Chapter 122: Materials Exhausted, Archery Competition [Warm Sun Big Boss Bonus 210]

Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang... Clang...

Sss...

Ten days later, inside the smithy.

Xia Hong, Luo Yuan, Xia Chuan, and Zhao Long were all stripped to the waist, hammering the iron blanks on the furnace one by one; the sound of hammering was incessant.

On the left side of the room, several people from the artisan workshop dipped the glowing red iron blanks into a wooden bucket filled with clear water. Instantly, thick smoke billowed. Once the iron blanks cooled, they were immediately sent back to the furnace to be hammered by Xia Hong and the other three.

On the right side of the room, Mu Dong was directing two people to pull the spine tendon of a Teng Jiao tight at one end, while he held the other, installing the tendon onto an already forged iron-fetal bow.

At the doorway, people were constantly coming and going; some were there to deliver iron ore, while others stretched their necks to see if any new bows had been completed.

Twang...

Mu Dong, having finished installing the bowstring, pulled the iron-fetal bow in his hand with force. Confirming that both the draw weight and the sound were fine, he immediately looked up and shouted toward the door:

"The thirty-second iron-fetal bow is ready, come and take it away quickly."

"Coming, coming, coming!"

Before his voice had even faded, Shi Ping, who had been guarding the door, ran over. After taking 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 forged two."

"It's the leader; his speed at forging blanks is getting faster and faster. I estimate that tonight, he alone will be able to forge three bow bodies. Plus the three lords, Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long, we should be able to produce six bows tonight."

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

"The people below are waiting, I'll take the bow over first."

Mu Dong nodded. Seeing Shi Ping leave, he took the other two people and continued to tidy up the Teng Jiao spine tendons, preparing for the next bow.

"Ten days, thirty-two bows. The iron and coal resources have finally kept up with the consumption. At the current speed, it should only take another ten days for the number of iron-fetal bows to exceed one hundred!"

Although Xia Hong had been forging iron the whole time, he heard the conversation between Shi Ping and Mu Dong clearly. After a brief calculation of the progress, realizing that it was only ten days away from completion, his nerves, which had been taut for ten days, could finally relax a little.

In these past ten days, he hadn't just stayed here forging 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 great; they didn't encounter any lone Gnawing Rats. Using torches to lure them carried too much risk, so they had no choice but to give up and prioritize hunting Teng Jiao instead.

The number of Gnawing Rats was too large to provoke easily, but Teng Jiao were different.

Past the five-hundred-meter perimeter, there were quite a few Teng Jiao inside the Red Wood Ridge. They had seen three last time. After dealing with one previously, Xia Hong took the hunting team that very night and finished off the other two in one go.

After testing, it was discovered that Teng Jiao indeed used their tails to sense enemies, but the range was limited, roughly within a radius of ten meters. As long as the range was gauged precisely, using bows for a preemptive strike and then using great axes as the main attack, the difficulty of hunting them wasn't high.

From the two Teng Jiao, they harvested two poison sacs, over forty jin of Teng Jiao saliva, and 75 meters of spine tendon. Added to the previous 38 meters, Xia Hong had enough materials on hand to make fifty-six iron-fetal bows.

The spine tendons were sufficient for now; the next challenge was iron ore.

With the blessing of two Gnawing-Tooth Chisels, the seven people's iron ore mining volume could reach at most 1,300 jin per day. Moreover, Yuan Cheng's injuries hadn't healed at the time, so with six people, the mining volume was even lower.

Realizing that at this rate, it would take a long time to gather enough iron ore, Xia Hong had to take risks, taking Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan to the north slope of the mountain wall every day to try their luck.

Fortunately, on the third day, their luck arrived.

Two more Gnawing Rats accidentally walked out of the north slope.

Xia Hong seized the opportunity, using torches to lure them at the limit of their range, and successfully hunted the two Gnawing Rats. The camp then gained another Gnawing-Tooth Chisel.

With three Gnawing-Tooth Chisels, the seven people's mining volume could reach 1,600 jin. Calculated this way, the iron ore mined daily was enough to forge five iron-fetal bows, with a little left over.

Of course, to shorten the bow-making time as much as possible, as long as there is enough iron ore, only three people will be left in the mine to excavate, while he will take the other three to race against time to make bows; once there is not enough iron ore for four people to forge at the same time, then some people will be sent down to follow and mine together.

In this way, the efficiency was much faster.

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long used the iron hammers Xia Hong had made. The three cooperated with each other; at first, they could only forge two iron-fetal bows a night, but as the number of forging attempts increased, their forging skills also improved rapidly. By now, the three could each forge one per night.

Of course, with the blessing of the grinding stone and being the strongest, Xia Hong's forging level was higher. At first, he could only forge two per night, but by today, he could independently forge three per night.

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

"The iron ore will soon be unable to keep up. In another three nights, the Teng Jiao spine tendons will also be almost used up. It's time to hunt Jiao. Also, I need to go to the north slope of the mountain wall to see the movement of the Gnawing Rat pack and try my luck again to see if I can encounter any lone Gnawing Rats. It would be best to get two more Gnawing-Tooth Chisels; that way, the speed can be increased again!"

Looking at the dwindling iron resources, Xia Hong's expression tightened slightly, and he handed the bow blanks he had forged to the people in the artisan workshop.

Relying solely on him and the few Earth-Digging Realm cultivators like Xia Chuan to make bows naturally wouldn't work.

Their greatest role was to melt the iron and then forge the shaped bow blanks, then hand them over to the people in the artisan workshop to cool and set, and install the bowstrings. After Mu Dong personally tested them, a longbow with a draw weight of five thousand jin could be considered finally formed.

The process wasn't complicated, but it required meticulous care.

When forging the bow blanks, if the arc of the bow body wasn't controlled well, it wouldn't be able to cooperate with the bowstring to burst out sufficient tension. Bows made this way would seriously affect range and attack power, making them unusable and requiring them to be returned to the furnace to be remade.

The tightness of the bowstring installation was especially important. If installed too tightly, it would easily snap upon encountering external force; if installed too loosely, it couldn't cooperate with the bow body to burst out sufficient draw weight. The latter was fine, as it could be readjusted, but if it were the former, once it snapped, those two meters of Teng Jiao spine tendon would be wasted.

When Xia Chuan and the other two first participated in forging bow blanks, the number of times they had to return them to the furnace was quite high; Mu Dong was the same, wasting two Teng Jiao spine tendons in the process.

Fortunately, as their experience in bow-making became more sufficient, their mistakes became fewer and fewer. In the last few days, they had already achieved a one-hundred-percent success rate.

As Mu Dong installed the bowstring and, after testing, indicated there were no problems, the third longbow Xia Hong had forged tonight was also completely formed.

At the same time, on the other side, the bow blanks in the hands of Xia Chuan and the other two had also been formed and handed over to the people in the artisan workshop.

After Mu Dong had installed the bowstrings on these three as well and tested them successfully, Xia Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to everyone: "The iron ore has been used up, everyone rest for a while. Let's save up iron ore for two days first."

Everyone's expressions also relaxed a bit.

For ten consecutive days, not only were Xia Hong and the seven Earth-Digging Realm cultivators working around the clock, but Mu Dong and this group from the artisan workshop basically hadn't stopped at night either.

Saving iron ore for two days meant they could rest for two days, so their moods naturally relaxed a lot.

Of course, those who could relax did not include Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Zhao Long.

The Earth-Digging Realm cultivators still had to continue to go to the mine to excavate; saving iron ore was their task to begin with.

Although they were very tired, the expressions of Xia Chuan and the other two were as usual, without any signs of slackness or annoyance; instead, they were full of drive.

Firstly, with Xia Hong, the leader, setting an example, and doing more than them and faster than them, they naturally didn't dare to have any complaints.

Secondly, making bows was to deal with the Gnawing Rat pack; it wasn't just for the camp, but also for their own safety.

Thirdly, it was the sense of achievement they felt as each iron-fetal bow was forged from their own hands.

You must know, in all the camps around Red Wood Ridge, the total number of iron-fetal bows added up over decades was only eleven. Yet in just these short ten days, under Xia Hong's leadership, they had forged a full thirty-six.

And with the progress accelerating later, one hundred iron-fetal bows were also within reach.

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

Once all one hundred-plus iron-fetal bows were forged, the strength of the Does Da Xia camp would inevitably rise to a major step. A hundred bows firing in unison—the scene was exciting just to think about. Combined with the Teng Jiao poison sacs, even the Gnawing Rat pack on the north slope of the mountain wall would likely be unable to withstand it.

Seeing Mu Dong lead everyone away to rest, Xia Hong also took Xia Chuan and the other two out of the smithy, preparing to go downstairs to the mine.

However, just as they reached the first floor, a commotion came from the doorway.

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

"Good!"

"Xu Ning, impressive."

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

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

This person's level seemed to be inferior to Xu Ning's. Although he also hit the bullseye and shot a first-ring result, he had chosen the one-hundred-meter target.

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

Shi Ping, in the distance, walked out again, confirmed the result, and loudly announced it. Afterward, he replaced him with another person and continued shooting arrows.

"Is this... a competition?"

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

Xia Chuan, who was to the side, remembered that Xia Hong wasn't clear about the archery competition, so he immediately stepped forward and explained it to him.

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

"Not bad, this competition can let them accelerate the improvement of their archery level!"

With contribution value rewards and the ability to show their faces in front of others, gaining both fame and fortune, it was no wonder these people were competing so enthusiastically.

"We can also set up a ranking for basic strength improvement, seeing whether it's once a month or how often, divided into different tiers for the Woodcutting Realm and Earth-Digging Realm. Those with the greatest improvement will also be given certain contribution value rewards."

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

Hearing this, Xia Chuan's eyes also lit up, and he immediately nodded.

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

Living in the Frozen Abyss World, it was a matter of course for the camp to be a nation in arms. Cultivation was something that couldn't be interrupted, just like eating and drinking. Short-range combat, archery, wilderness survival skills, and various types of hunting knowledge were all things everyone had to master.

The scene of the camp practicing archery before hadn't been as large as it was now because there weren't enough iron-fetal bows. There were only eleven in total, which the hunting team had to use when going out, so Xia Hong only kept one in the camp, and not many people could practice.

Now the number of iron-fetal bows had suddenly surged to forty-seven. Although it wasn't enough for everyone to have one, there was no problem with over a hundred people taking turns practicing.

Humans were social animals to begin with. Since everyone had started practicing, competition and comparison would definitely arise. Added to this was the ten-day competition Xia Chuan had set, which not only allowed them to show their faces in front of everyone in the camp but also had contribution value rewards.

If one could win the championship in the competition, it would be a great thing that gained both fame and fortune, so everyone's enthusiasm for practicing archery was naturally very high.

One could tell from this heated competition.

"Shi Ping, two hundred meters, ten rings."

"Wow, Shi Ping's archery is also this strong?"

"Nonsense, our archery instructor, Shi Qing, is his father."

"He also entered the Grade A tier. There are already nine people in Grade A, and only half the people have competed. It seems that those in Grade B won't be able to enter the top ten."

"For sure, the number of people entering Grade A will definitely be over ten."

"How was this competition rule designed?" Seeing Shi Ping also go up to compete, and the result he shot causing a burst of exclamation from the crowd, and hearing the content of the discussion in the crowd, Xia Hong was a bit curious about the rules of the competition and turned to ask Xia Chuan.

The competition was designed by Xia Chuan, so he naturally knew it clearly and said:

"Except for the hunting team, everyone above the Woodcutting Realm can participate; the targets are divided into three types: two hundred meters, one hundred meters, and fifty meters, all having ten rings. According to the target chosen by the contestant, they are divided into three grades: Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C."

"Only hitting ten rings counts as a result, right?"

Hearing the results of Xu Ning, Shi Ping, and several others in succession, all reported as ten rings, Xia Hong immediately understood the rules Xia Chuan had formulated.

As expected, hearing this, Xia Chuan nodded.

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

Such rules seemed harsh, but they were definitely beneficial and had no drawbacks.

The cruelty of the Frozen Abyss World was something those of them who went out hunting knew best.

If they couldn't achieve a hundred percent accuracy in such static shooting, they simply wouldn't be qualified to deal with those powerful and cunning cold beasts in Red Wood Ridge.

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

=9+Book_Bar

Since only hitting ten rings counted as a result, the results of those who could be recorded as Grade A were all the same, so naturally, it couldn't distinguish between high and low, and the rewards Xia Chuan had formulated were all based on ranking.

Regarding this question, Xia Chuan was clearly prepared and reached out to point to the left.

Xia Hong looked in the direction he pointed and found the wooden dummy standing quietly on the left side of the crowd, and immediately understood.

"Alright, let them compete, we'll go to the mine first..."

Xia Hong was just about to take Xia Chuan and the others away, but he didn't expect that before he had finished speaking, he was discovered by the people behind.

"The leader is here!"

"The leader also came to watch us compete."

"Quickly make a path for the leader."

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

"That's right, I haven't seen the leader shoot an arrow yet."

"Yes, let the leader shoot an arrow for us to see."

It wasn't known who was the first to speak up and ask Xia Hong to try shooting an arrow, but everyone immediately became interested. After all, except for a few members of the hunting team, these people really hadn't 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 and knew that Xia Hong's archery level was not ordinary, which was why they were egging him on.

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

"Alright, since you want to see, then I'll try. However, I won't compete with you for the ranking, you can just watch!"

Since it was hard to refuse such kindness, 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 groove of the wooden dummy's abdomen on the other side immediately lit up.

After a burst of light, the wooden dummy turned into a bone-spiked frost wolf and walked to the other end of the wooden house, stopping about two hundred meters away from Xia Hong.

"The cold beasts of Red Wood Ridge are not static targets. Whether it's going out hunting, gathering, or logging, once you encounter them, they won't stand stupidly in place waiting for your arrows!"

As soon as Xia Hong's voice fell, the bone-spiked frost wolf transformed by the wooden dummy suddenly exerted force with its four limbs, its body like a cannonball leaving the chamber, suddenly rushing toward him.

Among the five types of cold beasts encountered so far, the speed of the frost wolf was second only to the Gnawing Rat. A mere two hundred meters, for a frost wolf, wouldn't even take ten breaths.

Swish... Swish... Swish... Swish...

As soon as the frost wolf's body moved, Xia Hong had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, shooting four arrows in succession. Except for the first arrow, which he spent one breath on, for the remaining three arrows, he shot them almost as soon as he nocked them, not spending any time aiming at all.

Everyone hurriedly turned their heads to look at the frost wolf, and everyone immediately gasped.

Four arrows. The first two arrows hit the frost wolf's eyes respectively. The terrifying impact force attached to the two arrow shafts caused the frost wolf's head to flip backward, almost taking its body and flying backward in a circle.

And the other two that followed predicted the direction the frost wolf was flying backward, piercing straight through its shoulder blades and pinning its body directly to the ground.

Thump... Thump... Roar...

The frost wolf transformed by the wooden dummy was extremely realistic. Although it was hit by these four arrows, its vitality hadn't been completely cut off. It struggled and roared crazily on the ground, broke free from the two arrows in its shoulder blades, and actually started to retreat, looking like it wanted to escape.

A slight light appeared in Xia Hong's eyes. The simulation of this wooden dummy was indeed realistic to the limit, almost restoring the reaction of the cold beast one-to-one.

Of course, the movements of his hands didn't stop either. He quickly chased forward a few steps, drew his bow and nocked an arrow again, and shot six more arrows in succession at the frost wolf that was fleeing and dodging left and right.

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

The frost wolf transformed by the wooden dummy was finally pinned to the ground by Xia Hong's arrows.

After Xia Hong finished shooting the ten arrows, the whole place was silent.

Everyone looked at the frost wolf on the ground that couldn't move, already dumbfounded.

Xia Hong's ten arrows just now took a total of only ten-plus breaths.

Ten-plus breaths, for those present who had just participated in the archery competition, wasn't even enough for them to draw their bows and nock arrows, plus the time to aim.

But Xia Hong not only finished shooting ten arrows but also didn't miss a single one. Almost every arrow hit precisely as he had envisioned, and according to the wooden dummy's judgment, he had already successfully hunted a frost wolf with a bow and arrow.

"Archery is also this powerful, is there anything the leader can't do?"

"The leader's archery is too strong!"

"This, more than just strong, it's simply divine."

"Doesn't that mean the leader can hunt alone using a bow and arrow?"

"Gulp..."

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

You must know, these arrows had all first pierced through the frost wolf's body before hitting the ground.

"Not only so accurate, but the power also crushes us several times over. No wonder the leader said he wouldn't participate in the ranking. If he participated in the ranking, what would we people be fighting for in the top ten..."

Shi Ping had always been quite proud of his archery. After all, he had been guided by his father, Shi Qing, since he was young, and his talent wasn't low to begin with.

But after seeing these ten arrows from Xia Hong, he immediately sobered up a lot.

"The leader's archery was clearly also practiced by finding my father, and the time practiced wasn't long, yet the level is so much higher than mine. It seems that only by participating in real hunting and facing real cold beasts can one quickly improve one's archery level. I must also quickly improve my strength and strive to join the hunting team as soon as possible to go out with the leader and Lord Xia Chuan and the others!"

The archery level he had always been proud of turned out to be so unbearable. Shi Ping was somewhat hit, but at the same time, a stronger fighting spirit ignited in his heart, and he urgently wanted to raise his archery level to Xia Hong's level.

Shi Ping calmed his mood and looked up, only to find that while everyone was heatedly discussing, Xia Hong had already taken Xia Chuan and the others and quietly walked toward the mine.

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

"Alright, continue the competition! The leader's strength is not something we can compare to. One day, if our archery level can be half as powerful as the leader's, we'll be burning high incense!"

After the heated discussion of the crowd gradually subsided, Shi Ping stepped forward and announced that the competition would continue.

"No wonder you didn't want the hunting team members to participate in the competition. The reaction of these people is a bit too big!"

At the mine entrance, Xia Hong, who had just walked in, shook his head slightly, thinking of the exaggerated reaction of everyone in the camp after he finished his demonstration just now, his expression a bit strange.

"Hahahaha, leader, they haven't officially hunted after all, and they've seen very few cold beasts, so where would they have seen such powerful archery."

Luo Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Xia Hong's strength was beyond doubt, but if it were just about archery, there were actually quite a few in the hunting team who were stronger than him.

For example, Zhao Long, who was to the side, was one.

"Not really, the leader's archery is actually not weak itself, and combined with the fact that his basic strength is much stronger than ours, the arrows shot have greater lethality. It's normal for these people to have such a big reaction after seeing it!"

Hearing Zhao Long's words, Xia Chuan also nodded and smiled: "If we let the hunting team members go and compete with them, that would be bullying. I estimate that if Yuan Cheng went, he could also occupy a spot in the top three."

"Hahahaha..."

Everyone laughed out loud upon hearing this, and even Xia Hong couldn't help but laugh a few times.

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

"Chuan, your archery level isn't much better. When I have time to spare a few days to practice, I'll make you come in last."

The four laughing people had unknowingly walked to the depths of the mine.

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

"Hahaha..."

Xia Hong laughed a few times and took the three of them and walked in quickly.

"Greetings, leader!"

Yuan Cheng, Zhao Hu, and Zhao Bao, who were excavating, saw Xia Hong come in and hurriedly turned around to salute him.

Xia Hong waved his hand, letting the three stand up, and looked at the twenty-plus pieces of iron ore on the ground, feeling a bit worried on his face.

"The iron ore can't keep up, and the spine tendons will soon be insufficient. Tomorrow night, let's go to the north slope of the mountain wall first to see if we can kill a few more Gnawing Rats, and then go to Red Wood Ridge to hunt a few Teng Jiao back."

Everyone nodded upon hearing this.

"It's almost dawn, let's light a fire in the cave. The seven of us together, let's dig more iron ore today and try our best to speed up the progress!"

After Xia Hong finished speaking, he directly picked up the ram-horn chisel on the ground and started digging.

Luo Yuan and Zhao Long were the same as him, while Xia Chuan went outside and soon brought in quite a bit of wood with people. After the fire was lit and the temperature in the cave rose, he also picked up a ram-horn chisel and followed the six people to mine together.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 123 =====