Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

At that moment, Xu Jingce unleashed his third palm strike.

This palm strike wasn't a break, it was pressing down to the limit and then grinding downwards.

"Thump!"

Ye Xiao felt a tightness in his chest, his breath was cut off for a moment, and a metallic taste suddenly rose in his throat.

But just as the force was fully compressed, Ye Xiao took a step forward, not to dodge, nor to deflect it.

It's the top.

With a soft thud, the wooden planks of the platform creaked as it landed, and a loud "thud" shook the fog.

At this moment, the power of the Crimson Blood Pillar contracted to its limit, all the pressure was forced into a single line, and then it pushed forward.

"Bang!"

Ye Xiao pushed out from his shoulders and back.

Xu Jingce's shoulder line was forced back half an inch, which made his eyes change slightly.

It's this half inch.

The lock seemed to have been pried open a crack, and the downward pressure suddenly seemed to loosen.

Ye Xiao's elbow arrived first, short as a nail and hard as a pillar, without any fancy moves, striking down along the shortest path.

The dull thud landed on the lower edge of Xu Jingce's chest, like a heavy iron block smashing into his lungs.

Xu Jingce's breath was cut off on the spot, and his locking force had a momentary gap, causing his attack to involuntarily pause.

He hadn't expected that Ye Xiao, despite having the upper hand, would be able to withstand the pressure and launch a counterattack.

In that brief moment of hesitation...

A breach has appeared.

Ye Xiao stepped forward again, his heel striking forward, and the Collapsing Mountain Fist was accompanied by the rolling of qi and blood.

The force of the stake rose from the ground and slammed solidly into the lower edge of Xu Jingce's sternum.

"Thump!!"

The muffled thud exploded in everyone's hearts.

Xu Jingce was completely pushed back.

The first step, the second step, my breathing became noticeably erratic, as if the breath in my chest had been forcefully dissipated.

As he stepped back to the third step, his back slammed against the wooden railing.

The wooden railing emitted a dull groan.

The entire room fell completely silent.

Xu Jingce felt a sweet taste in his throat and forced back the blood pressure, but his face had already turned pale.

He steadied himself and did not advance further.

He glanced at Ye Xiao, his voice low but decisive:

"You win."

After saying that, he turned and stepped off the stage, heading straight to the registration desk, where he registered the half-hour of medicinal mist treatment and the thirty taels of silver under Ye Xiao's name.

Even though he felt somewhat unwilling, he understood that being hit in the same spot repeatedly, especially the second heavy blow, had directly reduced his combat power by more than half.

[Red Blood Stake·Dacheng: 930/1200]

[Collapse Mountain Fist - Mastery: 520/1000]

Ye Xiao stood on the fighting platform, and the character "Light" appeared on his destiny chart again. This battle was short, but it required him to use all his strength, which was incomparable to the previous two battles. This also improved his stance training and fist techniques.

At this moment, his internal energy was churning and surging. He immediately followed the breathing pattern of the Crimson Blood Stake to suppress the burning sensation and metallic smell.

At this moment, all eyes in the fog finally converged.

There was no more contempt, nor any more dissatisfaction.

All that remains is—awe!

The inner disciples who were about to discuss the matter all instinctively shut their mouths.

It wasn't that they were stopped by others, but that they realized that this battle was no longer something they could casually evaluate.

In the brief silence, a figure emerged from behind the crowd.

The pace was slow, yet it cut through the fog like a line. The inner disciples in the front row almost instinctively moved aside, and by the time they came to their senses, the path was clear.

Chen Tao, the master's last disciple.

He didn't look at Ye Xiao; his gaze lingered for a moment on the wooden railings of the fighting platform and the cracks in the ground, as if silently reviewing the battle just now.

Only then did he raise his eyes.

That glance held neither scrutiny nor a fighting spirit.

Just confirming.

"Breaking through Xu Jingce head-on is no easy task."

Chen Tao then looked at Ye Xiao, his tone as calm as if he were making a conclusion: "You are now among the top disciples of the inner sect, qualified to consider aspiring martial artists as your next step. Come and spar with me when you reach that level. Don't be too slow, or I may have already become a martial artist."

After saying that, he turned and left, as if he were just passing by and checking on the fighting arena.

Only when Chen Tao's figure disappeared into the fog did the people around him seem to come back to their senses, and only then did they dare to breathe a little heavier.

They all knew Chen Tao's personality; the fact that he could say so much to someone already showed that he understood.

The cracks in the wooden railing were still there, and the mist slowly crept along the cracks, as if trying to erase the battle that had just taken place.

But everyone around knows... it can't be erased.

Someone silently calculated in their mind: if they were standing on that platform, on which count would they be crushed?

The answer came quickly, but it only made people more silent.

On the other side, someone's gaze swept over the wooden sign at the registration desk; after three battles...

Ye Xiao won a total of one and a half hours of medicinal mist, and still had a full ninety taels left.

Nobody said they were envious.

But the sound of his Adam's apple bobbing, and his eyes, don't lie.

Both of these are precious resources for them.

Ye Xiao's name was thus etched into their hearts, becoming someone they dared not provoke.

……

After leaving the inner training area, Ye Xiao wandered around the martial arts hall several times but did not see Xue Chan.

Finally, he turned into the pharmacy. The door was half-closed, the lights were neither too bright nor too dim, the aroma of medicine was bitter, and the sound of paper packages being folded was soft and steady.

Xue Chan was inside.

After she realized that the person who came was Ye Xiao, she said calmly, "You've come at the right time. I have something to discuss with you."

Ye Xiao entered and asked, "What is it?"

Xue Chan's eyes showed no joy, only coldness, but that coldness wasn't directed at anyone.

"I just heard the news." Her tone was as flat as if she were confirming a debt: "You defeated Xu Jingze?"

"Mm," Ye Xiao replied.

Xue Chan's eyes flickered slightly, but she quickly stopped herself, her gaze sweeping over his shoulder line, breathing, and footsteps.

Even after she finished reading it, her brow remained furrowed.

"Do you remember me saying that each step of the three realms of body tempering is about building a solid foundation?" Xue Chan cut to the chase: "If the foundation is unstable, not only will the upper limit of martial arts be insufficient, but there may even be danger to life."

Ye Xiao nodded: "I remember."

"Then tell me, how long have you been an inner disciple?"

Xue Chan stared at him: "Since you were able to defeat Xu Jingce, it means you're already in the late stage of Bone Forging. How dare you say you remember?"

Ye Xiao didn't rush to explain, but instead asked, "Didn't Senior Brother Chen Tao also spend a relatively short time going from practicing martial arts to becoming a near-martial artist?"

"Senior Brother Chen Tao is exceptionally talented, and with his father's full support, he was able to make such rapid progress while ensuring a solid foundation."

Xue Chan's eyes turned cold: "You don't have such conditions, and besides, Senior Brother Chen Tao's progress in bone forging wasn't as exaggerated as yours."

She paused for a moment, then uttered what she truly wanted to say:

"Ye Xiao, I have a question for you. Don't beat around the bush or hide anything from me."

Ye Xiao looked at her: "Please speak, Senior Sister."

Xue Chan's voice wasn't loud, but it was as hard as the back of a knife pressing on her throat: "Have you ever been involved with a cult?"

The room fell silent.

Everyone in Tianyuan City had heard the word "cult".

Rumor has it that they can make people stronger in a short time, but as for other deeper methods, ordinary people don't know.

But everyone knows an ironclad rule: once someone is labeled a cult, various forces will tear them apart.

Therefore, cults almost never appear in the open.

Ye Xiao's gaze darkened, but he remained calm and answered decisively:

"no."

Xue Chan wasn't reassured by the "no" answer. She got up, walked around to the medicine table, and pointed to the surface:

"Stretch out your hand."

Ye Xiao hesitated for a moment, but still placed his hand on it.

Xue Chan took the pulse with two fingers, her movements were very light but extremely accurate, probing the flow of qi and blood.

With her other hand, she took out a delicate porcelain cup from the box. The bottom of the cup was covered with a very light layer of gray powder. Then she took out a dark stone slab with fine silver patterns inlaid on the edge.

"This is sand for suppressing evil spirits, and also a stone for warding off evil spirits."

Xue Chan succinctly stated: "Cults have many shortcut methods that leave abnormalities in the blood. These abnormalities are hidden deep inside and cannot be detected under normal circumstances, but they will become apparent when encountering these two things."