With the date and venue of the 50th Jintai Grand Tournament settled, much of the tense, solemn atmosphere in the hall instantly dissipated, giving way to a more relaxed bustle.
The experts from the various factions, who had been sitting motionless in quiet concentration, began talking softly in twos and threes.
Murmured conversations rose and fell throughout the once solemn hall.
Everyone present stood at the pinnacle of Jintai Prefecture's martial world, and they rarely had an opportunity to gather.
Meeting on this occasion to discuss the tournament, they spoke of affairs in Jintai Prefecture and the approaching Jintai Grand Tournament.
A vigorous-looking middle-aged man in gray robes sat in his chair and spoke softly to those beside him. "The Jintai Grand Tournament has always been the undisputed foremost martial gathering in our Jintai Prefecture. The Heavenly Prodigies who distinguish themselves there are exceptional talents, one in ten thousand. Provided they don't perish before their time, nearly all have a chance to become supreme experts renowned throughout Jizhou and travel far along the Martial Path."
Beside him, an old man with a weighty aura and white hair and beard slowly nodded, stroking his grizzled beard. "Almost every major sect and lineage in Jintai Prefecture holds its own sect competitions or family sparring matches. But those contests are ultimately confined to a single faction. Their participants are limited, their strength uneven, and their caliber low."
"Only the Jintai Grand Tournament encompasses every sect and faction in Jintai Prefecture. It is a true contest where heroes vie for the crown and Heavenly Prodigies clash. A tournament that brings the entire prefecture together is a martial gathering of the highest caliber. Naturally, the Heavenly Prodigies who fight their way through the encirclement and distinguish themselves are extraordinary, with boundless potential."
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