Chapter 274: The secret of the cave

"A competition, you say. I don't feel that it is the prime motive behind a student belonging to a top-tier power to rush down and train in a Bandit stronghold."

"I began to train in the Taiwan mountain after I discovered this place. It has a natural converging array that could help gather fire energy into the center. It helps me with training my Qi."

Li Meng picked up his sword and stabbed the leader in the other thigh.  Just as the leader opened his mouth to scream, he broke his jaw with a  single hit. Li Meng then healed the leader with his strength and asked him once again.

"What is your true purpose? The next time you lie, I will cut one of your limbs."

"Competition is the actual reason that I began my training here. My speed increased after getting into this location." Li Meng once again repeated the previous process, but with much more brutality. The leader's body was decimated to the point of near-death before being healed back by Li Meng.

"I will ask once again. What is the true reason for training in this location?"

"Everything that I said to you holds. The real reason why I came to the Taiwan mountains was a task undertaken by me from the sect. Due to some internal rivalry with a resourceful candidate, I was forced to take on three different and difficult tasks."

"The reason did come with a lot of danger but it also proved to be the best location to nurture my blood sword in. I came in here and became a bandit. Initially, I was associated with a local Bandit group and slowly raised my power step by step."

"It was during my training that I came across this location. I was a fairly powerless cultivator at the intermediate stages of QI King, but the power here helped me break-through multiple times and reach the current stage."

"This location proved to be the best cultivation cave I have ever got my hands on and hence I continued my training in this location with diligence. After I managed to reach the advanced level of Qi King, I managed to kill the previous leader of my Bandit troop and become the current leader."

"I decided to use this cave as a stronghold for my group. We slowly rose to power and I am near break-through at the next level. I wish to continue my cultivation and am sure to rise directly to Qi Emperor before returning to my sect."

"What is your reason behind leaving the sect resources and cultivating here?"

"There is a risk of losing my life within the sect. I couldn't hope to survive within it with my current strength. I need to break-through as soon as possible and reach the very limit before the beginning of the selection competition."

"You are a genius with two heavenly laws. Aren't you supposed to be valued within the sect?"

"The politics within sects is not so easy to understand. I belong to a fairly low background and managed to rise to this level with the opportunities I gained through continuous struggle. Although I am the disciple of a fairly strong cultivator, the internal workings are too complicated."

"My life was threatened multiple times while being within the academy. Due to my master leaving for a mission, the enemies who hid in the dark began to emerge out and attack publicly. This is the reason why I rushed out of the sect."

"These attackers belonged to the fractions in which geniuses similar to me existed."

"I didn't expect your sect to have multiple cultivators who managed to connect with two heavenly laws."

"Thunder Academy is only one of the hegemonic powers within the central plains. The real strength of the region will scare you to death. You shouldn't get too high on yourself just because you're connected with three heavenly laws. I have seen other geniuses who have managed to achieve much more."

Li Meng was surprised to find another cultivator with a similar situation to his. Although his prime motive was to collect resources for the break-through of his avatars, there were powers in the dark who wanted to harm him. At least that was what his senior told him.

Another reason for the surprise was the fact that there existed other geniuses who managed to connect with more than two heavenly laws. The fact that he used almost all his power against someone who is connected with two heavenly laws began to feel embarrassing.

"What would a break-through to emperor signify then? Those forces will still be able to attack and claim your life."

"If I manage to rise to power and claim a spot within the chosen few to participate within that competition, I will be specially guarded by the institute and hence the forces in dark won't be able to lay hands on me."

"Which event are you referring to?"

"The Royal road." The bandit leader spoke in a grim tone.

"What  does competition signify?"

"It is a competition held within the central plains. It presents a chance for emperor level cultivators to rise to the next realm, Qi Monarch." Li Meng was shocked. A Qi monarch was a true backbone of any hegemonic sect within the central plains. He was truly attracted to this piece of news, but he didn't want to divert his mind away from the present necessity.

"We will discuss this later. I would like to inquire about the real secret of this cultivation cave." The cave was too extraordinary to be ignored. If the Keeper's estimation were to be true and the cave actually conceals a powerful Qi veins underneath it, just how strong was the cultivator who created it was.

"I told you that I accidentally came across the key to access this place and hence was able to train here. There is nothing special." The leader retorted with a harsh tone.

Li Meng slashed his midrib, and blood began to flow out. " I said that I no longer appreciate hearing any lies from your mouth. Just come up with the truth about this place. The leader screamed in pain once again, but Li Meng paid no heed. He healed him up and asked once more.

Li Meng once again removed the healing energy, andbroke another set of bones. Once the condition was too dire, he once again healed the leader. It was an endless amount of torture, but the bandit leader's perseverance was commendable. But everything has a limit. Even the Bandit leader couldn't cope up with this pain endlessly.

"This is an ancient inheritance of a Qi Monarch." He blurted out, while begging Li Meng to stop.

"A Qi Monarch. You are saying that a mighty Qi Monarch designed this dwelling. Why would a magestic and powerful cultivator like them be using such a lousy place? How did you know that this cave belonged to a Qi Monarch?"

"I was not too sure and thought this place to be something a QI Emperor created, but a piece of evidence changed my mind. There is an inscription present within the central cultivation room. It records the details regarding the Qi Monarch who built this place as a cultivation retreat."

Although the cave seems to have belonged to a very powerful character, something didn't feel right about the whole situation. Somewhere in his mind, Li Meng still felt that something was amiss in the leader's explanation. He might have told the truth, but he certainly was not telling the whole truth.

Li Meng decided to play along for now. " Guide me towards the main cultivation room.". The leader had no choice but to do so. The central cultivation room was quite grand with the fire energy concentration at its densest. 

There was a stone stele inscribed within one of the walls of the room. As Li Meng walked near to the inscription, he found that a detailed record about the owner had been written within it.

"Hell-Fire monarch." Bright red letters mentioning the details about the owner were inscribed on the stone stele. LI meng could feel powerful energy being radiated from the stone stele.

..........

"I could feel the energy formation converging in this room boy. If I am not wrong, the room must have been established on top of a Fire Qi Vein."

"Could you sense the grade of the Qi Vein?"

"The power radiated from it is quite faint, but the formation seems to be collecting energy from it."

"What about the stone stele in front of us?"

"It is fake. Although the energy radiating from it seems to be quite powerful, it is simply connected to the formation. The brat is lying to you."

Li Meng couldn't help but laugh at the daring attitude of the bandit leader. Even after being tortured for so long, he still dares to lie.

Li Meng took out his hammer and bashed the bandit leader in his abdomen. The Bandit leader blasted towards the walls, blood from all corners. His terror and shame-filled eyes, which looked at Li Meng in shock.

"You still dare to lie, straight to my face. I will give you one last chance before I change my mind and do a soul search." As soon as the bandit leader heard the word soul search, his whole body shook with fear.

Soul search was a deadly technique that could only be executed by someone who has soul power higher than his counterpart. The main problem with a technique like that was the potential risk of permanently damaging the soul of one being searched. It was the reason behind it being banned was out of common practice and no sect actively teaches techniques like this.

"You should stop bluffing, boy. Even I have my pride as a martial artist. How could I fall for such an obvious plot?" The vice-leader whi manage to gain consciousness, shouted out loud. Soul search was an extremely devious method which was banned in the martial world. He thought that Li Meng was bluffing.

Li Meng wanted to laugh out loud but decided to hold himself back. He pulled the vice-leader, who was lying beside the leader. Grabbing his head, he directly infested his soul energy into him.

A scream rushed out of the vice leader's mouth. His body was shaking endlessly out of the pain induced by the soul search. He finally got ahold of a lot of information regarding the past of the vice-leader and the internal workings of the bandits.

After a whole round, a pale body fell directly on the ground, lifeless. Li Meng looked at the terrified face of the leader.

"Are you ready to spill out the beans, or shall I help in the process?"