Early morning on May 20th, in the year of Jiazi.
On an island in public waters, one hundred kilometers from Sandalwood Island, belonging to no nation.
Under the illumination of lights, a Dragon Country aircraft landed. Hundreds of people emerged from the airport with steady steps, heading towards the more than ten waiting buses.
On both sides, many people held banners with 'Dragon Country' and the names of various participating contestants, roaring and shouting!
"Dragon Country!"
"Victory!"
"Dragon Country!"
"Victory!"
The shouts and banners reached the ears of every member of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, igniting their blood and invigorating their spirits.
Though scattered across the globe, they were still Dragon Country people, willing to come and cheer for their nation.
Fathers, holding their children, stood by the roadside as the buses passed. It was late at night, yet the children's eyes were bright, small star-red flags waving in their hands.
Anyone witnessing this scene would find it impossible to remain unmoved.
Their purpose in coming was not to break the tens of thousands of years of constraints on Immortal and Martial Dao, but to fight for the suffering Dragon Country populace of centuries.
They would roar, spill blood in battle, and prove to the world that the glory of Dragon Country was about to return!
Seeing the little boy, Chen Jiuyang couldn't help but wave at him through the window. The boy shyly buried himself in his father's embrace, only a fair, tender hand still holding up the star-red flag, waving continuously.
As time passed, the massive stadium complex appeared before everyone's eyes.
The Dragon Country Martial Ranking team arrived, and ancient, melodious bugle calls sounded, meant to ignite the fighting spirit of each individual. Looking up, they saw Dragon Country citizens, far from home, who had traveled a thousand miles to be there, voluntarily blowing the horns.
King Yan's expression showed no fluctuation: "We've come here once again."
With the assistance of the Martial Ranking World Championship staff, the more than ten buses slowly passed through the crowd, arriving at the hotel plaza outside the stadium complex. The dense crowd of greeters was kept outside the plaza.
Everyone slowly disembarked, wearing their national team uniforms, and entered the hotel in an orderly fashion.
"Chen Jiuyang! Yuan Dao Invincible!"
Even from a distance, supporters were shouting.
As each person alighted, supporters called out the name of the participating contestant as if reciting a cherished list.
Here, thousands of miles away from Dragon Country, they were not King Qian or King Bei Yan; they were Chen Jiuyang, Yan Hongming, He Wuji, Ye Tiannan, Han Lixuan, Jiang Lihuo, Zhao Liyu, Xing Hongzhuo, Zai Hanzao, and Wu Xiuyuan of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team!
Hearing their names shouted under the brilliant starry sky, who could ignore it?
Faces filled with smiles and anticipation met their gaze. Chen Jiuyang raised his Yan Sheng Saber to the sky, inscribing two fiery golden characters in the void!
They were—
Victory!
Then, following the team, he lowered his head slightly and entered the hotel.
"Oh!!!"
The cheers of the crowd became even more fervent!
Upon entering the hotel, everyone was assigned a room card. Opposite each participating contestant's room was a guard with Venerable realm cultivation.
Opposite Chen Jiuyang's room was King Yan's.
Leaving Dragon Country, there was no royal sword; everything depended on one's own strength. Any influence was useless here.
After a few hours of sleep.
At 6:50 AM, everyone woke up and gathered in the hotel lobby.
Each person wore the Dragon Country Martial Ranking national team uniform, with their Martial Ranking certified identification badges pinned to their chests.
King Yan stood on a high platform and began to address the team:
"This Martial Ranking World Championship is jointly hosted by dozens of countries worldwide."
"It is called the Martial Ranking World Championship, but in reality, it is a battle for national destiny!"
"Seven continents and twenty-one countries, with a total of two hundred and ten participating contestants!"
"There is no 'friendship first, competition second' here! This is a place to fight on behalf of your own country!"
"No preliminary rounds! No elimination rounds! No revival rounds! Every match will be a final that determines your own destiny and life!"
"Win the match, and continue forward injured! Lose, and go home!"
"Provided, of course, that you still have the life to go home."
"You are the luckiest generation of contestants in Dragon Country's history! Dragon Country wholeheartedly supports you, and you have received the best conditions!"
"And the most countrymen cheering for you!"
"Put aside all your grievances, suppress all emotions. Your goal is a single word: WIN!"
"You are Heavenly realm martial artists, the most outstanding warriors of contemporary Dragon Country!"
"The matches in the Martial Ranking World Championship will be more brutal and more frequent than the Asian Martial Ranking competitions."
"Countless people die on the stage every year."
"Dedicate all your strength to the competition, and reclaim the glory that once belonged to our Huaxia!"
"In three days, here, we will watch the draw ceremony for the first round of matches. Afterward, the staff of the Martial Ranking World Championship will distribute your ranking numbers for the competition."
"On June 1st, the Martial Ranking competitions will officially begin."
"I do not wish for your first round match to be your last. I wish you all to go further!"
"Having reached this point, there is no turning back."
"Do you understand!"
"Understood!"
The ten people roared back, their faces flushed.
"Very good."
King Yan nodded slowly.
A moment later, the staff of the Martial Ranking World Championship entered, distributing everyone's number plates.
Also distributed were the battle robes that the Dragon Country officials had long applied for from the Martial Ranking World Championship.
On the golden, red, and white robes was a resplendent golden dragon. On the front of the uniform, to the left, were the two characters 'Huaxia' written in a flowing script, and to the right, the star-red flag.
There was also a number on it.
Chen Jiuyang's number was nine.
Chen Jiuyang tightly held the number nine battle robe in his hand.
He would make this number nine battle robe famous in the Martial Ranking World, making everyone who saw it remember it deeply, unforgettable for a lifetime!
Fighting spirit!
It began to brew from this moment.
His condition also needed to be adjusted to its best from this moment.
Cultivate techniques, qi and blood, divine soul, weapons, pills, silver needles, moves!
Review the data of the Heavenly realm prodigies and war gods from various countries, recording their weaknesses and strengths!
All aspects of preparation must be brought to their utmost!
As time passed.
More and more people gathered on Martial Ranking Island.
Day and night, there were roaring cheers!
...
On the other side.
Dragon Country, Qingzhu Town.
On this day.
In the evening.
After dinner, Yao Zixuan went for a walk with Chen Jiuyang's parents, with guards and bodyguards subtly present.
Zhang Xiuzhen and Yao Zixuan walked hand-in-hand by the river.
An old monk, wearing a tattered kasaya, emerged from the river. He saw Yao Zixuan, then frowned deeply, his eyes turning cold. He spoke to Yao Zixuan in a stern voice:
"Amitabha, this female benefactor, the child in your womb cannot be born, otherwise, there will be immense calamity."