Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

The next morning, the outer training area was still damp.

The strips of cloth hanging on the wooden stake flapped with a snap in the wind.

Most of the outer disciples did not practice their usual breathing exercises, punches, or stance training.

Instead, they gathered together and whispered among themselves.

"Something big happened at the inner gate last night. I heard it was a fierce fight," someone said.

Another person scoffed, "Inner sect sparring is common; what's the big deal?"

Another person said, "Senior Brother Ye Xiao defeated three inner sect senior brothers in a row, including Senior Brother Xu, who is in the late stage of Bone Forging. Do you think this is a big deal?"

Upon hearing this, many outer disciples showed expressions of shock.

"That's impossible! Senior Brother Ye only recently entered the inner sect!" someone said in disbelief. "Even within the inner sect, Senior Brother Xu is among the top students. How could he possibly lose to him?"

"He's right, that's what I've heard too."

One person whispered, "But besides that, I also heard that Senior Brother Ye used an overdraft method to forcibly and rapidly increase his strength. It will be almost impossible for him to reach a higher level in the future."

The students who heard this all had strange expressions on their faces.

They also know that there are some methods that can make people improve in a short time, but each one has extremely large side effects.

"That's not all. I've also heard that Senior Brother Ye Xiao has been in contact with cults," someone added, speaking in a very low voice.

As soon as the word "cult" was mentioned, the people around instinctively shut up and looked around.

It's as if those two words themselves are the source of all trouble.

Just then, a cold, hard voice broke in.

"Stop talking nonsense! Who told you all this?"

He Lin carried a medicine bucket in his hand, his brows furrowed with anger. He didn't rush into the crowd, but asked that question with great emphasis, like a piece of iron hitting the sand.

The people outside immediately fell silent.

In the past, they would have looked down on He Lin. After all, what use was someone with seniority if he had problems with martial arts training and could never make progress in his life and could only work as a handyman in a pharmacy?

But things are different now; they know that He Lin and Ye Xiao have a good relationship.

If Lin were to pass on some messages to Ye Xiao, they would all be in trouble.

Someone forced an innocent smile onto their face, their tone perfectly composed:

"You've misunderstood. How could we dare to talk nonsense? It's just that there was a lot of commotion at the inner sect last night, and we heard some rumors... that's all we were worried about."

"Worried?" He Lin stared at him. "Worried enough to drag someone into a cult? Is this how you worry about people?"

The man quickly waved his hand, speaking even faster: "No, no, no, I didn't say the word 'cult.' I just said that Senior Brother Ye's progress is too fast, and I'm afraid he really used the overdraft method. You know, some methods are effective in the short term, but have endless consequences... I'm doing this for Senior Brother Ye's own good."

"For his own good?"

He Lin scoffed and took a step forward: "Then explain yourself clearly. Who started all that talk about overdrafts and cults? Who was it from the inner sect?"

He had watched Ye Xiao cultivate and knew that Ye Xiao was more hardworking than anyone else and was also smart, so it was impossible for him to do such a stupid thing.

If these people were to spread the rumors, it would have a huge impact on Ye Xiao, which is why he stood up in anger.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes flashed, and he immediately deflected the spear:

"I really don't know who it was. Last night's battle took place in the inner sect, so we outer sect members couldn't see it. I just don't know when it started, but people have been spreading rumors about it."

He Lin's gaze grew even colder: "Who told you this rumor? Point them out now, or I'll tell Ye Xiao that you're the one who spread it!"

The man's face stiffened, and he immediately changed to a second version of events, still looking completely innocent:

"Even if you ask me to point it out, I can't. It's really not a rumor I spread. Besides, there's more than one version out there, so please don't make things difficult for me."

He paused, lowering his voice even further, as if genuinely afraid of causing trouble: "We outer sect disciples are of lowly status and cannot afford to be implicated. We're just worried that if Senior Brother Ye is really as the rumors say, then we might all suffer along with him."

He didn't contradict himself, but he put self-preservation on the table, even dragging others into the mess.

People around nodded subconsciously, not because they agreed with the cult rumors, but because they were afraid of being implicated.

He Lin's chest heaved, his fists clenched and unclenched.

He really wanted to kick him, but the other person said that he had only heard it from others and even portrayed himself as a victim, which made him unable to exert any force.

If they actually take action, it will only harm Ye Xiao, making people think that he is angry out of embarrassment or guilty.

This is the most insidious and terrifying aspect of rumors.

He Lin suppressed his anger, his voice growing even deeper: "Tell me honestly, who first uttered the word 'cult'?"

The man gritted his teeth and lowered his head even further: "I don't know. It's been circulating, but nobody will admit it."

At this point, the training area became even quieter.

It wasn't that they were stunned by He Lin, but that everyone realized one thing... this thing had no head.

Just as He Lin was about to ask another question, a very light footstep sound came from the entrance of the training area.

It was neither too fast nor too slow, yet it made people instinctively shut up.

Xue Chan appeared.

She stood not far away, her gaze sweeping across the faces with their heads down. She noticed who was the most talkative, who had the most wandering eyes, and who had just spoken the most.

The outer disciples all clasped their hands in unison: "Senior Sister Xue Chan."

Xue Chan didn't waste any words, her voice clear and cold: "Who among you was spreading rumors about Ye Xiao just now?"

No one answered.

They all believed they hadn't spread the word; they had only heard about it and were worried.

Xue Chan's face remained cold as she changed her question: "You say he's overdrawn his potential and has been in contact with a cult. Where's the evidence?"

Still no answer.

Xue Chan spoke again, her voice not loud, yet it held sway over the entire training ground:

"I personally examined Ye Xiao's condition, and there were no issues with overexertion. The claim of him being a cult is utter nonsense. From this moment on, if I find anyone spreading rumors, I will expel them from the martial arts school!"

After he finished speaking, the training area fell completely silent.

No one on the outer gate dared to speak again, not even daring to openly express their concerns.

Xue Chan's gaze swept over everyone, and she added a sentence that was like cold water poured on everyone's hearts:

"I understand your fear of being implicated... but to convict someone based on 'hearsay' is the most shameless and despicable method."

After saying that, she turned and left.

However, she also understood that rumors are like the wind; even if they are temporarily suppressed, they will still seep in as long as there are still gaps.

The public never craves the truth; they prefer to believe what they want to believe.

He Lin glared at the outer disciples around him, picked up his medicine bucket, and left, his face still full of anger.

"We can forgive Senior Sister Xue Chan, but this good-for-nothing He Lin actually dares to give us attitude."

Someone said with a grim expression, "Just because they have some connection with Ye Xiao, they've forgotten their own limitations. What will happen when Ye Xiao really discovers they're..."

A fellow student who was on good terms with him quickly interrupted him: "Don't be reckless. Senior Sister just warned you. Besides, Senior Brother Ye is an inner disciple; we can't just say things like that."

The man snorted coldly and didn't dare to say anything more.

"Do you think what Senior Sister Xue Chan said is true or false?" another person asked doubtfully. "Senior Brother Ye not only has nothing to do with the cult, but he hasn't overdrawn his potential either, doesn't that mean he's also a genius?"

No one spoke, but everyone had their own answer in their heart.

……

Ye Xiao was unaware of what had happened at the martial arts school.

Even if he knew, he couldn't do anything about it. After all, people have the right to say what they want. All he could do was become stronger as quickly as possible.

After leaving the martial arts school yesterday, he went to a pharmacy. Fortunately, he had received compensation from Ye Chong's family, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to buy much medicine.

Immediately afterwards, he went to the North Furnace, where, as usual, he shoveled iron while practicing stances and boxing in the harsh environment.

Although he now has no rivals in the inner sect except for those aspiring martial artists.

However, he understood the troubles and dangers he faced, and that his current strength was far from sufficient.