Chapter 11: Trial of Devil's Peak

Yang Yang was observing Tom's situation from the ground floor. He saw how Tom fell after the seventh Trial and suspected that his action might violate the rules of the Pagoda. However, just when he was about to move to Tom and warn of the possible punishment that might befall him if he didn't continue on his climb, he heard the voice of the one above.

"I have violated the balance of the Pagoda by increasing the difficulty for Tom to understand the hints to compensate for his easy Samsara Trial. However, I now realize that his possession of the scriptures is purely due to his luck, which is an actual force. Therefore, to restore the balance, let him rest for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before waking him up."

Upon hearing the voice's instructions, Yang Yang followed them meticulously. He began by creating an incense stick, which he lit and allowed to burn. Once the allotted time had passed, he deftly adjusted the temperature of the Trial room, which triggered Tom's awakening.

Tom woke up on the seventh floor, startled to find that he had lost consciousness without any recollection of it. Despite his confusion, he felt grateful to be alive and relieved that the Pagoda hadn't deemed his unconsciousness a failure. However, the thought of resting after every Trial crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it, realizing there might be consequences if he did so without explicit permission from the Pagoda. He couldn't afford to take any risks in this high-stakes environment, especially with the fact that only two Trials were left.

Without thinking for much longer, Tom entered the gate that would take him to the eighth floor and the eighth Trial.

Tom scanned his surroundings, his gaze immediately drawn to the thick, swirling Fog that enveloped the area. However, what caught his attention was the unusual red hue.

After going through the previous seven Trials, he better understood how the Pagoda worked. So, he felt that this time it would probably be something that related to the color red," maybe blood," he thought.

Like the previous Trials, he didn't need to wait long before the voice spoke.

"A fire of the heart or a fire of the mind only you who have forgotten about both heart and mind would know. Beware to not burn yourself while trying to burn those who cross your path."

Tom thought that his previous assumption was wrong, but he didn't have time to think about it deeper because he felt a strong pull from the Fog as if it told him to jump in without thinking. Tom tried to resist the feeling, but the more he fought, the more it pulled. Finally, after a while of back and forth between him and the Fog, Tom had no choice but to give in to the Fog and enter it.

[Pov Change]

Intense heat from all around. The place's temperature makes breathing difficult,  making everyone around feel despair that stops them from going on. Yet, it also turns them into people with no sense of self-control.

This cursed place was, of course, the Devil's Peak, where the small village of outcasts lay.

Last Hope is a village of those who have been shunned by all the people around them. They thought that living near the devil himself would be a better choice than living among their neighbors that cursed them and made their lives hell.

If you look closer, you'll notice a young man with five eyes standing among the crowd. Seeing someone with that many eyes might make most people run for their lives, but he's hardly the most unusual sight in this place. Here, you'll find folks with tails like animals, mouths on their hands, and other peculiarities that defy explanation. 

People call this place hell and the gathering of freaks, yet its inhabitants see it as their little haven.

Tom found himself as one of those "freaks." He took over the body of the five eyes young man.

Although some might have assumed that Tom felt the same fear as everyone else, they couldn't be more wrong. Going through everything that happened made him more indifferent to the way others looked. He did not care for your appearance. He only cared if you were useful to him or if you would get in his way.

Despite finding the place fascinating, Tom couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the stifling heat that made it difficult to focus. As he struggled to think clearly, he pushed aside thoughts of the strange and unusual sights around him and instead focused on his immediate concern, what would his guide be this time? Or if he will get one.

Suddenly Tom heard the sounds of people gathering; he felt that the commotion wasn't small, so it might be something that would help him complete the Trial.

While walking to that place, he saw people all around him fighting each other as if their minds had gone away. However, he didn't really care for that and continued on.

Tom walked to the place only to find that a couple of senior people were arguing. The old man with three heads said it didn't exist, and the old man with four ears said it existed. Those old men were talking about the devil peak and how there laid Xuehua, the ice flower that can change their fate.

Initially puzzled by the constant anger and conflict among the people he encountered, Tom eventually began to understand the true purpose of the Trial and its profound meaning. As he observed them more closely, he saw the toll their cursed environment had taken on them. It was reminiscent of the previous Trial he had faced, and he couldn't help but wonder whether the Pagoda maker was lazy or had some deeper motivation for creating these trials.

Tom initially wanted to ask the residents of the village to help him get to the peak, but after thinking about it for a while. He thought wrath clouded their mind too far for them to assist him. Thus, he gathered all the savings the original host had and bought the best heat-resistant clothes he could find. However, after wearing them, he noticed that they didn't make that much of a difference, and even after he looked at the more expensive options, they felt the same.

After he bought the clothes and tested them he noticed that he didn't have anything else to prepare after all he bought the best clothes and people didn't seem to know much about the peak and the road to it other than that, no one went there and survived.

Having no one else besides his trusty new clothes, Tom started his journey to the peak, not having to wait long before he felt that the heat from the mountain started to reach for him. It began to burn his heart and mind. This heat made his anger increase after every step he took.

Tom wanted to let his anger out in any way possible. But the place was empty. No one else was so stupid to walk a path of sure death. Despite all of that, Tom continued walking with determination. However, no matter how much grit Tom had, it wouldn't change the reality that the mountain started to make him feel so angry that he wouldn't have minded letting it out on himself. The irritation reached the point of making him furious at himself, wanting to smash his head on the nearest rock he could find.

After he had walked for so long, his legs started to give up, and he began to crawl on his hands. The sharp rocks made scars all over his body. He screamed out of agony over and over, yet he continued walking.

Tom felt as if this mountain was never-ending because of how long he had been climbing, which increased his anger and wrath. He wanted to let his frustration and resentment out in any way, wanting to go down the mountain and slaughter the villagers even though they had no involvement in his climb.

After having his clothes and his body torn through, Tom knew that he needed to do something else because even if he could control his mind, his body would give up, so he did just that and dived into his mind. He first thought about fixing the problem of anger this place caused, so he tried to remember all the ways he had heard of controlling his mind against rage.

He tried a few of them, but they all turned out to be complete failures. Tom thought about meditation, so he took the lotus position. He started to breathe with rhythm inhaling breathing for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, then exhaling for 8. At first, it didn't do anything, which made him want to stop; however, after continuing on, he felt a sudden coldness in his heart. This feeling made him persist because the more he continued, the more it would grow, causing the heat inside him and around him to dissipate. This caused Tom to realize that the flower wasn't actually at the devil's peak; instead, It Was with him All Along. The calmness he felt inside him caused the flower to bloom.

After he realized that, Tom thought he had succeeded, but noticing that he didn't exit the Fog, He assumed that he needed to help others in the village as well.

Tom hurried back to the village after getting his body cured by the flower. Just when he was about to reach the village, he noticed a large rock that he didn't notice before. This rock had engravings all over it. Written on it was "The Origin of the Devil's Peak." continuing on reading, Tom read, "A peak created by the heat and hatred from those forsaken by society, a snowy mountain turned into a burning hell because they couldn't let go of their anger. A fire blooms only when one can control his heart."

[Pov Change]

After Tom read that, he felt that the Fog started to dissipate, which made him feel weird because he thought he needed to help all of the people in the village.

It seems that the Trial only wanted him to control his own anger and then read the rock. After thinking about it for a little more, Tom thought that this rock might actually be the starting point. Him not reading it made his whole journey much harder, and that is why he needed to read it even after exiting from the Trial.

"It seems that the Pagoda wouldn't intervene while I am taking the Trial leaving me with free choice," Tom concluded.

[End of Chapter]