August 18, beneath Swallow Return Mountain in Torch Dragon Territory, Mysterious Heaven City...
Since yesterday, the number of airships traveling to and from Mysterious Heaven City had suddenly surged. By this morning, as one flying boat after another arrived, the entire city had come alive. Looking out, the skies beyond Mysterious Heaven City were thick with flying boats and airships, bustling as though it were market day.
For the people of Mysterious Heaven City, it was normally extraordinarily difficult even to catch sight of a single flying boat. How could it compare to today? In just one morning, they had already seen four or five flying boats. They had heard that one of them belonged to the Governor of You Province himself. In the past, a provincial governor personally visiting Mysterious Heaven City would have been a momentous event. But today, there was only one greatest event in the city—the founding ceremony of the Iron Dragon Sect by Torch Dragon Territory's lord, Candle Dragon True Person Cui Li.
Never in its history had Mysterious Heaven City been so lively or so illustrious. On this day, its residents felt for the first time the pride of being subjects of Torch Dragon Territory. Every one of them wore an air of shared glory, and the whole city seemed to have been invigorated.
On this day, the wealthy and prominent clans of You Province, Passage Province, and Swallow Province throughout the Northeast Protectorate—every great family qualified to receive an Iron Dragon Golden Invitation—gathered in Mysterious Heaven City.
Because Torch Dragon Territory bordered all three provinces, according to Great Xia custom, the great clans of those provinces had all received Zhang Tie's golden invitations, since this was the mountain gate and permanent seat of his new sect.
Of course, if Zhang Tie were now