Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 1422 Trial of Mind Begins!

Grand Elder Waller positioned himself in front of the massive skull, his elderly eyes mirroring the ghostly shine of the dragon bone while his voice rang out distinctly across the dome.

"These are the remnants of a Black Dragon, an authentic dragon," he declared deliberately, letting his statement settle into the shocked quiet. "According to legend, a hundred thousand years back, a massive conflict cleansed the whole Divine Realm. Innumerable creatures perished in that disaster. Whole star domains got destroyed. Primeval species that dominated the heights of life disappeared in a flash. During that era, genuine dragons roamed the skies. They weren't just like our bloodline carriers. They formed the source. They acted as supreme entities whose mere exhalation could topple peaks and whose bellows could rip open the emptiness."

His eyes shifted up to the vast hollows of the skull's sockets.

"This genuine dragon joined that conflict. It battled on the front lines against forces so formidable that their identities remain forgotten even today. But even a genuine dragon, one we honor as godly, didn't escape fate. It perished alongside myriad others. After the war concluded, just this cranium endured."

A soft exhale slipped from his mouth.

"In time, our forebears uncovered these bones. They grasped its significance. Not only might, but inheritance. They brought it to this place and enclosed it inside this chamber. From that point on, it has functioned as a challenge ground for our followers. What formerly glided through the clouds now serves as an ordeal for the new breed. That's the harshness of the ages. Even the strongest figures get diminished to artifacts eventually."

The followers absorbed his words in awestruck hush, their pulses racing.

For them, dragons held holy status. Even thinned dragon lineages brought honor in the Black Dragon Clan. Real dragons counted as almost godlike presences, beyond reach and everlasting. Imagining one had died proved hard to swallow. Learning it met its end in battle rattled them deeply.

A follower murmured roughly, "A conflict capable of slaying a real dragon… what sort of foes did they confront?"

Someone else gulped nervously. "With true dragons present then and yet defeated, the Divine Realm had to be an entirely alien place."

"I can't picture a warzone with such titans clashing," another grumbled. "How might any survive that devastation?"

The mood turned thick with wonder and discomfort.

For those followers bearing dragon lineages in their blood, the disclosure hit even harder. They'd long assumed their lineage's zenith linked to unbeatable forebears. Discovering those forebears once got killed rendered the Divine Realm far more perilous than they'd pictured.

Grand Elder Waller let their whispers linger briefly before lifting his hand to quiet them.

"Despair shouldn't grip you," he stated resolutely. "Pride should fill you instead. This cranium doesn't represent frailty. It embodies persistence. Even in demise, its spirit still overpowers you. Its presence still demands reverence. That's the heritage of a real dragon. It shows that power etches an imprint time can't wipe away."

His tone grew a bit sterner.

"Now, you'll face the echo of such a creature. If a mere husk overwhelms you, how can you aspire to thrive in the Divine Realm amid real threats? The Trial of Heart commences at this spot. Withstand the dominance of this dragon's intent. Face your terror. Face your boundaries. Only hearts unbroken by its essence qualify to advance."

The followers sensed their breathing turn labored again as they gazed at the enormous skull.

What was once a regal dragon commanding the firmament now towered as an implacable arbiter.

And the truth dawned on them sharply.

This went beyond a mere strength check.

It gauged if their spirits merited bearing dragon blood in a domain where even true dragons had tumbled.

Grand Elder Waller went on. "You'll get ten minutes. The moment I launch the trial, ten minutes is all you'll have. Anyone toppled or passed out gets removed from the challenge."

Having spoken, Grand Elder Waller turned to the elder overseeing the trial area.

"The trial begins now!" Grand Elder Waller proclaimed.

Grand Elder's words had scarcely echoed away when the nearby elder triggered the array.

The very next moment, the emanation from the black dragon's skull burst forth fiercely.

It didn't build slowly. It erupted savagely.

The force intensified a hundredfold.

The dome's atmosphere thickened like stone. It was like a hidden peak crashing down from above, smashing onto each follower there. The dim crimson light in the empty sockets of the dragon skull pulsed threateningly, and the crushing intent locked in those old bones stirred like a roused predator from sleep.

Numerous followers couldn't respond in time.

A few of the frailer ones yelled as their legs gave way. Their frames shook wildly, blood vessels swelling on their brows while they struggled to channel their power against it. The dragon's intent pressed not just on flesh but on thoughts, like an age-old stare assessing their value.

A follower uttered a strangled wheeze before pitching forward onto the floor.

Another reeled back with bulging, horror-filled eyes. "I… I can't draw breath!"

His sight dimmed. The burden weighing on him stretched infinitely. In his thoughts, a gigantic dragon appeared gliding amid a sky drenched in gore, its cry fracturing the earth. His resolve wavered before that phantom bellow.

He blacked out.

Gradually, certain faint-hearted followers tumbled down without holding out long. Their awareness snuffed out under the crushing intent from the dragon's bones. For them, the ordeal wrapped up the instant the full force hit.

Those still upright fared little better.

Moans resounded across the dome. Plenty of followers sank to a single knee, hands braced on the floor to avoid total fall. Perspiration streamed over their features as they clenched jaws. Their skeletons groaned under the crushing pull fused with draconic force.