The next day.
As soon as Han Xing opened his eyes, he saw several private messages from other survivors. In the group chat, both Cheng Jianyong and Shen Yun had tagged him.
"Hmm? Why are so many people looking for me?"
Curious, Han Xing clicked into the group chat. Soon, he understood what had happened.
It turned out that while he was sleeping last night, the player called "Whisperer" had stayed up all night grinding. By early morning, he surpassed Han Xing in territory points, claiming the number one spot.
Not only that, but Whisperer had also promoted his team, "Divine Whisper," in the chat channels, aggressively recruiting other survivors to join them. The results were significant; many survivors had already joined, and now, Divine Whisper was on its way to becoming the largest team in District 107.
Han Xing chuckled. "This Whisperer guy sure is dedicated."
"But staying up all night like that—won't he get exhausted? I wonder how long he can keep this up."
He rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought.
At that moment, Cheng Jianyong was frantically tagging Han Xing in the group chat.
"@Galaxy, Brother Xing! Wake up, you're no longer number one!"
"Brother Xing, my man…"
Han Xing sighed and replied to the group, "Why panic? The leaderboard's only been up for two days. We're far from hitting 1,000 points."
Seeing Han Xing's reply, Cheng Jianyong quickly said, "But didn't you say that Whisperer might be a mage? His exploration speed is much faster than yours. Now that you're behind, it'll be hard to catch up."
"Also, Black Hawk and Papaya Star Spirit are about to surpass you!"
Cheng Jianyong sounded even more anxious than Han Xing.
But Han Xing calmly responded, "Relax. Rushing won't help. If they want to compete, let them. We'll stick to our own pace. Don't risk challenging dangerous clouds just for rankings."
"They won't last long in this state. No matter how strong someone's willpower is, nobody can maintain intense battles without sleep."
Shen Yun chimed in, agreeing, "Brother Xing's right. What they're doing is too risky."
"I already experienced this the other night. I stayed up late grinding, and the next day my combat performance dropped drastically. I nearly got bitten to death by monsters several times!"
Recalling this, Shen Yun said with some fear, "So don't be fooled by how fast they're progressing. They're basically walking a tightrope—one mistake, and they'll pay a heavy price."
Cheng Jianyong realized he had been too hasty and let out an awkward laugh.
Then Shen Yun added, "Cheng Jianyong, you should take it easy too. Don't risk your life for the rankings. Remember what the system warned us about?"
Cheng Jianyong suddenly froze, his face changing dramatically. "Crap! I almost forgot!"
"The system said that in a month, they'll bring the weaker ones into this world. That means my wife and kids will be arriving in a month."
"If something happens to me before then..."
Cold sweat broke out on Cheng Jianyong's forehead.
"Scared now, aren't you?" Shen Yun teased.
Cheng Jianyong didn't respond. His family meant everything to him. But since he'd just arrived in this world, he hadn't had time to adjust or think about these things.
Now, the realization hit him—he would reunite with his family in this world in a month.
Silently, Cheng Jianyong made a decision.
He absolutely couldn't let his family go through the same dangers he had. He also couldn't let himself die before they even arrived.
Then, in the group chat, Cheng Jianyong said, "You're right. I can't let anything happen to me here. I have to protect Xixi."
"Cloud Bro, Star Bro, you guys be careful too!"
Shen Yun replied nonchalantly, "I'm fine. My only family is my parents, and they're still pretty healthy. But as for Brother Xing..."
Han Xing's situation was special. Shen Yun and Cheng Jianyong knew that Han Xing had no parents and had grown up alone.
Han Xing smiled. "Just take care of yourselves. I don't want some strangers showing up next month claiming to be my long-lost parents."
Shen Yun and Cheng Jianyong stayed silent, clearly not wanting to dwell on this topic any longer.
After a pause, Han Xing continued, "Now that the monsters we're encountering are getting stronger, if you run into something you can't beat, don't hesitate to run. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"And if you get hurt, drink as much spirit spring water as you need. Don't worry about wasting it. I have plenty."
"Remember, don't die."
Han Xing's instructions were serious, and the other two nodded solemnly in agreement.
…
Meanwhile, other survivors were also discussing Han Xing's ranking.
In the Divine Whisper group chat, a survivor named Moonlit Cat said, "That 'Galaxy' guy's ranking hasn't changed. He's probably still sleeping in. Our Whisperer leader is so diligent! At this rate, he'll definitely secure first place!"
Other members of the chat agreed, "You're right. Whisperer is the strongest."
"Hard work pays off—Whisperer will definitely be number one!"
Whisperer had just surpassed 200 points. Seeing the chat, he smiled faintly despite his pale face. He coughed twice and said, "If I do take first, it's not just my achievement. It's thanks to all of you."
"If it weren't for you guys gathering mage skill books and equipment for me, I wouldn't have surpassed Galaxy so quickly."
The team members responded with praise, "You're too modest, leader. It's your strength that matters."
"Exactly! Whether it's Galaxy or Black Hawk, they stand no chance against your true power!"
Whisperer's smile widened. He clearly enjoyed the flattery.
Especially when he looked at the leaderboard and saw that he had overtaken the once-dominant "Galaxy," a deep sense of satisfaction filled him, wiping away the exhaustion from staying up all night.
But to keep up appearances, he humbly said, "Don't get too cocky. Focus on exploring the clouds. I want a few more of us to break into the top 100."
"Got it, boss!"
Whisperer's words were met with enthusiastic responses. In District 107, he had built a solid reputation and was highly respected.
Just then, someone in the group said, "Look! Galaxy's score has changed!"
At that moment, they saw Han Xing's territory points shoot up from 184 to 196, a sudden 12-point increase.
Whisperer's heart sank as he realized Han Xing was starting to make his move.
With that thought, he closed the chat, took a deep breath to shake off his fatigue, and looked once more at the distant clouds.
…
It wasn't just Divine Whisper's group. Other survivor groups were also entering a sprint phase.
Everyone seemed to be accelerating their exploration efforts.
Within just one morning, the leaderboard saw constant changes.
New names frequently appeared, and others jumped up several ranks at a time. The competition was fierce.
By the end of the morning, Han Xing hadn't increased his rank at all; in fact, he had dropped to third place.
Black Hawk had surpassed him as well.
Now that everyone's attributes were catching up and their skills and gear were about even, it was down to individual combat ability.
In this regard, Han Xing was clearly outmatched by the top players.
Some of these people likely had special backgrounds before arriving in "Sky Island Paradise," such as soldiers, boxers, or mercenaries. Their experience gave them an edge in surviving this world.
In the regional channel, discussions about the leaderboard changes were heating up.
"It's over… Galaxy God dropped another rank. Even Papaya Star Spirit is about to overtake him. Will he lose his top-three spot?"
"I think it's possible. Galaxy sold a lot of water early on and used it to buy equipment, which gave him an initial advantage. But now that everyone's caught up in terms of gear and skills, his lead is gone."
"That makes sense… I thought Galaxy was sure to take first place this time."
"No way. District 107 has plenty of strong players. Getting first place won't be easy for Galaxy."
The regional chat was filled with voices doubting Han Xing.
…