The Strange Black Ring

Li Xingluo never expected that while he had intended to escape the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, the young girl he had inadvertently saved would turn out to be Xiao Yi Xian.

Coincidences are common in this world, and this certainly qualified as one. The two found a safe spot; compared to Xiao Yi Xian's lively and cheerful nature, Li Xingluo was noticeably much more reserved.

Perhaps from sheer exhaustion, or perhaps due to an absolute trust in Li Xingluo, Xiao Yi Xian leaned against the rock behind her and fell into a deep sleep.

By the light of the campfire, the pure, natural beauty of Xiao Yi Xian caught Li Xingluo's eye. He took out a coat to cover her and returned to the opposite side.

While adding firewood, the black ring once again piqued Li Xingluo's curiosity. The image of him single-handedly fighting off several men earlier flooded back into his mind.

Could it be because of this? Yet, no matter how he fiddled with it, he saw nothing special; it wasn't even a storage ring, as it couldn't hold a single item.

Just as Li Xingluo was pondering the black ring, it emitted a brilliant, dazzling red light. Before he could even register what was happening, he found himself standing in a strange space.

Li Xingluo surveyed everything he could see; it was as if he were inside a tower. Looking up, he could not see the ceiling, and he was currently on the first floor. Where was this? In a state of bewilderment, he cautiously observed his surroundings.

Li Xingluo explored forward until a protruding compartment caught his attention. He stepped forward quickly and pulled gently on the iron ring attached to the compartment. It opened, revealing a Profound-tier high-grade Dou Technique.

Li Xingluo was both curious and excited; in Green Mountain Town, such a technique would be considered a top-tier treasure.

He carefully took out the manual and opened the cover, where a few characters were written.

Fortunately, having received a standard education, Li Xingluo could still read the characters. It was a good thing he had studied some ancient scripts back in the day, or he might not have recognized them at all.

"Earth-Splitting Slash!"

Excitement consumed his entire mind. He sat down right where he was and began to read the contents with great interest.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Li Xingluo channeled his Dou Qi, used his hand as a blade, and swung it casually. A long mark was left on the ground, and a pillar in front of him was sliced open.

In his joy, he was subconsciously stunned; if he had actually snapped the pillar, he might have been buried alive.

Seeing the pillar still standing, he felt fortunate that he had only been testing it and hadn't used much Dou Qi. He patted his chest in relief and let out a long breath.

What surprised him even more was that the pillar healed the crack at a speed visible to the naked eye. He rushed over to touch the spot where the crack had been, only to find not a single trace left behind.

Li Xingluo couldn't help but wonder where this place actually was.

While he was lost in confusion, two lines of text appeared out of thin air.

Congratulations on unlocking the first floor. You have obtained the Profound-tier high-grade Dou Technique: Earth-Splitting Slash.

Congratulations on successfully mastering Earth-Splitting Slash. You have obtained the corresponding cultivation method.

The two lines of text hovered right before Li Xingluo's eyes, but when he reached out to touch them, his hand passed right through.

Before long, the text vanished, leaving him without any answers.

After Li Xingluo searched the area again, he found that the first floor contained nothing but the compartment he had just discovered.

He circled the room and found a staircase ahead, which appeared to be the path to the second floor.

Without a second thought, he lifted his leg to head up, only to be repelled by an invisible wall and sent tumbling to the ground in a most ungraceful manner.

What was going on? Confused, Li Xingluo climbed up from the floor and saw a line of text shimmering on the invisible wall.

He leaned in close and finally noticed another line of text floating there: The second floor requires the rank of Dou Shi to enter!

Li Xingluo looked at the invisible wall and lowered his head in thought. A lightbulb went off in his mind; it seemed that to obtain more, he needed to increase his own strength.

But where was this? He still hadn't figured it out. The next second, however, he felt a force pulling him away from this place.

When Li Xingluo woke up again, he found himself back by the campfire, as if it had all been a dream.

Everything that had just happened felt incredibly mystical. He picked up a branch from the ground and gave it a light swing, watching as a long crack appeared on the ground in front of him.

The loud noise startled Xiao Yi Xian from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes, looking at him with a hazy expression.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Li Xingluo gave an awkward smile. He had only wanted to test whether what had happened was real or a dream, forgetting that someone else was nearby.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly, pulled the coat tighter around herself, and drifted back to sleep.

Li Xingluo returned to his original spot, the technique he had just learned still clear in his mind.

Could it be real? But what was that place? It felt so surreal. Suddenly, he remembered the light the black ring had emitted before he went there. Could it be the key?

But how did one trigger it? At the moment, the black ring looked as plain as ever. Forget it, there was no use overthinking it. Since he didn't know how to trigger it yet, he would wait until he had enough strength to go back in and uncover the truth—he still remembered the requirement for the second floor.

At the same time, Li Xingluo realized that the black ring could store items; it seemed that using it once had activated that function.

He stuffed all the items he had scavenged into it, then leaned against a tree to rest, remaining vigilant of his surroundings.

Meanwhile, at a camp in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a group of men carried a man with a severed hand. He was pale and looked as if he might stop breathing at any moment.

The mercenary on guard at the gate saw them and immediately opened the fence. The men hurried to carry the injured man toward Mu Li's tent.

The man with the severed hand recounted everything that had happened during the day, and the more Mu Li heard, the angrier he became.

He flipped over the table beside him, his chest heaving, his face looking hideous to the extreme.

"Are you saying that this Li Xingluo was a member of your squad, and he wiped out your entire team alone, just to save a woman? Is that right?"

Seeing Mu Li so enraged, the man with the severed hand nodded weakly.

Whether it was from the shock or something else, Mu Li suddenly burst into wild, hysterical laughter.

"Useless trash."

The man with the severed hand eventually lost too much blood and fell into a dead faint.

"Good, good, very good. Since when did our mercenary group start harboring traitors?"

"Young Leader, what shall we do next?"

Mu Li glared fiercely at the speaker, who trembled in terror and immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

"What else can we do? Pass down the order: all members of the mercenary group are to immediately launch a search for Li Xingluo. Dead or alive, I want him brought to me."

"Yes, Young Leader!" Upon receiving the order, the people in the tent filed out one after another.

Mu Li's vicious gaze fixed on the dark night outside the tent. You're truly brave, brat. To dare betray the mercenary group—I will make you understand the consequences of such a betrayal.

Mu Li clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles popping with a crisp sound, a sinister expression curling the corners of his mouth.

As the sky began to brighten, Xiao Yi Xian stretched, only to discover the coat draped over her.

By this time, Li Xingluo had long since risen to cultivate; the second floor held no small temptation for him.

Perhaps hearing the sound of Xiao Yi Xian getting up, Li Xingluo opened his eyes.

"Awake?"

Xiao Yi Xian wore a smile as she returned the coat to Li Xingluo, her tone exceptionally gentle.

"That... thank you!"

"No need for formalities. Eat something."

He pointed toward the breakfast he had prepared early on. Xiao Yi Xian followed the direction of his gesture; though the meal was not exquisite, her heart felt warm at this moment.