Chapter 911: League Opening

Chapter 911: The League's Opening

The Black Star Legion Badge·Evolution was a legendary artifact for quests and dungeon raids. Beyond this item, various star domains had certain restrictions, not just the Black Star Legion.

"The preliminaries are nearly over, and the league is about to begin."

Han Xiao rubbed his fingers together, reopening the forum to scan through the preliminaries' event details.

All players could register for the preliminaries. After three iterations of operations and promotions, the third league saw an overwhelming number of participants. Ultimately, they narrowed down to 40 regular-season teams and 64 individual qualifiers. The elimination rate was staggering, the competition fierce.

As the saying goes, each era births its heroes. With the advent of compression ball technology, the mechanical players rose anew, just as in their past lives, in the third league. Their average performance in team and individual matches surged dramatically.

Especially in individual competitions, where mechanical players had once been weak, they now shone brightly in the preliminaries, solidifying their status as top-tier professionals.

Mechanical players' combat prowess was undeniably strong, though their flaw lay in their exorbitant costs. Players had finally encountered this pain point, a bittersweet dilemma.

Across all regions, the mechanical players dominated the Broken Ring Sector, which had become their hallmark. The Black Star Legion stood as one of the premier mechanical teams in the current landscape.

Their rise had birthed numerous mechanical underdogs in the preliminaries. Yet Maple Moon was not among them. In her previous life, she had only entered her first third-league race, making a splash. This time, however, she had already participated in the prior league, securing a respectable 38th place in the regional individual standings. Her trajectory had diverged sharply from before.

Her connection to Kuai Zha meant the Jiangcheng Club had courted her early, signing her before the preliminaries began. Now, Maple Moon was no longer a free agent but a member of the Jiangcheng Team, her identity firmly that of a professional.

Her personal attributes, equipment, and skills had all leveled up, comfortably securing her a spot in the regular individual tournament's top 64.

Notably, the old Russian and Australian clubs in the Broken Ring Sector dispatched core guild members to hunt down the Chinese latent team, aiming to eliminate formidable opponents.

In the competition, this "hunting" wasn’t an external rule violation. Such tactics were defensible, yet when exposed, they sparked widespread discontent among Chinese players.

"Your professional players stay in their own regions, yet some foreign troublemakers roam into ours? Even top foreign clubs? How disrespectful!"

The Russian and Australian team faced rejection and targeting from Chinese players. Lacking the strength to dominate, these hunters were eliminated midway through the preliminaries.

Now, the qualifiers from various regions were mostly settled. The official league would soon become their stage, prompting countless players to dissect their performances, flooding the forum with analyses. Posts like these dominated the boards.

Han Xiao savored the spectacle, recalling how he’d once enjoyed similar moments in his past life.

After scrolling through the forum, a new post suddenly erupted, instantly pinned to the top, catching his attention.

It was a new episode of *Star News*, promoting the league’s official launch. The broadcast reached all qualified players and professional teams across clubs.

Han, the master technician, always tuned in to *Star News* each episode. He clicked it open immediately.

The male host: "Hello, friends, this is Star News, dedicated to sharing first-hand game news and guiding your gaming journey."

The female host: "The preliminaries are nearing their end, and the official league is in countdown. Today, we’re honored to interview professional players from Broken Ring’s clubs and qualifiers from the preliminaries. Applause, please!"

*Clapping and cheering sounds added in post-production.*

Players logged in en masse, flashing their thumbs-up emojis. Under the host’s guidance, they introduced themselves one by one.

The female host: "Welcome to Star News. On behalf of players, congratulations to all of you for securing regular-season spots. This league has seen many new faces. Some say the preliminaries belonged to underdogs. Let’s start by interviewing first-time qualifiers entering the spotlight. How do you feel?"

The hosts interviewed newcomers, many of whom were familiar faces. In their previous lives, these third-league rising stars had joined professional teams, gradually becoming key players or starters after older veterans retired, their status akin to Ling Keng and Hao Tian. Watching their youthful energy, Han Xiao found it refreshing.

After interviewing newcomers, the hosts moved to professional teams. The highlight was the three teams that had reached the international quarterfinals last season—Chang Kuang, Huang Guo, and Jiangcheng.

"Ling Keng, Wang Hou Liang, and Kuai Zha, your teams achieved outstanding international results last season. Now, as the third league begins, do you feel pressure?"

Kuai Zha nodded. "Pressure is inevitable. The better the results, the more eyes watching. Even a minor mistake is magnified. But more than that, it’s motivation. With talents like Maple Moon, our team is well-coordinated. We’re confident in this season, aiming to do big and strong, to create another glory."

"Well, we also wish Jiangcheng better results. As for Chang Kuang and Huang Guo, you’re the previous international champions and runners-up, under intense scrutiny. What are your goals for this season? What rankings do you aim for?"

Ling Keng spoke softly: "Our only goal is to defend our title. Anything else is a step backward."

Wang Hou Liang smiled lightly. "Oddly enough, our sole goal is to win."

"Both captains are confident, eager to bring international trophies home for China." The female host smoothed over their rivalry with a gentle remark.

The hosts continued discussing preparation, emphasizing the regular season’s start time, concluding with a final promotional push.

Han Xiao scanned the forum comments afterward. Most were optimistic.

【Licking to the End: We Had Three Spots in the Previous International Eight Best—If Huang Guo hadn’t been so arrogant, they’d have played two rounds of internal battles. Maybe we’d have been runners-up too!】

【Twin Peonies: What are international powerhouses, anyway? (Tactical backflip)】

【One Car of Bread Man: Our championship chances are huge. This version’s mechanical players surged because of Black Star Legion. Our region’s mechanical players are the strongest, a clear advantage. Overall rankings will improve.】

Every family had its optimists and pessimists. Even the few dissenters couldn’t mask their loud presence.

【Rewind: Stop hyping it. You got lucky with a championship and inflated. Honestly, I think making it to the international eight this time is far-fetched.】

【Dudu Father: I really dislike how they crown these pros so high. I don’t see what’s so remarkable.】

【Half-Shadow: Winning a championship means being happy. Stop fantasizing about defending. It’s unrealistic. I’m speechless.】

Han Xiao glanced at these comments, tipping his head in approval.

—In matters of grudges, they were still the experts.

Prolonged promotion had made the third league’s hype unprecedented. As the opening day approached, the forum buzzed with activity.

In a few days, the ceremony arrived as planned. Players’ long-suppressed excitement erupted!

The Broken Ring’s opening match featured Chang Kuang versus Huang Guo. The hosts invited the wildly popular Meat Bun as commentator.

Even before the match began, the live stream’s viewership surged. Han Xiao, holed up at headquarters, opened the forum first to watch.