The life of striking the bell tower was far from monotonous.

Every day, practicing punches to enhance Qi sense, a full and blessed existence.

Several more days passed.

After striking the Chen Bell, Li Qian practiced the Sword Stabbing Fist technique. As each punch was thrown like a stab, his entire body shook - muscles, bones, and internal organs all vibrated.

Suddenly... Li Qian felt the Qi sense that had been boiling at his navel stir as if pulled by the momentum of his fist, moving ever so slightly.

His spirit lifted, he urgently adjusted his breathing, and tried with all his might to direct that ball of Qi sense.

Gradually, the sense of movement started to grow stronger.

Under the guidance of Sword Stabbing Fist's breathing and movements, the Qi Blood Energy began to slowly shift.

At first, it was very slow, heavy like someone pulling a cart.

But gradually, the movement of the Qi ball became faster and much lighter.

He knew this was the transformation of the Qi sense in motion, evolving into Inner Breath.

If Qi sense is driven by the body's instinct,

then Inner Breath can be actively controlled by the individual.

As for the principles behind this, one would have to ask the ancestors who created these martial arts.

After completing the set of punches, Li Qian only felt his body burning hot. When he finished his stance, he exhaled, as if a stream of high-temperature steam burst forth from his mouth.

This was the bodily energy generated by the circulation of Inner Breath.

After releasing his breath, Li Qian suddenly felt a sense of fatigue.

Moreover, he experienced a strong sense of hunger in his stomach, as if he could devour an entire cow.

This was unusual.

It indicated that after entering the stage of Inner Breath, training with the fists consumed more of his body's Qi Blood Energy.

He brought up the system interface.

Host: Li Qian.

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Inner Breath).

Sacrificial Artifact: Chen Bell (Mortal 57/100).

Martial Arts: Sword Stabbing Fist (Minor Achievement).

....

A satisfied smile emerged on Li Qian's face.

Just as he returned to the base of the bell tower, preparing to find something to eat to fill his stomach, Elder Song walked in, glanced at Li Qian, and immediately asked in surprise, "Have you stepped into Inner Breath?"

"Yes, Elder Song, how did you tell?"

Li Qian answered with a nod.

"Your face is pale, it clearly shows that at the moment of transition from Qi sense to Inner Breath, your body has consumed too much Qi Blood Energy," Elder Song replied.

It's just that Li Qian, who eats medicinal meals every day, had already developed a strong body. If an ordinary person were to make a breakthrough to Inner Breath... they would likely suffer from Qi Blood depletion, affecting the body's foundation.

He immediately went to his room, opened a chest, and took out a small box.

"Eat this."

Elder Song took out some Exotic Beast Meat Jerky and handed it to Li Qian.

"Elder Song, this is too precious,"

Li Qian said, hastily shaking his head.

He was well aware of his situation; he had no familial ties to Elder Song, who had already taken good care of him.

"It was meant for you anyway. It would be wasted on this old man at my age, not to mention... this Exotic Beast Meat Jerky tastes much worse than Medicine Beast Meat Jerky," Elder Song chuckled lightly.

After spending some time together, his impression of Li Qian was quite favorable.

Not like the previous servant disciples who came, all impulsive and eager for quick success.

And moreover, Li Qian had a good martial arts aptitude.

He felt that as long as he maintained his efforts and a good attitude, he would still have a good chance to shed his identity as a servant disciple and become an Official Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect.

So, he was also willing to lend a hand.

Li Qian was deeply moved.

Having traveled to this world, he found himself alone and desperate, managed to pass the assessment through sheer determination, and finally became a servant disciple of the Divine Sword Sect.

The hardships he endured in just a few months were more than he had experienced in his entire previous life.

"Better eat up quickly, with the initial formation of Inner Breath, it's a critical time to strengthen your Qi Blood Energy."

Old Song advised again.

"Thank you, Old Song."

Li Qian hastily expressed his gratitude.

He was someone who believed in repaying kindness; he would remember Old Song's good intentions.

Exotic Beast Meat Jerky was indeed tough to eat.

Very dry and somewhat of a challenge to chew.

By the time he finished a piece of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky, Li Qian actually felt quite bloated, as if he was overstuffed.

"Right now, hurry and practice your Sword Stabbing Fist, digest the Exotic Beast Meat Jerky within three days. The faster the better; it indicates better absorption, and your Inner Breath will become stronger more quickly."

Old Song reminded him.

Li Qian nodded and immediately returned to the bell tower to continue practicing Sword Stabbing Fist.

He would train and then rest, and after resting, he would train again, naturally not forgetting to strike the bell.

Moreover, practicing Sword Stabbing Fist after striking the bell had an even better effect.

It must be said that Exotic Beast Meat Jerky was extraordinary, his Inner Breath visibly strengthened at a rapid pace.

When the time of the Rooster rang and he struck the last bell of the day, Li Qian had almost fully digested the Exotic Beast Meat Jerky.

The feeling of being bloated completely disappeared, replaced instead by a slight sensation of hunger.

His Inner Breath had grown tenfold, no longer a mere trickle.

Old Song was very surprised to see that Li Qian could even eat dinner.

Previously, Li Qian had skipped both lunch and dinner.

A piece of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky could sustain Li Qian's hunger for two or three days even with him practicing fist techniques to aid digestion.

"Have you already fully digested the Exotic Beast Meat Jerky?"

Old Song asked.

Li Qian nodded.

"Tsk tsk, when I ate my first piece of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky, I had already developed Inner Strength, yet it took me almost half a day to digest it. You have just started forming Inner Breath and digested it so quickly. It seems your body's digestive ability is extraordinary, which is an excellent innate condition for martial artists."

Old Song remarked in amazement.

Li Qian had decent martial arts talent, and now with a strong digestive ability, he would surely achieve something as long as he cultivated step by step.

Li Qian knew his situation; his rapid digestion was related to the way the bell's ringing stimulated his digestion and promoted the growth of his Inner Breath.

In the following period, striking the bell daily, with the stimulation of its sound, he made rapid progress in cultivating his Inner Breath.

Old Song paid even more attention to Li Qian's martial arts progress and increased the amount of medicinal meals to meet Li Qian's cultivation needs.

He now treated Li Qian as a future Official Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect for cultivation.

He had strived for this goal his entire life, but ultimately failed, which he deeply regretted.

Just like that, another month passed.

Old Song somehow managed to obtain another piece of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky for Li Qian to eat.

He also said he would try to ensure that Li Qian could get a piece of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky every month.

According to Old Song, now was the time for Li Qian to build his foundation, and not eating well could significantly affect his future martial arts path.

It's said that the Official Disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, in addition to their regular medicinal meals, receive a set amount of Exotic Beast Meat Jerky every month.

Servant disciples simply did not have such benefits.

Old Song wanted to close this gap and prevent Li Qian from falling too far behind the Official Disciples during his time as a servant disciple.

Li Qian gradually became aware of this and redoubled his efforts, not wanting to let down Old Song's hard work.

....