Three days later, at dawn, Shi Lan stood tall and straight on the high platform, several defeated men lying sprawled at her feet. (Latest and fastest updates)
A woman dressed in colorful clothes with a seductive posture gracefully stepped forward from the edge of the platform. She glanced sideways at the group of people who were groaning and clutching their wounds, and handed Shi Lan a long, rectangular stone pillar, gesturing for her to hold it and channel her true energy into it.
Shi Lan did as instructed, and a golden light followed the base of the stone pillar upwards, only stopping after traveling more than halfway up.
The woman looked closely at the markings, then smiled with satisfaction. "How should I address this fellow Daoist?"
Shi Lan promptly gave her name, and after seeing the woman enter her name into the jade slip, she stepped aside to wait.
The next round of the competition began on the high platform, and Yan Qing pushed Yan Ling to the woman.
Yanling handed the jade slip in her hand to the woman.
The woman looked at it for a moment, and then seemed to say something.
Yan Qing looked down at Yan Ling. Yan Ling's back was straight, and her childlike face was full of confidence.
After the three talked for a while, the woman suddenly took out a paper crane, released it, and invited the Yan siblings to sit next to her.
Shi Lan looked at the three of them quietly, then looked away after a moment.
In less than a quarter of an hour, a black dot appeared in the sky and was right in front of her in an instant. Only then did Shi Lan realize that the black dot was actually a woman with a long ruler on her feet and a Taoist bun hairstyle.
The person jumped down from the long black ruler and swiftly approached Yanling.
After a brief conversation, the Yan siblings followed the man onto the black long ruler.
Shi Lan lowered her eyelids and looked at the ground in front of her.
The Yan siblings turned their gaze to Shi Lan. Yan Ling's lips twitched, but before she could speak, the newcomer casually waved his hand, and a streak of green light appeared, sending a long ruler into the air before disappearing in an instant.
As the sun gradually rose higher and then began to set in the west, Shi Lan was surrounded by people. The woman came to the open space, released a boat that could carry more than a hundred people, and beckoned everyone to come aboard.
Everyone seemed very familiar with boats and boarded them without any apparent concern.
Although Shi Lan was somewhat surprised, she pretended to be calm and followed at the back, and like the others, she found a place and sat cross-legged to meditate.
The boat quickly rose into the air, wisps of white clouds brushed past the hull, and the orange-red sunset gilded it with a warm glow. Shi Lan turned to look at the beautiful scenery outside the boat, unable to express her feelings.
A ship without power or fuel propulsion was speeding through the sky. In the past, she would have been curious, amazed, and even studied it. But after witnessing the sight of three grown people flying on a single ruler, Shi Lan felt that nothing was impossible in this world.
The boat flew very fast, and in less than half an incense stick's time, it arrived at a range of rolling mountains.
The boat slowly descended, and its speed decreased accordingly. After a short while, the boat came to rest on an open space.
The group disembarked one after another. The woman in charge of the recruitment task stowed the boat and pointed to the archway, which was five or six people tall, a few feet away, saying, "Go up from here. Those who arrive before 7 PM can enter."
Having said that, the woman released a small flying sword, and she floated down as lightly as a piece of paper, then slicing through the sky. (Latest and fastest updates)
Shi Lan looked up at the woman's increasingly smaller shadow and pulled her dress closer.
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the crowd on the open ground rushed toward the archway. When Shi Lan arrived, all she saw was a narrow staircase winding into the clouds. The people who had been on the same boat with her had already climbed the staircase before her.
Seeing this, Shi Lan became very anxious and hurriedly chased after them. At first, things went relatively smoothly, but after she passed several people, she found that the surroundings gradually became quiet. The light mist surrounding her had become surprisingly thick and was swaying and floating as she moved.
This scene was very similar to when she first entered the space; both times, she couldn't see the way forward, and both times, she felt panicked because she couldn't see what lay ahead.
Shi Lan reached out and gently brushed away the mist. A cool vapor instantly enveloped her fingers, and a soft sigh suddenly rang out. A man's voice murmured in her ear, "Lan Niang, it's been a long time."
The familiar voice made Shi Lan stiffen. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Yue Zhan?"
The man chuckled softly, "So you still remember me."
Shi Lan's pupils contracted slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.
The man gently held her fingers and caressed them, saying, "It's so good, I've finally waited for you."
Shi Lan withdrew her finger and looked at the mist that seemed to conceal something, asking, "How did you get here?"
The man's voice was deep and pleasant, "I've always been here."
Shi Lan's lips moved, but she didn't speak.
The mist moved slowly, and the man murmured, "Lan Niang, come here, come to my side, let me take a good look at you."
Shi Lan stared into the mist, vaguely reaching out her hand, and took a step forward.
A sudden sharp pain shot through Shi Lan's head, startling her. The black nail in her soul suddenly shone with golden light, forcing the surrounding mist back several feet.
Shi Lan then took in her surroundings, her vest instantly soaked with cold sweat.
At this point, half of her foot was already outside the stone step. If she had taken just half a step forward...
Shi Lan leaned forward, raised her eyebrows and looked down. The tall building now looked only the size of a matchbox.
Shi Lan quickly shuffled two steps to the side, and only after confirming that it was safe did she gently pat her chest and wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.
After standing quietly for a moment, feeling her violently beating heart slow down, Shi Lan took another step upwards. At this moment, her mind was extremely firm, even as she heard Cheng Hao's warm greetings, Shi Xi's concerned inquiries, and Ning Zeyuan's gentle calls...
All sorts of people she had met and who had left their mark on her heart appeared before her eyes one by one, only to vanish again in an instant. She half-closed her eyes, focusing her gaze solely on the single step in front of her.
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