Chapter 12: The Ice Trial.

There will be 7 individual trials before the meet and fight. During individual trials, you just have to try your best or die. The good news is that attacking or fighting is not allowed, so you can try your best without distraction.

The first individual trial is the trial of the ice world. Everyone has been teleported to the edge of this large ice world devoid of life. The trial is to make it to the center of the world without using tools or weapons. The first 30% that make it to the center get a mark that guarantees their life.

The marks are incredibly important and also useful during the meet and fight. You get only seven opportunities to be the best 30% at doing something and earn a mark. If you don't have a mark after that, you die. Only those with a mark can enter the solo challenge.

In summary, the trial of heaven is a fight for the best of the best. You have to be among the best 30% in any of the 7 trials, or it becomes certain that you will not leave the tower of heaven at all, and all your dreams die with you. Gehald has to do more than be the best of the 30%, or he won't be able to get what he came here for.

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After 24 hours, the portal leading to the sovereign and grand god section of the tower closed, and the first trial began, the trial of ice. The will of the realm, Mother High Heaven, descended with a message stating the rules and guidelines for the competition.

She spoke directly to the ears of everyone present. " Welcome, children, welcome to the trial of heaven. To the ones that have been here before, it is nice to see you again. To the ones that are here for the first time, I expect great things from you."

After a slight pause, she continued, "This is the sovereign and grand god trial. The rules haven't changed. You will go through a series of trials, of which you must pass at least one to gain entry to the solo challenges. There will be no fighting or the use of external aids. These trials will test your strength, resilience, skills, willpower, and body durability. I wish you good luck."

Then the barrier went down, and Gehald started to race toward the center by using the lines marked on the ground, which indicated the direction. Only the first 30% will get a mark. The ice trial will end after the first 30% reach the center, then the next trial will begin.

The icy wind hit Gehald square in the face as he rushed forward. It is manageable for now. The garment of laws, the only thing allowed, that he has on can still protect him. But the temperature keeps falling, again and again.

Gehald had to circle Origin energy through his body to resist the cold. The cold is not something mortals can withstand. No mortal can survive exposure to temperatures lower than -100 degree Celsius.

The good thing about using the law of life to reach the sovereign level is that your body has immense vitality, and you will be able to heal from injuries more quickly. It doesn't have great attacking capabilities, but it works to keep you alive better than other laws.

So even at this stage, he can keep himself from creating a barrier to keep out the cold. A barrier will stop contact between the cold winds and his body, but it will consume more energy to directly resist the cold, but it will prevent his body heat from being siphoned until he freezes.

After 11 days, he was still running forward. He had stopped flying yesterday when the temperature dropped again. Even though flying is faster, he would have to wade against heavy winds harder. He started using his barrier after the first 9 days. His body couldn't take the cold anymore, even with his high amount of vitality.

The thing about a race like this is hope. The trial of ice is public knowledge, but the distance of the trial is unknown. It changes every origin cycle. But the distance doesn't matter. The fact that the race hasn't ended means you still have hope of making it.

This hope keeps you going, even when you stumble and fall. You pick yourself up and continue. Even though everything you can see is ice and snow, the hope keeps you going, like a tiny ember within your chest. As much as it pushes you forward, you have to also stoke the tiny flame because if it goes out, you will give up.

Gehald kept moving forward even after 8 years. The solitude, the monotony of the environment, and his actions had strained him but not too much. This much stress is not enough to break him. He had to be strong because he knew that this trial and the following ones to come would test the integrity of the body and his soul and how well it had been developed over the years.

This trial also tests the origin regeneration of the Origin core. If, over the years, you have made an inferior body or Origin core passage, your body won't be able to withstand the stress, and you won't be able to restore your Origin energy fast energy to keep the barrier up.

If anything, elves have powerful physiques and life force due to their affinity with nature, which is further reinforced by the mastery of the law of life. He was able to hold on due to this, coupled with his mastery of the law of water. It is this understanding of his advantages that he used to keep himself going forward.

After a while, he saw a portal in the distance, and his eyes lit up. He was almost there. As he was rushing forward, his senses picked up movement beside him, and he noticed someone walking by leisurely. This person didn't seem to be struggling at all.