Under the anthem's soaring melody, Chen Jiuyang slept soundly.
Outside the hotel where the Dragon Country Martial Rankings team was staying, a vast crowd had gathered.
Chen Jiuyang woke up early and went to the square outside to stretch his limbs.
Many people were shouting his name, and countless Dragon Country citizens held up star-bright red flags, cheering.
"Jiuyang..."
In a daze, Chen Jiuyang thought he heard the voices of people close to him. He turned his head to see a dense sea of Dragon Country people. Members of the Martial Rankings World Committee were blocking everyone, preventing them from rushing in and disturbing the Dragon Country Martial Rankings members.
"Am I homesick..."
Chen Jiuyang murmured to himself. His loved ones were in Dragon Country, thousands of miles away.
The sooner the competition ended, the sooner he could return home and hang up his armor.
Back in the hotel, several staff members were whispering amongst themselves. Upon seeing Chen Jiuyang, their expressions changed drastically, and they were about to say something.
Just then, Long Jing Zhijianren walked in, his face radiating a warm smile. "Jiuyang, have you finished warming up? Have something to eat, and then we'll go watch today's matches."
Seeing Long Jing Zhijianren's normal demeanor, Chen Jiuyang pushed the strange reactions of the staff to the back of his mind, not dwelling on them.
Yesterday, his individual match had lasted the entire day.
Today was the continuation of the fourth round of matches. Observing the opponents' hidden strengths, both remaining members of the Dragon Country Martial Rankings team had successfully advanced to the fifth round.
The fifth round would only have fourteen participants. After the fifth round, it would be close to the semifinals.
Today, the entire Dragon Country Martial Rankings team felt a sense of relief.
With the death of Ivis Saint Zeren, the Dragon Country Martial Rankings team now had a strong possibility of contending for the championship. And the person most likely to win the championship cup was Chen Jiuyang!
This excited countless people in Dragon Country.
There was no longer any need to conceal information and achievements about Chen Jiuyang.
Serving as a military doctor in the Sharp Blade Legion for one year, his martial arts advanced by leaps and bounds after his discharge. He won the Feng Province Martial Rankings championship, then in Suhang, he defeated Japan's thirty-year plan, winning the Dragon Country Martial Rankings championship. In City 318, he healed the Dragon Country's first royal king, who had been in a coma for twenty years, and thwarted the conspiracy of the Indian Divine Kingdom. With each of these achievements revealed, the calls for Chen Jiuyang, the King of Qian, grew louder, almost rivaling those of the King of Yan sixty years ago.
Entering the arena, the crowd was immense.
Chen Jiuyang and the other members of the Dragon Country Martial Rankings team sat in the waiting area, watching the matches.
During this time, Chen Jiuyang noticed several people trying to strike up a conversation with him, but they were all intercepted and blocked by staff members.
This made him somewhat puzzled.
Time passed quickly.
The participants for the fifth round were confirmed, a total of fourteen individuals.
This meant that after this round, one person would receive a bye, advancing to the sixth round, the quasi-semifinals, to make up the eight participants.
The matches continued.
The next day.
The competition was intense, and both Chen Jiuyang and Ye Tiannan advanced to the quarterfinals.
However, more and more staff members looked at Chen Jiuyang with strange expressions, as if they had something to say but hesitated.
The widespread publicity had shaken everyone's hearts.
Another day passed.
Chen Jiuyang and Ye Tiannan both reached the semifinals, with the championship of the Martial Rankings World Competition within their grasp!
Countless Dragon Country citizens were excited and cheering!
After the matches concluded on this day, both of them were stained with blood.
In front of the live broadcast cameras, Yun Jingbai and Enokifu interviewed Chen Jiuyang and Ye Tiannan.
"Congratulations to both of you for winning your matches and advancing to the Martial Rankings World Competition. The championship of this Martial Rankings competition should be decided between the two of you."
After a positive interview,
Yun Jingbai shook hands with Chen Jiuyang, discreetly passing him a piece of paper.
Chen Jiuyang's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and took the paper, then returned to the hotel with Ye Tiannan.
"Hotel kitchen's back door, cleaning passage."
What was Yun Jingbai trying to do?
However, Chen Jiuyang's mind was incredibly sharp.
After several days of noticing unusual circumstances around him, he had already sensed something brewing.
And now, Yun Jingbai's method of passing him a note was sending him a signal.
Chen Jiuyang's expression shifted. He took a deep breath and walked out of his room. All the logistics team staff were busy analyzing the opponents for Chen Jiuyang and Ye Tiannan in the semifinals.
He walked through the kitchen and arrived at the cleaning passage, where ten people were guarding.
Upon seeing Chen Jiuyang arrive, these ten people immediately exclaimed in unison, "Your Highness, King of Qian!"
These ten people were from the military. Chen Jiuyang's expression was calm. "I have something to attend to. Brothers, go back and have a smoke. It'll be quick."
The ten men looked puzzled, unsure why Chen Jiuyang was there. They exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, then took out cigarettes from their pockets and went into the kitchen.
The cleaning passage had no cameras and was dimly lit. After walking for three to five minutes, Chen Jiuyang saw two people cloaked in hoods.
One of them was Yun Jingbai. Her face was pale, and her eyes, filled with tears, looked at Chen Jiuyang. "Jiuyang, I'm sorry."
Chen Jiuyang's heart suddenly skipped a beat. "What is it that you need to apologize to me for?"
Yun Jingbai pursed her lips, remaining silent.
The other cloaked person removed their hood, revealing Yao Deyun, who was surprisingly old with a head full of white hair.
Why was Yao Deyun here? Shouldn't he be in Fengcheng handling affairs, or in Qingzhu Town with Yao Zixuan?
Chen Jiuyang's voice trembled as he asked, "Dad... why are you here..."
Yao Deyun, who was once noble and prosperous, looked as if he had aged decades. His once black hair had turned withered and white. His eyes were swollen and listless, and he choked out, "Jiuyang..."
"They're all dead. All my Yao family members are dead."
"Zixuan is missing."
"Boom!"
These few words struck Chen Jiuyang like a bolt from the heavens. He staggered, his face turning deathly pale, and he stammered in disbelief:
"Dad, what are you saying?"
"What happened?"
"Two days after you left... my entire Yao family, hundreds of people, were massacred..."
"Zixuan disappeared while taking a walk outside, and we can't find her..."
"Rumble!"
It was as if real thunder had struck Chen Jiuyang, causing him a burning pain in his core.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Chen Jiuyang gritted his teeth, silent, his eyes turning red.
His heart was breaking!
"That day, fortunately, I was out of town on business and escaped. I didn't dare to report it to the Six Doors..."
"They wouldn't let me leave the country, so I took a smuggling route to leave Dragon Country and find you here."
"But when I arrived, they wouldn't let me see you..."
"Jiuyang... Dad only has you left..."
Yao Deyun hugged Chen Jiuyang tightly and sobbed uncontrollably.
Chen Jiuyang couldn't utter a single word, his body trembling. After a long hesitation, he hugged Yao Deyun back.
The sky had fallen!