Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

"A dead end?" Ye Xiao asked.

Xue Chan paused, then lowered her voice further:

"The difficulty of breaking through to the Glass Bone is a thousand times greater than that of the Golden Bone."

"In all the books I've read and the rumors I've heard... no one has ever successfully entered the Blood Opening Realm with a Glazed Bone. You must know that those people are true geniuses."

"So this path is a complete dead end. Nobody dares to practice like this anymore."

As Ye Xiao listened, a slight stirring occurred to him.

What is a dead end for others may not be for him.

If he truly perfects all six elements and possesses the Glazed Bone, he can walk sideways against anyone below the level of a martial artist. Even if he were to encounter a martial artist at the Blood Opening Realm, he would still have a fighting chance.

As if afraid he would make the wrong decision, Xue Chan immediately changed the subject:

"I have good news for you. Although Father has no plans to take on any apprentices, he will triple your monthly allowance and add an extra hour to your medicinal mist meditation session each month."

Ye Xiao solemnly cupped his hands in thanks: "Please thank the Master on my behalf."

He understood that this was an attempt to appease and win him over, but the benefits were real.

Xue Chan smiled faintly: "You are an inner disciple, representing the reputation of the martial arts school. It's only right that he provides you with resources."

She looked at Ye Xiao, as if finally remembering the important matter: "You must have come here today for something else, right?"

Ye Xiao cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes. Senior Sister, I would like to ask how to obtain the Blood Refining Breathing Technique."

Xue Chan frowned: "Why are you asking this? Didn't you only recently achieve the Great Completion of Bone Forging? You're still a long way from perfection."

Ye Xiao did not explain.

He took only half a step forward, and his qi and blood, along with his stance strength, sank simultaneously.

There was no sound outside, but Xue Chan felt as if someone had tapped her heart with their knuckles, and her breath caught in her throat.

She felt a thunderous cracking sound.

Xue Chan's pupils contracted sharply, and she almost instinctively took half a step back into the doorway, lowering her voice:

"You...you've gone this far?"

Ye Xiao nodded calmly: "Yes."

Xue Chan stared at him, unable to suppress her shock, followed by a surge of joy for him.

"Senior Brother Ye."

The three words slipped out, and she was stunned for a moment. Her ears turned slightly red, and she turned her face away, as if she was not used to her junior brother suddenly becoming her senior brother.

Ye Xiao looked at her directly:

"Please keep this a secret. I'm currently operating under the guise of Gray Sleeves from the Green Owl Gang, and the fewer people who know about my strength, the better."

Once you reveal your hand, you have one less chance to play it.

If Zhao Jiu had known he was a quasi-martial artist before the incident ten days ago, his countermeasures would have been even more ruthless, and he might have been the one to die.

Xue Chan was taken aback, then nodded seriously: "I understand. I won't tell anyone."

She paused, then couldn't help but feel indignant on his behalf:

"But the rumors about your 'potential overdraft' are getting worse and worse. If I can expose your near-martial artist status, they'll shut up immediately."

"There's no point in silencing them, and I don't care what they think," Ye Xiao said calmly. At this moment, all he cared about was becoming stronger.

Xue Chan was momentarily speechless at his words, but this only made her more clear-headed. She said seriously:

"Okay, let's get down to business."

"Breathing techniques are different from stance training. Stance training can be taught and passed on at will, but breathing techniques cannot."

"It's not just a method, but also a ladder to becoming a martial artist. Martial arts schools rely on fists for their livelihood and make a living from this path, so naturally they have to be strictly controlled."

Ye Xiao remained silent for a moment.

He understood; the path to advancement had long been in someone else's hands.

Xue Chan continued:

"Unless you are accepted as a closed-door disciple by your father like Senior Brother Chen Tao, the only way to obtain the Blood Refining Breathing Technique is to sign a contract with the school."

"Contract with the institution, three years' notice for reassignment."

"After you become a martial artist, the martial arts school will assign you tasks for the next three years, and you will have to do them."

It's not complicated, but it's ruthless enough.

For most people, this is the price of "changing routes".

But for Ye Xiao, this was like handing over the rope for his future to someone else, something he neither liked nor wanted.

Seeing that he didn't answer, Xue Chan added another one:

"Strictly speaking, there is a second path—the martial arts exam!"

"In the martial arts examination of the Martial Arts Examination Department, as long as you stand out and obtain the status of Martial Arts Scholar, you can obtain the Blood Refining Breathing Technique according to the rules."

Ye Xiao shook his head: "I don't plan to participate."

Xue Chan was taken aback: "With your current foundation, if you really went to take the exam, you'd have a 90% chance of succeeding. And this path is a smooth road for us, so why aren't you willing to take it?"

Ye Xiao didn't mention the town magistrate's warning, but instead gave the toughest and simplest answer:

"My ambitions lie elsewhere."

Xue Chan opened her mouth, wanting to persuade him, but then she thought of Ye Xiao's personality... Since he said no, he had probably already calculated the pros and cons.

She could only sigh helplessly:

"Since you're neither signing a contract with the academy nor taking the martial arts exam... I can't think of a third option."

"I'll find the path, but right now I want to strengthen my foundation," Ye Xiao said. "Besides the Mountain-Suppressing and Blood-Burning techniques, could you give me the other four types of stance training?"

Xue Chan's expression froze.

She originally only knew that Ye Xiao's foundation was frighteningly solid, but she didn't expect that the stance training he practiced was the most difficult and painful Blood Burning type.

She stared at Ye Xiao for a moment, wanting to say something, but then swallowed her words back.

In the end, she only managed to utter one sentence: "Wait for me."

After saying this, Xue Chan turned and went into the courtyard.

Not long after, she returned with four thin booklets in her arms. The pages were old but clean, as if they had been turned many times and carefully kept.

She handed the booklet to Ye Xiao, her tone earnest and tense:

"Piercing the Sun, Binding the Form, Horizontal Training, Locking the Back."

"All four types of stance training are here. You can think about them carefully and finally choose one to practice. Combine it with the two types of stance training you already have. As long as you practice them to perfection, you can develop golden bones."

"If it's really not possible, don't force it. Not only is it more difficult for fellow practitioners, but it's also more dangerous."

Ye Xiao took it and nodded, "I understand."

Xue Chan finally caught her breath, as if to reveal the deeper meaning:

"If you can truly master all three systems of stance training like Senior Brother Chen Tao, I will talk to my father again."

"By then, he might change his mind."

"Even if he doesn't change..." She paused for a moment before saying, "At that time, as long as you're willing, any martial arts school in the lower city will be eager to take you in."

Ye Xiao cupped her hands in thanks: "Thank you, Senior Sister."

He carefully tucked the four thin books away, as if he were putting a new path into his sleeve.

Xue Chan's lips moved, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she whispered:

"Don't call me senior sister anymore."

Ye Xiao was slightly taken aback.

Xue Chan's ears turned slightly red, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she spoke more bluntly: "The rules of the martial arts school dictate that those with higher cultivation levels come first. Now that you've become a prospective martial artist... it wouldn't be right for me to still hold the title of 'Senior Sister'."

Ye Xiao looked at her and nodded: "Okay."

Xue Chan visibly breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had let go of her initial awkwardness, and her change of address became more earnest:

"Senior Brother Ye."

"Take the book home and read it slowly. Don't rush into a decision. If you really want to leave, make sure you walk the path carefully."

Ye Xiao hummed in agreement and turned to leave.

The courtyard gate closed behind me, the lights remained clean, and the bamboo shadows still pressed against the wall.

……

The firelight glowed red in the workshop, and the sound of hammers pounding against the anvils was deep and resonant, each strike feeling like a blow to the heart.

As the furnace heats up, the metallic taste mixed with charcoal smoke seeps into the throat, choking one and making one feel bitter.

The old craftsman with the broken leg sat in the corner, his leg propped up on a wooden stool, his hands never stopping, his eyelids never lifting.

The sound of the hammer was delayed by half a beat as soon as Ye Xiao stepped across the threshold.

The old craftsman stared at him for three breaths, then squeezed out a sentence that sounded like both a scolding and a confirmation:

"You actually succeeded."

Ye Xiao didn't beat around the bush: "I want the Blood Refining Breathing Technique."