Martial research master

"Are you sure that a single spring would be enough for all my needs within the Qi Emperor realm?" Li Meng asked.

"It is called the Hell-water spring, or the Netherworld spring. If I had to explain its properties in simpler words, I would say that it is like a spring that contains condensed Hell-energy. I hope you understand its significance now."

"You are saying that it will help me cater to my Hell-Energy requirements. I understand that condensed forms of energy are precious, but my requirements increase exponentially with every level." Li Meng said.

"I have estimated your requirements by taking into account the general rate of increase you experience when you try to improve a level. I then doubled the estimate, and this spring contains more water than that." The Keeper said.

"So tell me, does it qualify as a good resource?" The Keeper said.

" If that is the case, we need to get our hands on it. Is there a reason why you didn't absorb it directly?" Li Meng asked.

"Well, it is being guarded by enemies. I hate to say this, but I can't show my presence within this world. The powers present within this plane would sense it." The Keeper said.

"Are you asking me to start a war by myself?" Li Meng asked.

"Well, you can act as if you are a spawn of hell. You have the Hell-Forge sutra for God's sake. You are more than qualified to be a hell-spawn. if you predominantly use your hell-energy, they won't be able to detect it." The Keeper said.

"Where is this place?" Li Meng asked.

"Well, I would say that it is a training ground of some kind. I saw a lot of king-level cultivators, hell-kings to be exact. There were even some emperor-level cultivators. I can't sense anyone of higher cultivation, but it is being restricted by someone who has very powerful cultivation."

"So you want me to pose as a cultivator and enter the grounds while pretending to train. What exactly is your plan?" Li Meng asked.

"Well, once you manage to enter the spring to train, I would be able to absorb the energy through your body. We will do so at a slow pace. From what I see within the spring, it is being replenished by some kind of treasure, hence there is no problem with worrying about people detecting the missing spring water."

"Even then, a Qi King training there for a prolonged time would attract a lot of attention." Li Meng said.

" Well, don't we have so many avatars? I want five of your avatars to enter the place at the same time. I will absorb it through all your bodies." The Keeper said.

"You are asking me to take a high risk. I guess the reward would be up to the mark." Li Meng didn't haggle with the Keeper. He knows that he needs these resources for future cultivation, and he might not be able to access any kind of Hell-plane from within the Royal Road.

"Why not steal the treasure itself?" Li Meng asked.

"Aren't you adorable? Do you know what sort of existences live within this plane? It is a hell that is way above yours in terms of power. It is a given that the cultivators here are well beyond the ones present in Qi-continent." The Keeper said.

"Stronger cultivators mean even stronger treasures. The treasure producing this netherworld water is way beyond the limits of your world. It is not something that would be created by cultivators of your world, and I am not even in the middle of the treasures present within your world."

" So tell me, are we capable enough of either taking or absorbing the treasure." The Keeper's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"Fine. I guess I will agree with you this time. We need to capture some of this area, and use the soul scourge on him to gain information regarding this place." Li Meng said. The Keeper simply nodded his head to agree with the conditions.

Li Meng waited for his avatars to finish Weapon-Tempering first. After all the avatars were done with the process and only the ones who were still in the Qi General realm remained, Li Meng finally decided to execute the plan. 

To absorb the Netherworld-water spring, Li Meng had to send in a substantial amount of avatars. 

"Would four avatars be enough for the task?" Li Meng asked. He didn't know the details regarding the speed at which the artifact could absorb the spring water. It is better to consult with the Keeper himself.

" That should be enough for. What are your plans?" The Keeper asked, knowing that Li Meng was planning something different from what he had in mind.

" I want the avatars in the Qi general realm to start their breakthrough, while the available QI Kings would provide security for them. The place looks secluded and should be safe for now. I want to do both tasks simultaneously so that, in case of an emergency, I would be able to evacuate at a fast pace." Li Meng's idea had quite some logic behind it, so the Keeper agreed with it.

Except for the three clones who were stationed in the Star-Luo Association, the Star-Emperor academy, and the Pill-valley, Li Meng summoned all of the avatars to this plane. He was taking a big risk this time. 

2 avatars remained who had yet to formulate a law base. Four avatars who were already in the Qi King realm would be sent to absorb the Nether-world Spring, while the last two would be responsible for providing security to the Qi generals.

Let's just hope that the mission is a success and I can return back home without any complications in my path.

.........................

Li Meng was snooping around the region, following the Keeper's direction to go towards the treasure. Soon enough, he encountered beings belonging to this world. The surprising fact about the beings was their similarity to the peoples in Li Meng's world.

"They don't look so different from the cultivators in our world. If I could see a contrasting difference, it would be the energy." Li Meng added.

"That is because it is the same. Hell's energy and its laws are different from the ones in Qi Continent, but their types and properties remain the same. They are also practicing Qi like you but within Hell's energy."

"While your world has pure-qi or basic Qi, the one within this world is called Hell-qi or Netherworld-qi. Just get a hold of some people and you will be able to understand the basic concepts within the world."

They saw a person walking past them, and the area looked secluded. LI Meng and the other avatars immediately surrounded him and abducted him, retreating to a hidden location. Li Meng then placed his hands on the person and began the soul scourge process.