Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao: ”I think I’ll just head back to my dorm. I’m full, and I’m getting a little sleepy.”

”You’re spoiled rotten,” Si Huan Nian said. ”I’m not even tired. How can you be?”

Rong Taotao said helplessly, ”Coach Si, I have two flowers. You only have one.”

”Hmm. We’ll review this morning’s battle first. Learn something, then you can sleep.” Si Huan Nian didn’t argue the point, but she wasn’t changing her mind, either.

’Review the match?’

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow. This was a novel idea; in all his time practicing martial arts, he’d never reviewed a match before.

’Then again, it’s not like I’ve really been in any matches.’

The pair, master and student, arrived at the Martial Arts Arena. Compared to the bustling crowds of daytime, the arena was much quieter now. Still, most of the training grounds were occupied, and the students were sparring with fiery intensity.

Si Huan Nian: ”Can you summon the Dragon Sparrow?”

Rong Taotao nodded. ”I can. It’s just not as finely crafted as the Heaven-piercing Halberd.”

After his arduous training in the Snowfield, Rong Taotao’s Sword Technique was now at Two-Star, Mid-Tier. He could summon the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow through his Soul Skill: Snow Soul, but compared to the Heaven-piercing Halberd, the snow-forged Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was of a lower quality.

”Alright.” Si Huan Nian nodded. ”You remember that tall male student? The one with the spear.”

”I do.”

Si Huan Nian: ”You held your blade in a reverse grip and swung at Ji Qingmei.”

Rong Taotao recalled his movements from the morning. He sank into a lunge, gripping his blade in a reverse grip with his right hand as he swung. ”The tall guy blocked my Dragon Sparrow,” he said, ”then I pulled back and hit the girl with a Snow Burst...”

Stepping back, Rong Taotao reenacted the movements. ”After blasting the girl away, I moved forward again, lunging with a forward thrust...”

”Stop,” Si Huan Nian said suddenly. She stood in Chen Hongbo’s position, holding a Long Spear with its tip pointed right at Rong Taotao’s nose. ”He was wielding a long weapon. Why would you lunge forward to thrust?”

”Uh...” Rong Taotao scratched his head. ”Well, he was stunned by my Snow Burst. When I blasted the girl away, he was too shocked to react.”

Si Huan Nian nodded. ”He failed to react because his mental fortitude is poor. But what if he had?”

Rong Taotao gave a tight smile. ”Things on the battlefield change in an instant. I can’t possibly calculate every single move. I just saw an opening during the side lunge and went for the thrust at Ji Qingmei.”

Si Huan Nian: ”You lost your cool. Don’t try to hide it. You never should have made a move like that.

You say you can’t calculate every step, but you set down Frost Cold Thorn at the very beginning of the match. Then you systematically herded Ji Qingmei toward the spot where you’d laid the trap.

You have the ability to strategize. Before the battle even started, you had the big picture in your head, a complete battle plan.

Therefore, you need to focus on polishing the minor details in combat. Only then will your actions be worthy of your intellect and strategy.”

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Si Huan Nian: ”Continue. Ji Qingmei called for backup, which saved you. He had Chen Hongbo defend against your attack, not go on the offensive.”

Rong Taotao nodded. He reenacted the side-lunge thrust and took another step forward. Instantly, Si Huan Nian’s Long Spear dropped, parrying his blade. The spear’s tip then tapped the ground, its shaft angling up to bar his way.

Rong Taotao said, ”I used the downward force from my blade being parried to vault over the shaft, pushing off it with my back.”

Si Huan Nian: ”You dared to use my spear shaft? What was to stop me from just flipping you over? I could have sent you flying, feet off the ground, with no way to reorient yourself in the air, leaving you completely on the defensive.”

Rong Taotao said with a pained look, ”Oh, come on, Coach Si! He’s nothing like you... Don’t you realize how fast I flipped? How unexpected that move was? There was no way he could have reacted in time.”

Si Huan Nian dispelled the Long Spear in her hand. ”And that is your problem,” she said. ”You gamble.”

Rong Taotao: ”Uh...”

Si Huan Nian: ”I want every one of your attacks to be an overt maneuver.

I want your enemies to know exactly what you’re planning, yet be forced to follow your tempo, powerless to resist, able only to watch helplessly as you kill them.

I don’t want your attacks to be based on cheap tricks, gambling that your opponent won’t be able to react in time.

The risks are too great. This world is full of all sorts of people; wolves in sheep’s clothing are everywhere. If you keep fighting with that attitude, you’re bound to get burned eventually.”

It dawned on Rong Taotao. He nodded heavily and said, ”I understand, Coach Si. Can I say something?”

Si Huan Nian: ”Go ahead.”

Rong Taotao: ”Actually, this isn’t my usual style...”

Si Huan Nian: ”Because Ji Qingmei has a filthy mouth?”

Rong Taotao scratched his head but then said, ”For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been the underdog, always punching up.

Whether it’s in training with you, or during my expedition to the Snowfield, I’m always fighting opponents who are stronger than me, or fighting when outnumbered and at a disadvantage.

In this battle, even though I was outnumbered, I knew very well that my skills and Soul Techniques were superior to theirs. So... my style today was different from usual.”

”Mm.” Si Huan Nian nodded in agreement. ”Judging from Coach Xia’s reaction, you’re right.

Your performance today was completely different from what he expected. The look on his face was like he didn’t even recognize you.

But don’t change the subject. Answer my question directly.”

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together, not responding.

Si Huan Nian sighed softly. ”Fine. Go back and get some sleep.”

Rong Taotao suddenly looked up. ”There’s no point in hiding it. You were right. I lost my cool.

He said to me, ’Who the fuck do you think you are?’ So I got vicious. I pierced his thigh. Twice!

And I tore the blade sideways out of his leg.”

Seeing Rong Taotao’s dead-serious expression, the corner of Si Huan Nian’s mouth actually lifted into a faint smile. ”So, after you pierced his thigh the first time and even tore the blade out sideways, he had already lost his ability to fight. But I didn’t blow the whistle. I let you continue.”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

Si Huan Nian: ”She is a woman who deserves everyone’s respect. Whether he meant it or not, even if it’s just a phrase he throws around, he needs to learn some restraint.”

Rong Taotao nodded lightly.

Si Huan Nian’s expression turned serious again. ”Everyone in this world has attachments, people or things they cherish.

As you grow stronger, you will inevitably encounter all sorts of opponents, and even enemies.

Remember, the one who survives is the true victor.

And for the sake of victory, even a young student will resort to any means necessary. What do you think your future enemies will be like?

If a few words are enough to make you lose your cool, drastically change your fighting style, and affect your mentality, then your enemy has already won. You will very likely be defeated, or even die in some forgotten corner.

You’re still young. You still have the chance to make mistakes. It’s not too late to learn this.”

Si Huan Nian took a step forward and placed a hand on Rong Taotao’s head. ”I’m not criticizing you. If I were in your shoes, my performance might have suffered, too.

This is just an expectation I have for you, as your teacher.

I hope that in any future battle, you can maintain your composure and use the style and methods you are most familiar and skilled with to face your enemies. That way, your chances of survival will be much greater.”

Rong Taotao pondered for a long moment, then nodded heavily. ”Thank you, Coach Si.”

Si Huan Nian hummed softly in acknowledgement. ”Go on, get some sleep. Tell Stone Tower and Shi Lan to come down.”

Rong Taotao raised his head slightly, looking at Si Huan Nian with a serious expression. ”I’ll remember what you taught me tonight.”

But Si Huan Nian simply grabbed Rong Taotao’s head with one hand, spun his body around, and pointed him toward the Martial Arts Hall.

Then, she kicked him squarely in the butt. ”I told you to go get Stone Tower and Shi Lan! What are you dilly-dallying for?”

Rong Taotao: ”...”