Chapter 105: The Explosive Growth Phase Arrives

Shi Ping was the first to break through to the Woodcutting Realm, and the happiest was Shi Qing.

Although much time had passed and Shi Qing’s body had recovered somewhat, the permanent disability was now settled—he could at most walk around the valley, let alone restore his strength or even cultivate.

Having been a leader for so many years, falling into ruin overnight made Shi Qing restless, especially as nearly everyone in the camp was frantically cultivating while he could only watch from the side.

Fortunately, his archery skills remained intact; though he could no longer demonstrate due to lacking cultivation, he could still offer guidance, and with the camp now possessing eleven bows, many needed his instruction, so he had found something to do.

Teaching archery, Shi Qing had found his own value.

Beyond that, his greatest concern was pushing his son Shi Ping to cultivate.

Having once been a leader, Shi Qing understood the camp’s hierarchy well; though Great Xia’s strength now far surpassed the old Stone Camp, the core structure would not change.

Cultivation determines value; value determines status.

This held true for any camp.

This was why, even as a cripple, he kept finding things to do.

Pushing his son to cultivate was partly for Shi Ping’s sake, but also, in a way, for the over a hundred men of the old Stone Camp.

Great Xia currently had over nine hundred people, strictly speaking, formed from five groups merged together; under the uniform distribution of Cold Beast meat, the camp had gained considerable cohesion, yet the division among these five groups still existed.

You could see it from where each group lived inside the wooden huts.

Those closest to the stove were the original members of Great Xia; further out were the hundred-odd from Luo Ge’s camp; the people from the old Stone, Great Chuan, and Huang Zhao camps lived at the outer edges, and among them, the Stone Camp residents were the farthest back.

This wasn’t proof the camp was splitting—people are emotional creatures who naturally gravitate toward those they know; it was a natural law, unchangeable no matter how strong the camp’s cohesion became.

Just as they naturally favored familiar faces, Xia Hong, as leader, would inevitably favor the original Great Xia members; even if he distributed Cold Beast meat equally to all, his daily habits would still show preference.

Currently, among the five groups, the highest status belonged to the original Great Xia members—this was unquestionable, given both their strength and Xia Hong’s favor.

Next came the hundred-odd from Luo Ge’s camp, for they had fifteen Woodcutting Realm cultivators, and eight of the fifteen hunters came from them; their members also included Wind Cheng, leader of the Woodcutting Team, and Mu Dong, master of the Craftsmen’s Workshop.

Then came the camps of Great Chuan and Huang Zhao, together with ten Woodcutting Realm cultivators; Hong Gang, Huang Yong, and Zhu Shun had all joined the Hunters, and the other seven were all in the Woodcutting Team.

Yet among the hundred-odd of the old Stone Camp, not a single Woodcutting Realm cultivator existed, let alone anyone in the Hunters or Woodcutting Team.

Shi Qing didn’t distrust Xia Hong—he didn’t believe he’d mistreat the Stone Camp people—but the fact was, these people contributed nothing to the camp; if this continued, they’d inevitably be marginalized.

Great Xia’s development was visibly on a steady path, accelerating rapidly; such marginalization could later turn into outright neglect, stripping them of all voice and benefits.

So Shi Qing watched, and his heart burned with anxiety.

He was now a cripple with no influence over the camp’s development, so he could only hope for Shi Ping—and not just Shi Ping, but every young man from the Stone Camp who had entered the reserve force, he pushed them all.

Fortunately, his son Shi Ping gave him a surprise, becoming the first among over three hundred reserve members to break through to the Woodcutting Realm.

This breakthrough brought him instant prestige.

According to Xia Hong’s earlier standard, the first five reserve members to break through to the Woodcutting Realm would each receive a set of clothes.

Now, he had gained both fame and reward.

Watching Shi Ping take the clothes from Xia Hong’s hands and put them on.

Though not as refined as Xia Hong’s own outfit, the five-piece set—inner lining, fur cap, coat, long pants, and leather boots—was complete, and worn, it stood out brilliantly.

Everyone watching inside the hut cast envious glances at Shi Ping—not just the reserve members, but even the Hunters and Woodcutting Team were no exception.

His sixteen- or seventeen-year-old son was already showing signs of adult poise.

Shi Qing’s heart stirred, and he remembered his wife’s gruesome death and his two brothers—his eyes grew moist.

“Uncle Shi, you have a worthy successor—congratulations!”

Startled by Xia Hong’s congratulations, Shi Qing snapped back to reality, quickly bowed low, and said respectfully, “Worthy successor? Without the leader risking his life leading expeditions, how could Ping have this fortune?”

Xia Hong smiled faintly and said calmly, “Uncle Shi, don’t worry. With over nine hundred people crammed together, the huts are cramped, so naturally some are inside and others outside. In a few more months, when the new housing is built, we’ll assign living spaces uniformly. I’ve said before—I treat everyone equally. Don’t you trust me?”

Hearing this, Shi Qing froze.

He instinctively wanted to explain.

But Xia Hong shook his head, signaling him not to.

Xia Hong understood Shi Qing’s worries perfectly.

Precisely put, the camp was so small, and everyone mostly stayed inside the huts; any issue, if you paid attention, was easy to spot.

Regarding the current factional divisions in the camp, Xia Hong had initially thought of the phrase “shallow pond, many turtles; small temple, big demons”—he found it slightly absurd, saw it as bad, and feared it would harm camp unity.

But after careful thought, he realized it wasn’t necessarily so.

Any organization, once reaching a certain scale, inevitably spawns factions; after all, any human group will form divisions based on closeness of relationships, differing ideals, or conflicting interests.

Factions mean competition; malignant competition harms camp unity and may even cause splits, but healthy competition is absolutely essential in a world like Bingyuan, where strength is everything and the strong rule.

The key lies in whether these divisions are allowed to grow or are addressed promptly; as long as he, the core, handles them in time, such factional competition remains healthy.

This healthy competition won’t harm camp unity—it will instead motivate everyone to cultivate, accelerating the camp’s development.

He had only pointed out Shi Qing’s worry, giving him no chance to explain, because within controllable limits, Xia Hong could accept factional competition.

Shi Ping’s breakthrough and his new clothes clearly spurred everyone; after congratulating Shi Ping, all returned to frantic cultivation, fiercely desiring the remaining fourteen sets of clothes.

Xia Hong sat on his designated chair, surveyed the hut, observed the subtle changes in everyone’s breath and qi, and smiled.

Others saw only Shi Ping’s breakthrough.

But Xia Hong saw more.

The reserve members all began receiving Cold Beast meat at roughly the same time; even with differences in age and talent, the gap wasn’t large—once one broke through, it meant the others were close behind.

The explosive growth phase was coming!

The facts proved Xia Hong right.

The next day, two more broke through to the Woodcutting Realm;

the third day, another; the fourth, fifth…

Within the following month, Woodcutting Realm cultivators in Great Xia sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain—even the Hunters began breaking through.

(End of Chapter)