While the sun was setting, the full moon was rising.
The full moon looked cold and desolate, it was illuminating the water of the lake and the people below with a pale moonlight.
In the distance, a sound spread through the air which surprised the crowd.
What had they just heard?
The crowd gazed into the distance and saw nine dragons moving through the air. The sound of dragons roaring could be heard as the dragons weaved around each other. They were far in the distance, but the sound was loud and clear for everyone.
The most shocking was that in the middle of those nine dragons, there was a throne, it was a golden throne. On the curtains surrounding that throne, there were multiple depictions of dragons.
At the same time, surrounding that throne, there was an army of strong cultivators flying through the sky in perfect formation. Those people had sharp expressions in their eyes and the Qi they were releasing was monstrously brutal.
"The King!" The crowd was shivering when they saw the spectacle, how majestic, he was being carried by nine dragons and the army strong cultivators were flying in formation to clear the path, how astonishing!
Everybody had already guessed who that person was: the king of Xue Yue.
"Roaaarrr…." The nine dragons roared with a majestic magnificence and the sound echoed in everyone's ears. When they saw the king, the entire population started to bow.
The king was arriving and his arrival was accompanied by nine dragons.
"The king has even come to the national competition!" Thought the people in the crowd, they were all surprised. It seemed like this competition was going to be extremely important, the king even came in person.
The national competition was similar to the great competition of Xue Yu, it was something that happened every ten years, but for many people, they wouldn't get to see the king in their entire lifetime.
The nine dragons flew down from the sky and immediately dove into the water, after a moment, the tops of the dragons flew out from the surface of the lake, they looked very skillful and agile.
Those nine dragons could fly through the sky and swim in the water, but the strangest thing was that the water of the lake didn't even move from the dragons' movements.
At that moment, the crowd was astonished by the spectacle of the nine dragons, their hearts were pounding out of their chests.
Those nine dragons were all dozens of metres in size, they could move through the water without even a ripple appearing, how majestic!
The entire atmosphere became calm. At that moment, nobody dared say a word. They were all looking at the throne which was now slightly above the surface of the water.
"Go!" A low voice sounded out but was distinctly loud enough for the entire crowd to hear.
When that person finished talking, the nine dragons shot into the air.
"What are they doing?" Wondered some people while shaking from the presence of the dragons. Those nine dragons arrived in the sky and started flying in circles, which created a cyclone around them as it absorbed all of the clouds in the sky.
A monstrously powerful Qi rolled through the air as the nine dragons started to revolve.
The nine dragons were roaring unceasingly and the throne looked lonely above the lake. It calmly hung in suspension above the water of the lake, but it wasn't falling at all, it was just oscillating a little as it floated in the air, it was very intriguing.
Finally, the nine dragons stopped moving and dove back into the lake and appeared on the surface. At that moment, a huge circle appeared in the sky and created a dark barrier beneath.
That circular barrier was formed by dark Qi, it seemed like the nine dragons had been revolving in the air to create this barrier.
"The great competition of Xue Yu occurs every ten years, people from all across the thirteen countries participate, there are many outstanding young cultivators. All those who have joined the great competition of Xue Yu, if they were not killed during the competition, they came back as heroes, generals, nobles or just extremely strong cultivators in general. This time, all the outstanding young cultivators of Xue Yue will have a chance, an incredible chance." Said a voice coming from inside the curtains, where the throne was. However, the people situated kilometres away could still hear that voice distinctly.
That voice sounded evil and it moved in every direction, piercing into people's ears.
"Those who have joined the great competition of Xue Yu before have become extremely strong cultivators or generals."
When the crowd heard those words, their hearts started pounding violently. The four who had come back from the great competition of Xue Yu nine years ago and eighteen years ago had already become so strong that nobody in Xue Yue would dare to provoke them. Those people had become the most outstanding cultivators of the country."
People from all across the thirteen countries of Xue Yu would join the great competition of Xue Yu. How incredible was that! Many people yearned for it night and day, but they were only able to spectate because they weren't strong enough.
"I am absolutely not exaggerating to scare or entice you. You all have to understand that Xue Yu is extremely vast. There are thirteen countries and our country is the one of the smaller and weaker ones. Every country has a myriad of strong cultivators, if you want to join the great competition of Xue Yu, you have to seize that opportunity and only then will you be able to compete with the geniuses of the other countries. You will be gaining invaluable experience and a greater understanding of many things. You will also be able to strengthen your body to new and unimaginable heights. Joining the great competition of Xue Yu has multiple advantages, it doesn't just change your cultivation, it changes your destiny. Nobody can anticipate your future if you attend." Said the voice slowly. Everybody was calmly listening to those words.
The great competition of Xue Yu could change a person's destiny!
If they could join the great competition of Xue Yu, they would also be able to leave the country of Xue Yue and learn from powerful foreign cultivators.
"But if you want to join the great competition of Xue Yu, I first have to see the level of your strength and just how gifted you are, only after seeing your potential, will you have a chance of being presented to the emperor who will then choose the final cultivators personally." Continued the voice slowly before continuing: "This time, I invited the most gifted young cultivators of Xue Yue, you all have a chance, those of you who have received my letter, please come through the dark barrier and into the middle of the circle. This will be the first selection process, of course, the eight high-officials do not need to go through that test."
"Selection test!" The crowd understood why the nine dragons had created a circle of Qi at that moment, it was to see if those who had received a letter could penetrate the barrier. What incredible effect would it have?
The eight high-officials didn't need to go through that test, in other words, they didn't have to sit through the first test.
"Here I come!" Shouted a young cultivator, that person flew into the sky and immediately dived into the dark barrier, however, in the blink of an eye, the dark Qi enveloped that person and they completely disappeared, not even Qi was left.
"What is going on?" The crowd was frowning. That person had been swallowed by the darkness. It seemed that entering that dark barrier was extremely difficult!
The first selection round had started!