Chapter 1386: A Dark Horse

"The hack was banned?" Sun Xiaowu asked.

Bu Wentian nodded.

Zhang Lie shrugged. "Isn't that the end of the story, then?"

Bu Wentian smiled wryly. "The problem is that the Splitsilver race continued to develop all manner of strange hacks. One of them was some sort of energy transfer mechanism that made use of the tether between the audience stands and the arena to infuse energy to combatants on stage, allowing them to fight longer and with stronger attacks."

Sun Xiaowu frowned. "Doesn't anyone care?"

Yang Ze asked, "Can the Splitsilver race avoid being banned from the Cup?"

Li Feng commented, "Generally, hacks can only be patched after they're reported..."

Bu Wentian shrugged. "That's right. Whenever their hacks are reported, the will of the virtual realm will strengthen and reinforce its algorithms to prevent the same thing from happening again, but the Splitsilver race manages to find new loopholes each time."

Zhang Lie's lips twitched. "Isn't that so..."

Bu Wentian shrugged. "The last iteration of the Cup, the Splitsilver race unveiled a new hack, which can duplicate an attack ten thousand times over."

"Ten thousand times over!"

The hunters gaped.

"That openly?"

"Surely there was reprisal?"

"They really are arrogant, aren't they..."

Bu Wentian shrugged. "They were banned after the fight, of course, but all those Splitsilver combatants that used the hack would have lost their matches otherwise."

Sun Xiaowu frowned. "So since they were going to lose regardless, they might as well have fun while they're at it?"

Their opponents wouldn't have a good time, either. If significant damage could result in mental trauma that took years to recover from, then their opponents wouldn't be able to proceed in the Cup as well.

Zhang Lie's face turned cold. "Not only do they have inferior skill, they're even willing to turn to such underhanded tactics to take down their opponents with them?"

Sun Mengmeng nodded. "This is truly vile."

"They're essentially self-destructing."

Once the Splitsilver combatants used such a hack, they would be banned and dealt significant mental trauma, just like their opponents.

Bu Wentian shrugged. "The year the Splitsilver race unveiled such a hack, they ruined many a promising genius. Countless races called for the Splitsilver race to be barred permanently from the cup."

Zhang Lie asked, "Didn't the committee do anything?"

Bu Wentian replied, "The rules of that virtual realm aren't so easy to change. At the very least, it can't bar a whole race of competitors from competing. But don't worry, the void targeting hack has been patched."

"And the other hacks?" Sun Xiaowu asked.

"You had better be careful."

Zhang Lie frowned. "How is it that this race can always develop new hacks for each iteration of the cup?"

Sun Xiaowu nodded. "What benefit does this bring their race? Are they just doing it for fun? To destroy other competitors like that—they really are malicious!"

Yang Ze frowned. "Doing this each iteration of the Cup—can they sell their hacks for profit?"

Bu Wentian shrugged. "In some sense, that's what they're doing. They use special techniques to learn about and understand the fundamental principles behind the space, as well as develop compatible technology for it. Their behavior is despicable, but they are one of the stronger races in the galaxies—nothing like the truly strong, of course, but their ability to distort reality and illusion is difficult to handle for most."

Although using hacks in the Cup would result in permanent bans and significant mental trauma, the Splitsilver race clearly didn't mind.

"Ignoring the ban, the mental trauma isn't crippling. It won't result in permanent damage, and one can recover from it with time. Indeed, the ability to experience a virtual space that straddles reality and illusion is of particular value to the Splitsilver race, and their hacks in the Cup result in more benefit to their cultivation than dedicated training."

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The hunters gaped. Being banned was beneficial to the Splitsilvers?

Bu Wentian shrugged. "That's why there are always Splitsilver competitors trying to hack the Cup."

Sun Xiaowu asked, "Where does the Milky Way rank among the various galaxies?"

Bu Wentian laughed out loud. "Haha, you won't want to know the answer, trust me."

Zhang Lie asked, "What's the other race we have to be wary of?"

"It's another special race, but one unrelated to the Splitsilvers. This race isn't particularly large, but every member of the race is exceptionally strong, especially for this iteration of the Cup. Allegedly, one participant this year is even stronger than Radiant Sun, who was considered to be undefeated. He's known as an invincible martial god—the son of Radiant Sun, Resplendent Sun."

Zhang Lie frowned. "Radiant Sun? Where have I heard that name before..."

Sun Xiaowu asked, "Wasn't that the opponent you lost to, Elder?"

Bu Wentian sighed. "Let's not speak of it. Radiant Sun comes from the Solarvine race, which you have to pay heed to."

Zhang Lie asked, "Are there other opponents that we have to watch out for?"

Bu Wentian thought for a moment. "The truly strong races can skip the qualifiers and enter the Cup proper. Except for the Solarvine race, you shouldn't encounter anyone else exceptional."

Bu Wentian looked at the time. "The competition's about to begin. All of you had better go. I'll be watching from the stands. I've already registered for the cup in your name, so once you enter the apparatuses, you can enter the arena directly."

The hunters headed into their 'coffins', the lids of which slid shut. Within the pitch-black space, an interface appeared: 'Enter the Galactic Rising Stars Cup venue?'

Zhang Lie clicked confirm. A mysterious mental energy suffused him.

Zhang Lie didn't resist the energy and allowed it to envelop himself. He felt a very strange sensation. A set of golden doors appeared before him. He swung his limbs experimentally. Though he might be in a virtual realm, all the sensations he could feel were extremely realistic, as though he were in his own body. He stepped through the doors and toward a stairway to heaven.

The shining stairway looked as though it were an energetic construct. Opposite him was another set of golden doors. A humanoid figure in silvery white walked down the stairway. Half his body was flesh, and half metal. He shone resplendently and with metallic luster.

Another silvery-white figure followed behind, perhaps in the manner of an attendant or servant.

Zhang Lie hesitated. This was essentially who he had seen in the trial—the Splitsilver race!