What did it mean to be a witness?
People like Saint Li, Saint Xia, and the Great Zhou Sacred King, who had entered the Saint Plane and controlled a holy land. They were fit to be witnesses, to watch the ever-changing world and witness the rising up of geniuses in the generation.
Although Ye Futian was the Palace Lord of a holy land, he had yet to enter the Saint Plane and was considered part of the younger generation. If it was the former, he would be a witness. If it was the latter, he would be competing against his generation.
Evidently, the majority of the people in the Nine States saw Ye Futian as the latter and not the Palace Lord of a holy land. As such, they had incited Ye Futian to spar. The geniuses wanted to personally spar with Ye Futian and the older generation wanted to see how strong Ye Futian was compared to the geniuses from their holy lands.