The time element was peculiar. Time would forever flow forward. No one could stop it completely because time was an element that solely belonged to this world. Cultivators could only understand bits of it and use its law in a very small defined area. Because it consumed a lot of energy compared to other elements.

It didn't have any sub-element to it. Time existed by itself. No one could ever say he mastered time and very few cultivators even attempted it out of fear. The fear to fail or worse, to lose themselves in it. But those who managed to grasp the time element were often the strongest cultivators.

In the case of spiritual beasts, sentients or not, those with natural affinities to the time element were considered blessed existences. They didn't have to face any risks when trying to master the usage of the element. They could understand its intricacies almost instinctively. There was only one thing that no one ever managed to do. It was to go back in time. There were many theories behind this fact but the soundest reason was that it would no longer involve solely the time element.

At any given time, at any given place, there are elements present. They define the reality and shape it accordingly. With every passing instant, they change. If one wanted to rewind the time, one would need to take all those changes into account. It was no longer just the time element at stake.

As for the present and the future, it was different. The present could be fixed. In the present, there weren't any changes. Things existed. That was all. The present was but an instant and never the same however every present was unique and unchanging.

As for the future, it was still left to be written. Things would change but the changes had yet to be fixed, one could influence them.

This was why the time element users could only ever impact the present or the future.

But was it that easy to give up on the past? Which being has lived life without having regrets? Without thinking even once that if he could go back in time, he would act differently? Who never had that moment when he despaired about a choice he made? Regardless of who you were, there would be a day where you would feel it, the desire to go back in time, the will to change your past and the despair accompanying it, calmly helping you remember it was impossible.

Now, what if you were a time element user when you felt that way? Would you attempt something impossible? Most would. And that is why very few time cultivators lived long. Because sooner or later, due to the long life expectancies of cultivators, they would face a tragedy and attempt to go back in time. They would die in this process.

And right there, for this trial, the sentient tiger beast expert and contestant sent one of those extremely rare tigers out. Everyone's eyes turned to him. This was truly a gamble from him. Golden tigers were incredibly rare and nurtured very preciously. After they reached the 50th stage and reached the state of becoming one with the world, they were existences impossible to defeat. Aside from the Saint-level experts, no one could defeat them. They might not be able to defeat the opponents but they would always have the ability to escape. What was the meaning of speed when time itself was stopped?

As such, such beings, to the sentients, were treasures. They were worth nurturing and monitoring closely. Even if this was in order to acquire the greatest treasure, sending one out like this was truly wasteful. If you also added the other dark tiger... The tiger contestant might have sent the two strongest from their generation. If they died, it wouldn't shake the future of his clan but it would have a definite impact.

As for this trial? Most of the contestants were already sighing in defeat. A corrupted monster, two dragons, two humans with grade 6 treasures and now, there was even two tigers with one being a time-element user. A lot of pinnacle experts had already given up in their minds. Of course, they would never show it on their faces, due to their pride. But inwardly, they knew this year wouldn't be theirs.

Even Hae-Hyuk and the sentient dragon contestant had their brows furrowed. This was unexpected and a critical situation. Both of them trusted their disciples but to face someone who could manipulate time... And masterfully it seemed... Hae-Hyuk wouldn't bet on his champions against this kind of monster. He was getting a headache from this. Never did he expect he would be facing so much hardships on his path. This was far beyond the usual trial when it came to the champion's abilities.

The Saints witnessed everything while chuckling and smiling. This year brought them a lot of entertainment. There were a lot of great champions. This generation was full of surprises and good seedlings. It would no doubt be a shame if they all died but one...

Finally, three hours had passed since everyone entered. And the death mist began to reach The Peak. It would slowly climb it until it reached the abyss from where only 32 champions could cross.

One of the champions was still seated on his podium at the entrance of the forest when he saw the mist approach. He gazed at it and decided that it was time to move. He was the one who had built a catapult previously. He jumped on it himself before setting the destination forward and sending himself out. The catapult launched him through the air.

Flying was impossible due to restrictions on The Peak but being launched in the air was not. It was a clever way for one to bridge a gap in speed. Well, as long as he could land that is. Fortunately, he had everything prepared which was quite obvious.

He took out a bag from his spatial ring and put it on his back. He waited until his ascendance stopped and he was starting to lose altitude...