Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The morning fog was so thin it looked like it hadn't woken up yet, lingering under the eaves of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School for a long time.

The chaotic sounds of punches came in fits and starts, not yet forming a real roar.

The outer training ground was not well-maintained; the yellow earth had been hardened and blackened by countless footsteps, and old iron stakes and stone locks were scattered in the corners.

These things never intentionally harm anyone.

But if you can't hold on and fall down, you'll still be smashed and broken by them.

Ye Xiao saw it yesterday: someone stumbled, their shoulder bone slammed into an iron pillar with a dull thud, and their face immediately turned pale.

Some people lifted the stone weights until they were exhausted, and the weights slipped, hitting the instep of their feet and breaking bones on the spot.

This is Ye Xiao's third day at the martial arts school.

He stood in the shadows at the far end, his fist striking down one punch at a time, his breathing deep and even.

The punches were not fast, but they were as steady as a mountain.

With each punch and each breath, the body becomes a little heavier and more stable than before, as if the most correct movements are being ground into the depths of the bones.

He practices boxing and stance training at the martial arts school during the day.

At night, I went to the North Furnace to borrow fire and miasma to force the Crimson Blood Stake to retreat.

There was no rest.

Without interruption.

He squeezed every last drop of time he could to become stronger as if it were his life.

In my field of vision, the character "光" (light) in my destiny chart floated quietly:

【Crimson Blood Stake - Minor Completion: 215/600】

【Dingyue Stance - Beginner Level: 20/300】

[Collapse Mountain Fist - Beginner Level: 150/250]

The fist made an extremely faint cracking sound, like a needle piercing the air.

The crack in my hand was soaked with sweat, and when the wind blew, it hurt so much that my skin went numb.

Blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped down the side of his palm.

He seemed oblivious, continuing to deliver punch after punch.

Just then, a calm voice rang out from the side:

"Your hand is going to crack."

The sound wasn't loud, but it had a rare warmth to it.

Ye Xiao looked up and saw a young man standing in front of him carrying a medicine bucket. His gaze lingered for a moment on the crack on the back of Ye Xiao's hand.

The young man could tell at a glance that this was not an ordinary crack, but an injury caused by someone who had been pushed to their limit.

He had experienced similar situations before; it was only possible to achieve this by repeatedly punching to his own limit.

The young man handed over a clean cloth:

"Wrap it up."

Ye Xiao did not answer.

The young man shoved the cloth into his palm: "If I don't wrap it, you'll be in so much pain you won't be able to clench your fist."

"Who are you?" Ye Xiao asked.

"He Lin. I've been in the outer sect for three years, just call me Senior Brother He." The young man smiled, then pointed to the pool of sweat at Ye Xiao's feet: "If I remember correctly, you joined the sect three days ago. Have you been training like this for the past three days?"

"Mm." Ye Xiao nodded.

He Lin remained silent for a moment.

This perseverance and diligence are rare outside the martial arts school, but what he cares about even more is...

He recalled those punches; they were steady, accurate, and powerful, without any deviation, like a mountain being smashed down.

It felt more like thirty days than three.

Even longer...

He Lin pulled out two paper packages from the bottom of the box and pressed them directly into Ye Xiao's palm:

"It's for external use. Dilute it with water and apply it. Apply it once every night, otherwise the cracks won't heal."

"It's for internal use, not a good medicine. Use it when you feel cold, dizzy, and can't take it anymore. Don't drink it randomly at other times, it's a waste."

Several outer sect students saw it from a distance, and their light laughter drifted over:

"Here we go again. When He Lin sees someone as useless as himself, he does meaningless things."

"What can someone from the Silent Alley possibly learn? It's a waste of medicine."

"He Lin's life is just like that, he's not very successful, no wonder he would help someone like that."

He Lin heard this and simply patted Ye Xiao on the shoulder:

"Ignore them, they're used to being foul-mouthed."

He picked up the bucket and walked away.

Ye Xiao looked down at the cloth and medicine.

He is not afraid of getting hurt.

But if there's medicine that can help you recover faster, you can train even harder.

This is a good thing for him.

He put the things away without saying thank you.

He simply memorized the name "He Lin".

Along the way, he had become accustomed to ridicule, contempt, disdain, and being driven away.

But this time...

Someone handed him cloth and medicine.

It's not about giving pointers.

It is not charity.

It was because she was afraid he would be in pain.

I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it.

……

The evening wind blew in from the alley entrance, as cold as ice water.

The heat wave in front of the furnace felt like it was baking human skin, with cold and heat tearing each other apart in the air.

The flickering flames in the furnace illuminated Ye Xiao's upper body, making it glow red.

He set the stake down, the stake stained with blood.

The scorching heat rushed into my pores, the smell of iron filings and burning flesh choked my throat, and the heat wave forced my blood to rush to my chest, causing a pain like being stabbed by red-hot needles.

The blood in his chest was forced to churn by the fire, as if it would tear his flesh from the inside.

Sweat dripped down his back, and before it even touched the ground, it hissed and steamed up in a wisp of white mist.

The workers nearby kept their distance from that spot, where a gust of hot air would make their skin tighten and their throats ache.

Ye Xiao, however, seemed to want to stuff his entire body into the furnace.

He kept nailing the iron while maintaining his balance. It felt like a wild beast was tearing at his body, but he didn't give it a single opening.

The more pain he felt, the more composed he became.

The more stable it is, the more it seems... to be still alive.

The thought in his mind pressed down like a branding iron:

We must become stronger.

He was so powerful that no one dared to knock on his door.

He was so strong that he could break any hand that reached out to his mother and sister.

The wind is so strong that even if it blows right up to his doorstep, he has to go around it.

There was no roar.

There was no outlet for his emotions.

Only a resolute decision is possible.

The old workers by the furnace watched him from afar, their voices hushed.

Some people hoped he could hold on for a few more days... so that their turn to face the storm could be postponed.

Some people have already considered him a 'dead man' and are waiting to see when he will fall.

But no one noticed that Ye Xiao's movements in front of the furnace were more steady and faster than they had been a few days ago.

……

As dawn broke, the numbers in my field of vision began to move again:

【Crimson Blood Stake - Minor Completion: 265/600】

Ye Xiao finished his stance and went down into the furnace. His movements were clean and efficient, as if he had pressed all his strength back into his muscles, without letting any of it leak out.

Many workers looked at him with strange expressions, and some even started betting on when he would collapse and how he would die.

Ye Xiao didn't care at all.

These past few days, he has hardly been home, constantly shuttling between the North Furnace and the martial arts school.

Today he returned to the Silent Alley.

The moment I pushed open the door, a faint smell of medicine wafted out.

It was bitter, but it had a touch more life than the suffocating desolation of a few days ago.

The lights inside were dim, but no longer the kind that could go out at any moment.

The mother sat by the bed changing Xiaoxue's clothes. Her movements were still slow and her hands were still trembling slightly, but her expression was much better than three days ago.

Xiaoxue curled up in bed, her face still pale, but no longer burning hot, and her breathing more even. She blinked groggily, her eyelashes trembling like snow feathers blown by the wind.

Her little hands were still clutching the corner of the blanket, gripping it tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, she would lose everything.

The smell of medicine and the faint warmth made this home feel like it had been pulled back from the brink of death.

But this slight "improvement" was completely overshadowed by another stench... foot odor, sour alcohol, and the smell of tobacco.

That's not the taste of home.

There was a boot print next to the table leg, of varying depths, like a dirty footprint deliberately left on their heads.

Ye Xiao stood at the door, his fingers tightening silently.

Hearing the noise, the mother looked up abruptly, forcing a smile:

"Xiao'er...you're back? Come in quickly, it's cold outside."

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously averted from the boot prints on the ground.

Ye Xiao walked over, took off his tattered cotton coat, and said in a low voice:

"Mother, was Zhang Tu here?"

The mother paused, and the bandage fell onto the corner of the blanket.

After a long pause, she nodded with difficulty, her eyes quickly reddening.

He said... the alleyway fees have gone up again.

Ye Xiao raised his eyes, his tone flat:

"How much will it increase?"

The mother gripped the clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, and her voice began to tremble.

"From three strings of cash... to six strings of cash."

As she spoke the last few words, her body trembled:

"If you can't produce it... then let me sign a contract."

"Xiaoxue...send her to the Qing brothel."

The room fell eerily quiet instantly.

Six hangings.

Ye Xiao's breath hitched for a second, as if a block of ice had been stuffed into his chest.

This is not the rule.

It's not a price increase.

This is to squeeze every last drop out of them and then crush them.

Zhang Tu was definitely after the money from the North Furnace, but because of the Gray Sleeves's involvement, no one dared to touch him directly... so they reached into the room and grabbed the softest piece of meat.

The mother choked back tears, as if grasping at the last straw:

"How about... we ask your second uncle, third uncle, and grandma? You've earned quite a bit these past few days; if we borrow a little more, maybe they..."

"I won't lend it," Ye Xiao interrupted, as decisively as a broken rope.

The other party's attitude over the years, coupled with their reaction when they came to ask for money a few days ago, has already said everything.

The mother broke down, tears welling up in her eyes: "Then...what do we do? What about Xiaoxue...?"

"I'll handle it."

Ye Xiao pressed her hand down, his movements light yet as steady as iron: "From now on, Zhang Tu will never set foot in our house again."

Xiaoxue woke up groggily, weakly raising her eyes:

"Brother...don't go..."

She poked her small, cold foot out from under the covers and gently touched the back of Ye Xiao's hand.

It was as light as a gust of wind.

It's not about stopping them.

It's to confirm... to confirm he's still alive.

After touching him, his little feet shrank back under the covers, not even daring to show his toes, as if afraid that he would disappear in the next instant.

Ye Xiao bent down to tuck the blanket around her tightly, his fingertips gently stroking the lingering warmth on her forehead.

It felt as if a heavy stone had been pressed deep into his chest.

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the boot prints on the ground.

There was no anger in his eyes.

There was only cold... as cold as a blade against the night.

His mother rushed over and hugged him tightly.

"Don't do anything reckless! Zhang Tu is a member of the Green Owl Gang. If you go to him alone, you'll be beaten to death! Xiao'er, I beg you, don't provoke him..."

Ye Xiao stopped at the door and turned around.

The light flickered in his eyes, but it couldn't reveal a trace of fear.

"daughter."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was as deep as a stone falling into still water:

"It's not that I wanted to provoke him."

"He's gone too far."

A gust of wind blew in through the crack in the door, and the oil lamp flickered, its shadow trembling as if it were about to shatter.

Ye Xiao reached out, took the wood-chopping knife from behind the door frame, and tucked it behind his waist.

The movements were very light and steady, without the slightest fluctuation... as if they had been rehearsed countless times in my mind.

He stepped across the threshold.

A cold wind blew past the tattered cotton-padded coat, making the darkness of the silent alley even deeper.

This time, he did not shy away from the darkness.

It's to smash it.

He knew that when this blade fell, it wouldn't just be Zhang Tu who was shattered.

And then there's that system in Silent Alley... the rules that treat people like livestock.