Compared to the lively atmosphere in other discussion groups, the one in Zone 107 felt somewhat strange.
This was the Dusk Mercenaries discussion group.
In the group, a survivor named Vulture asked, "Captain, do you think you have a chance to take first place this time?"
Meanwhile, in a floating island territory, a man dressed in a full stealth outfit with a grim expression paused. He was Black Hawk, the person currently ranked second on the points leaderboard.
Seeing the message in the group, he didn't respond immediately, and after a while, he replied concisely, "Difficult. I'll try my best."
Others in the group were surprised, saying, "Captain, even you don't have confidence to take first from that Galaxy? But you are…"
Black Hawk stayed silent for a moment, then replied again, "He's strong. I can't figure him out."
"But I'll give it my all."
…
Han Xing climbed out of bed, feeling reinvigorated.
Reading the conversations in the local chat, he noticed the survivors in Channel 107 were all full of energy.
"Good. Looks like everyone's motivated!"
Han Xing stretched, clenched his fists, and said, "I should start pushing for the rankings too!"
"But before that, there are a few things I need to take care of."
He opened the blueprint tab and made over 500 refined iron arrows in one go, consuming more than 1,000 refined iron pieces. But with his current material reserves, it was hardly noticeable.
Next, Han Xing began mass-producing containers. The blueprints for these were in the Encyclopedia of Furniture.
He made glass bottles in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The small bottles held 100ml, the medium ones 500ml, and the large ones 1,000ml.
Although they were glass, because of the special materials used, they were remarkably impact-resistant and shatterproof.
Han Xing filled all the glass bottles with the spiritual spring water from the pond on his land and then stored them in his storage box. Standing up, he patted his hands.
"Great, now I don't have to worry about monsters wrecking my spiritual spring water supplies during battle."
After finishing that task, Han Xing thought for a moment before entering the chat group with his two friends.
Han Xing: "Guys, did you see the announcement? How about we aim for the top ten together?"
Cheng Jianyong: "Brother Xing… You're overestimating us, aren't you? My territory points just reached 12. I'm not even in the top hundred… But Yun might have a chance. He's already got 20 points and is ranked 91st."
Han Xing was a bit surprised, "You've already made it into the top 100? Nice job, Shen Yun!"
Shen Yun replied, "Not bad, mostly thanks to the skill book you gave me, Brother Xing. It's been a huge help. Before, I didn't dare to explore certain areas, but now with 'Holy Light Healing,' I've been able to take on more challenges. I got injured a few times, but this skill helped me recover."
"In the early stages, a skill book is a big help!"
Cheng Jianyong, hearing this, couldn't help but feel envious. He complained, "So jealous… Brother Xing treats you so well. If I had a skill book, I might've already broken into the top fifty."
Shen Yun sneered, "Keep dreaming. There are nearly ten thousand people in Zone 107, many of whom are hidden experts. Don't underestimate others."
But Cheng Jianyong was unconvinced, "If you give me a skill book, I'd definitely make it into the top fifty!"
Then, with a hint of arrogance, he said, "Emperor Jianyong is no weaker than anyone!"
Han Xing: "…"
Shen Yun: "…"
Han Xing, speechless, said, "Cheng Jianyong, stop being cringey."
Cheng Jianyong laughed awkwardly.
At this moment, Han Xing asked seriously, "So, if I gave you a skill book, you could really break into the top fifty?"
Cheng Jianyong was taken aback, realizing what was being implied. He asked excitedly, "Brother Xing, you mean…"
Han Xing smiled.
Cheng Jianyong quickly asked in anticipation, "Brother Xing, do you really have one? Show me! I want to see what a warrior's skill book looks like!"
His tone was full of longing, but Han Xing replied, "Wait, I haven't finished speaking yet."
"You just said one skill book would get you into the top fifty. What if I gave you two?"
Cheng Jianyong froze, then cautiously said, "T-Two? Maybe… top twenty?"
"Three."
"Hiss…"
At this, not only did Cheng Jianyong get excited, but even Shen Yun started breathing heavily.
Both of their eyes gleamed with desire as Cheng Jianyong exclaimed, "Brother Xing, you're like my own brother now!"
"From now on, whatever you say, I'll do it! If you tell me to go east, I won't even think about going west! I'm your number one fan!"
Knowing Han Xing wouldn't joke about something like this, both Shen Yun and Cheng Jianyong were certain that he really had those things.
Shen Yun, in a high-pitched voice, added, "Brother Xing… I want one too…"
Hearing that voice, both of them got goosebumps.
Cheng Jianyong cursed, "Damn, Shen Yun, you're disgusting! All this for a skill book, you've lost all dignity!"
Shen Yun shot back, "Cheng Jianyong, you've got no right to talk. You're just as bad!"
"You're gross!"
"You're shameless!"
…
Amused by their banter, Han Xing laughed, "Alright, alright. Enough messing around."
"You'll both get what you want. Not only skill books but also green-tier equipment and weapons. I'll trade them to you now."
Han Xing sent them trade requests.
As the trade window filled up with skill books, covering nearly every skill for early-game classes, followed by armor and weapons, both Shen Yun and Cheng Jianyong felt like it wasn't real.
"Xing… Brother Xing, all of this… for us?"
They couldn't believe it. They knew the value of what they were getting.
Before they could recover from the shock, they saw another 20 liters of spiritual spring water added to the trade.
Both of them were stunned.
They weren't stupid. Seeing the precious spring water and thinking about recent events in the chat channel, they finally realized Han Xing's true identity.
Cheng Jianyong hesitantly asked, "Brother Xing, the one ranked first on the leaderboard, Galaxy, that's you, isn't it?"
"That's right."
Han Xing didn't mind revealing his virtual name to them. It wasn't a big deal.
"Hiss…"
Hearing Han Xing admit it, they both gasped in shock.
Shen Yun said in amazement, "I had a hunch before, but I wasn't sure. I can't believe it's really you, Brother Xing!"
Cheng Jianyong complained, "So Brother Xing, was the mighty Galaxy all along. I was wondering who managed to gather so many water resources!"
Han Xing laughed, "You guys didn't ask!"
"Alright, take everything. Let's focus on climbing the rankings."
"Feel free to drink the spiritual spring water during battle. If you run out, I've got more. Just don't die."
Han Xing closed the chat group.
Meanwhile, Cheng Jianyong and Shen Yun continued chatting.
Cheng Jianyong said, "Wow, Brother Xing gave us so much stuff. There's no way we can avoid rushing the rankings now."
Shen Yun agreed, "With all this gear and skills, getting into the top ten shouldn't be a problem. You better work hard and not embarrass Brother Xing."
"Don't worry, I won't. Shen Yun, I'm telling you now, I'll surpass you in two days!"
"Heh… Anyone can talk big. You'll never surpass me."
"Let's see about that!"
With renewed confidence, they were about to log off when Shen Yun added, "By the way, don't tell anyone about Brother Xing identity."
"Of course, I'm not stupid."
…
At that moment, Han Xing was guiding his floating island territory forward.
The nearby clouds varied in size. The smallest were only about ten cubic meters, while the largest were around thirty cubic meters, similar to the dark elf camp.
For Han Xing, the monsters in these clouds no longer posed much of a threat.
He approached one of the clouds, initiated contact, and the system prompt appeared.
"There seems to be a cold aura inside. Do you wish to enter?"
Han Xing clicked to enter.
...