Castle of Black Iron

On August 18, Xuantian City, at the foot of Yangui Mountain Range, Fire Dragon Bounty Territory...

From yesterday, the number of airships accessing to Xuantian City had increased abruptly. This early morning, with the arrival of airboats, the entire Xuantian City became boisterous. Being covered with airships and airboats, the sky outside Xuantian City was as boisterous as a marketing place.

It was very difficult for commoners in Xuantian City to take a look at an airboat; however, this morning, they had seen 4-5 airboats in total. It was said that one of them belonged to the provincial governor of Youzhou Province. It was definitely a major event for the provincial governor of Youzhou Province to come to Xuantian Cheng. However, the biggest event in Xuantian City today was that Cui Li, the Fire Dragon Hermit and the owner of Fire Dragon Bounty Territory was going to hold the opening ceremony of his Iron-Dragon Sect.

Xuantian City had not been so boisterous before. That day, all the residents in Xuantian City felt proud as they were living in Fire Dragon Bounty Territory for the first time. It seemed that all of them enjoyed the glory of being native residents. As a result, the entire city became spirited today.

All the major clans in Youzhou Province, Tongzhou Province and Yanzhou Province within Northeast Military Region which were qualified to receive the golden invitation cards had converged in Xuantian City on that day.

As Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory neighbored the three provinces, according to the etiquette of Taixia Country, all the major clans in the three provinces had received Zhang Tie’s golden invitation cards.

Of course, If Zhang Tie was already a shadow knight, he was qualified to deliver his golden invitation cards across the Northeast Military Region. If he advanced to a heavenly knight, his invitation cards could reach across Taixia Country.

On that day, Zhang Tie’s Iron-Dragon Golden Invitation Cards absolutely implied the arrivers’ statuses. All those major clans in the three provinces who could receive Zhang Tie’s golden invitation cards had clan knights. As for the other clans, even if they were rich, they had no clan knight and they were not qualified to receive Zhang Tie’s golden invitation cards.

How could commoners receive the golden invitation cards of an earth knight? Zhang Tie’s golden invitation card was almost as important as that of a provincial governor, which would be popular wherever it was.

Actually, many clans which had not received the golden invitation cards had arrived in the three provinces these days. After knowing that Iron-Dragon Sect was going to hold an opening ceremony, the major figures in these clans had arrived at Xuantian City with their clan disciples on the early morning of that day and were patiently waiting for the opportunities and asking for intelligence.

Now that Fire Dragon Hermit was going to establish a sect, he would definitely enroll apprentices on the day. The news that an earth knight was going to enroll his apprentices was very attractive to the clans which had no knight. Additionally, everybody had known that Fire Dragon Hermit had a great battle strength as he was cultivating the precise marquis-level classic ”Fire Dragon Sutra”. With his great battle strength, Fire Dragon Hermit had killed more than one demon knight and knight of Three-eye Association in the Earth-elements Realm. Due to his remarkable military exploits, Fire Dragon Hermit was rewarded with Fire Dragon Bounty Territory.

As for those clans which had no knights, if they could find such a reliance and enable their clan disciples to have a chance to touch the marquis-level cultivation classic, these clans would almost like to pay any price for that.

Yesterday, the gate of the manor of the official mansion in Xuantian City had been hung with a new plaque. The bottom of the plaque was made of gold while the words on it were made of gold which looked very overbearing——Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect. The plaque was 2.3 m in length and 0.67 m in width.

Since this plague was hung outside, it indicated that Iron-Dragon Sect had officially rooted in Fire Dragon Bounty Territory. Before the site of Iron-Dragon Sect was officially completed, this Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect would become the temporary window and stronghold of the sect.

On the early morning of August 18, the street outside Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect had been overcrowded like rabbits in a warren. As for commoners in Xuantian City, even if they could not enter Xuantian Courtyard, they might feel worthwhile to take a look at those big figures and airboats which they might not have a chance to ride for the rest of their lives.

Especially for those people who had kids, they had to join in the fun. If Fire Dragon Hermit enrolled his disciples on the day the Iron-Dragon Sect held its opening ceremony, they might help their kids seize an opportunity for a shortcut towards wealth and reputation. Such plots always existed in novels and stories. When a master passed by somewhere, he suddenly found a brat who looked special; as he valued the high talent, he intended to enroll the brat as his apprentice. Similarly, if their kids were valued by Fire Dragon Hermit when he passed by them, they would make a mint. Nobody could ensure those common clans would have no knights.

So many families had kids, not to mention those juveniles. Those young people who were ambitious about learning battle skills in the 10 cities of Fire Dragon Bounty Territory had come to Xuantian City by batches many days ago. They were raising heads, waiting for the opening ceremony of Iron-Dragon Sect and seeking for an opportunity to join in Iron-Dragon Sect.

As too many people were gathering outside Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect, all the landlords and despotic gentries in Xuantian City became spirited at once as they mobilized their subordinate people to maintain the order outside the Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect on their own initiative.

At this moment, Xuantian City was as boisterous as the grand occasion that major clans competed for the position of provincial governor of Youzhou Province 4 years ago.

Almost all the major clans and clans with knights which were invited to attend the opening ceremony arrived here by airboats or airships. Those airboats or airships directly landed at the airship base in Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect. Some people outside the Xuantian Courtyard would scream after they identified the backgrounds of the airships or airboats, causing the surrounding people to exclaim...

After 8 am, another dark red airboat longer than 200 m arrived and slowly landed in the Xuantian Courtyard of Iron-Dragon Sect. At the sight of that airboat and the special clan slogan on it, someone in the courtyard immediately shouted the background of this airboat.

”Ahh, it’s the airboat of Zhu family, the family of the provincial governor of Yanzhou Province. Zhu family also assigned people to attend the opening ceremony in Xuantian City...”

The scream aroused many people’s exclamations.

...

In the courtyard, when the airboat landed, the hatch door opened; a well-dressed old man then got off the airboat followed by over 10 disciples of the Zhu family while raising their heads.

”Zhu Xudong, the elder of Zhu Clan of Jinghong Palace in Yanzhou...arrives with Zhu disciples...” A receptionist from Wang Clan of Yushun Palace reported the name and background of the arrivers loudly. Hearing that, everybody in the courtyard would almost know that the representatives of the clan of the provincial governor of Yanzhou Province had arrived.

The moment Zhu representatives arrived, disciples of Wang Clan who was responsible for the reception immediately led them to the main venue of the opening ceremony politely and considerately.

It was the most welcome opportunity for the disciples of Wang Clan of Yushun Palace in Ningan City to meet the influential figures of major clans in the three provinces. After receiving this task, Wang Clan had put this task into the first place of the entire clan. Many elites of Wang Clan had been called back. Those disciples of Wang Clan in Xuantian Courtyard today included male and female servants, stewards and many young disciples of Wang Clan. All of them were specially selected. They had assigned people for each detail. As they had to satisfy Fire Dragon Hermit and glorify Wang Clan, Wang Clan had regarded this reception task as an honor.

The main venue of the opening ceremony was in an open land, which was a former training field in Xuantian Courtyard. Through careful renovation, this place had already become the most brilliant place in Iron-Dragon Sect for the time being.

The arrivers were led to their own seats by the receptionists of Wang Clan.

On this venue, the locations of clans being invited were strictly arranged according to power and reputation.

As Zhu clan’s team walked towards their own seats, they kept hailing people in the surroundings who stood up one batch after another.

Those arrivers were all led by clan elders or knights. According to the etiquette, they had to come; however, the elders and knights who came here didn’t look as relaxed as that when they attended similar opening ceremonies before. Even if they looked relaxed, they didn’t mean it faithfully. Most of the people at present looked a bit worried. As they hailed each other, they were whispering about what happened in Zhongzhou Province and exchanging their news.

As the official opening ceremony had not started yet, Fire Dragon Hermit was not here. Therefore, the atmosphere at present was a bit casual for the time being.

The opening ceremony of Iron-Dragon Sect was more like a meeting among the major clans from Youzhou Province, Tongzhou Province and Yanzhou Province within the territory of Northeast Military Region in the special period.

These days, what happened in Zhongzhou Province had been spread over Taixia Country; perhaps, those commoners outside Xuantian Courtyard were too far away from what happened in Zhongzhou Province. Even though they had heard some details, they didn’t have deep feelings about it. Many commoners just treated the event in Zhongzhou Province as a rebellion. However, what happened in Zhongzhou Province was a matter of life or death for these major clans with knights which had deeply rooted in Taixia Country.

The mansion of Zhu Clan was close to Huaiyuan Palace and the mansion of Qian Clan, the clan of the provincial governor of Tongzhou Province. As the provincial governors’ clans which had earth knights and ruled the provinces, of course, these clans’ representatives were in the front.

Elder Muyu arrived here on behalf of Huaiyuan Palace; Elder Qian Haichao arrived here on behalf of Qian Clan. When Zhu elder led their team here, Elder Muyu and Elder Qian Haichao were whispering to each other while being surrounded by the knights and elders of the other major clans from the three provinces.

Everybody in this circle looked a bit solemn...

Only after a few days, the entire Zhongzhou Province had become increasingly chaotic...