He went straight to find his neighbor and what a lovely surprise he got. It turned out to be the one who was responsible for that puppet that tried to murder him beforehand. He laughed as he moved forward. The human seemed shocked at first, then enlightened and finally, he smirked as he made his move.

The tiger man could feel more than a dozen of similar entities to the one he crushed back in his cavern wriggling in the darkness. It only took a gesture of his hand to crush them all. The human paled instantly, making him laugh. Then, the human took out something a lot bigger from his spatial ring and began to push fervently his entire reserve of energy into it.

The tiger man rushed at him as he smirked and amusedly spoke: "Trying to activate it under my nose? Dream on!"

The tiger man was faster and, through a swift dagger motion, ended the human's life. Back in the great hall, a man wailed as he slapped his hands on the table. This was his second champion and he was now dead. He would have to give up this year too. All because he ended up unluckily crossing the path of a shadow tiger sentient. It was infuriating. Especially considering the costs related to the manufacturing of those puppets... He glared at the tiger clan leader some seats away. This fucker was laughing wholeheartedly.

The shadow tiger used the clothes of the dead man to wiper his dagger and looked at the golem it tried to activate. He had to admit it looked imposing. 4 meters tall with a dozen arms ending with three hands in each, all of them grasping on a grade 2 sword. There were actually eyes everywhere on the body and limbs and one could see that there were close to fifteen cores. This would have been a tough opponent even to him. And so, he grinned as he began to push his own energy into it. He would make good use of it himself.

...

He wasn't the only one that came here with the idea to fuck things up and kill other champions. They found out in many different ways and with time differences but most champions found out that the walls could be breached. Some refused to do so, some eagerly did. In particular, the golden tiger didn't hesitate. As a master of time, he knew more than anyone that time was precious. He didn't want to waste his in this pathetic trial crawling with ants. Since he could, he would just go and end them all.

He broke the first wall to his right. He saw a human male that was clearly very old. He had nothing but a sword in hand. He seemed weak at first glance but as soon as one focused, they would know how horribly wrong they were. That man's sword and his entire being was coated in spiritual energy but it wasn't him making use of the first principle. No. It was him using the four of them at once, concentrated on himself. It required a mastery of the principles that was at the pinnacle. It was proof of incredible dedication and talent. And experience as well.

That being said, it didn't matter much to the golden tiger.

Both of them glanced at the other. Then, they disappeared from their spots and the sounds of a fierce battle rang out in the cavern. Puppets poured out from both their caverns but could never even rush at them. Just the waves from their clashes were enough to destroy the puppets.

...

Facing the abyss was a panting woman. Her butterfly wings had finally retracted as she ended the beast transmutation. She looked around and couldn't see any bridges. As soon as she had arrived, she had noticed their absence. Nothing she could do about it, she was too late. Fortunately, she prepared for the scenario. She took out a scroll from her spatial ring and ripped it. Afterwards, her entire self began to change as she felt horrible pain. She screamed at the top of her lungs for a few minutes before all sounds stopped.

Then, something came out of her body. It was ethereal and hard to distinguish yet it had the features of the woman.

At that moment, an expert in the great exclaimed: "Great Scroll of Soul Resurrection?! How could it appear here?!"

The reaction was expected and soon brought a wave of clamor in the hall. Saint Patron Bôrakos sighed. He didn't even want to deal with this one. Even more so as the other Saints were laughing. The Great Scroll of Soul Resurrection wasn't something incredibly rare due to being difficult to make or find the ingredients. It was rare because the method to make it and the ingredients used were horrible. It was to the point that even those from so-called evil factions and paths rejected it.

To make a single scroll, one had to refine the resentment of tortured sentient beings. A hundred thousand of them.

It was one thing to decide to make it, it was one thing to try but it was another to succeed. Who would let someone capable of such live if they became aware of it? And how could someone survive long enough to finish it? Everyone had many questions. They all turned towards the one behind this champion.

Geng Bo, Grand Abbot of the Righteous Sanctified Pagoda.

He was a man known for being the most upright and lawful from those of the so-called good path. Acclaimed for his generosity and kindness throughout the centuries... They couldn't understand.

However, he didn't mind explaining himself and spoke: "Benefactors, what do you think happens to the evil doers after we capture them?"

It was a question but it wasn't waiting for an answer. After all, the existence of the scroll itself was the answer. They all had stern expressions on their faces. They understood what it implied. Especially those from the evil paths. Now they knew where their fellow cultivators ended up. It wasn't a pleasant discovery. It would lead to many repercussions in the outside world, maybe even an all-out war.

The fact that he dared use this here meant he was very more serious with this trial than any other time. Then, they remembered his age. And they understood. This was his last trial regardless of failure. He would die of old age during the next century without a breakthrough...