Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Clang… clang… clang… clang… clang…

Hiss…

Ten days later, inside the blacksmith's workshop.

Xia Hong, Luo Yuan, Xia Chuan, and Zhao Long, stripped to the waist, were rhythmically hammering the iron billet on the furnace, the sound of hammering incessant.

On the left side of the room, several people from the craftsman's workshop immersed the red-hot iron billet into a wooden barrel filled with clear water, instantly causing thick smoke to billow out. Once the billet's temperature cooled, they immediately sent it to the furnace, handing it over to Xia Hong and the others for hammering.

On the right side of the room, Mu Dong was directing two people to tighten one end of a Tengjiao spine tendon, while he pulled the other end, installing the spine tendon onto the already-forged iron-core bow.

At the doorway, people were constantly coming and going, some bringing iron ore, others craning their necks to see if any new bows were ready.

Twang…

Having installed the bowstring, Mu Dong vigorously pulled the iron-core bow in his hand, and after confirming that the tension and sound were fine, he immediately raised his head and shouted towards the door:

"The thirty-second iron-core bow is ready! Someone come and take it."

"Coming, coming, coming!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Ping, who was guarding the door, had already rushed over. After receiving the new bow from Mu Dong's hand, Shi Ping said with a shocked expression:

"So fast? It's only been half the night, and the leader has already made two bows."

"It's the leader. His speed in forging the billets is getting faster and faster. Tonight, he alone can probably forge three bow bodies. Adding in the three adults, Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long, we should be able to make six bows tonight."

Shi Ping turned to look at Xia Hong by the furnace, and respect immediately rose in his eyes.

"The people below are waiting. I'll deliver the bow first."

Mu Dong nodded. Seeing Shi Ping leave, he led the other two to continue organizing the Tengjiao spine tendons, preparing for the next bow.

"Ten days, thirty-two bows. The iron and coal resources have kept up with the consumption. At the current rate, it should only take ten days to break a hundred iron-core bows!"

Although Xia Hong had been hammering iron, he had heard Shi Ping and Mu Dong's conversation clearly. After slightly estimating the progress and realizing that they were only ten days away from completion, the nerves that had been tense for ten days could finally relax a little.

In the past ten days, he hadn't just stayed here hammering iron.

After forging two bows on the first day, he took the hunting team to the north slope of the mountain wall on the second night. Unfortunately, their luck wasn't good, and they didn't encounter any lone gnawing rats. Using torches to lure them was too risky, so they had no choice but to give up and prioritize hunting Tengjiao instead.

The number of gnawing rats was too large to provoke easily. Tengjiao were different.

Beyond the outer five hundred meters, there were quite a few Tengjiao inside Redwood Ridge. He had seen three last time. After dealing with one previously, Xia Hong took the hunting team in one go that night and dealt with the other two.

After testing, it was found that the Tengjiao did indeed use their tails to sense enemies, but the range was limited, about ten meters in radius. As long as the range was accurately controlled, using bows and arrows first, followed by giant axes as the main attack, hunting them wasn't too difficult.

Two Tengjiao yielded two poison sacs, over forty pounds of Tengjiao saliva, and 75 meters of spine tendons. Adding in the previous 38 meters, Xia Hong had enough materials to make fifty-six iron-core bows.

The spine tendons were temporarily enough. The next problem was iron ore.

With the addition of two gnawing-teeth chisels, the seven-man iron ore mining output was at most 1300 pounds per day, and Yuan Cheng's injury hadn't healed at the time, so the output of six people was even lower.

Realizing this, it would take a long time to gather enough iron ore. Xia Hong had no choice but to take risks and take Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan to the north slope of the mountain wall every day to try their luck.

Fortunately, their luck came on the third day.

Two more gnawing rats accidentally walked out of the north slope.

Xia Hong seized the opportunity, using torches to lure them at the limit position, and successfully hunted two gnawing rats, adding another gnawing-teeth chisel to the camp.

With three gnawing-teeth chisels, the seven-man mining output could reach 1600 pounds. At this rate, the iron ore mined each day was enough to forge five iron-core bows, with a little extra.

Of course, in order to shorten the bow-making time as much as possible, as long as there were enough iron ore materials, only three people would be left in the mine to mine, while he would take the other three to seize the time to make bows. Once there wasn't enough iron ore for four people to forge at the same time, people would be assigned to go down and mine together.

This way, the efficiency was much faster.

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long used the iron hammers made by Xia Hong. The three cooperated with each other. At first, they could only forge two iron-core bow bodies in one night, but as the number of forges increased, their forging level also rapidly improved. Now, the three could each forge one every night.

Of course, with the addition of sharpening stones and the strongest Xia Hong, the forging level was even higher. At first, he could only forge two in one night, but today, he could independently forge three in one night.

【Resources: Wood 30295 Coal 1021 Iron 40 Silver 0 Gold 0】

"The iron ore is almost running out. In another three nights, the Tengjiao spine tendons will also be almost used up. It's time to hunt Tengjiao. Also, we need to go to the north slope of the mountain wall to see the movements of the gnawing rat pack and try our luck to see if we can encounter any lone gnawing rats. It would be best to get two more gnawing-teeth chisels out, so the speed can be increased again!"

Looking at the dwindling iron resources, Xia Hong's expression was slightly solemn as he handed the forged bow blank to the craftsmen's workshop.

Making bows relying solely on him and Xia Chuan's few Earth-Digging Realm cultivators was naturally impossible.

Their greatest role was to melt the iron and then forge the formed bow blanks, and then hand them over to the people in the craftsman's workshop to cool and finalize the shape, install the bowstrings, and after Mu Dong personally tested them, a longbow with a pulling force of five thousand pounds was considered finally formed.

The process wasn't complicated, but it required meticulousness.

When forging the bow blank, if the curvature of the bow body wasn't controlled well, it wouldn't be able to cooperate with the bowstring to explode with enough tension. Bows made in this way would seriously affect the range and attack power, making them unusable and only able to be returned to the furnace for remelting.

The tightness of the installed bowstring was especially important. If it was installed too tightly, it would easily break under external force; if it was installed too loosely, it wouldn't be able to cooperate with the bow body to explode with enough pulling force. The latter was fine, as it could be readjusted, but if it was the former, once it broke, the two-meter Tengjiao spine tendon would be considered wasted.

When Xia Chuan and the others first participated in forging bow blanks, the number of times they had to be returned to the furnace was quite high; Mu Dong was the same, losing two Tengjiao spine tendons in the middle.

Fortunately, as the bow-making experience became more and more abundant, their mistakes became less and less. In recent days, they had been able to achieve a 100% success rate.

As Mu Dong installed the bowstring and tested it, indicating that there were no problems, the third longbow forged by Xia Hong tonight was completely formed.

At the same time, Xia Chuan and the others on the other side had also formed the bow blanks in their hands and handed them over to the people in the craftsman's workshop.

After Mu Dong had installed all three of these bowstrings and tested them successfully, Xia Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to everyone, "The iron ore is almost used up. Let's all take a break first and save up two days of iron ore."

Everyone's expressions also relaxed a bit.

For ten consecutive days, it wasn't just Xia Hong and the seven Earth-Digging Realm cultivators who had been working non-stop; Mu Dong and the people in the craftsman's workshop had basically not stopped at night either.

Saving up two days of iron ore meant that they could rest for two days, and their mood naturally relaxed a lot.

Of course, the people who could relax didn't include Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long.

Earth-Digging Realm cultivators still had to continue to go to the mine to mine, and saving up iron ore was their task in the first place.

Although they were very tired, Xia Chuan and the others' expressions were as usual, without the slightest bit of slack or boredom, but full of energy.

Firstly, there was the leader Xia Hong setting an example, and not only did he work faster than them, but he also worked more than them, so they naturally didn't dare to have any complaints;

Secondly, making bows was to deal with the gnawing rat pack, not only for the camp but also for their own safety;

Thirdly, they also had a strong sense of accomplishment in forging these iron-core bows from their own hands.

It should be known that all the camps around Redwood Ridge had only a total of eleven iron-core bows in decades, and in the short ten days, under the leadership of Xia Hong, they had forged a full thirty-six.

Moreover, as the progress accelerated later, a hundred iron-core bows were just around the corner.

This kind of sense of accomplishment couldn't be described in a few words.

When more than a hundred iron-core bows were all forged, the strength of the Great Xia camp would inevitably rise to a new level. A hundred bows firing together was an exciting scene to think about. With the Tengjiao poison sacs, even the gnawing rat pack on the north slope of the mountain wall wouldn't be able to resist.

Seeing Mu Dong lead everyone away to rest, Xia Hong also led Xia Chuan and the others out of the blacksmith's workshop, preparing to go downstairs to the mine.

However, just as they reached the first floor, a burst of noise came from the doorway.

"Xu Ning, two hundred meters, hit the first ring!"

"Good!"

"Xu Ning, awesome."

… … … …

Xia Hong curiously walked out and found that hundreds of people were lining up, taking turns drawing their bows and shooting arrows at several targets set up in front of the wooden house in the valley.

Xu Ning had just finished shooting, and Shi Ping was recording his score on a wooden board. Then he replaced him with another person, took the bow from Xu Ning's hand, and aimed at the target.

This person's level should be inferior to Xu Ning's. Although he also hit the bullseye and shot a score of one ring, he chose the hundred-meter target.

"Luo Kai, one hundred meters, ten rings."

Shi Ping in the distance came out again, confirmed the score, and loudly announced that person's score. Then he replaced him with another person and continued shooting arrows.

… … … …

"This is, a competition?"

Seeing the targets erected in front, ranging from fifty meters to two hundred meters, and combining it with Shi Ping's actions, Xia Hong immediately guessed.

Xia Chuan, remembering that Xia Hong wasn't clear about the bow and arrow competition, immediately stepped forward and explained it to him.

After hearing this, Xia Hong's eyes lit up.

"Not bad, this competition can allow them to speed up the improvement of their archery level!"

With contribution points as a reward, and a chance to show off in front of everyone, it's a win-win situation for fame and fortune. No wonder these people are competing so enthusiastically.

"We could also create a ranking for basic strength improvement, either monthly or at some other interval, dividing it into different tiers for the Lumbering Realm and the Earth Digging Realm. The person with the greatest improvement would also receive a certain amount of contribution points as a reward."

Xia Hong immediately realized that this competition could be extended to cultivation, and even more things.

Xia Chuan's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately nodded.

"Understood, Chief! I'll arrange it!"

Being in the Ice Abyss World, it's only natural that the entire camp is armed. Cultivation is as essential as eating and drinking, and must not be interrupted. Close combat, archery, wilderness survival skills, and all kinds of hunting knowledge must be mastered by everyone.

Previously, the scene of archery practice in the camp wasn't as grand as it is now because there weren't enough Iron Bows. There were only eleven in total. The hunting team needed them when they went out, and Xia Hong only kept one in the camp, so not many people could practice.

Now, the number of Iron Bows has suddenly increased to forty-seven. Although it's not enough for everyone to have one, it's enough for more than a hundred people to take turns practicing.

Humans are social animals by nature. When everyone starts practicing, rivalry and comparison will inevitably arise. Coupled with Xia Chuan's rule of holding a competition every ten days, which not only allows them to show off in front of everyone in the camp, but also provides contribution points as a reward.

If they can win the competition, it would be a great opportunity to gain both fame and fortune. Naturally, everyone's enthusiasm for archery practice is very high.

This can be seen from the lively competition.

"Shi Ping, 200 meters, ten rings."

"Wow, Shi Ping's archery is so strong?"

"Of course, our archery instructor, Shi Qing, is his father."

"He's also in Grade A. There are already nine people in Grade A. Only half of the people have competed, so it seems that people in Grade B won't be able to get into the top ten."

"Definitely. The number of people in Grade A will definitely be more than ten."

… … … …

"How is this competition rule designed?"

Seeing Shi Ping also participating in the competition, and the score he shot even caused a burst of exclamations from the crowd, and hearing the content of the discussion in the crowd, Xia Hong was a little curious about the rules of the competition, and turned to ask Xia Chuan.

Xia Chuan designed the competition, so he knew it clearly, and said:

"Except for the hunting team, everyone above the Lumbering Realm can participate; the targets are divided into three types: 200 meters, 100 meters, and 50 meters, all with ten rings, and are divided into Grade A, B, and C according to the target selected by the participants."

"Only hitting the ten rings counts as a score, right?"

After hearing Xu Ning and Shi Ping, and the scores of the other people, all reporting ten rings, Xia Hong immediately understood the rules set by Xia Chuan.

As expected, Xia Chuan nodded when he heard this.

Xia Hong thought for a moment, but didn't say anything.

Such a rule seems strict, but it is definitely beneficial and harmless.

Those of them who go out hunting are the clearest about the cruelty of the Ice Abyss World.

If they can't achieve a bullseye in such static shooting, then they are not qualified to deal with those powerful and cunning Frost Beasts in Crimson Maple Ridge.

"However, what if the number of people in Grade A exceeds ten?"

Since hitting the ten rings counts as a score, then the scores of the people who can be recorded in Grade A are all the same, so naturally there is no way to distinguish between high and low, and the rewards set by Xia Chuan are all based on ranking.

Xia Chuan was obviously prepared for this question, and pointed to the left.

Xia Hong looked in the direction he pointed, and realized that the wooden training dummies standing quietly on the left side of the crowd, and immediately understood.

"Alright, let them compete. Let's go to the mine first… … … …"

Xia Hong was planning to leave with Xia Chuan and others, but before he could finish speaking, he was discovered by the people behind him.

"The Chief is here!"

"The Chief is also here to watch our competition."

"Quick, make way for the Chief."

"Everyone, why don't we let the Chief shoot an arrow for us to see?"

"That's right, I haven't seen the Chief shoot an arrow before."

"Yes, Chief, shoot an arrow for us to see."

… … … …

Someone took the lead and asked Xia Hong to shoot an arrow to try, and everyone immediately became interested. After all, except for a few members of the hunting team, these people had never seen Xia Hong shoot an arrow.

Of course, even if they hadn't seen it, they had heard some things from the hunting team members, knowing that Xia Hong's archery skills were good, so they booed.

Xia Hong smiled and waved his hand, not wanting to try, but seeing everyone's high enthusiasm, and Shi Ping even taking the lead to hand the bow to him, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"Okay, if you want to see it, then I'll try, but I won't compete with you for the rankings. Just watch!"

Since it was difficult to refuse the enthusiasm, Xia Hong no longer declined.

He reached out and took the longbow handed over by Shi Ping. With a slight movement of his mind, the coal stone in the abdominal groove of the wooden training dummy on the other side immediately lit up.

After a burst of light, the wooden training dummy turned into a Bone-Spike Frost Wolf, walked to the other end of the wooden house, about two hundred meters away from Xia Hong, and stopped.

"The Frost Beasts of Crimson Maple Ridge are not static targets. Whether you are hunting, gathering, or logging, once you encounter them, they won't stand there foolishly waiting for your arrows!"

As soon as Xia Hong finished speaking, the Bone-Spike Frost Wolf transformed by another wooden training dummy suddenly exerted force on its limbs, and its body rushed towards him like a cannonball leaving its chamber.

Among the five types of Frost Beasts that have been encountered so far, the Frost Wolf's speed is second only to the Gnawing Rat. Two hundred meters is nothing to the Frost Wolf, and it doesn't even take ten breaths.

Whoosh… … … Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…

As soon as the Frost Wolf's body moved, Xia Hong had already bent his bow and nocked an arrow, and fired four arrows in succession. Except for the first arrow, which took him a breath, he fired the remaining three arrows almost as soon as he nocked them, without taking the time to aim at all.

Everyone hurriedly turned to look at the Frost Wolf, and everyone suddenly gasped.

The four arrows, the first two arrows hit the Frost Wolf's eyes respectively. The terrifying impact force attached to the two arrows caused the Frost Wolf's head to flip backward, almost causing its body to fly backward in a circle;

And the next two arrows predicted the direction of the Frost Wolf's backward flight, and directly pierced its shoulder blades, directly nailing its body to the ground.

Flop… … Flop… Roar… … … …

The Frost Wolf transformed by the wooden training dummy was extremely realistic. Although it was hit by these four arrows, its vitality was not completely cut off. It frantically fluttered and roared on the ground. After breaking free of the two arrows in its shoulder blades, it actually began to retreat, seemingly wanting to escape.

A gleam of light flashed in Xia Hong's eyes. The simulation of this wooden training dummy was indeed realistic to the extreme, almost restoring the reaction of the Frost Beast one-to-one.

Of course, his movements didn't stop either. He quickly chased forward a few steps, and once again drew his bow and nocked an arrow, firing six arrows in a row at the Frost Wolf that was scurrying left and right to avoid him.

One arrow nailed its head, four arrows pierced its body, and the last arrow hit its tail.

The Frost Wolf transformed by the wooden training dummy was finally nailed to the ground by Xia Hong's arrows.

After Xia Hong fired ten arrows, the audience was silent.

Everyone looked at the Frost Wolf that could not move on the ground, and was already dumbfounded.

The total time for Xia Hong's ten arrows was only ten breaths.

Ten breaths is not even enough time for these people who have just participated in the archery competition to draw their bows, nock their arrows, and aim.

But Xia Hong not only fired ten arrows, but also hit every arrow, almost every arrow hit accurately as he expected, and even according to the wooden training dummy's judgment, he had successfully hunted a Frost Wolf with a bow and arrow.

"Archery is also so powerful, is there anything the Chief can't do?"

"The Chief's archery is too strong!"

"This, it's not just strong, it's simply divine."

"Doesn't that mean that the Chief can hunt alone with a bow and arrow?"

… … … …

"Gulp… … … …"

Shi Ping passed through the crowd and walked to the front, and found that almost half of the arrows shot by Xia Hong had been inserted into the ground, and immediately swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his eyes full of horror and shock.

You must know that these arrows all pierced through the Frost Wolf's body first, and then reached the ground.

"Not only is it so accurate, but the power is also several times greater than ours. No wonder, no wonder the Chief said that he wouldn't participate in the rankings. If he participated in the rankings, what would we be competing for the top ten… … … …"

Shi Ping has always been proud of his archery skills, after all, he has had his father Shi Qing's guidance since he was a child, and his talent is not low.

But after seeing Xia Hong's ten arrows, he suddenly woke up a lot.

"The Chief's archery skills were clearly also learned from his father, and the practice time is not long, but the level is so much higher than mine. It seems that only by participating in real hunting and facing real Frost Beasts can I quickly improve my archery level. I also have to quickly improve my strength and strive to join the hunting team as soon as possible, and go out with the Chief and Lord Xia Chuan!"

His archery level, which he had always been proud of, turned out to be so unbearable. Shi Ping was a little discouraged, but at the same time, a stronger fighting spirit ignited in his heart, eagerly wanting to improve his archery level to Xia Hong's level.

Shi Ping calmed down and raised his head to realize that while everyone was discussing enthusiastically, Xia Hong had already taken Xia Chuan and a few others and quietly walked towards the mine.

Looking at Xia Hong's back, Shi Ping's eyes were full of admiration and fanaticism.

"Alright, let's continue the competition! The Chief's strength is not something we can compare to. If our archery level can be half as good as the Chief's one day, we'll be burning incense!"

When the enthusiastic discussion gradually subsided, Shi Ping stepped forward and announced that the competition would continue.

… … … …

"No wonder you don't want the hunting team to participate in the competition. These people's reactions are a bit too much!"

At the entrance of the mine, Xia Hong, who had just walked in, shook his head slightly, recalling the exaggerated reactions of everyone in the camp after his demonstration, his expression was a little strange.

“Hahahaha, leader, they haven’t officially hunted before, and they’ve rarely even seen the faces of cold beasts. How could they have witnessed such amazing archery?”

Luo Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. Xia Hong’s strength was beyond doubt, but if only archery was considered, there were actually quite a few in the hunting team who were stronger than him.

For example, Zhao Long next to him was one.

“Not really, the leader’s archery skills aren't weak either. Plus, his base strength is much greater than ours, so the arrows he shoots have much greater killing power. It’s normal for these people to react so strongly after seeing that!”

Hearing Zhao Long’s words, Xia Chuan also nodded and smiled, “If we let the hunting team compete with them, it would be bullying. I estimate that Yuan Cheng could get into the top three.”

“Hahahahaha…”

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, and even Xia Hong couldn’t help but chuckle a few times.

Among the fifteen members of the hunting team, Yuan Cheng was the least skilled in archery.

“Chuan, your archery skills aren’t much better. When I have time to practice for a few days, I’ll make sure you’re at the bottom.”

The four, laughing loudly, unknowingly walked deeper into the mine.

Yuan Cheng, who was mining inside, had obviously heard Xia Chuan’s teasing just now and couldn’t help but retort.

“Hahahaha…”

Xia Hong laughed a few times and led the three quickly inside.

“Greetings, leader!”

Yuan Cheng, Zhao Hu, and Zhao Bao, who were mining, quickly turned around to salute him when they saw Xia Hong enter.

Xia Hong waved his hand, signaling the three to rise. He looked at the twenty or so iron ore stones on the ground, his face slightly worried.

“The iron ore is running low, and the spine tendons are almost gone too. Tomorrow night, let’s first go to the north slope of the mountain to see if we can kill a few more gnawing rats, and then go to Redwood Ridge to hunt a few soaring snakes.”

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

“It’s almost dawn. Let’s start a fire in the cave. The seven of us will work together to mine more iron ore today and try to speed up the progress!”

After Xia Hong finished speaking, he directly picked up the sheep-horn chisel on the ground and began to dig.

Luo Yuan and Zhao Long did the same as him, while Xia Chuan went outside and quickly brought in a lot of wood. After the fire was lit and the temperature inside the cave rose, he also picked up a sheep-horn chisel and joined the six in mining.