Of the hundreds of people that had started out this morning, fewer than a few dozen people were left. I knew that enough testing had been done over the years to know that if a person hadn't reached a certain milestone in body and mind, they would almost be guaranteed to die during the awakening.

It was why we were given three years to hone ourselves to reach the point where our chances of survival were highest. There was an occasional death, but it was so rare that the Empire considered those deaths aberrations. Something within the person that stood in conflict with the Heavens.

The testing stone bore little resemblance to a stone.

The main part looked more like a Stele. One that had been embedded with runes and beast cores. Each core represented the tier a Spirit Root could reach. The cores were set into the Stele and marked with tiers- Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Silver, Tin, Platinum, and Gold.

A meditation mat had been placed in front of the Stele. The mat and Stele connected together in some manner I couldn't figure out.

"Are you nervous?" The girl next to me asked.

"So scared, I'm afraid I'm going to wet my pants," I admitted.

"I'm Diane," she replied, "but my friends call me Di. If we both awaken a Spirit Root, maybe we will join Flowing Water Sect and be Sect Sisters."

"I'm Jai," I said, introducing myself, "I only see a few other girls; we'll have to get to know each other after we awaken. I'm sure we'll both get in."

I was anything but sure, but it helped to project an air of confidence. That confidence was completely destroyed when the first person was called forward.

The young boy had a swagger about him as he moved to sit on the meditation mat. His clothing was richly embroidered, and he was already wearing a Sect token. That could only mean one of his parents was a Sect Elder, and no matter what rank Spirit Root he triggered, he would have a spot in Flowing Water.

The Stele was activated by one of the Elders. I didn't see how it was done, but I knew when it happened. There was an electric charge in the air and that smell of ozone you notice when it thunders.

The boy was enveloped in an electrical field that linked the Stele, the mat, and him together as the Qi he had been able to gather and store during his life was cycled. The cores on the Stele began lighting up, rising through the tiers until they settled on Silver. The Elder deactivated the Stele once a ringing set of bells I'd not noticed began chiming.

The boy was directed into an enclosure just off to the side, and the next person was called up. I could tell from the way the boy left the meditation mat that he was angry. He may have thought he would awaken or that he deserved a higher-tiered Spirit Stone, but expectations often fell flat when you gained the Heaven's notice.

It was almost routine after that first time. But Di still reached across to clasp my hand as we waited for our turn.

***

"Jai?"

"Jai! Sit up." The voice demanded. The light slaps to my face, increasing in strength as the voice keeps shouting my name. It became too aggravating to ignore, and I began reflexively slapping back at the hand that was tapping my face, trying to wake me.

"Five more moments, Mom!" I said as I tried to burrow into blankets while ignoring whoever it was that was trying to wake me. Unfortunately, they were more determined to wake me than I was to continue sleeping. I groaned in frustration as I finally opened my eyes, combating a headache so fierce it was making me nauseous.

Trying to understand where I was and why I was in so much pain forced me to examine my surroundings. Something that took a moment or two as I was forced to wait until my vision cleared. Finally, identifying the sterile walls and medicinal smells, I realized that something was wrong. That wasn't my mom trying to wake me, and I wasn't in my bed.

"Why did she pass out? This isn't a normal reaction," A voice I couldn't identify said, concern obvious.

"It occasionally happens, Diane, usually when someone melds with metal past the tin stage. Remember, the higher the electron counts the metal contains, the more connections and channels need to be opened and linked. These additional connections and channels mean that the corresponding meridians will need to be more robust to contain and direct those energies.

"Jay's reaction is nothing to worry about yet. She hasn't really passed out. The healers assure her that she is focused inward, learning how her Dantian has formed while bridging the gap in taking that first step as an Immortal.

"She was beyond lucky and managed a awaken a spirit root that has a high metal resonance. Her body needs to process the changes for such an immense increase in potential. Something very rare among her social class.

"I doubt anyone in her family can trace a spirit root as powerful as she was able to awaken, so she has not been prepared with spirit medicines or Qi-infused beast meat. She needs time to make the connections that will link her meridians and Dantian with her cultivation. She will be fine after some rest and once she assimilates the changes from her beginning enlightenment. She is experiencing an expanded awareness now that her spirit root is active, and she has stepped upon the path of the Immortal.

"The best thing we can do for her is to allow her to finish the bonding process and get some rest. Once the process has been completed, you can visit Jai and reassure yourself that everything is fine.

"So that idiot that interrupted the awakening ceremony when she was channeling the energies of the formation array hasn't damaged her or her abilities as a cultivator?" Diane asked. Whoever Diane was.

"No, of course not. Spirit Roots aren't so fragile as to be damaged or destroyed because of a bit of backlash from a Qi formation array. You would have to make a real effort to even degrade an awakened Spirit Root, let alone destroy one."

"Why do you…." Diane started to ask before she was interrupted.

"Enough, Diane. You can ask all the questions you want later; for now, you have your own awakening and acclimation that needs to be addressed. You should return to the induction center and complete the process of resonance. You have your own Spirit Root to worry about."

I could have spoken up and let them know I was awake and seemed to be in good health, but I decided to wait. I was confused as to what was going on and where I was. The last thing I remembered was fuzzy; pieces of memory seemed to be lost.

Was I missing part of my memory? That seemed likely. I remembered my life and the work I'd put into my education so my general education scores would be sufficient to enter a Sect. I remember the discussions with my parents and my decision to attend Flowing Water Sect's open enrollment. Why would I remember what I had for breakfast yesterday but not what had happened this morning? Had something gone wrong? And if it had, what and why?

As I thought about those questions, my memories unfolded. I was Jai Myche, the oldest of three siblings. My father gathered spirit herbs; his wanderings were dangerous as he either fought or escaped from beasts that had high Qi realms.

Here elves had not evolved to become the dominant species. They had been forced to share dominion with beasts that were capable of absorbing the dense Earth energy of primordial forests and plants. Allowing those beasts to form and condense beast cores. Cores that allowed these realm beasts a way to progress and grow stronger.

Elves were resilient. And although sprawling urban blight and deforestation of the planet hadn't occurred, we had managed to tame the world enough to build a niche of relative safety. Once cultivation and the benefits beast cores had on cultivation levels were discovered, cultivation and economy were created based on the acquisition of those beast cores. Alchemy, arrays, and hunting became vital professions and instrumental for the survival of the species.

Just as the beasts had diverged to conform to a world steeped in spirit energy, so too did elves. Dantian, meridian, spirit root. These terms went beyond the metaphysical. The Elven body had evolved with physical manifestations that corresponded to real organs. Healers could trace pathways and administer techniques to repair breaches, clear channels, and open blocked passages.

Elven endeavors had focused on cultivation and attaining higher realms of enlightenment. Dao, body tempering, and Dharmic spells were closely guarded secrets for the higher realms, but common cultivation techniques and weapon training existed, a way to temper the masses so that low-level spirit beasts could be hunted and domesticated by anyone.

The Sects and clans, no matter their size or affinity, were stringent and obsessive about who would receive the wealth of information that thousands of years of experience, research, and deaths had required to fine-tune and perfect higher leveled techniques.

For those not born into wealth, members of a sect, or those that could claim a clan, the only recourse was a life of drudgery, condemned to use the most basic of resources. The only chance to better a person's position and Caste happened at the age of Maturity. That age was when an individual was considered responsible for their actions and was able to enter into contracts, open businesses, and agree to serve as members of households or the military.

The age of maturity varied, but for most people, their eighteenth birthday was celebrated with the testing. In that year, the test of enlightenment was conducted, each person was examined to determine if they had a spirit root, and if they did, the spirit root was graded based on and tied to earth metals.

Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Silver, Tin, Platinum, and Gold. The metals corresponded to their placement on the periodic table and determined the rank of the Spirit root. The higher the electron count of the metal, the more powerful and risky cultivation became, but the more powerful the potential.

All cultivators started at the body tempering, the mortal realm. Each realm was divided into three stages, low, middle, and high, and three levels per stage, low success, middle success, and high success. In order to progress to the next realm, the peak level was required for the high stage. This peak level allowed the cultivator to harness the Qi and marshal the forces required to break through to the next realm.

Each progression in level allowed the person to increase their life expectancy, no matter the type of spirit root a person would claim in the beginning. Even the lowest-tiered spirit root, iron-ranked who made it to the middle realm, low success stage, could expect to live hundreds of years longer than those elves that couldn't achieve that stage.

The realms, Body Refinement, Qi condensing, Nascent Soul, Immortal, Nihility, Immortal, Profound Immortal, and Venerable Immortal, increased exponentially the power of the cultivator, their influence, and the ability to protect and claim territory. Spirit gathering and protection arrays helped. But these constructs required vast amounts of resources and powerful beast cores to be effective, and only those cultivators that had advanced into the upper Realms were capable of hunting and claiming cores powerful enough to be useful.

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The beasts themselves had evolved down different evolutionary paths. Mammals, Hybrids, Dinosaurs. The types of beasts were varied, and their value increased as their core evolved. T-Rex, with a Soul Realm beast core, was a force of nature.

Dracorex, a dinosaur that may have evolved to become the first of the dragons, was domesticated early. An herbivore, not as large as a horse, its ability to gather spirit energy from vegetation was prodigious. Their meat was rich in Qi energy and was much more valuable than the small beast cores they might develop. Farms that grew the ferns needed to feed the Dracorex were established by every clan and sect. That meat became the standard to feed and enhance the spirit energies of those talented enough to enter the Body Refinement Realm.

Today I had stepped forth onto the path of a cultivator. My life was about to change drastically. As part of the lower Caste, I had woken and cultivated a high-tiered spirit root. Ranked platinum, my potential was prodigious. Technically, it wasn't the strongest bond possible, that designation belonged to gold, but the difference was only one connection, one electron forming an additional pathway, the only difference between the two metals.

What did it mean for me? I wasn't sure. But it would mean adapting. Learning my role as a new highly ranked cultivator in whatever sect accepted me, hopefully Flowing Water as I'd planned.

This was now my life.

I wanted to ignore the world for a moment as I tried to press against that wall, that block of forgetfulness that was restricting access to my memories. It left me unbalanced, like a word on the tip of your tongue that you couldn't think of but couldn't leave alone. The feeling of uncertainty that I was missing something profound was too worrisome.

This was worse. The wall that separated me from my memories was debilitating. I couldn't function like this. It was something I was unable to ignore. I would always be losing focus and concentration as I poked and prodded at that blank spot trying to access those memories.

Fighting and attacking that formation with will was fruitless. I needed a weapon, a sledgehammer, to break down the foundation that the wall was built on. And I had one now. I didn't know how to cycle or cultivate. I didn't know any techniques or spells. But I did have a slowly filling pool of Qi.

Gathering that energy, I fumbled in my attempts at control, but what I was attempting needed no finesse. Each time I managed to control even a thimble full of the collected Qi, I would send it rocketing forward along those newly formed meridian channels, attempting to brute force an opening, chipping away at the artificial construct that separated me from myself.

My pounding was frantic and intermittent, occurring sporadically as I fumbled to control my Qi, but my will and focus were absolute. The process seemed to take hours, days even. But in reality, it was a matter of moments. Each second magnified until my attempts seemed to sunder the connection I had with the passage of time.

My persistence did pay off, and finally, the first breach was created. A small opening that shone a light on what was hidden, a crack in the foundation that revitalized my attempts, tempering my determination with explosive control.

Inevitably the wall crumbled. It stood no chance against my relentless onslaught. And when it fell, it released what had been sealed behind it. And my memories returned.

I had been uploaded and reincarnated. Transmigrated into this world of the familiar and strange. The memories of this body, the life that I remembered, the experiences I'd had were a lie. Not my life, not a true life as I had come to know the nature of life, but not exactly a lie either. More an alternative reality.

I was not flesh and blood; I was digitized code, a set of binary data defined by 1's and 0's, that was saved to file and part of an executable that allowed this reality to be.

Now that I had pierced the veil of memory loss, I understood why I had been so frantic to restore what had been lost. The knowledge of events and self-identity allowed me to regain equilibrium.

The difference between this world and my real past became apparent. Understanding came with certainty. I knew who created this Universe, I knew my place in it, and I had pierced the veil of the metaphysical to understand the mysteries of death.

For me, each death was a new beginning.

That knowledge was comforting. Not that regained memories and real enlightenment didn't come with a fresh set of problems. I shouldn't have been able to break down that wall, that construct that Genesis had created to safeguard my personality and memories. I shouldn't have even been aware that a wall existed, that memories were missing, and that I could batter down that artificial barrier. Unleashing what had been partitioned and meant to be forgotten might mean that something with Genesis' programming might be faulty.

Now that I could examine the information about this world and this character, I spent another minute or two comparing this character's memories of the world with my past world's history.

Here humans had not evolved to become the dominant species. Somewhere in the evolutionary process, Elves had become the apex predator. One of many. They had been forced to share dominion with beasts that were capable of absorbing the dense World energy of primordial forests and plants.

The ability to absorb Qi permits them to form and construct beast cores. Qi allowing their intellect to evolve, their potential for reasoning the equal of Elves. The cores allowed primordial beasts a way to advance realms and grow stronger. Intellect allowed them to strategize, claim territory, and protect what they had claimed.

Elves were as resilient on this planet as the humans were on Earth, but they were more concerned about nature and harmony as they perfected that resilience. It may have been why they evolved in place of Homo sapiens.

The world was huge, easily the size of Jupiter, filled with coniferous and deciduous plants that flourished and processed the extra magnetic energies that such a large planet produced. World energies that made Qi absorption and cultivation possible.

Their druid-like beliefs and desire to live in harmony with the planet eliminated the sprawling urban blight and deforestation that had happened on Earth. Still, they had managed to tame the world enough to build niches of relative safety, doing so without the need to destroy or conquer everything they touched.

Once beast cores and the benefits and uses those cores offered the Elves were discovered, cultivation and Qi manipulation soon followed, and a metaphysical infrastructure and economy blossomed. The increased magnetic field of the World impacted evolution and explained why the bodies of Elves were developing channels and meridians.

They needed those vestigial organs to process the energies they absorbed naturally. The race had been unconsciously absorbing and utilizing Qi energy since before they walked upright, an adaption of evolution that explained the reason behind the Elves' longevity.

Alchemy, arrays, and hunting became vital instruments of survival. These tools became the foundation for building a society that flourished despite the threats of dinosaurs, dragons, saber-tooth tigers, and beast tides.

Today I had stepped foot into a new world, and the Jai that existed here had stepped forth unto the path of the cultivator.

Her life was about to change drastically. Part of the lower Caste, she, no I, had woken and cultivated a spirit root that was highly tiered and opened up doors that would have been closed to me based on my Caste.

Platinum wasn't technically the strongest bonded Spirit Root possible, that designation belonged to gold, but the difference was only an additional point of understanding. Gold has one more electron than platinum. Those Cultivators who were Gold tiered required one more meridian channel to weave into a network.

It was only one additional path. The bonding difference between the two metals was negligible, both were extremely rare, but one additional channel had an exponential impact on the rate of speed at which Qi could be absorbed and released.

It was obvious that Cultivation, Qi gathering, and skills that allowed an individual to harness and control Qi was highly prized, even the metric to determine power and success in this World.

I wasn't sure why Digi-verse's AI placed me here, but it met all the parameters I'd noted. I also wasn't sure what to expect. Even though I'd read my share of Wuxia novels, the reality was drastically different from the novels I'd enjoyed.

Dinosaurs that survived and evolved to absorb World energy and form cores were a far stretch from anything I had expected.

Not just dinosaurs.

Every strange permutation of life I could think of, all those mutations that had gone extinct on Earth, seemed to flourish here. Dodo Birds were flying birds large enough to bear the weight of a rider and could only be classified as Hippogriffs and Gryphons, as well as Woolly Mammoths. Each species evolved and lived on a planet so large that it made it possible for them to thrive.

Elves remained inhabitants of vast forests, making homes in trees and encouraging nature to grow into structures that became viable living and business outposts. Appropriating vistas of land devoid of trees to farm and raise domesticated beasts.

Our sight and hearing were enhanced, a requirement to survive alongside some of the fiercest predators, including flying mammals and reptiles. Our increased dexterity and strength were a function of the planet's increased gravity. Our adaptability allowed us to compete as well as any other creature that was at home traversing the soaring branches and paths of trees and vines.

Farming and technology were heavily dependent on stratagems that made use of our ability to gather and direct Qi. Techniques that allowed us to practice and refine alchemical and array construction. These tools were the final requirement necessary to give us parity with the beasts; finally, they allowed us to arm ourselves with weapons, armor, and trinkets that increased our chances of survival.

Some larger and more powerful Sects and Clans had managed to create vast underground fortresses and cities, choosing locals that were high in rare elements that were used for crafting and blacksmithing.

Those that could control Qi and formed Spirit Roots would find themselves capable of resonating with the elements. Affinities became the second step for advancement as a cultivator. Fire, Water, Air, and Earth were the four primary elements which all other permutations and alignments were derived from. Lightning was a combination of air and water. Space a blending of all four. Gravity was a confluence of Earth and Air.

Those with the ability to synergize with more than one Element were either the weakest among Cultivators or the strongest. The determining factor was two-fold. The metal one's Spirit Root aligned with, those that could bond with heavier metals enjoyed wider meridians and deeper soul pools, capable of storing and refining greater amounts of World energies. And those that coalesced core shields that had a high tensile strength used gemstones.

"How are you feeling, Jai?" A young woman asked as she opened the door without knocking and entered. She was a healer of some type. I'm not sure why I believed that. She didn't have the normal accouterments that Doctors or Nurses would wear. No stethoscope or name badge. But her clothing was crisp and spotless, her shoes were designed for comfort and durability, and she exuded an 'aura' of calmness.

And, like all healthcare professionals, she wasn't interested in my answer. She would ascertain for herself what my condition was after conducting a cursory examination. An examination that included the probing of my meridians.

The sensation was strange. Something like the jarring dissonance one felt when nails and chalkboard interacted. The exam didn't hurt, but it was cringe-worthy. Her Qi extended smoothly with no fluctuation. But as steady and under her control as her Qi was, my body recognized it as an invasion of my newly formed Qi network.

"OK," I answered hesitantly, pretending I hadn't heard the conversation earlier. "What happened to me?"

"Nothing to worry about. Your acclimation took a bit longer than expected. Congratulations are in order; you managed to clear your meridians and open a network of pathways that place you at the Platinum grade.

"You managed seventy-eight pathways and successfully established your meridian network. We aren't sure why you resonated so much higher than the initial Iron tier you had been initially tested at. But it is the reason you wound up here.

"You should have received a more complex nutrient infusion as you were growing. The mistake left your body void of the required foundation. We had to support you with potions high in Qi and body-tempering pills as you processed and built the network and pathways that such a high-grade Spirit Root demanded.

"Stop using the generic Qi absorption method you were taught. You will need to learn a new cultivation technique that augments the increased Grade level of your root, and soon. If you continue to cultivate with the low-rank method you have been using, you may do real harm to your foundation," she warned.

"Elder Rhys has left this jade token for you," she said as she passed the item to me. "It is your sect identifier token. He left instructions for you to head back to the testing stage so that you can find out what elements you have an affinity for."

"What about my Parents? Do they know what's going on? They came with me for the testing," I asked.

"Elder Rhys has informed them of your successful admittance into Flowing Water Sect. They were allowed to visit with you for a brief moment while you were building your meridian network and reflecting.

"For now, they have been escorted home. You will have time to visit with them once your Qi adaption is completed and your affinities have been identified. The Training Elder is expecting you and will inform you about what happens next.

"He is waiting for you in the Testing Hall," she said, her intonation informing me that keeping the Elder waiting was not a good idea.

The overlay of memories that I had obtained seemed to have been fully integrated into both short-term and long-term memories. Instead of viewing and processing those memories as secondary or separate, they now were part of me that inhabited this body.

What the assimilation of this world's knowledge and memories afforded me was a point of reference. I knew Elder Rhys was the testing Elder, where my parents lived, what it meant that I had been accepted into a Sect, and that this world was both wondrous and dangerous. The luxuries of technology I had become dependent on were no more. But Dharmic spells and Qi abilities were possible and able to replicate most of what I had lost.

It seemed a fair trade-off.