Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The following morning, at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.

Before the morning mist had dissipated, the outer training area was already bustling with activity. The wooden stakes thumped and the sounds of fists and feet landing were muffled and damp. At this time of day, the shouts and cries would usually lift a layer of dust from the eaves.

But today is different.

As soon as Ye Xiao stepped in, it was as if the air around him had been suddenly put on hold. The sounds of practicing martial arts were still there, but they were noticeably quieter.

Almost simultaneously, a circle of gazes turned toward them, each with its own distinct expression: dodging, scrutinizing, and wary... and something even more subtle, like a sour taste hidden in the fog.

Some people clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white, and they pounded their fists and feet even harder, as if they could smash that resentment out of their bones with a few more blows. But as they pounded, their eyes couldn't help but look at Ye Xiao.

"Coming from the Silent Alley..." someone said in a very low voice, as if afraid the wind would carry the words far: "Not only did he enter the inner circle, but he also managed to get into the Grey Sleeves. That's incredibly lucky."

Before he could finish speaking, the person next to him coughed sharply, clearly reminding him to stop.

"Do you want to die?"

The man's eyes darkened, and he shouted fiercely, but his gaze didn't waver even slightly: "No matter what, he's an inner disciple. If you gossip about him behind his back and really piss him off, who will take the blame for you? Besides, the Grey Sleeves of the Green Owl Gang are not to be trifled with. We're not inner disciples, so if something really happens, the martial arts school won't stand up for us."

The person who was stopped swallowed hard, his lips twitched, and he swallowed back the rest of his sarcastic remark.

The more thoroughly he swallowed, the uglier the envy in his eyes became. Whether it was Gray Sleeve or an inner disciple, they were all unattainable to him.

Ye Xiao ignored the stares and walked along the bluestone path toward the inner gate area.

He Lin, carrying a bucket of medicine, jogged up behind him, still catching his breath, and asked in a low voice, "You... how did you join the Green Owl Gang?"

Ye Xiao continued walking, remaining silent for a moment before finally saying, "I want to live."

He Lin was taken aback.

He had considered all sorts of answers, but he had never thought of these three words.

He Lin's Adam's apple bobbed: "You're an inner disciple now. If you really run into trouble, you can go to the sect leader. The Qingxiao Gang isn't the right path."

"Even the headmaster can't help," Ye Xiao said indifferently.

He didn't mention the town's military headquarters, nor did he mention the undercover operation.

There are some things you can't say to anyone, and besides, this is not only a crisis, but also a great opportunity.

He Lin opened his mouth, but couldn't help but say, "But if you do this, it's like breaking the consensus of the martial arts school... Although the martial arts school doesn't explicitly forbid joining gangs, everyone has already tacitly agreed that if you break it, more and more people will be watching you."

"Keep an eye on me then," Ye Xiao said calmly.

He Lin frowned anxiously: "You rascal..."

He wanted to offer more advice, but in the end he could only swallow his words and offer the most practical reminder: "If someone uses this as an excuse to cause you trouble, just bear with it. You've only been in the inner sect for a short time, and your strength is not comparable to those veteran inner sect students."

"If you really can't avoid it, you can go to Senior Sister Xue Chan. She's not a bad person or cold-hearted, it's just that her mission lately is to teach the outer sect, which is why she always has a stern face."

Ye Xiao glanced at him, her voice lowering slightly: "I'm here to see Senior Sister Xue Chan, thank you."

He Lin paused in his steps.

Without saying another word, he picked up the medicine bucket and walked toward the pharmacy.

Ye Xiao continued towards the inner gate. He could sense He Lin's goodwill, as He Lin was his only friend in the martial arts school.

As the fog thickened, the shadows of the training posts and people in the inner sect's training area flickered in and out of sight. The people here spoke even less, mostly cultivating alone.

But their gaze is sharper, like a knife gliding along the skin, not cutting, but sending chills down your spine.

Some gazes were directed at Ye Xiao with disgust, some with wariness, and a few gazes were even more direct, as if they wanted to peel off the skin of 'Grey Sleeves' to see just how many benefits were hidden inside.

Just as Ye Xiao stepped into the training ground, a voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but it was deliberately meant to be heard by everyone around, as if someone wanted to take the opportunity to set up a stage.

"Ye Xiao!"

"You, a mere inner disciple of the Azure Dragon Sect, dare to join the Green Owl Gang?" The voice deliberately rose a fraction of a second: "Are you trying to drag the entire martial arts school's reputation down with you?"

Ye Xiao stopped and turned his head to the side.

Tang Qi's broad and tall figure walked in like a wall, his back very straight.

His steps were steady and deliberate, each step feeling like a blow to the chest, his gaze fixed on Ye Xiao with a fierce fighting spirit. Beneath that fighting spirit, however, lay a hint of impatient jealousy.

Even though Ye Xiao entered the inner sect first, he always believed that he was better than Ye Xiao.

However, the disparity in strength between the two sides kept him from making a move.

Ye Xiao glanced at him and said calmly, "It seems you've also entered the Bone Forging stage."

"That's right."

Tang Qi raised his chin, his tone urgent: "We're in the same realm now. If you're brave enough, follow the rules and don't run away."

Ye Xiao asked calmly, "What rules?"

"A duel!"

Tang Qi pointed to the registration area for the medicinal mist stakes: "Bet for half an hour."

That place not only records the time of the medicinal mist stakes, but also supervises the results of the inner disciples' gambling battles.

Although Tang Qi lost half an hour of medicinal mist training as soon as he entered the inner sect, he didn't use the rest of the time because it was only meaningful to use it when he was casting bones, and he had only completed casting bones yesterday.

Tang Qi smirked and added an even more venomous remark: "Apart from the medicinal mist stake, if you lose, you have to leave the Green Owl Gang or the martial arts school. Choose one. Don't make us lose face with you."

Ye Xiao glanced at him: "My medicinal mist stake time is sold out."

"Then I'll bet you next month's." Tang Qi's smile became even more confident: "What? You're scared?"

Ye Xiao raised his eyes, his tone still calm: "Okay, but if you lose, there will be additional conditions."

"I can't lose."

Tang Qi answered very quickly, his face full of confidence: "But it doesn't matter, I'll do as you said, if I lose, I'll also leave the martial arts school."

"Whether you leave the martial arts school or not is none of my concern," Ye Xiao said. "If you lose, you have to give me another thirty taels of silver, excluding the time spent in the medicinal mist training stance."

There was a brief moment of silence around us.

For these inner disciples, this wasn't just some loose silver; it was a considerable sum, enough to buy a lot of third-rate medicine.

"Can."

Tang Qi agreed without hesitation because he was absolutely confident and believed from the bottom of his heart that he would win.

The two went directly to the center of the training ground.

This spacious area, surrounded by low wooden railings, is the inner gate's default fighting platform.

There are many old marks on the wooden fence, including fist marks, footprints, and even dried dark bloodstains, like traces of battles.

Soon, all the inner disciples present came to the wooden railing. No one shouted "start," as inner disciples never relied on slogans for their duels.

It all comes down to who can knock someone down first.

Someone chuckled softly, "Ye Xiao forged his bones earlier, after all. Isn't Tang Qi afraid of running into a brick wall with such confidence?"

"Tang Qi has a very good foundation, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stand out in the outer sect assessment. Now that they are at the same level, I don't think he will lose," another person analyzed.

The others nodded in agreement.

If it were an ordinary outer sect member, they wouldn't even remember their name, but Tang Qi had always been among the top in the outer sect, so they knew him.

Tang Qi stood in the center of the arena, his shoulders and back taut.

He first steadied his breathing, then compressed the energy of his stance training layer by layer within his body. With a sinking of his feet, several cracking sounds came from his joints, like hardwood being baked open by fire.

Three resounding sounds as the bones are forged!

Ye Xiao didn't raise his head or put on any airs; he simply placed his feet firmly on the ground.

The breath in his chest also sank down. When the Crimson Blood Pillar pressed down, the blood felt like it was being squeezed tightly, not surging, but being forced into the gaps between his bones.

A burning, throbbing pain then rose from deep within the skin and flesh, as if it were being stretched open from the inside out.

"Stop pretending! Today I'll show you the difference between a genius and an ordinary person!" Tang Qi sneered and charged forward.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Ye Xiao, and the compressed force of his stance exploded instantly, punching straight into Ye Xiao's chest.

The expressions of those outside the arena changed slightly.

If this punch lands, even someone at the same cultivation level would bleed.