"Welcome to the opening match of the 3rd Galaxy Professional League. I'm your commentator, Wind Chime."
"Hello everyone, I'm your commentator, Meat Bun."
"I'm commentator Li Ge."
The scene shows three commentators sitting in a studio inside a spaceship that hovers above the competition planet, overlooking the live broadcast.
As soon as the live stream connected, a dense barrage of comments flooded the screen, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.
Han Xiao took out a bunch of snacks, leaned back in his chair, and ate and read, looking very content.
Wind Chime: "The two teams facing off are Long Sky Team and Dynasty Team, the champion and third-place finisher of the second international tournament, respectively. The two teams met in the semifinals of the previous tournament, with Long Sky defeating Dynasty and preventing them from reaching the Dynasty. They have a long-standing rivalry, and the atmosphere between their fans is very tense before the match. As the reigning world champions, Long Sky wants to secure their first victory, while Dynasty wants to avenge their previous defeat. This match is sure to be a clash of titans. What are your thoughts on this game?"
Meat Bun: "I think Long Sky will win. Hao Tian is a typical player who gets stronger when facing strong opponents. I have high hopes for him."
Li Ge: "Long Sky's victory over Dynasty last time had an element of luck. I'm more optimistic about the Dynasty. After their defeat last time, I believe they've thoroughly studied Long Sky's tactics."
After the three guests chatted for a few minutes, the teams from Long Sky and Dynasty finally entered the arena, greeted the audience, and gave pre-match self-introductions and friendly interactions.
The appearance of the heroes who won Glory for Huaxia in the previous competition immediately caused a frenzy in the barrage of comments, so dense that Han Xiao could barely see the screen.
"Alright, we can see that both sides have entered the battlefield. Therefore, the third league officially begins."
As the commentator finished speaking, the two sides officially began fighting, like a thunderbolt igniting a fire. Compared to the previous tournament, the tactical skills and destructive power of these professional players have clearly risen to a new level, so the designated battlefield area has also increased.
Long Sky played with great vigor, but Dynasty was stronger in all aspects, with near-perfect teamwork. They were superior in team battles and capture-the-flag battles. Long Sky only managed to win one round in the arena. In terms of individual strength, Long Sky, with its three top-tier players Hao Tian, Long Sky, and Frenzied Sword Fried Rice, had a slight edge over Dynasty. Although Kings and Generals's individual strength was slightly better than any of their opponents, he couldn't carry the team alone.
The first official match also featured two new battle formats: team dungeon battle and dungeon survival match. Han Xiao was familiar with these, but the players were seeing them for the first time and found them novel.
The chosen dungeon is not fixed and varies from match to match. Several dungeon options are given before the competition to allow players time to study them. During the actual competition, one dungeon is randomly selected from these options, much like highlighting key points for an exam. However, professional teams naturally don't cram at the last minute. A year ago, when the competition format was announced, professional teams increased their dungeon training to familiarize themselves with the processes of most dungeons in their region.
Team battles are normal dungeons suitable for your level, while survival battles are high-difficulty, grueling dungeons that exceed your level. Coincidentally, both dungeons that Long Sky and Dynasty drew this time are related to Han Xiao.
Team battles are a campaign in the Secret War series. Both teams are in the same instance, and the goal is not to speedrun, but to complete special competitive tasks, such as assassinating certain characters or unlocking hidden side quests. The two teams can kill each other in the instance, which puts a higher test on the overall skills of the teams.
The Survival Battle instance is the same one that was the one where three Calamity Grade from DarkStar launched a surprise attack on Planet Aquamarine – [Campaign: Planet Aquamarine Defense Battle]. The events Han Xiao experienced in the previous version are still a high-difficulty instance for players.
The focus of team dungeon battles is on the two teams using their wits and courage to defeat their opponents by utilizing all the resources in the dungeon. This type of battle is more exciting and highly watchable than basic battles. On the other hand, the focus of survival battles is on the struggle between life and death, the desperate fight for survival, and watching professional players suffer in various ways is extremely entertaining for the audience.
Long Sky's style is rather reckless. Hao Tian's strength is not strategy, and he is not well-suited to the intrigue and scheming of team dungeon battles. Although Long Sky is a cunning old fox, he cannot withstand the steady and reliable style of the Dynasty. He was completely manipulated by the Kings and Generals and was utterly defeated.
Finally, it was time for the survival battle. The instance recreated the original battlefield, and the two teams faced three DarkStar Calamity Grade superhumans, including Ashes. The threat level was basically one of instant kill. Fortunately, the Black Star instance projection kept Ashes and the other two occupied according to the original historical process.
The Long Sky and Dynasty Team appeared outside the Sanctuary, without the protection of shields, enduring the aftermath of the Battle of the Three Calamities and the bombardment from the DarkStar warships high in the sky. The survival match allowed both sides to trip each other up, but neither side had the mind to care about the other. They hurriedly scurried away, covered in dust and dirt, a stark contrast to their confident and shrewd image in the team battle just now. The huge contrast amused the audience, and the live broadcast channel was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
They didn't last long before both teams were wiped out. Long Sky, who was a bit more stubborn, died even earlier. Long Sky wasn't good at playing defensively and was turned to ashes by Ashes with a snap of his fingers.
The opening match ended with the Dynasty taking the first victory, shattering Long Sky's world champion aura. Han Xiao had to admit that Kings and Generals was indeed awesome and a representative of Huaxia professional players. He had always been a big fan of this legendary player.
After exiting the live stream, Han Xiao noticed numerous posts discussing the opening match on the forum, along with fans of the two clubs engaging in online spats. He glanced at them casually, then closed the forum, put down his snacks, and a look of reminiscence crossed his face.
Han Xiao remembered that in the third professional league in his previous life, Huaxia encountered a grueling schedule and the final results were unsatisfactory. It seemed that they did not even make it into the top four. In his previous life, there was no Black Star Army, and the overall strength of the Shattered Star Ring Division was relatively weak.
"The situation is different now. Huaxia has already won a championship once, and they've caught up with the rise of the Mechanic Class in this version, so their chances of defending their title are quite good."
Beep beep...
Just then, the communicator on the table rang. Han Xiao flicked his finger and pulled the communicator over from a distance. He glanced at the caller and saw that it was someone from the Crimson Dynasty, an official in charge of the Evolutionary Totem Project.
"Lord Black Star, I apologize for disturbing you."
The other party's attitude was quite respectful.
"Is there a problem with the business?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, as you know, recently some groups have been stealing Evolutionary Totem purchased by our cooperative civilization. Some of these stolen Evolutionary Totem are circulating on the black market, while others have been taken by secret employers. Based on our investigation, we believe the Blood Gold Organization is one of the suspects."
Blood Gold Organization...
Han Xiao quickly recalled that this was a member of the Lawful Evil faction, who, along with other large gray organizations, controlled the Interstellar Black Market. It was also a gray mercenary faction that players in his previous life could join, and those who joined were generally wanted criminal players who liked to cause trouble.
"The Blood Gold Organization isn't the Fallen Ark. They at least follow some rules. As long as you issue a warning to the Blood Gold Organization in the name of the Empire, they should behave themselves." Han Xiao stroked his chin.
"That's the problem." The official's tone turned serious. "According to reliable intelligence, our agents have detected radiation signals from Evolutionary Totem on certain planets belonging to the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church. They are likely also buyers, and the Blood Gold Organization may have received their support, making them feel emboldened."
"I see... that's within our expectations."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. Since the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church could not obtain the Evolutionary Totem through conventional channels, they would not give up on this special device and would undoubtedly seek other channels.
The Blood Gold Organization is also a powerful force with a vast and powerful enterprise. They might not have originally had any designs on the Evolutionary Totem, but when the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church came knocking, even knowing that this might offend the Crimson Dynasty, they could only act as pawns. The Blood Gold Organization might even see this as an opportunity to curry favor with two cosmic-level civilizations.
In the Explored Universe, the three major cosmic-level civilizations are the biggest backers, and no force can surpass them. It is not surprising that the Blood Gold Organization is tempted by the olive branches extended by the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church.
"So you're planning to target the Blood Gold Organization?" Han Xiao asked.
"Indeed, we hope to give the Blood Gold Organization a substantial warning, and we need your help to gather some intelligence."
"Understood." Han Xiao nodded.
The two sides exchanged intelligence before ending the communication.
At the same time, a new task popped up on the panel.
[[Warning]]
[Mission Introduction: The Blood Gold Organization is elusive and has repeatedly interfered with the Crimson Dynasty's important business. The Empire has decided to take concrete action to teach them Warning and make an example of them.]
[Mission Requirement: Provide the Empire with the whereabouts of three high-ranking members of the Blood Gold Organization]
[Rewards: 15 million experience points, +1000 Empire Contribution Points, 1 random reward]
Tracking down the Blood Gold Organization's top brass? It seems the Empire is planning to target the upper echelons. No wonder they asked for my help; that's a Virtual Mechanic's forte.
Han Xiao casually fiddled with the communicator, pondered for a moment, then turned and contacted Sylvia:
"Sylvia, any news from the Rock Elves?"
"They have decided to purchase a new batch of Evolutionary Totem in a while."
Han Xiao tapped the table. "Please tell them that, to prevent a similar incident from happening again, I've decided to send a mechanized force to accompany their fleet, providing a free escort service."
"Understood, I will tell them."
Han Xiao nodded, hung up the call, then entered the Quantum Network Vision and called out Phillip.
"In a while, hack a high-credit-rating black market account for me, anonymously hire the Blood Gold Organization, and have them rob this shipment."
The simplest and most effective way to deal with this kind of mercenary force is, of course, to use entrapment.
For the next few days, Han Xiao waited for the fish to bite, while the divisional regular season was in full swing.
After round-robin matches, the regular season ultimately determined the top eight teams and the top sixteen individuals, who then advanced to the regional finals.
The team Dynasty, ranked first in the regular season team standings, and the Dynasty with the highest individual standings, Kings and Generals, achieved a double first place, demonstrating their formidable strength and securing their qualification for the International All-Star Game with an absolute advantage.
The Temple and Rainstorm Team ranked second and third respectively, while Long Sky ranked fourth in the standings. This result is somewhat unworthy of the previous world champions, and their performance has been somewhat lackluster.
Next, fifth place goes to Fish-Fragrant Eggplant), Jiangcheng achieved sixth place in the standings, seventh place is a new club team that surprisingly entered the regional finals, called Long River Team, and eighth place is Heavenly Palace Team.
These eight teams are the top eight teams in this region, and they will compete in a best-of-five knockout tournament in the regional finals.
The top four teams in each division will qualify for the international tournament.
In the individual competition, Maple Moon made it into the top 16, qualifying for a spot in the international competition, while Frenzied Saber also performed steadily and made it into the top 16.
After the regular season ends, each team has a period of rest.
During this time, the Blood Gold Organization took the bait that Han Xiao had thrown out.