East Continent Professional League, round of sixteen, home arena.
Today's arena was a vast, boundless sea platform. Its crystal-clear surface formed a battlefield stretching for hundreds of miles, with a shallow layer of seawater covering the ground and rippling around the contestants' feet as they moved.
The sky was painted with a sunset of deep blue and crimson, its shifting light reflected on the water. If not for the tense atmosphere, it would have been a breathtaking sight.
Chen Yan's figure materialized at one side of the platform, his aura growing increasingly composed and steady.
He stood with his hands behind his back, paying no attention to the virtual crowd's deafening cheers or the rapidly scrolling comments. He simply waited for the match to begin.
Across from him, a graceful figure slowly appeared.
She was a woman dressed in a white martial arts uniform, with long hair cascading down her back and exquisite features. Her phoenix eyes sparkled as if they held the stars.
She was Gu Lin, the most popular contestant in this year's league and the "National Goddess" of Magic Capital Martial University.
Not only was she stunning, but her strength was top-tier as well. Her masterful swordsmanship, paired with mysterious psychic combat techniques, had carried her through every round without a single loss.
Her signature move, "Psychic Cage," was feared by countless opponents.
Although Chen Yan had already made a fearsome name for himself in the previous rounds, the live chat was overwhelmingly in Gu Lin's favor.
Nearly every viewer was cheering for the more popular Gu Lin.
"Goddess Gu Lin! Goddess Gu Lin!"
"Go, goddess! Knock that flower-crushing brute flat!"
"Baby, you're a sweet little cupcake, and Mommy loves you!"
"Am I the only one rooting for Chen Yan? He feels unfathomable."
"Of course you are.