A densely packed fleet surrounded a bluish-green planet, and colorful searchlights pierced through the planet's artificial atmosphere, making the planet's sky display a dazzling aurora-like hue.
This is a desolate planet within the Legion's territory, transformed into one of the venues for the Black Star Cup. Countless arenas, low-altitude vehicle tracks, large stadiums, and other competition facilities have been built on the surface, visible to the naked eye from outer space. In addition to the surface buildings, there are also floating platforms in mid-air. Some are VIP seating areas limited to Legion members of Grade C and above, while others are also arenas. Due to the large number of events and participants, it is necessary to maximize the number of competition venues to improve the efficiency of the preliminary rounds.
At this moment, all the media and Legion member ships in outer space focused their attention on the largest floating platform, where a podium was set up.
Today is the opening ceremony. Han Xiao, as the leader of the legion and the initiator of the Black Star Cup, will address the entire universe from here.
Explored Universe, countless interstellar citizens stood guard in front of their communicators, watching the time tick by, until finally the opening ceremony officially began.
Call!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a black figure, like a shooting star falling from outer space, gradually slowed down, precisely stepping on the edge of the platform. With a gentle spin, the swirling black and gold coat resembled a dark whirlwind, dispelling the sparks that covered the body when breaking through the atmosphere.
Han Xiao slowly walked to the podium, looked up at the sky, and saw countless searchlights of spaceships high in the sky, like distant stars. Countless eyes were watching him through the media broadcasts.
With his hands resting on either side of the podium, Han Xiao gazed at the starlight above and slowly began to speak. His voice, amplified by a specially designed speaker, echoed across the planet:
"October 2nd, Galaxy Calendar 688—this is the day the Legion's predecessor, the Black Star Mercenary Group, was founded. At that time, I was just a native of a surface civilization who had just left Planet Aquamarine. To save my home planet, I was like a naive young beast, venturing headlong into the vast universe. To me then, it was a world full of unknown dangers, but for the survival of my home planet and the safety of my friends who remained there, I went without hesitation..."
The speech was broadcast simultaneously on network channels across various star systems. Upon hearing it, the memories of this history in the minds of the people of Planet Aquamarine, which were waiting in front of the channels, were refreshed and brought back to life, and a sense of pride arose in their hearts.
Regardless of Black Star's status in the universe, in the eyes of the people of Planet Aquamarine, he has only one identity: the undisputed great man of the planet, the first pioneer of Planet Aquamarine to step into the universe—a small step for Black Star, but a giant leap for Planet Aquamarine.
In the government building of the Aquamarine Federation, Bennett skipped an administrative meeting to watch the broadcast on television.
Now his hair and beard are completely white, but he still keeps them neatly styled. His face is lined with more wrinkles, and he looks like an old man. For many years, he has held the power of the planet, and his aura is authoritative without being angry.
But at that moment, Bennett's lips curled into a wide smile, his face crinkling with wrinkles, and his eyes sparkling.
The slender figure I remembered from my first meeting with Han Xiao decades ago seemed to slowly merge with the tall and imposing Black Star of today.
A thousand words welled up in my heart, but in the end, they all turned into a satisfied sigh.
--Thank goodness I met you...
The speech continued, and Han Xiao's tone gradually became more forceful:
"When I was weak, I encountered crises and also met benefactors. Along the way, I had both fierce enemies and like-minded friends. The early days are still vivid in my mind, but now when I think back, it feels like a past life."
I have worked tirelessly for over forty years to build the Black Star Army from scratch, allowing it to grow into what it is today and gain a place in the universe. I believe I have every right to be proud of it...
Many legion members nodded, their faces showing admiration.
Almost all Legion members have taken ideological education courses and understand the Legion's rise to power. Even those who joined the Legion for career advancement admire Black Star's achievements over the past forty years.
Throughout Galaxy's history, how many people have been able to start from scratch and build such a large empire in such a short time? The answer is no!
Of course, some people have achieved more than Black Star, but it took them longer. Only Black Star rose to prominence in the Galaxy with unprecedented speed, leaving a profound mark on history.
In the exploration frontline outpost of the Free Competition Zone, Hila looked at Han Xiao on the screen, and scenes of their past adventures flashed through her mind, her eyes gradually softening.
Manison, Kasuyi, Sorokin, and other Beyond Grade A were also watching the broadcast. Even the Imperial Head of State Urranrell, took time out of his busy schedule to take a look. Hearing Han Xiao's words, these people felt a sense of emotion and sigh.
Perhaps Black Star and they had some differences of interest, but deep down they admired Black Star's achievements. If it were them, no one felt they could have done better than Black Star.
"What was I doing when I was under a hundred years old... I think I was still helping the former chieftain manage military logistics?"
Manison couldn't help but reminisce.
On the scene, Han Xiao listed the legion's achievements to date, his tone becoming increasingly formal:
"... As mentioned above, the Black Star Army has achieved many brilliant results, but its contribution to the universe is too insignificant, which I feel deeply ashamed of. Therefore, I feel that we should make a public report to the entire universe, let everyone see our current glory, and strive to give every person with potential the opportunity to showcase their abilities. This is the purpose of my holding the Black Star Cup..."
"That's quite true..." Urranrell nodded approvingly.
She liked seeing Beyond Grade A figures enjoy their privileges while also contributing to the entire universe. Unfortunately, most people didn't have this awareness. In her eyes, although Black Star was also a profit-seeker, it was rare for him to have such consciousness.
As his speech drew to a close, Han Xiao smiled and said, "I've said enough. Now, this stage should be handed over to the valiant young men of the Black Star Army... So, I hereby declare the inaugural Black Star Cup Army-Wide League officially open!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience!
--No doubt about it, this is sound effect added in post-production.
We still need to maintain a certain image. It would be so embarrassing if no one applauded after the speech, especially since the legion members are all inside the spaceship and the applause can't reach them anyway.
Amid cheers and applause, Han Xiao vanished instantly, and the event organizers immediately appeared to mobilize for the opening match and arrange for the numerous contestants to enter the arena.
The audience members took their seats, and the scene immediately became lively and bustling.
According to the plan of a group of professional event planners hired by Sylvia, a large-scale performance was held for the opening ceremony on the first day, and only a few of the main events were selected for a few competitions.
There will definitely be combat events. Referring to the variety of professional leagues in his previous life, Han Xiao has also set up individual competitions, team competitions, champion mode, capture the flag, cross-country and other subdivided events. He has even brought out the gameplay of the later professional leagues in his previous life and used it in the Black Star Cup.
From ordinary people to those Calamity Grade, and even the exclusive group of the Immortals, each group will draw representatives to compete in a match at the opening ceremony and showcase their skills.
Meanwhile, for the numerous supplementary events such as sports and entertainment, they will choose to participate in the more important sporting events.
A significant number of sports and entertainment events are not divided into categories, and the Veyne Cards is one of them. Because it is not divided into categories, it has the largest number of participants and was therefore chosen to perform at the opening ceremony...
The two Veyne Cards players competing in the opening ceremony were none other than Melos, a highly respected figure in the Legion card community, and Hadavy, a notorious deadbeat in the Legion gambling circle.
A Veyne Cards chessboard was set up in an indoor arena, and the two players received drastically different treatment as soon as they stepped onto the field.
As soon as Melos stepped onto the stage, countless cheers and jokes erupted from the crowd, demonstrating his excellent popularity. In contrast, Hadavy was met with deafening boos from the audience after just a couple of steps onto the stage, a sincere tribute to this hopelessly inept gambler.
"A bunch of idiots." Hadavy rolled his eyes.
At this moment, Melos looked over. The two rivals, who had sparred many times, stared at each other across the distance, as if sparks were flying, and they both saw the same thought in each other's eyes.
--If Fording and Nero don't participate, then I'm definitely going to be the Legion's King of Cards!
Meanwhile, in another arena, the competition had already reached the D-rank group, and players had already appeared. A graduate of the Super Academy was facing off against a newbie player who had only started playing in version 4.0. The two looked at each other from a distance.
"Remember the rules: when your opponent is incapacitated, you cannot continue attacking, you cannot intentionally injure your opponent, and you absolutely cannot kill them. A player who falls out of the ring or voluntarily surrenders is declared the loser..."
The mechanical referee explained the rules: apart from not being allowed to intentionally cause harm, it was basically an Infinite fight. As long as you didn't seriously injure others, you could do whatever you wanted.
However, there is a special rule for players: if a player refuses to concede, the other player can beat them to death, since they won't actually die.
"If there are no problems... let the match begin!"
At the referee's signal, the college graduate did not hesitate, stepping onto the ring and charging towards his opponent's face like an arrow.
This novice player clearly lacked combat experience. Faced with the aggressive opponent, he immediately panicked, raised his hand to summon dual pistols, and the high-quality mech he had purchased from the Logistics Department instantly covered his body. He transformed into a ghostly phantom, circling around his opponent, his dual pistols firing continuously, shooting out streaks of blue flame. He was clearly a gunner.
"Raise your shield!"
The academy graduates also activated their mechs, with a folded alloy shield unfolding on their arms. A thin layer of energy membrane on the surface deflected all the blue lasers unleashed by the novice players.
At the same time, he drew a sophisticated mechanical spear with his other hand. The spearhead split open, revealing a cannon muzzle, and it spat out explosive bullets one after another, chasing after his opponent's fast-moving figure, blasting streaks of fire and smoke on the arena.
This person's profession is that of a mech warrior.
Because the Black Star Army's Logistics Department provides a large number of high-quality faction-exclusive mechanical weapons, many Mechanic Class superhumans under the legion, whether players or regular members, are willing to switch to the Mechanic Class, since they can directly purchase the best weapons that match their level here.
If you have money in your pocket, you can even skip the gunpowder weapon stage and equip yourself with energy weapons early on.
Facing the legendary Immortals, the graduates of this academy were actually more nervous.
Within the legion, players are a special group that is almost deified. They appear extremely mysterious in the eyes of most junior legion members, and there are different versions of rumors circulating about them, saying that they all possess extraordinary skills and are mentally deranged.
If they were simply immortal, that would be one thing, but according to rumors, the Immortals are a group of madmen who disregard their own lives, which is terrifying...
The two engaged in a fierce battle, sparks flying and lightning flashing all the way.
The college graduate approached the situation cautiously, but was pleasantly surprised to find that his opponent clearly lacked combat experience and was quite rusty. This greatly boosted his confidence, and he launched a vigorous attack, gradually gaining the upper hand.
"It looks like we're going to lose..."
The novice player glanced at the steadily declining health bar, pouted, and dejectedly pulled out the Black Star Army Badge - Evolution...
"Roar!"
The next moment, a mutant with muscles crammed into its brain appeared on the stage!
This muscular, out-of-place creature pounced, pinning the bewildered graduate student to the ground in a flash, rendering him unable to move.
A mutant with Grade B combat power is virtually invincible in the Grade D- rank!
At this moment, the mutant opened its blood-red maw, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, as if it were about to bite down.
"I give up! Help... help me!"
The graduate student was terrified, seeing the foul-smelling mouth getting closer and closer, and he instinctively closed his eyes in horror.
However, the expected biting did not come. Instead, he felt a large, soft, and wet tongue lick him hard from head to toe.
"Duel over, Blue team wins!" The referee went live right on cue.
"Ah, I won!"
The novice player jumped up excitedly, wiggled his hips seductively a couple of times, then ran to the edge of the floating arena and jumped straight down, getting rid of his ugly appearance as quickly as possible.
The mutant's dance moves were so beautiful that viewers who saw it just wanted to gouge their own eyes out.
But at the same time, a chill ran down the spines of countless viewers.
... As the rumors said, these Immortals are truly a bunch of lunatics.
On the ring, the college graduate, covered in saliva and lying on his back, lay on the ground, his eyes vacant, beginning to question the meaning of life.
What was initially a sure win was turned around in an instant by the opponent's suicidal transformation.
This is so hard for me...
As long as no additional damage is caused, Black Star Cup allows players to use items freely, and players are extremely satisfied with this rule.
In professional leagues, the Legion's various powerful weapons were severely restricted, but now they can finally use them without reservation, which is quite satisfying.
Although it's somewhat unfair to legion members in lower-tier regions, this is exactly the effect Han Xiao wanted to achieve. He had several intentions: firstly, to show the outside world the terrifying power of players, demonstrating that even low-level players can unleash exaggerated combat strength.
Secondly, there's the sale of the Evolution Badge. Imagine players in lower-tier regions seeing that the Evolution Badge makes them virtually unstoppable, almost guaranteeing them a ranking reward—wouldn't they be eager to buy it?
--And don't forget, the Evolution Badge wasn't designed for single use; it needs to be recharged after each use...
The third intention was that Han Xiao actually wanted players to receive ranking rewards in lower-level competitions. After all, there wasn't much to be gained from regular members, so giving rewards to players would maximize profits, which was like fertilizing the land.
What, the normal members aren't happy? We didn't say you can't use powerful items. If you're so brave as to risk your life, then go ahead and carry a nuclear bomb backpack like the players.
Even if someone were truly insane and wanted to do that, the referee wouldn't allow it—friendship first, competition second, suicide on stage is not permitted... oh, except for those who can't die.
You say it's unfair? There's nothing you can do. Being able to survive is their natural talent, just like those people with Self-Healing abilities. You can't just forbid them from using their abilities, that would be unfair to them.
If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for not being Immortals. Anyway, the final interpretation of the rules belongs to the legion commander, so go find him if you have any objections.
After this approach, even lower-ranking legion members who have objections will have no reason to complain, and might even find it quite reasonable.
Without resorting to underhanded tactics, just this rule is enough for Master Han to achieve the desired result.
Just as the Black Star Cup opening ceremony was in full swing, at the same time, in the Ancient Star Desert Starfield, a civilian exploration and archaeology team landed on a desolate planet that had been abandoned for many years.
They called themselves an archaeological exploration team, but they were actually a group of scavengers.
The Ancient Star Desert is very old, with many places being ancient battlefields and containing many mysterious ruins and relics. Therefore, this star field is full of scavengers trying their luck, hoping to dig up some good stuff, resell it on the black market, and make a fortune.
A sandstorm of acidic corrosion swept across the land. Amidst the hazy dust, a group of scavengers in bulky protective suits were setting up various mechanical instruments to probe the planet's underground conditions.
A short, wiry player, resembling a monkey, operated the controls on the screen for a while, then suddenly shouted with delight:
"Haha, we're in luck! This planet has ancient rock layers, but tracing their age back to the present doesn't yield any results, proving that its age far exceeds the limits of my instrument's long-range, wide-area detection capabilities. We need more precise testing to determine its exact age. I'm now using seismic wave detection to get a map of the underground structure... I've got it!"
The screen displays a complex underground cavity, interconnected in all directions, seemingly filled with many deceptive tunnels, and appears to be quite large at first glance.
"There are no signs of unauthorized intrusion!" The short, wiry explorer exclaimed excitedly. "Perhaps we've stumbled upon an unexplored ancient civilization!"
"There's also a possibility that all that's left inside is a pile of rust." Another team member shrugged.
"No matter what, let's try digging first." A member who seemed to be the team leader calmly said, "Have the spaceship deploy the drilling rig, and we'll dive down."
Just as everyone was preparing to move out, a team member grabbed the captain's arm. He wiped his dusty mask with his other hand, revealing a young and handsome face with a furrowed brow and a worried expression.
"Don't go down yet..."
The person spoke hesitantly.
"I'm a little uneasy, like I might dig up something bad..."
If Han Xiao were here right now, he would definitely recognize this face.
This was a famous explorer from the World Tree era.
--The first person to discover the World Tree itself!