Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 82 Secret Techniques

Duan Qingzhou didn't care about being exposed and pressed the issue directly: "If you just say the word, and you challenge Xu Chongshan first when the match starts, you'll be on our side. If you don't agree, don't expect anyone to help you on stage."

Luo Tieshan was even more direct: "In short, are you in or not?"

Shen Cheng didn't urge him. He simply put the abacus aside, his gaze calm, as if waiting for Ye Xiao to accept his fate.

Rain continued to fall outside the window, and dripping water tapped against the tiles under the eaves.

Ye Xiao's gaze swept across the three faces, and he said calmly, "I understand."

All three of them felt a sense of relief at the same time.

Just as smiles appeared on their faces, thinking Ye Xiao was about to nod—

His next statement immediately followed: "But I do not form alliances."

Luo Tieshan's face turned ashen: "Are you playing us?"

Ye Xiao didn't argue, his tone as if he were stating a fact: "You band together because you want to survive."

"But you want me to take the first step, and then you'll decide what to do next depending on your mood. This isn't cooperation; it's using me as a stepping stone."

O

Luo Tieshan gritted his teeth: "If you don't cooperate with us, you won't even have the slightest chance!"

Ye Xiao said calmly, "Whether we have a chance or not, we'll find out on the day the competition begins."

Shen Cheng's eyes finally turned cold: "Brother Ye, if you refuse us, you're refusing a way to live."

Ye Xiao stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said crisply, "A way to survive isn't given to you by others."

He walked towards the door, his steps neither fast nor slow.

Duan Qingzhou stared at his retreating figure, his smile completely gone, but his voice remained gentle: "Brother Ye, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Sit a little longer, the food hasn't been touched yet."

Ye Xiao didn't turn around, nor did he stop walking.

The moment the door closed, the air in the private room seemed to tighten.

Luo Tieshan slammed his hand on the table: "Does he think we're just decorations?!"

Shen Cheng paused his finger on the abacus for a moment: "Not stupid. He sees through things, and he's bolder than I imagined."

Duan Qingzhou peered through the crack in the door and slowly said, "It's useless to let them see through. On the day the competition starts, he'll still have to withstand the first wave."

Luo Tieshan frowned: "Didn't he refuse?"

Shen Cheng's voice was even colder: "So what if you refuse? Once the fighting starts, who stands in front of Xu Chongshan first won't be decided by words alone."

Duan Qingzhou picked up his cup and lightly tapped the edge of the table: "If he refuses to go, we'll join forces to pressure him and force him to go to Xu Chongshan's side."

"Anyway, someone has to step up and take that blame."

Luo Tieshan grinned, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes: "Fine. Let him know first that even if he doesn't take sides, he'll still get hurt."

O

Shen Cheng snapped the abacus beads shut: "It's settled then."

The noise downstairs continued, but the shopkeeper still greeted customers with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

Only in this private room, a few words were spoken, as if the first step of the day of the competition had already been arranged for someone else.

As Ye Xiao stepped out of Jufu Restaurant, the rain immediately hit his face, carrying the smell of cooking oil from the restaurant and the damp chill of the street corner. Rain dripped from the eaves, cutting the lively atmosphere inside the restaurant in two.

He turned into the alley from the street corner.

The sound of rain drowned out human voices, but the sound of footsteps was clearer.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow, as he mentally reviewed what he had just said—it wasn't a discussion, it was an arrangement.

A cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Do you want him to be used as consumables?

Let's see who becomes a consumable first on the day the competition begins.

He didn't go home; instead, he went to the martial arts school.

It's still raining.

It wasn't a downpour, but rather the sound of fine, cold needles falling on the bluestone, making a tinkling sound.

-

As Ye Xiao turned into the alley leading to the martial arts school, the lanterns hanging under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, their dim light illuminating the words on the signboard: Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.

When he entered the outer training area, the outer disciples instinctively made way for him, their faces full of awe, afraid of blocking his way.

Ye Xiao didn't even glance at it and went straight to the backyard.

Xue Chan was visibly startled when she saw him, then raised an eyebrow: "Why are you here again?"

Ye Xiao's voice was calm: "Something's up."

Xue Chan stared at him for a couple of breaths, as if she were weighing the whole "something's up" thing over and over, and finally couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Senior Brother Ye, we've only been apart for two days."

"Do you think I'm not tired?"

She raised her hand and rubbed her wrist, feigning displeasure, but her eyes betrayed no real impatience. Instead, she seemed to be challenging him: "Senior Brother Ye, are you addicted to sparring or to getting beaten up? Can't you let me rest for a couple more days?"

Ye Xiao said directly, "I'm not here to spar; I want a method."

Xue Chan was taken aback: "What method?"

Ye Xiao raised his eyes and got straight to the point: "Able to boost combat strength in a short period of time."

"The sooner the better."

The rain slanted down the corridor, splashing a circle of white foam on the ground.

Xue Chan's smile vanished quickly, and her gaze darkened slightly: "You're going to risk your life?"

Ye Xiao did not deny it: "The competition will begin in seven days, a contest for the leadership of the Qingxiao Gang."

Xue Chan glanced at him, as if she had finally pieced together the whole story, and her tone became even colder: "You really want to step into the muddy waters of the Qingxiao Gang?"

Ye Xiao calmly replied, "If I step on it, I have to win."

Xue Chan did not reply immediately.

She remained silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and lightly tapped the pillar with her fingertips, as if to make her words even firmer: "The method you mentioned, exists."

"But it's harmful to your health."

"To be more precise—it damages the foundation."

She stared at Ye Xiao, as if trying to break the stubbornness in his eyes: "Your foundation and potential are the best I've ever seen. As long as you practice step by step, you might just be the next Senior Brother Chen Tao. But if you ruin your foundation for short-term gains, you'll have no one to cry to."

Ye Xiao replied with only one sentence, as clean and simple as a seal: "I can handle it."

Xue Chan was taken aback by those four words, her eyes widened, and she almost blurted out a curse.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and sneered, "What makes you think you can withstand this?"

Ye Xiao didn't explain, but only pushed the question to the result: "Will you give it to me or not?"

Xue Chan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly uttered a very soft and quick curse: "Madman."

After she finished scolding, she turned and left, but her steps were not slow.

Ye Xiao followed.

Deeper inside the courtyard, there was a small pharmacy with a string of wind chimes hanging at the door. When the rain got louder, the chimes barely rang, leaving only a very faint metallic tremor.

Xue Chan lifted the curtain and went in. She didn't light a large incense burner or put on airs. She simply pulled out a thin wooden box from the bottom of the cabinet.

The box wasn't big, but it was fastened very tightly.

She placed the box on the table and opened it with a "click." Inside was a thin, old leather book with shiny edges, as if it had been turned many times.

Xue Chan pressed down on the booklet, preventing Ye Xiao from reaching out, and stated definitively: "This is a widely circulated secret technique called Blood Burning. The technique itself isn't rare; what's rare is the person who dares to use it and is capable of using it."

"In a few breaths, forcefully raise the combat strength. The harder you pull, the deeper the injury."

"To unleash its full potential, one must at least become a martial artist. If an ordinary quasi-martial artist tries to use it, they will most likely burn themselves to death first."

She raised her eyes, her gaze somewhat cold: "Your qi and blood far surpass those of an ordinary quasi-martial artist, so you won't be burned to death, but the price will still be enormous."

"After burning it out, you suffer from blood and qi deficiency, muscle tearing, and bone fractures."

"If you're lucky, you might recover after a few years. If you're unlucky—you'll be a cripple for life!"

Ye Xiao looked at the booklet and asked, "How do I use it?"

Xue Chan pushed the booklet half an inch closer to him, but still pressed it down: "Answer me first."

"Are you using it to win, or to survive?"

Ye Xiao didn't hesitate: "I want them both."

Xue Chan stared at him, as if trying to discern something from him, but Ye Xiao's gaze was too steady, and she couldn't see anything.

After a moment, she finally let go, her tone curt: "Fine, you can have this."

"But remember, never use it unless it's a matter of life and death."

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