Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1301 - 426: The Grand Scene of the Three-Town Martial Arts Competition, Marriage Alliance and Integration (Part 3)

"Sssss..."

"Hahahaha!"

Laughter erupted even louder from Jiang Yining and the rest behind him, sparked by Xiao Hen’s pained grimace.

"So many beautiful clothes!"

Stepping into South City, shops along the streets sparked instant gasps of awe from the Jiangxia group. Jiang Yining and the five or six girls with her got drawn right away to the store marked "Zeng’s Summer Clothing Workshop".

A variety of summer outfits dangled inside the shop, with crowds of customers packing it nearly full. The attractive 25- or 26-year-old shopkeeper, aided by several female helpers, buzzed around serving guests with endless energy.

"That shopkeeper sister is so pretty! Did she make all these beautiful clothes? I want to buy a couple of pieces too!"

Hearing Jiang Yining speak, Xiao Hen whipped his head toward the summer clothing workshop. Spotting the female shopkeeper instantly, he let out a soft sigh before grinning and replying, "No rush, you’re going to stay in Hongmen for over a month; you’ll have plenty of time to shop later. Let’s go eat first!"

At his words, the group gave up reluctantly and trailed after him southbound, reaching Zhao’s Restaurant before long.

"Young Master Xiao, you finally arrived. The other Young Masters have been waiting upstairs in the private room. Young Master Xiao, you’ve brought so many guests today; please come in!"

A nimble servant in the restaurant spotted Xiao Hen at once and rushed to greet them warmly, swiftly guiding the whole party to the third floor.

Jiang Yining, Xiahou Qingqing, and the others hustled after Xiao Hen, climbing the stairs fast.

"Restaurant – is it a place where you spend money just to eat?"

"Isn’t it similar to the inns in Jiangxia?"

"This is obviously more advanced than an inn. Look, nearly everyone who comes to eat here has Cold Resistance level cultivation!"

"I just saw on the first floor that everyone was paying with silver."

......

Just like the roadside stores they passed, this restaurant hit Jiang Yining and her companions with another huge mental jolt. Back in Jiangxia Town, they’d heard tons about Hongmen, but rumors were nothing compared to seeing it live.

As they climbed the stairs nearing the third floor, voices drifted down from above:

"Although it’s called the Three Towns Martial Arts Competition, Great Xia hasn’t prohibited participants from the other six towns. As long as they pass the bone age test, confirm their age is between 15 and 25, and clearly explain their background, all young people can participate."

"Great Xia has such a grand style! No wonder so many people have come to Hongmen recently. Today is the eighth, and from my observation, at least 30,000 people have come to Hongmen in the past eight days, mostly young people. There’s still 22 days until the competition starts; I estimate at least 100,000 more will come by the end of the month."

"There’s no choice; the rewards for the martial arts competition are just too generous. Great Xia announced last month’s rewards, totaling 10 million taels of silver alone, not to mention the Dan Medicines, weapons, war armor, and other items. I estimate organizing this competition would cost Great Xia at least 30 million taels of silver."

"What’s the purpose? Offering so much silver just for a martial arts competition?"

"I suppose Great Xia has confidence in its young people, believing they’ll secure many top positions, and so ultimately, the rewards will be consumed by their own people."

"No kidding! I acknowledge Lord Xia Hong’s reputation as number one of the Nine Towns, but young people’s martial arts are a different matter. A strong lord doesn’t mean the young people in the camp are strong too."

"Northern Three Towns have quite a few geniuses under 25, like the Yang’s Eight Horses, Jinshan Six Cubs, and Wuchuan Seven Heroes. Dragon Valley, Yangqu, and Chui Mountain all have talented individuals, not to mention many village-level camps occasionally producing geniuses. Even if Great Xia is strong, it can’t take all the top spots, can it?"

"How many rankings will be chosen this time, do you know?"

"I heard each group will select the top 100 positions based on age, under 20 and under 25, with higher rankings receiving better rewards."

"How many have registered so far?"

"Registration started on the first. The announcement board in front of the Hongmen Government Building lists registrations; currently, the total number seems to be over 40,000."

"Ssss... Over 40,000 by the eighth, isn’t that over 100,000 by the end of the month?"

"Why are so many people coming? Did all the young people from the Nine Towns come?"

"Probably close to it. Great Xia hasn’t restricted anything, and anyone within the age limit can come. Many might not necessarily aim for a position but just want to watch the excitement."

"Are you kidding? Over 100,000, how long will this competition take?"

"It’s not up to you to worry; Great Xia surely has a way to screen participants."

"The martial arts competition is divided into preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals. It’s said the first two rounds will be held in Hongmen City, taking two months. After the semi-finals, each group will leave 1,000 people, and in August, the finals begin, where these 2,000 compete for the top 100 in Xia City."

"Is Great Xia intentionally absorbing young talents from the Nine Towns, so those who win must join Great Xia to receive their rewards?"

"Does everyone think like you? Minister Xia Chuan of Great Xia personally issued a public notice at the end of last month, clearly stating that rewards have no restrictions. As long as you’re from the Nine Towns, regardless of which family, you can receive rewards, and whether you join Great Xia is entirely up to you."

"No wonder so many are participating; is it really that free?"

"Of course!"

......

While the third floor buzzed with such talk, Xiao Hen ushered the group into a window-side private room.