Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 432 Sacred Altar and Offerings, The Fourth Manifestation-Level Being, Amazing Talent, Clan Ritual Procedure
The ancestral temple was built into the valley and located at the deepest part of the inner city.

The temple is 33 meters long, 33 meters wide, and 55 meters high. It is divided into three levels and has a pyramid structure, but it does not have a spire. The top level is a high platform.

The first floor is the ancestral hall, where anyone with a household registration in the Great Xia Dynasty can enter to erect a stele and offer sacrifices. So naturally, this floor occupies the entire space, with a ceiling height of 35 meters.
The second-floor ancestral hall is only accessible to those who have been granted titles and have the qualifications to establish a sect. Although the Great Xia currently has only 339 titled individuals, the hall was designed with a 15-meter ceiling height for future purposes. Tens of thousands of empty shrines were reserved on the surrounding walls.

The Xiang family shrine was located at the top of the ancestral hall. Xiang Liang, carrying his son, walked up the circular staircase for less than fifty breaths before seeing the exit at the top floor.

There weren't many pedestrians on the circular staircase. Realizing that everyone else was already in place and that he had arrived relatively late, Xiang Liang immediately quickened his pace, quickly passing through the exit and reaching the top floor.

Upon reaching the top floor, Xiang Liang's gaze was immediately drawn to a silver platform in the very center.

It was a square, silver platform with sides of five meters, facing west. There were nine steps leading down from the platform, and the whole thing radiated a dazzling silver light. It was obvious at a glance that it was made of silver.

On the high platform stood a rectangular table, two meters wide, upon which stood ten memorial tablets radiating a strong light, arranged in three tiers from highest to lowest:
The highest one in the very center is inscribed with the words "Great Xia," clearly referring to the entire Great Xia camp. Below that, there are five spirit tablets: Xia Hong, the head of the main sect; Li Xuanling, the matriarch of the main sect; Xia Chuan, the head of the branch sect; Xiao Ning, the matriarch of the branch sect; and Xiao Yu. The last tier has four tablets: Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng, the young masters of the main sect; Xia Yuzong and Xia Yuning, the second-generation disciples of the branch sect.

Every year during the ancestral rites, the heads of all the minor clans would ascend the sacred altar to worship the main clan. Therefore, this was Xiang Liang's fourth time visiting the main clan's sacred altar. He was very familiar with the high platform, the table, and even the ten spirit tablets on the table.

What truly captivated him at that moment were the offerings laid out on the table.

The Xia ritual did not impose strict requirements on the specifications of the offerings for ancestral sacrifices; it was sufficient to prepare only five items: three sacrificial animals, five kinds of fruit, yellow candles, spirit wine, and spirit pills.

Firstly, since it is a sacrificial ceremony, the better the offerings prepared, the more devout the worshipper is. Secondly, Xia Chuan, the Director of the Imperial Sacrifices, once publicly stated that all the spirit tablets would continuously gain spirituality as the number of offerings increased, and would produce more other wonderful uses in the future. Thirdly, the Great Xia Dynasty is rich in resources, and the offerings are not disposable items; these things can still be used normally after the ceremony.

With these three factors in place, when preparing offerings, everyone, if financially able, will certainly prepare them to the highest standard.

Take Xiang Liang himself, for example. The offerings Wang Yuxiu prepared for him included high-grade animal meat for the three sacrificial animals, the five fruits that were the most expensive fruits in the current supply department, the best level-six elixirs, and the three kinds of high-grade spirit wine that he specially exchanged from the supply department.

Apart from the yellow candles, which each person could only use two of, the wives used the best of what they could afford for the other four types of offerings.

If even a ninth-rank Xuanling Viscount like him can use these tributes, then it goes without saying that those with higher ranks and greater wealth can use them as well.

As for the lord's family, which is the offering used during major sacrifices, that is almost at the highest level.

If he remembered correctly, the three sacrificial animals used in last year's grand sacrifice were the best pieces of meat from three different beast king-level cold beasts; the five fruits, spirit wine, and spirit pills were all top-tier treasures that the Logistics Department did not open to the public; and ten yellow candles were prepared directly.

This year, the five kinds of offerings displayed on the high platform are even more extravagant than last year.

The first tray contained three cold beasts: a Blood Jade Fox, a Fire Stone Tiger, and a Azure Thunder Roar. They were all less than half a meter long, with clear black and white pupils, which were obvious characteristics of a beast king.

The second tray was filled with spirit fruits, spirit pills, and spirit wine, most of which Xiang Liang had never seen before. There were more than ten kinds of pills alone, totaling over a thousand, all of which were the most precious level-six spirit pills in the camp at present. The spirit fruits and spirit wine were countless.
Finally, there were the yellow candles. Hundreds of yellow candles filled the entire table, illuminating the entire high platform and adding even more brilliance and magnificence to the already dazzling silver light.

"Lord Xiang, it's been a long time!"

Xiang Liang was staring blankly at the offerings on the high platform, completely unaware that an elderly man nearing seventy, accompanied by a middle-aged man, had already approached him. Hearing the voices, he snapped out of his daze, turned around, saw the two men, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. He cupped his hands in return, saying:
"Old Bai, it's been a long time!"

The visitors were none other than Bai Shanqiu, who had worked with him on an undercover mission two years ago, and his eldest son, Bai Yuming.

"Yu Ming greets Lord Xiang!"

"Brother Bai, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Seeing Bai Yucheng, who was about ten years older than him, bowing to him, Xiang Liang instinctively wanted to reach out and help him up, but he was holding his son Xiang Chong in his arms, so he could only helplessly raise his hand to return the bow.

Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu had been infiltrating Dajue Temple together for nearly two years, using the identities of father and son. They had long since developed a life-or-death bond. Although their choices after being granted titles were completely different, their relationship was firmly established, and their families were very familiar with each other.

Bai Shanqiu has three sons and one daughter, all of whom are married. His eldest son is Bai Yucheng, who is 41 years old this year. Bai Yucheng is not only older than him, but his strength of 19 manes is also far superior to his.

This is Xiang Liang's current predicament. Whether it's the ninth-rank noble title or the position of deputy chief of justice, given his current strength of 13, he is far from qualified.

Based on his initial understanding, the 339 nobles in the Great Xia Dynasty generally have a strength of 25 or higher, and very few have 20. Even Bai Shanqiu, who was nobled at the same time as him but has no battle physique aptitude, has a strength of 16.

Therefore, in terms of strength, he, as a ninth-rank Xuanling Viscount, is at the bottom among all those who have been granted titles.

The awkward part is that those who are stronger than him, unless they have been granted a title, must address him as "Sir" according to the Xia etiquette, and must also take the initiative to bow to him.

No wonder Si Cheng gave him the green light to stay in the Martial Arts Pavilion for two months before he took office last year. If he really took office as the deputy head of the Hongmen with his strength of 6 Zong, even the gatekeeper would probably be stronger than him, which would be extremely embarrassing.

Fortunately, Xiang Liang had already encountered many such awkward situations during the past six months at Hongmen, so he didn't take it to heart this time.

Bai Shanqiu noticed his embarrassment and quickly changed the subject, laughing, "The specifications of this year's tribute are completely different from previous years, Lord Xiang, have you noticed?"

Xiang Liang immediately nodded in response. Seeing the mysterious look on Bai Shanqiu's face, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be that besides the two young masters of the major sects' hair-adding ceremony, there is something else more important happening today?"

Bai Shanqiu smiled and nodded, then leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I've been in Xia City the whole time, so I've heard some rumors. I heard that the lord might be coming out of seclusion today. These tributes were specially prepared in advance by the Minister of Justice. In my opinion, the lord is definitely going to use some big tricks again. These tributes might be even more effective than in previous years."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang's face immediately lit up with excitement.

The offerings used up by the main branch each year during the sacrificial rites are set aside in half and distributed to all the smaller branches. Xiang Liang received one last year, so he knows this very well.

Unlike those of smaller sects, the offerings used in large sect sacrifices receive a significant amplification of their effects.

For example, the meat of beast kings contains too much energy and can only be used as medicine under normal circumstances. To consume it directly, one must have at least the Cold Resistance level of cultivation. However, the energy of the sacrificial meat will expand more than ten times after the sacrificial process. The cultivation boost obtained after consuming it at the Cold Resistance level is five or six times stronger than that of Yang Yuan Dan.
The same applies to beast blood. The blood of the Beast King can help the Digging Realm reach its limit and improve the combat physique. The offering of beast blood after the sacrificial process will also have a five to six times effect amplification.

For example, the same applies to elixirs and spirit wines!

In previous years, the distribution of tribute was based on the rank of nobility. The higher the rank, the more items were distributed. Xiang Liang was the lowest rank, the ninth, and last year he only received 10 catties of animal meat, 3 catties of animal blood, 1 catty of spirit wine, and 5 Yang Yuan Pills.

Last year was the first time Xiang Liang received tribute. After experiencing it, he immediately realized why those who were granted titles in the Great Xia Dynasty improved their strength so much faster than others.

He used the four kinds of offerings: beast meat, spirit wine, and Yang Yuan pills. He only kept the beast blood, intending to give it to his younger brother Xiang Yan and younger sister Xiang Rong when they were trying to improve their battle physique.

He'll get a share again this year, and judging by the situation, he'll likely get even more than last year. Combined with what Bai Shanqiu said, the results this year might be even better. Naturally, Xiang Liang was extremely excited at this moment.

"That's about it, Si Cheng is almost here, hurry up and find a seat!"

Upon hearing Bai Shanqiu's reminder, Xiang Liang quickly suppressed his excitement, looked around the sacred platform, and saw that everyone was already standing according to their rank. He immediately followed Bai Shanqiu and found a place to stand at the back.

Apart from Xia Chuan, the chief officiant presiding over the ancestral sacrifice tonight, and the two senior members of the main lineage, Xia Yuzong and Xia Yuning, the remaining three hundred-plus leaders of the minor lineages, along with their respective eldest sons, stood in five rows strictly according to their rank.

There was only one person in the first row, Yuwen Tao, the Director of the Ministry of War, who was promoted to the fifth-rank Golden Palace Viscount along with the Director at the beginning of the year. Yuwen Tao was not married, so he naturally did not have an eldest son, hence he was the only one there.

There weren't many sixth-class purple electronic nobles in the second row either. There were four pairs of fathers and sons: Yuan Cheng and Yuan Shao, Xu Ning and Xu Cheng, Qiu Peng and Qiu Hong, Luo Yuan and Luo An, plus the lone Li Tiancheng.
The third row has a slightly larger number of seventh-rank Qingming Viscounts, all father-son pairs: Yue Feng and Yue Yuan, Lin Kai and Lin Shou, Lu Yang and Lu Yuzhou, Liu Yuan and Liu Che, Mu Dong and Mu Yan, Cheng Feng and Cheng Luan, Bai Dongying and Bai Yaochen, Zhao Long and Zhao Yuanwu, Hong Guang and Hong Yu, Meng Yi and Meng Ao... a total of 27 pairs.
The fourth row of eighth-rank viscounts of the Crimson Clouds has even more: Li Yuankun and Li Tiandu father and son, Shi Ping and Shi Da father and son, Chen Yingyuan and Chen Yuan father and son, Peng Bo and Peng Zu grandfather and grandson, Hong Tian and Hong Ning father and son, Zhu Yuan and Zhu Ying father and son, Zhao Hu and Zhao Yuankong father and son, Zhao Bao and Zhao Yuankang father and son... a total of 61 pairs;
The remaining fifth row consists entirely of ninth-rank viscounts, totaling 241 couples, similar to the previous four rows. The vast majority are father-son or grandfather-grandson pairs, with very few unmarried individuals.

"There are 339 people who have been granted titles, but only 336 are present here. The titles of Huang Yong, Zhu Ling, and Ying Xuan have not yet been successfully inherited by their sons, so they are not qualified to come up here."

Xiang Liang's gaze swept over the people in the front row, and when he saw the ferocious beast patterns on their clothes, a strong fighting spirit immediately rose in his eyes.

The ancestral rites required formal attire, so everyone wore the robes bestowed upon them when they were granted titles. The robes of the nine ranks of nobility in the Great Xia Dynasty were all the same in color, style, and material, and were all wide-sleeved summer robes in shades of red.

The distinguishing feature for different ranks of nobility was the ferocious beast pattern embroidered on the back of the noble robes.

Ninth-class Snowmane, Eighth-class Frost Wolf, Seventh-class Demon Sheep, Sixth-class Soaring Dragon, Fifth-class Thunder Kui, Fourth-class Demon Antelope, Third-class Fire Tiger, Second-class Blood Fox, First-class Crimson Goose.

Xiang Liang has already tasted all the benefits of being granted a title, and now he is naturally eager to climb higher. A ninth-rank Xuanling viscount is by no means his final destination.

"Those three beast kings look like they were just killed, don't you think?"

"That's right, I wasn't paying attention just now, the blood from the wound hasn't even dried yet."

"The three-headed beast king, has the lord emerged from seclusion?"

"Definitely! Who else besides the lord has that ability?" "Xiang Fuhai and Mu Longhe, perhaps?"

"That's possible, no, no, we don't know if those two have recovered from their injuries yet! How could they kill three beast kings so quickly, especially different species?"

………………

Although everyone stood in five orderly rows, they did not stop chatting. Soon, someone noticed the unusual nature of the offerings from the three-headed beast king on the high platform. Upon closer inspection, the others immediately began to discuss it.

The three beast kings, of different species, had wounds with still-wet blood, indicating they had only recently died, and were most likely killed tonight.

what does this mean?
Aside from Lord Xia Hong's emergence from seclusion, there seems to be no other explanation.

However, a few people in the front row, such as Yuwen Tao, Yuan Cheng, and Xu Ning, had strange looks in their eyes, clearly having other ideas. However, since they were closer to Xia Chuan, they did not whisper among themselves, but simply stood quietly and waited.

The group stood there for a short while, and as the hazy moon in the sky gradually approached the center, midnight soon arrived.

Xia Chuan, who had been standing motionless atop the platform, suddenly sensed something, turned his head to look towards the Star-Picking Hall on the west side, and then spoke to the crowd in a deep voice:
"Midnight has arrived, the ancestral rites begin!"

As soon as Xia Chuan spoke, everyone in the room immediately stopped talking.

The entire Grand Sacred Platform fell silent instantly.

call…………

A gust of wind came from above, and the nearly seven hundred people present noticed that the temperature was rising rapidly. They immediately turned their heads to look to the west.

Upon seeing this, their expressions instantly froze.

In the western sky, above the Star-Picking Hall, Li Xuanling, dressed in a white palace gown, held the hands of the First Prince Xia Yuyao with her left hand and the Second Prince Xia Yusheng with her right hand, and slowly flew towards the sacred platform like an immortal.

Li Xuanling's stunning beauty was renowned throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. Even without elaborate attire, she was enough to outshine the world, let alone today, when she had clearly put a lot of effort into her appearance.

As she approached the light, her pristine white palace dress gradually transformed into a translucent blood-red color. In addition, the dress was embroidered with intricate lotus patterns in silver thread, and it shimmered with light as she moved, exuding natural elegance.

Her hair was piled high, adorned with a red gold hairpin with pearls and a red swan. Three slender strands of bright pearls hung from the end of the hairpin, swaying slightly in the air currents before her smooth forehead without making a sound.
Her face was brighter than the moon in the sky, and her phoenix eyes were deep and calm, as if they contained the water of a thousand-year-old cold pool, without waves or ripples, as if they could see through people's hearts at a glance. She looked down at the more than three hundred nobles below, with a very faint but just right curve at the corner of her mouth. It was not joy, but the unquestionable majesty and confidence that a person who had been in a high position for a long time was used to.

As Li Xuanling surveyed the area below, no one dared to even glance at the two princes. They quickly lowered their heads and bowed deeply. As Li Xuanling landed on the sacred platform, everyone hurriedly and in unison prostrated themselves in worship:
"Congratulations on your great achievement, Madam! May the Great Xia Dynasty live ten thousand years, and may you live ten thousand years!"

Li Xuanling flew directly over.

What this meant was obvious to everyone present!
Lady Li Xuanling has broken through, and from this day forward, the Great Xia Dynasty officially has its fourth Manifest Yang level expert!
When everyone shouted this, they became incredibly excited, and all the eldest sons of the clans they brought immediately followed suit and shouted it a second time.

"Congratulations on your great achievement, Madam! May the Great Xia Dynasty live ten thousand years, and may you live ten thousand years!"

"Please rise, everyone."

Li Xuanling was in a good mood at the moment. Looking at the more than three hundred Xia humerus bones below, he smiled and raised his hand, signaling them to get up.

Upon hearing this, everyone raised their heads, and immediately looked to Li Xuanling's left and right sides, where the two princes stood.

Upon seeing this, everyone's pupils suddenly contracted, and their bodies jolted violently. Their reactions were even more exaggerated than when they had just seen Li Xuanling.

Your Highnesses are also dressed in your finest attire today.

Crown Prince Xia Yuyao wore a small silver crown with a silver butterfly ornament hanging from its end; she wore a pure white miniature summer dress with two delicate red phoenixes embroidered on the hem, and five or six strings of light blue tassels hanging from the hem, with silver thread embellishing various parts of the dress; she wore a pair of exquisite little shoes made of light blue silk and silver thread.

This exquisite and noble yet tasteful outfit, paired with the three azure holy marks between her brows, and her face that already possessed seven-tenths of Li Xuanling's charm and was exceptionally beautiful, made her seem like a little fairy who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world from the heavens. While it made people feel fond of her, they couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of their own appearance.

From the reactions of Yue Yuan, Yue Bo, Yuan Shao, Xu Cheng, Xu Ping, Qiu Hong, Qiu Yang and other children of the same age below, it is clear that they were all stunned at first, but quickly lowered their heads slightly, wanting to look but not daring to look anymore.

Xia Yusheng's attire today, apart from the small silver crown on his head, was a miniature replica of Lord Xia Hong. He wore a black robe with silver thread embellishments along the edges and shiny black animal skin boots.

What's even more interesting is that Xia Yusheng actually had two custom-made daggers hanging at his waist, one longer and one shorter, clearly imitating the lord's usual attire of the Cold Blood Blade and Dragon Sparrow Blade.

Everyone who saw this couldn't help but chuckle.

Of course, no matter how beautiful Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng's attire was, it wouldn't have caused such a great reaction from the crowd as seeing Li Xuanling break through to the Manifestation Yang level.

The main factor is the strength of the two princes!
"21800 jin, 21500 jin, and they're only six years old. With this talent, they probably won't be able to break through to the Cold Resistance level before they're ten. In the Great Xia, no, even in the Nine Towns or the vassal states, I'm afraid you can't find anyone with higher talent than the two princes, right?"

Standing at the front row, even Yuwen Tao, who was usually quite aloof, couldn't help but let out a silent sigh.

Yuwen Tao admitted that, in terms of talent and aptitude, he only respected the Lord. He wasn't entirely convinced even by the Assistant Minister Xia Chuan. But seeing the current strength of Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng, he even felt a sense of melancholy, as if the younger generation was surpassing the older.

If even he was like this, then Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, Luo Yuan, and the others were even more shocked and horrified as they looked at the two princes.

"Father, how much basic power do the two princes possess?"

All the adults present could immediately discern the true strength of the two princes, but the children were different.

Especially the children at the front, such as Yue Yuan, Yue Bo, Yuan Shao, Xu Cheng, Xu Ping, and Qiu Hong, were filled with curiosity when they realized they couldn't see through the two princes' strength.

Yuan Shao, who was quite bold, couldn't help but whisper a question to his father.

Yuan Cheng looked down at his son, instinctively wanting to speak, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Don't speak during the ancestral rites."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those around them stiffened slightly, and they immediately made up their minds that they would not tell their son when they returned home.

This is too shocking!
On the other hand, Xia Yuzong, standing to the left of Xia Chuan, looked at his younger cousin and his younger cousin with a clear look of unwillingness to admit defeat.

“I’ve been cultivating for over ten months now, and my basic strength is only 20,000 to 3,000 jin. I’ll soon be overtaken by Yu Yao and Yu Sheng. They’ll start cultivating after tonight, and their rate of improvement will definitely exceed my expectations. I have to work twice as hard—no, ten or a hundred times harder—to catch up. Otherwise, it would be too unacceptable for me, the eldest brother, to fall too far behind them in the future…”

Xia Yuzong silently encouraged himself, his eyes filled with determination.

"Alright, prepare to activate the spirit. Everyone close your eyes!"

ding ding ding...

While everyone was still in awe of the two princes' strength, Xia Chuan had already struck the large bell on the table three times, officially beginning the ancestral rites.

The major sacrifice differs from the sacrifices of their minor branches. The procedures are more complicated and formal, and the overall process is divided into seven parts: ringing the bell, initiating the spirit, invoking the gods, the three offerings, presenting the food, bidding farewell to the gods, and distributing the sacrificial meat.

The first bell-ringing ceremony signaled the official start of the ancestral worship ritual.
The second step is the initiation of the spirit tablet. The chief officiant, Xia Chuan, wipes the spirit tablet, and all the remaining patriarchs close their eyes and pray, meaning to invite the spirit of their ancestors. Since the patriarch of the major patriarch, Xia Hong, is still alive and has not set up any ancestral spirit tablets, but only a Great Xia spirit tablet, the spirit of the Great Xia is naturally invited.
The third ritual involves the invocation of the spirits. Everyone opens their eyes, and the chief priest, Xia Chuan, places silk on the table, then offers wine to the spirit tablet, followed by a kneeling ceremony. All the remaining members of the main and minor branches of the family kneel in worship with the chief priest.
The fourth item is the Three Offerings Ritual. The first offering is made by the chief priest, Natsukawa, who first offers wine to the shrine. The second offering is made by the matriarch of the main lineage, along with the young lord of the main lineage and the sons of the branch lineages, who jointly offer wine to the shrine. The final offering is made by all the lords of the minor lineages and the eldest son of the main lineage, who simultaneously offer wine to the shrine.

The fifth item served was the offering of tribute;

The sixth step, bidding farewell to the gods, essentially signifies that the ancestral rites are nearing their end.
The seventh step is the distribution of sacrificial offerings.

This was the fourth ancestral sacrifice of the Great Xia Dynasty, and most people were familiar with the process. Under Xia Chuan's leadership, they quickly completed the first six procedures.

Just as the final parting of the meat was about to take place, Xia Chuan suddenly spoke.

"Wait a minute, this year's distribution of the family fortune will be a little later!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then looked at each other, puzzled.

This was the part they were most looking forward to.

Why was it suddenly stopped?
However, not long after, after only about half an hour, a powerful aura suddenly came from the direction of the Star-Picking Hall on the west side. Everyone turned their heads and immediately understood, their faces filled with excitement!
(End of this chapter)