Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1264: 418: Seize the Opportunity, the Shock Brought by the Eldest Young Master, Hongmen Scroll

The Ninth Year of Great Xia, Evening of January 15th

Within the third level of the Martial Arts Pavilion’s training grounds, Xiang Liang sat cross-legged, eyes firmly shut, mirroring the thousands gathered around him. A combination of medicinal potency and blood Qi swirled about his frame, incessantly forcing his pores open to allow the serum to seep into the flesh beneath his skin.

His brow was deeply furled, a silent testament to the agony he endured. Clearly, the sensation of medicinal energy ravaging his skin membrane and tempering his muscles was far from a comfortable experience. Even so, he remained resolute, gritting his teeth against the turmoil.

Across the room, the majority of the thousand attendees in the front rows displayed similar expressions to Xiang Liang. Some showed even more distorted features, betraying the fact that they were suffering through trials of far greater intensity.

As time bled into nothingness, the blazing crimson aura surrounding his body eventually dissipated. Xiang Liang’s forehead smoothed, and the agonizing tension upon his face began to ebb away.

“Late-stage Cold Resistance, eleven mane hairs. In just two months, I’ve achieved what would normally take a year or two of grueling toil. Cultivating within this Martial Arts Pavilion is truly miraculous!” Xiang Liang declared upon opening his eyes. He squeezed a fist, sensing his burgeoning power, his face lighting up with raw excitement.

Back in October of the previous year, Xia Chuan had appointed him as Vice Chief of Punishment for Hongmen. He had expected to assume his post in Hongmen City immediately, yet his formal application was promptly denied by Li Tiancheng at the Prison Department the following day.

Li Tiancheng’s reasoning was blunt: it was shameful, but Xiang Liang’s strength sat at a mere six mane hairs—far too weak for the position. Reflecting on it now, the rejection made sense. During the Hongmen conference held last September, every one of the six hundred ranked officials present possessed a strength of at least fifteen mane hairs. While Xiang Liang’s track record in the Prison Department was stellar and his potential vast, appointing someone with only six mane hairs to a vital stronghold like Hongmen City was deemed inappropriate.

However, since Xia Chuan had already made his decree, Li Tiancheng had to be prudent. They reached a compromise: Xiang Liang would be granted access to the Martial Arts Pavilion to bolster his cultivation, provided he could raise his strength above ten mane hairs before taking office. Hearing this, Xiang Liang felt a surge of hope.

The state of Great Xia today is vastly different from the era of his arrival eight years ago. With the population swelling, especially following the integration of the final 900,000 residents from Bashang last year, Xia City now harbors nearly 2.6 million people. Consequently, the resources managed by the Camp Supply Department have become incredibly strained.

Even common provisions like beast meat have seen costs quintuple, to say nothing of the rare resources required for true Cultivation.

Among these, the slots for the Martial Arts Pavilion are the most fervently desired. Everyone is desperate for a chance to enter. It is widely understood that the pavilion offers a triple speed boost to Cultivation, paired with medicinal pills, spiritual wine, salt, and superior techniques to maximize efficiency. Calculations have long suggested that a day of training inside the pavilion is equivalent to ten or fifteen days of effort in the wild. As these resources accumulate, the speed of one’s progress grows exponentially.

For those approaching a bottleneck, the pavilion can save years of standard Cultivation. This is precisely why the Camp Supply Department prioritizes those at the Earth-digging Realm Limit for entry.

Given such a prize, the competition is fierce. Even when the capacity was restricted to 1,000, competition remained brutal. The standard distribution offered 900 rotating slots and 100 via auction, yet even these auctioned slots regularly sold for at least 15,000 contribution points. With the current exchange rate of one tael of silver to ten points, 15,000 points equates to 1,500 taels—a stark reminder of how rare this opportunity truly is.

Although the Lord utilized Divine Skills last September to expand the capacity to 3,000, it remains insufficient for the booming population of Xia City, and the battle for slots shows no sign of cooling.

In October, the Camp Supply Department revised the allocation: 1,500 spots are now reserved for the Earth-digging Realm Limit; 800 for children between six and fifteen; 500 for Cold Resistance levels; 150 for auction; and the final 50 remain reserved for Xia Chuan, the Eight Departments Directors, and other special cases. While these theoretically rotate for everyone, the immense population size means the wait times are agonizingly long.

For instance, regarding the 1,500 slots, there are over 50,000 individuals at the Earth-digging Realm Limit in Great Xia. At this rate, each person waits at least a month, and if someone occupies a slot for a extended breakthrough, the wait stretches even further. As the number of those reaching the Earth-digging Realm Limit grows, the difficulty of obtaining a spot only intensifies.

Many are forced to bid their contribution points just for a chance. Xiang Liang had considered this path, but his funds were insufficient. Following his achievement infiltrating Dajue Temple the year before last, his total rewards reached 480,000 points. Combined with his personal savings, he held 580,000—a respectable sum, yet still far from enough for the elite bidding circles.