Master of Nine Stars

BANG! That was the sound of a door closing.

SLAP! That seemed to be the sound of a shoe sole hitting the door.

Everyone turned to look, only to see Rong Taotao clutching his chest, looking greatly relieved. Then he muttered, ”With a temper like that, I’ll eat my hat if she ever finds a boyfriend!”

Muttering to himself, Rong Taotao turned around, only to jump in fright.

The male students were all in the hallway, waiting to see Rong Taotao off.

And the female classmates... well, they were all at the door seeing Da Wei off, too. They must have seen the whole thing.

Sun Xingyu was dying of curiosity. She pushed away Gao Lingwei’s hand, which was pressed on her head, and looked inquisitively at Rong Taotao. ”What happened? Did you make Coach Si angry again?”

”Oh, come on, Juanjuan!” Hearing this, Shi Lan couldn’t help but wail. ”You’re about to leave, and you’ve stoked her fire again? How am I supposed to survive? I’m definitely going to get kicked today...”

Nearby, Stone Tower also had a resentful look on his face, his gaze fixed gloomily on Rong Taotao.

”Ah, hehe, no, no. Your instructor isn’t angry. Well, not *that* angry.” Rong Taotao gave an awkward laugh and turned to look at the guys.

”Just aim for the top eight! As long as you make the top eight, it’s a success! That gets you a ticket to the national tournament!” Jiao Tengda walked up, giving Rong Taotao some advice while encouraging him. ”You managed to stand out at Pine Soul Soul Martial, so the Outer League will be no problem!”

Rong Taotao made a fist and gently bumped it against Jiao Tengda’s outstretched one.

”No sweat. Just fight against the Attribute disadvantage. The sense of accomplishment will be beyond your imagination!” Zhao Tang also made a fist and bumped it against Rong Taotao’s.

”Heh.” Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Zhao Tang did have the right to say that.

After all... back then, as a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist, Zhao Tang had transferred schools during his last year of high school due to a family incident. He returned to his hometown in the great Northwest and, fighting against the Attribute disadvantage, carved out the title of ”Northwest King” with his two teammates.

The state has very strict requirements for school transfers, fearing that students might exploit loopholes. However, for someone like Zhao Tang, who was fighting against an Attribute disadvantage by participating in a regional tournament that was unfavorable for him, the transfer was relatively easier.

Rong Taotao looked at Zhao Tang helplessly. ’You could fight against an Attribute disadvantage during the Soul Warrior Stage, and maybe pull off a miracle with your teammates’ help. But to do it in the Soul Captain Stage?’

’That’s just too difficult. Otherwise, Pine Soul Soul Martial wouldn’t have gone so long without winning the national championship.’

”Bro, I’m Cloud Peak. I’m not afraid of anyone.” As he spoke, Rong Taotao’s fist gently bumped Zhao Tang’s.

Li Ziyi reluctantly made a fist and extended it. ”Stay humble and patient. Don’t get arrogant or complacent. Compete well, and don’t get too full of yourself.”

”Love can be so beautiful, full of sweet perfume~” Rong Taotao instantly sang a line from ”Lemon Tree” as he bumped his fist against Li Ziyi’s. ”It’s just that deep inside, it always turns out sour...”

Li Ziyi: ”...”

”Pfft...”

”Hahahahahahaha...”

”You’re trying to kill me with laughter, hahaha!”

Gao Lingwei shot Rong Taotao a smiling glare, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him away. ”Let’s chat in the group. See you when school starts!”

As he was being dragged away, Rong Taotao walked backward and gave Lu Mang a sloppy military salute, pressing his palm to his brow before flicking it upward. ”See you when school starts!”

”Mhm. The championship. I’ll be waiting for you to bring it back.” With his hands in his pockets, Lu Mang gave a slight, smiling nod, watching the two of them disappear at the top of the stairs.

It was clear that Lu Mang and Jiao Tengda had completely different mindsets.

Jiao Tengda was trying to relieve Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s pressure, telling them that making the top eight was good enough.

But Lu Mang had an almost blind faith in them, talking about the Outer Region championship right from the start...

Only when they reached the top of the stairs did Rong Taotao finally turn around. As he followed Gao Lingwei down, he heard her sigh. ”Hah...”

Rong Taotao asked curiously, ”What’s wrong?”

Gao Lingwei said softly, ”We’re really lucky to have classmates and partners like these. The atmosphere is great, everyone is so sincere, and there aren’t any of those complicated, petty schemes.”

But Rong Taotao smiled. ”Speaking of which, we have last year’s Snow Realm Army invasion to thank for that. After that night, most of us in the Soul Class forged a bond of life and death.”

The two of them walked out of the Martial Arts Hall and saw Yang Chunxi and Xia Fangran waiting for them.

As Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s instructor, Xia Fangran had naturally become the team-leading teacher again. As for Yang Chunxi, it went without saying; she was the Junior Class’s mentor, so for a major tournament like this, she would of course lead the team personally.

Xia Fangran was in an excellent mood, humming a little tune. Seeing Rong Taotao emerge, he couldn’t help but call out, ”Taotao~ Tsk, my dear disciple, are you ready?”

Rong Taotao: ???

Gao Lingwei’s expression also stiffened. She even wondered if there was something wrong with Xia Fangran’s head!

Rong Taotao looked at Xia Fangran suspiciously and asked cautiously, ”Coach Xia, are you alright?”

”Yoho~ Look at you, using the polite form!” Xia Fangran laughed heartily. ”I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m just really happy! I’ve been cooped up in the Snow Realm for over twenty years! Over twenty years!

The last time I went out was seven years ago! This time, it’s all thanks to you.

I haven’t fucking worn flip-flops, baggy shorts, and a tank top to stroll down the street in so long. Ah... I miss it so much...”

This was indeed a particularly sad story.

Xia Fangran held several positions and was extremely powerful in combat, so it was indeed difficult for him to leave the war-torn north.