Douluo Continent: The Twin Holy Dragons of Light and Darkness, the Dragon Emperor Breaks Through the

He sat down on the stone bench: "Over in Sea Breeze City, that darker-colored wall, if it is indeed hollow, then he might discover another passage."

Ling Feng said, "Currently, it is speculated that there is still room for further development."

Tang San said, "If there is indeed nothing behind that wall, then the complexity of the space in Sea Breeze City far exceeds our initial expectations."

Qian Renxue said, "He is getting closer and closer to the complete structure of that space."

The letter from Sea Breeze City arrived three days later in the afternoon.

The weather was sunny that day, there was no standing water in the yard, and sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Jin Chen sat down on the stone bench, opened the letter, and read it: "He said he brought a short hammer and struck the darker-colored area."

The sound of the tapping was different from the surrounding walls; it was crisper, like an echo striking a hollow structure, clearly distinct from the adjacent walls.

Ling Feng asked, "Did he try to open it?"

Jin Chen said, "He felt a very narrow gap at the edge of the wall, pried along the gap with the tip of his knife for a while, and loosened a stone slab in the wall. Behind the stone slab was a shallow groove, and in the groove was a roll of something wrapped in oilcloth."

He carefully took out the roll, unwrapped the oilcloth, and inside was a thin notebook. The paper was yellowed and the edges were somewhat brittle, but the handwriting was still legible.

Qian Renxue put down her teacup: "Notes?"

Those might be records left by people who used to live there.

Jin Chen said, "He said that he flipped through the first few pages of the notebook under the lamp that night. The person who wrote the notebook used a script that he was not very familiar with, but he could recognize some of the symbols as similar to the markings on the map in that space."

Tang San sat down at the stone table: "If the notes are written in an uncommon script, it may take him a while to finish reading them."

Ling Feng said, "As long as the text is systematic, it can be interpreted."

He had already recognized some similar symbols on the map, suggesting that those symbols might constitute a fixed writing system.

Chapter 384 The Fourth Layer of Space

Chen Yuan walked over from the corner of the courtyard: "That notebook might contain more information about this space."

Ling Feng said, "If the notes were indeed left by someone who once lived there, they should contain detailed records about the purpose of the space's construction, its usage, and its internal structure."

Qian Renxue said, "Then his main task next will probably be to decipher that notebook."

Ling Feng said, "He really should finish reading the notes first before deciding on his next step."

That night, the boy sat under the lamp in the hut, with the yellowed notebook spread out in front of him.

He turned to the first page and examined the symbols word by word, comparing them with the already identified marks on the map.

He wrote down the first batch of symbols he identified and their corresponding meanings on another piece of paper.

He turned to the second page, then the third, and added new annotations in the margins.

As he closed his notebook, the faint morning light was already filtering through the window.

He didn't stand up immediately, but sat under the lamp for a while longer, as if confirming in his own way that the symbols had indeed stabilized in his perception, before he stood up and put the notebook away.

The following evening, he entered that space again.

He walked down the steps to the new space below the third floor, stopped in front of the stone wall, and reconfirmed the layout of the markings on the map.

He made a final comparison between the corresponding contents in his notes and the symbols on the map, and then added a few new notes in the blank space at the edge of the map.

He stood there for a while, making sure all the marks matched the corresponding entries, and then retreated down the steps.

After returning to the hut, he wrote a letter to Wuhundu.

He included several sheets of paper with his initial decoding of the symbol system, as well as a key piece of information from the notebook: the creators of that space were originally travelers from another continent who stumbled upon the underground structure while staying near Sea Breeze City and decided to make it their long-term residence.

The notes also mentioned that the space has five floors, and the boy has already discovered three of them, with two more floors yet to be opened.

Jin Chen finished reading the letter three days later in the afternoon. He placed the letter on the stone table and looked up: "There is a key piece of information in that notebook: this space has five layers."

He has already discovered three levels; two more remain unexplored.

Ling Feng said, "Then there should be corresponding entrances on the remaining two floors."

Qian Renxue said, "If the notes mention a five-story structure, then they should also mention the entrances to the remaining two stories."

Jin Chen said, "He said he is still organizing his notes, and there should be more discoveries after he finishes organizing them."

Tang San came over in the evening. After listening to Jin Chen's account, he was silent for a while: "Five-layer structure, so he has only explored three-fifths of it so far. The remaining two layers may be the core of this space."

Ling Feng said, "Once he finishes organizing his notes, he should be able to find the remaining two layers."

Qian Renxue said, "He is getting closer and closer to the complete structure of that space."

Tang San said, "Once he finds the remaining two floors, he might be able to see the whole picture of this space."

Ling Feng said, "He will."

Lin Mu arrived the next morning.

He stood on the veranda, reached out and extended the branch. After the leaves lit up, he began to try to slowly change its position, moving it from the left to the right and then back from the right to the left.

He tried several times, and each movement was smoother than the last. Although there were sometimes brief delays, he did not stop but continued to try, as if he was adjusting the connection between himself and the movement at his own pace.

Ling Feng watched for a while, then put down his teacup and sat on the veranda watching him practice without interrupting his rhythm.

When the leaf finally came to rest steadily in the spot he had designated, he looked up at Ling Feng and said, "The leaf's direction is starting to obey me."

Ling Feng said, "That means you've started to find a way to control it."

Lin Mu thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll practice again this afternoon."

Ling Feng said, "Okay."

Lin Mu gathered up the branches and turned to walk towards the courtyard gate.

In the evening, Tang San sat in the courtyard. After listening to Jin Chen relay the contents of the letter, he said, "The remaining two floors may be in areas that he hasn't searched carefully yet."

Ling Feng said, "He should have already started planning to search those areas."

Qian Renxue said, "Once he finds the fourth level, the information in the notes should be able to be verified."

Tang San said, "That will take time."

Ling Feng said, "He has it."

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, ruffling the edges of the letter on the stone table, as if confirming in its own way that the paths were still there, before continuing its journey forward.

Moonlight fell on the branches and leaves of the old locust tree, casting a patch of dappled shadows on the ground. Those shadows moved slowly, as if confirming in their own way that the things that were growing had indeed finished receiving the day's light.

Ling Feng remained seated on the veranda, not in a hurry to stand up.

He knew the letter was on its way and he would be able to read the new message by dawn the next day.

He sat on the veranda, feeling the night breeze growing cooler. The branches and leaves of the old locust tree swayed in the wind again before returning to stillness.

The moon rose high in the sky, its light shining on the bluestone slabs. The shadows of the trees swayed in the night breeze for a moment, then slowly came to a stop.

As the night breeze swept through the courtyard, it circled the corner of the wall, turned the fallen leaves over, and then scattered them, as if it had already delivered all the messages it needed to, and was now waiting for the next morning to arrive.

The letter from Sea Breeze City arrived four days later.

It was a cloudy day, and the light in the courtyard was softer than usual. The branches and leaves of the old locust tree swayed gently in the breeze. Jin Chen sat down on the stone bench, opened the letter, read it through, and then looked up: "He said that the notes mentioned the location of the fourth floor."

The entrance to the fourth floor is not below the steps, but behind the stone wall on the third floor. You need to go around to the back of the stone wall to see the entrance.

He went around to the back of the wall and found a crack covered in dust at the base of the wall. After prying it open, he found a passage extending downwards.

The passageway was narrower than the steps above, allowing only one person to pass sideways.

He walked sideways for a short distance and then entered a new space.

Ling Feng paused, holding his teacup. "What's on the fourth floor?"

Jin Chen said, "The fourth level is smaller than the upper level. The four walls are flat, without stone pillars or grooves. There is only a circular pattern carved on the central floor, with a circle of symbols around the edge of the pattern, which matches the content of a page recorded in the notebook."

He crouched down in front of the circular pattern for a while, confirming that the symbols matched the records in his notes, then retreated along the way he had come, not lingering on the fourth floor.

Qian Renxue sat by the stone table: "The circular pattern might not be for storing keys; it could be a kind of location marker."

Chapter 385 Core

Chen Yuan stood in the corner of the courtyard, the mist in his hand already gone: "If the fourth floor isn't for storing keys, then its purpose might be related to another item recorded in the notes."

Tang San sat on the stone bench: "The notes mention the circular pattern on the fourth layer, which should explain its purpose."

Jin Chen said, "He said there are several pages in the notes that specifically describe the structure of the fourth layer, but he hasn't fully deciphered those contents yet."

He planned to first record the entire circular pattern on the fourth floor, then return to the hut and interpret it by referring to his notes.

Lin Mu arrived in the morning.

He walked to the porch, reached out and extended the branch. After the leaves lit up, he began to try to make it slowly change position. This time the movement was smoother than the last, and the directional control was more precise.

He held on for a while, then put away the branches: "The leaves can move more steadily today."

Although the brightness may change slightly when moving, it returns to its previous level after the movement is complete.

Ling Feng said, "The brightness will change slightly during the movement, which is normal because the force needs to be redistributed when moving."

After moving it many times, the brightness will naturally stabilize.

Lin Mu nodded: "Then I'll try again this afternoon."

Ling Feng said, "Okay."

Tang San came over in the evening and sat on the stone bench: "The circular pattern on the fourth floor is probably a location map, recording the specific location of this space in the underground structure."

At night, the boy sat under the lamp in the hut, with his notebook and a newly drawn sketch spread out in front of him.

He drew the complete outline of the circular pattern on the fourth layer on the paper and marked the position of each symbol on the edge.

He compared the description of the fourth layer in his notes, checked the meaning of each symbol, and confirmed that the circular pattern was indeed a location map.

He put down his pen, looked at the location map again under the lamp, and confirmed that every symbol corresponded to the explanation in his notes. Then he closed his notes, stood up, and stood by the window for a while.

A breeze seeped in through the cracks in the window, carrying the coolness of the night, as if it were confirming in its own way that the location map had indeed been recorded.

Jin Chen received a second letter three days later.

He sat in the courtyard and opened the letter: "He said that the circular pattern was indeed a location map, marking the specific location of this space underground near Sea Breeze City."

The notes mention that the space has five floors, and the circular pattern on the fourth floor is a general structural diagram of the entire space, marking the location and relative height of each floor.