Castle of Black Iron

Sitting on his golden chair, Zhang Tie looked at the crowd. It was pretty silent in the venue.

This process made everybody at present nervous. According to the schedule, after a short while, the young representatives of each clan would show up in batches in front of Fire Dragon Hermit so as to congratulate him. If Zhang Tie favored one or some of them, he would point onto their foreheads with golden cinnabar by that golden brush and enroll him as his apprentice. Closely after that, those being selected would have a sudden rise in social status...

Those being selected by Fire Dragon Hermit would have a chance to gain literary advancement.

At this moment, Wang Chongde the master of Wang Clan walked into the venue and served as a compere in the venue on his own initiative. When Wang Chongde was ready to shout, "All the youngsters of each clan will congratulate Fire Dragon Hermit in turns", Zhang Tie suddenly raised his hand.

Watching Zhang Tie's movement, Wang Chongde swallowed back his words.

Zhang Tie focused on Liu Xing and some guys who served as guards behind the guests.

When Zhang Tie returned to Fire Dragon Bounty Territory, he had got enough assistants for holding the opening ceremony due to the favor of all the clans in Fire Dragon Bounty Territory. Therefore, 12 of the 19 black-armored fighters left him since they returned to the earth surface from Earth-elements Realm due to various reasons. Previously, these black-armored fighters just helped Zhang Tie leave the Earth-elements Realm by airboat at Guan Qianchong's order for the time being; they were not subordinate to Zhang Tie at all. Therefore, Zhang Tie didn't force them to stay; additionally, he prepared 200,000 gold coins for each of them so that they could leave him happily.

However, 7 of the 19 black-armored fighters stayed to follow Zhang Tie's order.

Among the 7 people who stayed, Liu Xing was a LV 9 fighter who had made the most meritorious services with the highest official post in the Lion Fortress. Therefore, it was more convincing for Liu Xing to be the head of the 7 people.

"Liu Xing, Zhao Bing, Wu Yinhui, Zhou Xiao, Ma Kuicheng, Linghu Biao, Sun Zhan, you guys come over here..."

The moment Zhang Tie uttered, all the others at present became shocked as they turned around to watch the 7 retired black-armored fighters.

The team of 7 were also amazed as they didn't know what Zhang Tie would let them do at this moment. However, after listening to their names, they rapidly ran over here from behind the crowd and stood in a row in front of Zhang Tie.

"Hermit, what can we do for you?" Liu Xing asked.

Zhang Tie smiled as he looked through the 7 black-armored fighters. Liu Xing was introverted and profound. Although he looked gracious, he was decisive inside; Zhao Bing was brave and aggressive; Wu Yinhui was a bit arrogant yet persistent; Zhou Xiao was as valiant as his name who didn't consider about the result of his deed; Ma Kuicheng was experienced and meticulous; Linghu Biao was silent yet kind-hearted; Sun Zhan was too changeable in character yet was righteous. Additionally, Sun Zhan was the most active person among them who used to joke around the others. After staying with them for so long, Zhang Tie had been observing everybody's movements since he entered the airboat.

Although these black-armored fighters had evidently different temperaments, they shared one common point, namely, these people were all loyal to Taixia Country. As they all experienced the battlefield in the Earth-elements Realm, they were not cowards. However, like Liu Xing, they had to retire due to various reasons.

There was one last point, namely, all the 7 people were born in common clans and families. Wu Yinhui's family background was a bit better; however, his family only had some big manors, plants or small business groups just like those local tyrants in the 10 cities of Fire Dragon Bounty Territory, which could never match that of major clans with knights.

"Do you want to be my apprentices?" Zhang Tie asked calmly, which sounded like a bomb among the crowd.

Liu Xing and the other 6 black-armored fighters were shocked too much. Even those knights and elders of the major clans in the surroundings exchanged glances with each other silently.

'Apprentice? Apprentice of Fire Dragon Hermit?'

The team of 7 could never imagine that they could have such a good luck to be enrolled as the apprentices of Fire Dragon Hermit.

Sun Zhan was the first one who made a response to Zhang Tie's words. He immediately knelt down in front of Zhang Tie with an excited look and kowtowed towards Zhang Tie for nine times, causing "bang, bang, bang". His forehead even turned red.

The others were not idiots. Facing such a rare opportunity which could change their destiny, even their clans', if they still hesitated or declined, their predecessors buried under the ground might jump out to slap their faces.

Additionally, as they all came back from Earth-elements Realm, they knew Zhang Tie's military exploits in the Earth-elements Realm much better. They admired him pretty much. As the highest level among the 7 people was LV 9, it was their great fortune to be favored by an earth knight. Watching Shun Zhan's movement, all the others hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed 9 times in front of Zhang Tie.

Under the admiring and jealous eyes of the others, Zhang Tie stretched out his arm and picked that golden brush. Closely after that, he dipped some golden cinnabar by that golden brush before pointing it at Liu Xing's forehead, leaving a golden and rosy mark over there, which looked like a brilliant dragon's eye.

Liu Xing had not imagined that he could be the first one being pointed with golden cinnabar. When he touched Zhang Tie's brush, Liu Xing felt a bit cold on his forehead as he quivered all over due to the excitement.

'I...I have become...the first apprentice of Fire Dragon Hermit.'

Liu Xing didn't know why he could be favored by Fire Dragon Hermit as he felt that he had reached the sky in a single bound.

At this moment, Liu Xing felt that everybody else at present was watching him with unprecedented hot eyes, including the clan elders and knights. All the other disciples of major clans who were pretty arrogant in front of him started to hold him in awe and intended to flatter him. Liu Xing felt a buzz in his mind as his body turned hot all over. He felt as unreal as kneeling down onto the soft sponge.

"From today on, Liu Xing, you will be my first apprentice. All the disciples of Iron-Dragon Sect would respect you from then on. Don't let me down. Live up to my expectation!" Zhang Tie told Liu Xing genially.

The first Liu Xing that Zhang Tie met had sacrificed in Waii Subcontinent. That one was his comrade-in-arms in Iron-Blood Camp; therefore, Zhang Tie selected the second Liu Xing as his first apprentice so as to fix his regret inside.

"Yes, sir, Liu Xing will follow Hermit's instructions seriously..."

In this public occasion, even Liu Xing had experienced the life or death situation in the Earth-elements Realm, he still became restrained unconsciously. After hearing Zhang Tie's words, Liu Xing answered in a restrained way. After that, he found that Zhao Bing silently dragged the hem of his clothes. He then realized that he misspoke it just now; therefore, he hurriedly corrected his words, "Hmm...it's master's instructions!"

Zhang Tie revealed a smile as he faintly triggered his battle qi and had another bit of golden cinnabar fly onto the forehead of the other six people respectively steadily.

After pointing golden cinnabar onto the 7 people's foreheads, two boys moved forward, one of them served the teacup made of pure gold to Liu Xing, the other made a cup of tea water for him.

It was Taixia's regulation to kowtow and serve tea in the apprentice enrollment ritual. The bigger the sect was, the stricter the regulation would be. The apprentice enrollment ritual in the opening ceremony of Iron-Dragon Sect was a bit simple. As to the apprentice enrollment ritual of other sects, there were so many learnings on the preparation, the selection of time and place, the tea water and the wares. The more rules there were, the more cautious they were. The cautious attitude could frighten the apprentices and make it look like an apprentice enrollment ritual. Before the apprentice enrollment ritual, the apprentices should not eat meat; besides, they should clean their bodies and remain sincere for 81 days.

Of course, Liu Xing knew these rules. Even if nobody had taught him that, a native Hua people must have heard too much about that. Even kids knew about that.

Liu Xing moved forward a few steps by knees and raised high the teacup by two hands without spilling any water out of the cup, "Master, please have a drink!"

After taking the teacup and drinking it up, Zhang Tie gave the teacup back to the boy beside him, "Stand up!"

Liu Xing stood up before moving to the back of Zhang Tie. However, only after kneeling down a few minutes, when he stood up, he felt that the whole world was different. He felt like having a rebirth.

After Liu Xing, all the other 6 people served tea sincerely to Zhang Tie in turns while kneeling down. After drinking their tea, all the other 6 people stood behind Zhang Tie. Like how Liu Xing felt, the 6 people also felt like having a new life from then on.

Finding that the first apprentice of Zhang Tie had nothing to do with their clans, all the elders and knights at present felt complex. After knowing that their disciples lost the qualification to be the first apprentice of Fire Dragon Hermit, many people felt jealous more or less. However, when they found that the other clans lost the qualification too, they slowly recovered their composure once again.

They all knew about the seven people's jobs on Fire Dragon Hermit's side; however, they could never imagine that Fire Dragon Hermit could enroll them as his apprentices. Given this point, they felt that Fire Dragon Hermit was very affectionate; therefore, they longed for the followings...