That night.
The game news, "[ Honor of Kings may welcome its first 1000-star player]", topped the trending search list on major video platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, attracting nearly 100 million views.
It became the first viral, phenomenal gaming news story of 2025! Dozens of official social media outlets, including Sichuan Observer, Elephant News, and Jim News, reported on it.
"A historic first for Honor of Kings! Sichuan Observer reporters have learned that the wildly popular mobile game Honor of Kings may welcome its first 1000-star player tonight. According to multiple sources, reaching 1000 stars in the Honor of King of Glory rank is no less difficult than winning an Olympic gold medal!"
"Just now, Elephant News learned from the official Imperial Crown Team that Emperor, the player hailed as the number one King of Glory of Imperial Emperor player, is confirmed to launch his challenge for the 1000-star rank tonight at 8 PM. He previously set a record of 999 stars, which sparked heated discussions within the community!"
"Could an 18-year-old boy make gaming history? Jim a report by Jimu News, an 18-year-old (ID Exalted Emperor ) is an avid player of Honor of Kings, and unexpectedly became a top player, even poised to break the record for the King of Glory rank..."
The comment section was filled with excitement.
"Holy crap! Guys, we King of Glory players have really made something of ourselves! I've seen several official media outlets reporting on Imperial Emperor and Exalted Emperor!"
"Commenters, tell me, where has the news about Imperial Emperor and Exalted Emperor aiming for the 1000-star rank spread?"
"Thanks for the invitation. I'm currently in the United States of America, scrolling through TikTok, and the top trending topic in the gaming section is the Imperial Emperor Exalted Emperor 1000-Star Challenge!"
"As a shy and introverted United Kingdom student, today was like a nightmare. My United Kingdom classmates surrounded me, asking me who Imperial Emperor Exalted Emperor was?"
"Can you believe it? When you search for 'Exalted Emperor' on a Japan browser, the first result isn't Kamen Rider Exalted Emperor, but rather the player 'Exalted Emperor' from Honor of Kings! It's fucking insane!"
"The official accounts of Armor Hero and Kamen Rider have stated, 'This incredible fortune has finally come our way! If they release videos of Imperial Emperor and Exalted Emperor now, they'll absolutely go viral!'"
Just as netizens were discussing it.
A video officially co-created by Armor Hero and Kamen Rider instantly went viral online!
"Whether it's good or evil, light or darkness, I accept it all. I will use this power to create the future!"
"I'm giving you one last chance. You can go back to your own world now."
With its high-energy background music and classic lines, the clash of swords Imperial Emperor and the Exalted Emperor, sparks flying, and the overwhelming sense of their destined struggle, the video garnered tens of millions of likes and millions of comments in just one hour!
"Damn, this is just right! A battle between emperors, it's exhilarating, brothers!"
"So here's the question: both official sources are clearly using the armor to allude to the King of Glory Imperial Emperor and the Exalted Emperor, brothers, who do you think is stronger?"
"Chonghuang is very strong, but you must understand that you are facing the Emperor, the owner of all national titles for heroes, the creator of the legendary Emperor's Crown team, the originator of the Overlord King's Crown Glory system, the leader of the KPL professional league, the uncrowned emperor whose peak lasted for ten years, the number one King of Glory player!"
" The Exalted Emperor is slightly stronger; he can punch the Overlord, kick the King Title, and take down the Uncrowned Emperor. It's just a pity that his foundation is far inferior to that of the Imperial Emperor."
"I wholeheartedly agree with the comment above. It's a pity that Exalted Emperor arrived at the wrong time. If Exalted Emperor had become famous ten years ago, he could probably be sitting at the same table Imperial Emperor now!"
" Exalted Emperor is eighteen years old, in the prime of his life. Even if he is not as powerful as the Imperial Emperor, what about ten years from now? Exalted Emperor will still be in his prime, while the Imperial Emperor will already be old and frail!"
Netizens are fiercely debating whether the Imperial Emperor or the Exalted Emperor is stronger.
"Brothers, even if we argue until the sky falls, we won't get anywhere. The only way to determine who's stronger is through actual combat!"
"Yes, yes, I'm looking forward to the Imperial Emperor and the Exalted Emperor clashing, that way they can have a big showdown!"
" Imperial Emperor vs. Exalted Emperor? I'm already fired up!"
Netizens are eagerly anticipating a clash between Imperial Emperor Exalted Emperor! The hashtag "[ Imperial Emperor VS Exalted Emperor ]" has even topped the trending search list, with its popularity exceeding 100 million.
At this moment, the parties involved are still completely unaware.
Jiangcheng, Huating Residential Complex.
"Finally... 999 stars!"
Looking at his new Exalted Emperor's rank of 999 stars, Su Hang was filled with emotion. He worked tirelessly for six days and nights to finally raise his new account's rank from 200 Legendary King to 999 Legendary King!
"The new account and the old account are now tied for first place on the rank leaderboard!"
Su Hang took out another IQ phone, logged into the old Imperial Emperor, clicked on the ranking interface, and placed it side by side with the phone logged into the Exalted Emperor account. The number of stars, 999, under the two ferocious and dazzling dragon heads was incredibly shocking.
"Two accounts with 999 stars each, King of Glory."
Su Hang opened a can of sugar-free Coke and couldn't help but feel a little excited. In the afternoon, while playing ranked matches, his browser pushed a news article saying that a rich man named [ Wansuiye ] spent 9 million to buy a 900-star King of Glory account.
"If 900 stars can sell for 9 million, then it's not unreasonable for me to buy 999 stars for 9.99 million."
Su Hang sighed deeply. The two accounts were currently worth nearly 20 million yuan. If he sold them now, he would immediately become a multi-millionaire.
However, he naturally wouldn't sell the accounts. After all, these two accounts weren't just simple King of Glory accounts; they represented his past and present self, carrying too many memories.
"Let's start the ranked matches!"
Su Hang used his left and right index fingers to simultaneously tap the ranking interface of both the new and old accounts, and Imperial Emperor and Exalted Emperor entered the ranking matchmaking state at the same time!
That's right!
Which account reaches 1,000 stars first is entirely up to fate!
If the old Imperial Emperor account gets matched first, he will cancel the matchmaking status of the new Exalted Emperor and play the old Imperial Emperor's Thousand Star promotion match first.
If the new account, Exalted Emperor, gets matched first, he will cancel the matchmaking status of the old account, Imperial Emperor, and play the new Exalted Emperor's Thousand Star Promotion Tournament first.
"However, there is another possibility."
Su Hang took a sip of his cola, stroked his chin thoughtfully, and said, "What if two accounts clash and end up on opposite sides of the rankings?"
This possibility is small, but not impossible. After all, both accounts have extremely high hidden MMRs, and given the nature of the matchmaking system, they are very likely to be assigned to the opposite side as the highest-ranking account.
But if he's assigned to the opposing side, one of his accounts will inevitably lose. And he can't have his left and right brains fighting each other, can he? The old Imperial Emperor and the new Exalted Emperor are both himself, so how can he fight them?
"If you really run into the opposing side, don't click the confirm button!"
Su Hang came up with a solution: once the new and old accounts are matched against each other, don't click the confirm game button. Wait until the matchmaking countdown ends, then automatically exit the matchmaking state, suspend the game for 1 minute, and then match together again!
Absolutely foolproof!
Su Hang stared intently at the two accounts currently being matched, saying, "Let me see whether the old Imperial Emperor account or the new Exalted Emperor account gets matched first!"