Han Xiao left Sisko, who had lost his spaceship, all alone on that unfortunate planet that was being used as a battlefield, and used Void Dimension Jump to spend several days returning to the Shattered Star Ring.
He contacted Hila and the others who had already left Planet Maixibo and asked them to come pick him up in their spaceship. The two sides finally met up in a desolate area.
laugh--
The air pump made a sound of air pressure leakage, the hatch slid open, and as soon as Han Xiao entered the cabin, he saw Hila and the other two waiting at the door.
Fording stepped forward and carefully examined Han Xiao from head to toe. After confirming that no parts were missing, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, looks like you're alright. We've been worried about you these past few days."
Hila snorted, "It's you guys, without me..."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao couldn't help but smile. "Actually, it's not that dangerous. Don't you all know how tenacious my vitality is?"
"Speaking of vitality..." Aurora looked confused, her tone incredulous, "If I'm not mistaken, you've already...?"
"Already what?" Hila asked, frowning.
Han Xiao smiled and took out the Evolution Cube, playing with it in his hand.
"You guessed right, I already fought with Sisko. He didn't gain any advantage, and I didn't lose either; it was a draw. He didn't manage to get his things back."
A draw with Sisko?
Hila was stunned for a second before she understood Han Xiao's meaning. She gasped sharply, and an incredulous look appeared on her usually expressionless face as she stared wide-eyed at Han Xiao.
"Could it be that you... have become Beyond Grade A?!"
"Just lucky, just lucky." Han Xiao waved his hand, but a smug smile appeared on his face.
Upon hearing his confirmation, Hila, Fording, Aurora all showed expressions of shock.
Black Star... is he really Beyond Grade A?
Although the three hoped that Han Xiao would break through the limits and become Beyond Grade A powerhouse standing at the top of the Galaxy, following Han Xiao for the past few months felt like sightseeing, and they didn't see any signs that Han Xiao could advance.
Deep down, they all felt that the chances were slim.
However, things happened so suddenly! When they were not prepared, Black Star suddenly advanced and even fought to a draw with a well-known Beyond Grade A from the Shattered Star Ring. They couldn't imagine how Han Xiao had done it.
At the moment it actually happened, all three of them were completely blank.
After regaining their composure, a feeling of surprise and joy suddenly welled up in their hearts!
Although it was unexpected, it's a good thing!
Fording was overjoyed, grabbing Han Xiao's arm and exclaiming repeatedly, "That's fantastic! I've always believed in your potential. Now we don't have to escape the Shattered Star Ring!"
"I never intended to run away..." Han Xiao said helplessly.
Aurora leaned closer, looking astonished. "So, you're already a big shot at the level of a teacher?"
Ames, it's time to have a proper talk with her... Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he nodded.
"You..." Hila hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she swallowed her words back, turning them into a dry, curt sentence:
Congratulations.
Her feelings were complicated. She had always wanted to catch up with Han Xiao. When Han Xiao was at the Calamity Grade, she was able to work hard and improve herself repeatedly, but this time was different.
During her ten years in Dragon Calm, she experienced the power of the Dragon Emperor countless times, and was very clear about the strength of Beyond Grade A, as well as how difficult it was to become Beyond Grade A.
For many years, there have only been four Beyond Grade A in the entire star field. Now, Han Xiao has surpassed them to become the fifth. Hila has known Han Xiao for nearly twenty years. She has seen him at his weakest and most helpless, as well as when he was invincible against the Calamity Grade. She has witnessed almost every stage of his development.
It only took Han Xiao twenty years to transform from an ordinary person into a newly promoted Beyond Grade A. He may be the fastest person in history to become Beyond Grade A. Because Hela knows Han Xiao's past so well, Hila knows how difficult his journey has been.
Even though Hila was stubborn and refused to admit defeat, she couldn't help but admire Han Xiao's achievements from the bottom of her heart.
If Hila originally harbored ambitions to rival Han Xiao, at this moment, she willingly chose to remain in Han Xiao's shadow.
She had a feeling that she might be witnessing a living legend.
Of course, given her personality, it was impossible for her to reveal her true feelings to Han Xiao.
Hila pursed her lips and changed the subject, asking, "How did you do that? Can you teach me?"
"Uh, there's no way to teach that, you don't know how to harvest leeks..." Han Xiao coughed, put on a serious expression, and placed his hands on Hila's shoulders.
No, you don't need me to teach you.
"What do you mean...?" Hila, puzzled.
Han Xiao looked directly into Hila's eyes and said slowly, "I've always believed in your potential, just as you believe in mine. One day, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with me at the summit of the Galaxy."
Hila pulled her hands away from Han Xiao's, turned around so Han Xiao wouldn't see her flustered expression, and whispered, "Thank you."
I had no idea you trusted me so much...
"Why are you thanking me between us?" Han Xiao waved his hand dismissively. "We've known each other for twenty years."
At this moment, Aurora grabbed Han Xiao's sleeve and asked curiously in a coquettish tone, "What about me? What about me? Do you believe me?"
Han Xiao sighed and patted her head, finding it smooth and comfortable to the touch. "Let's talk about it when you reach the Calamity Grade."
"Hmph, biased." Aurora her head away.
Regardless, the news of his becoming Beyond Grade A player genuinely surprised Fording and his companions for a while before the conversation returned to handling the follow-up issues.
"Black Star, you took Sisko's Evolution Cube. He won't give it up easily, will he?"
"Hmm, he said he would join forces with the Tyrant to deal with me. Compared to the benefits contained in the Evolution Cube, this risk is already very small. We don't need to worry about him in the short term. He's busy right now." Han Xiao shook his head and smiled. In his Observation Mark, Sisko was still on that planet, urging Sedim to build a spaceship out of a pile of completely scrapped parts.
Fording frowned. "Sisko and the Tyrant teaming up... that's dangerous too."
Han Xiao waved his hand, "No problem. Although I'm a freshman Beyond Grade A, I'm not at the bottom of this level. Besides, I have allies."
It's just calling people, it's not like anyone can't do that!
Compared to other Beyond Grade A, its biggest advantage is that it has a clear path to upgrade.
Other Beyond Grade A who reach this level need to find their own way to continue evolving, like groping forward in the dark, while I am like someone who carries a flashlight and can simply level up by harvesting resources. The difference in growth efficiency is like night and day.
"So what are you going to do with the Evolution Cube?"
"Let's bring it back to the legion first, so the officers can enjoy the effects of the cube." Han Xiao stroked his chin. "Then we can use the Evolution Cube to unite allies and find new backers."
Sisko has the support of the Arcane Church, and he can have the same effect by holding the Evolution Cube himself; the Evolution Cube is a cheat tool.
Compared to the former owner Sisko, my advantage is that the Evolution Cube is in portable mode, carried by me as a Beyond Grade A, eliminating the possibility of it being stolen and making it much safer.
The news that he possessed the cube would eventually spread throughout the entire Galaxy, and Sisko would never help him hide it; in fact, he would rather create more opponents for him.
At that time, all the forces in the entire Galaxy that covet the Evolution Cube will turn their attention to him. Therefore, the Black Star Army alone is not enough to occupy the Evolution Cube for a long time. He still needs to find a new backer, just like Sisko did.
beep beep...
Just then, a communication message came through on the communicator. Han Xiao glanced at it and saw that it was a communication request from Laifer, his superior from Section Zero.
Han Xiao waved his hand, signaling Hila and the other two to go pilot the spaceship, then walked to the side and connected the communication.
"Black Star, I have some really bad news!"
"You make it sound like we've had some good news someday," Han Xiao joked, in a good mood.
Laifer, however, remained silent, his expression extremely serious. He said in a deep voice, "Just a few days ago, we confirmed some intelligence: the Crimson Dynasty's negotiations with the Federation of Light have concluded successfully, and the transfer of ownership of that new starfield has entered the execution phase. This means that once the Crimson Dynasty takes over that new starfield, it will turn its attention to dealing with the Crimson Tide caused by the Crimson Tide in various places, and cleaning up the mess they've created... Our Secret War with Krent will also enter the Crimson Dynasty's reckoning phase. Perhaps the war only has six months left!"
"Oh?" Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he muttered, "This is indeed bad news."
Currently, the War Realm still occupies territory in several border star systems of the Colton Star Cluster. Krent is a staunch lackey of the Crimson Dynasty, Crimson Dynasty will use this as an excuse to divide these border star systems into the star cluster territory of the Krent Empire. Defining star cluster regions is an authority "granted" to them by the three major cosmic civilizations. If the War Realm is not driven out before then, Amethyst will most likely lose the territory of these star systems.
The Shattered Star Ring is under the jurisdiction of the Federation of Light, but unless the Amethyst abandons its long-held neutral stance and becomes a subordinate civilization of another, it cannot be expected to uphold justice. The Crimson Dynasty and the Federation of Light will engage in a higher-level exchange of interests, and the Amethyst Civilization does not even have the right to intervene. It can only watch as its territory is ceded away.
Of course, Amethyst could forcefully resist the decisions made by the three cosmic-level civilizations and unilaterally refuse to accept the terms for dividing the territory, but the outcome would not be so pleasant—as the rule-makers, the three cosmic-level civilizations would not allow any civilization to challenge their authority. All three are powerful civilizations that have experienced the Dark Forest exploration period, and it is unrealistic to expect them to be merciful.
Possessing unparalleled civilizational power across the entire Galaxy, they have countless means to subdue any civilization that dares to challenge them. For those who set the rules, they are simply allowing officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps.
Therefore, Han Xiao was not surprised at all by the appearance of the Silver Revolutionary Army, but it was too early to talk about that now.
"Black Star, your vacation is over. We need your strength; every bit of territory we can reclaim is a piece of cake." Laifer said solemnly.
Han Xiao stroked his chin, then suddenly made a decision and smiled, "Krent's biggest reliance in seizing territory is the Crimson Dynasty, but I actually have a way to keep Krent Crimson Dynasty out of the picture and prevent it from negotiating with the Federation of Light. That way, even if the War Realm occupies the border star system, it won't matter."
Laifer's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "What's your plan?"
"I..." Han Xiao suddenly remembered something and abandoned his plan to tell the Amethyst Civilization that he had already Beyond Grade A. He casually replied, "Anyway, it's quite feasible. I have to keep it a secret for now. Just trust me. Anyway, the situation can't get any worse."
It wasn't that Han Xiao deliberately concealed his Beyond Grade A strength; it was just that he suddenly realized that if Amethyst knew about this, she would definitely be eager to publicize it extensively to deter the War Realm.
This is actually somewhat detrimental to me.
His original plan was to keep a low profile after advancing to Beyond Grade A, secretly accumulate strength to continue upgrading, and then wait for the Tyrant to attack so that the opponent would misjudge his strength and secretly sabotage him. However, due to the incident with the Evolution Cube, it was no longer possible to hide his strength, but Han Xiao did not want the Tyrant to attack immediately.
He needs some time to build a new mechanical legion, a new Beyond Grade A base, and activate many of the Mechanic Emperor's skills to bring his combat power to its peak. Rather than letting the Amethyst Civilization publicize it extensively, it's better to let the information revealed by Sisko ferment slowly in the star field, which will give him more time to prepare.
There was another reason why he didn't tell Amethyst — Han Xiao planned to raise the price arbitrarily.
If you are a normal Beyond Grade A being, allying with a cluster-level civilization is the best choice, because you will receive sufficient attention. That's what the Tyrant do. While cosmic-level civilizations also welcome Beyond Grade A beings to join them, they won't value them as much as cluster-level civilizations, since things are valued for their scarcity.
However, the Evolution Cube changes things. This Universal Treasure is unique to Scorpion. With the example of Sisko, cosmic-level civilizations will offer higher prices, thus elevating the Black Star Army's power to a new level.
Because of his Shattered World, Han Xiao has decided that the Crimson Dynasty is the most suitable ally.
By leveraging his position, coupled with the Evolution Cube's status, to become an ally of the Crimson Dynasty, he could fundamentally resolve the Secret War, thwarting Krent's ten-year-long plan.
Normally, the Grade S main storyline of Secret War should end in failure. Although rewards can still be obtained due to the special nature of the mission, the mission rating will be lowered, and Black Star Army players will not receive the best rewards.
Considering the need to maintain players' trust in the Black Star Army, joining the Crimson Dynasty is the best option.
Laifer wanted to ask more questions, but Han Xiao simply turned off the communicator and went to the driver's seat.
"Where are we going now?" Aurora asked, turning her head from the driver's seat.
Han Xiao's lips curled into a smile.
"Return to the legion!"
A few days later, Sedim, who had disappeared for some time, finally returned to Planet Maixibo, bringing with him a surprising piece of news: he claimed that he had personally witnessed Black Star, Beyond Grade A Seed nicknamed "The Undying Body," officially become Beyond Grade A.
The news quickly spread Planet Maixibo's, but most of the planet's visitors remained skeptical.
Black Star has become the fifth Beyond Grade A powerhouse in the Shattered Star Ring? How could this be so sudden? Even the Amethyst Civilization hasn't reacted yet. Could it be just a rumor?
This intelligence seemed too much like a rumor, and there was no evidence to back it up. The interstellar citizens, who had been bombarded with information, were skeptical of it.
However, this news was personally confirmed by Sisko, who was visiting Planet Maixibo!
All doubts vanished, replaced by unparalleled shock!
The fifth Beyond Grade A... has really been born?!
My goodness, this is huge news!!
The people of Planet Maixibo were stunned when they first heard the news and eagerly shared it through their networks.
Rumors of a clash between Black Star and Sisko spread from Planet Maixibo's to the entire star system, spreading rapidly like a virus.
A storm that will sweep across the entire Shattered Star Ring is beginning to brew...