The cultivator rushing to Senior Song arrives at her side quickly. His voice has a hurried tone, but at a level that no one can hear. Of course, I have my scan, so I’m able to know what he says.

“The Alchemist’s guild wants him in the outer court and has their eye on this. Elder Ro asks to not put him in a bad position by doing anything outside the rules.”

Immediately at these words her face twists up, buts nods understandingly. It’s clear that she has some kind of relation to this ‘Elder Ro’. The little my scan reveals (as I don’t do detailed scans on cultivators), is that he is an alchemist himself.

Strange.

It seems their strategy is subtly shifting. Or maybe it’s always been this way, after the assassination attempt.

They might be trying to keep me in the outer court and suppress me so they can give an offer to join their Guild after. Added to that, by having me in the outer court, they can ultimately have me killed if I become a nuisance, like some other unfortunate members of the sect.

… I still prefer this to the open assassination. At least with this, they have to pull some moves to get me in a bad position first.

With this new information, her face turns back to me with a surprised and slightly pitiful look, which is quickly removed. Like with the other cultivator’s words, the expression is so subtle and quick that only my scan caught it.

“Delinion. You are now in the outer court, based on the current rules. The next exams might give you an opportunity to go further.”

There’s no way that will happen. But at least I can reasonably assume she wasn’t in on this because of her reaction.

I nod to her, which she seems to take as confirmation of her words.

She appears to be about to speak to the group before I interrupt her.

“Elder. I invoke the Threefold Ascension challe…”

“You dare interrupt an Elder?!”

I barely am about to finish my words when the cultivator that approached the elder rushes towards me furiously with a strike of his hands.

His body is like a blur as it flies at me, his hands outstretched to slap me to the ground.

Unfortunately for him, even as a low-level Qi condensation expert, my body is faster and stronger than his. Added to that, my combat scan is always on. So, even if he was faster than me, I could react.

I juke out my elbow to knock away his hand, grasp it in the air and twist it behind his back in a single move. He cries out in pain, his legs collapsing, as he ceases struggling because of the pain.

Everything shudders to a stop. Even the elder is looking in surprised at the situation.

Sadly, for me, that’s the smallest reprieve I receive.

A pressure instantly weighs down on my entire body, as if a waterfall has suddenly poured on me. Similar to the man I subdued, my knees buckle under this weight and I fall to one knee.

“Release him.”

A voice ringing like that of a deity resounds through the courtyard. All I can see in sight are the two wizened eyes of the elder, glowing with anger. The best comparison is as if the Eye of Sauron is upon me, with there being no way to escape that gaze.

Outside of my personal experience, my scan informs me that she is even further surprised by my ability to still hold on to a single knee. Adding to that, my body didn’t automatically obey her voice.

This is likely what they call spiritual pressure.

It would be wise to not escalate this further. Especially with this specific guy.

I release him within the same second.

He falls flat, but crawls out of the area of effect, clearly affected.

Strange… someone at her level could control who it effects, though others would still sense its weight.

… Ahhh, she’s disciplining him as well, for stepping out of turn.

Once I’ve released him, the pressure eases away.

He runs back to her side, and a little further back. His face burns with anger. Especially from being trounced by an applicant. One without cultivation at that.

My previous scan to determine what to do somewhat anticipated this. That there would be a negative reaction to taking control of the narrative from an Elder. In fact, it could be horrendously bad. However, there will be no other chance, as any other situation could be repressed or revoked.

It has to be public and in full sight of everyone.

The elder has her fingers to her wrinkled temples, rubbing them. Despite being an old lady, she gives a somewhat youthful feeling.

Unfortunately for her and her growing headache, I need to continue.

This is the moment.

“I invo…”

It’s instant.

A weight unlike anything I’ve ever experienced slams me into the ground.

If the previous pressure was a waterfall, a lesson, then this is a lake, concentrated on a single person’s body.

A threat.

I feel my body creaking and breaking under the weight.

The eyes from before have grown even bigger, even as I can’t see them. I can feel their gaze burning into me. My body sweats uncontrollably from this.

Once again, in actuality, she’s relaxed while looking at me struggle. Albeit, with an irritated look.

However.

Every single part of my body is under pressure and being strained. With the healing constitution, all of this is a full-body workout. At hyper speed.

“Invike…”

My knee is the first to shift. My scan detects a look of shock on her face.

Now this is the pressure equaling high Qi Condensation experts, at full strength. Obviously not her full pressure, but something that she assumed would be enough.

Frankly, something that no one without cultivation could bear.

My arm slams into the ground, my fingers gripping dirt and pushing up. I can feel my lungs power through, granting me breath. My heart pounds stronger and stronger.

“I… Invok…”

She increases it again. Another attempt to suppress me.

I refuse.

“… Invoke… the”

Another Increase. Foundation Establishment. Low-tier.

My arm lifts. Fractures are created and healed constantly as I move to my hands and knees.

“Three…”

She doesn’t even let me finish, as the full, entire weight of a peak Foundation Establishment expert crushes me and the dirt into a circular hole.

Clearly, she didn’t want to let me build up with each step in strength.

It would crush a low tier Qi Condensation expert to paste. I’m flattened into a slowly sinking pit.

That doesn’t matter, though.

My body may be crushed. But my will, lungs, and heart are not.

I will not give in… as I have no other choice left at this point.

Even if I can’t lift the other parts of my body, my organs are surprisingly the strongest parts of me.

With all the strength left in my body, I scream out.

“THREEFOLD ASCENSION CHALLENGE!”

…

…

…

My scan picks up a sigh.

The pressure falls away immediately.

My body feels strange without the weight.

… I kind of miss it.

I can feel the effects of super powered adrenaline still pumping through me. The addictive qualities fall away immediately.

After a pause, I reach a hand out of the hole and climb out.

She’s simply sitting there watching.

I just look at her. She looks at me.

The crowd behind me is gaping. No one dares speak a word.

She rubs her temples again and shakes her head with another sigh.

“Well. At least he can’t blame me for not trying.”

She has a frown on her face, but the hint of a smile in her eyes.

“Your challenge has been accepted. Congratulations.”

Unconsciously, my body was tense for another round.

I let out an enormous breath.

Everyone behind me does the same before loud talking erupts between them all.

…

I’m angry with my scan.

Specifically, that I had to go through such stupid amounts of pain and struggle for this.

Almost to mock me, the reasons why I did pop back up in my mind.

The Threefold Ascension Challenge is one of the rules used for outer court members to move into the inner court by showing they are worthy of moving up.

However, there are multiple different rules to move from the outer court to the inner court.

Why did I use this one?

Because they specifically made it to prevent suppression by nobles and elders. Once said to an elder, they must accept your challenge. Once the challenge is accepted, they must give you a task that would be considered normal for that elder to give to an inner court member. The definition of ‘normal’ is up to interpretation for good and bad.

It should be noted that everything before the challenge is made can suppress it. Like the massive spiritual pressure she put upon me. For situations where this would be used in a hostile situation, that would be considered part of the challenge. Once again, the sect values the ‘ease’ you can navigate relationships/situations to make this easier.

Though, her doing this much pressure was likely because the way I did it was like a slap in her face.

Normally, it isn’t used in this way. They usually say it between a trusted elder and an aspiring mentee to skip the long process used by other methods. Or quietly for a noble and an elder looking to enrich themselves. Obviously, this is done after some time in the sect, to give the elder some face.

It’s unimaginable to use this right after being initiated into the sect.

Even more so, in the middle of testing. I used a loophole, though.

As soon as you complete the spiritual root test, you are formally part of the sect and beholden to its rules. The additional tests are meant to place you closer to your real position, for fairness. So, it would be madness to even attempt something like this and slap the face of the elder when you have opportunities to show your skills in other ways.

That’s definitely not applicable for me.

It appears Senior Song has understood from the cultivator’s words that such a thing is not an option for me. Hence, her smile at the end of this.

Even that smile is scary… I know for a fact that she didn’t even use half her power. I can’t scan to find out what her cultivation is, but I’d guess it would be at minimum high core formation.

…

This was the method the scan gave me for the highest chance of success.

Was it the right choice, though?

Her raspy voice, feeling strangely bright, floats through my ears.

“Your challenge will be to return to me with at least 4 petals of the Star Renewal Flower by the end of this group’s full testing period.”

My scan moves automatically and I freeze.

There are so many traps in this request that it’s crazy.

As I’m about to open my mouth, she speaks again.

“As would be expected for a normal request from me, I will not tell you where to look or extend the time period. You will need to figure it out yourself.”

She gives a shining smile.

“Good luck!”

Is this a challenge or a death sentence!!

My mind turns towards the complexities of this request.

And why it sucks so much.