Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The student, who had lost control of his body, suddenly stopped when Ye Xiao grabbed him, his forward momentum abruptly halted, his forehead barely stopping an inch from the edge of the stone lock.

If you slow down even a moment longer, you will bleed.

Without any extra movements, Ye Xiao used his five fingers to gently place the person back on the ground.

"call."

The student gasped for breath, as if being pulled back from a daze. Finally, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

A moment of silence fell over the room.

The heavy breathing sounded as if something had pressed down on it.

Several students who were practicing standing meditation lost their breath and instinctively tried to suppress it, but found that their attention had been drawn away. As soon as their posture broke down, they fell down one after another.

Many people were already close to their limit, and if they relaxed even slightly, it would be difficult for them to continue.

Tang Qi's smile froze.

He could see it clearly.

Just now, there was no explosive force or borrowed momentum; it was as if he casually held up a cup of water.

The simpler it is, the more terrifying it is.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that after Ye Xiao rescued the person, he simply returned to his original position without making any further moves, just standing there as if nothing had happened.

But the scene had already become chaotic.

More and more people were swaying in their stances, trying to suppress their breathing, but they couldn't get it back down.

Huang Yu stood at the sidelines, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. He twirled the bamboo stick in his palm but remained silent.

The rescued student was helped to the side, still trembling. He looked up at Ye Xiao, his lips moved as if he wanted to thank him, but he seemed unable to speak.

Ye Xiao's expression remained unchanged.

For him, it was just something he did conveniently.

The assessment is still ongoing.

But at this point, no one dared to mock Ye Xiao anymore.

Just by using only finger strength to easily save someone, there are very few outer sect disciples who can do that.

Someone was watching him, trying to find any sign of strain or instability in him.

But I couldn't find it.

His breathing was so steady it was like it was nailed to the ground; the steadyer and more relaxed it was, the colder it felt.

At this moment, Xue Chan moved. Her shoe soles landed on the blue bricks with a very soft sound, like a drop of water falling into stagnant water, drawing everyone's attention.

Tang Qi's face was extremely grim.

He had intended to treat this assessment as his home turf, hoping to secure a spot amidst the spotlight and thus naturally enter the inner circle.

But Ye Xiao, without even participating in the assessment, quietly showed off his skills and stole everyone's attention.

Tang Qi forced a cold laugh: "Stop pretending. Saving someone is something I could do too. Besides, if you don't take the assessment, you'll never have a chance to enter the inner sect!"

This time, no one responded.

Xue Chan walked to Ye Xiao's side, her gaze lingering on his wrists and shoulders for a moment, before asking directly, "With your abilities, why don't you participate in the assessment?"

"It's pointless," Ye Xiao said. "I want to go straight into the inner sect."

"Enter through the inner gate?"

Tang Qi, as if he'd found a weakness, sneered, "You think you can enter the inner sect without taking the assessment? Do you think the rules are just for show? Do you really think anyone can become an inner sect student?"

Although the other outer disciples didn't speak, displeasure was evident on their faces... They were desperately practicing their stances during the assessment, all for that slim chance.

Xue Chan's voice remained cold: "According to the rules of the academy, there are only two paths to enter the inner sect."

"I know." Ye Xiao didn't argue or say anything else.

The next moment, his body sank.

The force in the flesh surged like a tidal wave, then entered the bones, stimulating them and causing an even stronger force to emerge.

Ye Xiao raised his arm, tucked his elbow, and lowered his shoulder.

Slow movements, but steady ones.

It makes people subconsciously hold their breath.

"Click."

The first crack was crisp, like a wooden mallet striking hard bamboo.

"Click."

The second sound followed immediately, like tightening the string in one's chest by an inch.

"Click..."

The third sound is shorter and cleaner, like the last nail being driven into the ground.

Three sounds of bone casting.

Markings in the early stages of bone formation.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a knife, slicing open the hearts of everyone in the room.

Quiet.

It was even quieter than when we were rescuing people.

Because saving lives can be done if one is in good physical condition and hasn't exceeded their limits... but three rescues are different.

This means crossing that threshold.

Tang Qi's face contorted instantly, and he almost instinctively roared, "Impossible!"

He instantly felt a weight on his chest, as if something was pressing down on it hard.

"Senior Sister Xue Chan, you need to investigate this thoroughly. He couldn't possibly have forged..." Tang Qi's throat tightened, and he almost bit his words.

"Shut up." Xue Chan interrupted him, her voice not loud, but as cold as a knife: "How could the Three Bone-Forging Sounds be fake?"

Tang Qi's throat tightened, and his face turned even paler.

Huang Yu had already approached without anyone noticing.

His gaze fell on Ye Xiao, without praise or surprise, only a cold, hard expression of following the rules.

Huang Yu spoke, each word like a pronouncement of judgment:

"Three sounds of bone forging."

"Early stage of bone formation."

"According to the rules of the academy, those who have mastered bone casting can directly enter the inner sect and become inner sect students."

As each word was spoken, the expressions on the faces of all the outer disciples changed.

Tang Qi's lips turned white, as if he had been slapped in public, but he couldn't retaliate because rules are rules.

As the first student besides Xue Chan to come into contact with Ye Xiao, he looked down on Ye Xiao, who came from the Silent Alley, from the bottom of his heart. However, Ye Xiao entered the Bone Forging stage first, which he found hard to accept.

What's even more disheartening is that he realized something... Right now, he's still desperately competing for a spot in the assessment.

Ye Xiao, however, used the Three Bone-Forging Sounds to trample the quota underfoot and directly entered the inner sect by following the rules.

The gap is like a wall; it blocks people from climbing even before they begin.

Ye Xiao withdrew his stance, and the clanging of bones subsided into silence.

Xue Chan didn't look at Tang Qi, but only at Ye Xiao, her gaze becoming more scrutinizing: "Early stage of Bone Forging, you've hidden yourself so well, I couldn't see through you at all."

Ye Xiao didn't respond to that, but simply said, "I'm just trying to survive."

A single sentence, like a pebble dropped into a mud pit, makes no sound, yet it causes many people's expressions to change.

At this moment, many people remembered Ye Xiao's background as a mute, and their feelings became extremely complicated.

Huang Yu's gaze lingered on Ye Xiao's shoulders, elbows, back, and spine for a moment, but she didn't notice anything unusual, only confirming one thing...

Three shots, no mistake.

enough.

"Senior Brother Huang Yu, I'll take him to see Father," Xue Chan said to Huang Yu. "I'll leave things here to you."

"Okay." Huang Yu nodded; he was the person in charge of this assessment.

Immediately afterwards, Xue Chan led Ye Xiao away, and all the outer sect students' eyes were on Ye Xiao.

Most of the trainees who were taking the test had already collapsed due to their weak legs. Those who could have held on longer collapsed because of what had just happened, which had disrupted their concentration and breathing.

All of this was so shocking and unbelievable to them.

Huang Yu turned around, raised the bamboo stick, and his voice returned to its cold and hard tone:

"Continue with the standing meditation!"

"The assessment will proceed as scheduled."

"Those who want to compete for a spot, you'd better get your act together."

Those who hadn't stopped practicing standing meditation were forced to return to the stance, but their attention was scattered.

Many people stood still, but their eyes couldn't help but drift towards Ye Xiao's gradually disappearing figure.

It's like looking at a strange thing that suddenly grows out of the mud, or like looking at a knife that was sharpened from who-knows-where.

Tang Qi's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists, and a hint of hatred appeared deep in his eyes.

From "I didn't even like you" to "I have to find a way to kill you".

The fog grew thicker.

Ye Xiao has left the outer sect area and arrived at a place he has never set foot in before.

Xue Chan didn't turn around, only saying, "Follow me."

The two crossed the edge of the training ground and turned into a narrower stone corridor with thicker walls, a damper atmosphere, and fewer lights.

The smells of sweat, mud, and panting from the outer gate were instantly left behind, replaced by a faint medicinal scent mixed with the cold, metallic stench of blood.

This is the real martial arts school.

At the end of the stone corridor is a wooden door.

There was no plaque on the door, nor were there any guards.

Only a sliver of light shone through the crack in the door, steady and unwavering, as if it were being held down by something.

Xue Chan raised her hand and tapped lightly, her voice very soft: "Father."

A moment of silence followed from inside the door, then a deep voice rang out, neither angry nor pleased, yet naturally commanding:

"Enter."

Xue Chan pushed open the door.

The steam, carrying the smell of medicine, billowed out like the breath of a furnace.

The room was furnished very simply: a table, a brazier, medicine packets piled in the corner, and dark brown stains on the floor, it was hard to tell whether they were medicine residue or blood.

The owner sat behind the table.

He wore neither armor nor fine clothes, only an old training uniform with the cuffs rolled up, revealing clearly visible dark blue veins on his arms, like snakes lurking beneath the skin.

The moment he looked up, Ye Xiao felt as if something had gently pressed against his chest.

It wasn't murderous intent.

It was brought about by a thick, heavy flow of qi and blood... an oppressive force that wasn't specifically targeted, yet it was unreasonable.

Open the blood vessel.

A true martial artist.

An existence that has entered the third realm of Blood Refining.

Xue Chan stepped forward and said directly, "Father, a student has entered the Bone Forging stage."

The museum owner's gaze fell on Ye Xiao and paused for two breaths.

His gaze wasn't sharp, yet it made you feel as if you were being thoroughly illuminated by a lamp, as if your very bones were being turned inside out.

"The alley of silence?" the curator asked.

"Yes," Ye Xiao replied.

The curator looked at him for a couple more moments, then suddenly gave a faint "hmm".

It looks like it's been stamped.

"Early stage of bone formation."

The academy master continued, "From this day forward, you are an inner disciple. Listen carefully to the benefits of being an inner disciple."

He raised a finger, as if counting rules:

"First, we no longer need to pay tuition fees."

"Secondly, there will be ten monthly allowances and two free doses of third-rate medicine."

"Third, a separate training area will be allocated, so that it will no longer be crowded with the outer gate."

He paused, his gaze becoming more focused:

Fourth, I will provide guidance, but there will only be three opportunities per month.

Hearing this, Ye Xiao pondered in his heart that ten taels of silver would have been an enormous sum of money that he wouldn't have dared to even dream of just over half a month ago.

Even for him now, it's a considerable sum, and most importantly, he receives it every month.

Moreover, there were also third-rate drugs, which were exactly what he needed.

However, compared to the outstanding medical debt, the monthly allowance is still insufficient, especially since the medical debt must be paid off within a month.

Ye Xiao's eyes didn't waver as he asked directly, "How do you obtain a police officer for a martial arts school?"

The owner seemed to be deep in thought, then reached out and pulled a thin piece of paper from the side of the table.

The paper wasn't new; the edges were frayed, yet it was pressed flat. Only inner disciples were qualified to possess something like this.

He took out the seal and pressed it onto the vermilion clay.

"Thump."

The print was applied very steadily, the red mark spreading out like a drop of blood sinking into the paper.

The four characters "Canglong Martial Arts School" are clearly visible.

The martial arts school owner pushed the slip of paper in front of Ye Xiao, his voice calm: "Martial arts school slip, take it, the pharmacy only accepts this."

Ye Xiao accepted it.

The paper was very thin, but when it touched my palm, it felt like pressing down on a piece of cold iron.

The scene of visiting several pharmacies but returning empty-handed flashed through my mind.

"Trying to buy aphrodisiacs without a martial arts school permit? You don't know the rules... Get lost!"

Those words felt like a knife piercing his chest, coldly cutting off his path forward.

Ye Xiao put the note into his pocket and cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Master."

"Don't rush, I haven't finished speaking yet." The master looked at him, his tone still calm, but it was as if the rules were nailed to his bones: "There are some things that outer disciples may not know, but inner disciples must know... Inner disciples are qualified to take on missions within the martial arts school."