Three days passed quietly.
The viewing stands were once again packed with spectators. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in the independent space, thoroughly dispelling the last trace of fatigue.
The battle with Shi Ziyun that day had actually consumed a great deal, but for some reason, both his energy and physical strength were now far beyond what they had been before. He had recovered to his prime in almost a single day—no, he was even stronger than his previous peak state.
Even so, Xiao Yan did not relax for even a single second to stop improving his strength.
He had originally thought that Han Xuanji would need a thousand years to catch up to his pace.
But facts proved that Han Xuanji did not need such a long time at all; now, he was already standing on the same battlefield as him, engaging in a fair and square fight.
Suddenly, a flash of white light streaked past.
When Xiao Yan opened his eyes, he was already standing on a vast island.
Surrounded by an endless ocean, the vast blue waves stretched as far as the eye could see. The sea breeze, carrying damp moisture, rushed towards him, bringing with it a faint, salty scent.
The sky was clear as if washed, with a few white clouds drifting lazily.
The Spiritual Qi on this island was extremely dense, and the suppression of the laws of heaven and earth was not as strong as in the outside world, enough to allow both men to unleash their full strength without reservation.
Xiao Yan looked up and saw, not far away, a figure in green robes standing with hands behind his back on a protruding reef.
The sea breeze blew against his robes, making them flutter and snap, but it could not shake his upright posture.
His face was calm, his gaze profound, as if he had merged into this world, yet remained transcendent. That temperament was so ethereal that he did not look like an Eternal Dao Lord Cultivator, but rather like a deity who had long seen through the affairs of the world, standing on high and looking down upon the mortal realm.
Xiao Yan was slightly stunned.
The last time he saw Han Xuanji was at the Creation Platform.
Although Han Xuanji was powerful at that time, the Han Xuanji of this moment gave him a completely different feeling.
His aura was still well-restrained, making it impossible for others to gauge his specific strength.
But Xiao Yan could clearly feel at this moment that beneath that restraint, Han Xuanji was like a bottomless abyss, hiding power capable of swallowing everything.
"Brother Han, long time no see."
Xiao Yan spoke, his voice echoing across the empty island, clear and frank.
Han Xuanji turned around, looked at him, and the corners of his mouth curled slightly:
"Brother Xiao, long time no see."
The two looked at each other across a distance of several dozen zhang.
The sea breeze blew between them, lifting a few stray hairs and the corners of their robes.
Xiao Yan smiled and said:
"To have reached this step, it is truly not easy."
He sighed with emotion, his gaze carrying a touch of sincerity:
"Every opponent was not simple. To be able to fight all the way to now, I can say I have risked my life."
"Brother Han, you truly did not disappoint me."
"In this world, you are likely the only one who can make me go all out like this."
He spoke frankly; this was a sentiment from the bottom of his heart.
In his heart, Han Xuanji was that kind of existence known as a "fated rival."
This fated rival did not mean an enemy, but an existence that motivated and chased after each other.
From their first meeting on the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder to the current final stage of the Law Conference, he felt this was like a legend, possessing a strong sense of fate.
Han Xuanji listened to these words, his face remained calm, but he felt somewhat strange in his heart.
He recalled his own experiences along the way.
From the first round to the finals, he seemed... not to have encountered any real resistance.
Ling Cang and Song Tiancheng's strength was actually quite good, but if he were to attack with full force, he would likely win within a few rounds, and as for the other opponents, they were not even worth mentioning.
He hadn't even used his full strength, yet he had walked all the way to the finals so easily.
Of course, he did not say this out loud.
If he said it out loud, it would seem a bit shameless.
Xiao Yan being able to reach this step in the Law Conference had indeed required immense effort. He could feel the heavy weight in Xiao Yan's words; that was the conviction forged through hard training.
He had no right to look down on this effort.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and responded:
"It is indeed not easy, but it is all worth it."
"Mhm."
Xiao Yan nodded, his gaze becoming serious:
"However, I will not hold back just because the opponent is you."
"In this battle, I will use my full strength."
"Not to prove anything, but to be worthy of our efforts."
That's quite a bold claim.
Han Xuanji looked at the other party, his heart suddenly stirred, and he couldn't help but secretly activate the System investigation.
He knew Xiao Yan was not someone who spoke wildly; for him to say this, he must have a very powerful trump card.
But what level of trump card it was, he was not yet clear.
[Xiao Yan: Eternal Dao Lord Perfected, Divine Son of the Great Sheng Holy Dynasty, descendant of the Holy King, Awakener of the Imperial bloodline, has completed self-bloodline recovery, can use Bloodline Power to revive the power of the Ancient Holy King.]
Han Xuanji looked at that line of text, his pupils slightly constricted.
"No way... you can just cheat whenever you want, right?"
He muttered secretly in his heart.
"The power of the Ancient Holy King, just listen to that!"
The first Holy Emperor of the Great Sheng Holy Dynasty was an expert at the Holy King level. As his atavistic descendant, Xiao Yan's bloodline contained the Origin power of that Holy King.
If he activated this power, he could erupt with unimaginable strength in a short period of time.
However, the other party was only at the Eternal Dao Lord cultivation level; the strength his Physical Body and Divine Soul could carry was extremely limited.
It shouldn't be too exaggerated; he could far surpass an Eternal Dao Lord and reach the Eternal True Lord level, but it was impossible to touch the Eternal True God level.
"No wonder he is so confident... An ordinary Eternal Dao Lord, facing even a trace of Holy King bloodline pressure, would likely lose eighty percent of their combat power."
Han Xuanji thought this in his heart, but his face remained calm. He just looked at Xiao Yan and replied indifferently:
"Good, then I will not be polite either."
Originally, he was still wondering how much of his strength he needed to hide; he was also afraid that if he attacked too ruthlessly, he would shatter Xiao Yan's Dao Heart.
Now it seemed that perhaps even if he used his full strength, he might not necessarily win.
That was fine too.
He was the same as Xiao Yan; in fact, he didn't care who the final victory belonged to.
If even his previous performance was not enough to move the Great Dao Association or the Nine Profound Holy Lord, then he had nothing more to say.
Above the island, the relaxation after their pleasantries vanished in an instant.
Replacing it was a nearly solidified murderous atmosphere.
Waves crashed against the shore.
Two figures stood facing each other, one upright like a pine, the other calm like a mountain.
On the light screen in the outside world, countless gazes were nervously watching this final decisive battle.