Chapter 151

Once Director Yu Wen Hu left, the entire dense forest instantly fell silent.

"Leader, didn't you say you hadn't broken through to the Frost-Resisting level yet?"

Luo Yuan's slightly reproachful inquiry made everyone turn their heads to stare at Xia Hong in unison.

Xia Chuan, Yue Feng, and Luo Yuan had similar expressions, also carrying some reproach.

Clearly, all three believed that Xia Hong had lied to them before.

As for the other fourteen, what appeared on their faces was joy and excitement.

Being able to fight Director Yu Wen Hu head-on and even almost succeeding in killing the other party.

Even if Xia Hong said he hadn't broken through to the Frost-Resisting level, I'm afraid no one would believe it.

Watching the expressions of the crowd change from joy and excitement to reverence and fanaticism, Xia Hong shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, and finally gave up on explaining.

"Pack up the things, let's go back first!"

Everyone immediately woke up, turned their heads to look at the corpses of He Meng and the others on the ground, and relaxed, happy smiles immediately appeared on their faces.

"From now on, the Mirror Immortal Camp won't dare to look down on us anymore, right!"

"Not just that, they shouldn't dare to enter Red Wood Ridge again."

"That's not necessarily true. The entire hunting team of twenty-five people was wiped out; it's possible the other side will react even more strongly. We still need to be careful later."

"That's right, the leader's strength is strong, but that doesn't mean we are strong too. This Mirror Immortal Camp is a giant camp with a large population. If they really bring everyone to fight, we will also be in trouble."

"What are you afraid of? With the leader here, five wooden dummies, and torches, even if they really bring people to fight, we are not afraid at all!"

"The two strongest Frost-Resisting level experts in their camp couldn't do anything to the leader, what else can they do? If they really compare numbers, at worst we'll lure cold beasts over. In short, there's no way they're bullying the Great Xia Camp!"

"Hahaha, you kid, you're wicked enough."

Hearing the crowd's relaxed discussion, although Xia Hong's gaze narrowed slightly, there was no longer much worry in his heart; he was in a completely relaxed state.

Director Yu Wen Hu being able to have some say in the Mirror Immortal Camp proved that his strength would not be too far from that leader, He Yuanhun.

At 31% progress, his own strength was already close to seventy thousand jin. Once the skin and membrane reshaping stage was completed, his base strength would be at least one hundred and fifty thousand.

And a normal Frost-Resisting level expert's base strength is at most just over one hundred thousand; once his progress reaches over 60%, he can basically reach it.

Since that is the case, what else is he afraid of!

"Today's matter ends here for now. As long as the Mirror Immortal Camp doesn't continue to come and find trouble, I won't go and provoke them. If they dare to come again..."

Xia Hong looked toward the north, his eyes slightly cold.

The fastest way to expand Great Xia's population is obviously to annex other camps.

If this Mirror Immortal Camp dares to come and find trouble again later, he wouldn't mind directly swallowing a giant camp with a population of over five thousand.

Xia Chuan led the crowd and soon confiscated all the weapons of He Meng's party on the ground, as well as the prey they had hunted before.

"Two snow manes, one magic sheep, twenty-five great blades, twenty-five sets of bows and arrows, and five Lei Kui shields. Hahahaha, we're rich!"

Hearing such a large harvest, Xia Hong couldn't help but reveal a smile.

Not to mention the three prey—if they had hunted them themselves, it would have taken a lot of effort, and there would have been a possibility of injury; just those great blades and bows and arrows, counting mining and forging, would have taken them at least several days.

But right now, they got them all in one night!

Killing and setting fires brings golden belts—this is indeed an eternal truth.

"The great blades and bows and arrows, compared to our forging craft, don't use much different amounts of iron, but this bowstring material, it doesn't seem to be Teng Jiao tendon?"

Hearing Zhao Long's words, Xia Hong's heart moved slightly. He took a bow from his hand and carefully examined the bowstring.

Unlike the Teng Jiao tendon with a diameter of half a centimeter, the bowstring of this bow was made by twisting hundreds or thousands of thread-like white fine lines together.

And this fine line also emitted a faint, elusive fragrance.

Xia Hong pulled it with a little force and felt the toughness of this bowstring; it was not much different from Teng Jiao tendon, and his interest immediately lessened a lot.

"Take it back and study it later!"

Different camps use different materials to make items due to their different environments. Red Wood Ridge using Teng Jiao tendon as bowstrings doesn't mean other places are the same.

Everyone nodded, hurriedly packed up all the supplies on the ground, and then divided a few people to carry the three prey, embarking on the return journey together.

"So this is how the Lei Kui skull is used. It takes five pieces to make a shield, which means this shield requires killing five Lei Kui to make one. This difficulty is a bit too high."

Xia Chuan played with the shields previously used by He Meng and the others, and after studying them for a moment, recognized that this was the Lei Kui skull.

Last time Xia Hong went to the north and met He Meng, he brought back a Lei Kui. When the camp supply office was processing it, Xia Chuan was on the side, which is why he could recognize it.

The Lei Kui's head has a skull half a meter long and ten centimeters wide extending from its body. That bone is extremely hard, and no matter what iron tool is used, no traces can be left on it.

At that time, Xia Chuan was still wondering what use such a small piece could have, even if it was hard. Now he knows that five pieces combined make a shield.

It makes sense; it's not suitable to carry such a large shield when going out normally. Distributing it to five people to carry not only protects parts of their vital body parts but also allows them to combine them into a shield when encountering critical moments. This is definitely more suitable.

"The production difficulty is indeed high, but it's useful. This shield can even block arrows shot by Frost-Resisting level powerhouses. No wonder they hunt cold beasts so easily!"

As soon as Luo Yuan spoke, everyone immediately realized that the arrows Xia Hong shot before were indeed blocked by this shield.

Everyone looked at the golden shield, and their eyes instantly became hot.

"Let me see it too."

Recalling that the arrows he shot before were blocked by the shield, Xia Hong also curiously took the Lei Kui skull, first squeezed it hard a few times, and then used the Long Que Dao to draw on it, finding that no traces were left on it, and a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

The three arrows he shot before were fired with the bow deformed; those three arrows were not the limit of the strength he could exert. According to his estimation, the impact force was at most around forty-five thousand.

But now it's different; his base strength in a static state is a solid nearly seventy thousand jin, but even so, this Lei Kui skull was still unscathed.

"It's a pity it can't be disassembled further. If it could be made into armor, it would be even better. Using it as a shield is not bad either. Even if it can't block Frost-Resisting level experts, it's estimated to be not much worse!"

After Xia Hong gave a judgment, he threw the skull back to Xia Chuan.

Xia Chuan took the skull, thought of something, and said to Xia Hong:

"Mu Dong has already seen it before. Although the Lei Kui's skin cannot compare to this skull, its defensive power is also very strong. It can probably withstand an impact of twenty or thirty thousand jin and can be used as armor material. The last Lei Kui's skin was more than ten meters long when peeled off, and it should be able to make five sets. He seems to have been busy with this matter recently."

Hearing this, Xia Hong's expression brightened slightly; this was indeed good news.

The Lei Kui's skin is indeed very hard. An impact of twenty or thirty thousand jin might be useless against Frost-Resisting level experts, but it is no problem to defend against most Earth-Digging Realm experts.

Imagine two people with Earth-Digging Realm cultivation facing off; if one of them wears armor made of Lei Kui skin, even if their strength is not as good as the other, their chance of winning is very high.

Everyone chatted while hurrying on their way, and soon walked to the edge of Red Wood Ridge, seeing the camp valley from afar across a few big trees.

Suddenly, a person jumped down from a big tree in front and soon ran toward the crowd from the snow.

"Leader, you're finally back!"

"Shi Ping, why are you here?"

Xia Chuan was the first to recognize that the person was Shi Ping.

Seeing Shi Ping's anxious look, Xia Hong's expression was also a bit curious.

"Leader, a stranger has come to the camp!"

Hearing this, Xia Hong was first stunned, then his expression changed in shock. While walking quickly toward the camp, he frowned and asked Shi Ping in a low voice:

"What kind of person? Have they already entered the valley?"

The expressions of the hunting team also changed repeatedly, and they followed closely behind him.

Shi Ping also followed quickly and replied in a low voice: "I don't know. Their clothing and appearance are very exquisite, not like people from nearby. They came down directly from the mountain. Although they didn't pass through the passage, they have already come into contact with the fire-condensing oil, and they even entered our wooden house without showing any abnormalities."

Hearing these words from Shi Ping, Xia Hong and the rest of the hunting team slowed their pace, and their expressions also stabilized a lot.

As long as it's not a monster, then everything is easy to talk about!

Shi Ping clearly also knew what Xia Hong was worried about. After finishing, he added: "He said his name is Gao Yu, and he accidentally got lost on the mountain, which is why he stumbled into the valley. We originally intended to drive him away directly, but..."

Almost reaching the valley entrance, Xia Hong saw Shi Ping's strange look of wanting to say something but stopping, and immediately asked: "But what?"

"That person is simply too polite..."

As Shi Ping recounted, Xia Hong's expression also gradually became strange.

When that person came down the mountain, his hands were not empty; he brought four cold beasts, and judging by their size, they were all intermediate ones. Moreover, according to Shi Ping, he had never seen those four intermediate cold beasts before.

And as soon as the other party came down the mountain, he said he wanted to give the four cold beasts to Great Xia, only asking to stay here for a period of time.

Even if those four prey were tempting, Shi Ping and the others didn't dare to make the decision to agree to such a request without authorization, only saying they couldn't make the decision.

That person saw it and didn't make Shi Ping make the decision, saying he would speak for himself when the leader returned, and if he didn't agree, he would leave immediately.

Shi Ping was helpless, so he could only let others watch in the camp and came to the outskirts of Red Wood Ridge to wait for Xia Hong to return.

"Let's go in first!"

At the valley entrance, Xia Hong didn't say anything after listening, looked up at the high mountain behind the valley, pondered for a moment, and led the crowd directly into the passage.

Coming down from the mountain alone, and bringing four intermediate cold beasts they had never seen before, just this point alone could infer that the newcomer's strength was probably far beyond their imagination.

For such a person, let alone such a polite attitude, even if he wasn't polite, Shi Ping and these people would have no way to deal with him.

No, it should be said, fortunately, this is a polite person.

If it were a person with a strange temper who killed innocent people indiscriminately, I'm afraid those left in the camp would suffer an unprovoked disaster.

"Eh, no, your fist technique is indeed not bad, but just practicing fists is not enough. The Woodcutting Realm is the critical time for laying the foundation. The tempering of the five parts—fist, leg, head, body, and back—is indispensable.

Only by widening the load-bearing limits of various parts of the body will your progress be faster when you practice toward the Earth-Digging Realm, and even in the future..."

Walking into the passage, before entering the valley, Xia Hong heard a strange voice. The voice was gentle and quiet, carrying a unique flavor that made people feel at ease. Although they hadn't met yet, Xia Hong couldn't help but feel a bit of favor in his heart.

Listening to the voice, it seems to be... about thirty years old.

"Greetings, Leader!" Xia Hong entered the valley, first waved to the gatekeeper on the side, then looked up at the outside of the wooden house, his expression narrowing slightly.

Outside the wooden house, dozens of children over six years old were practicing fists.

And in the middle of these children stood a middle-aged man in white. He was standing with his back to Xia Hong and the others, so his appearance couldn't be seen clearly. One could only see a long sword as black as ink slung across his waist, and his hands were in front of him, having just set up a round log.

The middle-aged man didn't seem to notice Xia Hong and the others coming over; he was continuously hitting the round log with the five parts he had just mentioned—fist, leg, head, body, and back—clearly teaching these children the method of tempering their bodies.

"Leader!"

"The leader is back."

"The hunting team is all back!"

Children are at an age where they can't hide things. Seeing Xia Hong and the hunting team enter, they immediately started to make a fuss.

"Alright, alright, it's almost dawn, everyone go into the house and practice!"

=9+Book_Bar

The group of children, hearing Xia Hong's words, thought it was really almost dawn, and immediately turned back to the wooden house with smiles.

Only then did the middle-aged man turn around to face Xia Hong and the others.

The moment he saw the middle-aged man's appearance, Xia Hong was slightly stunned, and the eight words "face like a crown jade, eyes like bright stars" popped directly into his mind.

It's very strange; in a world like the Frozen Abyss, one could actually see such a person!

Due to years of sleeping during the day and going out at night, coupled with the harsh extreme cold environment, it is actually very difficult for people to grow up looking good. Even if they have a good foundation, it is difficult to escape the sanctions of the environment.

Coupled with fighting to the death with cold beasts and monsters on weekdays, whether it was Xia Hong himself or everyone he had seen, the temperament on their bodies was mostly rough and savage, or even fierce and cruel.

But the temperament of this middle-aged man in white before him was gentle, calm, noble, and even... elegant?

That such words would pop into his own mind made Xia Hong's expression reveal a trace of trance, and the suspicion in his eyes grew increasingly heavy.

Supposedly, Beishuo Town was the most prosperous and developed place he knew of so far, but even Yang Ning and Li Hu, who came from such a place, couldn't give Xia Hong this feeling.

Not to mention strength, just the temperament on this middle-aged man in white was enough to turn those two, Yang and Li, into scum.

Of course, the moment he approached and found that he couldn't perceive the other party's changes in Qi and muscles at all, Xia Hong immediately realized that the middle-aged man's strength was probably far above his own.

"Gao originally thought that to be able to build such a paradise in this barren land, the leader of this Great Xia Camp must be a very old and wise elder. Unexpectedly, Brother Xia Hong is so young. It seems Gao's knowledge is still lacking!"

"That person is simply too polite..."

Xia Hong's expression was strange; only now did he understand the sentence Shi Ping had just said.

Meeting him was a round of praise, coupled with the other party's handsome appearance.

It is very difficult for such a person to make people feel disgusted.

"Gao..."

"I should be a few years older than Leader Xia Hong. If you don't mind, how about we address each other as brothers?"

He offered a step before he even finished speaking; this is simply too insightful, right?

Xia Hong's expression became increasingly strange. Thinking of the other party's strength, he couldn't help but start to beat drums in his heart. After thinking about it, he still walked to the door of the wooden house and took the initiative to invite:

"Brother Gao, why not come into the house and talk slowly?"

Probably seeing that Xia Hong had many questions to ask him, Gao Yu nodded with a light smile and followed Xia Hong and the others into the wooden house.

He brought Gao Yu all the way to the main hall on the first floor, by the iron-smelting furnace. Seeing that the other party really didn't show any strange expression as Shi Ping had previously said, Xia Hong truly let go of most of his guard.

As long as it's not a monster...

"Brother Xia Hong, this furnace is not simple!"

Hearing this, Xia Hong looked up suspiciously, wanting to find some clues on Gao Yu's face, but found that the other party just glanced at the iron-smelting furnace slightly and didn't show any abnormalities. His heart moved slightly, and he asked casually:

"Oh, Brother Gao, tell me, why is my furnace not simple?"

Gao Yu walked to the side of the furnace, examined it carefully for a while, and even reached out to touch the furnace to feel the high temperature emitted by the coal stone, before turning back and praising: "I don't know what the specific structure of this furnace is, but the heating effect is so strong, and the coal consumption is not large. If it could be popularized, I don't know how many lives it could save."

Hearing this sentence, the heart Xia Hong had just raised immediately let go.

The heating effect of the iron-smelting furnace is indeed far beyond ordinary iron furnaces. Considering its radiation range, which can cover an area of a hundred meters, four hundred jin of coal stone a day is indeed a low consumption.

Of course, the most critical thing is the last sentence of this person.

If it could be popularized, I don't know how many lives it could save.

Xia Hong could feel the sincerity contained in Gao Yu's tone when he said this; this was the reason why he was truly relieved.

"It's a pity, this object. I also obtained it unintentionally, so I'm afraid there's no hope for popularization..."

After responding, Xia Hong immediately got straight to the point and asked directly:

"I don't know where Brother Gao came from, and what is your purpose in coming to my Red Wood Ridge? Can you clear up our confusion?"

It wasn't just Xia Hong sitting here at the moment; the rest of the hunting team was also there.

Everyone focused their eyes on Gao Yu, waiting for his answer.

"Divine Martial Village, Gao Yu!"

Gao Yu was clearly well-prepared for Xia Hong's question, his expression always calm and composed, as if it wasn't him that everyone was watching.

After reporting his family name, he revealed a trace of helplessness, cupped his fists toward Xia Hong, shook his head and said: "Brother Xia might not believe it, but I really got lost during the hunting process, stumbled through the Twin Dragon Mountains, and accidentally broke into your camp. I really didn't mean to offend, and I hope Brother Xia can understand!"

Village, it seems to be a large-scale human gathering place between a camp and a town.

Divine Martial Village, this name is quite extraordinary.

Twin Dragon Mountains, it should refer to the two high mountains on the east and west sides of the valley.

Passed through the Twin Dragon Mountains?

Xia Hong looked up at Gao Yu, his heart shaking slightly.

It sounds ridiculous, but although the Great Xia camp is in the valley, Xia Hong has never climbed the two high mountains on the east and west sides even once.

Except for knowing that they are more than two thousand meters high, Xia Hong knows nothing about the rest of the information on the mountains, such as tree varieties, cold beast species, distribution, terrain environment, and whether there are human activities.

The reason is not complicated. With Red Wood Ridge in front, he didn't need to lead people to explore unknown areas, and coupled with the fact that there had been no special situations on the top of the mountain, there was no need to pay attention to it.

But after the Wang He incident happened last time, taking the opportunity to apply fire-condensing oil to the mountain wall above, Xia Hong climbed up once and looked far toward the east, that is, behind the valley.

The range of these Twin Dragon Mountains is no less than Red Wood Ridge. Xia Hong visually estimated that its east-west span is at least over two hundred kilometers.

This Gao Yu said he passed through the Twin Dragon Mountains?

That is to say, the Divine Martial Village he spoke of is outside the Twin Dragon Mountains.

He hunted alone, crossing a range of two hundred kilometers...

Not to mention hunting alone.

What is the concept of crossing a range of two hundred kilometers alone?

Xia Hong has been here for a year, leading the Great Xia Camp until now. Even counting the two or three kilometers on the outskirts of Red Wood Ridge, the activity range would not exceed ten kilometers.

No matter how you think about it, this is completely impossible!

"Dare to ask Brother Gao, what is..."

Xia Hong spoke subconsciously, but when the words reached his lips, he immediately realized it was inappropriate and stopped.

"Brother Xia doesn't believe I can cross the Twin Dragon Mountains alone, so you want to ask what my cultivation is, right?"

This Gao Yu is not only polite, but also a smart person!

He knew what he was going to say before he even finished speaking!

Xia Hong praised in his heart, then looked up and met his gaze, nodding sincerely.

Probing others' strength is indeed very presumptuous.

However, since the other party saw it, he didn't need to hide it.

Gao Yu didn't answer Xia Hong's question, but stared at him for a while and said loudly: "If I'm not mistaken, Brother Xia should be reshaping your skin and membrane to break through to the Frost-Resisting level right now, right?"

Before Xia Hong could answer, Gao Yu continued: "I was lucky enough to be one step ahead of Brother Xia and broke through to the Frost-Resisting level a few years ago!"

Sure enough, it's the Frost-Resisting level!

Although he had guessed it in his heart, getting the answer from the other party's own mouth, Xia Hong still let out a heavy sigh of relief in his heart.

From returning to the camp until now, although Gao Yu's posture was very polite, he had never been completely at ease.

After all, the other party's strength was above his own, and whether it was good or bad, it was ultimately up to the other party to decide. He couldn't completely let go of his guard against this feeling of being unable to control the situation, especially since the other party's true purpose was unknown, which made him sit on pins and needles.

He could roughly perceive his strength from Gao Yu's slight changes in Qi and muscles. Although he was stronger than Director Yu Wen Hu, he should belong to the category of the Frost-Resisting level.

Of course, that was a guess. At this moment, Gao Yu admitted it himself, which was undoubtedly more reassuring.

Xia Hong's heart moved slightly, and the five wooden dummies that were about to come down from the second floor stopped in place and didn't move.

Then, after a moment of relief, he revealed a trace of surprise, hurriedly got up, cupped his fists and said: "Then Xia should address you as Senior!"

Gao Yu hurriedly waved his hand, shook his head and said: "No need, no need. It's just luck. I observe Brother Xia; your skin and membrane progress shouldn't be high right now, but your breath is long, your body is strong, and you have the posture of a battle body. Once the skin and membrane are reshaped to the flawless realm and you break through to the Frost-Resisting level, your strength will inevitably soar in one step.

I absolutely dare not accept this 'Senior'!"

Posture of a battle body, flawless realm...

Hearing two strange terms in a row, Xia Hong immediately became interested.

Not just him, the hunting team members like Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan on the side also revealed curious expressions.

Gao Yu's insight naturally doesn't need to be described. Without needing Xia Hong to speak, as soon as he saw everyone's expressions, he immediately explained to everyone with a smile.

"The breakthrough of a normal Frost-Resisting level..."

As Gao Yu spoke eloquently, learning the many details of breaking through from the Earth-Digging Realm to the Frost-Resisting level, everyone revealed expressions of sudden realization.

And Xia Hong's expression went from trance, to lingering fear, and finally to extreme excitement.

Last day, still more than three hundred votes short, please vote, please vote, please vote, please vote!!!

(End of this chapter)