Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Ye Xiao left Qin Ji's place without finding a place to rest. He simply took out a few pieces of processed blood-striped venison from his bag and swallowed them whole.

The intense heat returned to his stomach and then transformed into pure fuel, causing the weakness to immediately subside.

Silver notes, medicine, and blood-striped venison—he needed everything.

The workshops were located outside the North Furnace, not far away. As soon as it got dark, smoke would rise, and the sound of hammers could be heard across the street, hitting a person's chest.

Ye Xiao went inside and saw the old craftsman sitting next to half a pillar, with a trouser leg hanging below his knees.

The old craftsman looked up, spoke first, and still had that disdainful air about him:

"What are you doing here?"

He paused for a moment, the sound of sharpening the knife neither fast nor slow, a continuous rustling, swallowing all his words:

"I made it very clear last time: come find me again when you become a golden body."

Ye Xiao's voice was calm:

"I succeeded."

The old craftsman scoffed, as if he'd heard a joke.

"You succeeded?" His eyes were dark circles, but his smile was chillingly dull. "If you succeed, my broken leg can grow back on its own."

Ye Xiao did not argue.

He simply expended his qi and blood and his stance strength, and a faint golden light flashed across his skin, disappearing in an instant.

The light didn't last long; it was enough, so we stopped using it.

But the old craftsman's eyelid twitched suddenly.

The sharpening sound stopped.

He stared at Ye Xiao for a full three breaths, as if trying to pry that bit of golden energy out of Ye Xiao's bones to confirm whether it was real or fake.

Finally, he uttered a curse, a very soft but extremely offensive one:

"You're a fucking monster..."

Ye Xiao said calmly, "What you promised."

The old craftsman stared at him, his gaze not one of admiration, but of displeasure, as if he had seen a glaring nail.

Without another word, he reached under the sharpening rack and pulled out an old cloth bag.

The cloth bag was stiff, with frayed edges, as if it had been touched for many years.

The old craftsman tossed the cloth bundle into Ye Xiao's hands:

"Take it."

Ye Xiao opened the cloth bag and glanced inside: "Burning Heaven Breathing Technique."

The old craftsman sneered, "This is the Blood Refining Breathing Technique. If you're not confident enough, don't try to practice it. Otherwise, if you fail to break through, your life is over."

Ye Xiao wrapped the booklet back up, his movements steady, and then asked:

"Who are you going to kill?"

The old craftsman paused, his tone hardening further:

"Once you truly reach the third level of Blood Refinement and are able to kill people, I will naturally tell you. At that time, even if you want to retreat, you won't be able to."

Ye Xiao didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

"etc."

Ye Xiao stopped.

The old craftsman didn't look at him; he pressed the knife back down on the whetstone, the rustling sound continuing, as if he were casually saying:

"Don't rush to break through the Blood Refinement stage."

"You have completed the three tasks and achieved the Golden Bone, but if you want to go far, this is not enough."

Ye Xiao didn't respond, he just listened.

The old craftsman lowered his voice even further:

"Your cultivation speed is terrifying, that's why I said one more thing."

"When you master the five stages of stance training, your foundation will be more stable, and your future path will be wider."

He seemed to be deliberately saying harsh things, waiting for Ye Xiao to show his weakness:

"If you lack confidence, you might not be able to master it, or you might be afraid that even if you do master it, you won't be able to advance to the third realm of Blood Refining... then never mind what I said."

Ye Xiao didn't reply to a word, and just continued walking out.

Five tasks completed successfully?

What he wants is... glass bones.

As I reached the door, the sound of sharpening knives was still behind me, a constant rustling sound, as if an old craftsman was grinding all his emotions into the stone.

……

The next day at noon, the sun was high in the sky.

Under the eaves of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, an ever-burning lamp burns day and night. The light seems useless in the sunlight, but it illuminates the area in front of the door in a neat and orderly manner, even the shadows are well-behaved.

On the inner training ground.

When Ye Xiao entered, the room fell silent for a moment before being filled with hushed whispers.

Normally, these inner disciples might not dare to say anything to his face... No matter how much they disliked him, Ye Xiao's fist was already there.

But today is different.

Zhang Yuan had said half a month ago: Ye Xiao took his red slip, so he had to bear the consequences.

The voice, strained and low, emerged layer by layer, as if deliberately trying to squeeze through the cracks in someone's ear.

"Haven't seen you for a month. I heard you went to work at the North Furnace? You must be almost dying from that."

"I used to think he was amazing, but he didn't even dare to apply for the martial arts exam, afraid that he would collapse with one punch on stage."

"How foolish! They even dared to touch Senior Brother Zhang's red slip. He was able to suppress us back then because Senior Brother Chen Tao was too lazy to bother with us; and Senior Brother Zhang wasn't even in the temple."

The discussion flowed more smoothly, and they became bolder as well.

Ye Xiao acted as if he hadn't heard.

His clothes were still the same, but his steps were steady and his breathing was calm. Even up close, you couldn't tell that he had just escaped death the night before.

He glanced around; Xue Chan wasn't there.

But in a corner on the sidelines, there were a few familiar faces.

Shen Qinghe stood upright, but her gaze lingered on Ye Xiao for a moment before she looked away, as if afraid that looking at him too long would reveal her feelings.

Gu Liancheng leaned against the pillar with his arms crossed, still wearing a smile, but the smile was very thin, just a casual gesture on his face, not reaching his eyes.

Just then, footsteps sounded not far away.

His unhurried manner only made the atmosphere in the room even more oppressive.

The crowd parted automatically, as if being gently sliced ​​by a knife tip.

Zhang Yuan.

His clothes were spotless, and his boots barely made a sound when they landed, yet every step seemed to be driven into the ground, carrying a powerful, pressing force that made the murmurs on the sidelines fall silent.

His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Ye Xiao, like turning to the page of an account book and finally finding the one who owed the debt.

"Ye Xiao".

The sound wasn't loud, but it suppressed the wind throughout the entire venue.

"Did you take my receipt?"

Everyone on the sidelines held their breath.

Ye Xiao raised his eyes, his expression indifferent:

"It's the rule."

Senior Brother Zhang smiled, but the smile was not warm; rather, it was like a blade.

"rule?"

"Rules also stipulate that it's first come, first served."

He would often take two steps forward, raise his hand, and beckon casually, like beckoning a clueless dog.

"Apologize in front of everyone, and then bow to me."

"Let's put this matter behind us."

As soon as these words were spoken, a few people inside the sidelines had their eyes light up, not out of admiration, but out of anticipation to see a joke.

The others remained even quieter... Everyone knew that this wasn't about winning a prize, but about saving face and establishing authority.

Ye Xiao looked at Senior Brother Zhang and said calmly:

"Are you trying to establish your authority by using me?"

Senior Brother Zhang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Looks like you're not stupid... then you shouldn't have touched my red slip. But as long as you admit your mistake and learn the rules in the future, I won't hold it against you."

Ye Xiao nodded:

"Then let's do it the way we do it."

He stepped onto the fighting platform, and at that moment, all the sounds from the sidelines completely ceased.

The inner disciples almost unanimously believed that Ye Xiao had gone mad.

Zhang Yuan is a quasi-martial artist, and a veteran one at that. Apart from Chen Tao, no one in the martial arts school can match him.

Even though Ye Xiao had previously displayed formidable strength, no one believed he had a chance of winning.

Ye Xiao ignored the others and stood calmly in place. His footing was very steady, not feigned, but rather a result of his heels pressing firmly to the ground and his knees and hips locked in place, as if he had his roots firmly planted in the table.

Someone's Adam's apple bobbed, and they muttered under their breath, "He really wants to fight..."

Zhang Yuan looked at him, raising an eyebrow as if he had finally waited for this moment.

"OK."

He smiled, then walked onto the dueling platform: "You chose it yourself."

The next moment, he stopped talking nonsense.

Zhang Yuan pushed off with his feet, twisted his waist and spine, and the force surged up from the soles of his feet, straight up his spine, and with a thrust of his shoulder, his whole body was like a fully drawn arrow, piercing straight into Ye Xiao's center.

fast.

ruthless.

The penetrating force was overwhelming, and even those on the edge of the stage instinctively leaned back half an inch, as if that force would hit their chests from a distance.