Master of Nine Stars

The next morning, at a quarter past four.

Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi were sparring in the Martial Arts Arena, but she seemed a little distracted. Her eyes weren’t on Li Ziyi, but were instead darting all over the place.

Li Ziyi was miserable. He couldn’t let Sun Xingyu lose too quickly, or his girlfriend would lose face. But her head was shaking back and forth like a pellet drum. ’What is she doing?’

”Xingyu, stop spacing out!” Fan Lihua called out from the side.

’Finally! Someone saved me!’

Li Ziyi let out a huge sigh of relief, his forward thrust with the long spear faltering for a moment.

Sun Xingyu pouted and said, ”Where are Taotao and Da Wei?”

Li Ziyi: ???

Fan Lihua: ”No idea. Why are you looking for them?”

Sun Xingyu: ”I clearly saw Da Wei get up in the dorm just now. Where did those two run off to?”

Li Ziyi: ”...”

”Ugh,” Sun Xingyu stomped her foot in frustration. ”They’re in the Martial Arts Arena training every single day. How come they’ve vanished today? Is something new and exciting happening? I really want to know...”

Meanwhile, the two people Sun Xingyu was so preoccupied with were on the north side of the Martial Arts Hall, writing and drawing in the snow at the edge of the Pine Forest.

Rong Taotao held his Heaven-piercing Halberd, tracing the characters Gao Lingwei had just left in the snow stroke by stroke. He said softly, ”Sis-in-law said that Chancellor Mei Hongyu achieved martial prowess and entered the soul through calligraphy.”

”Maybe,” Gao Lingwei said, uncertain. At her current level, she wasn’t qualified to comment on a great power like Chancellor Mei Hongyu.

Rong Taotao continued, ”Then don’t I need my own calligraphy style? If I follow the characters you wrote, won’t I end up becoming a Soul Martial Artist just like you?”

Gao Lingwei paused her long halberd and said, ”Entering the soul through calligraphy is too advanced for us. We shouldn’t even be thinking about it right now.

You have to at least reach the Soul School level and merge with your Lifebound Soul Beast before considering it. And the Soul School rank has its own tiers: Junior Soul School, Middle Soul School, Upper Soul School, and Great Soul School. The difference between them is like night and day.

I don’t yet understand what kind of inner qualities or beliefs are required for such high levels.

But at least before the Soul Captain rank, a Soul Martial Artist doesn’t need any ’software’ to support them. As long as you meet the ’hardware’ requirements like Soul Power concentration and physical strength, you can advance.”

Rong Taotao: ”So?”

Gao Lingwei: ”So you’re overthinking it, Little Soul Warrior.”

Rong Taotao grumbled under his breath, ”I’m already in the middle stage of a Soul Warrior.”

Gao Lingwei just smiled, not taking the bait. Holding her halberd, she etched Rong Taotao’s name into the snow and changed the subject. ”The Bai Brothers’ attacks are extremely aggressive. They use short blades, which are incredibly lethal, and their style is very sharp...”

Before Gao Lingwei could finish, Rong Taotao cut in to correct her: ”Ruthless.”

Gao Lingwei: ”Hm?”

Rong Taotao sighed softly as he traced the character ’Rong’. ”You could even call it ruthless. During the final phase of the breakout tournament, when I was rounding people up in the southeast corner, I saw the Bai Brothers’ battle. They were literally tearing off arms and legs. There was blood everywhere, and it stained the whole field red.”

”Yes.” Gao Lingwei nodded lightly. ”And that was before they used their ace in the hole, before they summoned a blizzard to hide in and ambush their enemies. Their true fighting style is probably very close to that of an assassin.

If you take away the rules of the arena, their fighting style is the kind that kills.”

Rong Taotao’s expression grew serious. Without a doubt, the Bai Brothers were the top seed among seeds, a team more than capable of representing the university in the Outer League’s ranking tournament.

Today’s battle was probably going to be a brutal one.

Thinking of this, Rong Taotao suddenly asked, ”What’s our style?”

”Hm?”

”The two of us.”

”Defensive counterattack,” Gao Lingwei said after a moment of thought. ”Both now and in the future, we’ll almost always be at a disadvantage against any opponent we face. From now on, you’ll be the one directing our team.

The last time we fought Zonglu’s duo, I was in command. But all I did was split the battlefield, and in the end, we only won because of our individual skills. That’s not how a duo should fight.”

Rong Taotao countered, ”I wouldn’t say that. If the other team is a pair of twins with perfect coordination, splitting the battlefield is a valid tactic.”

Gao Lingwei didn’t engage with his point and asked directly, ”How are you planning to fight today? Coach Si suggested you hold the front line while I provide covering fire with my bow.”

Rong Taotao was silent for a long moment, finishing the final stroke of the character ’Rong’. ”The scenario she envisioned is nice, but honestly, I don’t think that tactic is right for today’s final.”

Using Rong Taotao as the defensive line and Gao Lingwei as the turret was certainly an attractive battle plan.

But the Bai Brothers were just too fast. All Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists have Snow Dance, a core Soul Skill that significantly increases movement speed, so that kind of tactic would be hard to pull off.

Gao Lingwei: ”So we...?”

Rong Taotao made the final call. ”We’ll do the same as yesterday. You support me from the back. The Bai Brothers don’t have any Defense Soul Skills. Their style is lethal, and so is ours. We only need one chance!”

”Alright!”

...

June 17th was a big day for Pine Soul Soul Martial University.

After four months of qualifying tournaments, the final selection was finally set to conclude today.

The top finishers in the solo, duo, and trio competitions would join the seeded players selected from the first three rounds. During the summer break, they would represent Pine Soul Soul Martial University in the Outer League, held in Fengtian City.

Unlike the representatives from other universities, if you could represent Pine Soul Soul Martial, the top university in the nation, you were already considered ”a cut above the rest.” It was a supreme honor.

You wouldn’t even have to worry about your ranking in the Outer League. As long as you passed the university’s internal selection, your future employment was secured. Droves of employers would personally come to recruit you.

At 8:30 in the morning, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei walked into the stadium. Amidst roaring cheers, they quickly made their way to the contestants’ waiting area on the north side.

Rong Taotao had often imagined what it would be like to be in the spotlight, and after the test of the past two days, he had come to understand himself even better.

He didn’t get stage fright, nor did he tremble with nervous excitement. Quite the opposite, he relished being the center of attention.

There were very few people left in the waiting area, only a mere six teams.

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s eyes immediately locked with those of the Bai Brothers.

As they passed the Bai Brothers, Bai Xiweng stood up and extended his hand.

Gao Lingwei hesitated for a moment before taking half a step back.

Rong Taotao stepped forward at the right moment, extending his right hand and grasping Bai Xiweng’s fair, soft palm.

’Nourished by Soul Power, this man’s hands are so delicate. How does he look like a Martial Artist at all? Even though he’s wielded short blades for years, he doesn’t even have a single callus...’

Bai Xiweng paid no mind to Gao Lingwei’s retreat. He looked at Rong Taotao, his face devoid of expression, and said, ”I’m sorry.”

Rong Taotao: ”For what?”

Bai Xiweng: ”Today, we will be treating the arena as a battlefield. So... I’m sorry.”

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow slightly. ”I still don’t understand.”

From the side, Bai Xiwu, who had remained seated, spoke up. ”My brother means we won’t be holding back. So this fight is going to be brutal for you.”

Bai Xiweng’s eyes were fixed on Rong Taotao. ”I’ve seen your fighting spirit, and I’ve seen your abilities. You two aren’t the type to give up easily.”

”So, after this match, either you’ll be carried out by Dong Dongdong, or my brother and I will be.”

”Hmm...” Rong Taotao nodded thoughtfully.

Beside him, Bai Xiwu added, ”It’ll most likely be you.”

But Rong Taotao just smiled. Still holding Bai Xiweng’s hand, he turned to look at Bai Xiwu. ”You’re all tough before the fight.”

Bai Xiwu: ”What?”

”The juniors, the seniors, Zonglu, the Qi Family.” Rong Taotao shrugged. ”All my opponents are tough... before I fight them.”

”Hah.” A cold smile touched the corner of Gao Lingwei’s lips.

Bai Xiweng’s hand tightened slightly. He met Rong Taotao’s gaze as he turned back and said, ”We’re different from the others. After so many matches, we’re well aware of you, this dark horse who’s suddenly appeared.”

”We’ve seen your combat skill and your endless stream of tricks. We won’t underestimate you in the slightest.”

”Maybe. Who knows,” Rong Taotao said nonchalantly.

But Bai Xiweng took a step forward, gave Rong Taotao a light hug, and patted him on the back. He whispered, ”Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists. Thank you for the Soul Skill you created. I respect you, and I deeply admire your mother.

But this match... I’m going to win!”

In that moment, everyone—from the contestants in the waiting area to the spectators on all sides—turned to look at the two of them.

Bai Xiweng’s voice was very soft, too low for anyone to hear what he said, but a pre-match hug like this was extremely rare.

Rong Taotao gently pushed Bai Xiweng away, a slight smile on his face. He nodded slowly. ”What a coincidence. I didn’t come to Pine Soul Soul Martial, to this stadium, to lose either.”

Gao Lingwei watched Rong Taotao quietly, taking in his confident expression and determined gaze. Inwardly, her heart trembled slightly.

She wasn’t just looking at him; she was admiring him.

This side of Rong Taotao—his attitude, the posture he took when facing a powerful enemy—was far more captivating to Gao Lingwei’s heart, her restless and turbulent heart, than he was in daily life or training.

”Enough talk.” Gao Lingwei reached out, took Rong Taotao’s hand, and pulled him toward the seats behind them.

The two of them found an empty corner and sat down.

In the midst of the bustling, noisy stadium, their spot seemed so quiet.

Gao Lingwei looked out at the stadium and said softly, ”If I’m not mistaken, they’re going for the kill.

Bai Xiweng made it clear he’ll treat the arena as a battlefield, facing us with the utmost seriousness and his highest level of skill.

This isn’t just about winning or losing anymore; it’s a life-or-death battle. And if they treat it as such, the brothers can unleash their ruthless fighting style to its fullest extent, without any reservations.”

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow. ”So?”

Gao Lingwei turned her head, looked at Rong Taotao’s profile, and smiled. ”Are you scared?”

Rong Taotao reached out and gently squeezed her fingertips. ”There’s no shame in dying while chasing your goal.”

A small smile played on Gao Lingwei’s lips. ”You didn’t sound so pessimistic when you were trash-talking them just now.”

Rong Taotao shrugged. ”Well, I couldn’t just bow my head and admit defeat, could I?”

”Mm.” Gao Lingwei turned her head back, her eyes on the backs of the Bai Brothers not far away. Knowing what she was about to face, she said, ”In half an hour, if we can both walk out of this arena still standing, I’ll treat you to some xiao long bao.”

Rong Taotao smiled, looking down and toying with her long, slender fingers. He hummed softly, ”...We who don’t know how to show our gentle side, thought that dying for love was just an ancient legend...”

...

Third update, 12.17.20