The sudden system announcement left everyone in a state of shock.
In the chat channel, people were excitedly discussing what the Cloud Secret Realm was, as well as the rune blueprints and warrior fragments mentioned afterward.
At this moment, Han Xing sat back on the sofa, rubbing his chin in thought, "Cloud Secret Realm? When I played Sky Island Paradise on my phone, there was no such feature. This must be a new function introduced after we arrived in this world."
To be fair, Han Xing hadn't played the game on his phone for very long.
At that time, he had won a beta access slot on a mysterious website and downloaded the installation package. He played for less than a week, and his game character had only just reached level 11.
Then, he found himself in this world.
So, Han Xing's understanding of this world wasn't that much better than the other survivors.
"As a new instance, the Cloud Secret Realm should have some pretty good rewards. But, it'll likely be very dangerous too!"
Just then, a second system notification appeared.
System: "Attention, all survivors. The regional protection mechanism has been lifted, and the regional map has been updated to an open state. Now, survivors can find others' locations via the coordinates on the map."
"You can cooperate, compete, or even choose to draw your swords and seize each other's territories!"
"Please note, if too many survivors gather in one area, there will be a greater chance of high-level monsters spawning, and the cloud monsters you encounter will become stronger."
"Additionally, the cloud monsters' aggression has greatly increased. They may actively attack and invade survivors' territories. Please ensure your defenses are ready."
This string of announcements contained a wealth of information.
In the next moment, the chat channel erupted again!
"Brothers! Did you see the update notice? The region protection feature is gone! This means we can not only meet up, but also team up and even fight together now!"
"I saw it too! Finally, I don't have to fight alone anymore."
"Big bro, little sis is coming to find you right away..."
At this point, someone kindly reminded everyone, "Be careful not to gather too many people in one spot, or you might attract high-level monsters."
"Didn't you see the system notification? Now those cloud monsters will actively attack us. Be cautious and don't get wiped out!"
Meanwhile, in the discussion group Han Xing was in, the three of them were also talking about the update.
Cheng Jianyong said excitedly, "Brothers, the protection mechanism is gone! This means we can meet soon! Share your coordinates, and I'll come find you."
Shen Yun: "42156, 33247, 69745."
Han Xing: "41784, 24451, 88647."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jianyong exclaimed, "Damn, I'm at 42063, 54223, 48612. I'm kind of far from you guys!"
Shen Yun replied, "Yeah, it's a bit far. At our current pace, it would take at least four or five days to reach each other, and we'd have to avoid the clouds along the way, so it could take even longer."
Shen Yun tentatively suggested, "How about we both head towards Brother Xing first?"
Cheng Jianyong was about to agree.
However, Han Xing said, "Wait, don't rush over just yet."
"Now that the regional protection mechanism has just been lifted, other survivors will definitely have the same idea as us. A lot of people will be running around, and with the cloud monsters potentially attacking, the whole region will become extremely chaotic."
Shen Yun seemed to understand and asked, "Brother Xing, are you worried?"
Han Xing replied, "Yes, I'm concerned that some opportunistic people might target other survivors. In the current situation where everyone's attributes are about the same, if fights break out, it could easily lead to mutual destruction."
"And if these people gather in one spot, things will get even more troublesome."
The other two recognized the sense of caution in Han Xing's words and agreed with his reasoning.
After all, Han Xing's concerns were very likely to come true.
Despite the outward calm in Region 107, there were undoubtedly some people with ill intentions lurking within. This world was nothing like Blue Star—it was a world without laws.
For the sake of personal gain, or to snatch the spoils from other survivors, these people were capable of anything.
Cheng Jianyong then asked, "Brother Xing, do you have any suggestions?"
After a moment of thought, Han Xing replied, "My suggestion is that for the next two days, we stay put. Let the initial chaos pass, and then the three of us can head toward the same coordinates to shorten the time it takes to meet."
"Along the way, if we encounter clouds we can handle, we should explore them. While traveling, we should focus on leveling up, but always be careful to avoid the large cloud areas."
The other two agreed that Han Xing's plan was the safest, so they decided to follow it.
Just as they were preparing to act, the third system notification appeared.
Announcement: "As most regional territory rankings have concluded, a new leaderboard challenge is now open."
"Divided by region, the top 100 survivors to reach level 10 will receive ranking rewards."
"Rank 100 to 51: [Blueprint: Crystal Tower with Psychic Shield (Basic)] x1, [Iron-armored Golem] x5, [Blueprint: Basic Lord's Cabin] x1, [Blueprint: Basic Teleportation Array] x1, Energy Cores x1000."
"Rank 50 to 11: [Blueprint: Obelisk with Psychic Shield (Basic)] x1, [Iron-armored Golem] x10, [Blueprint: Basic Lord's Cabin] x1, [Blueprint: Basic Teleportation Array] x1, Energy Cores x2000."
"New ranking rewards again?"
Han Xing was also taken aback by the system prompt. He looked at the attributes of the reward items.
[Blueprint: Obelisk with Psychic Shield (Basic)]: A territorial building that generates a psychic shield capable of blocking both physical and magical attacks. Defense Value: 200.
[Iron-armored Golem lv10]: A standard defensive golem that can only operate within the territory.
Attributes: Strength 53, Agility 34, Spirit 32, Constitution 56. Skills: Copper Skin, Fire Spray, Serrated Slash.
"Seems like the attributes are decent," Han Xing thought.
The Psychic Shield Obelisk could generate a protective barrier, which meant that it could enclose the territory, preventing others from entering and even blocking attacks.
The Iron-armored Golem, with stats similar to a level 10 ordinary monster, would be a good defensive aid in case of a cloud monster invasion or other dangers.
Then, there was the Basic Lord's Cabin: Defense Value 500. Increases defense for all defensive buildings in the territory by 10%, increases attack for all offensive buildings by 5%, increases all friendly units' attributes by 5%, and speeds up territory movement on the floating island by 10%.
Looking at the cabin's attributes, Han Xing commented, "This Basic Lord's Cabin seems similar to my Basic Castle, but its bonuses are far inferior!"