Han Xiao had foreseen this situation. Everyone could learn the [Energy Refinement Method] during their first advancement, but the players didn't know it. For players whose average level was now eight or nine, this was a god-tier skill, increasing Qi more than they gained from leveling up. Some players hadn't even changed their main class yet, so they needed skills that provided Qi even more.
Planet Aquamarine is the stronghold of Huaxia players. Han Xiao is teaching a skill that every player must learn, which may seem like a trap, but it's not. You see, gaining an advantage in the early stages allows you to snowball and grow stronger.
Looking at it from another perspective, Han Xiao gave players around level 10 skills that were only available at level 20. Thinking about it this way, his actions suddenly had a win-win significance.
They not only gained a massive amount of experience, but also gave Huaxia players a head start over players from other planets.
"Perfect."
Han Xiao was very satisfied with his plan. How could he possibly cheat the players? It was all due to the prejudice and misunderstanding of the world. He loved his country so much. Back then, his father almost named him Xiao Aiguo (meaning "patriotic" or "loving") or Xiao Zhenbang (meaning "resolute"). It was only under the tyranny of his mother that he changed his name to what it is now.
The [Energy Refinement Method] requires 10,000 experience points to learn, and the potential profits make Han Xiao's heart race just thinking about it. He can only teach the [Energy Refinement Method] to players before their first advancement to reap huge profits. It's a one-off deal; he'll take as much as he can. Judging from the players' enthusiasm, Han Xiao thinks the experience he'll gain in version 1.0 will be an astronomical figure.
While he was running through the newbie village in the Western Continent, Meat Bun Hits Dog finally released his first video on the forum.
Galaxy Adventure Diary: The Black Phantom (1)
Meat Bun Hits Dog is quite famous; as soon as the video was posted, it immediately attracted both die-hard fans and curious passersby.
"Finally updated! As is customary, please urge us to update before you read!"
"The missing person has come back to life!"
"The title is 'Black Phantom,' so is Meat Bun trying to curry favor with Black Phantom?"
The program was posted in the forum's video section. The forum is not just for chatting; it has other functions as well. To help players pass the time while waiting for games, the video section has a lot of traffic, and with the addition of old fans, the number of viewers has been rising steadily.
The opening sequence features a promotional video and some scenic screenshots. The main feature begins with a third-person perspective of Meat Bun Hits Dog, a built-in viewing function in the game that allows players to check the character's appearance. The background is Black Pine Settlement, Meat Bun Hits Dog waves towards the camera, starting with a short introductory poem.
"Heaven and earth, without limit, give birth to the universe; yin and yang, the two energies, give rise to all living beings; I would risk my life for the benefit of my country; a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Welcome to the Galaxy Adventure Diary, I am Meat Bun."
The live chat was filled with complaints.
"Is this some kind of opening poem? It must be an opening poem!"
"At that time, I recited a line of poetry, 'If...'"
"The sun rises in the east, and I alone am invincible; the Toad Membrane Divine Cult, may it last a thousand years!"
In the program, Meat Bun continued, "It's been a long time since I released a new work. As the first video in the Galaxy series, I will take you on an adventure from the perspective of a character. This character has left a lot of impression on players: the Mechanic Class mentor, the novice guide, the mysterious NPC, and the hidden plot. I'm sure the viewers in front of the screen are curious about this character's identity. That's right, he is the person written in the title— Black Phantom!"
Comments: "Wow, this is such an awkward, filler-time thing, I'm fucking impressed!"
The camera shifts to Meat Bun's first-person perspective, and the main content begins.
The video content is all footage recorded by Meat Bun Hits Dog, which has been edited into different segments. The special effects and narration were added in post-production. Meat Bun maintains his humorous style, starting the narration from the first encounter with Han Xiao, Han Xiao fighting against the wolf pack in Green Valley Town and stopping the standoff between two warlords. Meat Bun Hits Dog shows the gameplay from a first-person perspective while the narration analyzes Han Xiao's influence.
"With a single word, Black Phantom dismissed two warlords, demonstrating his influence. Before analyzing, I think we should first introduce the warlords' identities..." The scene shifts to Black Pine Settlement. Meat Bun Hits Dog introduces Lü Cheng as the lord of this large settlement, who has a large number of troops and chariots. Then, the conversation changes abruptly.
"Even with such immense power, Lü Cheng fears Black Phantom. So, where does Black Phantom's influence come from? Let me, Brother Bao, explain in detail." He used Lü Cheng as a prelude to further pique the audience's curiosity about Black Phantom, with remarkable effect.
Frenzied Sword appeared as a guest on the show, and his analysis of Han Xiao's identity unfolded during their conversation, slowly revealing a glimpse of the mysterious origins of Black Phantom.
First, the two revealed Black Phantom's name, which seemed to be Han Xiao. He had previously served in Stardragon's intelligence agency. This was previously unknown information, which immediately grabbed attention, and the number of comments on the screen decreased significantly as everyone focused on the content.
During the closed beta, Frenzied Saber clung to Han Xiao's coattails, but was completely unaware of Han Xiao's true identity. All he knew was that Black Phantom originally belonged to the Six Nations faction. For some unknown reason, Black Phantom left Stardragon and joined the Dark Net and the Blood Pact Union. This information came from a powerful enemy (Liu Cheng) whose danger level was also [Extremely Deadly]. Although the details of these two forces were unknown, they were definitely very powerful, belonging to high-level forces that players could not currently access, and were also one of the sources of Black Phantom's influence.
Meat Bun and Frenzied Saber also believe that the key reason Black Phantom is so fearsome is his strength. Players cannot see the exact attributes of high-level characters at their level, but they have witnessed Han Xiao kill other NPCs who are also [extremely lethal] more than once. Based on this alone, they believe that among NPCs, Black Phantom's strength is also at the peak level!
The biggest goal Black Phantom has shown so far is to oppose Germinal. Since there are not many clues, it is impossible to find out why Black Phantom is Germinal to the death. However, Frenzied Saber shared the situation of the closed beta. More than three months have passed in the game from the closed beta to the open beta. Han Xiao has transformed into Black Phantom. As soon as this information was released, it immediately aroused the curiosity of the audience.
What exactly did he go through to become the Black Phantom he is today?
Without evidence, it's all speculation. The program didn't discuss it in detail. Meat Bun's intention was to raise this question as a "hook" and "suspense" to attract the audience's curiosity.
Then Meat Bun and Frenzied Saber discussed Black Phantom's actions of running all over the newbie village, believing that this was decisive evidence that Black Phantom was the newbie guide. After more than 20 days of playing, players found that the behavior and thoughts of NPCs were very "realistic", and they were even surprised that players could be resurrected. So why did Black Phantom frequently contact players, and with such obvious planning? There must be a special reason, but the program only mentioned it briefly.
Meat Bun said that he, like Frenzied Saber, had triggered the hidden storyline of Black Phantom, proving that he could follow and report on it. He also introduced the various benefits of Black Phantom and recorded the scene of Han Xiao giving Frenzied Sword two high-quality guns. They also followed Black Phantom to Black Pine, a map that is more advanced than the newbie village and can receive rewarding missions.
The screen was filled with people showing off their perks, making the audience incredibly envious. Anyone who could trigger the hidden storyline for Black Phantom is truly lucky!
"Eat that spear, you bastard!"
"Suck--"
"I heard you have to hold it in your mouth to inhale the European air, I..."
At the end of the show, Meat Bun Hits Dog said, "... The Black Phantom series only has one episode for now. The next episode might be about something else, since Frenzied Saber and I are currently stuck in Black Pine. But don't worry, I'll keep following it and exploring the past and present of Black Phantom. So, fellow viewers, see you next time!"
Viewers who watched it all in one go had only one thought.
Wonderful!
The visuals are a first-person adventure from the perspective of "Meat Bun Hits Dog," while the narration takes the perspective of the Black Phantom, introducing a lot of information that ordinary people are unaware of, revealing more world background and anecdotes, providing a lot of useful information and answering many questions.
Moreover, its lighthearted style and imaginative plot twists, along with various interesting speculations, thoroughly satisfied viewers, who then went to other posts to recommend it, attracting even more players to the game.
The first episode of "Meat Bun Hits Dog" had an excellent topic selection. It happened right when Han Xiao set foot in the Western Continent and made a splash on the forums, when the popularity was high. Meat Bun's video rode on this wave of popularity, and the number of viewers was exploding every moment.
The first episode was a huge hit!
The Meat Bun Hits Dog was incredible; deciding on this theme was absolutely the right decision.
The video gained popularity due to Han Xiao's fame, and in turn, it boosted Han Xiao's popularity even further.
Han Xiao's image in the players' minds has gradually shifted from a mysterious merchant and skill mentor to a pivotal NPC, deeply ingrained in their hearts. Speculating about his origins has gradually become a daily routine.