After the Nine Palace Eight Diagram Formation was restored, it gradually fell into the hands of the common folk.
When Chen Sansi had free time, he and Xu Wencai had studied it together and were thoroughly familiar with it; it was only because they did not have enough soldiers that they could not set it up.
In real combat, there was no such thing as a "Life Gate"; the Life Gate would be heavily guarded, turning it into the actual Death Gate, making the entire formation impenetrable, unless one relied on brute force to break down the formation until it collapsed on its own.
But since it was an exercise, and one that required racing against time, there would certainly be a Life Gate, testing the Main General's understanding of military formations and their personal adaptive capabilities.
Once inside the battle formation, one would be attacked by countless axes, halberds, hooks, and forks from all directions, aimed mostly at the warhorses beneath them.
