Master of Nine Stars

”WHOO-HOO~!!!”

”That was exhilarating!”

”That got my blood pumping, hahaha!”

Waves of cheers erupted. A group of people turned to look, only to see medics hurriedly carrying a few people off the green field. At this point, only a sparse eight remained standing.

The first stage of the individual selection tournament was finally over. The second stage, the top-eight knockout round, would begin tomorrow.

Watching the students on the field raise their hands high and cheer for their victory, Rong Taotao felt incredibly envious.

He had never been tested on a grand stage. At most, he had been watched by a crowd within the small confines of the Martial Arts Arena. This was his first time competing in a proper match on a real green field.

’What would victory taste like?’

’With such thunderous cheers and piercing whistles pouring in from all directions, what would it be like to be the protagonist at the center of it all?’

As he thought about it, Rong Taotao’s body actually began to tremble. He had once worried he might get stage fright, but to his utter surprise, he wasn’t scared at all. More than anything... he was thrilled!

Suddenly, a cool, soft hand gently pressed down on the back of his own.

Gao Lingwei gently squeezed Rong Taotao’s hand. ”Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

’Am I afraid?’

’I’m about to explode with excitement!’

’We’re all young guys. Who doesn’t want to be the center of attention? Who doesn’t want to stand center stage?’

”Hello, hello.” The sound of a microphone check echoed across the stadium. ”The first stage of the individual selection tournament has concluded. The eight remaining students, please proceed to the players’ tunnel at the side of the field for a medical examination.

”Please be at the stadium punctually at eight o’clock tomorrow morning for the top-eight knockout round.”

Amid waves of cheers and applause, the students on the field quickly exited to report to Dong Dongdong.

Songjiang Soul Martial University was managed very strictly. Even if you weren’t injured, you still had to go see the school doctor for a check-up.

The voice on the microphone sounded again: ”Next up is the first stage of the doubles selection tournament. There are a total of 27 participating teams. Please proceed to the competition field within 10 minutes to verify your identities before entering. Latecomers will be considered to have forfeited.”

”Whoa...”

”Holy crap, 27 teams!?”

”Aren’t the doubles matches supposed to be a niche event? Haha, and they still managed to scrape together 27 teams?”

”That’s not much fewer than the individual competition. How could our school have so many twins?”

”There might not be that many twins, but there’s no shortage of shameless couples...”

Amidst the uproar, teams of students stood up from their seats in the stands. The other students looked around, searching for familiar faces.

”Go, Taotao! I have faith in Da Wei! Just do what she says, she’s got this!” Sun Xingyu clenched her small fists, cheering loudly.

Rong Taotao: ”...”

’In the end, was all my trust misplaced...?’

Gao Lingwei stood up. Amidst the surrounding gazes of encouragement and astonishment, she took Rong Taotao’s hand and started walking down from the stands.

At the edge of the field, a few teams were already having their identities verified. The esteemed Cha of the Pine Soul Four Rites was holding a list, checking each student one by one. When Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei arrived before him, Cha Er’s expression was a little odd.

He looked at Rong Taotao, then back at the list, confirming that it wasn’t a different student with the same name.

”Draw a ball from the box to see your team number, then go to the corresponding area.” Cha Er held the box in front of Gao Lingwei, but his gaze shifted to Rong Taotao. ”Tired of living?”

Rong Taotao: ???

Gao Lingwei took out a small ball, broke it open with her fingers, and showed it to Cha Er.

”Team 13, eastern baseline. Going out of bounds is an automatic loss. You know the rules, right?” Cha Er added, as a kind reminder.

”Yes, we know. Thank you, Teacher Cha,” Gao Lingwei nodded slightly, responding with a smile.

”Right, I was worrying for nothing. You’ve got a high school King of Guanwai here, after all.” Cha Er chuckled and stepped aside. ”Next team.”

As he passed by Cha Er, Rong Taotao muttered under his breath, ”After this summer vacation, you can drop the two words ’high school’.”

”Oh?” Cha Er glanced at Rong Taotao with great interest. ”Well then, good luck to you both.”

As Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei walked onto the competition field, an uproar instantly erupted from the surrounding stands!

”Isn’t that little Taotao from the Junior Class, the one who’s a night watchman at the Martial Arts Hall?”

”How old is he? And he’s competing? Is he tired of living or something?”

”Holy shit, I fucking thought those two were lost!”

”No way, no way! Don’t tell me people really think Songjiang Soul Martial has run out of talent? Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can just sign up to compete now?”

”But Gao Lingwei was last year’s Outer Region champion. She’s not weak. She should be a Soul Captain by now. The juniors and seniors are also Soul Captains. There might be a difference in their Minor Ranks, but there’s no qualitative difference in their Major Rank. They have a fighting chance.”

”Even if there’s no qualitative difference, doesn’t she still have two or three fewer years of training than the others? Not to mention she’s dragging along some dead weight? This pairing is hilarious...”

...

Amidst the waves of discussion, Gao Lingwei remained perfectly composed, her expression unchanged, as she and Rong Taotao arrived at the baseline in the eastern corner of the green field.

The competition area was a standard soccer field, just without the goals. The turf underfoot wasn’t real grass, but it was very soft to step on. Then again, a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist would probably prefer to duel while standing in thick snow.

Rong Taotao stood in the center of where a goal would normally be, looking from side to side.

Judging by the numbers spray-painted on the ground, five teams would be positioned on each baseline, and seven teams on each sideline.