Chapter 1 The End of Group Stages

The group stages were nearing their end, and the situation was becoming clear. Changkong was eighth, and Temple was ninth. The difference in points wasn't small. Temple needed a major victory to surpass Changkong, but the next match was an internal battle between the two, meaning that regardless of who won or lost, one side would inevitably step on the other's shoulders to qualify. The losing side would basically be out of the running.

Many Huaxia viewers felt their hearts tighten. Everyone hoped that all three of their teams could enter the top eight, but the situation was difficult. This internal battle had been anticipated during the group draw, but when it actually happened, it still felt tense. Group C was full of strong teams, and earning points was difficult. Many teams with the strength to qualify didn't even rank in the top ten. Changkong and Temple's results could be considered decent.

Some players calculated the scores and came to a complicated conclusion. Changkong had slightly more points. If they deliberately threw the match and lost, allowing Temple to gain enough points, Temple could jump to seventh place, while Changkong would be squeezed into ninth. However, Changkong's gap with the team ahead was small, and their upcoming matches were easier than the team ahead, so they could likely overtake them and return to eighth. In this way, both teams would have a chance to qualify.

The worst outcome of the internal battle would be a narrow victory for Temple, earning only a few points, while Changkong would suffer a defeat without any points. This would be a lose-lose situation, a wasted round that didn't generate many points. Not only would Temple's situation remain unchanged, but Changkong's ranking would also become unstable.

The only way to achieve the best outcome was through secret cooperation.

However, this was just the audience's idea. Hao Tian never engaged in such roundabout schemes. His professional ethics demanded that he go all out against any opponent. Throwing a match was even more impossible. His character was pure, straightforward, and he didn't dwell on unnecessary things.

Changkong had no intention of holding back. This internal battle was a fierce and brutal clash. Both sides possessed armor and were of similar strength. The battle was filled with artillery fire and excitement. In the end, Changkong proved to be superior, defeating Temple and solidifying their own ranking.

However, Changkong had personally crushed Temple's hopes of qualifying.

A small group of Temple fans immediately protested, angrily denouncing Changkong and escalating it to the level of betrayal. However, most people, including some Temple fans, didn't agree with this argument. They felt that Changkong was not wrong at all. This was a competition, and in a competition, you had to go all out. Throwing a match was a lack of professional ethics, and there was no point in complaining about being less skilled.

Temple naturally stood on the correct side, urging fans not to attack Changkong, saying that they were the ones who didn't play well this time. However, it was impossible not to feel upset. Their international competition had come to an end, while their rival Changkong continued to fight on, stepping over their corpses. However, Temple had always been very adept at social maneuvering. With the situation already determined, there was no point in being angry or venting. The question was how to minimize the losses. This was Li Ge's strength; he was skilled at shaping images and guiding public opinion.

Under Li Ge's leadership, in the last few group matches, they not only didn't throw the matches but also changed their tactics, playing even more fiercely than before. It was as if they knew they couldn't qualify, so they played with flair. The greater goal was to create a posture that prevented opponents from taking too many points from them, indirectly helping Changkong hold off their enemies. This shaped an image of never giving up, embodying the spirit of unity. Then, they found some people on the forums to make this "guess" and stir up some buzz, instantly transforming Temple's image into something glorious and righteous, placing them on the moral high ground. When Temple was mentioned, everyone gave a thumbs up and praised them.

In this way, they not only gained fame and reputation but also mitigated the negative impact of not qualifying. Furthermore, they used this method to contrast themselves with Changkong, who had defeated their fellow countrymen, highlighting their own "noble character." The Temple executives were quite satisfied with this outcome. Among the four major Huaxia guilds, Temple was the most commercialized club. Han Xiao had no doubt that if losing the match brought more benefits, they would do it.

As the last group match came to an end, the qualifying results were released:

——

1. Demon World
2. Dynasty
3. Yamata
4. Koell
5. Tulip
6. Kangaroo Boxing
7. Rose Knights
8. Changkong

——

The most outstanding team in the group stage was Dynasty. Originally, in the middle of the schedule, they had surpassed Demon World and become the first, but in the last few matches, they deliberately threw the matches and dropped to second place. This was because the final round matchups depended on the group stage rankings. If Dynasty was ranked first, their opponent would be Changkong, who was eighth. This was not good, so after discussing it within the team, Dynasty decided to drop one rank. But everyone knew that if Dynasty wanted to, they could have maintained a perfect winning record and entered the final round with fanfare.

This ranking was very different from his memory. Han Xiao's existence was like a butterfly flapping its wings, changing the situation of the league. He vaguely remembered that in his previous life, one of the top eight spots belonged to Korean kimchi, but kimchi was now ranked outside the top ten, and its spot had been taken.

There were many strong teams among them who had shone brightly in every league in his previous life. It was a pity that the beginner planets they were on were relatively far away. Otherwise, Han Xiao would have liked to attract these professional experts to join his camp, as their ability to handle affairs (do quests) was very reliable.

Among the top eight, only Huaxia and the United States had two teams that qualified at the same time. In his previous life, only Dynasty had entered the top eight, but now there was Changkong as well.

In the individual competition, Kuang Dao qualified in fifteenth place, and Wanghou Jiangxiang qualified in sixth place. There were also two Huaxia players who qualified. Strong teams and experts from various regions competed on the same stage, and achieving such results could be considered an outstanding performance.

*Star Sea Times* produced a special program to explain the results of the qualifying teams and analyze the situation in the upcoming final round. They believed that three teams had the most potential to win the championship: Demon World, Dynasty, and Koell. In the best-of-five format, each team would definitely use all their trump cards to comprehensively target their enemies.

The schedule for the final round was released. The first match was Koell vs. Tulip.

The performance of the Huaxia teams in the league was a significant improvement compared to his previous life. During the group stage, Han Xiao had stayed in the Juberly Hub, temporarily rejecting cooperation invitations from other mercenary groups to rest and reorganize his team. But he wasn't idle. He buried himself in manufacturing more machinery, teaching Aroshia, directing Sunil's team to carry out other tasks, and conducting combat training with Melos.

Now that the group stage had ended and the rankings had met his expectations, Han Xiao no longer focused on the details of the competition. Whatever results the team achieved next wouldn't have much impact on him. He would continue to expand the business of the mercenary group.

Just then, Jenny, the chief steward of the Longtan Floating Island, sent a resupply mission. Logistics Supervisor Hela requested a new batch of parts and supplies. The seller's team was on a Godora colony star in the Garvin Star System, and Han Xiao needed to escort them.

Ames hardly managed anything. Jenny was responsible for all affairs. Compared to the other three Beyond Grade A bosses in the Shattered Star Ring, Ames was the least concerned about cultivating her own forces. The other three had more or less combat troops, but Ames only had a group of guards. Black Star Mercenary Group was her only external force. Saying it was a force, it was actually just doing errands. After all, compared to those large fleets, a medium-sized mercenary group was as insignificant as dust.

Longtan's protection wasn't free. His Black Star Mercenary Group was nominally the Longtan's external force, escorting supplies, chasing enemies, conducting on-site visits, collecting intelligence, and so on. They often had to do some errands, similar to daily missions for the faction. The experience wasn't much, but it mainly increased the faction's favorability. Now Han Xiao's faction favorability in Longtan had reached 2100 points, and the relationship was [Friendly].

Han Xiao set off with everyone. Because the players entered the competition using the Gathering Crystals, their positions were not restricted, so they also acted together.

Although the competition was important, clinging to Han Xiao's thigh was also crucial—otherwise, no one would repair their armor.

……

Happy New Year! Although the thought of giving red envelopes to my relatives' kids tomorrow doesn't make me happy…