Early on the third morning, at precisely eight o'clock, every adventurer received a synchronized game announcement.
"Ding—The Second Round: Main Island Upgrade Competition is about to begin.
The goal of this round is for adventurers to upgrade their current ice-field islands. The first three adventurers to reach Level 1 will receive generous rewards."
"Detailed requirements are as follows:
Each adventurer has been given a Fishing Net designed to retrieve floating ice from the ocean's surface.
The first three adventurers who expand their island's area to 30 square meters (the standard for Level 1) will receive a reward that extends their lifespan.
Those ranked 4th through 10th will receive consolation prizes.
There is no time limit for this event—it's a race of speed. Whoever achieves the goal first wins."
The moment the rewards were revealed—especially the promise of longer lifespan—everyone watching the live broadcast froze in disbelief, mouths slightly agape.
[Unbelievable! The reward this time is actually lifespan extension! That's insane!]
[Oh my god—this kind of fortune only existed in legends. Even ancient emperors couldn't buy more life!]
[Considering the world's current resource depletion, where the global life expectancy has already dropped by more than ten years compared to a century ago, this could literally change lives.]
[This National Fate survival game is beyond magical—it's like divine intervention!]
[For the first time, I'm truly grateful to this game. We might actually get to enjoy the benefits it brings!]
And there it was—the moment An Xiaomei had been waiting for. Her heart thumped wildly in excitement.
This was the perfect chance.
If she won this round, she could finally showcase her enhanced physical strength openly and justifiably.
A flash of white light appeared before her, and an oval-shaped Fishing Net materialized in her hands. Its frame was made of special frost silk—delicate yet sturdy—and the handle felt warm to the touch, comfortable even for long use.
This was clearly a high-tier tool. The game evidently placed great importance on this event, providing top-quality gear—far superior to the first round's items.
Soon, the once-calm ocean began to stir. A cluster of floating ice chunks drifted rapidly toward her island, expected to arrive within one minute.
To her astonishment, these chunks of ice seemed to possess consciousness. She could hear them talking amongst themselves.
"Brothers and sisters, I'm a free-spirited iceberg! I don't wanna be caught by some human. I'm gonna run fast when she tries to scoop me up!"
That was a mischievous-looking piece of ice, reveling in its carefree life.
"I've grown tired of the endless sea. Maybe tagging along with these adventurers will let me see something new."
This one was a curious ice floe, yearning for change.
"Doesn't matter to me. It's all up to luck anyway."
And that was a lazy, unbothered piece of ice—indifferent to its fate.
Hearing the chattering among the ice floes, An Xiaomei's expression didn't change, but inwardly she was shaken.
So these floating ice blocks have their own thoughts?
That was beyond imagination.
But now wasn't the time to ponder such mysteries—because a huge cluster of ice was already drifting toward her island. She needed absolute focus for this challenge.
Her first target was the ice floe that had said it wanted to follow humans. The entire retrieval went smoothly, without any resistance.
That gave her an idea.
Next, she tried catching the one that had bragged about wanting to stay free.
It slipped from her grasp over and over, rocking with the waves, as if mocking her futile attempts. Even when she managed to hook it, it struggled wildly.
That single capture cost her 50 extra seconds—a huge delay considering that each wave of floating ice only stayed for three minutes before drifting away.
Having verified her theory, An Xiaomei prioritized capturing those ice floes that wanted to follow humans.
They were cooperative, holding steady in place, almost eager to be caught.
Next were the indifferent ones—they shifted with the breeze but offered little resistance, allowing her to scoop them up efficiently.
And so, with her spiritual-sense "cheat" and her newfound ability to understand the ice's conversations, An Xiaomei quickly and accurately collected floating ice piece after piece.
Viewers watching the live stream were stunned. An Xiaomei seemed blessed by the gods—calm, graceful, efficient. Meanwhile, the burly man in the neighboring feed was drenched in sweat, panting as he struggled.
[This is unreal—why does Granny An make it look so effortless?]
[Seriously, she's so calm while others are dying of exhaustion. If the other adventurers saw this, they'd die of envy.]
[If that sweaty guy next to her could see this, he'd probably vomit blood from rage.]
[I checked a few other streams—none of them look like hers. Only Granny An's is this smooth!]
[Is she hacking the game? Or is she secretly the developer's mother?!]
Unaware of the viewers' wild theories, An Xiaomei was completely absorbed in her task.
Her entire being was focused on one goal—
Faster. Faster.
The life-extending pill she longed for seemed to glimmer ahead, beckoning her forward.
"Ding—Congratulations, Adventurer An Xiaomei! You have successfully upgraded your main island to Level 1.
Ranking statistics are now being calculated. Please wait a moment…"