The moment Rivervale defeated Thunderbolt Python, the Chinese players went straight into the forums to vent their inner ecstasy and excitement.

“Congratulations, Rivervale! Congratulations, China!”

“Three consecutive championships, what a lad!”

“Hahaha, continue to harass us. We’ll still win!”

“Congratulations to North America for being Runner-ups! XP”

Ever since the preliminary rounds, the Chinese players had been suffocating. Their teams had constantly been targeted, but now they finally exhaled and vented their indignation. Starting from the second Pro League, Long Sky, Dynasty, and now Rivervale had each brought a championship trophy to China. As the saying went, good things would not go beyond three generations. Three consecutive champions, in the eyes of the players, meant that their achievements were truly remarkable and glorious.

The official staff of the Rivervale club quickly posted an announcement after their team won the championship. In just three minutes, the number of replies to the post broke through a million, all of which were congratulatory notes. With their popularity, they instantly rose to the top of the ‘Trending Posts’ list.

The congratulatory messages were not limited to the Chinese players. They also attracted a large wave of foreign fans. Among the players all over the world, there were many spectators who had been supporting the team’s achievements regardless of nationality.

While China was busy celebrating, the foreign teams were feeling uncomfortable. They had failed in their targeting, and the teams that had participated met with a lot of cynicism, loss, and helplessness.

We’ve exhausted all means, but we failed to stop China from obtaining the championship. What else can we do? We can only accept reality.

In his office, Han Xiao could not help but smile as he read through the forums.

“Three consecutive championships… truly a feat.”

No country in his previous life had achieved such a reign. Even the most dominant North America in his previous life had only won three separate championship titles. Now, with his own influence, the Chinese team, which had struggled in his past life, had achieved a good record and become a hegemon. He also felt some pride.

As the main faction of the Chinese players, the benefits were naturally obvious. It was foreseeable that the attractiveness of his faction would increase once more, which would be extremely beneficial to his own plans. In the next version, the success rate of other factions trying to poach his members will decrease even further.

Han Xiao was naturally happy, and he suddenly recalled his original plans during the national war.

“Oh, now is the best time to send the rewards…”

Because the Golden Alliance had won the national war, Han Xiao thus decided to purchase Planet Milton, which was the main battlefield and give it to the Golden Alliance as a reward. Now was the opportune moment.

While the three Universal Civilizations were still at war with the Super Star Cluster Alliance and could not confirm the ownership of Planet Milton, it did not prevent him from releasing the news to the outside world. Just based on the status of the Black Star Army, no matter which organization obtained Planet Milton in the end, they would not prevent such a small business from happening. This way, it would be equivalent to him placing a bid on Planet Milton.

For the next ten days after Rivervale won the championship, the forums were still as bustling as ever. During this period, the Galaxy Times also stepped up its production, producing a new program. The past three champion teams of Rivervale, Dynasty, and Long Sky were invited as guests, giving rise to an unprecedentedly grand occasion.

Han Xiao was also watching, his screen constantly being barraged with bullet comments. Two hosts, a man and woman, were seated on one side. The team players, headed by Frenzied Sword, King Admiral, and Hao Tian, were seated on the other. The interview had already begun.

“… Since the first Pro League, we’ve witnessed the rise of Rivervale step by step. The team has continued to mature, and after four versions, you’ve finally won the highest honor. Captain Frenzied Sword, any thoughts?” the female host asked.

Frenzied Sword carried a proud smile on his face as he said, “First of all, I would like to thank the club for investing in me. After the first Pro League, Rivervale decided to rebuild the team up from scratch, and they gave me a lot of authority. It can be said that without their support, there would not be the present me. Next, I would like to thank my teammate. Everyone put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to achieve the current results. Without our tacit cooperation, we would not have today’s glory.

“Next, I would like to thank Dynasty, Long Sky, and the other Chinese teams. Without their efforts in the previous two leagues, we would not have been able to obtain the honor of having three consecutive championships. This is the result of the hard work of all the Chinese teams. Everyone has won glory for the country.

“Lastly, I would like to thank the Black Star Army. Though a bit strange, if I were to be honest, I feel that the Black Star Army has played an irreplaceable role in the course of our championship titles. It might even be one of the main factors.”

The male host nodded. “There are indeed such sayings on the internet. Many people think that the achievements of China’s three consecutive championships is inseparable from the unique faction benefits offered, which means that there is a factor of luck involved. Do you feel the same?”

Frenzied Sword spoke in agreement. “I would think so. The players who have experienced four versions like me will understand. The Black Star Army started off small in its early stages. It was us who painstakingly built it up from scratch, which has brought us long-term gains. “Being able to join such a promising faction at the very beginning is part of our luck, and it does indeed provide a lot of convenience. There’s no need to deny this… Of course, the team’s contribution is also equally important. Those who wish to get work done must first sharpen their weapons. In this respect, our faction allowed us to develop well, and we used these resources to give a glorious answer sheet.”

Hao Tian added, “Frenzied Sword is right. The Black Star Army does have a part in the honor of our three consecutive championships.”

In Version 1.0, he was one of the ‘four pillars’ under Han Xiao, so he naturally agreed with Frenzied Sword.

To mention an NPC faction during a championship interview seemed a little weird, but most players in the Chinese teams would not feel that way. After four versions, the Black Star Army had given them a strong sense of belonging, making them feel like they were part of a larger family. Seeing that the topic had reached this point, the female host turned over her card as she said, “Speaking about the Black Star Army, just a few days ago, Black Star himself publicly stated that he would buy the Planet Milton and give it to the subsidiary Golden Alliance as their base. This has aroused a lot of conversation. What do you think of this?”

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Maple Moon. She was, after all, the recognized plot digger among the professional players, and everyone felt that her answer would be more reliable.

Maple Moon thought for a bit before answering. “I feel that, although the behavior of our Army Commander was a little sudden, it’s not at all surprising if you think carefully about it. You have to remember that during the national war, there were quite a few NPC spaceships from the various organizations watching us on Planet Milton. With our existence in the universe, it is impossible for Black Star not to pay attention to our national war.

“While the NPCs do not know what we’re doing, they can also make basic judgments. From the perspective of the Army Commander… I think that while he might not understand why we are fighting, in his eyes, it is likely to be a conflict between us Immortals. He didn’t want to manage this, but because the Golden Alliance is under his command, and there were also teams that were subsidiaries of the Super Star Cluster Alliance, there was an environment of faction conflict.

“Therefore, when he saw his affiliated organizations defeating all the other enemies, he might have been pleased. Then when he saw us staying in the battlefield of Planet Milton and establishing a player Main City, he might have thought that we were reluctant to leave this place, so he generously decided to purchase it to reward his subordinates.”

After Maple Moon’s analysis, many of the viewers suddenly realized that the cause and effect were quite clear, and the screen immediately flooded with a barrage of comments.

“Indeed, a professional player good at digging out plots. This idea is actually pretty clear. I can understand it immediately.”

“What do we need to analyze anyways? All we need to do is scream ‘Army Commander, you’re impressive, awesome’!”

“Even when fighting a national war, our faction still gives us benefits. Only the Black Star Army have such good treatment, right? This is too good!”

The national war was a player’s spontaneous activity, so there was originally no reward. However, because of Black Star’s generosity, they now had something to celebrate.

Moreover, even if the guild alliances of the other factions won the national war, they probably would not get such benefits. Only the players of the Black Star Army would have such treatment. Was this not too fortunate?

The eyes of the guilds in the other factions were all green with envy. Seeing this, Han Xiao laughed in satisfaction. He liked this sort of player with an excellent brain who gave his army a sense of existence. The two hosts asked many questions, giving the players of the three teams much free room to talk. The interview ended in a happy atmosphere before entering the last link of the program, reviewing the course of this version and predicting the next version’s start point.

The male host slowly said, “Version 4.0, we’ve witnessed many historical events, such as the establishment of the Beyond Grade A Association, Black Star’s Godlike Battle, the Intelligent Plague outbreak, Black Star being awarded the Galaxy Medal and being hired as a special consultant by the three Universal Civilizations. There were also conflicts between the three Universal Civilizations and the Super Star Cluster Alliance, the Black Star Cup, and the participation of the Flickering World war… There were so many achievements…”

Many of the viewers were wrapped up in their memories, recalling the rich experiences from the past few years.

The hostess then added, “We’ve experienced a lot in Version 4.0. The opening of the World Server has given this version a special meaning, but the universe is still under turmoil. It’s difficult to predict what will happen in Version 5.0, so we can only make an educated guess based on existing intelligence.

“Right now, it’s the early stages of the Flickering World War. We don’t know how many years will pass between Version 4.0 and 5.0. In our opinion, the next version will likely be at the end of the war, letting us participate in the final decisive battle. It will likely be a time skip of more than ten years…”

Hearing the hypothesis of the Galaxy Times, Han Xiao shook his head. “They’re wrong this time.”

From the viewpoint of the players, the Flickering World War was akin to the Crimson Tide. They thought it would be a multi-version timeline, but they did not think that the Main Storyline of Version 5.0 would be the Calamity of the Supers. In the past, players were also involved in the conflict in such a confused manner.

But it was no wonder they would think this way. The players were currently not at a high level, so there was no way to obtain too many clues. There were also sudden factors involved in the Calamity of the Supers, which basically no one could predict.

Now that there was a butterfly effect at play, the trend for Version 5.0 would be even more confusing. Even Han Xiao himself could not accurately predict what would happen, let alone the players.

While thinking about it, Han Xiao flicked his finger across the edge of the desk, and the blue virtual screen popped out. He glanced at the date on the upper right corner before exhaling.

“Only twenty-seven days left before the game will undergo an update. Version 4.0 is ending…”