to cook for dinner.

A faint film of Qi covered the surface of his body.

He had formed it from Internal Qi by drawing on the Dharma Tool Chen Bell's defensive properties. With his skillful control, it consumed very little energy, yet kept the rain out.

Even when he went out in weather like this, it kept his clothes and hair dry.

As he carried the basket of vegetables back toward the Bell Tower, he saw someone standing outside, holding an umbrella.

From behind, she seemed to be a woman.

Hearing the noise, she turned around.

It was Song Yingying.

More than two years had passed, and Song Yingying was no longer the young, inexperienced girl she had once been. But she looked terribly haggard, as if she had weathered many storms.

"Cousin."

Song Yingying spoke.

"What brings you here?"

Li Gan was surprised.

They had not been in touch for so long that he had almost forgotten about her.

"You've become an Official Disciple?"

Song Yingying asked.

"Mm."

Li Gan nodded, then went into the Bell Tower.

Song Yingying followed him in and folded her umbrella.

Her clothes and hair, however, were still damp from the rain.

"What did you come to see me about?"

Li Gan asked after setting down his basket.

"I'm working in the Laundry Room now."

Song Yingying did not answer directly. Instead, she told him about her situation.

"Weren't you at the Hundred Herb Garden?"

Li Gan asked in surprise.

"I offended someone and was demoted to the Laundry Room."

Song Yingying gave a bitter smile.

"What happened?"

Li Gan looked at Song Yingying. No wonder she looked so haggard. Anyone could see she had been having a hard time.

"Cousin, I shouldn't have come to you, but I really had no choice. I was too naive and trusted the wrong person. I let something slip, and that's how I got into this mess."

Song Yingying said despondently.

She regretted it now.

If she had stayed in contact with Li Gan back then, then after he became an Official Disciple, he would surely have helped her for Grandpa's sake.

But there was no medicine for regret in this world.

If things had not become unbearable, she would never have had the face to come to Li Gan.

Li Gan knew what Song Yingying was talking about.

The person behind Yi Zhong might not be able to do anything to him now that he was an Official Disciple, but dealing with Song Yingying would take no effort at all.

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

After all, the Treasure Map carried too much risk.

The more people who knew about it, the greater the risk.

Elder Song understood that best of all.

Perhaps Elder Song had hoped that after Li Gan found the opportunity hidden through the Treasure Map, he would help Song Yingying for his sake.