Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 431 Xiang Chong's Martial Arts Final and the Beginning of the Ancestral Sacrifice

In the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, on the fifth day of the eighth month, not long after nightfall...

Inner city, Xiang Mansion

"Alright, alright, just prepare some offerings. It's not a big deal. I don't need your help. The kitchen is smoky, don't let it bother Chong'er. Go out, go out."

"Yes, brother, hurry up and go, don't interfere with what my sister-in-law and I are doing."

"Okay, okay, I'll go out, I'll go out!"

Xiang Liang, holding his two-month-old son, had only been in the kitchen for a short while when his wife, Wang Yuxiu, and sister, Xiang Rong, kicked him out.

He wasn't annoyed. Looking down, he saw his son in his arms with his big eyes wide open, seemingly looking at him curiously. His adorable expression made him burst into laughter. He lowered his head and nudged his son's little nose with his cheek.

In fact, Xiang Liang knew he had become a father when he received news of his wife's childbirth at Hongmen two months ago. However, since it was a message sent from afar, he didn't feel it strongly until he returned to his home in the inner city at dawn and saw his son Xiang Chong with his own eyes. Only then did he have a concrete and real feeling.

I'm a dad now!
Eight years ago, the young lumberjack who almost died in the north of Wuyuan Mountain has now not only broken through the Cold Resistance level and gained the strength of thirteen manes, but has also been granted a ninth-rank title, established a shrine in the ancestral temple, and made the Xiang clan one of the minor clans of the Great Xia Dynasty. He is currently the deputy chief of the Hongmen, holding the rank of fifth grade, and his wife has given birth to such a big, fat son!
Such a change can only be described as earth-shattering.

Recalling that night eight years ago, when he risked his life to find the Great Xia as a way out for the He Feng camp, carrying a piece of Cold Marrow Iron, Xiang Liang now felt not only gratitude and joy, but also a deep sense of satisfaction.

Xiang Liang carried his son and slowly walked to the main hall. He saw many unopened congratulatory gifts on the table and looked down at his son in his arms. He couldn't help but sigh and say, "You are much luckier than me. From now on, all you can look forward to are good days."

Eight years ago, the Hefeng camp was merged into Daxia, with a total of more than a thousand people. Although eight years have passed and these more than a thousand people have long since dispersed to various areas of Xia City, they are still from the same family. In addition, Xiang Ping, the father, was the former leader of Hefeng, so they still have some connection with each other.

To be honest, this kind of behavior—people rushing to give gifts when their son turns one month old—might have existed in the past, but it would never have happened this many times.

Xiang Liang knew very well that the key was that he had been granted a title last year and then became the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department of Hongmen this year, officially joining the ranks of officials and gentry in the Great Xia Dynasty. That's why so many people were trying to curry favor with him again.

People are realistic after all. Xiang Liang himself had climbed up from humble beginnings, so he naturally couldn't say he was disgusted by this kind of behavior.

In particular, after taking office at Hongmen and entering the officialdom of Daxia for more than half a year, he has gained a certain understanding of the situation of the middle and upper levels of Daxia.

At the Hanyuan Banquet at the beginning of the year, Xiao Kangcheng, the father-in-law of Si Cheng and the hunting master of Ba Shang, took the initiative to talk to him. He immediately realized that this was the Wuyuan faction extending an olive branch to him.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue. Thinking back to the original Hefeng camp, with over 1000 people, it was still divided into many interest groups. How much more so for the Great Xia with over 260 million people today.

Even officials talk about sticking together for warmth, let alone ordinary people.

So many people are sending gifts to my son, simply because they want to curry favor with me and see if I can help them or their offspring.

Looking at the gifts, Xiang Liang knew exactly what was going on. He shook his head and muttered, "Based on my observations over the past six months, the Wuyuan faction currently only has some influence in the middle levels of the Great Xia Dynasty. Its power is not great, and it does need more fresh blood. If any of He Feng's old friends really become talented, it is only right to give them a helping hand. Whether or not we give them gifts doesn't matter much."

He shook off his thoughts, sat in the main seat, and continued to tease his son with a smile.

"Big brother!"

However, before long, the second brother, Xiang Yan, walked in from outside the door with a gloomy expression. He was clearly in low spirits and spoke very softly when he called out to people.

"What, you've seen the rankings, and you think your chances of advancing are slim?"

Seeing the expression on his second brother's face, Xiang Liang immediately guessed the reason.

The second brother, Xiang Yan, is not yet eighteen years old this year, which meets the registration requirements for the junior group of this martial arts competition. Naturally, he would not miss such a grand event. At the end of May, he went to Hongmen City to participate in the competition, just like other young people in Xia City.

So the two brothers spent more than two months together in Hongmen. Five days ago, the semi-finals ended, and Xiang Yan, who had successfully advanced, returned to Xiacheng first to participate in the finals, while Xiang Liang had just arrived home because of the early ancestral sacrifice.

The martial arts finals started on the first day of the Lunar New Year, still using the timed arena system. Each person fought five matches, and the top 200 who won five consecutive matches in the shortest time advanced. The youth and junior groups were held simultaneously, and the event was completed in five days.

Xiang Yan had already played five games in her third year of junior high school, and she was quite lucky, winning all five.

However, his total time exceeded half an hour. When the results came out on the third day of junior high school, he was already ranked over 180th in the junior group. If he wanted to continue advancing, he could only hope that the people behind him would not do as well as him.

So for two consecutive nights, he went to the North Fifth District arena to check the rankings as soon as night fell. He had only been gone for a short time when he came back dejectedly, clearly having been pushed off the rankings.

Xiang Yan's face fell, and she nodded, saying, "I should have been squeezed out of the list last night. The person currently ranked 200th only spent a little over 600 breaths to win five consecutive games."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang showed no surprise whatsoever. As one of the referees for the Hongmen preliminary and semi-final rounds, he had a certain understanding of the strength of all the participants in this Three Towns Martial Arts Tournament.

This martial arts competition has brought together the most outstanding young people from the three towns of Daxia, Muyin, and Jiangxia, and there are also many geniuses from the other six towns. It will be much more difficult for them to stand out and enter the top 100 than in previous years.

“I told you back at Hongmen that if you want to break into the top 100 in the junior group, you either need to have the cultivation level of the Cold Resistance level, or the basic strength of the Skin Reshaping stage, which exceeds 80,000 jin, and you are confirmed to have the aptitude of at least a medium-level combat body. In addition to these two situations, there is also the option of having extremely high martial arts talent. You don’t meet any of these three conditions, so you definitely don’t have much hope!”

Xiang Yan broke through the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm last year and began to reshape his skin membrane. His current basic strength is over 60,000 jin. This aptitude is definitely not bad compared to his peers in the outer city, but it is not enough in the inner city. There are not only many people stronger than him, but also three to five hundred.

Making it into the top 1,000 would be considered good; getting into the top 200 is definitely out of the question.

As for the top 100 in the junior group, there's no point in even thinking about it.

"Alright, don't be so downcast. I told you back at Hongmen that you should be mentally prepared. There's more than one martial arts competition. You can try again next year. You're only 18, unlike me. I'm already over 25 and won't have the chance to participate in the martial arts competition anymore."

Seeing Xiang Yan's dejected expression, Xiang Liang still offered a word of comfort.

Xiang Yan nodded first, but couldn't help shaking her head and saying, "I know I'm not as good as the top geniuses in the inner city, but I never imagined the gap would be this big!"

Just as the eldest brother said, on the junior group side, there are Luo An, Lu Dong, Zou Ping, Liu Peng, Hong Ye, Zhao Yuanwu, Zhao Yuankong, Zhao Yuanshan, Zhao Yuankang, Qin Feng, Liu Ming, Chen Ping, Qin Zhan...

These people either broke through to the Cold Resistance level during the semi-finals; or their basic strength is already over 100,000 jin; and there are also quite a few with extremely high martial arts talent like Luo Cheng, Chen Ping, and Qin Zhan, who often defeat opponents with superior strength.

Compared to these people, I really am... too ordinary!

As Xiang Yan spoke, he couldn't help but clench his fists, and the look of frustration on his face grew stronger. Clearly, this martial arts competition had a significant psychological impact on him.

Xiang Liang looked at his younger brother with a hint of approval on his face. For someone his age to admit that he was ordinary was no easy feat.

"It's good to realize that you're just ordinary. I won't talk nonsense with you. The gap between you and these people isn't just in terms of talent. You can't compete with them in terms of background, family, or wealth. So if you want to surpass them, you can only put in ten times or even a hundred times the effort, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan immediately looked up at Xiang Liang, his fighting spirit rekindling in his eyes. He cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "I understand, elder brother!"

He remembered clearly that in the first Great Xia Martial Arts Tournament, his elder brother relied on luck to get through the preliminary round of the Lumberjack Realm group, and his results were much worse than his today.

But my elder brother was not discouraged at all. He worked hard for a whole year and achieved a good result of sixth place in the logging group in the second annual Great Xia Martial Arts Tournament. In the fifth tournament, he even broke into the top ten in the digging group and was noticed by Xu Ning, the then Wuyuan Shouzheng, and became a member of the Black Arrow Squad.

It was precisely because he joined the Black Arrow Squad that the eldest brother got the opportunity to infiltrate Hexia Village with Lord Xu. It can be said that his subsequent ennoblement, entry into the Prison Warden's Office, and now his position as a fifth-rank official and deputy chief of the Hongmen Prisons Office all contributed to his rise to power.

The eldest brother's miraculous change of fate was never achieved overnight, but rather through hard work and perseverance. With such a role model, what are his current setbacks?
Seeing Xiang Yan cheer up again, Xiang Liang knew that his younger brother had really taken his words to heart, and his face was full of approval. However, he quickly thought of something and asked with a smile, "Those people you just mentioned, like Luo An, should be the favorites to win the junior group championship. Apart from them, Mu Yin and Jiangxia, including the other six towns, haven't produced any formidable figures?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan immediately showed a strange expression and shook her head, saying, "Yes, but very few. The situation in the youth group is slightly better. I heard that 40% of the top 200 are from outside the town. In the junior group, less than 20% of the top 200 are from outside the town, and their rankings are all quite low. I estimate that when the final list comes out tonight, their proportion will be even smaller."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that what Li Longkai had told him along the way on the way back from Hongmen last night was indeed true. "The young people in Muyin and Jiangxia towns are indeed far inferior to the young people in our Great Xia. I estimate that out of the top 100 in the youth group, there are at most ten or so from outside the towns; the situation is even worse in the junior group, probably not even ten."

When Xiang Liang first heard this, he was a little skeptical, but now that he heard Xiang Liang say this, it seems that Li Longkai's prediction last night is very likely to come true.

"Alright, you two brothers, stop chatting. Everything is ready, let's head to the ancestral temple!"

Just as Xiang Liang was about to continue speaking, his wife Wang Yuxiu and sister Xiang Rong came in from outside the door carrying baskets, signaling them to set off.

Wang Yuxiu walked up to Xiang Liang, lifted the basket, and said with a smile, "This is my first time visiting the ancestral temple. I only know the rules from what I've heard. Three sacrificial animals, five fruits, yellow candles, spirit wine, and spirit pills—these are the five things, right?"

Xiang Liang looked at the sacrificial items in the basket and realized that he had never told his family before, yet Wang Yuxiu had prepared them so meticulously. His eyes were full of admiration as he looked at her.

There was no need for formalities between the couple. Xiang Liang nodded, waved his hand at his wife and the others, and said with a smile, "Let's go, let's head to the ancestral temple!"

After saying that, he took the lead and was the first to walk out.

"Shouldn't we just leave Chong'er behind? It's too cold outside, we don't want him to get cold."

When Wang Yuxiu saw Xiang Liang carrying his son out, she immediately tried to dissuade him. Although it wasn't cold in Xiacheng, their son was only two months old, so they should try to stay home as much as possible.

Xiang Liang shook his head and smiled, "This year, the young master of the main sect will be having his hair tied up in a bun ceremony. Not only will all the heads of the minor sects be present, but the eldest sons of all the sects will also have to attend. It won't take long, no problem!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuxiu naturally didn't say anything more. However, worried that Xiang Liang might not be careful, she still stepped forward and handed the basket to Xiang Liang, and then carried Xiang Chong back herself.

"Big brother, can my sister and I go to the Grand Ancestral Altar to watch the ceremony?"

This was not Xiang Yan's first time participating in the ancestral sacrifice, so he was very familiar with the ancestral temple.

The ancestral temple is divided into three levels: the first level is the ancestral hall, where anyone with a household registration in the Great Xia can erect a stele and offer sacrifices; the second level is the clan hall, but it is not so simple to enter the clan hall to erect a stele, one must be granted a title; and the third level is the Great Ancestral Sacred Platform he mentioned.

The reason for the ancestral worship ceremony being held earlier this year has already spread throughout Xia City: it's because the two young masters of the main branch are about to undergo the hair-adding ceremony, and Xiang Yan is also aware of this.

Hearing this, Xiang Rong looked at her elder brother with anticipation, clearly wanting to attend the ceremony at the Grand Ancestral Platform just like Xiang Yan.

Seeing his younger siblings' expectant faces, Xiang Liang shook his head and laughed, "Only the heads of minor sects and the eldest sons of sects can go to the Grand Sect Sacred Platform. If you two really want to go up there, then you should confer titles and establish your own sects as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, both of them deflated like punctured balloons, their faces filled with dejection.

Conferring titles and establishing clans is arguably the most difficult achievement to attain in the Great Xia Dynasty.

It's not that easy to do.

The total population of the Great Xia Dynasty is currently over 260 million, but only about 300 people hold noble titles.

Putting everything else aside, just take their father, Xiang Ping, for example. He broke through the Cold Resistance level so early and joined the Longyuan Army. So far, he has only accumulated a little over two hundred military merits, which is still a long way from being granted a noble title.

The eldest brother, Xiang Liang, was able to be ennobled entirely through his own hard work and risking his life. He was an exceptional case among exceptional cases, and it was impossible to imitate him. Moreover, the ennoblement of him and Bai Shanning last year caused quite a stir in Xia City. This is why they admire their eldest brother so much.

It can be said that strength is only the most basic requirement for being granted a noble title.

Courage, boldness, and opportunity are all indispensable. In peacetime, you might even need a bit of luck, since you have no chance to earn military merit in normal times.

The brother and sister looked at each other and shook their heads. Seeing that their older brother, Xiang Liang, had already walked far away, they quickly followed after him.

Five days ago, Zhou Ying, the mother, went to Zhaoyang to visit her father, Xiang Ping. Therefore, this year's ancestral worship ceremony was led by Xiang Liang, the eldest brother, and his family. The four of them, along with Xiang Chong, who was only two months old, quickly passed through the main building and arrived at the ancestral temple at the back.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a staggered festival? Why are there still so many people!"

"That's too many, probably fifty or sixty thousand people."

"There are even people specifically there to maintain order!"

…………

As soon as they stepped into the ancestral temple, Xiang Liang and the others were dumbfounded.

The temple was packed with people, and there were even people at the entrance specifically responsible for controlling the flow of people, letting in only one group at a time.

"The ancestral hall on the first floor is where anyone with a registered household can erect a monument. Xia City has a total population of over 260 million, with at least 50 registered households. It's not surprising that so many people are coming. Just walk around the side and go up to the ancestral hall on the second floor."

Xiang Liang, holding his wife's hand and leading his younger siblings, slowly moved forward with the flow of people. It took him a full half hour to successfully enter the ancestral temple gate. As soon as he entered, he immediately went around to the stairs and headed to the second floor.

Not many people can go up to the second floor, so whenever someone goes up to the second floor, everyone below immediately falls silent for a moment and then casts envious glances.

"Is that Lord Xiang?"

"It is Lord Xiang Liang, the Deputy Chief of Justice at Hongmen."

"Lord Xiang was granted the rank of ninth-grade noble last year."

"I heard there are only 339 minor sect positions on the second floor. Those who can get in are no ordinary people!"

"Nonsense, Lord Xiang made great contributions in the Battle of Dajue Temple two years ago, and I heard he almost lost his life."

………………

Xiang Liang led his wife, children, and siblings to the second floor amidst envious glances from the crowd. They climbed the circular staircase and soon found the location of the Xiang family's shrine.

"Big brother, look, there are many adults around. After they finished their worship, they all went to the top floor. Are they going to watch the ceremony at the Grand Ancestral Altar?"

"Be quiet, talk after you've finished the worship."

Xiang Liang had already noticed many of his colleagues around him, but he was exceptionally devout in his worship. He interrupted Xiang Yan in a low voice, quickly arranged the three sacrificial animals, five fruits, yellow candles, spirit wine, and spirit pills, and then led his wife, younger brother, and younger sister to worship in front of the shrine.

The Xiang family currently consists of seven members, all of whom are still alive. Therefore, all seven spirit tablets in the shrine emit a fluorescent glow. As the five people finished their worship, the glow on the spirit tablets became noticeably brighter.

"Alright, Yuxiu, give me the child, you take them both back first!"

Wang Yuxiu didn't really understand the rules of the Great Xia Ancestral Sacrifice. Hearing this, she realized that even she couldn't go up to the Great Ancestral Sacred Altar. Although she was worried, seeing her husband's serious face, she still handed the child over to him.

"Wrap Chong'er up tightly in the blanket, don't let him get cold!"

After giving her final instructions, Wang Yuxiu finished packing up the offerings and, together with Xiang Yan and Xiang Rong, descended the circular staircase, preparing to leave the ancestral temple and return home.

Xiang Liang, carrying his son, continued walking up the circular staircase.

(End of this chapter)