Chapter 393: Frost Wolf Advancement, Wolf Soul Awakens! (6000)

Cao Xing looked at the Arctic People Du An and continued to ask, "How is the progress of the furnace and the Lords Manor?"

He was quite concerned about this progress; after all, once the energy station reached level 21, he would be able to build the [Large-scale Spatial Teleportation Array].

The [Spatial Crystal Stones] needed had already been taken care of for him by Fitz Walker.

The only remaining material needed was the [Square Stone Inscription], and Cao Xing decided to try and find a way to get it at the market later.

Once he obtained the teleportation access rights from the Eternal Frost Main City, he would be able to achieve rapid movement.

Du An replied, "The furnace has currently been upgraded to level 19, and your Lords Manor has currently been upgraded to level 10."

"It will take about seven more days to reach level 21…"

Hearing this timeframe, Cao Xing frowned slightly.

Because seven days later would be the day the Zhuo Mas Claw challenge ended.

And the top 10,000 territories would all be teleported to that special scenario—the Battle of the Oracle, which would last for an entire month…

In other words, before the arrival of the new version, he might not be able to head to the Eternal Frost Main City to redeem rewards.

However, it didn't matter.

The equipment level required for any complete legendary equipment was extremely high.

This could be seen from the equipment levels of the [lady of the lake sword] and the [Bright Holy Scripture], which were as high as level 70.

And that death gods dagger was also not something he could equip right now.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing nodded, "I understand, just do your best."

"Understood."

Du An respectfully withdrew.

"Zelko," Cao Xing called out next.

Upon hearing his voice, the old village chief immediately stepped forward.

"Respected Lord, please give your orders."

Cao Xing did not immediately give an order, but instead asked, "Have you drunk the milk today?"

The old village chief respectfully replied, "Replying to the Lord, we have all already drunk the milk this morning."

"The villagers, just like me, have found that their symptoms have improved a lot after drinking the milk."

"Everyone is marveling at the magical nature of this milk."

Cao Xing smiled, "Good, it's good that you've started to recover."

"From now on, you villagers of Grapevine Village don't need to go build the city walls anymore."

"Starting today, I am appointing you to work in the winery, and you should select four people to assist you."

"In the future, you will begin brewing [Dream Illusion Wine] and [Crafted Rum] with all your effort."

The old village chief possessed [Advanced Brewing Mastery], which was a good life skill that shouldn't be wasted.

Hearing Cao Xing's order, Zelko was stunned, then accepted it without hesitation.

"Understood, merciful Lord!"

Cao Xing continued, "As for the other Grapevine Village villagers, go cultivate the fertile fields today, and then start planting [Agate Grapes] and [Silver Dew Berries]."

"This is your old trade, I assume I don't need to send anyone to teach you, right?"

Upon hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared on the villagers' faces.

"Lord, this is indeed our old trade, we don't need anyone else to teach us."

"That's right, when it comes to growing grapes, there is no one in the entire Gale Snowfield more skilled than our Grapevine Village, haha!"

"Let's work hard, everyone!"

A look of pride appeared on the villagers' faces.

Cao Xing nodded.

"Very good, the agricultural zone of the territory is entrusted to you."

"Then, all other personnel, follow your previous schedules and go out to work."

As he finished speaking, over three hundred staff members left with excitement.

At the same time.

Cao Xing looked at the people in the field.

"Now, I will begin issuing today's tasks."

"Yesterday's original team that followed my wife, aside from Assam, will remain unchanged."

"My team will also remain unchanged."

"However, I have matters to attend to, so command will be handed over to Assam, and all Wind Mages will also follow Assam."

"The Wild Boar Warriors will continue to guard the territory, is that understood?"

In the field, over five hundred combat personnel simultaneously looked solemn.

They said respectfully, "Understood, respected Lord!"

After he finished, both sides quickly divided into teams.

Cao Xing nodded and continued, "Renice, Sarah, you two come with me."

The two women looked at each other, then stepped out of the crowd and came to Cao Xing's side.

Liu Muxue knew what he was going to do, so she asked softly, "A-Xing, shouldn't you take a couple more people?"

"Will there be any danger?"

Cao Xing shook his head and said, "No need, it's just to open a warehouse, not to fight, don't worry."

"Mm…"

Liu Muxue didn't ask any more questions, "Then we will prepare to set off now."

But Cao Xing said, "Wait a moment, Muxue."

"Let me buff the soldiers one more time."

After saying that, he took the [Tribal Horn (Purple)] out of his backpack and handed it to Braum.

The big guy took the horn with a confused look, "Lord, what is this?"

Cao Xing smiled, "A horn that can increase our morale; you have large lung capacity, so I'll leave the blowing to you."

Braum laughed heartily upon hearing this, "No problem, Lord, leave it to Braum."

He placed the horn directly into his mouth and blew it fiercely.

"Doo——"

A heavy, melodious horn sound rang out.

Instantly, the pupils of all the warriors in the field turned red, and they gripped their weapons involuntarily.

It was as if they felt a fire burning in their hearts, a surging fighting spirit rising up!

However, this fighting spirit extinguished in the blink of an eye.

[Successfully used [Tribal Horn (Purple)], all territory residents' morale has been increased, abnormal resistance and attack speed +5%. Affected by the talent [Eternal Power], this status has become permanent.]

(Note: In non-combat status, the morale increase effect will not affect the soldiers' state.)

…

Seeing the prompt at the end, Cao Xing was amused.

"It won't affect them in non-combat status? That's pretty good."

"Otherwise, if they kept being in that high-spirited fighting state, they wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

After blowing the horn, Cao Xing said, "The buff is done."

"Go on, Muxue."

Liu Muxue nodded gently and immediately mounted the Frost Moose.

Then, with a heroic posture, she quickly left the territory with a large number of combat personnel.

On the other side, Assam was just preparing to lead his men out when he was stopped by Cao Xing.

"Assam, you wait a moment too."

"Lord, please give your orders."

Cao Xing didn't speak, but instead glanced at the attributes of the mount at his feet.

Compared to when it was first recruited as a level 10 ordinary creature, the strength of this Frost Wolf had greatly improved.

And after using one of Cao Xing's [Expert-level Heart of Strength] yesterday, it had now become a level 41, Tier 5 elite creature.

Before this, Cao Xing hadn't really focused on training it, mainly because he wanted to find a more powerful mount for Assam.

However, as it currently stood, he really couldn't find a mount more suitable for Assam than the Frost Wolf.

The Frost Wolf's size was just right, and its movement speed was also very fast.

Especially in the snow, it would also have a 30% speed bonus.

Thus, Cao Xing took a Boss-level Soul from his backpack and tossed it to Assam.

"Assam, let your Frost Wolf evolve again."

This loyal knight understood Cao Xing's meaning and nodded heavily.

"Understood, thank you, Lord, for nurturing Winter!"

After speaking, he directly slammed the Boss-level Soul into Winter's body.

However, this breakthrough did not seem to go smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, the aura on the Frost Wolf came to an abrupt halt.

"Awoo…"

The Frost Wolf Winter also looked a bit dejected.

Seeing this scene, a look of regret appeared in Assam's eyes.

He stroked the Frost Wolf's fur, signaling it not to be sad.

He said apologetically, "Sorry, Lord."

"Winter failed."

Cao Xing waved his hand, "No matter, I have more here."

He first took a look at his backpack.

Originally, he had 7 Boss-level Souls remaining, but after the consumption over the past few days, there were currently less than 3 left.

There weren't even any Leader-level Souls left.

Even the legendary weapon in Assam's hand—the lady of the lake sword—was currently only level 30, with no extra Leader-level Souls to raise its level.

But this didn't affect anything.

After all, thirteen days had passed since Assam obtained the lady of the lake sword.

Over these thirteen days, he had been using its special effect every day and had killed quite a few monsters.

It had already added a full 2372 points of attack power.

What kind of concept was this?

You have to know, when this weapon was at level 30, its base attack power was only a little over two thousand.

In 13 days, it had increased by more than double!

And Assam's current attack had already surpassed that of Commander-level creatures of the same tier, with explosive output capability.

Cao Xing took a second Boss-level Soul out of his backpack and tossed it over.

Assam took it solemnly and, without hesitation, slammed it into Winter's body.

This time, no accidents occurred.

A fierce aura and a strong cold chill rose from the Frost Wolf Winter.

Then, it threw its head back and let out a joyful howl.

"Awoo!!"

[Your territory member's mount: Winter has successfully used the soul, becoming a Tier 5 Boss-level creature, base attributes increased by 30%, learned new skill: Wolf Soul Awakens]

[Wolf Soul Awakens: When the Frost Wolf's HP drops below 10%, it will activate the wolf soul within its body, causing its own movement speed to explode by 50%, and increasing its HP recovery speed by 100%, lasting for 60 seconds, cooldown: 1 day]

…

The moment he saw this skill, Cao Xing's eyes lit up.

"Good fellow, activates Wolf Soul below 10%, and also increases HP recovery speed by 100%?"

"Doesn't this mean that before it could recover 5200 HP per second, now it can recover over ten thousand per second?"

A look of surprise and delight immediately appeared in his eyes.

Moreover, with the bonus from [Eternal Power], this skill effect could remain permanently.

In other words, the Frost Wolf Winter would always be in this state of Wolf Soul Awakens, its strength exploding!

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad, the skill from Winter's evolution this time is very strong."

"In this way, with the addition of Wolf Soul Awakens and a series of movement buffs, its speed will be able to even crush Commander-level creatures of the same tier."

As a knight's mount, combat power actually wasn't the most important thing.

Mobility and survivability were far more important than combat ability.

Therefore, Winter's evolution path was quite appropriate.

"Alright Assam, now take the warriors and set off."

Assam nodded solemnly, then with a 'swish', drew the lady of the lake sword.

Behind him followed Xiao, Victoria, Braum, Herlie, the old mage Tyren, and the Holy Light Priest Isabelle.

Then there were one hundred Star Country swordsmen and one hundred Wind Mages. Alan, the Wind Mage who had just transformed into a leader last night, was also there.

Assam said solemnly: "Everyone, this will be the first time I lead you in a large-scale battle."

"If there are any shortcomings, please point them out."

Braum, standing nearby, laughed: "Don't worry, Knight Assam, if you make a mistake in command, I will definitely be the first to criticize you."

Assam nodded with a smile, "You are welcome to supervise."

"Then everyone, follow me into battle!"

As he finished speaking, over two hundred combat personnel rushed out in a grand procession.

Including those Wild Boar Warriors, who went off to guard the territory.

Soon, only Cao Xing, along with Sarah and Renice, remained here.

As the two female residents who had followed him the earliest, they were the ones Cao Xing trusted the most.

So this time when going out, he had left them behind.

Then, Cao Xing glanced at the room next to him.

"Robin, come out."

Hearing the voice.

A thin, small figure emerged from behind one of the residential houses.

It was Robin, the Ascalon royal bloodline that Marita had brought back yesterday.

When Renice's gaze met the boy's, she seemed to feel a tremor in her bloodline.

It was an urge that made her want to kneel down.

As a former Ascalon captain, the royal bloodline had a suppressive effect on Renice.

However, she had now sworn allegiance to Cao Xing.

It could be said that apart from her own Lord, there was no one left worthy of her kneeling.

Therefore, even the effect of this bloodline suppression lost its efficacy.

Renice spoke slowly, "I feel the aura of the former King on you."

Robin listened and said cautiously: "I… I don't know about any King…"

"It was Lady Marita who said… my ancestors came from the Ascalon Kingdom…"

"And then I was brought here."

"I… I don't know anything about a lost kingdom, nor do I know anything about the Ascalon royal family!"

Renice nodded and sighed: "If you don't know, then you don't know."

"Anyway, thousands of years have passed since that era, and the glory of the kingdom no longer exists."

The boy Robin stood there blankly, not knowing how to reply.

Cao Xing interrupted them and said directly: "Alright, let's go."

Having said that, he took the three of them and quickly left the territory.

However, in order to speed things up, Cao Xing took out the sled and let Robin sit on it.

The young man looked embarrassed and squirmed, saying: "Letting… letting you pull me, Lord… how can I be so bold…"

Cao Xing smiled, "This isn't a good thing."

"You'll find out in a moment."

Under Robin's confused gaze.

The Mammoth instantly strode forward with its thick hooves and dashed away, pulling the sled.

At this moment, Robin, sitting on the sled, deeply felt what it meant to be moving at lightning speed.

What speed and passion were!

The sled bumped crazily along the way, and his loud screams echoed continuously.

Renice and Sarah, following alongside, curled their lips into faint smiles.

They seemed to find the scene before them amusing.

About ten minutes later, they had already left the territory for more than twenty kilometers.

They arrived near the familiar [Wright River].

This river was still the same as when he first saw it; thick ice covered the surface, like a jade belt stretching across the entire Gale Snowfield.

Following the downstream path, one could reach the forest where the Ascalon Kingdom was located.

Everyone continued on their way.

On the road, Cao Xing pulled up the battle information and saw that Liu Muxue had already started fighting.

His accumulated points began to increase.

A smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

It had to be said that this feeling was quite comfortable.

Having someone help share the pressure not only ensured that the challenge activities wouldn't be delayed, but also allowed him to do other things.

Relatively speaking, he wasn't as busy.

The Mammoth dragged the sled, moving along the riverbank.

Cao Xing turned his head to look at Robin, "How is it, can you still hold on?"

Robin listened and nodded vigorously, saying: "I'm fine… Lord."

Although this boy was relatively thin and weak, he was, after all, a Tier 2 Elite creature.

After experiencing the initial discomfort, he had now adapted to the terrifying speed of the Mammoth.

"Good."

Cao Xing didn't say much more, and continued to maintain this speed, moving forward all the way.

Halfway there, Assam had already begun the battle.

Before long, the upgrade notification sounds for those Wind Mages rang out.

[Your territory member: Alan's level has increased, current level 26…]

[Your territory member: Lin's level has increased, current level 30…]

[Your…]

As the system notifications continued to ring, those Star Country swordsmen successively reached the maximum level.

Cao Xing thought to himself: "According to the projections, these Star Country swordsmen will all reach the maximum level of 30 today."

"By tomorrow, those Wind Mage apprentices will also be at the maximum level."

"Then I need to prepare Expert-level Heart of Strength for them to breakthrough."

"Two troop types, a total of 200 Expert-level Heart of Strength, which is 10 million Ice Dragon Mark."

Cao Xing glanced at his backpack.

[Ice Dragon Mark * 3248527]

"Only 3 million plus, still a gap of more than 6 million."

"It seems that after going back this time, I need to find a way to sell a batch of resources and exchange them for a large amount of Ice Dragon Mark."

For other Survivor Lords, 10 million Ice Dragon Mark might be a terrifying number.

But for Cao Xing, it was quite easy to solve.

Currently, he still had many things in his hands that could be used to exchange for resources.

For example, those weapons.

Various green and common-grade weapons, adding up to nearly ten thousand.

Although the value of these weapons was not high.

But Cao Xing focused on the large quantity.

He could still exchange them for quite a lot of [Ice Dragon Mark].

Besides that, there were some miscellaneous resources.

While thinking, time passed quietly.

At the same time, a crisp, slightly steady voice rang in his ears.

"Lord, we are almost there."

Renice's voice interrupted his train of thought.

Cao Xing raised his head and realized he had already arrived at the downstream of the Wright River.

This was also near Ji Xinyue's territory.

Cao Xing took a look and found that this girl's territory, after nearly a month of development, had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Before, there were only a few sparse buildings here.

The entire riverbank only had Ji Xinyue's family living there.

But now, a circle of primary city walls had been built here, solid and sturdy.

Inside, there were also level 13 Smelters and a level 10 Lords Cabin.

As well as many high-level residential quarters, training grounds, and other buildings.

Besides that, there were many people living inside.

It looked just like a scene of a small gathering place.

Ji Xinyue must have left the territory and taken people out to challenge the Zhuo Mas Claw, but she had still left behind a dozen garrison soldiers.

Cao Xing exclaimed: "It seems she has developed quite well this month."

"A territory of this scale is not bad among Survivors."

Last time, he had seen Ji Xinyue leading many Survivors.

Counting those combat personnel, there were enough for a thousand people.

It could be said to be the scale of a general legion.

However, he had no intention of getting close.

Instead, he took Renice and Sarah and headed straight into the nearby forest.

In the center of this forest was the passage to the Ascalon Palace.

There was an upright warning sign at the entrance.

[There are a large number of undead in the forest, please do not enter.]

This warning sign must have been left by Ji Xinyue to remind the Survivors of her legion.

After all, those undead did not treat other Survivors the same way they treated Cao Xing.

If they encountered strangers intruding into their territory, they would attack directly.

If they were angered, thousands of Ascalon undead would rush out from underground and could easily submerge Ji Xinyue's territory.

Of course, Cao Xing didn't have this concern.

After all, his favorability with Ascalon had reached the "Intimate" level, and those undead would not attack him at all.

"Let's go in."

As Cao Xing's voice rang out, Dabai strode forward with its thick elephant hooves and headed straight into the forest.

In an instant, the temperature dropped sharply.

And compared to when he came last time, the cold atmosphere here had not decreased; on the contrary, it seemed even more eerie and terrifying!

In broad daylight, he even saw undead lurking in the forest.

"There are more and more undead in the vicinity, no wonder Ji Xinyue put a warning sign outside the forest."

At this moment, the boy Robin had also gotten off the sled.

He followed behind Cao Xing, looking at the undead appearing from time to time all around, and was so scared that his face turned pale!

Those undead, upon seeing Cao Xing and the others, did not take the initiative to attack.

Instead, they watched him from afar and then slowly disappeared into the shadows.

Seeing this, Robin gradually breathed a sigh of relief.

Cao Xing arrived at the center of the forest without any obstruction.

Before his eyes appeared the familiar underground entrance.

"We're here."

After saying this, Cao Xing directly flipped off the Mammoth.

Then he said: "Dabai, you continue to wait here for us first."

"Moo…"

Dabai nodded its head gently, appearing very obedient.

Then, Cao Xing took Renice, Sarah, and Robin, and walked down the stairs.

"Tap… tap…"

The ancient stone stairs were covered in dust, and the sound of the four people's footsteps echoed in the passage from time to time.

Just like last time, the further down they went, the lower the temperature became.

Robin, who was beside him, was already shivering from the cold!