The Galaxy Times objectively analyzed the group draw, concluding that Group A would be the most competitive. They believed that the highly anticipated Long Sky Team might suffer a major setback. Although Hao Tian was very strong, the other teams were conserving their strength and would definitely go all out to advance from the group stage. Under these circumstances, Long Sky might be too reckless and prone to failure.
Fans of the strong teams in Group A were not satisfied, especially those of the three powerhouse teams, who believed there was behind-the-scenes manipulation and engaged in angry online battles, attacking the official organizers and other teams.
However, their reasoning was not convincing, and most neutral viewers believed that it would seem more like a behind-the-scenes manipulation if the four powerhouses were evenly divided among each group.
Of course, reasoning couldn't calm the fanatics down, and the forum discussion continued to heat up as the preseason kicked off following the qualifiers.
Preseason wins and losses do not count towards the points; they are simply to give each team a basic understanding of their group opponents, to warm up, to gather information on their opponents, and to mislead them.
Compared to the official matches, the warm-up games were much more relaxed. Each team felt less pressure, and all sorts of flashy moves were dazzling. The audience especially loved watching the unofficial matches, where everyone was playing recklessly.
The mistakes and amazing plays of each team were made into funny and exciting video compilations, which received a great response on the forum. Meat Bun also followed the trend and made a few episodes.
After the playoffs, there is a break period for the teams to rest and recuperate. The official team also intensifies its promotional efforts to build momentum for the regional main tournament, launching a massive promotional campaign to arouse players' expectations.
When the regular season officially began, it was already June in the Galaxy Calendar.
During this period, Han Xiao spent his time grinding experience points with other players in the Sanctuary. Apart from that, there wasn't much else of note. He had completed the third stage of the hidden historical questline, fulfilling all the requirements, but he couldn't contact Hannes and the others to finish the quest.
This was Han Xiao's first encounter with this hidden main storyline, and he didn't know the specific process. He tried to find Hannes with the help of the Dark Net but still came up empty-handed, which made him realize something was wrong. The Dark Net is now one of the largest forces on Planet Aquamarine, and if even the Dark Net couldn't find them, it was almost certain that Hannes and the others had disappeared.
After extensive investigation, it was discovered that Hannes was last seen in a desolate desert called the Somar Desert.
"This name sounds familiar..." Han Xiao frowned. "Right, I went to this desert once when I was doing a bounty mission. I obtained the [Low-Level Tough Life] feat there. It's an old kingdom ruin, and there are remnants searching for so-called magical relics."
Although Han Xiao and Hannes didn't interact much, Hannes was the one who resolved the hidden main quest and had risked his life to help him in Andia. For both personal and professional reasons, Han Xiao wouldn't stand idly by and watch him disappear, Bennett shared the same thought.
At the start of the regular season, Han Xiao left the Sanctuary and went to the Somar Desert with Bennett.
Under the scorching Blazing Sun, the desert air shimmered with distorted heat, and through the barbed wire of the Dark Net outpost, one could see an endless sea of sand.
"Hannes was last seen a month ago. He replenished his supplies at this outpost before heading into the Somar Desert, and has never returned since."
The person in charge of the outpost reported the situation to Han Xiao and Bennett, and produced the material allocation records to prove that what he said was true.
"I've sent out convoys to search for their trail, but... the desert terrain makes it difficult to preserve tracks from a month ago, so the results aren't promising," Bennett said.
Han Xiao squinted, "Could you suggest some constructive solutions?"
Bennett lamented, "Phone and computer communication are down, all means of contact are cut off, this is the only clue."
This inefficient approach is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Han Xiao shook his head. "This method is too time-consuming... but there's no better way right now. Hopefully, we'll find something."
The Somar Desert holds many secrets, Hannes may have encountered a special situation this time. Thinking of the rumors about the abandoned Feronya base and magical ruins here, a guess suddenly formed in Han Xiao's mind.
"Hannes may have met with some misfortune," Bennett sighed.
Han Xiao remained noncommittal. In his previous life, Bennett had erected tombstones for Hannes and the others, but this time he felt it was different. If the person who issued the mission died, the hidden main storyline would definitely fail. But now they were only stuck on the third stage. Han Xiao felt that Hannes and the others were still alive, and this might be a necessary stage of the mission.
Since the quest is stuck, all he can do is wait patiently; perhaps time will bring a turning point. Although Han Xiao is quite curious about the final outcome of this hidden main quest, judging solely from a profit perspective, the quest reward has limited appeal to him. Now that Master Han is quite wealthy, the experience points from the quest reward are just a drop in the ocean to him.
After assigning tasks to his subordinates, the two boarded a plane to return home. On the plane, Bennett suddenly spoke up, "I heard there are more and more Inhuman in your Sanctuary. You need to keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't cause any trouble."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, "What are you trying to say?"
"The Inhuman have a mysterious origin, behave strangely, and their numbers are increasing." Bennett's expression was grave. "They are a potential threat. If so many Inhuman unite, the world will be plunged into bloodshed again. We can no longer afford another war. I've heard that the Six Nations have already contacted an interstellar civilization; those aliens will send a team to investigate the Inhuman."
"I know what I'm doing." Han Xiao smiled slightly and patted Bennett on the shoulder.
He not only knew that Goddora would send people to Planet Aquamarine, but also knew the exact time the spaceship would arrive. This was the fragment that the Child of Destiny card showed him. The spaceship sent by the Goddora Civilization was one of his opportunities to travel to interstellar space, and the time was just over a month away.
Over the next month, Han Xiao continued to build up his strength according to the established plan. Due to the competition, more and more players came to the Sanctuary, which kept his sales at a high level.
Han Xiao occasionally watched the games. The regular season had added a new arena match, which was the second type of team competition. It was a one-on-one round-robin system where each side fielded six players. The team that wiped out the opponent's six players won. The points earned were six points minus the number of players lost by the team. For example, if a team lost three players to defeat the opponent, they would get three points.
The tournament has enriched the ways for teams to earn points. As the regular season progresses into its later stages, the situation has become clearer. In Groups B, C, and D, the top two teams have widened the gap with the rest of the teams and have already secured their places in the next round. These teams are Huaxia's Temple, Rainstorm, and Mountain and Sea and Sea, along with three foreign club teams.
The Jiangcheng Team, led by Frenzied Saber, failed to qualify. In fact, making it into the regular season was already an incredible stroke of luck for the Jiangcheng Team, exceeding Xing Duhe's expectations for the results. This fueled Xing Duhe's ambition, making him want to achieve better results and see hope for a higher level. He finally didn't want to continue to tank and developed blind confidence in the team's strength.
However, reality gave him a cold shower. Those who remained were all strong opponents, and the overall strength of the Jiangcheng Team was too weak. No matter how hard he tried, he still suffered repeated defeats.
Xing Duhe felt a chill in his heart, realizing that his earnestness couldn't change the fact that he lacked ability, and his hard-won ambition vanished without a trace.
But he was a seasoned veteran, and quickly adjusted his mindset, comforting himself, "That's enough. At least we made it to the regular season, which is a good result. I can report back to the team."
With this in mind, Xing Duhe was fully expecting to be rewarded by the higher-ups as the team leader. However, reality not only poured cold water on him but also gave him a chilling wind, making him shiver all over.
At the press conference, Jiangcheng Club officially announced that Frenzied Saber would serve as the future team leader and core player, directly stripping Xing Duhe position. Before Xing Duhe could even process this fact, the team's management sent him a termination request, which completely panicked him.
The club's management isn't blind; Frenzied Saber's achievements speak for themselves. He made it into the top three of his group in the individual competition, successfully entering the regional finals. He was the only remaining Mechanic Class among the top sixteen in the Planet Aquamarine individual competition, and was even called "Huaxia's Number One Pugilist Mechanic" by fans!
With such a promising player, Jiangcheng's management naturally invested heavily in nurturing him. This is only the first league season, and there will be more opportunities in the future. They plan to cultivate Frenzied Saber into a pillar of the club and build a new team around Frenzied Saber.
Xing Duhe, who had consistently failed to achieve results and lacked a proper professional attitude, was directly kicked out of the team.
Frenzied Saber initially disliked the Jiangcheng Team, but the higher-ups wanted to make him the core player in a new team, a treatment that many established players had never received. Frenzied Saber was flattered and overwhelmed with gratitude, his resentment vanished, and he was deeply moved.
Once he achieves success, a discerning mentor will recognize his talent, and his career will soar. Frenzied Saber is now considered a semi-star player, but he is very ambitious and not satisfied with his current achievements. He is full of fighting spirit and is even more determined to stick close to Han Xiao.
Frenzied Saber's battle record is even better than in his previous life, and there is still room for improvement. Han Xiao felt a sense of satisfaction, like hoping his son would become a dragon... well, it would be more accurate to describe it as the satisfaction of a nurturing player.
Ilex, who had reached the top 16 in his previous life and made outrageous remarks mocking Huaxia players, was eliminated in the group stage. This was mainly due to the influence of Han Xiao. Ilex's development was far worse than in his previous life, and even though his superpower potential was Grade A, it had not developed to its full potential.
Looking at the entire Planet Aquamarine region, only the situation in Group A of the team competition remains unclear.
This is truly a group of death. With several rounds left, the top five teams are still neck and neck, and anyone could make a comeback and advance. Long Sky is currently ranked third, making the competition extremely fierce.