At noon, a martial arts tournament known as the "Gauntlet Arena Challenge" was underway at a large training ground in the northwest district of the county seat. Thousands of people had gathered, and the place was buzzing with excitement.
The rules of the "Gauntlet Arena Challenge" were simple: only one of Ping Province's Ten Great Gangs could host it, and at least five of the Ten Great Gangs had to take part. Contestants were divided into defenders and challengers.
A defender had to be a master recognized by one of Ping Province's Ten Great Gangs to qualify to hold the arena. Challengers couldn't just be nobodies, either. They had to be skilled fighters with some reputation in the martial world to qualify to step into the arena.
The defender had to withstand wave after wave of furious attacks from the challengers below, all alone. Each round consisted of ten challengers. Whenever someone issued a challenge, the defender had to accept, no matter the circumstances. They alone were responsible for their life and death; otherwise, they would forfeit.
Precisely because the Gauntlet Arena Challenge was unpredictable and brutal, successfully defending the arena brought the defender immense prestige in the martial world.
Of course, the challenge had age restrictions, with four divisions: the youth division for those under twenty, the young adult division for those aged twenty-one to thirty, the middle-aged division for those aged thirty-one to fifty, and the senior division for those over fifty. Contestants from different age groups couldn't enter the same division, lest seasoned fighters crush newcomers and leave them no chance to make a name for themselves.
Every Gauntlet Arena Challenge in Ping Province's martial world attracted intense attention.
Decades ago, a Gauntlet Arena Challenge had caused a sensation throughout Ping Province. Tie Yuyang, a core disciple