Old Acquaintance from the Other Shore

The so-called Imperial Front Martial Competition was originally intended to have Song Changming appear once every ten years, to reaffirm the Emperor's might and warn the Nine Provinces.

Everything else was secondary.

Additionally, the Imperial Front Martial Competition was divided by age, with one hundred years as the boundary. Only Martial Artists of the same age bracket and generation would face one another.

This allowed Song Changming to see both young outstanding talents under a hundred years old and Martial Arts Grandmaster-level experts from various regions.

After the wine banquet had run its course, everyone moved outside the hall.

The competition was held high in the sky, somewhat resembling the Cloud Battle once held in Yunzhou.

Indeed, King Yun had been the one to propose the Imperial Front Martial Competition in the first place.

King Yun's original proposal had even sought to make the event grander and more ceremonious, but Song Changming had gotten a headache merely looking at the lengthy, complicated procedures and rituals, prompting King Yun to abandon the idea.

It was changed into a relatively relaxed banquet format, while the martial competition itself would proceed much like the Cloud Battle.

Before long, match after match unfolded high in the heavens.

Compared to duels between familiar veteran grandmasters, Song Changming actually preferred seeing rising talents who could truly catch his eye.

They represented the flourishing future of humanity and possessed limitless potential.

Perhaps among them, another pillar of humanity would emerge—someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him and Emperor Abyss of old, pushing the humans of the Nine Provinces to new heights.

Song Changming was glad to see such exceptional talents emerge. It gave him the feeling that his path was not a lonely one.

The heights were cold and lonely. After remaining invincible for too