An hour could be long, or it could be short.
While class-holders scoured the world hunting down and slaying Great Dao True Beasts, it slipped by in the blink of an eye.
The Sky-Mending Leaderboard appeared once more, and all eyes turned toward it.
[Sky-Mending Leaderboard]
[1st Place: Gong Yinhu, Contribution: 9.3]
[2nd Place: Yu Xian, Contribution: 9.22]
[3rd Place: Andrew Bourbon, Contribution: 8.25]
[4th Place: Xiaozhou Xuan, Contribution: 7]
[5th Place: Maizi, Contribution: 6.9]
[6th Place: Fathe'aim, Contribution: 6.73]
[7th Place: Tong Wozhen, Contribution: 5.11]
[8th Place: Nora Hild Garuda, Contribution: 4.9]
[9th Place: Bei Zhelong, Contribution: 4.81]
[10th Place: Lockede Hades, Contribution: 4.56]
[This leaderboard is announced once every hour. Those on the board will receive generous rewards.]
[This leaderboard does not affect the final rewards.]
***
Tianting Mountain.
Looking at Yu Xian in second place on the rankings, Gong Yinhu frowned slightly, an unexpected sense of urgency welling up in his chest.
The sky behind him seemed to have been cleft apart by something. Though it was blanketed in iridescent light like a thin protective film, the Tree Universe beyond the fissure remained faintly visible.
That was precisely where Lin Xi had shattered the void, and Gong Yinhu had been there to witness it.
Right now, streaks of light flew in from various locations from time to time, ultimately merging into the fissure and making it slightly smaller. This was the origin of "mending the sky" in the Sky-Mending Leaderboard.
The heavens had been shattered by Lin Xi, and the "fragments" of the sky had transformed into Great Dao True Beasts scattered across every corner of the Zhen Realm. Once class-holders defeated these beasts, they reverted into fragments and returned to the heavens, gradually repairing the tear.
Without a doubt, the number of Great Dao True Beasts was finite. Once the sky was completely repaired, this event would draw to a close.
Gong Yinhu had assumed he could easily hold the top spot unchallenged, but Yu Xian's emergence gave him a sense of crisis. Yu Xian had been eighth on the first board, yet now he had surged all the way to second.
What about an hour from now?
Gong Yinhu closed his eyes. The next moment, another avatar split off from his body. "It seems I need to add one more Dao Body," he murmured to himself.
With that, the avatar vanished in a flash of spatial teleportation, setting off to hunt Great Dao True Beasts.
Gong Yinhu's true body did not leave Tianting Mountain. Instead, he remained where he was, gazing up at the fissure in the sky to comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
***
Andrew Bourbon's class was Druid.
In truth, he was no ascetic. Others believed he was enduring grueling penance, but he was simply practicing the Way of Nature—planting trees and protecting the wilderness, all to grow stronger.
When he saw that he had dropped from second to third, while the person claiming second was the former eighth place, he frowned and muttered, "Yu Xian... Could he be another returnee? Just who... are you?"
He refused to believe Yu Xian was a genuine newcomer. After all, the vast majority of class-holders entering the Zhen Realm for the first time did not even understand how the game worked or what truly mattered, so how could anyone like that possess such strength?
However, in the coming hour, he would definitely reclaim second place from Yu Xian. The difference between the rewards for second and third was simply too vast.
After checking the leaderboard and claiming his reward, he promptly transformed into an enormous green dragon, soaring into the sky to resume his search for Great Dao True Beasts.
***
Sen Continent.
A young man clad in blue-and-white armor and gripping a greatsword was likewise glaring at second place.
Gong Yinhu enjoyed immense renown across the Zhen Realm; his strength was taken for granted. But Yu Xian, this second-place finisher, had popped up out of nowhere, so naturally very few respected him.
Fathe'aim raised the visor of his helmet, his expression a twisted mix of spite and exhilaration.
What he loved most was snuffing out these high-potential yet low-level class-holders. This warped desire had not sprung up overnight; it had formed gradually after being overtaken time and again by other class-holders, even humiliated by rising stars.
Moreover, during one of his hunts to strangle a promising rookie, he had happened across members of the Class Hunter Society. The two sides had communicated during the standoff and eventually reached a mutual understanding.
As long as he eliminated a promising class-holder, the Class Hunter Society would grant him a reward.
From then on, he had become a mole planted by the Class Hunter Society among the class-holders. Many class-holders who had suffered precision strikes from the society in the past were targeted based on intelligence he provided. Relying on the bounties bestowed by the Class Hunter Society, he had steadily risen to become one of the premier figures among class-holders.
*It's decided.*
*Once this event ends, I'll go kill Yu Xian!*
Fathe'aim thought excitedly. Lowering the visor of his helmet, he exerted a bit of force through his legs, and his entire figure vanished in an instant.
***
High in the sky, the black dragon Jormunid flew at high speed.
Sitting cross-legged on the dragon's back, Yu Xian looked at the gem in his hand with a solemn expression. It was a pity he had already sacrificed Zhang Shou and Feng Mingge's romantic luck; otherwise, he would definitely have sacrificed their lifetime romance all over again.
[Talent Trait Awakening Stone]
This was the reward for second place, capable of awakening a special talent trait for a class-holder.
Yu Xian had specifically checked: among all enhancement stones and awakening stones, Talent Trait Awakening Stones were the rarest kind, with only a slight chance of appearing during events. Consequently, class-holders possessing talent traits across the entire Zhen Realm were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
He surmised that since second place rewarded a Talent Trait Awakening Stone, first place most likely offered a Talent Trait Enhancement Stone.
In the next hour, he was determined to seize first place!
In truth, given Tunshen's strength, killing a Great Dao True Beast of the same level might take a little time, but against one lower in level, it was absolutely one small fry per bite.
What truly determined one's ranking was the efficiency of finding the beasts. In the past hour, he had found eight Great Dao True Beasts, which was how he had clinched second place. The competition going forward would be cutthroat; if he didn't want his ranking to drop, he would need to find at least eight or more.
"Great Zhen, benevolent Zhen, bless me with an exquisite talent trait!"
Yu Xian pressed his palms together and prayed silently in his heart. Then, without hesitation, he used the Talent Trait Awakening Stone. The stone dissolved into iridescent light and flowed into his body, instantly making him feel as though some sort of shackle within him had been unlocked.
*Good luck comes, wishing you good luck,*
*Good luck brings joy and love...*
Yu Xian played "Good Luck Comes" on repeat in his mind as he opened his attributes. Sure enough, an extra line for a talent trait had appeared on his status panel.
[Talent Trait]
[Chaos Origin: Summoned beasts with Chaos or Chaotic attributes will no longer occupy summon slots.]
Yu Xian looked at it and sighed softly. Sure enough, failing to sacrifice Zhang Shou really made a difference. While this talent was somewhat useful, it felt fairly pedestrian and not particularly game-breaking.
Still, considering that he could now select which summoned beasts to call forth from dozens of randomly generated options, this talent trait was far from useless.
*Chaos Descent!*
After a moment's thought, Yu Xian decisively activated the skill.
Right now, Tunshen didn't take up a slot, leaving him with four summon slots. If he continued choosing Chaos or Chaotic beasts from here on out, wouldn't that mean he could play a full-on minion swarm strategy?
Chapter 511