Combat Ranking List

"Has the Chen Bell changed from a Mortal Grade Sacrificial Tool into a Treasure Grade Sacrificial Tool?"

A smile appeared on Li Gan's face.

Only, the progress bar had also changed from one hundred to one thousand.

What had originally taken just over three months to upgrade would now take nearly two years and eight months.

He could still accept that.

And the Sword Piercing Fist he had practiced had actually reached Great Accomplishment directly.

It should be related to the Chen Bell's advancement.

The Chen Bell's Bell Sound could already enhance enlightenment. The Sword Piercing Fist was merely the most basic fist technique. Wasn't it perfectly normal for it to rise from Minor Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment?

Next, he carefully examined the characteristics of the Chen Bell now that it had become a Treasure Artifact.

At once, he beamed with delight.

He no longer needed to strike the Chen Bell directly. He could use the Shadow of the Chen Bell in his mind to create Bell Sound, with the same effects.

The effect was far better than it had been when it was a Mortal Grade Sacrificial Tool.

Furthermore, the Treasure Artifact Chen Bell came with defensive and offensive functions.

The method was very simple.

The Shadow of the Chen Bell in his mind would absorb his mental power and release an invisible, aggressive wave of Bell Sound, producing a spiritual deterrent effect against enemies.

How effective it was mainly depended on the enemy's Cultivation Base.

Its defensive function used his body's qi and blood, Internal Breath, Internal Force, or Internal Qi to form a protective qi membrane over the surface of his body, capable of blocking physical and energy attacks.

Before he became a Ranked Martial Artist, the defensive and offensive functions of the Dharma Tool Chen Bell gave him a certain degree of combat power.

Ever since the Sacrificial Tool Chen Bell had upgraded to Treasure Grade, Li Gan's frequency of practicing fist techniques had greatly increased.

Because he no longer needed to strike the Chen Bell directly, he could use the Shadow of the Chen Bell in his mind to create Bell Sound for cultivation.

However, the closer he was to the Chen Bell itself, the better the effect.

Once he got too far away, the effect dropped considerably.

It was not just the cultivation effect. Even the Chen Bell's defensive and offensive functions were related to distance.

The closer he was, the stronger its defensive and offensive functions became. He could draw on the Chen Bell itself to produce a powerful amplification effect.

If he moved far away from the Chen Bell, he could only rely on his own spirit, qi and blood, and Internal Breath to activate its defensive and offensive functions.

"Practicing the Sword Piercing Fist near the Chen Bell... It's almost certainly providing me with the energy I need for cultivation."

After completing a round of fist practice, Li Gan calmed his surging Internal Breath.

Once or twice would have been fine, but after practicing every day, he had clearly sensed this change.

His appetite had grown enormously now, but no matter how much he ate, there was always a limit. He could not eat Exotic Beast Jerky every day.

He was now assaulting the Ren Meridian. Each session of fist practice consumed far more energy. Under normal circumstances, his current Medicinal Meals could not sustain such high-frequency practice.

Yet he had kept it up without draining his potential or leaving his body depleted.

Instead, he felt his physical condition improving more and more.

In particular, he had already grown to one meter eighty. Compared to when he had first arrived, when he had been less than one meter sixty, he had grown over twenty centimeters.

The entire process had taken only a little over four months.

"My cultivation speed is much faster than I expected."

A smile appeared on Li Gan's face.

The Chen Bell could feed back some energy while he practiced fist techniques, making up for the deficiencies of his Medicinal Meals.

Now, he was rather looking forward to the moment when, after opening the final standard meridian, his Internal Breath automatically transformed into Internal Force.

What he was thinking about now was whether he should tell Elder Song.

"I definitely can't tell him that all Twelve Standard Meridians have been opened. I'll just say I've opened eight meridians."

Li Gan finally made his decision.

Although his cultivation speed was not slow, having a Force Transformation Method during the process of Internal Breath transforming into Internal Force would certainly produce better results.

Suddenly, standing atop the Bell Tower, Li Gan looked toward a distant hillside, where a sturdy bare-chested figure was carrying a thick wooden beam and sprinting along.

"This fellow really has enough perseverance. He's already kept at it for over a month."

Li Gan watched the figure and stroked his chin.

Li Gan had no idea what the man's name was.

Over the past month or so, Li Gan had seen him almost every day, carrying that thick beam as he trained his physical strength.

It had been difficult for him at first, but now he looked much more at ease.

"He should be a Menial Disciple too. I just don't know which hall he works for."

Li Gan thought to himself.

For this person to work so hard, he must have wanted to become an Official Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect.

Training physical fitness and improving bodily strength did help with martial arts practice to a certain extent. It was considered a Body Refining Method.

But Body Refining Methods were far too difficult and painful. Few people could persist with them. They required day after day, year after year of unbroken training, come rain or shine.

Once someone slackened even a little, all their previous efforts would go to waste.

Whoosh!

Li Gan leaped down from the Bell Tower and walked over to a large boulder.

The man seemed tired. He stood the beam upright on the ground and rested with one hand braced against it.

"Brother, which hall are you from?"

Li Gan greeted him.

Ever since coming to the Bell Tower, apart from exchanging a few words with Elder Song, he had had no one else to talk to. He had been bored stiff.

The sturdy young man glanced at Li Gan. After a moment of silence, he said in a muffled voice, "Night Fragrance Room."

Li Gan was stunned.

The conditions of that job were much worse than his own.

He was probably someone without money to grease any palms.

"My name is Li Gan. What should I call you, brother?"

Li Gan did not look down on him just because he was a Menial Disciple from the Night Fragrance Room. The other man worked so hard; clearly, he was someone with ambition.

"My name's Chen Yong."

After answering, the sturdy young man said nothing more.

Clearly, he had the personality of a sealed gourd.

"Brother Chen Yong, training like this is far too hard. And without Medicinal Meals to go with it, it'll be easy to train your body into collapse."

Li Gan kindly warned him.

"It's not hard."

The sturdy young man shook his head. A faint smile appeared on his honest face.

Li Gan could tell that it was a smile from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps, for this young man, being able to cultivate in the Divine Sword Sect—even as a Menial Disciple—was already more than enough.

After resting for a while, the sturdy young man, Chen Yong, called out a farewell to Li Gan, hoisted the beam onto his back, and resumed running.

Over the following period, Li Gan greeted and chatted with Chen Yong almost every day.

From being quiet and sparing with words at first, Chen Yong gradually opened up and became willing to say more.

"Among the Menial Disciples, there's a Combat Ranking List. If you can hold the number one spot in the annual combat rankings for three consecutive years, you can be exceptionally promoted to an Official Disciple."

Chen Yong revealed an important piece of information.

After coming to the Bell Tower, Li Gan had never gone down the mountain again, nor had he interacted with any other Menial Disciples, so he knew nothing about the Combat Ranking List.

"So, Brother Chen Yong, you want to get onto the Combat Ranking List?"

Li Gan asked.

"No. I just want to train more and strive to become a Ranked Martial Artist before leaving the Divine Sword Sect. That way, I can help my family."

Chen Yong scratched his head and shook it.

Li Gan was a little speechless.

He had thought Chen Yong was the sort of person with lofty ambitions. It turned out he merely wanted to become a Ranked Martial Artist before leaving the Divine Sword Sect.

That was normal too.

Perhaps that was the goal of the vast majority of Menial Disciples.

Becoming an Official Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect was simply far, far too difficult.

The path of merely holding first place on the Combat Ranking List for three consecutive years was almost impossible to complete.

If he did not have the system as his golden finger, Li Gan would probably have taken the Combat Ranking List route in order to change his fate.

But now, he could not leave the Chen Bell, much less give up his position as the Bell Ringer. He had to remain at the Bell Tower forever.