Chapter 168: The mountain-top

"The DESCENT OF THUNDER is the admission test which is held y our parent organization every 5 years to cultivate martial talent who could support the academy in future."

"Is the Thunder-god hall only one subsidiary of the Thunder-god academy?"

"Hehehe. You can't begin to imagine what sort of power the Thunder god academy has a boy. Can you guess how many subsidiaries the Thunder god academy has?"

"Around 10.". Bu Puti started to laugh.

"The Thunder God academy has fifty Thunder-god halls located around the continent, who scout talents for it. Unless you are some extreme talent who is personally scouted by an elder of the academy, the only way to enter is to first cultivate in the Thunder-god hall and then appear the tournament."

"How many participants appear in the tournament."

"The actual number is in the thousands. The number of slots a single Thunder-god hall gets depends on its rankings among the subsidiaries. The ranking is based on the overall power of the subsidiaries."

"What is our ranking?". Bu Puti lowered his head." We rank dead last among the subsidiaries.". Li meng was prepared for an unflattering result, but this was just too much. 

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"The reason behind us having such a low ranking is because of an event that took many years ago due to which we lost most of the prominent cultivators. The academy's downfall began with the loss, and now we rank dead last, with just one disciple being selected to the Thunder-god academy in the last 15 years."

"He was a fellow senior of yours who had tremendous talent. It was also because of him that we were able to sustain this branch even after being dead last. He contributes a lot to the academy, in return of which we are allowed to continue operations."

"I expect you to get in there and share his burden. The most important thing for us to rise is resources and some breathing space."

"What position would I need to achieve for us to get that."

"An inner disciple position won't suffice. You need to become a core disciple at the very least. It is the reason why I want you to gain a rank in the top 10."

"What happens if you gain a position in the top 3?". Li Meng was sure to get there, so wanted to clarify what the benefits would be.

"Although I wouldn't have such high hopes from you, its good to have a higher goal for motivation. If you manage to reach the top 3, you will be given a chance to become a direct disciple of one of the departments."

"Those departments would be specified once you get there."

"Your senior brother is a direct disciple with the Discipline Hall. He is the reason why we managed to get the thunder pool and the resources to run it. But it's not enough to raise our ranks. If you manage to become a direct disciple, then the branch you join would give us additional benefits along with the additional set of resources."

"Is there something above it?"

"Above direct disciple is what you call as legacy disciples. They are the disciples who are personally trained by the inner elders to carry on their legacy. I wish you someday manage to get to that position. Our sect is sure to rise in rankings if you become one."

"Is that the end?"

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Bu Puti looked at Li Meng. The matter turned a bit serious now. Li Meng was dreaming of something too high as of now. But looking at the innocence of his disciple he decided to tell him the truth.

"There are two more positions above it. The first one is inheritors, who are the disciples of the core elders. The top position is held by two a group of peoples who are called Holy sons and daughters. They are the disciples of Sect leader and the grand elders."

Li Meng didn't expect there to be such a big hierarchy among the students. It seemed that he needed to cultivate and raise his strength to a whole new level. His current strength should be enough to put him into the ranks of legacy disciples, but he chose to not disclose it since he would be asked to give an explanation.

"You shouldn't try to get hold of something you cannot chew. Give the competition your best efforts, and leave the rest to fate. Your master would be happy if you just gave it your all."

Li Meng bowed and continued to discuss the rewards and requirements to appear in the tournament. They were enough to attract Li Meng's attention.

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"Let's concentrate on training you first and then we will think about your future plans. You currently stand at the 5th level of 9 thunder body and 2nd level of Qi general. You need to divide your time between Qi and body training starting now."

"Thunder-god academy concentrates on cultivating offensive cultivators, and hence the competition will be based on your strength. Since you managed to open all your meridians, you have already gained an incredibly sturdy body. I can no wallow you to go and train at the top of the mountain."

"The top of the mountain is always surrounded by thunderstorms and such a long accumulation managed to create a concentrated thunder pool at the top. It is also the source of nourishment of all thunder attributed herbs which are used to sustain the Thunder pool. The thunder is quite violent."

"The only person who is able to cultivate in there is our sect master and it is due to her strong cultivation. You have opened all your meridians and should be able to train in there. Make sure to greet her when you get there. Who knows she might shower you with some fortune?"

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Li Meng accompanied Bu Puti to the top of the mountain. As stated earlier, the mountain was covered by violent thunderstorms. Bu Puti soon took a secret path and Li meng followed. After continuing for a period of time, they were greeted by light once more.

The scenery surprised Li Meng. A huge crater was formed at the peak. Lightning was continuously raining down on the cliff and the atmosphere was filled with faint sparks. Li Meng's body began to subconsciously absorb the Qi from surrounding and he was feeling way more filling.

"The crater was filled with herbs and plants. One could even see faint crystals at the borders of the cliff. "Those must be lightning stones." Li Meng murmured to himself.

"Don't be too dazed. The real treasure is ahead of us.". Both of them finally arrived at the core of the crater. A vast pool could be seen in the middle of the crater. It was even bigger than the one formed inside the Crimson Lord artifact. Li Meng was expecting the artifact to absorb it.

"Don't be in a hurry. The one who is cultivating inside is quite strong. We won't be able to steal thunder energy from here. She would instantly notice."

"My master is just a peak Qi general and he is already the vice-master. Just how powerful would the sect leader be."

"She is at the advanced level, Qi King. Still want to steal from her."

Li Meng was instantly taken back. Advanced Qi king, what is such a powerful practitioner doing in these regions. "Her exact cultivation should be at the seventh level. The thunder energy is here is the minimum requirement for her to cultivate. It would soon be useless to her."

"I would suggest you practice with your full speed in here. The energy here is quite beneficial to you. It can not only improve your cultivation and advance your nine-thunder body, but another cleansing might also take place."

"But the thunder energy we collected wasn't able to do much."

"Once the quality of energy changes, the benefits it brings with itself changes too. The thunder energy is pure enough to give rise to thunder crystals which are deposited at the bottom. The girl is using those to cultivate. It is a Qi King resources o you imagine its benefits. Just use all your meridians and acupoints to absorb the energy. I will aid you."

"How much enhancement can it bring to my 9-thunder body art?"

"The energy quality is enough to completely cultivate it. But the time constraint is too less. You might just be able to break-through the sixth level along with a breakthrough of at most two-level in Qi cultivation."

"If you decide to put in an extreme amount of effort, an upgrade of another level might be within our grasp."

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Bu Puti came forward and bowed in respect. "I brought my disciple to train in here, as per your commands."

"So, he did manage to reach the sixth level of 9-thunder body art. I have to say we have got a heaven-defying talent within our sect"

"About that leader, he is still in the fifth cycle of 9-thunder body."

"How dare you bring him here then?". An absurd amount of irritation could be heard from her voice.

"He managed to achieve another miracle in body cultivation. You should be able to understand once you inspect his body.". No voice was heard, but Li Meng could soon feel an energy shrouding his body. It was as if his body was being inspected from inside out. It was too shameless of the leader to do so without his permission.

"Don't worry. I have already covered most of the secrets. She wouldn't be able to identify most of them." An assurance from the Keeper finally put Li Meng's heart at rest.

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"Complete opening of all meridians. How did you manage to do it?" A figure jumped out of the pool and grabbed Li Meng's shoulder. The figure was extremely pretty and gracious.