Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System

Necro's steps were soundless as he descended, the darkness swallowing the pale glow of the world above. Each step felt like slipping deeper into the throat of something ancient, something that had not died simply because it did not know how to die.

Here, time thickened.

His spirit sense swept outward, mapping the tunnel's jagged passage. Residual qi clung to the stones in patches, like bloodstains long dried. Here, a half-faded defensive ward hummed softly, its sigils cracked. There, a severed wristband still pulsed faintly, trying to reconnect to a severed arm that would never return.

Necro ignored them, pressing forward.

The tunnel opened, at last, into a cavern vast enough to contain a small city. Dozens of platforms floated within the darkness, drifting along unseen currents, connected by bridges of light that flickered in and out of existence. Each platform was littered with bones, weapons, fragments of jade slips, and pools of lingering spiritual blood.

A proving ground within the proving ground.

Necro's gaze swept upward. High above, the golden beams marking the official paths still pierced the heavens, but they were muted here, seen only as thin spears of glow through fractures in the cavern's ceiling.

Above, the war for the tokens raged. Here, the true path waited.

He moved, stepping onto a flickering bridge of pale blue light that cracked under his foot before solidifying with a reluctant hum. With each step, illusions of past cultivators flickered along the edges of his vision, screaming silently as they re-lived their last moments.

Necro ignored them, eyes fixed on the largest floating platform at the cavern's center.

A spiral formation had been etched into the stone there, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. At its center, a black lotus hovered, its petals opening and closing with slow, deliberate rhythm, exhaling mists of dark qi.

Necro stopped at the edge of the platform.

A whisper moved through the air.

"Who… comes…"

The voice was not loud, but it layered over itself a thousand times, echoing from a thousand throats, like corpses speaking in unison.

Necro regarded the lotus. "Move aside."

The black lotus paused, as if amused.

"Will you… challenge the test… Necro of the Skyriser Kingdom…?"

Necro's brows lifted slightly, but he did not outwardly react. That it knew his origins was not surprising; the basin was alive, in its way, and it devoured every whisper and rumor brought into it.

"What is the test?" he asked.

"Show… your path."

Necro's gaze sharpened.

Then he moved, drawing in a breath. His spirit power condensed, but not explosively. Instead, it settled over him like a thin layer of mist, suffusing every inch of his body, seeping into his bones, pulsing quietly.

Around him, the world grew still.

The black lotus' petals opened fully, revealing a single black eye at its center.

Necro exhaled.

And then—

FWOOOOOM—!

The cavern twisted, the darkness around him folding in on itself, warping like paper burned by invisible fire. When it cleared, Necro stood within a mirrored world—a realm of endless water, reflecting a storm-tossed sky above.

The black lotus floated in front of him, now the size of a small house, its petals scraping the surface of the mirrored sea.

"You may show your path," the voice boomed.

Necro raised one hand.

A tiny ember of light sparked at his fingertip, pale white, small, insignificant.

Then it grew, stretching upward into a thin, unwavering line.

A path of light.

It extended across the water, steady and straight, unbending in the storm, ignoring the waves that tried to swallow it, ignoring the winds that tried to tear it apart.

The black lotus' eye blinked.

"…Unyielding," it whispered.

Necro did not speak.

The lotus' petals shivered. The mirrored world trembled as shadows rose from the water, humanoid but warped, faces blank, each carrying weapons that dripped black qi. They charged silently across the waves, leaping for Necro.

Necro moved.

His body blurred, weaving between the shadows with surgical precision, fingers flicking, each strike collapsing a shadow into ripples of dark water. He did not unleash great waves of power, nor did he summon storms of flame or lightning. Each movement was precise, efficient, conserving his qi, his eyes always on the path of light he had drawn.

More shadows rose, a tide of darkness attempting to drown him.

Necro's expression remained calm.

He stepped onto the path of light.

And the shadows screamed as the light devoured them, burning them to ash.

The storm overhead tried to rage harder, lightning splitting the sky, but the path remained, cutting through it all, a single stroke of defiance against the chaos.

The black lotus shuddered.

"…You are not meant for this basin," it whispered. "You are… beyond it."

Necro's eyes glowed faintly, multicolored hues derived from Bloodlines and Auras reflecting the lightning above.

"Open the way," he said.

The lotus paused, as if considering.

Then its petals curled inward, the black eye closing.

The mirrored world shattered.

Necro stood once more in the cavern, the black lotus before him, now reduced to the size of a coin, hovering in the air.

Slowly, it floated toward him, settling in his palm.

He closed his fingers around it.

A pulse moved through the air.

Above, one of the golden beams of light flickered—and then split, a thin strand descending into the cavern, connecting with the platform beneath Necro's feet.

'A hidden route,' Necro thought, a rare glimmer of satisfaction in his gaze.

He had bypassed the chaos above. Secured a path of his own making.

Without further ceremony, he stepped onto the strand of light.

It lifted him upward, passing through layers of rock as if they were smoke, the world blurring around him.

As he rose, his senses expanded.

Above, he felt the clash of powerful auras. Bai Gong's Dragon Qi roared like a barely contained storm, lashing out in golden arcs, tearing through challengers. Mo Yi's presence lingered like a cold wind, never directly clashing, but each death in the basin felt like a note in the melody he was composing.

And beyond even them, something else moved.

A will, deep and old, watching.

Necro's ascent slowed.

He emerged into the open air, high above the basin, standing atop a platform of golden light floating in the sky. Around him, nine other platforms formed a loose circle, each connected to the Azure Eclipse Pagoda by strands of light.

Nine others.

Necro stepped forward, scanning the surrounding platforms.

He saw Bai Gong, standing atop a platform to the east, his armor cracked, but his Dragon Qi still burning, eyes cold as he cut down another challenger.

He saw Mo Yi, further north, robes pristine, hands folded calmly as another challenger leapt from the mists to strike, only to dissolve into nothingness before reaching him.

Necro's gaze swept across the others—some he recognized from the dueling arenas, others from whispered rumors.

The strongest of the basin's cultivators.

The best of the best among the Mortal World.

The final ten.

Above them, the Azure Eclipse Pagoda shimmered, each tier veiled by layers of spatial distortion. A single door glowed faintly at its base, guarded by a circle of runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.

A voice boomed across the sky, neither male nor female, ancient and resonant.

"THE TEN HAVE BEEN CHOSEN."

"ENTER THE PAGODA."

Necro's eyes narrowed.

The strands of light extended, forming bridges toward the pagoda.

Without hesitation, Necro stepped forward.

As he did, he felt the gazes of the others. Some curious, some hostile, some calculating.

Bai Gong's gaze locked with his.

Necro raised an eyebrow.

Bai Gong's lips curled into a thin, humorless smile.

The moment stretched.

Then they both stepped onto the bridges, walking toward the pagoda at the center of the storm.

Above them, the skies of the Forgotten Sky Basin split with rolling thunder, and the colors bled together like an oil painting dissolving in rain.

This was the moment that would decide everything, as those from the Dragon Island Sect were sure to make their move. Under the veil that was the Azure Eclipse Pagoda, there would be nothing stopping them from seeing their Saintess's mission to the very end.

For killing her True Fire Dragon pet, there was a price to pay.

San Xianying and various other Inner Disciples, who were observing the penultimate stage of the Trials, smirked. They were more than aware of the existence of the Dragon Island Sect; they also knew that they were breaking the rules, especially by secretly inviting Deacon Mo Yo in.

However, they didn't care about all that.

Their Elders had already informed them to test that "strange boy" to the best of their abilities. To hold nothing back. And to even disregard the fundamental rules of the Trial if need be.

All so as to determine the extent of a single person's potential.

"There are many opposing forces colliding within the body of that Necro," mused San Xianying. "The Black Lotus did well to uncover that much about him. And from what could be seen, those forces were seamlessly fused together, defying the natural order of things."

"Such an enigma." The other Inner Disciples and Enforcement Hall Disciples nodded in unison.

Even if just by a bit, they were able to understand why the Elders were so interested in the young Necro.

Meanwhile, in the Pagoda, a special Test was presented before the 10 final token holders.

Ten identical stone monuments, with which had engraved in them the Introductory Technique Manual of the Sacred Azure Sect.

A Test of Comprehension.

But for the 3 from Dragon Island Sect, they cared not about the 10 stone monuments. Rather, the only thing they observed was the isolation this Pagoda had from the rest of the world.

It was perfect for… disposing of people without anyone interfering.