Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 400 A Narrow Escape, Shock, Appearance with a Supreme Battle Body

The moment the high-level golden tiger appeared, not only did Jiang Shouping's expression turn to despair, but Xiao Heng and Yuan Bai, as well as the rest of the Great Xia people they each led, were almost the same.

While they were certainly strong, they weren't arrogant enough to think they could handle a high-level golden tiger with at least 15 manes of strength.

"Didn't the hunting records of Ba Shang Town say that there are basically no high-level cold beasts within 40 kilometers? How come a high-level golden-spotted tiger suddenly appeared?"

"More than a hundred high-level teams came recently, but they only managed to hunt down seven high-level cold beasts. Our luck is just too bad."

"We're definitely doomed now, let's split up and escape!"

"This is the only way. If we split up and escape, maybe a few of us can survive."

...............

"Shut up, everyone!"

Yuan Bai's prestige within the team was clearly much higher than Xiao Heng's.

Hearing the murmurs and even wild suggestions from the crowd behind him, he immediately turned around and angrily told them to shut up. Then he turned to Xiao Heng and continued with a gloomy expression, "Xiao Heng, we can't split up. The Golden-spotted Tiger is known for its speed. If we split up, we'll only die faster. I sent someone to inform Ji Hong before I came here. Hold on for a while, maybe we can survive!"

Having learned from Xiao Jing that there were more than thirty intermediate-level golden tigers, Yuan Bai naturally wouldn't bring his team over recklessly. There was also an exploration team nearby, led by Ji Hong, who had sent a member to ask for help before he arrived.

"Ji Hong, alright, let's join forces and hold out for a while!"

Upon hearing Ji Hong's name, Xiao Heng's expression brightened slightly, and he immediately nodded. Then, he turned to Jiang Shouping beside him and said, "Captain Jiang, we can only hold on for a while longer. If we can hold on until reinforcements arrive, we might survive!"

Jiang Shouping was completely flustered at this moment, and upon hearing Xiao Heng's words, he could only nod in agreement.

"Roar…………"

As the group discussed the matter, the high-ranking golden-spotted tiger drew ever closer. When it was only twenty or thirty meters away from them, it roared once more.

The tiger roared through the snowy forest, causing the surrounding trees to tremble violently and the snow on the ground to be swept away. The crowd was thrown into chaos once again, and they found it difficult to even grip their weapons, let alone resist.

"How can we possibly withstand this? We're doomed!"

Xiao Heng's expression instantly darkened. The strength of the advanced Golden Spotted Tiger was clearly far beyond his imagination. This was just a roar. If the Golden Spotted Tiger really attacked them, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out for even a moment.

The high-ranking golden-spotted tiger roared, its muscles suddenly bulging, its body length rapidly increasing from one meter to over thirty meters. Its thick limbs resembled four towering pillars, and its enormous body crouched low as it hissed. Its blood-red pupils stared intently at them, and its sharp, white fangs trembled slightly, as if it were about to pounce on them at any moment.

"A high-level golden-spotted tiger, its strength is determined by the amount of golden spots on its fur. This one's fur is almost entirely golden, its strength is probably..."

Jiang Shouping's desperate voice rang out again, but this time, before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the actions of that high-level golden-spotted tiger.

To be precise, the actions of the entire tiger pack were interrupted.

The high-level golden-spotted tiger, which was over thirty meters long, suddenly widened its blood-red pupils. Its eager hunting movements came to an abrupt halt, and it abruptly turned its head to look in the north direction.

Not only it, but the remaining twenty-odd golden tigers did the same thing. They all seemed to sense something to the north, and their eyes suddenly blazed with intense greed and desire.

"There's fire. There's fire to the north."

"what is that?"

"It's fire. The tiger pack seems to be attracted by the fire?"

"It shouldn't be attracted by the fire, right? Is there something over there by the fire?"

………………

Jiang Shouping, Xiahou Qingqing, and the rest of Jiangxia quickly spotted the fire source a hundred meters to the north. They all let out low shouts, their expressions a mixture of joy and surprise.

Of course, they weren't the only ones to discover the source of the fire. Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai, Luo An, and the rest of the Great Xia group had also discovered it long ago. However, they seemed to know exactly what the source of the fire was, and their eyes were filled with surprise.

"Roar……"

"Beep beep beep beep beep..."

The high-ranking golden-spotted tiger let out a low growl and transformed into a golden gust of wind, rushing towards the source of the fire. The remaining twenty-odd golden-spotted tigers quickly followed behind it, also speeding southward.

A series of rapid bone whistles sounded from the east side, almost simultaneously with the golden-spotted tiger's low growl. Upon hearing the whistles, Yuan Bai's face immediately lit up with joy.

"It's Ji Hong's group!"

"It's definitely them! Don't waste time, run!"

Xiao Heng reacted extremely quickly, first exclaiming in alarm to warn everyone, then taking the lead and fleeing eastward at breakneck speed, with the others quickly following behind.

Having barely escaped death, the group dared not waste any time and ran eastward for three or four miles until they could no longer see the firelight before they dared to stop.

"High-grade Golden-spotted Tiger, you two are really bold!"

Just as the group of fifty-odd people were about to take a break under the tree, a group of people came running from the east. The leader was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a burly build and an arrogant air between his brows. He walked up to the panting group and teased Xiao Heng and Yuan Bai.

Yuan Bai and his group couldn't stop smiling wryly. They turned to look at Xiao Heng, and Xiao Heng, Luo An, and the others had similar expressions. Their gazes then turned to Jiang Xia and his group.

Jiang Shouping was still basking in the ecstasy of escaping death. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he immediately walked up to Xiao Heng, cupped his hands in gratitude, and said, "Brother Xiao..."

Upon uttering the single word "Brother Xiao," Jiang Shouping's expression froze. Then, realizing something, he looked closely at Yuan Baihe and the newly appeared Ji Hong, his expression instantly becoming blank. He then looked at the remaining people of Da Xia clad in golden armor, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

"How can he be...so young!"

It turned out that the situation was too critical just now, and the people from Da Xia were all wearing golden armor and helmets, so Jiang Shouping had not been able to see Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai and the others' faces at all.

Now that the crisis was over, he relaxed and took a closer look, only to find that Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai, and the three who had just appeared, Ji Hong, were all only in their early twenties. Ji Hong, who looked the oldest, appeared to be no more than twenty-four or twenty-five.

It would be one thing if there were only three people, but the key issue is that the others following behind them looked even younger. For example, Luo An, Liu Peng, and Lu Dong all looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, clearly just a bunch of teenagers.

Jiang Shouping is already forty-three years old this year. At his age, he is more than capable of fathering these young people in front of him. He didn't see Xiao Heng's appearance clearly during the fight, so it didn't matter if he called him Brother Xiao. But now that he has seen Xiao Heng's age, he can no longer call him Brother Xiao.

Not only him, but everyone in Jiangxia noticed that Xiao Heng and the others looked unusually young, and their faces were mostly filled with surprise.

"Captain Jiang, just call me Xiao Heng!"

Xiao Heng noticed his confusion and immediately smiled and spoke.

Xiao Heng wasn't the only one who noticed the change in the expressions of Jiang Xia and his group. Yuan Bai, Ji Hong, and the others also noticed it. They naturally understood the reason, and their faces showed a hint of arrogance.

"Xiao Heng... young brother, and all the talented young men of Great Xia, thank you for saving my life tonight. I, Jiang, will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"

Jiang Shouping was speechless for a moment, clearly unable to utter a word.

There were a total of fifty-nine people in Daxia. He could see them clearly. The oldest one was Ji Hong in front of him. The rest were mostly around twenty years old, and some were even only sixteen or seventeen.

The key is their cultivation level!

"Captain Jiang, you're too kind. How can we ignore a friend in need? Our two towns are now as close as family. It would be too formal to mention repaying a debt. If you happen to encounter any of my people in trouble in the snow forest in the future, just lend a helping hand."

Xiao Heng was the one who initiated the assistance to Jiangxia, so it was only right that he respond to Jiang Shouping. After a few appropriate words, the gratitude on the faces of Jiang Shouping and the others deepened even more.

"May I ask who these two talented individuals are...?"

"Yuan Bai of Da Xia greets Captain Jiang."

"Summer flood!"

Jiang Shouping lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then asked with a hint of speculation, "May I ask if you are the young master Xiao Heng, perhaps the son of Xiao Kangcheng, the garrison commander of Heyin? And this young master Yuan Bai shares the same surname as Yuan Cheng, the chief of the Great Xia Garrison Command? Are they also from the same family?"

If they are all people with connections, then their high level of qualifications is understandable.

Jiang Shouping didn't notice that after he finished asking the question, the people from Da Xia guessed his thoughts, and their expressions immediately became somewhat strange.

"Xiao Kangcheng is indeed my father!"

After Xiao Heng finished answering, Yuan Bai quickly shook his head and said, "Although Lord Yuan and I share the same surname, we are not from the same family. Captain Jiang has misunderstood."

Ji Hong glanced casually at Luo An and the others, a smile immediately appearing in his eyes. Jiang Shouping clearly regarded Xiao Heng and Yuan Bai as high-ranking members of the Great Xia Dynasty, unaware that the backgrounds of Luo An, Liu Peng, Lu Dong, Hong Ye, and others were no less impressive than theirs.

"So you come from a prestigious family. No wonder. I, Jiang, will definitely bring Qingqing and the others to personally pay our respects another day."

Upon hearing that only Xiao Heng had a background, Jiang Shouping was taken aback. Although he still wanted to inquire about the backgrounds of Luo An and the others, the timing was clearly not right.

“That pack of golden tigers is very close to here, and the danger is still there. We need to go back to Heyin first to notify the advanced hunting team to come and deal with it. I see that your men are all seriously injured. Captain Jiang, you should take your men back to Baisong Camp as soon as possible!”

There were eighteen people in Jiangxia, half of whom were injured. The young man Xiahou Qingqing was carrying was still unconscious, so it was clearly not suitable for him to stay in the snow forest any longer.

Jiang Shouping naturally understood, nodded, and said to Xiao Heng and the others, "Then I will take my leave now, and thank you all again!"

"Thank you all!"

Xiahou Qingqing and the group from Jiangxia behind her also bowed and thanked Jiang Shouping. If it weren't for Xiao Heng and the others' help today, they would definitely have lost their lives here. Their tone was naturally full of sincere gratitude.

After expressing their gratitude, Jiang Shouping led everyone to the west, which is the outer area of ​​the snow forest, and quickly retreated.

"Uncle Ping, did you see clearly what kind of strength Ji Hong had just possessed?"

The eighteen people ran westward in silence for three or four kilometers. After confirming that they were basically safe, Xiahou Qingqing, who was carrying her brother on her back, finally couldn't help but speak to Jiang Shouping about her confusion.

Her basic strength was already 110,000 jin, and she could basically discern the strength of most of the fifty-odd people from the Great Xia just now.

She had seen Xiao Heng make a move earlier, and his strength was probably over 90,000 jin. Although Yuan Bai did not make a move, she could sense from his body that his strength was over 100,000 jin, not far from her own. As for the others, their basic strength was basically over 50,000 jin, and they were all in the stage of reshaping their skin membranes.

She just couldn't see through Ji Hong.

"150,000, it should be just a little short of 150,000. That Ji Hong must be deliberately holding back from breaking through, trying to reach the top-grade battle body!"

Jiang Shouping had been holding it in for a long time, but he finally couldn't help but speak up.

Upon hearing this, everyone in Jiangxia's eyes widened in surprise.

Of course, this also includes Xiahou Qingqing.

"Supreme Battle Body..."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Qingqing's pupils dilated in shock.

Although her basic strength had exceeded 110,000 jin, she could feel that she had basically reached her limit, and there was no chance of her achieving the ultimate battle physique.

Jiang Shouping asked the group in a low voice, "That Ji Hong is nothing compared to the age of those people from Da Xia."

The moment this question was posed, it immediately sparked a lively discussion, with the team members all speaking with surprise and a hint of astonishment:

"I noticed that just now, they are mostly around 20 years old!"

"Not only that, there are a few younger ones, I estimate they are at most 16 years old."

“I’ve noticed that there are many girls younger than Qingqing.”

"Are all the young people in this Great Xia Dynasty so talented?"

“It’s understandable that they all have backgrounds, but the captain just asked and only Xiao Heng seems to have any. If Yuan Bai were related to Yuan Sizheng, he wouldn’t need to hide it from us. As for Ji Hong, there doesn’t seem to be anyone with the surname Ji in the upper echelons of Da Xia, so he probably doesn’t have any background.”

"Impossible! Are all young people in the Great Xia Dynasty this talented?"

"It wouldn't be that bad, it would be terrible if it were."

“I’ve observed those young people. They all have a bit of arrogance in their eyes. Most of them probably have some kind of background, but we can’t ask them in detail given the situation just now.”

"We must have run into some genius team from Great Xia." ………………

Hearing what everyone was saying, Xiahou Qingqing realized that the fifty-odd people from the Great Xia she had just encountered were indeed excessively young.

They're so young, and yet they're all so incredibly strong!

There are plenty of people in Jiangxia who can reach the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm at the age of fifteen or sixteen; for example, she herself is one.

The problem is that these people are all precious treasures in Jiangxia Town, and everyone would rather keep them locked up in the town all day long. How could anyone bear to let them go out to the snow forest to hunt, especially in groups?

"It seems that the many rumors about the Great Xia are not unfounded!"

Upon hearing Jiang Shouping's words, Xiahou Qingqing and the others immediately turned to look at him, their faces full of curiosity.

Seeing everyone's gaze turn towards him, Jiang Shouping continued in a deep voice, "It is rumored that the Great Xia Dynasty has only been rising for ten years. The four most well-known officials who have already appeared are Yuwen Tao, Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, and Luo Yuan. The oldest, Luo Yuan, is not even forty years old. Among them, Yuwen Tao, the Minister of War and Commander of the Dragon Martial Army, is not even 27 years old this year..."

Gudong!

Upon hearing these words, the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard from the group.

Everyone was stunned. Xiahou Qingqing, who always considered herself very talented, was even more frozen, her eyes filled with horror.

However, Jiang Shouping continued speaking.

"Xia Chuan, the Minister of Works who governs the eight ministries of the Great Xia Dynasty and is second only to the emperor, is said to be the same age as Yuwen Tao..."

Jiang Shouping paused suddenly, turned to look at everyone, and asked in a low voice, "That Xia Chuan is the younger brother of Lord Xia Hong. He is only twenty-six years old this year. Can you guess how old his older brother is?"

"This...how...is this possible?"

Xiahou Qingqing's eyes widened in horror to the extreme, and she even stammered as she spoke.

Of course, she wasn't the only one; the rest of the team were also horrified, their faces filled with disbelief.

"I've heard that the eight division chiefs of the Great Xia are all over forty years old, and the division chief of the Military Affairs Division, Yuwen Tao, and the division assistant, Xia Chuan, are likely both over fifty years old. How is that possible at twenty-six or twenty-seven? How is that possible?"

"That's Xia Hong! The current number one in Mo'ao. Xia Chuan is only twenty-six years old this year. He's Xia Chuan's older brother. How old is he? Thirty, early thirties, or even forty? That's unlikely, isn't it?"

“My brother works in the Chamber of Commerce. He has been to Hongmen City. He told me that not only Xia Chuan, the Vice Director of the Chamber of Commerce, but also Qiu, the owner of Wanbaolou, who is Qiu Peng, the Director of the Logistics Department of the Great Xia Army, both look to be only in their early twenties.”

"How can this be?"

………………

The crowd was filled with disbelief. In fact, not only them, but even Jiang Shouping himself was skeptical of the rumors.

Jiangxia has been based in Mo'ao Mountain for many years, and his understanding of many things has become a matter of routine.

For example, age; everyone has a basic understanding of that.

Unless there are special circumstances, the town lords and those powerful figures at the Xianyang level are generally over a hundred years old, and they are the backbone of the town.
The core leaders of each town are at least seventy or eighty years old, and anyone who can reach the core leadership level in their fifties or sixties can be considered young.
The lower-level high-rise buildings are mostly occupied by people in their fifties or sixties.

This aligns with their conventional understanding.

Jiangxia Town is currently in the same situation.

The first generation of Jiangxia, namely Jiang Yinglong, Xiahou Ming, and others of their time, are all dead now;
Currently, the people in charge are all second-generation descendants. The Xiahou family is led by Lord Xiahou Zhang, who is considered the backbone of Jiangxia Town. The Jiang family is the Xin generation, represented by the 92-year-old town leader Jiang Xinfan. Most of them are over eighty years old, and this group is considered the core high-level.

The Xiahou family of the third generation is represented by Xiahou Ying, while the Jiang family belongs to the Yuan generation, represented by Jiang Yuanlong and Jiang Yuandong. They are all around sixty years old, and this group can be considered ordinary high-ranking members.
Then there are the fourth generation descendants, Jiang Shouping is one of them. He is around forty years old. Except for a very few talented people who have already entered the upper echelons, most of them, like Jiang Shouping, serve as the main force in various institutions in the town and are the backbone of Jiangxia Town.
Xiahou Qingqing is Xiahou Zhang's great-granddaughter. She is 21 years old this year and belongs to the fifth generation of descendants.

"If that's really the case, then wouldn't the potential of the Great Xia be astonishingly high?"

"If these rumors are true, then it's no wonder those young people were so talented!"

"I don't believe it! That's impossible! It must be a rumor!"

…………

"Alright, stop making wild guesses. We'll find out by asking around when we get back. I only heard this secondhand. I'll ask around next time I go back to town."

Jiang Shouping interrupted everyone's speculations. Seeing that Xiahou Qingqing beside him looked somewhat dazed, he pondered for a moment and then said, "Qingqing, regardless of whether those rumors about Great Xia are true or not, at least what we just saw shows that many of those fifty-odd young people in Great Xia are probably more talented than you. You need to work hard in your cultivation when you go back this time. Jiangxia is already in a precarious situation. The lord is hoping that young people with high talent like you will grow up quickly, otherwise, it's uncertain whether you can maintain your current position in the future..."

Upon hearing Jiang Shouping's words, everyone's expressions immediately became much more serious.

"I understand, Uncle Ping!"

Xiahou Qingqing nodded solemnly in response, and when she looked back at her unconscious brother on her back, her eyes suddenly became more determined.

Even without mentioning the abilities of those young people from Da Xia, the fact that her brother Xiahou Yong lost his left eye was enough to leave an indelible mark on her heart during this dangerous experience in the snow forest.

"The Ice Abyss holds countless treasures; restoring my brother's eye is not impossible. I must cultivate diligently, become stronger, and help him restore his left eye!"

After making a silent vow, Xiahou Qingqing followed the others towards the White Pine Camp. As she walked out of the snow forest, Xiao Heng's face inexplicably appeared in her mind.

"That Xiao Heng did save my life just now, so when Uncle Ping goes to Heyin to visit him later, I will go with him to thank him."

………………

"Ji Hong, how far are you from achieving your basic strength of 150,000 jin?"

"It weighs over 100 pounds, and I just can't lift it up!"

Inside the snow forest, after Jiang Xia and his group left, Xiao Heng couldn't help but ask Ji Hong. Upon hearing Ji Hong's reply that the difference was only a little over a hundred jin, a deep envy immediately appeared on his face.

Of course, it wasn't just him.

Yuan Bai, Luo An, Liu Peng, Zou Ping, Lu Dong, and other young people from Da Xia all wore expressions of envy.

If Xiao Heng and the others had heard what Jiang Shouping just said, they would probably have praised Jiang Shouping for his keen insight.

Jiang Shouping's guess was indeed correct. Ji Hong, who is 24 years old this year, has been slow to break through the Cold Resistance level because he is indeed trying to improve his aptitude for the ultimate battle body.

The news that Ji Hong was striving to achieve the highest level of combat physique had already spread far and wide, and was known to almost everyone in the inner city.

Ji Hong was a veteran of the Great Xia Dynasty during the Tupo era, and his reputation in the camp was already quite high. However, because his cultivation speed was relatively average, he remained relatively unknown, and most people only knew that there was such a person.

In the first martial arts competition in the second year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Ji Hong won third place in the lumberjack group, which immediately made him famous. His rise to prominence began from there.

In just six years, he went from breaking through the Earth-Digging Realm to reaching its limit, and then began using beast blood to reshape his skin membrane. That year, the first place winner of the martial arts competition, Tie Xinchuan, and the second place winner, Zhou Yalong, both broke through with superior battle physique aptitude, but he still hadn't broken through.

At first, everyone thought he had reached the limit of his talent.

Unexpectedly, in this year's martial arts competition, in the extreme group of the Earth-Digging Realm, he defeated dozens of opponents who had just broken through to the Cold-Resistant Level, and entered the top 100 in that group, eventually ranking 42nd.

This year marks the seventh Great Xia Martial Arts Tournament. With seven consecutive tournaments, the rules have naturally changed quite a bit. As the Great Xia now has more and more Cold Resistance and Earth Digging Realm participants, Qiu Peng added an Earth Digging Realm Limit group last year. So there are currently four groups in total: Cold Resistance, Earth Digging Realm Limit, Earth Digging Realm, and Wood Logging Realm.

All four groups selected the top 100 individuals. Given the current population and cultivation levels of the Great Xia Dynasty, anyone from any group who could make it into the top 100 would be considered an exceptional individual, let alone in the relatively competitive Earth-Digging Realm Limit group, where Ji Hong's ranking was also relatively high.
With such generous rewards offered every year, all the participants have become smarter and are now basically holding back their cultivation levels. The participants in the Earth-Digging Realm Limit Group are mostly on the verge of breaking through, and many of them break through on the arena, all in order to achieve a good ranking.

With his cultivation at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm, Ji Hong defeated so many opponents who had just broken through to the Cold-Resistant Level, and he himself had not yet broken through. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was deliberately not breaking through, wanting to strive for the aptitude of the Supreme Battle Body.

There are prerequisites for deliberately not breaking through the limits of the Digging Realm.

Not everyone can break through. If you don't have enough talent and aptitude, no matter how much pain you can endure in reshaping the skin membrane, you will eventually exhaust your potential and break through automatically.

Being able to deliberately hold back from breaking through is itself a form of proof of ability.

So everyone was waiting to see if Ji Hong could actually make it to the top.

A top-tier battle physique is truly rare!
Currently, the only well-known top-tier combat physique talents in the Great Xia Dynasty are the Lord and his wife, followed by Xia Chuan, the Director of the Ministry of War, and Yuwen Tao, the Director of the Ministry of Military Affairs. If Ji Hong were to break through, he would undoubtedly become the fifth person in their eyes.

Of course, that was the perception of the vast majority of people in the Great Xia Dynasty.

People like Xiao Heng, Luo An, Zou Ping, Lu Dong, Liu Peng, and others who have lived in the inner city for a long time and have some background in the area know more about the situation than others.

"My brother, Yuan Sizheng, and Xu Sizheng are said to have received a great treasure as a reward from the lord, and they are now top-grade battle bodies. In addition, the two sons of the Minister of Justice were born with holy runes, and they are likely to be top-grade battle bodies as well."

Of course, there are also the two young princes, whose talents will only be even greater!

Lu Dong thought to himself, but his eyes still held a deep envy as he looked at Ji Hong.

Even including the people he mentioned, there are only eleven of them. In the Great Xia Dynasty, those with top-tier battle physiques are still extremely rare.

And Ji Hong is about to become the next one, how could they not be envious!

"Don't look at me like that. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can lift those last hundred-odd pounds of basic strength. My potential is basically at its limit. If I fail to make it to the top, I'm afraid a lot of people in the inner city will laugh at me!"

Looking at the eyes of Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai, and the others, Ji Hong shook his head repeatedly, his face full of helplessness. This was not the first time he had seen such eyes. At first, he even enjoyed it a little, but as it became more and more difficult to improve his basic strength, seeing such eyes again only made him feel burdened and uneasy.

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that Ji Hong was under a lot of pressure, and their expressions immediately became much more composed.

"Normally, given your qualifications, you wouldn't be qualified, but you're in luck today!"

In the ensuing silence, a voice suddenly rang out from behind the snow-covered forest.

More than fifty people immediately turned to look behind them.

About a hundred meters behind them, three figures, one in front and two behind, were slowly approaching them. Because they were too far away, they couldn't see the faces of the three people, so they just kept watching them warily.

But as the three approached, the expressions of Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai, Ji Hong, and the other fifty-odd people suddenly became excited.

"Greetings, Lord, Lord Xu, Lord Xiao!"

"Greetings, Lord, Lord Xu, Lord Xiao!"

...............

Before the three people in the distance could get closer, everyone quickly put down their weapons and bowed respectfully to them. They were all so excited that their voices could be heard trembling slightly.

The one in the middle of the three, dressed in black with a slight smile on his face, with his signature long and short narrow swords hanging at his waist, could only be Lord Xia Hong.
The man to Xia Hong's left looked to be under thirty years old, holding a long sword and wearing a crimson casual robe with a golden-eyed demon sheep embroidered on it. He was none other than Xu Ning, the deputy director of the jurisdiction over Ba Shang.
The man on the right looked a bit older, around fifty years old. He was also wearing a crimson robe with a blue frost wolf embroidered on it. He was Xiao Heng's father, Lord Xiao Kangcheng, the Shan Yu of the Ba Shang Hunting Division and concurrently the Garrison Commander of Heyin.

"Everyone get up!"

After Xia Hong led the two closer, he smiled and gestured for everyone to stand up.

Even after they got up, everyone was still excited, clearly not expecting to encounter the lord himself in this snow forest.

"You bunch of brats have been watching for ages! You've got some nerve, trying to be heroes and save people without even looking at the situation. You even dared to provoke a high-level Golden-spotted Tiger! If the lord hadn't sensed it, you'd all be dead!"

Seeing his son's excited expression, Xiao Kangcheng couldn't help but scold him.

Xiao Heng shrank back upon hearing the reprimand. The others also realized that Xia Hong and the other two had been watching from the shadows all along. A warm feeling flashed through their hearts, but their expressions also became uneasy.

"Ji Hong is not bad! He knows how to use small torches to lure the enemy and rescue people. You guys have had it too easy in the inner city. Once you leave the snow forest, all you know is how to fight the cold beasts. You've forgotten everything you were taught in the camp!"

Xu Ning first praised Ji Hong, then looked at Xiao Heng, Yuan Bai and the others, shaking his head involuntarily.

Ji Hong didn't react much to the praise; he just stared at Xia Hong with burning eyes, clearly expecting something.

"Normally, given your qualifications, you wouldn't be qualified, but you're in luck today!"

That was Xia Hong who said that.

Ji Hong also knew about the transformation of Yuan Cheng, Xu Ning, and Lu Dong into top-grade battle bodies. How could he not be excited when he heard Xia Hong's words?

(End of this chapter)