Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1254 - 415: Jiao Long Nest Blossoms and Bears Fruit, Changes in the Siblings’ Personalities (4)

To date, the entire Great Xia domain has successfully manufactured more than thirty sets of Ten Thousand Forged Iron Armor.

With such a limited supply, widespread distribution throughout the military is out of the question. Earlier this year, upon the promotion of Xia Chuan and Yuwen Dao to the Sixth-rank title of Zidian Marquis, Xia Hong officially designated the Ten Thousand Forged Iron Armor as the standard reward associated with that rank.

Currently, aside from the two Sixth-rank Marquises, Xia Chuan and Yuwen Dao, the only other individual entitled to wear the Ten Thousand Forged Iron Armor is the Commander of the Fifteenth Army of Great Xia.

"This is perfect timing. I have yet to determine the appropriate reward for the future Fifth-rank Jinque Marquis. I have returned with over four thousand fragments of dragon scales, which should be sufficient to craft the Jiao Scale Armor," Xia Hong noted.

Mu Dong’s expression flickered upon hearing this. He hesitated, clearly wanting to interject, but ultimately remained silent and gestured toward the final attendant.

Responding to the signal, the individual opened the tray he had been carrying.

Inside, an armor piece appeared as thin as a cicada’s wings, translucent and perfectly form-fitting.

"Is this constructed from the soft shedding found beneath the dragon scales?"

Mu Dong gave a firm nod, lifted the armor, and presented it to Xia Hong. His eyes glowed with excitement as he explained, "That Jiao Long’s soft shedding spans over six hundred meters. The Jiao’s Shedding Armor, crafted from a single layer, is capable of resisting any attack at the Cold Resistance Level. We conducted tests; this material is incredibly thin, and even when layered, the increase in weight is negligible while the defensive capabilities scale upward. The version now in your hands features 20 stacked layers, hitting the maximum limit. We could not verify its full defensive potential, so you must experience it for yourself!"

Xia Hong had already begun gripping the armor with considerable pressure to gauge its durability. While stretching it might not fully reveal its defensive limits, it served as an excellent test of the material's overall toughness.

After yanking on it a dozen times, he noted that the armor remained largely unaffected, showing only a slight deformation. Xia Hong instantly grasped the immense value of the Jiao’s Shedding Armor.

Concerned about production costs, Xia Hong questioned Mu Dong, "What is the length of shedding required to produce one set of this armor?"

"This 20-layer set requires 5 meters. Rest assured, Lord, the Jiao shedding is also useful in alchemy, so we take care not to waste it. We have crafted only this single piece specifically for you. The remainder is stored in the main hall treasury, reserved for future elixirs."

Five meters—that is quite reasonable!

When Xia Hong battled that black Jiao Long at White Tiger Pond last month, its length exceeded a thousand meters. This six-hundred-meter haul probably refers only to the outer skin shed during the previous phase.

"And what of the hundred-plus varieties of metal ores I brought back?" Xia Hong asked. "The Craftsmen Department has categorized over seventy types, identifying several suitable for artifact refining, including a chunk of Cold Marrow Iron weighing over thirty thousand jin. These are currently being utilized for casting instruments and forging weaponry. We have also selected the finest specimens to custom-craft a dedicated set of weapons for you!"

A smile blossomed across Xia Hong’s face upon hearing this.

Ever since returning from Hongmen, Mu Dong had been in possession of his Dragon Sparrow and Cold Blood, so he was well aware of the weapon-forging project.

"Excellent. Let us see what impressive weaponry your Craftsmen Department can produce for me this time!"

Xia Hong looked at the spirit pills resting on the table, consumed the Spiritual Milk Pill and the Sun-Rising Pill, and offered a smile to Mu Dong. "Very good. The new developments you’ve presented today are quite satisfactory. We shall provide a generous reward for the Cold Yuan Festival; for now, return to your duties."

"As you command!"

Mu Dong’s expression became ecstatic. After composing himself, he bowed and retreated.

"Be sure to attend to that matter regarding Chu Yan’er as well! I suspect she possesses unique skills and hails from a complex background. Test the individual to see if she is affiliated with Chen Cang or Cai Qiu."

"I shall get right on it!"

Xia Chuan bowed and quickly departed from the Political Debate Hall.

Xia Hong observed them leave, stood up, and exited the hall, but opted to bypass the high platform, moving instead toward the Star-picking Hall located behind the main building.

......

Rear chamber of the Star-picking Hall.

"Ahhhhhhh... I am so frustrated! Yuan Shao turns six today, while Yue Yuan, Yue Bo, Xu Cheng, Qiu Hong, and Lin Shou... they are all turning six now, yet I must wait until next year! I have to wait an entire extra year!"

Having returned from the Yuan Manor, Xia Yusheng was visibly agitated, swinging his small fists through the air as if engaging in a battle with nothingness.

"It is less than ten months away. What is the reason for such urgency?"

A young girl’s voice resonated from the interior of the chamber.

Though youthful, her tone carried an elegant and serene quality, which contrasted sharply with the impulsive, heated frustration of Xia Yusheng.

Xia Yusheng moved past the doorway, finding his sister, Xia Yuyao, sitting at a table dressed in a sky-blue gown, a copy of the Xia Li in her hands. He looked at her with curiosity and asked, "Sister, are you not at all impatient?"

"Being anxious gets us nowhere. It is more productive to prepare for your future cultivation with a calm state of mind. You surely do not want to reach your sixth year and look foolish because you know nothing!"

Xia Yuyao shook her head, looking at her brother with an detached expression. "This Xia Li·System Chapter was authored by Father himself. It explains the path of cultivation starting from age six, covering the Logging Realm, Earth-digging Realm, and the Cold Resistance Level. You ought to dedicate time to reading it!"

"Read what? We both already possess Earth-digging Realm cultivation—there is no need to study it now. We cannot cultivate yet, and reviewing the higher realms only exacerbates my frustration."

Seeing her brother’s continued resistance, Xia Yuyao stopped advising him. Suddenly, she sensed something and glanced rapidly toward the entrance.

Her eyes immediately curved like crescent moons, and her calm countenance vanished, replaced by an incredibly joyful smile.

She hopped down from her chair with agility and dashed into Xia Hong’s embrace.

"Dad! Weren't you busy cultivating with Mom at the Star-picking Platform? What brings you to see Ah Yao?"

Only then did Xia Yusheng notice the arrival of his father, and he rushed over to his father’s arms as well.

"12800, 12200."

Xia Hong opened his arms to catch the children, gauging their current base strength, and a flash of delight appeared in his eyes.

Without having formally begun cultivation, he estimated that the siblings would naturally develop a base strength of fifteen to sixteen thousand by the time they turned six next August.

Now, it appeared they might even exceed that expectation!

Xia Hong retrieved the prepared Spiritual Milk Pills from his robes, looked at them both, and smiled. "Ah Yao, Sheng’er, try these spirit pills!"

Each took a pill without hesitation and swallowed it immediately.

Although their small faces flushed momentarily, after only three breaths, they returned to their normal state.

"Yay, my strength has increased!"

"Dad, is this pill specifically designed to boost our strength?"

Upon realizing his strength had grown, Xia Yusheng became quite excited. Xia Yuyao, however, delved deeper into the matter. She understood they were forbidden from cultivating before the age of six and that standard cultivation pills were unsafe to ingest. Yet, since Father offered them, it must be perfectly safe—this pill had surely been formulated just for them.

"Indeed, Ah Yao is remarkably clever!"

Xia Hong could not resist poking Xia Yuyao’s nose, praising her with a warm laugh.

"Dad, I want more! I need to continue boosting my strength!"

Xia Yusheng, being more blunt, reached out toward his father, eager for another dose.

"One pill per month, no more."

Watching his unruly young son and his precocious daughter in his arms, Xia Hong felt a complex emotion he couldn't quite define. It seemed that ever since he took them to witness the council at Hongmen, their personalities had started to shift in unexpected ways.