The Black Crane Sect did not retaliate immediately.
That, more than anything, unsettled Li Yun.
He remained sealed in his quarters for three days after leaving the Spirit-Sealing Pool, circulating Qi slowly, methodically, refusing both collapse and breakthrough. His cultivation no longer surged wildly, but it also refused to settle fully. The Pseudo–Foundation Establishment state remained—tense, compressed, like a drawn bowstring.
Balanced.
Dangerously so.
On the fourth morning, the sect made its move.
An Invitation Disguised as Order
A formal summons arrived, delivered openly by a core attendant rather than slipped through shadows.
Inner Disciple Assembly — Hall of Iron Cranes. Mandatory attendance.
Li Yun opened his eyes.
Public this time, he thought.
That meant two things:
Elder Wei could not act freely.
And Elder Fang intended to make use of visibility.
Li Yun stood, adjusted his robes, and stepped outside.
Eyes followed him immediately.
Whispers stirred.
"He survived the Spirit-Sealing Pool…"
"His cultivation hasn't collapsed…"
"That shouldn't be possible…"
Li Yun ignored them all.
The Hall of Iron Cranes
The hall was vast, its ceiling supported by stone pillars carved into the shapes of cranes mid-flight. Inner disciples filled the space, standing in ordered ranks.
At the front stood three elders.
Elder Fang.
Elder Wei.
And a third—Elder Luo, silent and observant, eyes half-lidded.
Li Yun took his place among the inner disciples.
Elder Fang stepped forward.
"The Black Crane Sect is entering a period of instability," he announced calmly. "External pressures are increasing. Internal discipline must follow."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"To that end, we will establish Control Trials."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Li Yun's eyes narrowed slightly.
So this is it.
Control Trials
"These trials," Elder Fang continued, "are not about strength. They are about restraint."
He gestured.
A disciple was brought forward—young, trembling, Qi Condensation at the Early Stage.
"Demonstrate," Elder Fang said.
An instructor released a burst of pressure.
The disciple panicked.
Qi surged chaotically. His technique misfired, cracking the floor beneath him. The instructor struck once, knocking him unconscious.
Elder Fang nodded.
"Failure," he said.
He looked toward the assembly.
"In times like these, uncontrolled power is a liability."
Elder Wei smiled faintly.
Li Yun understood immediately.
They're targeting me without naming me.
The Test Turned Inward
Names were called one by one.
Most disciples passed—some barely, some cleanly.
Then—
"Li Yun."
The hall fell silent.
Li Yun stepped forward.
Elder Fang regarded him calmly.
"You stand at an unstable boundary," Elder Fang said. "Demonstrate control."
An instructor stepped forward and released pressure.
Li Yun felt it instantly—layered, refined, probing for weakness.
He did not resist.
He contained.
Qi circulated smoothly, jade-tempered meridians absorbing and redistributing the force instead of rejecting it.
The pressure increased.
Still, Li Yun remained upright.
No flare.
No backlash.
No explosion.
Just quiet resistance.
The instructor's brows furrowed.
He doubled the pressure.
Cracks spread beneath Li Yun's feet.
Blood trickled from his nose.
But his Qi did not surge.
It settled deeper.
Elder Wei's eyes sharpened.
Impossible, he thought.
Elder Fang raised a hand.
"That's enough."
The pressure withdrew.
Li Yun exhaled slowly.
Elder Fang nodded.
"Pass."
The hall erupted into whispers.
A Line Quietly Crossed
After the assembly, Li Yun did not return to his quarters.
He was summoned again—this time privately.
Elder Luo waited alone in a side pavilion, tea steaming gently between them.
"You're dangerous," Elder Luo said without preamble.
Li Yun remained silent.
"Not because of your strength," Elder Luo continued. "But because you refuse definition."
He poured a cup of tea and slid it forward.
"The sect likes shapes," Elder Luo said. "Loyalty. Ambition. Obedience. Rebellion."
Li Yun met his gaze.
"And I don't fit."
Elder Luo smiled faintly.
"No," he agreed. "You don't."
A pause.
"That makes you useful," Elder Luo said. "To all sides. And none."
Li Yun did not touch the tea.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Elder Luo leaned back.
"For now?" he said lightly. "Nothing."
That answer was the most dangerous of all.
Pressure Reforged
That night, Li Yun cultivated again.
But differently.
He did not push his Qi.
He did not compress it further.
He listened.
To the rhythm of his breathing.
To the way Qi settled naturally when left alone.
To the subtle feedback of jade-tempered flesh.
Slowly, the jagged edges of his pseudo-realm smoothed.
Not gone.
Aligned.
His cultivation remained unstable—but now predictable.
Li Yun opened his eyes.
Control, he realized, is its own realm.
A Shift in the Wind
News spread quietly the next day.
Li Yun had passed the Control Trials.
Without breaking.
Without advancing.
Without submitting.
The inner disciples began to keep their distance.
Not out of fear.
Out of uncertainty.
Elder Wei sat alone that evening, fingers tapping against stone.
"He's learning the wrong lesson," Elder Wei said coldly.
"No," Elder Fang replied calmly from the shadows.
"He's learning the only one that matters."
The Calm Before the Next Push
Li Yun stood once more at the edge of the inner compound, looking out over the sect.
He felt no triumph.
No relief.
Only readiness.
The pressure had changed shape.
It was no longer trying to crush him.
It was trying to define him.
He clenched his fist slowly, Qi responding without resistance.
Let them try, he thought.
I decide what I become.