Lin Chun nodded, but I could sense his fear at that moment.
After all, under these circumstances, everything was uncertain. To be honest, I felt immense fear myself.
I had no idea what those coins had left for us, but we had already experienced so much.
Especially since Elder Yu had warned me beforehand that this place held danger.
Although not much time had passed, we had already encountered considerable peril.
Some of it was mere fright, but for us, it was genuine terror.
And now, this had appeared... For a moment, I didn't know what expression to wear.
The ball of bright light suddenly dispersed, and to my astonishment, I found myself standing on a fighting arena.
This arena seemed incredibly ancient, not paved with cement but with bluestone.
I could feel the bluestone was extraordinary; at the very least, its strength was beyond ordinary.
I turned my gaze to the figure before me, a hint of confusion in my eyes, "Senior, may I ask who you are..."
The person slowly opened their eyes. Although I knew they had coalesced from a mere shadow, at this moment, I felt like a living person stood before me.
"My name is Zhou Ran!" the person said slowly, their voice deep.
"Hello, Senior Zhou Ran, my name is Lu Ziye..." I began, then suddenly felt something was off.
The name Zhou Ran...
Wasn't that the first name carved on the stone tablet outside?
"May I ask where this place is? And what are we supposed to do here?" I asked.
Zhou Ran remained silent. With a tremor of his long saber, he lunged directly at me.
Seeing this, my face turned ashen, and I instinctively retreated several steps: "Senior, I came here by accident. I have no ill intentions..."
As I spoke, my Shepherd's Power surged, and a short sword appeared in my hand. Facing the incoming attack, I unhesitatingly met it.
The long saber and short sword clashed, emitting a piercing roar.
A terrifying force struck my body, making my arm go numb.
My heart jolted.
I knew my strength had increased significantly, and under such circumstances, my power should have risen accordingly.
Furthermore, I had unleashed my Shepherd's Power this time, meaning my strength would ascend to a new level.
Yet, even facing his attack like this left my arm numb.
What kind of strength did this person possess?
I looked at Zhou Ran, "Senior, junior..."
The rest of my words remained unsaid as Zhou Ran's attack arrived.
Forced, I could only fight back desperately.
But it was clear that our strengths were not on the same level.
Even with my previous training, I could continuously dodge, but defeating him was clearly impossible.
Most importantly, at this moment, I discovered something that filled me with dread.
At some point, Lin Chun had disappeared!
I distinctly remembered holding his arm, and I also remembered holding Lin Chun when Zhou Ran introduced himself.
But now he was gone.
Apart from the arena, there was nothing else visible in this place.
"Where did Lin Chun go?" I retreated a few steps, putting myself at a safe distance.
Zhou Ran didn't speak, and his long saber swung at me again.
At this point, I understood that no matter how much I asked, the other party wouldn't answer. His purpose here was solely to fight me.
And the outcome of the fight?
From the current situation, even if I fought desperately, it would be meaningless because our strengths were disparate.
My desperate dodging would only result in me being killed by him once my Shepherd's Power was depleted.
With this thought, I immediately became serious, constantly observing his movements and meticulously controlling my Shepherd's Power consumption.
While dodging, I sought opportunities to counterattack.
Unfortunately, the gap in our strengths was too vast, or rather, the disparity in combat experience was too great.
Zhou Ran seemed to know my attack angles, directions, and force at all times.
He could preemptively defend against my attacks, but I couldn't anticipate when his would come.
Because of this, our battle lasted less than three minutes, and I already bore over ten ghastly wounds.
The intense pain made it difficult to endure, forcing me to use my Shepherd's Power for healing.
This, in turn, accelerated my consumption of Shepherd's Power...
Now, I understood clearly: if I couldn't end this fight quickly, he could simply wear me down to death with sheer attrition...