Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 98 Entering the cold pool for the first time

Ye Xiao remained expressionless as he raised his hand despite the pressure of the qi and blood.

With a flick of his sleeve, the black paper gleamed.

The pupils of the two town guards contracted sharply, and their backs straightened instantly. The oppressive aura of blood and qi seemed to have been severed by a knife, dissipating completely in an instant.

The next moment, they stepped aside.

I didn't ask a single question, nor did I dare to look at him for more than a second.

Ye Xiao withdrew the order and stepped into the cordon without stopping.

The moment he stepped inside the rope, a chill enveloped him.

It wasn't the kind of cold that hits you in the face; it was a cold that creeps up from your feet. The soles of my boots made a crisp "crunch" as they stepped on the gravel, and the instant the sound ended, it felt like my toes were being soaked in ice water, a numbness creeping up my shinbones.

The air was damp, but it didn't wet our clothes. Instead, it felt like a thin, cold film, clinging to our skin and refusing to leave. Ye Xiao slightly tightened his sleeves, shallowed his breathing, and exhaled a single breath. The white mist was immediately flattened and slid along the ground, as if being dragged away by something.

He looked up.

The collapsed opening in the mine trench resembled a black mouth, from which the wind spewed out, but instead of the sound of wind, it emitted a very fine hiss.

The pool at the bottom of the ditch is not fully visible; all that can be seen is a dark, still surface of water, which is not frozen.

There was frost on the rocks on the shore.

The frost wasn't thick, but it was extremely white. It crept along the cracks in the rocks, freezing the tips of the grass wherever it went, and even the dust seemed to be frozen in the places it passed through. But the frost would dissipate as soon as it approached the water's surface, dissipating completely, as if swallowed back by the mouth of the pool.

This is not just ordinary cold.

Ye Xiao didn't rush down the slope. He first lowered his body and walked on the most stable line of loose stones, his steps neither fast nor slow, each step landing on the stone edges that he could use for leverage. The coldness rose inch by inch, but he didn't suppress it, letting it impact him. He just steadied his breathing and tightened his internal energy.

He quickly reached a distance of ten feet.

At a distance of ten feet, the chill became even more intense.

My knuckles went numb first, as if someone were poking my skin with fine needles. The heat in my chest was suppressed, but my heartbeat became clearer.

Boom, boom, boom.

The air I exhaled felt like swallowing half a mouthful of ice, making my lungs feel dry and astringent.

Ye Xiao paused for a moment, without even blinking.

He calmed himself down and felt the chill coursing through his body.

It doesn't attack the skin and flesh; it first penetrates the meridians. It doesn't freeze the hem of clothing; it first suppresses the qi and blood. If it were an ordinary person, their legs would already be weak and they would kneel down before even reaching this area, as if their blood were frozen.

He lifted his foot and walked away again.

Half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

When it reached half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), the sky and earth seemed to be tightened.

The sound of the wind in his ears disappeared, replaced by a subtler stillness. So still that he could hear his blood slowing down in his veins, as if the brakes had been applied.

The warmth in my shoulders and back was drained away, and my spine felt cold, with even my teeth feeling sore and numb.

A very thin layer of frost had formed on Ye Xiao's eyelashes, which would crumble with a blink.

He did not go any further.

His body's reaction and condition had clearly told him that this was his limit.

He stood half a zhang away and slowly raised his hand.

With his palm facing the surface of the pool, he reached out from a distance, and immediately felt as if his palm was pressed against ice iron.

It's not cold, it's thorny.

The stabbing intent first penetrates the skin, then the tendons, and finally reaches into the gap between the finger bones.

Ye Xiao did not back down; instead, he began to practice standing meditation.

The fire and miasma of the Northern Furnace are no longer enough for someone of his level; they cannot harm his muscles or bones.

But this cold pool is different; its coldness bites inward, first biting the skin, then the fascia, and finally into the bone.

He withdrew his palm, and his five fingers slowly closed together.

The knuckles feel numb, so numb that they feel like they don't belong to you. But at the extreme of numbness, you can clearly feel the tendons contracting, the membranes tightening, and a faint "creaking" sound appearing in the bones.

A moment later, the character "光" (light) appeared in the name of one's destiny.

【Crimson Blood Stake - Perfection】

【Dingyue Pillar - Complete】

[Breaking Through the Heavens - Perfection]

【Collapse Mountain Fist - Perfection】

【Dragon-Locking Weight-Bearing Stake - Minor Success: 4/600】

A glimmer of light appeared in Ye Xiao's eyes; his stance training had improved in just a few breaths.

He continued to endure the bone-chilling cold, following the breathing rhythm of the stance training, gradually sinking his stance down to firmly plant his feet on the two stone edges.

Sinking down to the soles of your feet as if nailed into stone, sinking down to the knees, hips, and spine, each segment aligned.

He remained motionless, yet resembled a taut bow.

He wants to use extreme environments to create gaps in the skin, tendons, and bones, and then use stance training to fill those gaps into something even harder.

The chill didn't come from the outside; it crept in from the moment he landed in his stance, seeping in through the gaps between his ankles, knees, and hips.

The deeper the stake, the deeper it bites.

Ye Xiao compressed his qi and blood even further, combining it with stance training to resist the cold.

He shortened his breathing, guiding his qi and blood through his body in a slow and gentle manner, just to prevent it from dissipating.

If the breath dissipates, the cold will only freeze him; if the breath doesn't dissipate, the cold can truly wear him down.

With the first breath, it felt as if a fine blade was scraping from the base of the fingers to the wrist bone, causing a barely perceptible vibration in the arm bone as well.

The second breath sent a shock to my shoulders and back, and my shoulder blades felt like they had been pulled from the inside, my fascia taut.

On the third breath, at its most tense point, it finally cracked open with a "hiss," without drawing blood, yet causing excruciating pain.

The moment the crack appeared, a restorative force emerged within the body.

That was a force rising from deeper within, pushing the crack back, trying to mend it. The mending was slow, but solid.

The character "光" (light) in the destiny chart flashed by again.

【Dragon-Locking Weight-Bearing Stake - Minor Success: 5/600】

Ye Xiao didn't look at it a second time, focusing only on his stance and breathing.

At the same time, the Green Owl Gang's Black Feather Hall.

The lights in the lobby were dim, offering no warmth and only making people's faces feel colder.

Shi Mo sat at the head of the table, lightly tapping the armrest with his fingertips, and asked in a low voice, "Have they left the city?"

The man in the gray sleeves below knelt on one knee and replied crisply, "They've left the city. It's a dirt road outside the north gate, and there are carriages. We only followed them for a short distance before stopping. Getting any closer would be pointless and would only give us away."

Graphite raised an eyelid: "You'll stop after a while?"

Hui Xiu immediately emphasized: "There are only two dirt roads outside the North Gate that lead back to the city: one along the riverbank and the other around the barren slope. Our men were deployed in both places first. We saw his cart tracks and footprints diverge, but they all eventually converged on the same road that leads back to the city."

"That opening is closest to the city wall; there's no way around it, and it can also hide people."

"He will go there when he returns."

Graphite nodded, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"very good."

He paused, his fingers moving slowly, and his tone turned cold: "Go to the Blackwater Gang and get them to do the work."

Gray Sleeves looked up, a glint in his eyes: "What if they don't want to?"

Shi Mo interrupted, "They've been eyeing the docks for a while now. Last night, Ye Xiao went to the docks to set up rules and really humiliated them. If the Blackwater Gang wants any food, they'll have to choke the Star Hall first."

"If Ye Xiao doesn't die, they won't even have the right to raise their chopsticks."

"If they don't make a move, what will they use to share with me?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Gray Sleeves added, forcing a smile, "Master, Ye Xiao's strength is not to be underestimated. If we really surround and kill him, many of our brothers will probably die—should we ask the Master to personally..."

""

Upon hearing this, Graphite suddenly chuckled.

The smile was faint, yet it sent chills down one's spine.

"I'll take action myself?"

He looked up at Hui Xiu, his gaze icy: "Xu Chongshan is my man. Ye Xiao died at my hands; who among those above would believe it was a coincidence?"

"You want me to hand the knife to the Dharma Protectors so they can kill me too?"

Hui Xiu immediately lowered his head: "This subordinate knows his mistake."