Chapter 133: The Library

133. Chapter 133: The Library

Li Xuan arrived at the staircase leading to the Second Floor in a corner of the hall, and looking at the pitch‑black Second Floor, he silently heightened his vigilance.

Li Xuan hesitated briefly, then took out a dozen or so Starfire Fruit from the Kongming Crystal, infused them with soul power, and tossed them up the stairs.

In an instant the entrance of the Second Floor brightened.

After a while, Li Xuan found that no trap had been triggered, and only then did he cautiously climb upstairs.

The staircase was also wooden and aged; Li Xuan, being small and light, ascended to the Second Floor amid a series of creaking sounds.

As Li Xuan reached the Second Floor, a putrid smell assaulted him, and the heavy dust made him sneeze, filling the Second Floor with swirling smoke and dust.

Li Xuan dampened a piece of cloth and tied it over his face as a makeshift mask, which eased it a bit.

Then Li Xuan lifted a Starfire Fruit in his palm, increased the soul power input, and a radiant light burst forth, making the whole space as bright as day.

With the Starfire Fruit's light, Li Xuan saw the layout of the Second Floor, which was essentially identical to the First Floor, except that the area that had been the hall on the first level was now several storage rooms.

"Hopefully there's no trap, sigh, I always feel the Slaughter Treasure Vault should have something dangerous; apart from that doll there's nothing else, that's not right." Li Xuan frowned and muttered, then proceeded to explore cautiously.

Li Xuan glanced at the surrounding walls; the Second Floor walls bore not oil lamps but palm‑sized yellow rhombus‑shaped crystals, which looked rather nice.

Li Xuan carefully took one crystal down and then, still cautiously, placed it before him and examined it closely.

"Could this be a lighting Soul Guide Device? This thing is already extinct on Douluo Continent; if it's a lighting Soul Guide Device, I've hit the jackpot!" Li Xuan's eyes lit up, and he cautiously fed his soul power into the crystal.

The originally transparent crystal, as it continuously absorbed Li Xuan's soul power, began to slowly emit a pale yellow glow, soft and very gentle on the eyes.

"It really is a lighting Soul Guide Device. If the Second Floor's area matches the First Floor's, then at least several thousand of these must hang on the walls! This is a jackpot!" Li Xuan said joyfully, looking at the crystal lamp in his hand.

However, Li Xuan did not immediately remove the wall‑mounted crystal lamps; instead he turned his attention to the rooms on the Second Floor, reasoning that the Soul Guide Devices could continue to provide light and could be taken down later when he left.

Since he was here, everything here was his.

Li Xuan turned his head, glanced at the adjacent room, and thought the rooms here were like those on the first floor, likely storing some items.

At that moment, Li Xuan noticed a sign hanging on the door of a Second Floor room.

"126"

"Is this a number?" Li Xuan frowned and muttered.

Li Xuan thought for a moment, then slowly pushed open the large door before him.

"Creak…"

Accompanied by a series of stiff hinge squeaks, Li Xuan cautiously pushed open the doorway.

Li Xuan cradled a Starfire Fruit and slowly walked into the room.

The room was small, containing only two rows of wooden shelves, each lined with rows of books.

"What? The Second Floor is a library?" Li Xuan widened his eyes and said in disbelief. Li Xuan holds a certain reverence for knowledge, and the books stored in the Slaughter Treasure Vault must be extremely precious; seeing these volumes, he was intensely excited.

But just as Li Xuan reached out to take a book, he suddenly recalled something and quickly withdrew his hand.

"These books have endured at least ten thousand years; a light touch would turn them to dust. I must not handle them carelessly!" Li Xuan stepped back two paces and cautiously retreated.

These ancient volumes are treasures; Li Xuan does not wish to destroy them, so dealing with these books is a particularly difficult technical task.

Li Xuan thought it over, then took out an iron pot and began boiling water in the room, using increased humidity to lessen the books' brittleness; as long as the books weren't too fragile, they could be transferred into Kongming Crystals for later gradual disassembly.

Now the Slaughter Treasure Vault is fraught with danger, and repairing these books is extremely difficult; Li Xuan does not wish to attempt it here.

Thus he can only temporarily relocate the books and deal with them later when he has free time.

Soon, Li Xuan used Burning Heart Divine Flame to bring a pot of water to a boil, heating while observing the books' changes; the originally dry books gradually began absorbing moisture from the air.

After absorbing steam for a while, Li Xuan promptly removed the water basin; the ancient books had taken up so much water they turned into a clump, their contents no longer recognizable.

Li Xuan only wanted to restore some flexibility to the ancient volumes, not destroy them.

After completing this, Li Xuan found a corner on the Second Floor, sat down, and waited quietly.

Next, Li Xuan raised the humidity several more times, waiting several hours, and finally carefully lifted the books; though still a bit brittle, they no longer shattered at a touch.

Looking at the ancient books in his hands, Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction, then cautiously placed both the books and the shelf into the Void Pearl, also hanging the sign from the doorway onto the shelf and storing them together.

Hundreds of rooms, thousands of shelves, filled Li Xuan's six Kongming Crystals!

Seeing the now empty room ahead, Li Xuan took two deep breaths.

Having transferred so many items, Li Xuan was exhausted; although he has cultivation, he is still just a child…

A flicker of spirit, and Li Xuan entered the space of the Palm Heaven Bottle.

He placed the six book‑filled Kongming Crystals into his treasure chest, and Li Xuan sat on the ground to rest for a while.

These books are indeed treasures, but Li Xuan currently lacks the energy to analyze their contents.

After so much trouble, Li Xuan was exhausted, massaged his swollen temples, stripped off his clothes, and leapt into the Hot Spring.

The Blood Mist Toxin in his body was quickly diluted and broken down by the Hot Spring water, turning into Spiritual Energy that replenished the space.

In the Slaughter Treasure Vault, Li Xuan almost daily purges the Blood Mist Toxin from his body; Burning Heart Divine Flame can block eighty percent of the toxin, but the remaining twenty percent can only be fully cleared via the Hot Spring.

Li Xuan enjoyed a pleasant soak in the Hot Spring, then emerged, changed into fresh clothes, and sat beside the spring to begin cultivation.

Although Li Xuan has broken through to level 29, there is still a gap before level 30, so he must continue to train diligently.

Aiming to break through to level 30 as soon as possible, after absorbing the Third Flame Li Xuan's strength can further increase and his safety will greatly improve. (End of Chapter)