“Haha, Commander Gardner, nice to see you again!”
Just as the group entered the reception hall, Urban Woolery, leading Milo Guzman and others, came to greet them.
“Greetings, Prime Minister!” Billy smiled and spoke, followed by greetings from Milo and others.
Casey and the others also bowed in respect to Urban.
“Commander Gardner, let’s chat inside!” Urban smiled and said.
“Yes, Please!” Billy responded with a smile.
After everyone took their seats, Urban looked at Billy and spoke.
“Commander Gardner, I heard that you uncovered quite a few foreign spies last night. Besides those from Northfortia, which other countries are involved?”
“Among the top ten ranked countries, all except Aquilandia have sent representatives,” Billy replied.
“Oh?” Urban squinted slightly. “These people are really incorrigible, huh?”
“Prime Minister, will Glavale participate in this year’s Global Martial Arts Competition?” Azure Dragon asked Urban.
“Glavale has been silent for a hundred years. It’s time to show the world our wings!” Urban raised his tea cup and took a sip.
“Otherwise, they might think that Glavale is still the perforated Glavale of a hundred years ago, and everyone will want to take a step on us!” After setting down the tea cup, he continued, “Moreover, this competition is related to the distribution of some special martial arts resources. Glavale cannot afford to be absent!”
“Special martial arts resources? What does that mean?” Black Tortoise asked with curiosity.
“I’ll talk to you about these matters when we have the chance,” Urban smiled. “Your main task now is tomorrow’s Dragon-Phoenix Ranking Tournament, which is no less important than the Global Martial Arts Competition.”
“Alright!” Black Tortoise shrugged.
“Prime Minister, which superpowers have sent representatives to the Ancient City this time?” Azure Fang asked.
“For now, I only know that representatives from Cerulean Abyss Institute and Sky-Quaking Daoist Sect have arrived. As for other sects, we are not sure yet,” Urban added after a slight shake of his head. “But according to the information we have, Saint Sky Sword Pavilion is likely to send representatives.”
“Saint Sky Sword Pavilion?” Casey and Ian, who were more knowledgeable about the ancient martial arts world, were simultaneously surprised.
Saint Sky Sword Pavilion, with a heritage older than Cerulean Abyss Institute and Sky-Quaking Daoist Sect, had overall strength surpassing these two sects. The pinnacle sword technique of Saint Sky Sword Pavilion, Swordsmanship of Imperial Control, was the supreme martial art admired by most swordsmen in the ancient martial arts world.
Legend had it that a hundred years ago, the former master of Saint Sky Sword Pavilion, with his Swordsmanship, killed five or six peerless experts in the Sovereign Realm with a single move!
“Indeed!” Urban nodded and looked at Billy, speaking with a slightly serious tone.
“The current Young Master of Saint Sky Sword Pavilion is a martial arts genius rarely seen in their sect for a thousand years. It is rumored that a year ago, he had already reached the cultivation level of Half-Sovereign. As for whether he has officially broken through to the Sovereign Realm now, the outside world is not certain!”
“If the major superpowers choose him as their representative this time, he will be your strongest opponent, Commander Gardner!”
“Prime Minister, you’re worrying too much. Even if he’s just a Half-Sovereign, my boss can easily defeat him with a slap!” Stout smacked his lips and replied.
A series of coughs sounded around them, and Casey and others looked at Stout with a speechless expression.
From War God-Emperor to Sovereign, there was a huge gap. Even a newly breakthrough Sovereign could effortlessly kill dozens or even hundreds of experts in the later stages of God-Emperor Realm with a wave of their hand.
This statement was by no means an exaggeration.
“Stout, shut up!” Ivy stared at her brother fiercely and then turned to Billy.”Billy, don’t take this lightly. If he really breaks through to the Sovereign Realm, I’m worried…”
“It’s fine!” Billy smiled faintly. “Besides, breaking through to the Sovereign Realm is not as easy as you think.”
“Boss, but what if he…” Night Orchid and Frostblade both showed a hint of worry on their faces.
“Don’t be so pessimistic. Besides, it’s not confirmed if it’s him!” Billy smiled again and looked at Urban.
“Prime Minister, since this Dragon-Phoenix Ranking Tournament is initiated by several major superpowers, they should offer some prizes, right?”
“Haha, of course!” Urban replied with a smile. “Initially, those stubborn old guys refused to agree, and it took Milo and Donald quite a few negotiations before they relented.”
“The prizes this time are quite generous, especially for the top ten. It’s worth looking forward to!”
“Is that so? That’s good then!” Billy smiled as well. This was a chance to gain some benefits, and he wouldn’t let it slip by.
After chatting for a while, Billy and his group bid farewell and left.
Early the next morning, after having breakfast, Billy led everyone to the venue by car. The venue was located at the foothill of a mountain in the eastern suburbs of the Ancient City, covering a vast area of tens of thousands of square meters.
Temporary steel-framed square arenas, about three to four hundred meters in length and width, were set up on the flat ground. Each arena had a separation of about twenty meters around it for referee activities, with two referees assigned to each arena. Underneath each arena, there were spectator stands surrounding it. In the center of the open space, there was a circular lift platform, serving as the host’s activity area. The combined seating around the ten arenas could accommodate nearly two hundred thousand spectators.
On the west side of the open space, dozens of resting areas for participating players were set up, each area able to accommodate three to four hundred people. On the north side, there were two VIP areas on the open space, with about fifty seats each. In addition to the prominent families and sects, many independent cultivators had also registered to participate in the preliminary rounds.
Preliminary estimates indicated that the number of people participating in the preliminary rounds was at least tens of thousands.
This was because many martial arts practitioners had self-awareness and knew that, with their cultivation, even if they participated in the competition, there was no chance of making it to the top hundred. Therefore, they came merely as spectators. Otherwise, the number of participants might have reached hundreds of thousands.
Furthermore, several major sects and families with close ties to the capital did not send representatives, except for Billy’s fellows. They knew very well that this Dragon-Phoenix Ranking Tournament was to determine the successor to the national fortune, and with Billy representing the capital, there was no need for them to intervene. Even so, to stand out among ten thousand people, the competition was fierce, as expected! This was also the reason for setting up ten arenas. If there was only one arena, it would take at least one or two months to conclude the event.
To maintain order at the venue, Billy had Azure Fang and the others, the four Shadow brothers, come to the scene, all dressed in colorful attire with curved knives at their waists.
Around 8:30 in the morning, Billy and his group got out of the car, and the venue was already buzzing with excitement and lively chatter.