Chapter 1808 - 464: Star Valley Sunset, Legacy of the Era (Part 3)_2

Chapter 1808: Chapter 464: Star Valley Sunset, Legacy of the Era (Part 3)_2

The team trekking eastward found a remarkably abundant open-air salt mine at the edge of a vast grassland, quickly forming an extraction team and a transport team.

But development is not always smooth sailing.

While establishing the quarry, they disturbed the Stone Howl Beasts that originally occupied the area.

These are creatures resembling giant apes, capable of shattering rocks with sonic waves.

Their Strength is astonishing, and they hold the advantage of the terrain.

In the initial conflict, the exploration team suffered losses, with several warriors injured by the shockwaves.

When the news reached Star Valley, Tu Hu did not personally intervene, leaving the issue to Ah Lann to handle.

Ah Lann, drawing from past experience, did not choose a direct assault.

He commanded the warriors to use metal tools to dig dozens of deep pit traps overnight around the activity area of the Stone Howl Beasts, embedding sharpened iron spikes at the bottom.

In this battle, the Downspirit Clan reclaimed the valuable quarry with wisdom and without losing a single life.

Similar conflicts frequently occur in various areas.

Sometimes encountering fierce new predators, sometimes clashing with clans very territorial in nature.

Yet, the Downspirit Clan always manages to find victory through ingenuity.

Each victory brings a new resource node into their domain, strengthening the clan’s foundation.

Abundant resources also allow the younger generation of warriors to grow rapidly.

Inside the city, the workshops operate day and night without ceasing, the sounds of hammering and bellows crafting the symphony of civilization.

Crops in the fields yield bountifully, and the warehouses grow increasingly filled.

The Archive Hall’s beast skin scrolls continually increase, as the recorded knowledge and territory expand together.

But the journey of exploration also presents setbacks.

When the Downspirit Clan’s exploration team ventured southwest into a dim region shrouded in pale purple miasma, they encountered an unprecedented adversary.

This is a Wisdom Clan they named the "Shadow Claw Tribe."

They dwell within vast fungal forests, their bodies slender and agile, claws and teeth Sharp, adept at environmental camouflage to launch ambushes.

In conflict with this tribe, they exhibited cunning and highly efficient combat wisdom.

The initial contact swiftly turned into a bloody ambush.

The Shadow Claw Tribe utilized the miasma and complex terrain, elusive and avoiding direct confrontation with the Sharp weapons of the Downspirit Clan, targeting weak points, using poisoned blow darts for long-distance harassment, attacking those who were isolated.

Like serpents in the shadows, each attack was precise and lethal.

An exploration team composed of fifty elite soldiers barely broke free after losing nearly two-thirds of its members, returning to Star Valley in a battered state.

Along with the news of casualties, they brought back a sense of unprecedented defeat.

The enemy’s individual strength might not surpass the Fierce Beasts, but their combat techniques made the Downspirit warriors, who were accustomed to winning by relying on equipment and formations, feel a chill from the depths of their hearts.

This disastrous defeat, like a bucket of icy water, awakened Tu Hu from his indulgence in technological prosperity.

On this day, on the city wall, Tu Hu, Ah Lann, Ah Fen, and Ah Lü gathered, the atmosphere heavy.

"Our weapons are Sharp enough, our city walls Solid enough, but when the enemy doesn’t confront us head-on, when we are in unfamiliar environments, our warriors will hesitate, will fear...we lack something, something that lets us fight with gritted teeth even in desperate situations, until the very last moment," Ah Lann said heavily.

Ah Fen looked at the wounded being healed below, tears in her eyes, and said nothing.

Ah Lü spread out the map, marking the dim region to the southwest with a black Mark representing danger and the unknown, saying in a deep voice:

"Technology makes us strong, but without matching Combat Will and techniques...we have been too comfortable for too long."

Tu Hu listened in silence, taking a large swig of strong liquor, the fiery liquid seemingly igniting the flames in his eyes.

He slowly spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable decision:

"You are right, in this survival-of-the-fittest wilderness, possessing only wisdom and weapons is not enough to stand firm, we must engrave the Combat Will deep into the Bloodline of every clan member, making it part of our very breath."

He looked at Ah Lann:

"From today, we need to establish a systematic training framework for honing the will."

His gaze swept over the three leaders, announcing word by word:

"First, the Adulthood Trials, every adult Downspirit, regardless of gender, must individually enter a hunting zone of designated danger Level, successfully hunt a specified beast, bringing back its fang or Sharp Claw as proof, only by facing the test of life and death can the Combat Will be truly tempered."

"Second, hold an annual duel competition, after each harvest season, conduct a clan-wide combat tournament by Age group, this is not a game, I need something that closely resembles real combat, allowing competition and honor to drive clan members to continually break their limits, letting victors feel proud of themselves, while all participants must learn how to fight, how to endure pain, how to respect opponents."

"Third, transmission of combat techniques, summarizing and refining our combat experiences with the Fierce Tribe and the Shadow Claw Tribe, forming a systematic combat skillset, to be taught by the best warriors, starting from foundational training as cubs and progressing step by step."

Upon hearing this, Ah Lann’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit, pounding his chest heavily:

"It should have been so. True warriors must be tempered in blood and fire; the new generation born into comfort is too fragile."

Ah Fen wiped away her tears, her gaze becoming resolute:

"I will prepare more potent Healing and Recovery Potions to support training and trials."