The soul trial is the last trial of the first section of the trial of heaven. It is similar to the gravity trial. Every participant will be subject to harmful soul fluctuations at the same time. The participants must defend with their divine sense instead of their bodies like in the gravity trial.
In this trial, only those with a mark or those who can remain until the last 30% will survive.
Those without a mark have to somehow survive to the end or die. If you have marks, you will lose one of them to survive. Your mark will grant you access to the next section of the trial instead of dying. But if you don't have a mark, then this is the last opportunity to get one or die.
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 walk 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 6 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 is done, the barrier came down and the test began.
Gehald's mind is 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 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 knows that if he can'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 6 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.