The return journey was silent.
The formation carried them away from Grey Rift Valley as the mist swallowed the battlefield behind them.
Kael leaned against the formation barrier, eyes closed.
His body still burned.
Not injury.
Compression.
Every breath felt heavy, as if his lungs were drawing air through stone.
[Status Update:]
— Body Tempering: 47%
— Structural Stability: Unstable (Temporary)
— Recovery Required
Mira glanced at him.
"You pushed too far," she said flatly.
Kael opened one eye. "Not far enough."
She snorted but said nothing more.
Rovan watched quietly.
This was no longer about talent.
This was about will.
The formation arrived at the inner mountain platform.
The moment they stepped down, several elders were already waiting.
Too many.
Kael noticed it immediately.
"This was planned," he thought.
Elder Mo stood at the front, her expression unreadable.
Her gaze moved to Kael's blood-stained robe.
Then to the jade slip Rovan handed over.
"Report," she said.
Rovan spoke clearly and without embellishment.
He described the mutated beasts.
The Rift Guardian.
The abnormal pressure within the valley.
When he finished, the platform was silent.
One elder frowned deeply. "A Rift Guardian does not appear without cause."
Another added, "And certainly not in a medium-risk zone."
Elder Mo turned to Kael.
"You blocked it."
Kael nodded. "Briefly."
Several elders inhaled sharply.
"That pressure was Core-level," one muttered.
Kael said nothing.
Elder Mo studied him for a long moment.
"From this moment," she said slowly, "this mission is classified."
Her eyes hardened.
"And you are not to speak of it."
Kael inclined his head. "Understood."
Kael was escorted to a sealed medical chamber.
He sat alone as formations activated around him.
Healing Qi flowed in, easing surface damage—
but it could not undo compression.
Nor did Kael want it to.
He guided the Void Tempering Art carefully, stabilizing what had been gained without collapse.
Hours passed.
[Stabilization Complete.]
— Body Tempering: 47% (Locked)
— Structural Integrity: Reinforced
— Recovery: 82%
Kael opened his eyes.
The air felt lighter.
Too light.
He stood up.
The stone floor beneath his feet creaked faintly.
Kael paused.
Then smiled.
Outside the chamber, voices waited.
Rovan stood first. Mira leaned against a pillar.
Elder Mo faced him.
"From today," she said, "your probation ends."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"You are now a full inner disciple."
She handed him a silver-threaded robe and a jade badge.
"Your resources will be adjusted."
"And your enemies," she added quietly, "will stop pretending."
Kael accepted the robe.
This time—
he wore it.
That night, Kael stood alone on the inner mountain.
He tested his body.
A single step forward cracked the stone.
Not from force—
from weight.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"I'm still not strong," he admitted.
"But I can stand."
The system responded.
[Path Confirmation:]
— Heavy Body Cultivator
— Pressure-Based Growth
— High-Risk Trajectory
[Next Threshold:]
— Body Tempering 50%
[Alert:]
— External Observation Intensifying
Far beyond the clan, in a hall lit by dark red crystals, a figure opened his eyes.
"So he survived," the voice murmured.
A faint smile followed.
"Good."
"Let him reach fifty percent."
The candle flames flickered.
And somewhere—
the real test prepared to begin.
The change was immediate.
By the next morning, Kael could feel it in the air.
Not pressure.
Distance.
Inner disciples who once watched him openly now kept their conversations low when he passed. Juniors bowed instinctively. Seniors observed him with measured eyes.
Respect mixed with caution.
Kael walked through the inner paths calmly, his new robe heavy on his shoulders—not in weight, but in meaning.
"Full inner disciple," he murmured. "So this is the price."
At the Inner Council Pavilion, discussions continued long after Kael left.
"The Rift Guardian incident cannot be hidden forever," one elder said.
"It doesn't need to be," another replied. "Redirect attention."
Elder Mo listened silently.
"What concerns me," she said finally, "is not what he fought."
She tapped the jade table once.
"It's how he endured."
The room fell quiet.
Kael received his updated resources that afternoon.
Three Qi pills.
One body-tempering elixir.
Access to the Second Pressure Hall.
The quantity wasn't shocking.
The quality was.
Kael stared at the elixir for a long moment before storing it away.
"Not yet," he decided.
Rushing would only invite collapse.
As he exited the resource hall, a familiar presence blocked his path.
Kael Yuan.
The man smiled thinly, hands clasped behind his back.
"Congratulations," Kael Yuan said. "You've made quite a name for yourself."
Kael stopped.
"Say what you want," he replied calmly.
Kael Yuan's smile faded.
"You should understand something," he said quietly. "Inner disciple status doesn't make you untouchable."
Kael met his gaze without flinching.
"And plotting doesn't make you strong."
For a split second, Kael Yuan's eyes flashed with killing intent.
Then he laughed.
"Enjoy your rise," he said. "Falls are more entertaining when they're high."
He walked away.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"So it begins."
That night, Kael entered the Second Pressure Hall alone.
The doors sealed.
Pressure descended instantly—denser, sharper, more refined than before.
His muscles screamed.
Bones vibrated violently.
Kael did not resist.
He welcomed it.
Void Tempering surged.
[Pressure Threshold Detected.]
— Controlled Compression
— Risk Level: High
Minutes passed.
Kael's vision darkened at the edges.
Blood seeped from his pores.
Still, he held.
"Not yet," he whispered. "I won't cross fifty like this."
At the brink, he disengaged the technique and stepped back.
The pressure eased.
Kael collapsed to one knee, gasping.
But he was smiling.
[Body Tempering Progress:]
— 47% → 48.6%
[Status:]
— Safe Stabilization
— Adaptation Increasing
When Kael exited the hall at dawn, his steps were steady.
Above him, clouds drifted lazily.
But far beyond the sect, movement stirred.
A sealed message reached its destination.
"He's approaching fifty percent."
A pause.
Then a reply.
"Prepare the Ascension Test."
Back on the mountain, Kael clenched his fist.
The stone beneath it cracked softly.
"Whatever you're planning," he said quietly,
"I'll carry it."