The central altar began vibrating with an ancient red glow..

Above it, the colossal golden silk figure materialized once again, looking down upon the fifty participants.

​"The Trial of Affinity begins now.

​the rules are simple. One by one, you will step forward and place your hand upon the sphere of stardust. You must channel the absolute limit of your core energy into it. The ten crystalline pillars surrounding the altar will react to your innate cosmic affinity, your soul’s foundation, and your hidden potential."

​ "Each pillar here represents a star mark. To pass this trial and earn the right to become a Celestial, you must ignite a minimum of five star marks. If you achieve this, you will be granted a Celestial Seed and pass to the next phase."

​The entity paused, and continued, "If you ignite fewer than five pillars, you will be deemed unworthy. The altar will instantly reject your existence, and your soul will be banished into the infinite void forever. There are no second chances. Step forward and claim your destiny."

​The golden projection vanished, leaving the glowing sphere waiting in the center.

​For a long time, nobody moved. After all, yhe penalty of failure was far too extreme.

Finally, the beast-kin warlord who had charged into the palace first let out a furious roar.

​"Fuck it! I have slaughtered thousands to reach this point! I will not cower before some glowing rocks!"

​He slammed his massive, furry hand onto the stardust sphere.

"Up!"

He roared as he pushed all his savage energy into the altar.

Instantly, the first crystalline pillar lit up with a blue light.

A moment later, the second pillar was also ignited

The crowd watched in anticipation as the third and fourth pillars lit up in quick succession.

​Then, the light stopped spreading.

Seeing it, the warlord’s heart sank.

​"Up! i cannot fail!" The warlord screamed, pouring every drop of his cosmic force into the sphere, but the 5th pillar remained completely dark.

​"You are unworthy," a mechanical voice echoed from the stone floor.

​Before the warlord could even pull his hand away, a violent vortex of dark cosmic energy erupted from the sphere.

It swallowed him entirely. He did not even have time to scream before his physical body and soul were erased from reality, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

​After this, complete horror gripped the remaining Beyonders.

What could be more horrifying than a Beyonder getting deleted like a speck of dust.

Noir’s smile vanished.

​"That is quite the brutal requirement. I wonder what happens if someone breaks all ten pillars? Do they get a prize, or does the altar just explode?"

Zestia shrunk back in fear.

​"Noir, please do not joke about exploding altars. I do not think I have a high cosmic affinity. My magic is just elemental."

Neo placed a firm hand on her soft shoulder.

​"Do not panic, Zestia.The altar is not testing raw destructive power. It is scanning the purity of the origin laws within your soul. Just do exactly what I tell you when your turn comes."

​Next up, a shadowy Dominator stepped up, his pride refusing to let him back down. He placed his hand on the sphere.

Slowly, agonizingly, six pillars lit up.

The mechanical voice chimed, "Success! Low and behold, from today, you’re Celestial my child."

It.grantef him a glowing white Celestial Seed that sank into his chest.

He thrm collapsed to his knees, but soon a victorious grin formed in his face.

​Seeing a success, Princess Myria decided she had waited long enough. She stepped out from the protective circle of her Moon Guards.

Her Absolute Zero law created an aura so deathly that the surrounding hydro molecules turned to ice.

​"Let me show you the true cosmic affinity. I am the best and brightest," Myria declared domineeringly.

Princess Myria raised her pale hand and placed it gently onto the spinning sphere of stardust.

Instantly, a terrifying wave of freezing energy exploded from her core.

​The altar reacted with hreat enthusiasm.

The first crystalline pillar ignited with a blinding, icy-blue light. Then the second, the third, and the fourth followed in rapid succession. She surpassed the minimum passing grade in a matter of seconds, yet she did not stop.

Her royal pride and her burning desire to completely outshine Neo pushed her further.

​The fifth, sixth, and seventh pillars roared to life.

​"Incredible! Her Highness is touching the absolute limits of the cosmic laws!"

​But Myria wanted more. She poured the deepest essence of her Absolute Zero law into the sphere, forcing the eighth pillar to ignite with a overwhelming brilliance.

​That was when the ancient altar fought back.

​The energy quickly reversed its flow, rushing back up Myria’s arm.

​Feeling the error, Myria panicked.

The Absolute Zero law, her greatest weapon, rebelled against her. Over her fingertips, solid ice began to rapidly crystallize, spreading up her wrist and creeping toward her heart.

Her blood flow slowed to an agonizing crawl.

She was literally freezing her own soul to death.

"No! This cannot happen to me. I am Princess of the Dark-Moon Empire!"

She tried to pull her hand away with all her might. Buut the magnetic pull of the altar held her completely glued.

"Go! Princess Myria is in danger!"

​Before her elite guards could even react to her crisis, a shadow was seen speeding across the platform.

When the shadow stopped, it revealed the figure of Neo.

​He appeared directly behind her. Then in a smooth motion, he wrapped his strong arm tightly around her slender waist and slammed his free hand directly over hers on the glowing sphere.

​"Do not fight me, Myria," Neo commanded, his voice low and husky near her ears.

​She instantly fell at ease. It was as if as long as Neo was here, everything will be alright.

He unleashed his vast cosmic reserve. His radiant synthesis energy flooded into her freezing body, forcefully breaking the deadly ice creeping through her veins.

He did not suppress her Absolute Zero law.

Instead, he acted as a perfectly unbreakable vessel, absorbing the violent backlash of the altar and stabilizing her chaotic core.