The next morning, after absorbing the first stream of pure spiritual energy that arose at dawn, Shi Lan slowly finished her cultivation. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Gu Rentong waiting nearby.
"You cultivate so diligently. No wonder Miss Shi Lan has reached such a level of skill at such a young age."
Gu Rentong offered a compliment, then led Shi Lan to the arena.
Chu Chen had planned to head back, but as if under some strange spell, he found himself following along and returning to the arena.
Of the four who had made it to the semifinals, all but Shi Lan were men at the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
Shi Lan's opponent was a somewhat slight man. He held a three-foot sword in his hand, his expression stern.
Elder Xin, who had presided over the matches yesterday, was nowhere to be seen. Another elder, somewhat older, had taken his place.
"Begin!"
As soon as the elder's words fell, the man slid a step backward and raised his sword. A sword aura more than ten zhang long burst forth, slashing toward Shi Lan without hesitation!
He had watched yesterday's match closely. In his mind, Shi Lan excelled at close combat, so keeping his distance and wearing her down gradually was the best strategy.
Without hesitation, Shi Lan summoned the Seven-Star Ziwei Halberd. She stomped down hard, leaving two shallow footprints on the black iron arena, then shot forward in a blur, charging straight into the sword aura.
"Crack—"
The sword aura shattered with a thunderous crash. A halberd aura nearly twenty zhang long appeared in a flash, cleaving down from above with the boundless force of Pangu splitting heaven and earth!
The man's expression shifted at the sight