The Soul Trial.

The soul trial especially tells true and fake sovereigns apart. Not all sovereigns achieve this level of power on their own. Some of them, the true sovereigns, walked step by step to condense their seed of power. They are also rewarded with each achievement along the way with a boost to their soul or bodies. 

When sovereigns die, their seed of power is left behind because it is nigh indestructible. Someone of sufficient strength can then fuse with this seed of power to become a sovereign, albeit a fake one. They are fake because they can't stand up against a true sovereign, but they are more than powerful enough to defeat some Titans of law. 

A fake sovereign can train his soul up to the level of a true sovereign using soul-enhancing treasures. It is highly improbable but not impossible. But one can't become an Origin god with that seed of power unless they get the help of mother high heaven as a reward for their performance in the trial of heaven and Origin essence.

Only the best of the best in the trial get Origin essence, so Gehald has to prove himself during the trial. While some have given up, some remain determined to give it their all for different reasons. The ones without any marks have to try their best, or they will die, and the ones with six marks must have one more to complete their perfect pass. It is this dynamic that will prevent most of the participants of the trial from getting a mark.

As time went by, Gehald managed to fully comprehend the laws of death. Suddenly a silver of origin essence enters his divine sense through his origin passage and strengthens his soul. This silver of origin essence improved his soul by 5%. This amount is because the law of death is a type of supreme law. Even so, this silver cannot compare to a bead of origin essence he could get. His powerful soul filled him with more confidence for the soul trial. 

After years of rest, the will of the realm descended to inform them of the rules. Her words are like a hammer beating on the wills of some, either strengthening it or breaking it. When she was done, the barrier came down, and the test began. 

Gehald's mind was hit with a sudden, painful sensation that he quickly suppressed. If he doesn't defend against the harmful soul fluctuations, he will die. His soul will be shaved off very painfully until his consciousness collapses on itself.

Even elementals without souls have their cores being attacked. If they don't have a strong enough divine sense, then they too, will be wiped out of existence. Since most, if not all, elementals are true sovereigns, most of them will survive this round. 

The ones that have free time are the grand gods because their souls have been strengthened by divinity and the dragons with their reinforced soul space.

Just like the gravity trial, the intensity of the attack increased over time. And with time, the sovereigns reaffirm their will because a strong will is a cornerstone to survive this trial. 

The key to this trial is an active defense against harmful soul fluctuations, but it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain this defense with the searing pain of the mind because the soul is a weak point to anyone except Origin gods who have immortal souls.

Soul damage is more painful than damage to the body because it is direct damage to the consciousness. It will bypass any resistance or tolerance to pain. You can't ignore the pain. You just have to bear with it. The wish to escape from the pain or end it will make you give up and lose.

Soon people start to drop like flies while others are teleported out. Those that died don't have any marks, while the ones teleported have marks.

Gehald steeled his will because he knew that if he couldn't survive this much, he wouldn't be able to complete his grand plan for perfection. There is great pain waiting for him in his plan. Nothing worthwhile is easy to acquire. If he is to create many versions of himself, then he must be ready to cut off parts of himself. After all, a tree needs a little part of itself to create seeds.

He watched as about 55% of the sovereigns died within the first six months of the soul trial before he finally earned his last mark after a year and a half. He was teleported out to the next section of the trial with an additional mark. He has become closer to acquiring what he came here for.

When Gerald opened his eyes after the teleportation, he noticed he was in a swamp.

"It seems this is where I get to start with the meet and fight." He thought.

The will of the realm descended on him, along with soothing energy that instantly healed his injuries and fatigue. She also said to him.

"Congratulations to you, Gehald Oakstein, for getting to this stage. Your performance was truly impressive. You were just a notch away from a perfect pass. What a pity."

He doesn't think she truly pitied him. Her voice sounded monotonous, just like ever. He heard some rumors that the will of the realm didn't start talking to her children until after the realm Lord ascended. She used to just send her intents to inform them, unlike now that she is talking to every sovereign that has reached here with a personalized message. Meanwhile, she was still talking.

"It isn't the end of the road for you. Even though you weren't part of the 12,624 sovereigns and Grand gods that died, you must continue to thrive for life. The available reward of origin essence amounts to exactly 1,800 beads. Of which the 461 with perfect pass get two each, which leaves 880 beads."

Of all the 22,862 competitors that took part in the Sovereign trial, 461 of them got a perfect pass. That's 2% of their numbers. He was just a single mark from being among them.

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