Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 103 will be enough to chop him into mincemeat.

Feng Tailai picked up the bird bone pendant again, turning it even slower, as if grinding a life into a round shape: "Xingchentang, it's beyond saving."

He glanced at everyone in the hall, his tone indifferent, yet every word pierced to the bone: "What I truly care about is that after the Star Hall collapses—the path of the Wild Wolf will also be cut off."

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He paused for a moment, as if to present the scene beforehand: "I want him to kneel before me then."

"He's not begging to live, he's begging me to treat him like a human being."

"He will understand that leaving the Night Raven Hall is not about seeking refuge, but about sentencing himself to death."

A few people in the hall chuckled softly, the laughter not loud, but it was eerily sinister.

Some people were initially envious of Huang Lang joining the rising Star Hall, but now all that envy and sourness has vanished, leaving only the pleasure of watching the spectacle unfold.

The person in charge of reporting hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and reminded him, "Master—the Blackwater Gang backed down too quickly this time, as if they're waiting for something. Given their leader's personality, if they really wanted to take over the docks, they shouldn't be so rule-abiding. Could they have other plans?"

Feng Tailai didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone even more indifferent: "They're just waiting for the Star Hall to crack on its own."

"Only when the bones are ground soft can you take a bite and make your hands clean."

He put the bird bone pendant away, his voice soft but his smile cold: "Go keep an eye on things."

"Send another message to Wild Wolf: the door to Night Raven Hall isn't completely closed."

"But remember to remind him that he'll have to kneel when he gets back."

"Yes!" The man clasped his hands in response, then turned and left the hall.

Hei Lingtang also received the results at this time.

Shi Mo sat at the head of the table, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, unhurried, as if waiting for a reply that had been written long ago.

The footsteps outside the door stopped.

A man in grey sleeves entered, knelt on one knee, and said in a very low voice, "The second sweep of the dock area is complete."

Graphite raised an eyelid: "Speak."

Gray Sleeves pressed his words even more firmly: "We'll stick to the rules—no one died, no workers were disturbed, no goods were touched, and no stalls were overturned. We'll only target the people from Star Hall, focusing on their joints and bones."

"This time they moved faster, and they withdrew even faster."

Graphite chuckled: "Okay."

Hui Xiu hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Master—are you sure the higher-ups won't interfere?"

Shi Mo said calmly, "If Xingchen Hall is severely defeated, the higher-ups will naturally have to step in to suppress it."

"But now, as long as no one dies and no one crosses the line, the Blackwater Gang can wipe the knife clean with a mere waterline dispute."

"If the higher-ups take action, it would be an indirect admission that the Green Owl Gang's eight halls can't even control their own docks. They can't afford to lose face like that, so they won't interfere."

Hui Xiu's Adam's apple bobbed: "But what if Ye Xiao suddenly comes back?"

Shi Mo glanced at him, his gaze as cold as water: "Gao Qing's gang is waiting outside. He'll die if he goes back into the city."

Even if they get incredibly lucky and come back, they won't be able to turn things around.

"The docks have been raided twice, our core members are all injured, and we've lost all face. Besides, Gao Yue has become a martial artist; if he dares to resist, he'll only die faster."

Graphite paused, his voice growing colder: "If he wants to curry favor with those above? Even better!"

"If you can't even control your own situation and you bring it up to the Dharma protectors, then it's not a plea for help, it's an act of culpability."

Gray Sleeves whispered, "What about the Blackwater Gang over there—"

Graphite pressed his words down, making them even harsher: "Tell them the fire is already lit, don't rush to overturn the table."

"Keep grinding, grind until Xingchen Hall can't breathe."

"

"Wait for my notification, that will be the real time to take over the docks."

Hui Xiu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate understands."

Outside the city walls.

The wind was still strong at this narrow passage leading back to the city outside the North Gate, the reeds bent even lower, and the rocks were as cold as the back of a freshly sharpened knife.

The ambushers changed several times, and the Tibetans' methods became more insidious.

In the past, people would lie down and wait for wheel tracks; now, they shut down any "walkable paths" in advance: they stuff nails into the cracks between rocks, bury tripping ropes along the ditches, and press thin iron chains under the reed roots; even the earthen embankment next to them has been trampled into a muddy strip that can swallow your feet.

There was only one goal—if Ye Xiao showed his face, he wouldn't be able to bring his life back to the city.

Gao Qing remained leaning against the stone.

The wind blew for a long time, the damp cold clinging to my bones, wearing down even my patience. I held a small pinch of tobacco between my fingers, not lighting it, but just crushing it again and again, as if grinding my restlessness into powder as well.

This pass isn't far from the city, but it's separated by several barren slopes and reed beds. For a message to be delivered, someone has to make a special trip.

The shadow of the grass suddenly flickered.

A dark shadow slid along the ground. The people lying in ambush didn't move, but their knives tightened in unison.

The man crouched down beside Gao Qing, his breath extremely low, as if afraid the wind would hear him: "Vice Chief, the docks over there—the second sweep is finished."

Gao Qing didn't respond, he just raised his eyes slightly.

The messenger immediately confirmed the information: "We'll stick to the rules. Everyone from the Star Hall who could hold their own is injured, even Wild Wolf."

The people behind the rocks listened, but their eyes did not light up.

They'd been lying there for so long that the wind had worn away their initial excitement.

Aspiring martial artists won't starve or freeze, but even the toughest bones can't withstand two words: "Don't move." Moving even slightly exposes their true form, and that exposure ruins the situation. The longer they hold out, the more stifled their inner rage becomes.

After the second sweep of the dock, the first thing that came up was not joy, but annoyance.

Someone lowered their voice, their tone like sandpaper scraping bone: "I almost hope someone guessed right before. Ye Xiao has actually been hiding in the city, afraid to show his face. We've been waiting for nothing, but at least we can call it a day and go home."

He paused, then uttered an even more sinister statement: "But now it seems—he really isn't in the city."

The man next to him tightened and loosened his fingers one by one, the veins on the back of his hand standing out, and he cursed even more vehemently: "I haven't touched a woman in almost two months! If I wait any longer, I'll go crazy before Ye Xiao even arrives."

Another person gritted their teeth, hatred rising in their throat: "If he doesn't show up soon, I won't stand it either. The moment he shows his face, I'll chop him into eighteen pieces!"

The wind shattered those words even further.

Gao Qing finally spoke, his voice low but like a stone suppressing a fire: "Once we take over the dock, we won't have to stay here anymore."

"If he actually shows up in front of us, even better, then we can chop him into mincemeat!"

As soon as he said that, the surrounding agitation was momentarily suppressed.

It wasn't because they weren't annoyed anymore, but because they finally saw the end of the workday.

Further north in the mining trenches.

Cold clouds pressed down on the cliff face, and the bottom of the ravine was a deep, dark blue. There was no wind, only cold, seeping into the bones.

Ye Xiao stood by the pool, the toes of his boots just half an inch from the water.

The dark water surface does not freeze, and once you get here, the chill is already inescapable.

It's pressed down directly.

It's like an invisible iron pot pressed down on your shoulders and back, or like countless tiny teeth biting at your fascia and bone joints, forcing you to give up every inch of your strength; if you're even a fraction slower, you'll be torn apart.

Anyone else in this situation, even if they survive, would be forced to retreat.

Ye Xiao, however, stood firmly.

Having completed the five stances, he no longer relied on brute force, but instead established his stance strength and qi and blood, so that the cold could only bite according to his method.

As he settled into his stance, his posture remained understated, only appearing more stable.

Ankles are fastened, knees are sewn shut, hips are locked, and spine is aligned segment by segment. Chest rises and falls are minimized, breaths are as fine as silk, drawing blood and qi in circles within the body, then winding back again.

The chill seeped in through the cracks.

"Click."

""

It wasn't the sound from the outside; it was a crack being forcefully bitten into a tiny spot deep inside the bone.

The pain exploded from the bone, clean and sharp, like an ice pick chiseling into the bone, making the teeth ache and the eyes shine.

Ye Xiao's eyes remained fixed, his blood and qi circulated, and his stance remained stable.

The word "light" flashed across my eyes.

【Crimson Blood Stake - Perfection】

【Dingyue Pillar - Complete】

【Vajra Stance - Perfection】

[Breaking Through the Heavens - Perfection]

【Dragon-Locking Weight-Bearing Stakes - Complete】

【Collapse Mountain Fist - Perfection】

【Layered Waves and Silk-Entwined Pile - Mastery: 1199/1200】

We are just one step away from completing all six tasks.

Ye Xiao seemed not to see it, and continued to focus his attention back on the stance, sinking the stance another half inch, letting the force of the stance sink into his bones.