Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The old worker realized the foreman was serious, his legs went weak, and he broke down crying out:

"Boss... I have a sick person at home, I can't..."

The foreman interrupted him directly, saying coldly:

"Crying won't help. If you don't want to have no money to bring home in the future, and your family to starve or die of illness, then watch your mouth."

"Get out of here now, don't get in my way."

As soon as he finished speaking, the foreman waved his hand, and two strong workers immediately stepped forward and pushed the old worker away.

The old worker stumbled a few steps and bumped into the wall, letting out a suppressed whimper. He wiped his face but couldn't get the wetness off. In the end, he could only lower his head and, like a dog that had been beaten back into its cage, stumbled and retreated to the very corner.

With no other human voices around, the whooshing sound of the fire seemed even louder.

The foreman then looked up again, his voice lower and softer, as if afraid of startling the people on the edge of the furnace:

"Don't take it to heart."

"I'll take care of those gossipy people for you."

He paused, as if finally uttering the most important sentence, his tone becoming even more respectful and cautious:

"Now that you are an inner disciple of the martial arts school, it is a blessing for us to come and do this dirty work at the North Furnace."

As soon as he said that, everyone around him froze for a moment.

Some people's hands froze in mid-air as they shoveled the slag, some swallowed hard, and even those who had been laughing earlier couldn't laugh anymore.

Being called an inner disciple in the lower city is a different kind of life, something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Ye Xiao did not stop what he was doing, but he spoke calmly:

"Don't worry about me, just keep doing your job according to the rules."

The foreman, as if he had escaped with his life, nodded repeatedly in agreement:

"Yes, yes, according to the rules."

"Everything is done according to the rules. Anyone who dares to break the rules, I'll break their hand first."

The foreman stood below, not daring to bend his back, as if afraid that bending down would displease Ye Xiao.

The old worker, who had retreated to the corner, listened to the sound of the furnace and the breaths of everyone holding their breath, his face turning red and white in turns.

He finally realized that he had lost more than just money gambling.

And eyes.

He secretly rejoiced that Ye Xiao didn't even bother to acknowledge him, otherwise his current situation would have been far more miserable.

Everyone else ignored him and focused their attention on Ye Xiao, but their gazes had changed.

Previously, they only knew that Ye Xiao was tough and could withstand the hardships in a deadly place like the Northern Furnace.

Now we know that Ye Xiao wasn't just stubbornly enduring it.

Instead, they embarked on a path that no one dared to tread, and no one was capable of treading.

The fire at the furnace was still spitting out flames, but the human voices seemed to have been silenced.

Some people swallowed their laughter, some hid their eyes in the coal dust, and even the most talkative ones dared only to lower their heads and shovel ash, burying their voices in the furnace fire.

The foreman stood below, his obsequious smile unwavering, and dared not utter another word.

People understood that from tonight onwards, when Ye Xiao was mentioned in the Northern Furnace, they had to lower their voices.

……

As dawn broke, a sliver of gray-white light appeared on the horizon, like a thin knife slicing through the skin of night.

[Red Blood Stake·Dacheng: 190/1200]

[Collapse Mountain Fist - Mastery: 100/1000]

The character "Destiny Light" flashed by. As long as there was enough fuel, the extreme environment of the Northern Furnace would greatly help his cultivation.

After leaving Beilu, Ye Xiao did not go home, but went to the martial arts school.

Although the details of last night's events were suppressed by the Zhencheng Division, he never entrusted his life to others.

The streets were not yet fully awake, and the fires at the roadside stalls had not yet been lit, but the wind was already carrying whispers, drifting like ashes.

"Have you heard? One of the Green Owl Gang's branches was completely wiped out!"

"Impossible! The Green Owl Gang only has eight main halls, and every single one of them is a tough nut to crack. Who can take on the lower city?"

"It was the Town Guard who did it; they came down and blocked the street last night."

"And it's not just the Green Owl Gang, I've also heard that some families in the upper city have been wiped out... I don't know why such a big commotion has occurred."

Ye Xiao walked past the crowd, his expression unchanged, as if these words had nothing to do with him.

But he had already slowly digested every single sentence in his mind.

If the Zhencheng Division really wanted to suppress it, the news shouldn't have spread this far.

It's gotten to this point, it seems more like they deliberately wanted to show it to everyone...

As for the Upper City families that have already been purged... they were mostly just cards on the table. Outsiders can't see who was truly being targeted.

But the Green Owl Gang can see it clearly.

According to the time limit given by the town envoy, the position of the new hall master will be determined within six months at the latest.

However, his goal is to take that position within three months.

Ye Xiao snapped out of his thoughts and kept walking.

He arrived at the martial arts school not long after.

The outer training area was filled with sweltering heat, the sounds of sticks striking sticks, shouts, and heavy breathing mingling together. The students were training intensely, their sweat even pushing back the cold wind. Ye Xiao's appearance caused the outer students to call out "Senior Brother Ye" in unison.

Ye Xiao didn't stop and headed straight for the inner sect area, ignoring these people.

When he was in the outer sect, apart from He Lin, almost no one gave him a kind look.

He's too lazy to respond to these enthusiastic offers now.

Many outer disciples were resentful at being ignored, but no one dared to utter a word of complaint. They knew that the difference between inner and outer disciples was not just in strength, but also in status.

If you anger an inner disciple, you can forget about staying at the martial arts school.

Ye Xiao was unaware of what others were thinking and didn't care at all. He turned into the stone corridor, where the noise was cut off by the wall. The atmosphere inside the door was colder and cleaner, as if all the noise had been filtered out, leaving only the muffled thuds of fists and feet hitting the ground.

Xue Chan was standing under the eaves.

She was dressed in a training uniform with the cuffs tightly bound and her hair neatly tied up. Her posture was like a thin blade, and even when she was still, no one dared to approach her casually.

Ye Xiao stopped three steps away and cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Sister Xue."

Xue Chan raised her eyes, glanced at him for only a moment, and then her brows furrowed slightly.

"You went to Beilu again?"

She asked calmly, the cold, metallic scent of iron and coal was immediately recognizable, especially with its faint miasma odor, something that wouldn't be found anywhere else.

Ye Xiao remained expressionless: "Make money."

"The wages at the North Furnace are indeed quite high, but you're already an inner disciple. There are many ways to make money; you shouldn't continue working there."

Xue Chan, her expression unreadable, said, "Even if you reach the Bone Forging stage, the influence of the Northern Furnace will still ruin you in time... Since you have the good fortune to enter the inner sect, you should know how to make choices and not just look at immediate benefits."

Ye Xiao smiled faintly: "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister. I will consider it carefully."

Xue Chan didn't press further, and directly asked, "Speak, what brings you here?"

"Senior sister, you warned me before not to get involved with gang-related matters."

"Um."

"But some things, you won't encounter them if you don't try to avoid them."

Ye Xiao lowered his voice slightly: "I want to know, if it really comes to the point where I have no choice but to get involved, or even to become involved myself, what should I do?"

Xue Chan's gaze instantly turned cold: "You want to join the Green Owl Gang?"

"Yes, I want to be a Greysleeves."

Ye Xiao nodded. His understanding of the Qingxiao Gang was only superficial, but Xue Chan was different. His goal today was to start with her and avoid falling into a trap.

Xue Chan stared at him, her voice indifferent: "What's the reason?"

"Survive," Ye Xiao said directly.

Xue Chan stared at him for a moment, then suddenly scoffed, her smile as cold as a frost blade scraping against iron.

"Given your current status and abilities, there are many ways to survive. Why do you insist on choosing the dirtiest, deepest, and most irreversible path?"

"Being a Greysleeve does have many advantages, whether it's money or other things."

"But don't mistake 'benefits' for a blessing or good luck... Every little advantage you get in the gang is tied to a rope, and the other end of that rope isn't in your hands."

Xue Chan's voice grew even colder:

"What our martial arts school values ​​is rules, reputation, and bottom line. Once you step into a gang, it's almost impossible to turn back, and many students in the school will be hostile towards you."

"And if something really happens, the martial arts school won't take the blame for you; they might even kick you out."

Ye Xiao's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained calm and said, "I understand that the martial arts school does not want to have any deep ties with the Green Owl Gang."

The Green Owl Gang may seem to have absolute power in the lower city, but its influence in the inner city is relatively limited. The martial arts schools, as the top power in the inner city, generally keep to themselves and avoid direct conflict with the Green Owl Gang.

Xue Chan spoke in a detached tone, as if stating a rule: "Since your mind is made up, I won't beat around the bush with you. Being a 'gray sleeve' isn't something you can just do on a whim."

"First, we need to get the approval of a hall master. Only a hall master can give us the Gray Sleeve skin, and only a hall master dares to give us that skin."

"If you absolutely must take it... then go to Qingyun Escort Agency. The chief escort there is one of the hall masters of Qingxiao Gang. Whether you can succeed or not depends on yourself."

Ye Xiao's gaze darkened slightly, but a hint of surprise flashed through his mind.

He never expected that the leader of the Qingxiao Gang would be disguised as the head of the Qingyun Escort Agency.

But upon closer reflection, it's not surprising.

However, most people wouldn't know about this. Only someone like Xue Chan, who grew up in a martial arts school and is the daughter of the school's owner, would know many secrets that ordinary people cannot access.

Ye Xiao suppressed her surprise and cupped her hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for showing me the way, Senior Sister."

He didn't leave immediately.

Xue Chan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is there anything else?"

Ye Xiao's voice lowered slightly: "There is indeed something I need to ask Senior Sister. If I really want to join the Qingxiao Gang, I need to remove my weakness first."

Xue Chan's gaze held a hint of doubt: "A weakness?"

Ye Xiao explained, "My family is still in Silent Alley; it's not safe for them there."

Xue Chan said calmly, "The accommodations at the Canglong Martial Arts Academy are for the students, not for you and your family. If you want them to move out, they will have to rent or buy their own places."

Ye Xiao nodded: "I understand, I just want to know if there are safe places to stay in the inner city."

"You need to go to a brokerage firm for this kind of thing, but there are many brokerage firms in the inner city, and even more of them are shady."

Xue Chan said indifferently, "Go to Biyue Street and find Manager Xu. Just show her your inner disciple badge, and she'll pick out a suitable place for you. She won't rip you off on the price."