In his ancestral dreams, Feng Mountain had witnessed the tribe’s Wizards use the Earth Dragon Technique. He saw them transform barren, infertile soil into rich farmland, lush with green grass and blooming flowers, and turn arid deserts into vibrant oases.

At the time, Feng Mountain had been utterly stunned by the sight.

And now, he was about to use the Earth Dragon Technique himself.

His gaze fell upon the tribe’s Fire Seed.

The tiny flame burned quietly in the center of the fire pit, its light flickering in the darkness and illuminating the immediate surroundings.

A gentle breeze swept by, and the flame swayed slightly, as if playing with the wind.

As Feng Mountain formed a series of complex hand seals, the Witchcraft Bone Ring flashed, and a ball of red light shot into the Fire Seed.

The next moment, the Fire Seed suddenly erupted. The once-faint flame shot upward as if awakening, blazing into a roaring fire. An intense heat radiated outward, illuminating a much wider area.

The red flames danced as if they were alive, exuding a mystical aura.

The wind itself seemed to stop, stunned by the sudden change, and the air throughout the camp grew scorching hot.

Yves, who was on patrol, keenly sensed the change in temperature.

He scanned his surroundings but found nothing suspicious.

’Could there have been a change in the burning shale underground?’

He immediately led his men to the fire pit, only to find the flame within still burning faintly.

Yves shook his head. His sixth sense told him something had happened, and he went to find David, his mind heavy with concern.

Meanwhile, back in the wooden cabin, Feng Mountain had already located a suitable spot in the camp to build a hot spring: a patch of mossy ground not far from the Ice Lake.

’First, I’ll build a 100-square-meter hot spring pool.’

Once he had chosen the location, the patch of land silently melted away, leaving an irregularly shaped pit.

Then, guided by a mysterious force, the edges of the pit began to straighten. The earth automatically piled up around the sides, forming the basic shape of a pool.

The soil at the bottom of the pit seemed to be compacted by an unseen force, becoming firm and smooth.

Soon after, wisps of steam began to rise slowly from the ground. Gurgling spring water emerged from fissures in the earth, quickly filling the entire pool.

Incredible!

Just like that, a hot spring pool was complete.

Even though he had seen the Earth Dragon Technique performed countless times in his ancestral dreams, the thrill of casting it himself still made Feng Mountain’s heart pound.

His gaze returned to the tribe’s Fire Seed.

He saw that half of his stored Soul Power had been consumed.

’If I try to build another pool of the same size, I definitely won’t have enough Soul Power. It would be better to build a few smaller pools.’

Thinking of this, Feng Mountain once again unleashed the Earth Dragon Technique with his hands.

The next moment, more than ten smaller hot spring pools appeared one after another around the large one.

Although these pools were smaller than the first, each had its own unique character.

The smaller ones were two to three square meters, while the larger ones were four to five. Some were rounded, while others were irregular in shape.

Steam wafted up from these smaller pools, mingling with the steam from the large one and creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a hint of moist, warm air.

Looking at the newly appeared hot spring pools, a satisfied smile spread across Feng Mountain’s face.

’Hmm. I still have some Soul Power left. I could make a hot spring in the backyard of my cabin. Then I can take a dip whenever I want.’

No sooner said than done.

He focused his remaining Soul Power on the cabin’s backyard, and a five-square-meter hot spring quietly took shape.

The small pool gave off wafting steam, like a warm embrace awaiting its master’s arrival.

Looking at the hot spring pools he had created with his own hands, an indescribable sense of accomplishment washed over Feng Mountain. But the moment he severed his connection with the tribe’s Fire Seed, a wave of exhaustion swept through him.

It was a bone-deep weariness, as if all his strength had been drained in that instant.

This was the price of using the Earth Dragon Technique.

Feng Mountain swayed slightly, then slowly collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes.

Fatigue washed over his body like a tide, and his consciousness gradually faded as if he were entering a tranquil world.

.....

Yves dragged a barely-asleep David out from under his covers. Along with Wawa, Feng Jun, and three other veterans, he began to wander around the camp.

"Man, there’s nothing here. The temperature’s the same. Where is it supposed to be hot?" Feng Jun grumbled, rubbing his eyes listlessly. "Let’s go back to bed. I still have to prepare the restaurant’s Chinese menu tomorrow. I’m dead tired!"

In the polar night environment, the lack of natural light easily disrupts the human body’s biological clock.

A disturbed biological clock can lead to difficulty falling asleep, poor sleep quality, frequent dreams, and waking up easily.

Furthermore, the lack of light extends the duration and increases the amount of melatonin secreted, further aggravating sleep problems.

This results in physical fatigue and low spirits, which in turn affects various other physiological functions.

"No, I felt the temperature in the camp rise suddenly just now," Yves said, his expression grave. As a retired veteran, he was extremely sensitive to changes in his surroundings.

"Bat, did you feel it?"

The bald man nodded, looking at David and Feng Jun. "That’s right. The temperature rose four to five degrees over a short period, and it lasted for about twenty minutes."

David’s eyes narrowed, all trace of sleepiness vanishing from his face.

The current average temperature in the camp was around minus 10 degrees, while outside the camp, it was about minus 30 degrees.

A four-to-five-degree increase in temperature in such a short time...

In an enclosed space, you could do that by burning firewood or turning on a heater.

But this was a wide-open outdoor area. There was no firewood burning, and there were no heaters. How could the temperature possibly rise by such a large margin in so little time?

Unless...

...the shale gas under the camp had suddenly flash-combusted, causing an instant spike in temperature.