What is the Second Layer

Li Xingluo looked at Xiao Yi Xian, whose eyes were brimming with tears of concern for him, and offered a faint smile.

"I'm fine!"

Li Xingluo shifted his gaze from Xiao Yi Xian to Mu She, who remained standing, though it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

Xiao Yi Xian stood by Li Xingluo's side, also watching Mu She, and noticed that the Dou Qi armor covering Mu She had dissipated; at the very least, his defenses had been breached.

The iron rod in Mu She's hand slipped from his grip, hitting the ground with a loud "clang," and he struggled to take a single step toward the pair.

He pointed a finger at Li Xingluo, his voice barely a whisper: "You... won!"

As the words left his lips, Mu She collapsed with a thud. Li Xingluo, having reached his limit, swayed unsteadily and nearly fell, but Xiao Yi Xian was quick to catch him.

Li Xingluo looked at the lifeless Mu She, thinking that it had been far too reckless to take on a two-star Dou Master as an eight-star Dou Practitioner. Still, seeing that Xiao Yi Xian was unharmed, he felt a sense of relief.

Just then, a cold glint of light streaked toward Li Xingluo from outside the ruined camp gate.

Caught off guard and injured, Li Xingluo failed to notice it, but Xiao Yi Xian caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye—it was too fast.

Without a second thought, Xiao Yi Xian shoved Li Xingluo aside. As the cold light passed, she was sent flying, landing hard on the stone steps, a striking bloodstain on her left shoulder telling the tale of what had just occurred.

Worry surged through Li Xingluo, and he scrambled to her side to check her wounds.

"Xiao Yi Xian..."

Blood seeped from her left shoulder, and her face had turned pale from the loss of blood.

Seeing the pure concern in Li Xingluo's eyes, Xiao Yi Xian felt a warmth in her heart despite the pain.

Though it hurt, she still managed a smile and shook her head gently.

"Yo, what a pair of star-crossed lovers. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this little girl is quite the beauty."

A man appeared from the camp gate with a lecherous grin, carrying a weapon similar to the one Mu She had wielded.

A murderous intent instantly flashed in Li Xingluo's eyes. He slowly stood up, gripping his sword even tighter.

The newcomer saw the predatory look on Li Xingluo's face and laughed heartily, finding it amusing.

"Kid, you're already at the end of your rope. You still want to fight me?"

"Is that so? If I'm not mistaken, you are Gan Mu, the second-in-command of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, aren't you?"

"Oh? You actually know who I am? Not bad, not bad."

Gan Mu didn't take Li Xingluo seriously at all. He had been lurking in the shadows for so long, and he had finally caught his chance. Especially since Li Xingluo had managed to grow from an unknown mercenary to this point, he surely had some treasures on him.

"Kid, don't look at me like that. Don't worry, I won't let you suffer too much. As for the little girl beside you, I'll be sure to enjoy her properly for you."

Li Xingluo knew well that Gan Mu was the most lecherous member of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group; countless women in Green Mountain Town had fallen victim to his cruelty.

It was clear this guy was just here to pick up the scraps, but Gan Mu had miscalculated, and he had made a grave mistake.

A biting chill radiated from Li Xingluo's body, and the killing intent in his eyes grew even more intense.

"You deserve to die!"

"Hahahaha!"

Gan Mu threw his head back and laughed, completely disregarding Li Xingluo.

A phantom image flickered past. Before Gan Mu could react, he felt a chill at his throat. His weapon clattered to the ground, and he clutched his neck with both hands.

He tried to stop the air from escaping, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't draw a single breath.

With a look of utter disbelief, he slowly turned his head to look at Li Xingluo, who had appeared behind him, his eyes filled with terror.

He managed to choke out a few broken words: "How... is this possible!"

A spray of blood erupted from his mouth, and Gan Mu collapsed, unwilling to accept his end.

Having exhausted his final reserves of Dou Qi, Li Xingluo could no longer stand and dropped to one knee.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian ignored her own injury and ran to support him. Li Xingluo turned his head, smiled, and shook his head to signal that he was fine.

"Xiao Lan!"

At Xiao Yi Xian's call, Xiao Lan descended rapidly from the night sky. The two climbed onto its back, and with a beat of its wings, they vanished into the darkness.

When Li Xingluo finally woke up, he found himself lying on a simple bamboo bed.

He sat up and surveyed the room; it was clean, tidy, and modest. However, he quickly remembered Xiao Yi Xian's injury and hurried out of the room.

"You're awake?"

Xiao Yi Xian's left shoulder was still wrapped in bandages. Seeing him emerge, she offered a smile.

She noticed him staring at her shoulder and, knowing he was worried, tried to reassure him: "It's fine, it doesn't hurt anymore."

She even tried to lift her arm to prove she was okay, but the movement tugged at her wound, and she let out a sharp "Sss..." of pain.

"And you say you're fine."

Looking at this resilient girl, Li Xingluo felt a surge of admiration.

"I really am fine, I've already applied the medicine. Right, you must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat."

Xiao Yi Xian started to get up to fetch him food, but Li Xingluo stopped her.

"Where is it? Just let me go; you should focus on healing your wounds. After all, you were injured because of me."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled and pointed toward the thatched hut nearby. Watching Li Xingluo's retreating figure, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

Ever since her foster parents had passed away, no one had looked at her with genuine regard, let alone shown her any concern.

Yet, the person before her truly cared. Just thinking of her foster parents made Xiao Yi Xian's initially happy heart grow somewhat melancholy.

For several days in a row, Li Xingluo did nothing but cultivate and look after Xiao Yi Xian.

Perhaps due to the high-intensity combat, in just ten short days, Li Xingluo broke through to the Dou Shi realm.

As night fell, Li Xingluo, who was in the middle of cultivation, was pulled into the space by a red light.

As expected, one could only re-enter upon reaching a major realm. Having been here once before, Li Xingluo was no stranger to this space.

The barrier leading to the second floor vanished automatically. With a heart full of excitement and a desire to explore the unknown, Li Xingluo cautiously stepped onto the stairs leading to the second level.

Upon reaching the second floor, Li Xingluo found it wasn't much different from the first. He searched around for a while before discovering a hidden compartment.

Li Xingluo pulled on the ring, but there was no movement. What was going on? Hadn't the first floor opened with just a gentle tug?

Li Xingluo was completely baffled. He lowered his head in deep thought, wondering if some object was required to trigger it.

Without even a hint or a prompt, he couldn't figure it out. Li Xingluo decided to try again, but the hidden compartment remained unmoved.

This was strange. Li Xingluo stroked his chin, observing the compartment while deep in thought.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. This compartment was slightly different from the one on the first floor; there was a palm print on it, very faint. The pillar had just happened to block some of the light, which was why Li Xingluo hadn't noticed it at first.

Could this be the key to activating the compartment? Li Xingluo looked at the palm print on the compartment, then glanced at his own hand.

No matter, Li Xingluo decided to give it a try. What if it worked?

Li Xingluo pressed his palm against the print on the compartment, but there was still no movement. Just as he was at a loss for what to do, Dou Qi flowed from his palm into the print, and the compartment showed signs of loosening.

Excited as if he had found the password to a switch, Li Xingluo channeled more Dou Qi, and the compartment slowly opened as the energy poured in.