The Quantum Path to Immortality

The City of Infinite Horizons sprawled before Elias in impossible directions. Buildings rose into the sky—or what passed for sky here—each one existing in multiple dimensions at once. Some were made of crystal, others of pure concept, and a few seemed to be alive, their walls breathing slowly.

The streets reorganized themselves as people walked. Elias watched a cultivator step onto a path heading east, clearly wanting to go south—and the street simply bent, curving to deliver them to their destination.

Practical. Efficient. Disorienting.

Beings filled the streets in numbers that staggered even his comprehension. Trillions, all of them radiating power that would have made them legends in the multiverse. Here, they were just citizens.

Elias walked through the crowds, observing. Everyone here had achieved what he had—100% Reality Law comprehension. It was the minimum requirement for this realm. The baseline.

He passed markets where vendors sold strange goods. Crystallized enlightenment. Probability threads. Memory fragments. Things that existed between concept and matter.

One stall caught his attention—a vendor selling what the sign claimed were "compressed breakthroughs." Moments of understanding crystallized into physical form, ready to be absorbed.

"First time in the city?" a voice asked.

Elias turned. A humanoid figure stood beside him, their form flickering slightly between solid and translucent. They had kind eyes and an easy smile.

"Yes. Just arrived."

"Thought so. You've got that lost look." The being extended a hand. "I'm Vel'kora. Been here about seventeen thousand years."

Elias shook the offered hand. "Elias. Been here about four hours."

Vel'kora laughed. "Four hours! You're brand new. Come on, I'll show you where the Guild Hall is. Every newcomer needs to register there."

They walked together through the city, the streets helpfully reorganizing to take them where they wanted to go.

"So you just ascended?" Vel'kora asked.

"Yes. Using Reality Law."

"Same as everyone else. How's the suppression treating you?"

Elias kept his expression neutral. "Manageable."

"Manageable?" Vel'kora glanced at him with surprise. "Most newcomers can barely walk for the first few weeks. The suppression hits them like a mountain. You must have strong will."

Or Quantum Law, Elias thought but didn't say. "I adapt quickly."

"Well, you'll need to. This place is nothing like the multiverse." Vel'kora gestured at the city around them. "Everything here is harder. The energy is denser, the Laws reach infinity, and everyone's trying to comprehend something that's fundamentally incomprehensible."

"Infinity Law?"

"That's what we're all here for. It's the next step after Reality Law. And it's brutal." Vel'kora's expression turned serious. "Most beings spend centuries just reaching 10% comprehension. Some never get past 5%."

They turned a corner—or rather, the corner came to them—and entered a quieter district. Fewer crowds, more space between buildings.

"The social structure here is simple," Vel'kora continued. "It's all based on Infinity Law comprehension. Initiates are 0-20%—that's newcomers like you. Then Adepts at 21-50%, Masters at 51-80%, and Sovereigns at 81-99%."

"And 100%?"

"The Infinite. Legendary beings who've supposedly transcended even this realm. Most people think they're myths." Vel'kora shrugged. "I've been here seventeen thousand years and never met one."

Elias filed that information away. "What about currency? How does trade work?"

"Infinity Essence. You get it by comprehending Infinity Law—your cultivation naturally generates it as you advance. Or you can trade for it. Valuable goods from the multiverse can fetch decent amounts."

"Like Luminite?"

Vel'kora stopped walking. "You brought Luminite?"

"Yes. A significant amount."

"That's smart. Luminite helps with Law comprehension, which makes it valuable here. You might actually be able to get a good price for it." Vel'kora resumed walking. "The Guild Hall handles all trades. They're neutral, powerful, and they don't tolerate cheating. Safest place to do business."

Part 3: The Guild Hall

The Infinite Commerce Guild Hall was massive. It existed in at least forty dimensions simultaneously, making it look both impossibly vast and comfortably sized depending on how you looked at it.

They entered through wide doors that adjusted their size based on who walked through. Inside, the main hall was crowded with beings conducting business. Counters lined the walls, each one staffed by Guild employees.

"This way," Vel'kora said, leading Elias to the center of the hall.

A massive board floated in the middle of the space—the Information Bulletin. Dozens of beings stood around it, reading the displayed information.

"This is free to access," Vel'kora explained. "Basic information about the realm. Every newcomer should read it."

Elias approached the board and began reading:

INFINITY REALM BASIC INFORMATION

Population: 47 trillion ascended beings across seventeen continents

Requirement: 100% Reality Law comprehension

Primary Goal: Master Infinity Law (0-100%)

Social Classes:

Initiates (0-20% Infinity Law) Adepts (21-50% Infinity Law) Masters (51-80% Infinity Law) Sovereigns (81-99% Infinity Law) The Infinite (100% Infinity Law) - Legendary status

Currency: Infinity Essence

Generated through the collapse of infinite dimensions, Used to buy resources and comprehension aids Essential for advancement

Key Facts:

Time flows differently based on comprehension level Higher cultivation = more subjective time to study City streets reorganize automatically The realm suppresses all newcomers—adaptation takes centuries Luminite, Void Crystals, and comprehension aids have high value

WARNING: Returning to the multiverse requires Sovereign-level power and expensive techniques. Most ascended beings cannot leave.

Elias read that last part twice. So that was why no one returned—the realm trapped them here.

Good thing he had his quantum entanglement. His connection to his other self would serve as an anchor.

"Depressing, right?" Vel'kora said. "Most of us didn't know about the trap until too late. We're stuck here forever unless we reach Sovereign level."

"You don't seem upset about it."

"I've had seventeen thousand years to make peace with it. Besides, there's worse places to be stuck." Vel'kora gestured around the hall. "Come on, let's get your Luminite appraised. See what it's worth."

They found a reception area near the trading section—a cluster of comfortable seats made of crystallized concept. They sat down, and Vel'kora pointed to a counter nearby.

"That's where you want to go. The appraisers will tell you what your goods are worth."

Elias stood and approached the counter. A being sat behind it, their form shifting between states. They looked bored.

"Name and what you're trading?" the appraiser asked without looking up.

"Elias Vance. I have Luminite to trade. Approximately 500,000 units."

The appraiser's head snapped up. "Did you say 500,000?"

"Yes. Refined to maximum density."

The boredom vanished instantly. "Let me see a sample."

Elias produced a single Luminite crystal from his spatial ring. The appraiser took it carefully, examining it with various techniques.

After a long moment, they set it down. "This is exceptional quality. Top grade. No impurities." They pulled up a calculation array. "For 500,000 units of this quality... conservatively, you're looking at about 50,000 Infinity Essence total."

Behind him, Elias heard Vel'kora gasp.

"However," the appraiser continued, "I recommend not selling all at once. Flood the market and prices drop. Sell maybe 50,000 units now. That'll get you 5,000 Essence, which is more than enough to live comfortably while you start your cultivation."

"Agreed," Elias said. "I'll sell 50,000 units."

"Smart choice." The appraiser began processing the transaction. "Your Essence will be credited to your Guild account. As a newcomer with significant resources, I'm required to warn you: you'll become a target. Consider joining a sect for protection."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Transaction complete. Welcome to the Infinity Realm, Initiate. Try not to die in your first century."

Elias returned to where Vel'kora sat. The veteran cultivator was staring at him with wide eyes.

"5,000 Essence," Vel'kora said slowly. "That's more than most Adepts earn in a decade. You're not just any Initiate—you're rich."

"Relatively speaking."

"No, actually rich. Which brings me to an offer." Vel'kora leaned forward. "I'll teach you everything you need to know about this realm. Culture, dangers, opportunities, how to avoid getting killed. In exchange, you pay me 500 Essence as a guide fee."

Elias considered. 10% of his current wealth for comprehensive information. "What exactly would you teach me?"

"Everything I've learned in seventeen thousand years. Where to find resources. Which sects are trustworthy. How Infinity Law cultivation actually works. The politics of the city. All the things that took me centuries to figure out through trial and error."

"Acceptable."

They remained seated in the reception area as Vel'kora began explaining.

"First thing you need to understand: Infinity Essence isn't something you generate through cultivation. It's mined from collapsed infinite dimensions."

"Mined?" Elias leaned forward with interest.

"Yeah. When infinite dimensions collapse—which happens naturally throughout the realm—they compress into physical deposits. Mining operations extract the Essence from these deposits. It's dangerous work, but extremely profitable."

Vel'kora pulled out a small crystal—it glowed with internal light, shifting through colors that didn't quite exist.

"This is Infinity Essence. One unit. It's vastly superior to anything from the multiverse—including Luminite. A single unit contains more comprehension aid than a mountain of Luminite crystals."

Elias examined it closely. The energy signature was indeed far beyond Luminite. Different in quality, not just quantity.

"So Luminite is valuable here, but not as valuable as Infinity Essence?"