Chapter 31

Chapter 031: They Are the Challengers!

As Yan Cang immersed himself in his first cultivation session of the Sword Nurturing Art,

the leaderboard he had previously paid little attention to sent shockwaves rippling through the entire Trial Ground.

[First Place: Huaxia, Faction Points: 2,528,769,012]

[Second Place: United States, Faction Points: 523,345,678]

[Third Place: India, Faction Points: 486,543,210]

...

Across the Trial Ground, the tremor caused by the leaderboard refresh spread like a tsunami.

For trial participants from other factions—those without access to the Fate Net, scattered across the wilderness like isolated islands—

this leaderboard brought not hope, but a deeper suffocation and doubt.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible!"

The moment they saw the number at the top of the list, everyone fell silent, repeatedly verifying the digits in their minds.

Huaxia faction points: 2,528,769,012.

Compared to yesterday's score, this was an increase of over 1.1 billion.

The increment was only slightly more than 100 million points less than the previous day.

This meant that during the second day just passed in the Trial Ground, only a little over 10 million Huaxia faction participants had been eliminated.

To be precise, that was only about 10 million more eliminations than the first day.

Roughly estimated by population ratio, their faction's participant survival rate... exceeded 99%.

"Two whole days, in this completely unfamiliar wilderness, with no communication, no companions... how did they manage it?"

"Are the Huaxia people all wilderness survival experts, raised in the wild from childhood?"

"Or is everything we've seen in the news fake? Have they always lived in harsher conditions, so they adapted this quickly?"

"Or are they all blessed by God, constantly pulling food from Supply Boxes?"

Countless questions and absurd speculations flashed through the minds of all trial participants from other factions.

But no matter how they tried to rationalize it, this leaderboard was like a heavy hammer, smashing the last remnants of hope and faith in their hearts.

Without the Fate Net, they couldn't know each other's locations, couldn't share a single match, a mouthful of clean water, or a word of comfort.

Each person was trapped in their own small wooden cabin, alone against the darkness, hunger, and howls of the entire savage world.

Loneliness and fear were magnified infinitely; the slightest disturbance could become the final straw that broke their sanity.

Under this "isolated island survival" model, the collective resilience shown by the Huaxia faction on the second day...

In some eyes, it seemed less like a miracle and more like an "injustice."

"There must be something wrong with the rules!"

"Do they have some kind of aid we don't know about?"

"Cheating! This is blatant cheating!"

These roars, doubts, and hysterical accusations were nothing more than impotent rage within their own cabins.

No one listened, and it changed nothing.

Within the Huaxia Faction, every corner of the Fate Net had already been ignited by the topic of the rankings, stirring emotions that were complex and layered.

The initial surge of ecstasy and pride dominated:

"First place! No contest!"

"The lead is widening, brothers, hold steady!"

"Haha, see that? The second place can't even match our leftovers!"

"Seeing this gap puts my mind at ease."

But soon, level-headed analysts pointed out the details:

"Wait, the point growth is over 100 million less than yesterday... Converted, that means over 10 million of our faction's compatriots were eliminated yesterday."

"Given that we have the Fate Net, isn't this number a bit high?"

This topic immediately sparked extensive discussion.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. With guides, trading, and even Fate Points support, logically the second day should be easier than the first. So why does the elimination count seem to have increased?"

"Could it be a different method of calculation?"

"The rule is survival +1, elimination -10. Slower growth does mean the negative points from eliminations offset more of the positive survival points."

"And that 100 million less in growth indeed means over 10 million more people were eliminated on the second day compared to the first."

"Yeah, but why?"

Just as this doubt began to spread, a corresponding analysis appeared on the Fate Net:

"Everyone might have overlooked a crucial point: the minimum age for Trial Participants is 8 years old."

"And children aged 8 to 12, by past standards, are still little ones who can't leave their parents' care. Yet now they have to survive on their own in the diverse environments of the Trial Ground."

"Secondly, although there's no clear statistics on the upper age limit, there must be a considerable number of elderly among the Trial Participants. Their situation is equally tough."

"That elimination figure of over 10 million... I'm afraid a large portion comes from these children and the elderly."

"The fact that they made it through the first day was probably already their limit."

Someone else added with lingering fear: "Don't forget the abnormal animal activity last night. Though only some encountered it, and most weren't actually attacked, the fear they faced was no less."

"Thinking back now, even I, an adult, still feel shaken. How did the children endure it back then?"

On the Fate Net, many distraught parents also came forward to share their experiences:

"Last night, my eight-year-old daughter cried to me, 'Dad, save me,' saying something was banging on her wooden door..."

"What could I do? I could only tell her through the Fate Net, with red eyes, not to be afraid, and then let her abandon it. She's still so young; she shouldn't have to bear this fear."

"My child is only nine, in a forest zone cabin. Last night, he said he saw glowing eyes outside. His father and I were nearly frantic, and in the end, we had to steel ourselves and tell him to abandon it immediately."

"My son just turned ten. He's very brave and wanted to hold on. But last night, when he said his stomach hurt and there were strange noises outside, I... I just couldn't take it."

"I ordered him to abandon the trial. I'm sorry, everyone, I'm dragging us down..."

These messages, seemingly stained with tears, instantly struck the softest part of everyone's heart.

"So they're children..."

"And there are indeed elderly people! Yesterday, on my Regional Channel, there was an old professor who calmly helped everyone analyze the terrain and plan meeting routes."

"In the end, he said he was physically exhausted and couldn't walk anymore, didn't want to be a burden to everyone, and chose to give up very calmly..."

"At that time, we didn't persuade him much either—it's better for the elderly to suffer less."

"Sigh, respecting the elderly and caring for the young has always been a traditional virtue!"

"I feel like we can't keep going like this. Shouldn't we do something?"

"Actually, on this matter, the nation has already set a policy, calling for and mandating that military personnel and civil servants have a duty to protect adolescents aged 8 to 12 in nearby areas, and a relative duty to care for the elderly over 60."

"Here, I also call on civilian forces to actively participate. Every Huaxia person here is not a burden or a liability, but a comrade-in-arms."

"Exactly, we're all comrades fighting side by side! Those with the ability should take action, even if it's just for Faction Contribution, it's absolutely worth doing!"

"Huh? The national organization is still around?"

"..."

In this heavy yet united atmosphere, everyone also noticed other changes on the leaderboard.

"Look, the Points increase for other factions on the second day has plummeted compared to the first day!"

"Except for us, every other faction's Points increase has dropped by at least 50% year-over-year, and some almost hit 100%, barely moving forward."

"That's not much, actually. The elimination rate corresponding to this ratio is only 5% to 10%."

"But this is only the second day! At this rate, when the third day's leaderboard comes out... won't it be even worse?"

"For us, isn't them doing worse better?"

"That's true, but the United States moved up to second place today."

"Mainly because India dropped to third, with their Faction Points increasing by only a fraction."

"Compared to India, Britain's big drop in ranking is clearly funnier. Today's refreshed leaderboard only increased by a few hundred thousand Points, barely moving."

"The United States' Points are quite steady, though. They increased by 160 million Points today. Even though it's still more than a 50% drop from the first day's increase, compared to other factions on the leaderboard, it's already pretty impressive."

"It's fine. If this were before, I'd definitely suspect something was wrong or there was a conspiracy, but ever since I learned about the term 'Kill Line,' I've come to agree that the redneck folks are indeed a hardworking and resilient group."

"I see. That's worth being wary of. No wonder they're ranked second."

"Heh, just a bunch of rookies pecking at each other. What's there to worry about?"

"Right now, they're the challengers!"