Chapter 175: The Competition Ends, Surprises Abound

The newly reorganized Six Departments of Great Xia, in truth, only the Frontier and Hunting Departments underwent real changes; the other four merely had their suffixes altered.

Aside from the Director of the Supply Department being replaced, the Logging, Gathering, and Craftsmanship Departments retained their original Directors, with virtually no changes at all.

After explaining all the adjustments to the Six Departments, Xia Hong immediately handed everything over to Xia Chuan, the newly appointed Deputy Director.

First, erect temporary shelters; prepare for the reconstruction of the garrison's wooden buildings; inventory all camp supplies; restore pre-war material supplies; urge the camp's reserve forces and children to resume their cultivation…

Xia Chuan methodically assigned the camp's current tasks.

Meanwhile, Yuwen Tao also led a group to draft specific regulations and operational guidelines for the Hunting Department.

The day passed quickly, and the silent wooden huts began to buzz with noise once more.

The more than three thousand newcomers from Jingxian Camp were still adjusting to the new environment and remained dazed; but the Great Xia group was different—nearly everyone had left their huts and thrown themselves into the urgent tasks of reconstruction.

The advantage of having many hands became immediately apparent.

Just half the night had passed when another square wooden shed, fifty meters wide, was already erected.

The pre-assigned groups streamed en masse from the old building into the new one, instantly easing the crowding in the garrison.

"My lord, one more temporary wooden shed is enough—we only need it for a short while."

At the front of the valley, Xiang Mudong found Xia Chuan and reported the completion of the temporary sheds, then continued:

"Preparations for rebuilding the main wooden tower have begun. Over half of the Digging Realm cultivators are mining in the caves, while others are forging iron. A large number of Logging Realm cultivators have also begun venturing out. We're reusing the original foundation stakes—barring unforeseen issues, we can start construction tomorrow night. With so many people involved, progress will be swift."

"So many people" isn't just four words.

Xia Chuan surveyed the valley's interior, watching the crowds—several times denser than before—and his expression was brimming with excitement.

"One hundred ten Digging Realm, over fifteen hundred Logging Realm, and the remaining three thousand—so long as we have enough cold beast meat, more will break through. I estimate we won't even need a month and a half. Staying crammed in two sheds like this has got to be uncomfortable for everyone."

"Yes!"

After answering, Xiang Mudong turned and immediately went back to his duties.

Shi Ping walked up and bowed to Xia Chuan: "My lord, Yuwen Tao and all the others above Logging Realm have been fully registered. The camp now has a total of 1, 81 Logging Realm cultivators—this batch added 982, while the original camp had 599."

1, 81!

Anyone who breaks into Logging Realm must be enrolled in the contribution point system—Jingxian Camp's newcomers were no exception.

Hearing the number, Xia Chuan nodded slightly; it matched his estimate.

"The newly added nine hundred-plus Logging Realm cultivators have all been assigned to the Supply, Logging, Gathering, and Craftsmanship Departments—with the most going to Logging and Gathering, and only a few to Craftsmanship and Supply."

"By the way, have you finished inventorying the Supply Department's materials?"

Shi Ping frowned, his expression grim: "Leather, Tengjiao sinews, venom sacs, Frost Wolf bones, Golden Wound Powder… these materials suffered only moderate damage. But the cold beast meat is drastically reduced—originally we had 160, 00 jin in storage, but after counting, we've got less than 30, 00 jin left."

Hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression darkened instantly.

Though casualties from the cold beast surge were light, material losses were severe—the beasts smashed through the huts and ransacked the second-floor Supply warehouse, looting every bit of cold beast meat and valuables.

Cold beasts eat their own kind, so all that meat naturally became their prime target.

Cold beast meat is currently the camp's most critical consumable.

Losing 130, 00 jin at once is a major blow.

"With 30, 00 jin left, and the camp's current population—1, 81 Logging Realm, 110 Digging Realm, and over three thousand others—two-thirds of whom are reserves, plus children under six receiving five jin monthly—assuming they only exchange for their own cultivation needs, daily meat consumption must exceed ten thousand jin."

After calculating roughly, Shi Ping continued: "I've already issued orders: due to the tight meat supply, everyone can only exchange for their personal needs—no over-exchange. Even so, the stock drops by over four thousand jin every night."

Four thousand jin sounds small—but that's only because Yuwen Tao and the newcomers haven't yet been registered and thus haven't earned contribution points, so they can't exchange anything yet.

That means the original Great Xia group of over a thousand already consumes over four thousand jin of meat daily; once the remaining three thousand start exchanging, consumption will skyrocket.

"Have you informed Yuwen Tao about this?"

Shi Ping immediately nodded: "As soon as I counted the meat reserves, I went straight to report to Lord Yuwen. I found him discussing Hunting Department details with Hong Guang and others—they should have results soon."

Xia Chuan's expression eased slightly. With meat reserves critically low, the Hunting Department must resume operations immediately.

Brother had already said that, barring emergencies, he wouldn't interfere with camp hunting again—henceforth, all cold beast meat income rests with us below.

"What is it? You've got something to say?"

Seeing Shi Ping hesitate, Xia Chuan sensed his unease and asked curiously.

Shi Ping paused, thought it over, then spoke with faint resentment:

"My lord, Hong Guang, Hong Tian, and the other four seem to have serious objections to your position as Deputy Director, and they're also dissatisfied with the Frontier Department Director's appointment—they think the leader is showing favoritism!"

Hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression lifted slightly.

"Did you hear this with your own ears?"

"Yes. When I went to see Yuwen Tao after nightfall, I overheard them."

"Did Yuwen Tao say anything?"

Shi Ping's resentful expression softened somewhat. He shook his head: "Among them, Yuwen Tao seems the most reasonable—he shut them down."

Hearing Yuwen Tao had silenced Hong Guang and the others, Xia Chuan's expression eased. He said:

"That's enough. They're newcomers—three thousand strong—it's natural they don't yet understand their place. As long as Yuwen Tao understands, time will eventually correct their attitudes."

Offering one Hunting Department Director position is already their maximum concession.

Though Jingxian Camp had over three thousand, they were the defeated side. Logically, granting them normal status is already generous.

Great Xia is truly short on people—if not, given the prior tensions between Jingxian and Great Xia, whether these people would even receive normal treatment was questionable.

Remember, Yuwen Tao and his group had shed the blood of Great Xia's Digging Realm cultivators—and even participated in the siege against Brother Xia Hong.

"In my view, they're just greedy. The leader was magnanimous and forgave their past offenses—we haven't forgotten. And thank heaven Li Yun and Li Kaiping's widows and children kept their peace—if not, even out of respect for those two families, we should've cracked down on them hard."

"Never say such things again!"

Xia Chuan frowned and cut Shi Ping off sharply.

The two camps had clashed repeatedly before—this sudden merger inevitably brought problems. True integration will still take time.

Xia Chuan changed the subject, turning to Shi Ping: "By the way, are you interested in the Supply Department Director position?"

Hearing the question, Shi Ping's face twisted in conflict.

"You've handled nearly every Supply Department matter before. Your strength is sufficient. The leader asked me to pick a successor—and right now, aside from you, I can't think of anyone else."

Xia Chuan saw the conflict on Shi Ping's face and knew exactly what he was hesitating over. He continued:

"The Frontier Department Director position? Even if Hong Guang, Hong Tian, Luo Yuan, Yuan Cheng, and Yue Feng all compete, you can't win. My advice: take the Supply Department Director position. It'll give you a seat at the camp's decision-making table."

Xia Chuan's thinking had grown mature.

He clearly saw that Shi Ping and Luo Yuan sought Six Department positions to enter the camp's leadership.

Shi Ping had performed excellently in the Supply Department and possessed the necessary talent.

Now, with a direct path to becoming a Six Department Director, he had no reason to refuse.

The conflict on Shi Ping's face vanished quickly—he'd clearly made his decision. He bowed deeply to Xia Chuan and said solemnly:

"My lord, I've decided—I want to join the Frontier Department. I covet the Supply Department position, but honestly, whether for contributing to the camp or gaining experience, I long more for the outside world. I beg you to grant me this."

Seeing Shi Ping's earnestness, Xia Chuan didn't press further. He nodded: "Very well. I'll find another candidate."

The Supply Department, though burdened with complex duties, held great authority—it controlled all camp resources and interfaced with nearly everyone. Many coveted this post.

Shi Ping's willingness to relinquish it proved he truly yearned for the outside world. Xia Chuan said nothing more, already turning his thoughts to other candidates.

Yuan Cheng was out of the question—too impulsive for such delicate work.

Lin Kai, Yue Feng, Qiu Peng, Lu Yang, and Xu Ning—all five were viable.

After some thought, Xia Chuan decided to speak with each of them individually, assess them first, then decide.

………………

Great Xia Year One, March 20th.

Yuwen Tao sat with Hong Guang and the other four in a corner of the wooden hut.

Though weary, all six wore smiles—they were clearly satisfied with their outcome.

"The Hunting Department's regulations are finalized for now. Any future adjustments will be made later—I'll report this to the Deputy Director."

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The six rose to find Xia Chuan, surrounded by a crowd gathered around the hearth, where laughter and noise constantly rose.

Curious, the six pushed their way in.

Inside, they saw Xia Chuan standing above, holding a wooden board facing the crowd, speaking loudly:

"The Wood Rank has been announced. Now, the Coal Rank:"

"First place: Yuan Cheng, 1, 80 points, reward: 2, 00 contribution points;"

"Second place: Yue Feng, 1, 50 points, reward: 1, 00 contribution points;"

"Third place: Hong Gang, 1, 90 points, reward: 1, 00 contribution points;"

"Fourth place………………"

What's this?

Yuwen Tao and the others exchanged curious glances. Hong Guang grabbed a young man nearby.

"Who the hell pulled me… Ah, Dad, Uncle, Tao-ge…"

The youth had been about to curse, but seeing it was Hong Guang, he shrank back and quickly called out.

The youth was Hong Yu, Hong Guang's eldest son, fifteen years old—two years younger than Yuwen Tao. Though young, he had broken into Logging Realm over a year ago.

"Little Yu, what's going on?"

Yuwen Tao had known Hong Yu since childhood and had a good relationship with him. He asked directly.

"They say Great Xia held a mining competition recently. Today's the settlement day—they're announcing rankings. The Wood Rank took the top thirty—the first place got 800 contribution points, thirtieth got 300. The Coal Rank took five—the first got 2, 00, fifth got 1, 00. The Iron Ore Rank has just been announced—listen…"

"Now announcing the Iron Ore Rank:"

"First place: Luo Yuan, 3, 90 points, reward: 2, 00 contribution points;"

"Second place: Xia Chuan, 3, 10 points, reward: 1, 00 contribution points;"

Third place: Zhao Long, 3100 points, reward of 1800 contribution points;

…………

Indeed, Yuwen Tao tilted his ear and listened—above, Xia Chuan was indeed announcing the iron ore rankings.

"One point can be exchanged for two jin of cold beast meat, and a reward of 2000 contribution points at once—this is no small sum. How is the point value for extraction calculated?"

Hearing his father's question, Hong Yu immediately relayed what he had learned.

"I just asked around. Da Xia's calculation for wood, coal, and iron differs from ours: one point equals one thousand jin of wood, twenty jin of coal stone, and ten jin of iron ore. The competition started on the twenty-seventh of this month—I heard it was held to help Leader Xia Hong break through. I'm curious: how does resource extraction relate to the leader's breakthrough?"

Hearing Hong Yu's final, curious question, Yuwen Tao's eyes flashed with sharp insight—he recalled the scene when Xia Hong had simply made hundreds of thousands of jin of coal and iron vanish at the Mirror Immortal camp.

"Have you noticed how unusually warm it is inside these wooden huts?"

Compared to Yuwen Tao's six, Hong Yu clearly understood the camp better.

The six had spent the previous day discussing the Hunting Division; now, hearing Hong Yu's question, they suddenly realized: the hut contained only one stove, yet the temperature was terrifyingly high—far warmer than outside.

Yuwen Tao was the first to turn his gaze to the stove at the center of the room, over a meter in diameter; the others followed, their eyes filled with curiosity.

They had certainly seen coal-burning stoves before.

But could a stove only one meter in diameter warm a wooden hut fifty meters wide?

No—not just the hut. At least a hundred meters beyond the hut's perimeter, the temperature matched that inside.

"Tao-ge, you see it now? I heard from Da Xia people that this stove is a divine artifact created by Leader Xia Hong. Once lit, it raises the temperature within a hundred-meter radius—meaning anyone within that range doesn't need to light a fire to stay warm. I tested it myself—it's true. Isn't that miraculous?"

At this, Yuwen Tao's eyes were no longer merely curious—they were stunned.

Hong Guang and the other five felt the same. Only now did they realize this ordinary-looking stove possessed such extraordinary power.

By the way, it's not just for warmth—it also repels supernatural entities. I heard some supernatural entities had previously tried to infiltrate the camp.

And it's not just the stove. I spent the whole day asking around—Da Xia seems to have many miraculous items.

A hammer that can shape materials at will;

Wooden dummies that mimic the form of cold beasts;

Green bamboo fences, similar to our snow bamboo but even more effective;

Marker stones that detect life signs within a one-kilometer radius;

Herbal decoction pots that automatically record medicinal materials and generate herbal formulas;

Small torches, condensed fire oil…

As Hong Yu listed one by one the miraculous items he'd heard about yesterday, Yuwen Tao, Hong Guang, and the other five grew increasingly stunned—until their expressions turned almost incredulous.

Could this kid have lost his mind?

"There's one more thing—I heard they have a training ground. Pay 20 contribution points, and you can train inside for a day. The training efficiency there is double that of outside!"

When Hong Yu finally mentioned the training ground, Yuwen Tao and the other five froze, speechless for a long while.

Slap…

Finally, Hong Guang couldn't hold back—he slapped his son.

"You've gone mad! Where did you hear this nonsense, and how dare you believe it?"

"It's true, Father, Tao-ge! When I first heard it, I thought it was fake too—but I asked several Da Xia people, and they all confirmed it. Some even trained inside. I'm certain it's real. I'm saving up contribution points—I'll break through to Digging Earth Realm in no time if I can train there for a few days."

Hong Guang raised his hand again to strike, but Yuwen Tao stopped him.

"Hong Shu, hold on—Xiao Yu wouldn't be so easily fooled…"

Even as he spoke, Yuwen Tao's eyes held disbelief.

Training efficiency doubled?

How could such an absurd thing exist?

Not necessarily. If the training ground sounds unbelievable, then the things Hong Yu mentioned earlier are just as hard to comprehend.

"Tao-ge, believe me—I've seen the torches and condensed fire oil. Da Xia has over a thousand people; they couldn't all be lying to me. Besides, I'm not the only one asking—Zhu Kang and Meng Ao were asking too last night. They might know even more than I do. Ask them."

Zhu Kang was Zhu Ling's son; Meng Ao was Meng Yi's son. Both were about Hong Yu's age—youthful, restless, and fond of poking around.

In truth, Yuwen Tao already believed about seventy percent.

He knew Hong Yu, his childhood companion—he was no fool. If he said this, he had reason.

"It seems Da Xia still holds many surprises waiting for us to uncover."

Yuwen Tao spoke slowly, a spark of interest kindling in his eyes.

"Yuwen Tao, how is the preparation for the Hunting Division coming along?"

Just then, Xia Chuan, having finished announcing the mining competition rewards, walked over toward Yuwen Tao.

(End of Chapter)