The next day.
True Dragon City bustled with voices, lively beyond measure.
Talented young people from throughout the Dragon Kingdom had gathered in True Dragon City to take part in the selection of guards for the Dragon Clan's emperor.
Over the past few days, all kinds of shops had enjoyed booming sales. Steam airships constantly crossed the sky, while Dragon Beast carriages arrived in True Dragon City from every direction.
Moreover, with no restrictions on race or cultivation method, any talented young person within the kingdom had a chance.
So almost all the outstanding talents in the Dragon Kingdom had come, with beings from every race represented.
After all, no one would pass up a chance to serve directly under the emperor.
Of course, the guard selection had not originally been like this. The plan had merely been to select outstanding young True Dragons from the second or third generation.
But, well, that day, on his way to meet the emperor and discuss the matter, a certain unknown Dragon King, Ao Tian, had failed to see the emperor and instead met the god from Mount Tai. And so the rules had changed.
It was midsummer, and the sunshine was brilliant.
Noon.
The cries of cicadas intertwined with the summer breeze, playing a lilting melody.
On the outskirts of True Dragon City.
There stood an enormous, temporarily built arena, covering a vast area.
The entire arena was oval, somewhat resembling the ancient colosseums of the Fifth Epoch, with a broad, level expanse of earth in the middle and rows of spectator seats on the surrounding tiers.
A careful count would show that it could hold at least several hundred thousand "people."
Such was an age of the supernatural: it simply paid no heed to science.
At that moment, the entire