Quantum Immortal

As the formation lit up, a strange warmth spread from the ground beneath Wuji's feet. The sensation was subtle at first, like standing barefoot on sun-warmed stones, but it grew stronger, spreading upward in gentle waves. Wuji instinctively tensed, unsure of what to expect. His muscles tightened, his focus sharpening as the warmth coursed through his body. He could feel it flow into his legs, travel up his spine, and then spread through his arms and chest. The warmth was neither oppressive nor painful—more like a comforting presence, filling him with energy.

"What is this?" Wuji thought, trying to calm his racing heart. "Is this... Qi?"

The energy swirled within him for another minute or so before it gradually dissipated, leaving behind a faint tingling in his limbs. The formation beneath his feet dimmed, the intricate lines of glowing light fading into nothingness. As quickly as the sensation had come, it was gone, leaving the arena in an eerie silence.

Wuji looked down at the jade token in his hand. It was glowing. A soft, golden light pulsed from the token, bright and unmistakable.

He raised an eyebrow, turning the token over in his hand, trying to understand what it meant. A few candidates near him had tokens that were also glowing, while others stared at their unlit tokens with confusion and worry. Whispers spread through the crowd, some hopeful, others panicked.

Before Wuji could fully process what was happening, the voice of the elder from the Azure Cloud Sect boomed across the arena, cutting through the anxious murmurs.

"Those whose tokens do not glow," the elder's voice was cold and final, "do not possess a spiritual root. You are to leave."

The words hit like a hammer, and the effect was immediate. Gasps filled the air. A wave of disbelief rippled through the crowd, as candidates who had not even begun to fight for their future realized that their journey ended here. For some, the truth took a moment to sink in. Others reacted instantly, shouting protests or breaking down in tears.

"No! There must be some mistake!" a young man near Wuji shouted, clutching his token tightly as if willing it to glow.

"I've trained for years! This can't be right!" wailed another candidate, his voice rising in desperation.

The elder's eyes, cold and indifferent, scanned the crowd as arguments began to spread like wildfire.

"I refuse to leave!" someone else cried, stepping forward as if defying the decree would somehow change it.

Wuji kept his gaze ahead, watching as the scene unfolded. He expected the elder to explain further or show some mercy to the distraught candidates, but instead, the elder's aura flared. A wave of suffocating pressure swept through the arena. The air grew thick, and the temperature seemed to drop in an instant. Wuji felt a chill run down his spine as if a giant, invisible hand had gripped his very soul.

"Leave." The elder's voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the weight behind it. The single word carried an overwhelming authority, crushing any further dissent.

A stunned silence followed. Slowly, reluctantly, the candidates whose tokens did not glow began to filter out of the arena. Some walked with heads held high, trying to retain their dignity. Others wept openly, their dreams of becoming cultivators shattered in an instant.

Wuji watched them go, his thoughts racing. "So many... Nearly 77% of them failed in the first test alone." His gaze swept over the crowd that remained. Of the original 400,000 candidates, only around 90,000 were left. The sheer number of failures was staggering.

Wuji's fingers tightened around his token as he glanced down once more. The number on it had changed—7007 now glowed faintly on its surface. The elder's earlier words echoed in his mind.

"Spiritual roots... so that's the first hurdle."

It dawned on him just how rare spiritual roots were. Cultivating without them was like trying to light a fire without kindling—possible, but nearly impossible to achieve anything meaningful.

As the candidates adjusted to the thinning crowd, another elder, this one from the Ironblood Mountain Sect, stepped forward. His expression was stern, his voice clear as he addressed those who remained.

"Those of you still standing have spiritual roots. The next tests will determine their type and quality, but that will come at the end of the exam. You will face the three trials: the physical test, the combat test, and the Spiritual root test."

Wuji listened intently, absorbing every word. The elder pointed to a massive black stele towering above the arena floor. It was covered in names, and beside each name was a number—Zero. Since the test had not yet begun everyone's points were initialized to zero. Amid thousands of names, Wuji found his name quickly as if he knew where it was. He looked at his token curiously.

"You will be ranked based on your performance in each test," the elder continued. "The maximum score for each test is 100 points. Your points will be totaled, and the top 1,000 candidates will have the opportunity to choose their sect. However," he added, his voice dropping ominously, "meeting the core requirements of the sects you desire is essential. Merely ranking high will not guarantee a place in the most prestigious sects."

The crowd murmured in excitement and apprehension. This was the real competition. Wuji's mind sharpened with focus. He wasn't concerned about ranking in the top 1,000 just yet. His immediate goal was survival—to pass these trials and secure a place in any sect where he could develop his abilities.

"The first test will be physical," the elder declared. "It will measure your strength, endurance, and agility. Your performance in all three aspects will determine your score."

At the elder's command, several sect disciples appeared from the side of the arena, each carrying large, gleaming artifacts. They placed them at various points across the arena floor, each one glowing faintly with inscriptions of runes and symbols. One artifact in particular caught Wuji's eye—a massive boulder inscribed with runes that seemed to pulse with energy.

"The strength test will be first," the elder explained. "You will lift these boulders. The more weight you lift, the brighter the runes will glow. Those with the greatest strength will receive the highest scores."

Excitement buzzed through the crowd. Some of the more confident candidates grinned and stretched their arms, clearly eager to show off their physical prowess. Wuji, on the other hand, remained calm, his eyes carefully assessing the boulder.

"Strength is important," Wuji thought, "but brute force alone won't win these trials. I have to be smart about this."

One by one, the candidates were called to the boulders. The first few stepped forward with nervous expressions, their hands trembling as they gripped the cool stone. When they lifted, the runes flickered faintly, but there was little applause. The boulder was heavier than it looked, and many struggled to get it off the ground.

Then came a candidate with broad shoulders and a muscular build. He gripped the boulder, veins bulging in his arms, and with a grunt, lifted it high above his head. The runes on the boulder blazed brightly, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Wuji watched carefully, noting the subtle differences in how each candidate approached the test. It wasn't just about raw strength—it was about technique, balance, and how efficiently one could exert their force.

Finally, it was Wuji's turn. He stepped forward, his black robe fluttering slightly in the wind as he approached the boulder. His heart was steady, his breathing calm. His mind worked quickly, calculating how much effort he would need to exert without exhausting himself too early.

He placed his hands on the cool stone, feeling the ancient runes beneath his fingers. With a deep breath, he channeled all of his strength into his legs and arms, lifting the boulder from the ground in one smooth motion. The runes glowed steadily—bright, but not blinding.

Wuji didn't go for the highest score; he didn't need to. He knew the real test was still ahead. He set the boulder down with care, ignoring the mild applause from the crowd as he stepped back into the group of waiting candidates.

"Now," he thought, "on to the next test."

As the strength test continued, the sect elders watched closely, their eyes flicking between the candidates and the glowing runes on the boulders. Some nodded in approval, while others remained impassive, their thoughts unreadable.

This was only the beginning, but Wuji knew one thing for certain—the road ahead was going to be much more difficult than he had imagined.