That ball of light... It was life. The champions were betting their lives to win the trial for their contestants. How would the other contestants react if a champion messed up their own before being recalled safely if no one paid a price? This could not be tolerated. Since sending a champion was equivalent to sending a life to participate in the trial, then only in exchange for another life could they be taken away from the trial safely.

But this paused the question of what was a life and what was its worth. Obviously, the lives of the contestants were much more valuable than those of the champions. Unless you were a champion or related to one, you could only agree with that mindset. This was, after all, the most realist and practical interpretation. Then, on what basis could they be compared?

After many discussions, the forefathers reached a consensus.

A life could be considered as the 'time that you were alive' and this applied to every being in this world. Everything had a mortality. At least in this world, no one knew what was beyond the End Point as those who transcended left this world and never came back. As such, everyone agreed back then that a life should be considered as an amount of time.

In order to make things fair and simple, they decided to base it on the duration of the champion's life if they didn't go into the trial and remained at the 9th stage. It averaged between 80 to 130 years old. To make it easier, they picked one hundred years as the basis for the worth of a champion's life.

From then on, in exchange for recalling one's champion, the contestants had to pay the price equivalent to their lives. A hundred years of life to save a champion. Obviously, very few were ready to use up their precious lifespans for their champions. They could always find new champions but couldn't ever get back the time lost. Only someone who had reached the 70th stage could take away the time of another and never forcefully due to restrictions by the heaven's laws of the world. This proved to be an additional problem. Fortunately, they could easily counter it. In this sacred place, this kind of promise was seen by the heavens and acknowledged. The Saints would only save the champion after having received verbal agreement from the contestant.

But honestly, which expert would rather spend his time to save another's? Or rather, who would? It was human to be selfish and greedy. Sentient beasts were the same.

The leader of the tiger clan was not a fool. He wasn't selfless either. He had reasons to call back the golden tiger. He couldn't lose him...for the future of his clan. He was getting on his years too, having lived half his potential total lifetime. He planned to train a successor. And he picked this golden tiger. Because he was talented and more than anything, apathetic. The risk of this one trying to go back into the past was close to inexistant. And with his teachings, he would make sure it never happened.

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The thought of his successor being a master of time brought him joy and relief. Which is why he couldn't bear to let him die here. From the very start, he planned to pay the price if he believed the golden tiger wouldn't win. He brought him solely so that he would experience The Peak. It would be something to shape his future.

Still, the tiger leader kept a palm on his chest as he was suffering greatly. Losing a hundred years of life at once was painful to say the least but he had no regrets. It was all for the future of his clan, for long after he went beyond the End Point.

Most of the other experts understood his point.

In fact, he wasn't the only one who brought in disciples for the sole purpose of experience. It was just that the others were reluctant to sacrifice themselves for them. There was supposed to be another way for their disciples to survive after all. As long as they crossed a bridge and stayed out of the caverns, or stopped climbing once there were only sixteen of them left, they would be safe. They would only need to wait until the trial ended and a victor was determined. Then, they would be able to go fetch them.

But things changed with the appearance of the death knight...

And so, now, the only way to get their disciples back would be to sacrifice themselves. And not all of them were having such thoughts. A few did weight the choice but since none made a move, their choices were obvious.

- If they can't save themselves, let them die -

Such was their mentality. Of course, there were many who thought differently. Sofia Crowe, Isla's daughter, as a guest watcher, was very much in favor to save the others like the tiger clan leader did. That being said, not once did she offer to pay the price herself.

Unaware of such truths, the champions kept fighting fiercely. And slowly, more of them died. Until finally, only sixteen were left alive. As soon as the 17th being died, the remaining sixteen were frozen in place. Whether they had been resting or mid-fight, they couldn't move anymore. Their world seemed to have stopped but they could feel time flow.

Then, they heard a voice: "Sixteen are left. The trial will be pursuing shortly"

And in the grand hall, Saint Patron Bôrakos clapped his hands and said: "I will now ask for all the contestants with no champions left to leave their thrones and go back to their seats. ...Except you, Saint Shalonna, I see you, no need to wave your hand..."

Once done with that, there were a lot less contestants left. Less than a dozen to be exact. Saint Patron Bôrakos asked them:

"Are there any of you willing to pay the price to retrieve your champions before we proceed with the draws?"

The contestants began to ponder hard on what action to take.