When Judd walked out, Carla and the others immediately approached.
“Judd, how did it go? What did Mr. Cunningham say?” Carla asked.
“Mr. Cunningham has forbidden Adan from participating in the assessment to become an inner court disciple for thirty years. Thiago is penalized by having his salary withheld for three years,” Judd answered.
“What about the assessment? We should have passed, right?” someone asked.
It wasn’t easy to make it to the final stage, and they were not blessed with such luck for every assessment.
Judd shook his head and said helplessly, “The assessment has been nullified. Mr. Cunningham will be repairing the assessment array. We’ll just have to wait for further notice.”
“Huh… Nullified?”
“What a complete waste that was.”
“We were really lucky this time. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen.”
Upon hearing that the assessment had been nullified, the disciples began to voice their complaints.
Jared also furrowed his brows. If he couldn’t advance to become an inner court disciple, he wouldn’t have the freedom to move around in the inner court, let alone meet Gael.
Now that the assessment had been nullified, there was no telling when the next assessment would be.
Jared turned to Judd and asked, “Judd, I recall you mentioning another way to become an inner court disciple, which is through the recommendation of three elders, right?”
Judd nodded, then with a troubled expression, he said, “Axel, being recommended by the elders is not as easy as you think. Besides, you’ve just entered Violet Flame Sect and you haven’t even been an outer court disciple. I’m afraid the method of getting the elders’ recommendation simply won’t work!”
Upon hearing this, Jared instantly felt deflated.
“Axel, don’t lose heart. Even though you can’t be recommended by the elders, there’s still a way for you to advance to become an inner court disciple,” Carla said.
“What is it?” Jared’s eyes lit up.
“Carla, are you talking about a challenge?” Judd asked.
Carla gave a nod. “Exactly, if you succeed in the challenge, you can also be promoted to an inner court disciple.”
Judd shook his head and said, “Forget it. The sect hasn’t seen a successful attempt in hundreds of years. Sending Axel to a challenge is like sending him to his death.”
“Judd, how do we go about the challenge? And who are we challenging? Is it the inner court disciples? Do we have to win against them to get promoted?” Jared asked.
“It’s not that easy. If it was just about challenging the inner court disciples, it would have been a lot simpler. Adan wouldn’t have had to wait all these years. You have to challenge the deacons of the sect. Only by defeating them could you become an inner court disciple. How could an outer court disciple possibly succeed in challenging a deacon?
Every time a challenge was issued, the deacons would give it their all. Otherwise, if they were defeated, they would be too ashamed to stay within Violet Flame Sect. For centuries, the deacons of Violet Flame Sect have been challenged almost annually. However, not a single challenger has ever succeeded. Instead, many were left incapacitated. This challenge is too risky, which is why I didn’t tell you.”
Jared’s interest was instantly piqued. “Judd, I want to take on the challenge. How do I sign up for it?”
He was certain he could succeed in the challenge. Although he didn’t want to reveal his abilities too early, he knew that he had to take on the challenge in order to gain entry into the inner court.
“Axel, you’re only a Fourth Level Tribulator. If you take on the challenge, you’re bound to lose without a doubt. The weakest among the deacons is at least a Sixth Level Tribulator. Thiago is already an Eighth Level Tribulator. With a little more time, he could become a Ninth Level Tribulator. Do you think you can defeat them?”
“Judd, how can we know without giving it a shot? I think I can defeat Thiago,” Jared said confidently.
