Longjing.
The vast martial arts arena, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people, was packed to capacity. Even outside the arena, hundreds of thousands more had gathered, creating a deafening roar and an atmosphere of unparalleled excitement.
The annual Martial Ranking competition, coupled with the selection of representatives for the sixty-year cycle's National Fortune War, was set to crown five Kings of the Dragon Nation.
The event, commencing at three o'clock, had captured the undivided attention of the entire Dragon Nation's martial arts community.
An immense, seemingly endless stream of martial artists converged at this location.
This was reminiscent of sixty years ago, when the Dragon Nation's First King, Gong Wang, and the Second King, Yan Wang, pillars of the nation, were born.
And this time, there were five! A full five positions of Kingship!
Martial artists without significant standing were barred from the arena itself, relegated to watching the proceedings on massive screens projected outside.
Under the bright sun, an elder, clad in a Zhongshan suit, slowly ascended the high platform of the arena.
His appearance brought immediate silence to the hundreds of thousands present. The entire Martial Ranking arena fell into a hush, with countless eyes fixed upon him, filled with respect, awe, longing, and gratitude.
The elder in the Zhongshan suit walked onto the platform with his hands behind his back, approaching a pre-positioned microphone. His voice was clear and resonant, carrying an aura of uprightness and immense presence.
"The imperialist ambition to destroy our Hua Xia Han people remains unquenched. Sixty years ago, we paid a terrible price, with countless soldiers falling on the battlefield, to secure sixty years of recuperation and peace for our nation."
"Now, the National Fortune War is upon us once more. We cannot and will not forget the blood shed by our ancestors. We can only wash away those blood debts with the blood of our enemies, lest their sacrifice be in vain!"
"On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month in the Guihai year, a day of great auspiciousness, we shall open the Dragon Nation's Martial Ranking, selecting ten heavenly talents of our younger generation to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, to march for our Dragon Nation, seize our national fortune, and protect the safety of hundreds of millions of our people!"
"The top five shall be considered heavenly talents and will be bestowed Kingship!"
With his pronouncement, the elder slowly turned and departed, disappearing into the red walls.
Following this, the Martial Ranking arena erupted with countless roars, a thunderous clamor that seemed to pierce the very sky!
"This is the significance of the Martial Ranking!"
Many elders, some over a hundred years old, witnessed this scene, their hearts ablaze with fervor, tears streaming down their faces.
Many of the older generation had participated in the National Fortune War sixty years prior.
Beside the great river, in the biting cold of winter.
Soldiers charged forward relentlessly, even without cotton-padded clothes or food, armed with sickles, axes, spatulas, and hoes, they pressed onward.
Thinking of this, many were moved to tears.
"Buzz!"
A sword's hum echoed from the sky. An elder, dressed in black robes and holding an ancient sword, descended from above.
Upon seeing this elder, many pupils contracted sharply: "The Sword Keeper of Longjing, Commander of the Sword Keeper Legion!"
The Sword Keeper of Longjing ascended the Martial Ranking arena, holding a thick, ancient bamboo slip, its surface gleaming with golden characters. His voice was calm, yet imbued with immense authority.
"The Guihai year Martial Ranking commences. The first round of competition will be presided over by myself. Participants will be arranged according to the pinyin of their provincial names. The match list will be released shortly. Champions from each province, please prepare to take the stage."
The elder Sword Keeper of Longjing spoke concisely, his demeanor seemingly casual, yet no one dared to harbor any dissatisfaction.
"The five positions of Kings!"
"Forty participants! One wonders which of them will secure these five positions! And even the top ten!"
"Our Dragon Nation has thirty-four administrative regions. The Sword Keeper Legion contributes one position, and the five Kings and their five major legions each contribute one, totaling forty individuals."
"Judging purely by combat strength, it should be the Young Princess of the Gong King's family who takes the first place..."
"Young Princess Gong Liexian? She is not participating in the Martial Ranking. It seems her elder brother, Gong Luoque, is representing King Gong. The Sword Keeper Legion is represented by Tang Jingxian. Given the Young Princess's talent, she is destined to inherit the position of King Gong and need not participate in the Martial Ranking."
"That is true... Young Princess Gong Liexian has a very high probability of inheriting the position of King Gong, becoming the new generation's King Gong and commanding the Zhenxi Army!"
"En Fu, the first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, possesses the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart and looks down upon the world. At the young age of eighteen, she had already cultivated to the peak of the sixth level of the Earth Realm. Later, feeling her martial arts were not strong enough, she crippled her own cultivation to seek a more powerful path. To this day, there has been no news of her return to the martial path. She likely will not participate in the Martial Ranking."
"Setting aside these two, if we are to speak of who has the greatest chance of claiming first place, it should be Chen Jiuyang, the Marquis of Xuanyang and champion of the Feng Province Martial Ranking. With his cultivation at the third level of the Earth Realm, he directly withstood a killing blow from a half-step Heavenly Realm expert, single-handedly cutting through a thousand miles of bloody path. At the second level of the Earth Realm, he could kill a peak Divine Intent expert like Xi Butui, and ten peak Divine Intent warriors of the military path could not stop him for six hours; all were slain."
"This young man indeed possesses peerless talent and astonishing combat power. He also has the backing of the Chen family of Shu Mountain and has contributed greatly to the nation. Within the Earth Realm, aside from King Yan's Sky Dragon Breaking City Spear, it is truly difficult to conceive of anyone whose martial power surpasses his."
When Chen Jiuyang was mentioned, everyone praised him with nods. In recent months, Chen Jiuyang had been the most prominent among the younger generation of martial artists. His achievements along the way were witnessed by all, to the extent that dozens of factions had united to prevent Chen Jiuyang from entering Longjing.
"The Earth Realm martial artists of the older generation are no match for him. His chances of securing the top position this time are extremely high!"
Countless eyes flickered. Not every Martial Ranking champion could claim the title of top scholar, as the five Kings and the Sword Keeper Legion also fielded their own participants. These six major powers were exempt from the preliminary Martial Ranking competitions and directly entered the finals in Longjing.
Suddenly, someone frowned, their gaze sweeping across the venue: "Chen Jiuyang entered Longjing an hour ago. Why hasn't he appeared at the Martial Ranking arena yet?"
He was not the only one with this question. As the most anticipated participant for the championship, Chen Jiuyang was under intense scrutiny. However, with the Dragon Nation's Martial Ranking already underway, Chen Jiuyang's presence was still absent, causing them to feel puzzled.
Even the Chen family patriarch and those around him were frowning in confusion: "Why hasn't Jiuyang arrived at the arena for preparation?"
Several minutes later, news reached the Martial Ranking venue.
"What did you say?"
Someone exclaimed involuntarily: "Chen Jiuyang was apprehended by the Six Gates the moment he entered Longjing, and he still hasn't been released?"
"To do something like this at this juncture, one must have an insurmountable background..."
"Speak cautiously!"
"Heh heh... the nail that sticks out gets hammered. Unforeseen disaster. The Chen family and Chen Jiuyang are truly unlucky..."
"Longjing is Longjing, after all..."
The news of Chen Jiuyang's detention by the Six Gates and his continued confinement struck the entire Martial Ranking arena like a bomb. Subsequently, hundreds of thousands of people became aware of the incident!
The venue erupted in an uproar, and countless gazes immediately fell upon the Chen family patriarch.
"How... how could this happen..."
The Chen family patriarch's face turned ashen, and then his fists, devoid of strength, clenched and he slumped onto his chair.
He had already braved the trials of the Three Passes and Five Generals. He never imagined that such a thing would happen in the end. This time, the Chen family patriarch truly despaired.