Bang, bang, bang… On the training grounds of the territory, rhythmic footsteps echoed continuously.
Xia Tian moved swiftly across the gravel ground, like a bird flying into a forest. Suddenly, his posture changed, becoming as agile as a monkey. Then, he became still, like a deer comfortably stretching its body. One could even discern the shadows of a purple-striped fierce tiger and a silver giant bear in his movements.
Spurred by the change of Big Niu's name to "Blue," Xia Tian decided to practice the Five Animal Play even more diligently.
After all, although he had the experience and insights of a Grandmaster, truly converting them into his personal "Skills" in the attribute panel still required "practical" training and also demanded that his physique reach a higher level.
Fortunately, the greatest characteristic of the golden-quality cultivation method, the Five Animal Play, was its ability to "extract nutrients from food." Xia Tian had Pan Jinlian cook a large bear paw according to the "Mountain Eight Delicacies Recipe (Blue)" obtained from a treasure chest. After consuming it and fully digesting it through the Five Animal Play, his physique finally reached "4.2," and his level also increased to 'Tier Seven'.
In terms of attributes alone, he was now considered the "second strongest" in his territory.
The strongest, of course, was Wu Song. After also eating the meat of the "evolving" silver giant bear, Wu Song's physique, which had already reached its limit of "10," surprisingly loosened and became "10.1."
At the same time, the word "Evolution" similar to the previous silver demonic bear appeared in his attribute panel, and his stature grew even taller. His nearly two-meter tall physique exuded a powerful aura; just standing there could give ordinary people a heavy sense of oppression!
Buzz, buzz, buzz… After Xia Tian finished upgrading and had just walked out of the training grounds, a swarm of golden bees suddenly flew out of the jungle. Upon seeing him, they immediately danced in the air, forming a line of text.
"Hmm, what! You found a group of humans?"
Buzz, buzz, buzz… The golden bees vibrated up and down in the air, as if nodding, then changed their formation to new characters!
"Hmm, these humans seem to be trapped in a cave by a group of alien race ?"
Xia Tian's face was filled with pleasant surprise.
Because these people were likely the refugees he had summoned but who hadn't appeared yet. He hadn't expected the golden bees to have reconnaissance abilities; developing them as subordinates was definitely a treasure!
"Where is the cave, how far is it from the territory? How many foreign races are there, and what is their individual combat strength?"
Xia Tian quickly pressed for answers.
Buzz, buzz, buzz… The golden bees circled erratically in the air, forming a jumble of common characters!
"Alright, I was asking too much!"
Xia Tian slapped his forehead.
After all, they were only Tier One bees with a spirit of "0.1"; it was enough that they knew to return and notify him after discovering humans.
Some of the questions he asked would be difficult for even humans to answer precisely; it was likely that only trained army scouts would specifically pay attention to enemy intelligence.
"My Lord, we might know that gorge. We refilled our water there when we came, and there indeed seems to be a cave nearby, about five li from the territory!"
Soon, everyone in the territory was gathered, and Xia Tian learned the exact location of the cave from Wu Song and others.
Only five li was not too far.
However, these refugees were besieged by a group of foreign races. If he were to rescue them with the current military strength of the territory, he would probably need to make more preparations!
"Godly Arm Crossbows and Soft Thorn Armor, make five sets of each. Also, prepare a hundred crossbow bolts. How long will all of this take?"
Xia Tian quickly made a decision and asked the several people in the territory who had mastered skills like "carpentry and tailoring."
"My Lord, although we have complete blueprints, skilled hands are insufficient, and some materials are lacking. It would probably take at least a day and a half to make them!"
The white-haired old carpenter, who claimed his ancestors were from the Lu Ban family, replied.
"A day and a half is too long. The people in the cave might not be able to hold on. You only have half a day; the things I mentioned must be ready before dark."
Xia Tian shook his head.
Immediately, he took out a stack of blueprints from his Lord's Space and chose to consume his luck power for "rapid manufacturing."
【Logging Workshop Blueprint (Gold)】
【Level】 Mortal
【Feature】 Efficiency +500%
【Materials】 100 units of wood, 150 units of metal, 200 units of stone
【Description】 Can construct an advanced workshop equipped with the most efficient logging tools and equipment for crafting various wooden products.
Thanks to the "Logging Workshop," a golden building, and without considering quality, everyone in the territory worked together and quickly produced the five Godly Arm Crossbows and Soft Thorn Armor that Xia Tian requested.
They even made a hundred crossbow bolts with wooden fletching, but the arrowheads were an issue, as there was currently no blacksmith in the territory.
However, this problem was also quickly resolved. The tiger teeth, bear teeth, and bones obtained from previous hunts were taken out and ground into arrowhead shapes using the equipment in the "Logging Workshop," then attached to the arrow shafts. Their armor-piercing capability was no worse than iron arrowheads.
Of course, in their haste, both the Godly Arm Crossbows and the Soft Thorn Armor were crafted very roughly, resulting in finished products that were all "gray" quality defects.
But for Xia Tian, who possessed the ability to "Turn Stone into Gold," this was clearly not a problem. He reached out and picked up a Godly Arm Crossbow, and a golden light from his fingertips flowed around it, enveloping it.
【Do you want to use Turn Stone into Gold on 'Godly Arm Crossbow (Gray)'?】
Yes!
The originally crude and barely polished defective Godly Arm Crossbow, which might have fallen apart if the string was pulled too hard in actual combat, was completely transformed after Xia Tian's "Turn Stone into Gold."
From the crossbow arm to the crossbow bow, every detail was polished to perfection. The bowstring, made from the sinews of the silver giant bear, reflected a faint silver light, full of power, like a work of art of slaughter poised for action.
"The Lord's 'Immortal Art' is truly miraculous!"
Although it wasn't the first time, such a scene still left the residents of the territory feeling awe-struck.
Especially the old carpenter Lu, whose expression was even more devout and excited.
He had a feeling that by carefully observing the craftsmanship details of this new Godly Arm Crossbow, he could elevate his carpentry skills to the next level.
【Do you want to use Turn Stone into Gold on 'Soft Thorn Armor (Gray)'?】
【Do you want to use Turn Stone into Gold on 'Tiger Tooth Arrow (Gray)'?】
【Do you want to use Turn Stone into Gold on 'Warring States Bronze Sword (Green)'?】
In addition to the Godly Arm Crossbow, Xia Tian also upgraded a Soft Thorn Armor woven from silver bear fur and twenty "Tiger (Bear) Tooth Arrows" made from the best materials to golden quality.
This series of operations consumed a total of over 350 points of luck, which Xia Tian felt was necessary.
After all, as a lord, his safety concerned more than just one person, so no amount of preparation was too much.
Yes, these items were prepared by Xia Tian for himself; he intended to personally participate in the rescue.
Because this first battle with foreign creatures would undoubtedly yield "treasure chests," and as the lord, he had to be personally present to open them.
Of course, Xia Tian would not choose to charge on the front lines but would primarily use the Godly Arm Crossbow for long-range attacks.
Therefore, the Warring States Bronze Sword hanging at his waist for self-defense was only strengthened once to blue quality.
"I've never seen myself look this handsome!"
After putting on all the equipment, Xia Tian couldn't help but secretly praise himself.
Golden quality armor, golden quality crossbow, golden quality arrows—if this were an online game on Earth, the magnificent glow would probably blind people!
Then, Xia Tian continued to use "Turn Stone into Gold" on the remaining weapons.
He certainly wouldn't go alone, but would bring the "soldiers" who had transferred professions today.
Of course, the soldiers' equipment didn't need to be upgraded to top-tier golden quality.
After all, going from gray to golden required "dotting" five times, and with each luck consumption doubling, even if his territory's luck still had four digits, he couldn't afford it.
Therefore, he only strengthened these gray, inferior crossbows, armor, and arrows twice, turning them into green-quality fine goods, plus four white-quality short sabers brought by the constables, which were strengthened to blue quality, and then he stopped!
Finally, Xia Tian had everyone carry a small bottle of golden honey for healing wounds and a small packet of bear bile powder that could detoxify all poisons.
This way, even if they were injured or poisoned, they had nothing to fear.
"Now, it should be foolproof."
Xia Tian let out a breath.
However, by the time everything was ready, the sun overhead was already close to setting. By the time they reached the cave five li away, it would probably already be dark.
"But I specifically waited until evening to act."
Xia Tian took out two items from his Lord's Space.
A pearl with swirling mist inside, and a bottle with a faint golden light flowing around it: the "Mist Concealment Pearl," which could generate mist to hide their figures and sounds, and the "Sun Gold Bottle," which could emit sunlight at night.
He hadn't used these two wondrous items since he acquired them. Why not take this opportunity to try them out today?