May 23rd.
6:50 AM.
The entire Unnamed Island was densely packed with people.
Screens were ubiquitous across Unnamed Island, with reporters from all over the globe broadcasting live.
Over two hundred photos scrolled across the screens, each a bust shot, with national emblems beneath them corresponding to names.
On the central competition arena, over a hundred members of the Martial Ranking World Championship Committee stood.
"Next, we will proceed with the draw to determine the matches."
Many people grew tense.
Inside the hotel belonging to the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team.
Chen Jiuyang and others also watched the draw ceremony on screen.
The draw system, jointly developed by dozens of countries worldwide, was designed to prevent cheating.
The draw began, with the photos and information of all contestants scrolling on the screen before a click locked them in.
At this moment, countless eyes were fixed on the Martial Ranking World Championship.
The first twenty matches did not feature any Dragon Country contestants.
Until the twenty-seventh match.
"Click!"
Chen Jiuyang's photo and information were locked in, appearing on the massive screen.
"Here it comes!"
A staff member of the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
"Click!"
Soon, the bust shot on the right side of the screen locked, revealing a thirty-year-old man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an arrogant demeanor.
"Nolan Ada!"
"Hiss!"
At this point, a collective gasp of admiration and apprehension could be heard from within the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team.
Dragon Country was more familiar with its Asian neighbors. It was only after Chen Jiuyang won the Asian Martial Ranking Championship that the Dragon Country martial arts community began to look globally.
Nolan Ada! He was the United States' single combat god, possessing terrifying strength and ruthless methods!
In this regard, he was very similar to Chen Jiuyang.
All those who faced Nolan Ada were killed on the spot, his actions brutal.
Furthermore, Nolan Ada particularly enjoyed verbally humiliating his opponents, much like a hunter taunting its prey, only to cruelly kill them once he grew bored.
"The God of War from the United States, this..."
"The first match is against the United States' God of War!!!"
"This Nolan Ada is strong, but he's up against our Dragon Country captain."
"A clash of dragons, this fight should be fierce and exciting."
"Heh, this is truly fate's choice," someone worried. "A thorny path."
The United States and their Dragon Country were old adversaries, locked in an unending struggle.
Normally, the people of Dragon Country had little interaction with them.
It took nearly an hour to finalize the match-ups for all one hundred and five contests.
Everyone now knew their first opponent.
Following this, the logistical personnel within the Martial Ranking team began to busy themselves, collecting specific information on each opponent for analysis.
Each of the ten members of the Martial Ranking team had their own escorts and mentors.
Chen Jiuyang's mentor was Yan Wang.
After the first round of match information was released, everyone was given seven days to prepare.
Yan Wang found Chen Jiuyang and asked,
"Have you encountered any martial artists from the United States before?"
Chen Jiuyang slowly shook his head, "No."
Yan Wang pondered, "Many countries in Europe and America have bloodlines left behind from the descent of the myriad races to Earth in ancient times."
"Their cultivation systems are diverse, unlike in Asia, where cultivation systems are relatively unified."
"They can extract bloodlines and integrate them into their bodies, becoming what are commonly known as 'abilities', controlling fire, generating water, and so on."
"Or magic, battle qi, and other diverse techniques."
"But ultimately, they walk the path of divinity."
"Heh, you are on the path of invincible divine abilities, reaching the peak of combat power, which perfectly counters their system."
"When I hadn't forged my own path, I suffered greatly when I encountered them."
"The current mainstream 'Divine Might Like a Prison' is a path derived between martial arts and immortal cultivation, closer to immortal cultivation. Immortal cultivation, in turn, is countered by the divine path and the myriad races."
"You should give the contestants from European and American countries a surprise."
When Yan Wang said this, he had a slightly mischievous, schadenfreude-like feeling.
Dragon Country's long history of internal strife in immortal martial arts was one factor. Fundamentally, immortal cultivation was suppressed by the divine path left by the myriad races, lacking sufficient power, leading to Dragon Country enduring centuries of pain.
Chen Jiuyang's brilliance was not only a surprise to Dragon Country's martial arts but also reassured many about his performance in the Martial Ranking World Championship.
...
June 1st.
The rainy season arrived.
Torrential rain and flashing lightning.
The competition arenas were already packed, with people from all over the world crowding to watch the matches.
The Martial Ranking World Championship deployed tens of thousands of personnel to maintain order within the arenas.
The United Nations dispatched peacekeeping forces to manage civilian order outside.
Nolan Ada was known as the God of War in the United States, not only for his powerful physique but also for his mastery of magic and abilities, integrating the three mainstream cultivation systems of Europe and America. He excelled in all aspects, earning him the title of the invincible Martial Ranking God of War.
There were twenty competition venues on the island, allowing twenty matches to take place simultaneously. Chen Jiuyang was the first contestant to represent the Dragon Country Martial Ranking team, and the attention of everyone in Dragon Country was focused on him.
At 8 AM, Chen Jiuyang and Nolan Ada ascended the Martial Ranking World Championship stage.
"This is Dragon Country Television, I am host Yun Jingbai. Hello, viewers. We are now broadcasting live from the Martial Ranking World Championship. We are at Arena Number Eight, located on the Pacific island of Oahu. Next, our Dragon Country Martial Ranking contestant Chen Jiuyang will compete against the United States Martial Ranking contestant Nolan Ada!"
"I am host En Fu Ben!"
Before the camera appeared Yun Jingbai and En Fu Ben, two hosts as beautiful as celestial beings, captivating many viewers.
Yun Jingbai spoke, "Fu Ben, our Dragon Country Martial Ranking captain Chen Jiuyang is up against the renowned Martial Ranking God of War, Nolan Ada. What are your thoughts?"
En Fu Ben smiled gracefully and said, "International competition experts predict this match to be a seven-three split, with the United States God of War, Nolan Ada, expected to achieve an overwhelming victory."
"However, I do not agree. Contestant Chen Jiuyang has advanced triumphantly, his achievements in every battle witnessed by all. He has repeatedly changed the views and opinions of our nation's martial artists towards him."
"In my eyes, contestant Chen Jiuyang is someone who excels at creating miracles and setting records."
"I believe contestant Chen Jiuyang will not disappoint the expectations of the millions of people in Dragon Country and will shine brightly in this match, achieving an excellent result and securing a fantastic opening victory for our Dragon Country Martial Ranking team."
"Heh heh," Yun Jingbai's face was full of enthusiastic smiles. "It seems Fu Ben has great faith in contestant Chen Jiuyang."
"Both contestants have verified their identities and are ready. The match is about to begin. Let us switch the camera back to the competition view."
The camera shifted.
The view landed on the highly anticipated arena.
Nolan Ada's eyes were arrogant and fierce. He held a great sword weighing over a hundred pounds and sneered at Chen Jiuyang,
"Yellow-skinned monkey, this is not a place for you. Let me send you home early."