"You will never be able to leave unless you manage to get past me." The beast said again, opening its mouth and revealing a white tongue and a sharp row of black fangs that looked more like daggers.

Its piercing voice echoed inside Amon's head, making him disoriented. In a daze, he looked up, and saw that pair of icy eyes right in front of him. There was disdain deeply ingrained in them, and that distorted head had its mouth opened, making it seem like it was laughing.

It was a bizarre, twisted view. Amon said nothing more as he looked at the beast, jumping back and tightly gripping Windhowler's hilt over his right shoulder. With a trill, the sword saw the light of day.

The disdain in the beast's eyes grew even more apparent, and its mouth opened a bit more, widening that horrible smile. Amon could smell putrid flesh coming from the beat's mouth, making him even more disgusted.

"I suppose that is one way to go about it." Amon heard the beast's voice in his head again, in a tone full of scorn.

Amon was actually surprised that the beast was speaking to him. The only kind of spirit beasts he knew that could talk were the legendary G.o.dbeasts, but he had never heard of a G.o.dbeast that had an appearance as grotesque as that.

"This… feels wrong." Amon thought to himself as he looked at the beast glaring at him. Something told Amon that this was not the right way to approach the situation.

As his mother had told him, the h.e.l.lblaze Trials were not about strength, at least not physical strength, nor were they about combat. They were trials made to mold the next generation into worthy cultivators and help them find their own path.

Amon pondered deeply, and the disdain in the beat's eyes slowly gave way to curiosity, even if never completely disappearing. After some time, Amon lowered his sword.

Neither he nor the beast spoke anything. All that could be heard was the incessant rustling of the leaves and the swaying of the branches coming from the trees surrounding them. A light breeze made Amon's clothes flutter, and the beat's fur whip about, turning even messier.

Amon was thinking about what he had experienced since he had pa.s.sed the first Trial. The dark door that lead to a trove filled with all kinds of treasures, as well as this spirit beast with high intelligence.

The fact that it could talk was surprising, but thinking about it, the way it was acting was even more surprising. It showed no hostility at all, no matter how oppressive its appearance was, nor did it make any sudden movements. It was also taking its time to speak with Amon.

Amon looked at the beast for a long while, before slowly sheathing Windhowler again. His golden eyes were full of hesitation, but also curiosity as he faced the beast.

"How can I get past you?" He asked as he raised a brow.

The beast's expression froze for a moment, full of surprise. When its surprise faded away, the disdain in its eyes grew even greater. It then opened its mouth, making a strange, rhythmic gurgling sound. Amon, however, could hear an unabated and displeasing laughter echoing incessantly in his head.

Amon's face fell, and he started getting irritated. The beast's laughter grew even louder as it saw his reaction, making the gurgling sounds echoing from his throat almost surpa.s.sing the sound Amon heard in his head.

It took a good while for the beast to stop, making Amon even more frustrated. When it finally stopped, it looked at Amon with eyes full of scorn.

"There are many ways to get past me." The beast said with a sneer. "You just have to find one."

"I suppose I need to find it out by myself." Amon said, not even asking a question. He already knew what the answer would be, after all.

"What I can say is that you already have everything you need." The beast said as he looked at Amon with a strange glance. "However, don't think you won't pay a price to move on."

Amon sank in silence again after hearing this. He had what he needed? His interspatial ring was not working, and he doubted that the beast knew about it. What was left was Windhowler, the items in his Bottomless Pouch that were basically food and water, his clothes and…

"The token!" Amon suddenly realized it.

The token opened the trove. If the trove was part of the Trial, it would probably be safe. Not only that, it certainly held the answer to his predicament. What made him furrow his brows, however, were the words of the beast.

Amon would have to pay a price to move on.

"Would you be willing to do a trade?" Amon asked as he looked at the beast again.

The beast's ears perked up, and it looked at Amon with interest s.h.i.+ning in the depths of its blue eyes.

"Of course I am willing to trade." The beast said as it opened its mouth again, showing that twisted, dangerous smile. "As long as the price paid is enough, I will allow you to pa.s.s."

"In that case, what would be a fair price?" Amon asked, showing hesitation.

"That is up to you to find out." The beast answered in an indifferent tone.

"How do I do that? How would I know what is fair?" Amon asked again, somewhat irritated, somewhat frustrated.

"Have you ever heard of the tale of the old emperor and the dragon?" The beast did not answer his question. Instead, it made another one.

"Never heard of it." Amon said, looking suspiciously at the beast.

"It is quite a simple tale." The beast said, closing its icy eyes as if focusing for a moment. Soon, its chilling voice started echoing in Amon's head, in an indifferent tone, as if the beast was emotionlessly reading a book.

"Once upon a time, there was an emperor that ruled the world of mortals."

"He was the richest man in the world, and no matter what he wanted, he could get. Except for one thing: time."

"His life was at the end, and he did not want to die. He used his influence to search far and wide, and, after a long time, he came across rumors about a medicine that could give immortality."

"The problem, however, was that this medicine was in the treasure trove owed by a black dragon."

"Nevertheless, the emperor, as expected of a good ruler, knew of such dragon living in his domains. He took his royal carriage and travelled far away, coming across a cave deep inside a mountain. There, the emperor met the dragon."

"The emperor politely greeted the dragon, and the dragon allowed him to talk."

"The emperor asked about the medicine, being careful to not show the slightest disrespect for the dragon. With a glance, the dragon knew what was on the mind of the emperor, and said that he indeed had such a medicine. The dragon, however, would only give it to the emperor if he traded his most precious belonging for it."

"The emperor thanked the dragon and returned home, pondering deeply. What would be the most important thing for an emperor like him? His people? His treasure? His land?"

"The answer he found actually encompa.s.sed all of these things: his lineage."

"The emperor arrived at the conclusion that his lineage was more important, because the lineage ruled the people, owed the treasures and governed the lands."

"That being the case, with a pained heart, the emperor chose his youngest granddaughter and, as tears streamed down his face, took her with him to see the dragon again."

"When they arrived, the emperor took his granddaughter's hand and proclaimed 'I offer you my most precious belonging.' "

"The dragon nodded, took the frightened and crying girl in his scaly embrace and allowed the emperor inside the trove."

"The emperor soon found the medicine of legends, and promptly gulped it down. Time seemed to reverse as he turned younger, regaining his youth, strength and vigor."

"Very satisfied, he prepared to leave, but was blocked by the dragon. His granddaughter was nowhere to be seen, and the dragon's eyes were cold and full of scorn."

" 'What are you doing?' The emperor asked, frightened. 'Where is my granddaughter?' "

" 'I sent her home.' The dragon said. 'Our trade did not involve her.' "

"The emperor was confused, and the dragon started laughing. Then, the dragon said the words that sealed the fate of the emperor forever: 'If you were willing to sacrifice your lineage to save your life, obviously your life is what is the most precious thing for you.' "

" 'The trade was completed. Your life is now mine.' The dragon said as his laughter echoed through the trove, and the emperor's face paled as he realized his mistake."

"For eternity, the dragon guarded over the trove, and for eternity, the emperor was imprisoned in it, as he was now one of the many treasures owed by the dragon."

The beast finished its tale, opening its eyes and sending Amon a piercing glance.

"You know nothing, kid." The beast's voice was indifferent, as if stating a fact. "Life is nothing but a constant stream of trades. You take and give all the time. This is how the world maintains its balance without ever stagnating. It is all a cycle."

"You breathe in and breathe out. You consume throughout your life, and in the end, you are consumed."

"Even if things are balanced in the end, this does not mean it is all equal. There is an inherent disparity in this cycle." His voice was as indifferent as ever, but his started glinting with resentment as he spoke. "Some might have a blissful life, while others live in misery. Some die young, others die old."

"Each living being is unique, so there is no way for there to be no disparity. It is all relative."

"All that matters in the end, is that you are born with nothing, and you die with nothing. No matter what you did during your life, the cycle will be complete, and everything will start over."

"All that happened in-between the beginning and the end is meaningless, because Nature will balance it all out." The light in his eyes turned unbearably cold as he looked at Amon, and a silent pressure started to weight down on him, restricting him. "No living being can escape from this. Everything will be balanced by death."

"Thinking that way, fairness is also relative." The beast said in an irritated tone. "That being the case, you must never underestimate a trade, because while you might think you are coming out on top, the other party might actually be the one winning the most."

"We might even consider a fight as a trade." The beast said as those icy eyes came closer and closer to the restrained Amon. "We can trade blows and see who hits harder. It is one way to solve your predicament."

"Nevertheless, do not forget that this is the Trial of the Mind." It said, clearly growing more and more annoyed as it spoke. "Think for yourself. Didn't you get past the Trial of the Will that way?"

"Go do what you think you need to do and only return when you feel you have an answer." The beast snorted, turning away and retracting its neck, going back to its previous sleeping position.

The pressure weighting down on Amon disappeared, and he was left alone in the edge of the clearing, in a daze.