tournament day 2: pressure

Between the last test and this day, who ever was arranging this tournament was kind enough to have sevral rooms set up for the contestants. Each one with a sound proofing and qi condensation array.

Alex was once again out on the mountain top, this time with noticeably less contestants. Above them was two elders, the announcer from yesterday and someone new. "Today your chalange will be withstanding the pressure giving off by lord draidon. You will be ranked on how long you lasted, what methods you used, and your overall condition. Keep in mind lord draidon is a soul condensation elder, above the nacent soul. The test will begin in five minuts, prepare."

Looking at draidon, he looked to be in his late fourtys to early fiftys, had well maintained hair and a well trimmed beard. He looked more like an old military Sargent then a great cultivator. Around him contestants were useing various methods to get ready to withstand his pressure. Arrays, talismans, treasure etc.

Only a few stood there, confident to withstand the pressure on their own. A cultivators pressure was a mix of their killing intent, aura, and innate suppression from cultivation level. Killing intent was the combined effect of a lot of killing, intense emotions, and expreiance. So it could only be cultivated on an active battle field, in a torture chamber, or through some tragic event. And as such must cultivators from big sects didn't have much.

Aura had already been explained, and innate suppression was due to one cultivator being objectively stronger then another. Like a domesticated dog standing infront of a wolf, both had the same origin but one was just better.

Killing intent, alex didn't have. He had neither killed enough or had a tragic enough experience. Innate suppression wouldn't work as he was three major realms behind the elder at the least, and aura was another no go.

So where did his confidence come from? Hacks. While pressure was caused by the previously mentioned three parts, that wasen't all. It was also influenced by things like willpower, mental state, health, qi levels, phisque and more.

And alex had those in spades. Willpower? He could quite literally buy it. Mental state? He was completely confident in his capability to come first. Health and qi levels? How much did you want? And phisque? He had more buffs stacked onto him at all times then the average MMO player.

Once the timer was up a literal pressure come down on the contestants. Weighing down on them while pressing in from all sides as a slow drain tuned on their minds. Almost 100 dropped immediately, wither due to their body's giving in, or by fainting.

If alex had to put numbers on it, the presure was about the same as being buried under 20 meters of dirt while a pack of elephants walked on top of it. While you had chronic depression at the same time.

Luckily Alex felt almost none of that. For him it was like doing a light jog while slightly annoyed. As time went of the presure slightly increased. From 20 meter of dirt to 25, from a slight jog to a slightly faster jog. After an hour only about 200 contestants were standing.

At this point an average body forging cultivator would have died. For alex he felt like he was carrying nuwas fully grown form on his back, the mental presure hadent changed much thanks to his mind palace. 'That's rather rude to think of.'

Hearing nuwas voice in his head Alex apologised 'did I think that out loud? Sorry. Your mini form is much lighter.'

'Rude, again.'

Nuwa was also on in the pressure thanks to being conected to alex. That along with the fact she also had plenty of boosts and titles meant she would be fine anyways.

Two hours in and alex was feeling the presure, the remaining three contestants all had treasures and artifacts protecting them. One was the standerd jade beauty, long legs, white hair, pretty face, the usual. The second looked more like a bear then a man, he was about 7ft tall and had a beard any Viking would crave.

Lastly there was a young man. He had red hair, red cloths, and a lone down his forehead that alex was pretty sure he saw open into an eye. Curently Alex was useing his newly made spell to support himself. He eould be pressed down by the pressure, the spell would take a little bit of that power snd redirect it to support him, at the cost of a small amount of qi.

10 minutes later the bear like man gave up. 20 later and the jade beauty did the same. Half an hour later it was still alex and the red guy. At this point nuwa had to leave, and the red guy had taken out two artifscts and was useing three difrent spells to stay in.

Alex was useing a combination of the new spell and direct reinforcement from his inner qi. At this point an avrage qi absorbing stage cultivator would have died, and most talented ones would have as well. Finnaly, after 3 hours and 4 minutes the guy in red gave up, leaving alex as the last man standing. He quite literally felt a weight fall of his shoulders as the elder reigned in his presure.

Up above screen simaler to the one from yesterday apeared. Once again with alexs name at the top, This time with more information.

First place: alex

Affiliation: purple dawn sect

Level: bone forging 20%

Points: 3,400 (day 1: 2240. Day 2: 1160)

Second place: Xue Baichi

Affiliation: blood ocean sect

Level: foundation building stage 3

Points: 1,250 (day 1: 246. Day 2: 1,004.)

'Foundation building stage 3? Impressive. Shame he's still weak. Although going off yesterday's test he has decent comprehension, especially for yin. But blood ocean sect? Sounds like something some edgy teenager would come up with just to act cool.'

Walking back to his room Alex picked up nuwa on the way, once back on his shoulders she spoke 'that xue person seems angry at you, did you do something to him?'

Behind him, xue baichi was looking towards alex with enough anger he was half certain alex was trying to shoot laxers out their eyes. 'You've been with me the whole time, how could I have done something to him? Besides. I'm pretty sure it's because I took first place. He seems like the type to hate so,eone because they are better then them.'

Alex was spot on with his assessment, indeed xue baichi was angry at Alex for taking his spot light. He was one kf the core deciples lf the blood ocean sect, a high rank unorthodox sect from the eastern continent. He was seen as the sects greatest pride, a one in a million genius praised since birth, so seeing someone take his spotlight was like slapping him across the face.