Chen Shi'an forced himself to draw another breath and swung the Windbreaker Saber in his hand, leaving no gap in his defense.
A series of ringing clangs sounded as the Windbreaker Saber and the longsword clashed repeatedly in midair.
Although Chen Shi'an blocked Xu Chaoqian's attacks, he kept retreating. Within a few breaths, he had been driven back more than twenty feet, reaching the edge of the arena.
After forcing Chen Shi'an back with another thrust, Xu Chaoqian stopped attacking and said in a low voice, "Chen Shi'an, that's enough. Concede.
"My goal is first place. I can't waste too much Origin Force and stamina on you."
This time, Chen Shi'an was decisive. He put away the Windbreaker Saber and cupped his hands slightly toward Xu Chaoqian. "Your strength is formidable, Brother Xu. I admit I'm no match for you. You won this bout."
With that, he jumped straight down from the arena.
Seeing this, Qianshan Xue and Xiang Li both let out great sighs of relief.
On the Reviewing Platform, Wu Dongchuang snorted coldly. "Conceding without a fight is no way for a martial artist to behave. What a coward."
Dong Fengwu smiled and added, "Knowing you're outmatched and still insisting on fighting makes you a reckless fool."
The Yellow-Robed Man and Gao Tianfang smiled faintly without commenting. Their attention was on the other semifinal bout.
Chen Shi'an returned to the Contestant Seating and turned his gaze toward the three arenas where fighting continued.
At this stage of the Gathering of Heroes, the contestants who could still take the stage were not too far apart in strength.
The fighting in all three arenas was fierce.
Chen Shi'an first looked toward Gu Qingyao. Her opponent was a man built like an iron tower, wielding a spiked mace five feet long.