Jiazi Year, April 28th.
Dragon Capital Martial Ranking Arena.
"Boom boom boom!"
"Bang bang bang!"
Within the vast arena, ten individuals clad in red and white robes with gold trim, each wielding different weapons, were engaged in a free-for-all battle. The fight was so intense that the sky and earth seemed to change color, explosions were incessant, and the entire arena trembled slightly. The clash of ten Celestial Realm experts was enough to rival a magnitude four or even five earthquake!
The Dragon Capital Sword Master, Chen Fengge, and several other Venerable Realm powerhouses watched from the sidelines.
Among them was the King of Yan.
Chen Fengge spoke, "Although the time is still short, their combat power after ascending to the Celestial Realm has finally stabilized and taken shape."
Chen Jiuyang and the other ten wore the red and white robes with gold trim, which were the national team uniforms for the Dragon Country Martial Ranking.
The King of Yan nodded slightly, his eyes calm, and said, "For thousands, even tens of thousands of years, the wish of our Han Chinese civilization has been to witness these ten people."
Sixty years ago, the King of Yan emerged, supported only by the Jixia Academy in the Forbidden City, and shouldered the great responsibility.
The King of Yan's emergence, his turning the tide, and the intervention of the Forbidden City were what unified the front lines of the other four great sacred lands and countless aristocratic families.
Throughout the long years, amidst the contention between immortals and martial artists, and the internal strife within the Han Chinese civilization, foreign enemies invaded, plunging Dragon Country into centuries of suffering.
For tens of thousands of years, this was the first and only time that the immortal path and the martial path, the sacred lands and the aristocratic families, reached a consensus.
They provided cultivation techniques, opportunities, weapons, and elixirs. Everything useful was given to these ten individuals, enabling the creation of nine Celestial Realm experts under the age of fifty in one go.
Only Chen Jiuyang, with his astonishing talent, ascended to the True King Celestial Realm on his own.
Chen Fengge looked at the King of Yan, his eyes narrowed, and asked, "Are you about to take that step?"
The King of Yan smiled gently and replied, "If they win the championship, accumulate enough fortune, and revive the dragon脉 (dragon脉 - a concept related to the spiritual energy of the land), and all restrictions on Dragon Country are lifted, I should have a fifty percent chance of taking that step."
"Hiss!" Chen Fengge gasped, his eyes filled with immense apprehension as he looked at the King of Yan, "Remarkable, truly remarkable. Even in my era, you would be considered a peerless prodigy."
Although Chen Jiuyang was incredibly talented, the gap between him and the King of Yan before him was not even a little bit; he was terrifyingly powerful.
It was also because the King of Yan was so formidable that the five great sacred lands and the major aristocratic families stood on the same battle line.
Chen Fengge suddenly thought of something and looked at the King of Yan, "With your abilities, if you had established your own kingdom, could you have taken that step decades ago?"
The King of Yan smiled without answering.
"Hiss!"
Chen Fengge's scalp tingled, and he murmured to himself, "Remarkable..."
He looked back at the arena.
The free-for-all battle involving Chen Jiuyang and the other ten was for training, honing their combat skills and techniques.
It was to determine their combat power limits.
Another purpose was to accumulate experience and create martial arts techniques and divine abilities.
Aside from this period, where else could you find fellow prodigies to spar with?
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The other nine were all panting heavily, their bodies drenched in sweat. Only Chen Jiuyang showed little fatigue, maintaining a calm expression and stable aura.
"King Qian is truly a monster," Xing Hongzhuo said, looking at Chen Jiuyang with a hint of apprehension and reverence in his eyes.
While they were all Celestial Realm experts, the disparity in their combat power was no longer categorized by the ranks within the Earth Realm; it was a difference as vast as heaven and earth.
"The stronger King Qian becomes, the greater our chances of achieving better results in the Martial Ranking World Competition," Yan Hongming stated.
Even Yan Hongming, who was as strong as he was, found his arms stiff and weak from the intense sparring, making it difficult to wield his spear.
Chen Jiuyang's combat power was at its peak. Upon entering the Celestial Realm, he could defeat the King of Zhennan. His self-created martial arts divine abilities and techniques were immensely powerful, and many people were studying them, trying to break his moves, but they had no leads yet.
The path of invincible divine abilities had been lost for too long, and those who could master it were even fewer.
Chen Jiuyang appeared and was at his peak from the moment he debuted, astonishing everyone.
This path had been lost for so long that the world had forgotten it was called the Human Emperor's Path.
If not for the armless middle-aged man in the forbidden area of the Crippled Elder Village telling him, even Chen Jiuyang wouldn't have known.
The King of Yan rose from his chair, a long spear in hand, and stepped into the air, saying, "I will spar a few moves with you."
"Good!"
Chen Jiuyang's eyes blazed, and the Yan Sheng Saber in his hand immediately flowed with golden light, radiating intense heat.
Who didn't know the King of Yan's name? Since his emergence, he had risen rapidly, shouldering great responsibilities. His only defeat was in the Asian Martial Ranking competition sixty years ago, where he took second place.
His Heavenly Dragon Breaking City Spear was renowned worldwide.
Being able to spar with such a figure would undoubtedly be immensely beneficial.
The expressions of the other nine changed again. Had King Qian's strength reached such a level that he required the King of Yan himself to temper him?
In decades, who among the Dragon Country martial artists, apart from Chen Jiuyang, had received such an honor?
Even Yan Hongming, the King of Yan's son, had only inherited his father's cultivation techniques and had not received personal guidance and tempering.
The King of Yan treated King Qian better than his own son.
For a moment, the other nine felt a myriad of complex emotions.
But soon, the other nine also received special treatment, being tempered by Venerable Realm experts.
The ten members of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team began their hellish intensive training.
...
Time flew by, rushing to May 19th.
Dragon Country Airport.
On this day, the entire airport was sealed off.
All commercial flights were diverted to other airports.
"Da! Dada!"
A Dragon Country Martial Ranking logistics team of several hundred people entered the airport first, each clad in red and white robes with gold trim.
Following them were the King of Yan, the Dragon Capital Sword Master, Chen Fengge, and about a dozen Venerable Realm experts serving as the guard team, who entered the airport.
Finally, the ten Martial Ranking contestants, their auras soaring, walked into the airport.
"This is Dragon Country Television. Today is May 19th. The ten contestants representing our Dragon Country in the Martial Ranking World Competition are about to depart from Dragon Capital Airport for the Pacific Martial Ranking Arena."
"Let us interview the honorary head coach of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, the King of Yan. Your Highness King of Yan, as the head coach of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, what are your thoughts on our contestants?" A female host in an OL outfit held a microphone towards the King of Yan.
The King of Yan smiled gently and said to the camera, "These ten are all good children. I believe they will bring glory to the country and achieve brilliant results."
"Thank you, Your Highness King of Yan." The female host then turned the camera to Chen Jiuyang, "Let us interview the captain of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, King Qian, Chen Jiuyang."
"Your Highness King Qian, as the captain of our Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, you will lead the team to face the Martial Ranking War Gods of various countries. What are your thoughts?"
At this moment, through the lens, Chen Jiuyang's appearance was broadcast into millions of homes.
"War Gods?"
Chen Jiuyang said softly, then revealed an extremely confident smile:
"In my eyes, there are no War Gods in the Martial Ranking."
"If you don't believe me, wait for me to bring back the championship trophy."