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

He confirmed the location of the fifth floor using the map; it was directly below the entrance to the first floor's stairs, much deeper than he had anticipated.

Ling Feng put down his teacup: "The fifth floor is directly below the entrance to the stairs, and the entrance is probably located in the center of the ground on the first floor."

Qian Renxue said, "If the fifth floor is indeed directly below the first floor, then there should be an entrance that can be opened on the ground of the first floor."

Chen Yuan walked over from the corner of the courtyard: "If the fifth floor is indeed directly below the first floor, then it may require a specific method to open it."

Jin Chen said, "He is currently looking for a way to open the portal based on the descriptions in the notes."

Ling Feng said, "Then let him do it at his own pace."

Five days later, another letter arrived from Sea Breeze City.

Jin Chen sat down on the stone bench and opened the envelope: "He said that he found a stone slab in the center of the first floor that was slightly different in color from the other areas. There were tiny cracks on the edges. After prying it open along the cracks, a shallow pit was revealed. At the bottom of the pit was a flat metal plate."

The surface of the metal plate had no obvious patterns, but a line of symbols consistent with the style of the notes was engraved along the edge.

He deciphered the symbol; it meant 'downward'.

Qian Renxue said, "The metal plate is engraved with 'downward,' which means that the metal plate may be the entrance to the fifth floor."

Ling Feng asked, "Has he tried to open that metal plate now?"

Jin Chen said, "He said he carefully examined the surface of the metal plate and found no obvious handles or switches, but there was a very thin gap between the edge of the metal plate and the surrounding rock."

He peered through the crack and determined that the metal plate might require some kind of tool to pry open; he was considering which tool would be suitable.

Tang San said, "It might require a crowbar that is thin enough and hard enough to open it without damaging the metal plate."

That evening, Tang San had a thin, long crowbar made at the blacksmith's shop.

He placed the crowbar on the table: "This should be enough."

Whether it can be opened or not, we'll only know after trying.

After practicing his mist technique the next morning, Chen Yuan sat down at the stone table: "If he opens the fifth level, he might discover the true core of this space."

Ling Feng said, "He is indeed getting closer and closer to the core."

Qian Renxue said, "Once he opens the fifth floor, he should be able to see the complete structure of this space."

Ling Feng said, "He is making preparations now."

Tang San said, "That crowbar should be able to help him."

The boy from Sea Breeze City received the crowbar three days later, in the evening.

He checked the size and thickness of the crowbar under the light, confirmed that it was suitable for prying open the metal plate, and then put it away.

He entered the space the next morning and arrived at the center of the ground floor.

He crouched down, inserted the edge of the crowbar into the gap in the edge of the metal plate, adjusted the angle, and then began to apply force.

The metal plate slowly rose with his pry, making a continuous, low sound, before it was completely lifted, revealing a circular opening that extended downwards.

The entrance had smooth edges, and below it was complete darkness.

He didn't go in immediately. He squatted down at the edge of the entrance, looked down for a while, and then retreated along the way he came, putting the metal plate back on and restoring it to its original state.

Two days later, Jin Chen finished reading the letter in the yard: "He said he opened the metal plate and confirmed that the entrance was open, but he had not gone down yet."

He planned to keep the metal plate open for a while to allow air to circulate below before going down.

Tang San nodded: "It's right to let the air circulate. There might be stagnant air accumulating at the bottom of the enclosed space."

Chen Yuan stood in the corner of the courtyard: "He should be able to go down soon."

Once he sees the fifth floor, he should be able to determine the true purpose of this space.

Ling Feng said, "He will."

Three days after the metal plate remained open, the boy, carrying an oil lamp and the crowbar, stepped back into the space.

He walked to the center of the first floor, confirmed that the metal plate was still open, then picked up the oil lamp, lit the wick, and climbed down along the circular entrance.

The steps were steeper than the upper steps, and each step was higher. He moved down the stairs, holding onto the wall, the light of the oil lamp casting swaying shadows in the narrow passage.

He moved down a distance, about three stories high, until the area at the end of the steps opened up.

Chapter 386 Sphere

He entered the fifth floor, which was more spacious and brighter than the previous floor.

He saw a low pedestal in the center of the space, above which floated a continuously glowing sphere that was slowly rotating.

He stood at the entrance for a while, observing to confirm that the sphere's rotation direction was fixed and had not shifted, then walked closer to the pedestal and stopped about a step away from the sphere.

He could feel the sphere radiating a sustained temperature, slightly higher than the surrounding air.

He stood there for a while without touching it. After confirming the state of the sphere, he retreated down the steps to the first floor, replaced the metal plate, and then exited the space in the direction he had come from.

After returning to the cabin, he sat under the lamp for a while, then wrote down what he had seen on the fifth floor on a piece of paper, along with his observations of the continuously glowing sphere, and put them in an envelope.

He placed the envelope on the table, intending to send it to the post station first thing tomorrow morning.

Jin Chen received the letter four days later.

He sat on the stone bench, opened the letter, read it, and then placed it on the table: "He said he had opened the fifth layer."

In the center of the space, there is a suspended sphere that is constantly emitting light and slowly rotating.

He felt a consistent temperature near the sphere, slightly higher than the surrounding air.

He didn't touch the sphere; after confirming its condition, he withdrew.

Ling Feng said, "A continuously glowing, rotating sphere might be the energy core of this space."

Qian Renxue said, "If he can confirm the purpose of the sphere, he will be able to understand the true function of this space."

Chen Yuan said, "The sphere is continuously emitting light and rotating, which means it is still operating and has not stopped."

Tang San said, "Then he needs to confirm whether this sphere can be touched, or whether there is a corresponding interaction method with it."

Ling Feng said, "He will probably observe for a while before deciding on his next step."

Jin Chen said, "He said he plans to go a few more times to confirm the sphere's behavior pattern before considering touching it."

Ling Feng said, "That's the safest approach."

Lin Mu arrived in the afternoon.

He stood on the veranda, reached out and extended the branch. After the leaves lit up, he tried to keep the leaves bright while moving.

The brightness decreased slightly during the first movement, remained better during the second movement, and was almost unnoticeable during the third movement.

He put away the branches: "When I moved them for the third time today, the brightness didn't change."

Ling Feng said, "That means you've mastered the method of maintaining brightness while moving."

Next, you can try making it move faster.

Lin Mu nodded: "Then I'll try it tomorrow."

In the evening, Tang San came over again.

He sat on the stone bench for a while: "If the sphere on the fifth floor is indeed the energy core of this space, then its state will slowly change over time."

Ling Feng said, "He is currently observing the sphere's behavior patterns."

Tang San said, "Once he confirms the behavior pattern of the sphere, he should be able to determine whether it can be touched."

Over the next few days, the boy would go down to the fifth floor every day, stand in front of the pedestal for a period of time, and observe the changes in the rotation speed and brightness of the sphere.

He noticed that the brightness of the sphere varied slightly at different times of the day, being darker in the morning, brighter at noon, and gradually decreasing in the evening.

He recorded this discovery in his notebook and compared it with the notes on the energy core, confirming that the change in brightness matched the description in the notes.

He added a note at the end of his observation log on the evening of the fifth day: "The core is stable and the brightness changes regularly, consistent with the description in the notes."

He closed his notebook and walked back up the steps to the upper floor.

The letter arrived at the temple seven days later on the morning of the following day.

After opening the letter, Jin Chen read aloud: "He said he had confirmed the sphere's behavior pattern, that its brightness changes regularly throughout the day, being darker in the morning, brighter at noon, and then dimming in the evening."

This matches the description of the energy core in the notes.

His next step is to try touching the sphere to see if it will react.

Ling Feng sat on the veranda: "So when does he plan to make that move?"

Jin Chen said, "He said he plans to touch it at a point in time when the brightness change has been confirmed. If there is a response after touching it, he can judge its interaction method based on the response."

Qian Renxue said, "Then he should make sure that his condition is stable enough before touching it."

Ling Feng said, "He will."

Chen Yuan dispersed the mist in the corner of the courtyard and walked to the stone table: "If the sphere reacts after he touches it, it may open the entrance to the next level of this space, or it may activate some kind of new structure."

Tang San said, "Then he is now waiting for the best time to touch it."

In the evening, Tang San came over again and sat on the stone bench: "If that crowbar needs any adjustments, let me know anytime."

Jin Chen said, "We don't need it now, but we might need it in the future."

Tang San nodded: "Just let me know when you need it."

That evening, the boy sat under the lamp for a long time.

Outside the window, the twilight in Sea Breeze City was deepening, transitioning from light blue to grayish-blue, as if it were slowly sinking into the seabed.

He sat at the table with his notebook spread out in front of him, a map rubbing that he had looked at many times, and his newly added observation records beside him.

He flipped to the last page of his notebook and wrote a line on the blank page: "Confirm core behavioral patterns are stable, ready to make a move."

Then he closed his notebook, stood up, and stood by the window for a while, looking at the darkening horizon in the distance, as if confirming in his own way that tomorrow would really come.

The next morning, he entered that space.

As he descended the steps to the fifth floor, the light from the oil lamp cast flickering shadows in the passageway. At the end of the steps was the stone chamber he had entered many times before.

The sphere hovered above the pedestal, slowly rotating, its surface slightly dimmer than in the morning, consistent with his previous observations of its morning state.

He walked to the pedestal and stood there for a while, not rushing to reach out his hand, as if using that time to confirm that he was ready.

Then he reached out and gently touched the surface of the sphere with the back of his fingers.