Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 421 Seize the Opportunity, the Shock Brought by the Eldest Son, and the Hongmen Files
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, at nightfall...
In the training ground on the third floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion, Xiang Liang, like the thousands of people around him, was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. The medicinal power and blood energy alternated around him, constantly opening the pores on his skin and penetrating into the flesh beneath his skin.

His face was contorted in pain, clearly indicating that the process of the medicine penetrating his skin and damaging his flesh was not pleasant.

Even so, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

In fact, the nearly one thousand people on the third floor, especially those in the front row, had expressions almost identical to Xiang Liang's. Some of them even had distorted facial expressions, indicating that they were experiencing much more pain than he was.

After an unknown amount of time, as the fiery red medicinal power around his body faded away, Xiang Liang's brows gradually relaxed, and the pain on his face slowly subsided.

"Late stage of Cold Resistance, level 11. In just two months, I've already achieved what I've accomplished in one or two years of arduous training. Cultivating in the Martial Arts Pavilion is definitely faster!"

Xiang Liang opened his eyes and immediately clenched his fist. Sensing the improvement in his strength, his expression immediately became excited.

In early October of last year, Xia Chuan promoted him to be the deputy chief executioner of Hongmen. He should have been able to go directly to Hongmen City to take up his post. However, his appointment was rejected by Li Tiancheng the very next day when it was officially reported to the prison department.

Li Tiancheng's reason for rejecting the proposal was somewhat embarrassing: Xiang Liang's strength at the time was only slightly over 6, which was far too weak.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. During the Hongmen meeting last September, all 600-plus people in the camp with ranks attended, and the weakest among them were at least 15. Xiang Liang's performance in the prison department was indeed good, and his age and qualifications were excellent enough. However, it was somewhat inappropriate for someone with only 6+ strength to serve as the deputy head of the prison, especially in such an important outpost as Hongmen City.

However, Xia Chuan had already spoken, so Li Tiancheng naturally had to take it seriously. After discussing it with Xia Chuan, they came up with a compromise: to give Xiang Liang a training spot in the Martial Arts Pavilion in advance so that he could improve his strength first, at least to the level of 10 or above, before he could take office.

Upon hearing this news, Xiang Liang was naturally extremely excited.

Today's Daxia is not the same as it was seven or eight years ago when he first arrived.

With the population increasing, especially last year when the last 900,000 people from Ba Shang were incorporated, the total population of Xia City surged to nearly 2.6 million, causing the resources of the Operations Department to become much tighter instantly.

Even basic cultivation supplies like animal meat have seen their prices increase fivefold, not to mention the even greater price increases for precious cultivation resources.

Among these many precious cultivation resources, the quota for the Martial Arts Pavilion is absolutely the most important, and it can be said that everyone is desperate to get in.

It's important to understand that the three-fold increase in cultivation speed is the effect of the Martial Arts Pavilion alone. Pills, spirit wine, salt, cultivation techniques... and many other resources that can improve cultivation efficiency.

In fact, it has been calculated that as long as you are well prepared, one day of training in the Martial Arts Pavilion is equivalent to ten to half a month of training outside. Moreover, with the accumulation of resources, the longer you stay, the more exponentially this effect of training speed will increase.

Especially when it comes to the critical juncture of cultivation breakthrough, it's no exaggeration to say that it can instantly save several years of hard work. That's why the Logistics Department prioritizes giving cultivation slots in the Martial Arts Pavilion to those at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm.

With such precious cultivation spots, how could everyone not fight tooth and nail for them?

No matter how fiercely everyone competed, there were only 1000 slots available previously. The early allocation rule of the Operations Department was that 900 slots would be rotated daily, and then an additional 100 slots would be auctioned off to everyone. Under such circumstances, the lowest price for those 100 auctioned slots could reach 15000 contribution points.

Currently, the price of silver in the Great Xia Dynasty is 1 tael for 10 contribution points. 15000 contribution points is equivalent to 1500 taels of silver, which shows how rare the opportunity to enter the Martial Arts Pavilion for cultivation is!

Although the lord used his supernatural powers to increase the Martial Arts Pavilion's capacity to 3000 last September, it is still far from enough to meet the current huge population of Xia City, so the competition for places has not eased at all.

Last October, the Logistics Department changed the quota allocation rules again. Now there are 1500 quotas, which are specifically for the Digging Realm Limit; 800 quotas are for children aged six to fifteen in the camp; 500 quotas are for the Cold Resistance Realm; 150 quotas are put up for auction; and the remaining 50 are reserved for the most powerful people, such as Si Cheng Xia Chuan and the Eight Divisions Chief, as well as for rewards or to deal with other special situations.

Although these cultivation slots are rotated, and theoretically everyone can get one, considering the current population of Xia City, it takes too long for one rotation.

For example, the largest batch of 1500 slots was announced by Si Cheng at the Han Yuan Banquet at the beginning of the year. Currently, the number of people at the Digging Realm limit in Great Xia has exceeded 50,000. At this rate, each person will only get a slot once a month at the latest. Moreover, if someone is in a breakthrough period and occupies a slot, then we will have to wait even longer.

The number of people attempting to reach the critical depths of the earth continues to rise.

That makes it even more difficult!
Many people have no choice but to spend their contribution points to bid for one of the 150 available spots.

Xiang Liang had considered spending money to bid for a spot, but unfortunately, he didn't have the financial means.

After making meritorious contributions by infiltrating Dajue Temple two years ago, the rewards he received were not limited to being granted a title. He received a total of 48 contribution points from various departments, and with the money he had saved up before, his total net worth was 58, which was quite considerable.

The problem is that he still needs to buy other cultivation resources, and he is now married with a pregnant wife. Moreover, he occasionally has to give his younger siblings some money, so his financial situation is relatively comfortable.

15000 contribution points is the minimum bid. To secure the bid, you'd need at least 2 to 3 contribution points. Spending that many contribution points for a whole day to bid, and to maximize the effect, you'd also need to allocate a large amount of precious cultivation resources. He calculated that if he really wanted to spend contribution points to cultivate for a day, he would need to prepare at least 4 to 6 contribution points.

Many people, even if they can afford it, are reluctant to spend the money.

In fact, there were only about two hundred people in the entire camp who had the financial resources to compete for those 150 cultivation slots. Apart from the heads of the eight departments, the rest were either heads of the eight departments or military commanders and deputy commanders, with official ranks of at least the fifth grade.

These people, whether for themselves or for their children and descendants, are genuinely spending money to snatch things up every day; as for others, they generally only spend money to bid when they are about to break through or have accumulated enough cultivation resources to prepare for a secluded cultivation session.

Based on Xiang Liang's current net worth, he clearly belongs to the latter category.

So last October, when he learned that Si Cheng had allowed him to advance his Martial Arts Pavilion training quota in order to help him improve his strength quickly, Xiang Liang was so excited that he almost knelt down to thank Xia Chuan.

The so-called advance payment means that he can use up his cultivation slots, which would be available to him later, all at once.

In order to improve his strength as quickly as possible, he has only gone out three times since he entered on the sixth day of the tenth month last year.

The first time was when he went back and instructed his wife to bring him food once a day; the second time was when his father, Xiang Ping, returned from his vacation in Zhaoyang; the third time was on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which was half a month ago at the Hanyuan Banquet.

After more than sixty days of tireless cultivation, and having used up all his contribution points down to only 16, Xiang Liang had increased his strength by 5 points in one go. At this moment, besides excitement, Xiang Liang felt even more reluctant to part with his former glory.

He was truly reluctant to leave the Martial Arts Pavilion. If he could stay inside and continue cultivating, how many years of arduous training could he save...

"That's enough. I can't be greedy anymore. The standard set by the Director is 10 manes, and I'm already over 11. Besides, I don't have many contribution points left. If I continue cultivating, I won't even be able to afford Yang Yuan Pills. I need to hurry up and take up my post at Hongmen to earn more contribution points. That's the key!"

Xiang Liang shook his head, suppressing the reluctance in his eyes. After finishing his practice, he slowly stood up, quietly bypassed the people who were cultivating around him, and walked downstairs.

The Martial Arts Pavilion is now divided into five floors. The top two floors are specifically for storing martial arts techniques, the third floor is for those who cultivate at the Cold Resistance level, the second floor is for those at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm, and the first floor is for children aged 6 to 15.

As soon as Xiang Liang reached the second floor, he discovered that a large number of people were rushing towards the first floor. Even behind him, on the third floor, which he had just left, there were many people of the Cold Resistance level hurrying downstairs.

"If you're not cultivating anymore, what are you doing downstairs?"

"Let's watch the show!"

"The first floor is full of kids, what's there to see?"

"Young Master, is this your first day training at the Martial Arts Pavilion?"

"The eldest son?"

"Oh right! I almost forgot, the eldest young master just celebrated his sixth birthday during the day, and he's already cultivating at night. Let's go check on him!"

………………

Hearing the chatter of the people coming downstairs, Xiang Liang instantly realized what was going on. His face lit up with curiosity, and he quickly walked downstairs.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, there is only one person who can be called the eldest son by everyone, and that is Xia Yuzong, the eldest son of Si Cheng Xia Chuan.

Reminded by everyone, Xiang Liang also remembered that Xia Yuzong was born on the fifteenth day of the first month of the third year of the Great Xia Dynasty, and today is exactly his sixth birthday.

It must be said that compared to the two princes who have long resided in the Star-Picking Hall, namely Lord Xia Hong's two children, Xia Yuzong, the eldest son, is undoubtedly more familiar and closer to the people in the inner city, and even to everyone in Xia City.

The reason is simple: so far, Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng have never made a public appearance, not even in the inner city, let alone in the outer city. Almost 99% of the people in Xia City still don't know what they look like, and they know absolutely nothing else about them.

Compared to them, Xia Yuzong appeared in the inner city far more often, and he even went to the outer city a few times. In addition, Xia Chuan, the Director of the Bureau, also took him into the Hall of State Affairs a few times. Therefore, in terms of fame alone, the siblings Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng are really not as famous as him.

Of course, this is only the opinion of the vast majority of people in Xia City.

Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng had actually made a public appearance once before, last September, after the Battle of Hongmen.

The more than 600 people who were qualified to enter the main hall that time were considered to be middle and high-ranking personnel in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. They had seen Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng with their own eyes. Through these people, some news about the two princes had gradually spread in the inner city.

Xiang Liang happened to learn some information from Hou Ming.

"I heard from Lord Hou that when the two princes appeared at Hongmen last year, their basic strength was already over 12,000 jin. The eldest son is from the same lineage as the two princes, so his talent shouldn't be too different..."

As Xiang Liang pondered, he squeezed into the front row of the crowd on the first floor. He looked up at the martial arts arena in front of him, and his gaze was instantly drawn to a child who was practicing boxing.

The first floor of the martial arts hall is specifically for children aged 6 to 15. Not many children in this age group have reached the limit of the Earth Digging Realm and have begun to reshape their skin membrane. The vast majority are at the Wood Logging Realm and Earth Digging Realm.

Since these two stages mainly rely on absorbing and transforming the energy contained in the beast meat to enhance one's basic strength, both the Lumberjacking Realm and the Digging Realm require punching to release the energy within the body.

Therefore, in the past, the first floor was the most lively compared to the second and third floors.

But today's situation is completely different.

On the first floor, there was only one child practicing boxing. Hundreds of children and teenagers of varying ages surrounded him, all looking at the child with a mixture of curiosity and shock.

The child in the middle who is practicing boxing is wearing a custom-made jade-white summer outfit. Judging from the softness of the fabric and its high-quality appearance, it is easy to see that the material is definitely worth a lot.
He wore a jade-colored brocade belt around his waist, with a blood-red jade ring hanging from it. Below, he wore white trousers with silver thread embroidered cloud patterns and white bear boots. It was clear that he had undergone the hair-adding ceremony, as his hair was all tied up and secured with a silver hairpin adorned with pearls. Due to the intense boxing, fine downy hairs were scattered on his forehead, making his eyebrows appear even more lovely and bright.

He looked no more than six or seven years old. Despite his youthful appearance, he showed no fear even under the scrutiny of so many eyes. He executed a complete set of Changquan Tai Zhan techniques from beginning to end with fluid, graceful movements that were a pleasure to watch. His skill level was already comparable to many adults in Xia City. "It seems... he's broken through!"

"Breakthrough?"

"how is this possible?"

"Look at this! After finishing this set of punches, he broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm!"

"He really broke through. When Young Master Chang came in just now, I saw it very clearly. His basic strength was only a little over 9800 jin. After one punch, he broke through?"

"this…………"

It was unclear which Cold Resistance level expert was the first to notice the change in Xia Yuzong's basic power. As soon as he spoke, the others all realized what was happening.

As more and more Cold-Resistant level cultivators saw the immense power contained within Xia Yuzong's small body, their pupils suddenly contracted, and then the entire first floor erupted in gasps of amazement.

On his first day of being six years old, he broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm upon entering the Martial Arts Pavilion!
"I remember that the fastest person to break through to the Earth-Digging Realm in the Martial Arts Pavilion so far was eight years and nine months old. The eldest young master broke it as soon as he arrived?"

"In the past three years, this isn't just breaking records, it's downright dimensional destruction!"

"This is because the eldest son can only cultivate at the age of six. If he could cultivate before the age of six, wouldn't he have broken through long ago?"

"This is truly the chosen one of our Great Xia!"

"As expected of the eldest son, I'm truly impressed."

"Not surprising, not surprising. Like father, like son. I've heard that the Chief Minister's talent is second only to the Lord and his wife in our Great Xia. It's normal for the eldest son to be so talented!"

"But this... is just too terrifying!"

………………

Even though Xiang Liang was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but swallow hard, his pupils filled with uncontrollable horror and shock.

"I remember it very clearly. Last October, when I saw Young Master Chang in the inner city, his basic strength was only a little over 7,000 jin. He broke through in just two months!"

Suddenly, Xiang Liang thought of something, and a fiery light flashed in his eyes.

"Spirit Milk Pill, that's right, it must be the Spirit Milk Pill. Last year, the Alchemy Pavilion developed an extremely precious spirit pill that can be given to children aged three to six. It can improve a child's basic strength without any side effects. Lord Si Cheng has no shortage of contribution points, so the eldest son must have been improved by using the Spirit Milk Pill."

The burning desire in Xiang Liang's eyes was naturally for the child in Wang Yuxiu's womb, who was still four months away from being born.

What father doesn't want his child to be more outstanding?

In the Ice Abyss world, talent is naturally the most important criterion for judging whether a child is excellent.

Thinking of the price of the Spirit Milk Pill, Xiang Liang felt a sense of urgency.

As far as he knew, the production of Spirit Milk Pills was extremely rare. After the Alchemy Pavilion developed Spirit Milk Pills last year, the Supply Department released only 100 pills in the first batch. The starting price for a single pill was 5 contribution points, and each person could only bid on a maximum of 5 pills.

The news that Xia Chuan spent nearly a million contribution points to bid for five Spirit Milk Pills had already spread throughout Xia City.

Thinking about this, Xiang Liang's burning passion for the Spirit Milk Pill instantly cooled down. With his current financial resources, it was nothing short of a pipe dream to try and acquire such a precious cultivation resource as the Spirit Milk Pill.

"The Logistics Department has more and more valuable resources available, but whether I can acquire them depends on my own abilities. The contribution points of the Director and the other directors are what they have earned over the years by fighting for the Great Xia. I can't envy them, I can only catch up with them!"
Two years ago, I risked my life to infiltrate Hexia Village with Lord Xu, which was a preliminary change in my fate and also turned the Xiang family's fortunes around. However, we are still far from reaching the top of the Great Xia Dynasty. If we want to continue to improve, we cannot afford to slack off for a moment. We must seize every opportunity, not only for myself, but also for Yuxiu and the child in her womb, and for the future of my Xiang family!

Once a person calms down, their thoughts become clear. Xiang Liang quickly found the crux of the problem and understood himself and the direction he needed to work towards next.

His current position as the Deputy Chief of Punishments in Hongmen City is a major opportunity for him. As long as he can do this job well and not disappoint Xia Chuan and Li Sizheng, his status in their eyes will rise higher and higher. In the future, will he still have to worry about not having the opportunity to make contributions to the Great Xia?
"Everyone, you're not planning to keep surrounding me like this, are you? Getting into the Martial Arts Pavilion isn't easy. Wouldn't it be a waste not to use this time to train?"

Meanwhile, Xia Yuzong, who was being watched by everyone, finally couldn't hold back after finishing his second set of fist techniques. He turned around, cupped his hands to everyone around him, and spoke in a childish voice.

Everyone immediately understood what he meant.

Most people quickly turned around and returned to their own areas to cultivate, while a few people rolled their eyes and began to praise Xia Yuzong.

"Young Master Chang's talent must be the best in Xia City, right?"

"What do you mean by 'number one in Xia City'? A six-year-old at the Earth-Digging Realm is probably one you couldn't find even if you searched all nine towns. Calling him the number one in the southern foothills of Mo'ao wouldn't be an exaggeration!"

"Yes, yes, at this rate, I estimate that the eldest son will break through to the Cold Resistance level by the time he is ten years old. I doubt there is anyone with higher aptitude than the eldest son in the southern foothills of Mo'ao."

………………

Hearing the praise from that small group of people, Xiang Liang, who was about to leave, stopped abruptly and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Xia Yuzong, wanting to see his reaction.

Upon hearing everyone's words, Xia Yuzong's small face did not show a smile. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was somewhat displeased. However, he still cupped his hands slightly and faced everyone, saying, "You all flatter me. Let's hurry up and go cultivate!"

Six-year-old Xia Yuzong's reaction to so much praise was surprisingly indifferent.

Those who had praised him stiffened slightly, but dared not say anything more, and went about their own business after bowing.

Those who had already left turned to look at Xia Yuzong, their eyes clearly showing admiration.

Xiang Liang was more direct; his eyes were full of admiration and praise as he looked at Xia Yuzong.

Whatever the reason, it is already quite remarkable that a child who has just turned six can not get lost in the praise and compliments of those around him. Considering Xia Yuzong's background and status, it is undoubtedly even more commendable that he can do this.

"Rumor has it that when the eldest son was born six years ago, the lord himself said that he would become the future leader of the Xia family. Now it seems that his words are about to come true!"

Xiang Liang smiled, turned around and left the Martial Arts Pavilion, heading home.

He needed to go back and pack his things before going to the prison department to report back to Li Tiancheng.

When Wang Yuxiu saw that her husband had finally come out of seclusion, she was overjoyed. She busied herself tidying him up and preparing meals for him.

Xiang Liang only stayed at home for half an hour before going to the main hall of the prison department.

After the guards announced his arrival, Xiang Liang went straight into the main hall. Seeing Li Tiancheng writing furiously at his desk above, he quickly bowed and said, "Xiang Liang, the Silver Order Prison Warden, greets Your Excellency!"

"11 manes of strength, not bad!"

After two months, Xiang Liang's hair had improved to level 11. Li Tiancheng looked at Xiang Liang with a surprised expression, and the words "not bad" that followed were clearly heartfelt praise.

"You flatter me, Minister Si. If it weren't for the invaluable opportunities given to me by Minister Si and you, I wouldn't have been promoted so quickly!"

Hearing Xiang Liang's modesty, Li Tiancheng waved his hand and didn't waste any more words with him. He quickly pulled out a booklet with a blue cover from the table and handed it to a guard next to him, indicating that he should give it to Xiang Liang.

When Xiang Liang saw the blue cover of the booklet, a guess appeared on his face. He took the booklet from the guard, saw the contents on the cover, and immediately thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

The cover clearly read "Hongmen Files".

The Prison Department is in charge of the criminal law of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the prison wardens are responsible for handling cases, investigating cases, arresting criminals, punishing criminals, and even executing criminals when necessary. Such tedious and complex tasks naturally require strict procedures.

In order to standardize the case-handling process, the Prison Department established case files for all its subordinate districts and outposts in Da Xia. The files were divided into two volumes: red and blue. The red files contained cases that had been closed after being reviewed and approved by the Prison Headquarters. The blue files contained cases that had not been solved or had not yet been investigated.

The dangers of the Ice Abyss World are far too numerous. Even in a powerful country like the Great Xia of today, the number of deaths reported by each outpost every month is not small. Among these deaths, some are genuine disappearances, some are killed by cold beasts, some are killed by monsters, and of course, some are murdered by humans.

The cause of death of these people should, of course, be investigated by the prison department.

If it can be confirmed that the person was killed by a cold beast or monster, then the prison department will be relieved. What they fear most is that the person was killed by someone. In that case, they will have to open a case and investigate thoroughly. Whether the person was killed by an outsider or by their own people, and for what reason, they must find out clearly.

If the case can't be solved, that's okay. It'll just be an unsolved case. Whoever handled it will be held responsible, and it will ultimately affect the warden's promotion assessment.

As a result, what all prison wardens fear most is unsolved cases.

Unfortunately, according to the regulations of the prison department, unsolved cases inevitably arise at each station, so each station has a blue dossier.

Every jailer who saw the blue dossier wished they could turn around and run away immediately.

At this moment, Xiang Liang, holding the blue dossier in his hand, naturally felt the same way.

not only that.

The cyan dossier of the Hongmen in his hand was significantly thicker than any dossier he had ever seen before!
How could so many unsolved cases have accumulated at Hongmen?

(End of this chapter)