Sam felt like his soul is being sucked out of his body as he felt the red smoke pulling him inside. The situation is extremely dire. He understood that as soon as his legs reached the mouth of the well.
He also felt something foreign trying to make a connection with his brain and he immediately understood that the situation is not going to be solved within a few days, that is why he set a deadline for himself.
He is all open for trickery in a battle, but this is something he didn't expect. Tens of Consummates and a cultivator even stronger than a Consummate are all together trying to force him into this pit. Even his escape tactics are not working.
He could only face the problem head-on. As for not being able to solve it at all? If he would have thought like that before he solved all the problems he solved today, he wouldn't have solved any of them.