“I didn't say that, but you knew Black Star was our enemy and didn't tell us. Isn't that a violation of our alliance? If we had known Black Star was one of us beforehand, we would have had Overlord cancel the duel, and we wouldn't have made a fool of ourselves today.”

“You're exaggerating.” Sui wasn't angry either, smiling genially. “Hiding the news was Black Star's request, and I personally agreed. I sent the garrison to the scene to prevent the situation from escalating… Besides, wasn't the result today good? The entire Star Field knows that you and the Black Star Army have gone from enemies to friends, which is beneficial to both sides' influence. Overall, you not only didn't lose anything, but you actually gained something. After all, such a grand event is rare in decades.”

“…Then it seems we misunderstood you.” A Klent official smiled through gritted teeth.

“Yes, alas, I can't say that. I do have a responsibility in this matter. How about this, I will plead guilty to the Empire's higher-ups and apply for resource compensation for you? What do you think?” Sui said with a smile.

“You're too kind. We were the ones who misunderstood first. You are not guilty.”

“Alright, but to show my apology, please be sure to accept the resource compensation.”

“Okay.”

Hanging up the call, Sui's smile instantly disappeared without a trace. He nodded, quite satisfied.

*Klent* is very sensible, not bad.

…

Not long after, the *War Realm* on the scene received news from *Klent*.

“Over… Overlord, there's a result from *Klent*.” Qiao De swallowed and stammered.

“Speak.”

“They said that *Sui's* idea was to allow Black Star to join. *Klent* told us to stop the duel and retreat immediately… retreat.”

*Klent* knew that the Crimson Empire had set them up, but what could they do? They still wanted to develop in the Shattered Star Ring and could never dissolve the alliance, so they could only swallow their anger.

Black Star's bargaining chip was too tempting. *Klent* knew that the Crimson Empire could not refuse the Evolution Cube, so they could only admit their misfortune. Fortunately, the duel was mainly Overlord's idea, and *Klent* itself did not suffer much loss, so they quickly compromised.

Hearing this, Herber closed his eyes.

After a while, he reopened them, his cheeks bulging, and squeezed out a word stiffly.

“Withdraw.”

The order resounded in the *War Realm's* command channel, and many *War Realm* executives suddenly became like eggplants beaten by frost, all wilted and listless.

Qiao De's face twitched, quite indignant, but there was nothing he could do.

The Crimson Empire, *Klent*, and the *War Realm's* fleets left one after another, leaving only the Purple Crystal and Black Star Army forces in the field.

“The *War Realm* is retreating, haha!”

In countless battleships, the soldiers of the Black Star Army cheered, the atmosphere was extremely lively.

Many players were also driven by the surrounding army soldiers and joined in the fun.

Seeing this, Ames' eyes curved, full of smiles.

Although Han Xiao's concealment made her a little unhappy, she was very happy to see Herber being defeated by her and Han Xiao, and she felt much better.

“A man in the pugilistic world has no choice.” The expression under Han Xiao's helmet was quite playful. “Overlord? Hehe.”

The battle between the two was interrupted for some reason and no winner was decided, but in the previous fight, he had not been at a disadvantage. He had fought Overlord to a draw, and no one would think that he had joined the Crimson Empire because he was afraid of Overlord.

As the initiator of the duel, Overlord ended up leaving in a dispirited manner, which was equivalent to becoming his stepping stone. Stepping on Overlord's reputation, he established his position in the Shattered Star Ring, and he would no longer be unconsciously underestimated by some people because of his title as a newly promoted Super-A Grade.

At this moment, a notification about Legend Points appeared on the panel.

[You have gained 3 Legend Points]

[Star Field Legend (Shattered Star Ring): Overlord's Battle—Your battle with Overlord Herber is well known throughout the Shattered Star Ring. This battle will become a widely spread event in this Star Field, and your reputation will be passed down.]

[Star Field Legend (Shattered Star Ring): Crimson Empire Alliance—A Universe-level Civilization is the largest force in this Star Sea. Your alliance with one of them, the Crimson Empire, will make all the forces in the Star Field extremely wary of you.]

[Star Field Legend (Shattered Star Ring): Star Field Iconic Figure—Your name resounds throughout the Star Field, and your name is one of the labels of this Star Field. From today onwards, when talking about the Shattered Star Ring, your name will be the first thing people think of.]

Han Xiao's eyes lit up.

The bonus of Star Field Legend Points to experience is far higher than that of Star Cluster Legend Points, and it is very difficult to obtain. To receive three points at once proves that his prestige-building effect this time was very successful.

When today's news spreads throughout the Star Sea, his reputation in the Shattered Star Ring will inevitably usher in a wave of skyrocketing growth.

At this moment, Lai Fu applied for communication.

Han Xiao's heart moved. He knew Purple Crystal's reaction to this matter and had already thought of his words.

“Black Star…”

The communication connected, and Lai Fu's face appeared on the tactical screen of the mech helmet, with a hesitant expression.

“I know what you mean.” Han Xiao interrupted him and said first, “Joining the Crimson Empire was my idea. You also know that the Secret War is unfavorable to us. If we want to dismantle *Klent's* plan, we can only start from the upper echelons. I used joining the Crimson Empire as a bargaining chip in exchange for their position on the Secret War issue. This is the way I mentioned to you before to win the Secret War.”

Hearing this, Lai Fu opened his mouth, his face complex.

He originally thought that Black Star had abandoned Purple Crystal and turned to the Crimson Empire, but when he heard Han Xiao say this, he felt much better.

Fortunately, Black Star still remembered Purple Crystal's support and made requests to the Empire to repay Purple Crystal. At least he didn't abandon them after accepting their support for so long.

“The Crimson Empire and you, alas…”

“I know that you hope to always maintain the independence of your civilization, but I am different. I and Purple Crystal are also allies, which is equivalent to building a bridge between you and the Crimson Empire, becoming an intermediary between you, which is beneficial to all three parties.”

Lai Fu couldn't help nodding. That was indeed the case.

He understood Han Xiao's meaning. He had joined the Crimson Empire and wanted to maintain the alliance with Purple Crystal. Only children make choices, adults want everything.

Purple Crystal was naturally unwilling. They had funded the Black Star Army for nearly ten years because they wanted to become the biggest partner behind a Super-A Grade, but they were robbed of the fruits of their labor by an unprovokable Universe-level Civilization. Lai Fu was unwilling.

But after thinking about it carefully, he felt helpless. After this battle today, the Black Star Army's wings were full. If Purple Crystal terminated the alliance, the Black Star Army would not be afraid, because they had a better backer. In the end, Purple Crystal would be the one to suffer.

The best choice now is to continue to maintain the cooperative relationship, become an ally second only to the Crimson Empire, and share the benefits brought by the Black Star Army.

After investing so many resources, Purple Crystal was unwilling to get nothing.

“I understand, I will truthfully report to the higher-ups…” Lai Fu composed himself and secretly admired Black Star's skills.

“Wait for my good news.” Han Xiao smiled and said politely.

If he were just an ordinary Super-A Grade, he might not have the influence to make the Crimson Empire change its position on the Secret War issue, but with the weight of the Evolution Cube, it was different.

After reaching a consensus with Lai Fu, Han Xiao hung up the communication and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The situation was very good, and Han Xiao was in a relaxed mood. After entering Super-A Grade, he truly entered the ranks of the Star Sea's peak class. Most of the many constraints faced by the Calamity Grade disappeared, and his ability to use his influence skyrocketed.

At this time, a teleportation gate opened beside Han Xiao, and Austin, who had been secretly observing, walked out.

“Hehe, congratulations, Black Star.” Austin greeted him with a smile.

Han Xiao returned a hehe.

Seeing this, Austin didn't say much and smiled, “This is not a good place to talk. We'll chat again at the next Overlord gathering.”

After saying that, he teleported back to the Secret Magic Hall, activated the magic array, and the palace flew into the teleportation gate and disappeared without a trace.

“Overlord gathering…”

Han Xiao's eyes flashed. When Overlord convenes the next gathering, he wondered if he would take the initiative to invite him.

“Since the matter is resolved, I'll leave first.” Ames waved her hand and flew back to Dragon Emperor. Dragon Emperor slowly left.

Han Xiao watched Ames leave. This time, he returned to the Black Star Army's flagship, walked into the command room, and saw the army executives gathered here. As soon as he walked in, everyone's eyes turned to him, full of awe.

“Sylvia, Melos, notify the fleet to set off and return.” Han Xiao nodded.

“Understood!” Sylvia said excitedly.

“Also, in the name of the Black Star Army, issue a recruitment order to the entire Star Field. It's time for those who are watching to make a choice.” Han Xiao smiled.

Because of Overlord's duel, the Black Star Army had been keeping a low profile for a while, but now that everything has been settled, it is time for the Black Star Army to expand and officially enter the ranks of the Super-A Grade forces!

Many executives became excited. Isn't this the day they have been waiting for!

Han Xiao turned to look at Fording. He had not yet settled the task reward for extracting Overlord's ability in order to get some luck from Fording.

After patting Fording on the shoulder, Han Xiao encouraged everyone a few words, and then dismissed all the executives under the pretext of recuperating.

Han Xiao returned to his room alone and opened the panel to settle the rewards.

[You have received the reward: Extract one of Herber's abilities (skill/talent)]

[Reminder: Herber is a Martial Artist. Some of the extractable abilities have been automatically adjusted according to your class.]

[Random extraction in progress… Extraction complete!]

[Please choose one of the following five abilities as a reward:]

[1.【Phantom Combo】-Skill: Melee attack speed +75%, lasts 7s, consumes 80 Stamina, cooldown 18s]

[2.【Star Throwing Power】-Skill: Use Stamina secret technique to strengthen cells, Strength attribute +600, lasts 20s, cooldown 120s]

[3.【Weakness Insight】-Skill: Melee critical hit rate +30%, lasts 15s, cooldown 180s]

[4.【Close Combat Killer】-Talent: Melee attack power, attack speed +40%, all melee skill levels +2]

[5.【Herber's Stellar Furnace Training Method】-Skill: Overlord's special secret technique for tempering Stamina, current effect: Stamina +500, training times: 0/650, requires cultivation on a star, the effect of each training depends on the time spent on the star, the limit of a single training effect is 25 Stamina, the lower limit is 0, each training consumes 6 million experience]

Scanning the first four abilities, Han Xiao was a little disappointed. A Super-A Grade Martial Artist has countless abilities, and the chance of drawing good things is very small. The first four were all abilities that were of limited use to him.

However, the last ability made Han Xiao's expression change and he was pleasantly surprised.

“This is Overlord's method of training his own Stamina?”

This is a good thing.

A Martial Artist's thick Stamina comes partly from talents and partly from Stamina cultivation skills.

When others reach Super-A Grade, if they want to continue to become stronger, they will start collecting various Stamina cultivation skills. The longer they have been in Super-A Grade, the more Stamina they generally have, and their Stamina realm is extremely high.

Currently, the blood-mana conversion has encountered a bottleneck, because in addition to the 28% limit recovery efficiency, another limitation is the Stamina value. Compared to the high blood volume of more than two million, the Stamina is only 50,000, which is too low and has become a constraint on his own durability.

Although \[Radiation Energy Absorption] increases Stamina, it takes a long time to accumulate. Even if he learns the Stamina training methods of various races collected by other Super-A Grades, it is a long-term project. Herber's Stamina training method is exactly the shortcut for him to improve his strength at the moment. The high-level secret technique created by Super-A Grade has a very significant effect on increasing Stamina.

As for the huge experience cost for players… Han Xiao just happens to have more than ten months of experience penalties and does not need to level up.

The other four are not very useful, so there is nothing to hesitate about. Han Xiao directly chose the fifth item.

[You have obtained \[Herber's Stellar Furnace Training Method]!]

Han Xiao looked at it with satisfaction, closed the panel, and thought about it.

“The biggest problem has been solved for the time being. Next is the issue of the Black Star Army's expansion. The layout of the Flickering World should be put on the agenda… Oh right, after the army stabilizes, I have to go to the Central Star Sea…”

…

At the same time, somewhere in the Central Star Sea.

On the screen was a news channel broadcasting the duel in the Shattered Star Ring, which was already coming to an end.

*Di.*

The screen was turned off, and the dark screen reflected the face of the Heterochromatic.

“Help me contact Black Star.”