"If only I had a little more time, perhaps I could have done better..."
"I should have cultivated steadily; perhaps back then, I might have truly had a chance to defeat the Heavenly Dao..."
"However, if I couldn't even defeat Zhou Ran, then the Heavenly Dao was even more out of the question..."
All sorts of thoughts surfaced in my mind, and a sense of loneliness arose.
That suppressed feeling made me extremely uncomfortable, yet I was powerless to resist.
Everything around seemed oppressive; I couldn't escape this cycle, and thus, I couldn't resist.
I was already dead...
At this moment, whether I closed my eyes or not made no difference. The surroundings were all darkness anyway, and closing my eyes would still lead to darkness...
I wondered what expressions those people would have if they knew of my death...
As various thoughts flashed through my mind, I suddenly felt something strange. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have existed for long after dying...
Why was I thinking so much?
Could it be that as people approach death, time feels like it passes extremely slowly?
Just then, a light suddenly appeared in the distance, followed by a figure slowly coalescing into form.
Seeing this, my body jolted, and I instinctively looked forward.
The visibility around me also increased, and I realized I was standing on a fighting platform.
Standing before me was a figure holding a saber.
"My name is Zhou Ran!" the person said slowly, their voice deep.
My expression changed, and I suddenly thought of something, subconsciously looking at my own body.
The previous wounds were gone. There were no signs of battle on my chest, head, or anywhere on my body.
Most importantly, my Shepherd's Power seemed to have become even more abundant!
"This is..." I looked at the short sword in my hand. I distinctly remembered that the situation was exactly the same when I first encountered Zhou Ran.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" I had a guess in my heart, but I wasn't sure.
Zhou Ran indeed didn't speak. The long saber in his hand swung towards me.
I met the attack head-on with my short sword, which was covered in flames and lightning.
The long saber and the short sword clashed, emitting a piercing sound.
But this time, I didn't feel anything unusual in my arm.
In that instant, I was overjoyed!
I never expected heaven to give me a second chance. And all the experience and knowledge from my previous school life were retained.
Along with them, the feeling of death was also preserved.
That intense pain, that boundless fear, and that endless despair – I didn't want to experience them a second time.
Without any hesitation, this time I initiated the attack first.
The two forces collided fiercely. The experience gained from studying Zhou Ran before now came into play.
The moment the two energies intertwined, I retreated. I predicted Zhou Ran's landing spot, and with my short sword, I lunged forward.
Zhou Ran was caught somewhat off guard by my sudden attack. After a hasty exchange, he retreated several steps.
However, he showed no signs of stopping and continued to attack me.
This time, I felt much calmer than before.
I continued to control the consumption of my Shepherd's Power, dodging while looking for opportunities to counterattack, and constantly learning his combat style and techniques.
As the fight continued for thirty minutes, I felt that my Shepherd's Power still had some reserves.
Without any hesitation, the short sword in my hand struck out again, and the two forces clashed furiously.
A terrifying explosion occurred.
The energy waves swept out once more, striking the bluestone floor without leaving any trace.
I predicted Zhou Ran's movements, and flames and lightning surged from my short sword.
Carrying a terrifying force, it crashed into him.
"Boom!"
The moment Zhou Ran landed, a terrifying explosion sounded.
There was no smoke, nor any energy ripples, but I clearly saw a ferocious wound appear on Zhou Ran's arm.
Seeing this, my tears of excitement almost fell.
This meant that this guy wasn't invincible, which in turn meant that I had a chance to defeat him.
With such encouragement, my heart was once again filled with hope.
And the battle resumed.
This fight lasted for nearly an hour. I seemed to have a little bit of Shepherd's Power left.
Thus, the fight extended to an hour and ten minutes, by which point my Shepherd's Power was completely depleted.
However, Zhou Ran, just like before, seemed to have hardly consumed any Shepherd's Power, and his body showed no abnormalities.
The two forces clashed again. This time, I predicted his movements, but I was powerless to resist.
The long saber accurately struck my heart. I could feel my blood gushing out, and blood began to pool in my chest...
It seemed I was about to die again...