The Quantum Path to Immortality

Aria took a breath and recalled everything Father had taught her. Not just about Infinity Law, but about creative problem-solving. About seeing connections others missed. About applying principles in unexpected ways.

She raised her hand and began.

First, she created a single point of energy—basic cultivation, nothing special. Then she applied Stage 1 Endless Path principles, making that point capable of growing infinitely. The energy began expanding, increasing without limit.

Next, she added Stage 2 Multiplicity. The single growing point split into countably infinite points, each one expanding independently. Now she had infinite energy sources, all growing forever.

But she didn't stop there.

She wove in a principle from the Infinite Recursion Method she'd learned from the stele—making each point's growth feed back into the others. The energy didn't just multiply—it multiplied multiplicatively. Each new point created more points, which created more points, in an endless cascade that grew faster than exponential.

Then came the creative part.

Instead of making this an attack, Aria shaped the infinite energy cascade into a structure. A formation. She was building something with her Infinity Law—creating a construct from pure principles rather than just throwing power around.

The infinite energy points organized themselves into a perfect geometric pattern. A sphere made of countably infinite points, each one connected to all others through endless pathways, all of them feeding energy back and forth in infinite loops.

The construct began to stabilize, becoming self-sustaining. It didn't need Aria's power anymore—it was generating its own energy through the recursive infinity principles she'd built into its foundation.

Then she made it do something.

The sphere pulsed, and a wave of force expanded outward. Not a destructive wave—a creative one. Everywhere the wave touched, the ambient energy density increased. The empty combat dimension suddenly felt richer, more alive, more real.

"She's not attacking," one examiner breathed. "She's... enhancing the dimension itself?"

Aria wasn't done. She added another layer—making the energy construct capable of learning and adapting. She applied principles from Stage 4 Dimensional Infinity (which she technically shouldn't know yet, but had learned from Father) to make the sphere exist across multiple dimensional layers, each one optimizing independently.

The construct evolved in real-time, becoming more efficient with each passing second. It was a living technique, self-improving through infinite iteration.

Finally, Aria demonstrated the practical application. She pointed at a distant section of space, and the construct responded instantly—teleporting there and establishing a localized infinity field that any cultivator could draw power from. She moved it again, showing perfect control despite the technique's complexity.

"A self-sustaining, self-improving, infinitely-powered formation that enhances cultivation," she explained calmly. "It can be deployed anywhere, requires no maintenance, and grows stronger over time through recursive improvement loops. Potential applications include healing, energy supply, dimensional anchoring, or combat support."

She let the technique dissipate gracefully and bowed to the examiners. "That's my demonstration."

Absolute silence filled both the combat dimension and the waiting area.

The three Sovereign examiners were staring at Aria with expressions of complete shock.

The lead examiner found his voice first. "You... you created a perpetual cultivation formation using pure Infinity Law principles?"

"Yes, Examiner."

"That's not an attack technique. That's a civilization-level infrastructure development," another examiner said. "Nations would pay fortunes for formations like that."

"And you made it in ten minutes?" the third examiner added. "As a demonstration?"

"I've been thinking about the concept for a while," Aria admitted. "The comprehension test gave me some ideas about recursive principles. I just applied them practically."

The lead examiner looked at his colleagues. They seemed to have a silent conversation through divine sense, their expressions shifting from shock to awe to something like resignation.

Finally, he turned back to Aria.

"Aria Vance. In my three thousand years as an examiner, I have never seen an application of Infinity Law that combined such creativity, efficiency, and originality. You didn't just demonstrate power—you demonstrated understanding at a level that suggests you could become an academy Elder yourself."

He paused, then announced clearly: "Score: 100/100. Perfect marks."

The waiting area erupted into chaos.

"Perfect marks again?!"

"How is that even possible?"

"She got 100 in comprehension AND application?"

In the combat dimension, the other students were staring at Aria like she'd grown wings and started flying.

Mira grabbed Torin's arm. "Did our friend just casually invent a revolutionary formation technique? As a TEST DEMONSTRATION?"

"I think she did," Torin said faintly. "I think we're severely underestimating what 'trained by a Sovereign father' actually means."

The lead examiner wasn't finished. "Aria Vance, I am formally requesting permission to study your technique for academy archives. What you just created could change how we approach formation theory."

Aria blinked. "Oh. Um, yes, of course. I'd be happy to share."

"She's happy to share," someone muttered. "She invents revolutionary techniques and just shares them. Is she even real?"

Kieran, watching from the waiting area, had his head in his hands. "Gold light. Perfect application score. What's next, is she going to solo the point battle?"

"Don't give her ideas," Lyssa said weakly.

Jin was watching Aria on the screen with an expression of deep thought. Finally, he smiled slightly. "Interesting. Very interesting. This academy year won't be boring."

In the observation area, Kaelen was crying again. "That's my daughter! She just revolutionized formation theory as a test demonstration!"

Sarah was laughing in disbelief. "Elias, what exactly did you teach her in those eighteen years?"

"Optimal thinking," Elias replied simply. "I taught her to see connections and apply principles creatively. She took that further than I expected."

Down in the combat dimension, Aria had returned to her position with the other students. The remaining demonstrations felt anticlimactic after hers—competent work that earned respectable scores, but nothing that came close to what she'd done.

When her group returned to the waiting area, students parted before her like she was royalty. Whispers followed in her wake.

"That's her—the gold light girl."

"Perfect scores in both trials."

"Is she even human?"

Mira bounded over immediately. "Aria! That was AMAZING! You invented a perpetual motion cultivation formation! In TEN MINUTES!"

"It was just applying the principles from the stele," Aria said, uncomfortable with the attention. "The Infinite Recursion Method showed how to make things self-sustaining. I just adapted it to a practical application."

"'Just adapted it,'" Torin quoted. "As if that's not the most difficult part of formation theory."

Marcus approached cautiously. "Aria, that was... I don't even have words. You didn't just pass the test. You showed us all what's possible when you truly understand Infinity Law."

Celeste nodded agreement. "I thought I was creative with spatial applications. You just made me feel like I'm still playing with children's blocks."

Even Kieran came over, his earlier frustration replaced with grudging respect. "I can't even be mad. That was genuinely brilliant. Congratulations."

Aria felt overwhelmed by the attention but managed to thank everyone politely. She just wanted to find a quiet corner and wait for the third trial.

Vice Dean Yara's voice echoed across the waiting area. "All demonstrations are complete. Scores are being finalized."

A massive display appeared, showing rankings:

APPLICATION TEST - TOP 10:

Aria Vance - 100/100 Jin Silversky - 94/100 Celeste Voidwalker - 92/100 Kieran Voidstrider - 91/100 Marcus Lightblade - 89/100 Lyssa Flameheart - 88/100 Torin Brightwind - 86/100 Mira Brightwind - 83/100 (Another student) - 82/100 (Another student) - 81/100

The gap between first and second place was painfully obvious.

"Two perfect scores in a row," someone said. "The third trial is going to be interesting."

"If she gets perfect marks in the point battle too, she'll be the first student in academy history to achieve perfect scores in all three trials," another student added.

"No pressure, Aria," Mira said with a nervous laugh.

Aria smiled despite herself. "I'm just going to do my best. That's all anyone can do."

"Your best is apparently revolutionary and perfect," Torin pointed out. "But sure, 'just do your best.'"

Vice Dean Yara raised her hands for silence. "Rankings are posted. You have one hour to rest and prepare. Then we begin the final trial—the Point Battle. Get ready. This is where things become truly competitive."

As students dispersed to prepare, Aria found a quiet spot and sat down with Lumie, who chirped encouragingly.

Two trials down. Two perfect scores.

One trial remaining.

She thought about Father's words before she'd entered: "Trust your training. Trust yourself."

She'd done both so far.

Time to see if she could finish what she'd started.

The point battle awaited.