Master of Nine Stars

The days of rigorous training were tedious, but whenever Rong Taotao lay in bed at night, ready to sleep, he felt an incredible sense of fulfillment.

However, one thing weighed on Rong Taotao’s mind. His Heaven-piercing Halberd technique had been stuck at the peak of Four-Star for a very long time, and its Potential Value was already at six stars.

He had devoted so much to the Heaven-piercing Halberd, and yet...

his efforts weren’t paying off. It was as if he’d hit a bottleneck, unable to improve in the slightest.

In contrast, he’d made some decent progress with his Sword Technique. Rong Taotao clearly remembered his last breakthrough with the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow. He had let go of the blade, and with an open palm, viciously shoved the hilt, causing the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow to pierce the target’s lower abdomen.

Guided by this philosophy, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but incorporate some ”fancy moves” when using the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow. This often led to the blade leaving his hand, weaving between the back of his hand, his wrist, and his arm.

This fighting style was terrifyingly fluid and utterly dazzling, leaving Si Huan Nian staring in stunned silence...

At first, Si Huan Nian tried to offer some advice, telling Rong Taotao to keep a firm grip on his sword. It was the most basic of fundamentals, he’d said, warning him not to stray down an unorthodox path.

Rong Taotao agreed on the surface, but in private, he didn’t change his style. It was the feedback from his Inner Soul Map that strengthened his conviction!

During one training session, he held his sword in a reverse grip and slashed from the upper right to the lower left. Then, he loosened his grip. The hilt spun 180 degrees against his palm, and Rong Taotao instantly switched from a reverse to a forward grip, slashing back from the lower left to the upper right.

Right after that move, a message appeared in his Inner Soul Map: ”Advanced! Sword Mastery, Three-Star Mid-Tier!”

Rong Taotao finally understood completely. ’Form is crucial!’

Not rigidly clinging to a tight grip on the hilt—it seemed to contradict all traditional weapon theories.

But Rong Taotao had learned the Inner Soul Map’s intentions firsthand. At least during the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow’s Three-Star stage, the Inner Soul Map wanted him to use the most suitable form for his next move, whether he was attacking or defending.

And so, despite Si Huan Nian’s earnest teachings, Rong Taotao—who should have been molded in his master’s image—instead followed the silent guidance of his Inner Soul Map, heading down an entirely different branch of Swordsmanship Skill...

Gao Lingwei, of course, hadn’t been idle during this time. Her powerful and expansive Heaven-piercing Halberd technique, so incomparably valiant, made Rong Taotao burn with envy. He had to admit he could never replicate her style; all he could do was watch in secret admiration.

Someone else was also secretly envious: the Little General. Although Snow General Candle was still young, its fighting instincts were deeply ingrained. After watching Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s different combat styles, Snow General Candle decisively chose Gao Lingwei’s...

’Yeah, that stings.’

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had carved and polished a tiny Heaven-piercing Halberd out of stone. It was about 40cm long, a bit rough, and quite miniature.

And whenever Gao Lingwei trained, Snow General Candle would be off to the side, mimicking her movements. Its frosty body would tremble, and it would let out cries of ”WOO! WAH! WAH!”

Although it couldn’t keep up with its mistress’s pace, its imitation was surprisingly good. And just like that, a new group mascot was born! Because...

...the ”dog-riding little general” made a daily appearance in the Martial Arts Arena. Ever since getting the Stone Halberd, Snow General Candle felt even more like it was a true ”General Ma.”

The students training there didn’t mind Snow General Candle running wild. They even found it quite amusing. Their only concern was accidentally stepping on the little creatures during a sparring match...

They also had to be careful when heading back inside the hall. Sun Xingyu, for one, had lost count of the times she’d been going upstairs only to encounter a majestic little fatty riding a Cloud Dog, hopping down the steps one by one. Occasionally, a Snowball Cat would follow behind, mischievously bumping into the two little ones and sending them tumbling head over heels...

However, these noisy days were about to come to a temporary end. The date was now July 20th, and the delegation from Songjiang Soul Martial University was finally setting off for the Outer League!

「Early in the morning on July 20th.」

Amid the chorus of well-wishes from her dorm mates, Gao Lingwei finished packing her clothes, shouldered her backpack, and waved to the group. ”I’m off. See you next semester.”

”Da Wei, you’ve got this!” Sun Xingyu and Fan Lihua saw her to the door, their movements surprisingly in sync, a testament to their chemistry as teammates. They both clenched their little fists and held them up in front of themselves.

They tilted their heads up, their beautiful big eyes blinking, their little faces filled with encouragement.

Chuckling at the sight, Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but smile. She reached out and gently ruffled the hair on both of their heads. ”Okay. I promise.”

Perhaps because they were so close, Gao Lingwei added more than just a polite response. ”You two train hard in the Martial Arts Arena. I’ll be checking on your progress when I get back.”

”Mmm.”

”Uh-huh...” Sun Xingyu and Fan Lihua looked perfectly obedient, nodding repeatedly.

Gao Lingwei then raised her gaze to Stone Tower and Shi Lan, who were standing behind the others.

”Goodbye, Wei! I’ll watch your matches on my computer!” Shi Lan waved, a goofy smile appearing on her usually cool and aloof face.

Beside her, Stone Tower added, ”Yeah. In two years, Lanlan and I will go too.”

”Mm.” Gao Lingwei was about to say more, but she heard two heavy thuds from behind her.