Li Xingluo had never expected that, while trying to escape the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, he would accidentally rescue a young woman who turned out to be Xiao Yi Xian.
The world was full of coincidences. This was one of them, perhaps. The two found a safe place to rest. Compared to Xiao Yi Xian's lively, cheerful nature, Li Xingluo was noticeably more reserved.
Perhaps she was simply exhausted, or perhaps she trusted Li Xingluo completely. Leaning against the rock behind her, Xiao Yi Xian fell into a deep sleep.
By the light of the campfire, Xiao Yi Xian's naturally sweet, innocent beauty caught Li Xingluo's eye. He took off his jacket, draped it over her, then returned to his spot across from her.
As he added firewood, the black ring piqued Li Xingluo's curiosity once more. The scene of him fighting several people alone came flooding back to him.
Could it be because of the ring? But no matter how he fiddled with it, he couldn't find anything special about it. It wasn't even a Storage Ring; it couldn't hold anything at all.
Just as Li Xingluo was wondering about the black ring, it flashed red, shining brilliantly. Before he could figure out what was happening, he found himself in a strange space.
Li Xingluo surveyed everything within sight. It was as if he were inside a tower, its top lost far above him. He was on the first floor. Where was this place? Thoroughly confused, he cautiously looked around.
As Li Xingluo explored farther, a protruding compartment caught his attention. He hurried over and gently tugged on the iron ring attached to it. The compartment opened, revealing a high-grade Huang-tier Dou Technique.
Li Xingluo was both curious and excited. In Green Mountain Town, this Dou Technique was the best of the best.
He carefully took it out and opened the cover. A few words were written on it.
Thankfully, the education he'd received meant Li Xingluo could still read them. He'd also read some ancient writing back in the day; otherwise, he might not have recognized them at all.
"Earth-Splitting Slash!"
Excitement filled his mind. He sat down where he was and eagerly began reading its contents.
He didn't know how much time passed. Li Xingluo circulated his Dou Qi and swung his hand like a blade. A long gash appeared in the ground, and the pillar in front of him split open.
His joy gave way to shock, and he froze in place. If he'd split the pillar in two, wouldn't he have been buried in here?
Seeing that the pillar was still standing, he was also relieved that he'd only been testing it and hadn't used much Dou Qi. He patted his chest in fright and let out a long breath.
Even more astonishingly, the pillar began to heal the crack at a speed visible to the naked eye. He rushed over and carefully felt the spot where the crack had been. There wasn't a single trace left.
Li Xingluo couldn't help wondering what this place was.
As he stood there, bewildered, two lines of text appeared in midair.
"Congratulations on unlocking the first floor. You have obtained the high-grade Huang-tier Dou Technique, Earth-Splitting Slash."
"Congratulations on successfully learning Earth-Splitting Slash. You have obtained the corresponding cultivation method."
The two lines appeared right before Li Xingluo's eyes. He reached out to touch them, but his hand passed straight through.
Before long, the two lines vanished without a trace, leaving him no answers.
After looking around the floor again, Li Xingluo found only the compartment he'd just discovered. There was nothing else.
He made a circuit around the floor and found a staircase ahead. It looked like the way to the second floor.
Without a second thought, he lifted his leg to climb it, only to be knocked back by an invisible wall. He tumbled to the ground in a sorry heap.
What was going on? Li Xingluo, unable to make sense of the situation, got back to his feet. A line of text appeared on the invisible wall.
He moved closer and finally saw the words floating there: "The second floor may only be entered by a Dou Shi!"
Li Xingluo looked at the invisible wall, then lowered his head in thought. A flash of insight crossed his mind. It seemed he would need to grow stronger if he wanted to obtain more.
But where was this place? He still had no idea. The very next moment, he felt a force carry him away.
When Li Xingluo woke again, he found himself back beside the campfire. Had it all been a dream?
Everything that had just happened seemed so mysterious. He picked up a branch from the ground and gave it a light swing. A long crack split the ground ahead.
The loud noise woke Xiao Yi Xian. Rubbing her eyes, she peered around sleepily.
"What happened? What was that noise?"
Li Xingluo smiled awkwardly. He'd only wanted to see if what had just happened was real or a dream, and had forgotten there was someone beside him.
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."
Xiao Yi Xian gave a slight nod, pulled the jacket around herself, and drifted back to sleep.
Li Xingluo returned to his original spot. The Dou Technique he'd just learned was truly in his mind.
Could it really have happened? But what was that place? It all felt so unreal. Suddenly, he remembered the light the black ring had emitted before he'd gone there. Could the ring have been responsible?
But how could he trigger it? The black ring looked as ordinary as ever now. Never mind; there was no point dwelling on it. Since he still didn't know how to trigger it, he'd wait until he was strong enough, then go in again and uncover the truth. He remembered the requirement for the second floor.
At the same time, Li Xingluo realized the black ring could store things. It seemed that it had only gained that ability because he'd triggered it once.
He stuffed all the things he'd taken into it, then leaned against a tree to rest, still keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.
At that moment, at a camp in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a group of men carried in someone who had lost a hand. His face was deathly pale, and he looked moments from dying.
The mercenaries standing guard at the entrance hurriedly opened the gate. The men carried the wounded man to Mu Li's tent as fast as they could.
The man with the severed hand recounted everything that had happened that day. The more Mu Li listened, the angrier he became.
He swept the table beside him to the floor. His chest heaved, and his expression grew darker than ever.
"You're saying that Li Xingluo was also a member of your squad, and he killed your entire squad by himself just to save a woman? Is that right?"
Seeing how furious Mu Li was, the man with the severed hand weakly nodded.
Mu Li seemed to have been provoked, or perhaps something else had gotten into him. He suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"Useless trash."
The man with the severed hand had lost too much blood and finally passed out.
"Good, good, very good. Since when has our mercenary group had a traitor?"
"Young master, what should we do next?"
Mu Li shot a vicious glare at the man who had spoken. The man trembled all over and immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet Mu Li's eyes.
"What else can we do? Give the order: every member of the mercenary group is to search for Li Xingluo at once. I want him, dead or alive."
"Yes, young master!" At the order, everyone in the tent filed out.
Mu Li fixed his vicious gaze on the darkness beyond the tent. You've got guts, kid, betraying the mercenary group. I'll make sure you learn what happens to traitors.
Mu Li clenched his fist. His knuckles cracked, and a strange smile curled his lips.
Dawn broke. Xiao Yi Xian stretched and noticed the jacket draped over her.
Li Xingluo had already gotten up to cultivate. The second floor held no small temptation for him.
Perhaps he'd heard Xiao Yi Xian stir. Li Xingluo opened his eyes.
"You're awake?"
Xiao Yi Xian smiled and returned the jacket to Li Xingluo, her voice gentle.
"Um... thank you!"
"Don't mention it. Have something to eat."
He pointed to the breakfast he'd prepared earlier. Xiao Yi Xian followed his gesture and looked over. It wasn't fancy, but at that moment, warmth filled her heart.
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