Master of Nine Stars

”Fengtian TV Station! Fengtian TV Station! Hello, viewers! This is the Fengtian Peace District Sports Center. Today is July 27th, and we have two Outer League placement matches for you, which will decide two teams for the top eight! I’m your host, Li Gang!”

”And I’m your host, Yang Xiaoyang.”

Li Gang turned to Yang Xiaoyang with a smile. ”Without a doubt, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao’s team from Songjiang Soul Martial University will be the stars of the show today. The pre-match expert consensus is that Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao will defeat their opponents, secure a spot in the Outer Region’s top eight, and earn a ticket to the national tournament.

Xiaoyang, what are your thoughts?”

”Earning the public’s approval is truly difficult.” Yang Xiaoyang maintained an elegant posture, a faint smile on her face. ”Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao have finally done it. This time, they are finally the favored side.

Their opponents from Liaolian Soul Martial University are slightly less competitive. Today, I’m afraid we’re about to witness history being made!”

”Indeed!” Li Gang exclaimed with emotion. ”Perhaps we will all witness history! Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao, students of the Junior Class, breaking into the Outer Region’s top eight—it’s an undeniable feat! And to think, Rong Taotao is only sixteen!”

”Sixteen...” Yang Xiaoyang marveled softly. ”At an age when he should be building his foundation and training hard in a Soul Martial High School, Rong Taotao has instead stormed the Outer League, armed with his formidable Martial Arts and unshakeable will, and wreaked complete havoc.

Year after year, we’ve witnessed just how terrifying the willpower of Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists can be. We all know they aren’t just tournament competitors; they are Soul Martial Artists forged in the crucible of real battle.

But this year... the establishment of the Junior Class has given a young man like Rong Taotao a stage to truly showcase his abilities!

The Snow Realm, the northern Snow Realm.

How many people have only heard of it, only read in textbooks that it is a remote and bitterly cold land? And how many of them will go their entire lives without ever setting foot there, without ever seeing the true face of the Snow Realm?”

Li Gang couldn’t help but nod repeatedly. ”After the last match, Rong Taotao said in an interview: ’Go to the Snow Realm. You’ll find wave after wave of people just like us.’

That line, it really is...”

”Hehe.” Yang Xiaoyang chuckled, covering her mouth. ”Songjiang Soul Martial University must be very grateful to Student Rong Taotao. That’s some powerful publicity.

As Student Rong Taotao’s influence grows and the stages he stands on get bigger, I wonder if we’ll see droves of high school students applying to Songjiang Soul Martial University, drawn by his fame?”

Li Gang suddenly blurted out, ”Making Rong Taotao the brand ambassador for Songjiang Soul Martial University wouldn’t be a bad idea, huh? He’s practically a walking advertisement for Pine Soul~”

「At the same time, in the locker room.」

Rong Taotao covered his ears with his hands, muttering under his breath, ”Stop praising me, stop praising me, any more and my head’s going to get too big...”

”You? Getting a big head?” Xia Fangran snorted, grinning. ”As far as I can tell, your feet have never been on the ground in the first place.”

Without a ”battlefield” to occupy him, Xia Fangran was, for once, not playing on his phone. He was just slumped in his seat, watching TV out of boredom.

After a night’s rest, Yang Chunxi was clearly in a much better state of mind. She said with a beaming smile, ”The highlight reel machine, the Snow Realm Butterfly, and now a Pine Soul name card. Hehe.”

Rong Taotao: ???

”What? Snow Realm Butterfly?”

Yang Chunxi smiled. ”Your speech yesterday about the butterfly that doesn’t accept its fate, doesn’t bow its head, and doesn’t submit has already become quite famous. It especially resonated with the Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist community and earned you a lot of goodwill.”

Rong Taotao looked uncomfortable. ”I said all that to describe Da Wei. What kind of butterfly is a guy supposed to be? Ugh~ Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Stop talking about it.”

Xia Fangran snorted. ”Well now~ Can’t be criticized, can’t be praised. You’re really hard to please, aren’t you, Rong Butterfly.”

Rong Taotao shot Xia Fangran a resentful look. ”It can represent all Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists, Xia Butterfly.”

Xia Fangran: ”...”

”Hehe.” Yang Chunxi couldn’t help but stifle a giggle.

Xia Fangran said, ”Fine, fine, nobody mention it again. Tsk... that stupid name. ’Snow Realm Fluttering Moth’ sounds better.”

The more Xia Fangran thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He added, ”Besides, you’re a Cloud Peak Soul Martial Artist. What right do you have to speak for us Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists?”

Rong Taotao pouted. He wasn’t convinced, but it seemed like...

’As I continue to grow, traveling to more and more places and learning a wider array of Soul Techniques and Soul Skills, it seemed quite possible that in the end, I, a Cloud Peak Soul Martial Artist, would master every type of Soul Technique... except my own...’

’After all, a place like the Arctic Circle isn’t somewhere you can go just because you want to.’

’Oh, right, and the Void Soul Technique from Antarctica would probably be very difficult for me to learn, too, right?’

”Let’s go, Taotao. Time to get our tickets to the national tournament.” Gao Lingwei stood up, extending a hand to Rong Taotao, who was sitting on the bench.

Rong Taotao grabbed her hand, and she pulled him to his feet. ”Let’s go!”

It was the same slightly dated Peace District Sports Center, the same ocean-themed arena dotted with puddles, and the same boisterous, noisy crowd.

But this time, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei were no longer the ”underdogs.”

It was hard to believe that two students from the Junior Class were now the consensus favorites. After all, no matter how outmatched their opponents seemed, they were still two third-year Ocean Soul Captains.

”AHHH!!! RONG TAOTAO! I flew all the way here from Baishan, so you better make me proud! Make me proud! Get into the top eight, AHHH!!!”

”You can’t lose! You have to win! Set an example for my kid! Go, go, go!”

As Rong Taotao was clipping on his mini microphone, he heard the shouts from the stands behind him. He turned his head and gave a smiling wave.

’What, am I supposed to be his tutor now?’

Seeing Rong Taotao’s wave, that section of the audience immediately erupted.

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but sigh, his heart filled with emotion.

Respect!

Finally, he was getting the respect he deserved from the world.

The sky had truly brightened.

Everything today was something he and Gao Lingwei had fought hard to earn!

At this thought, Rong Taotao couldn’t resist reaching out and gently taking Gao Lingwei’s cool, soft hand in his.

”AHHHHH! Let go of her hand! Let go! My kid isn’t a Soul Martial Artist, he doesn’t need to go through life and death, and he doesn’t need a partner! You don’t need to set an example for him in that regard!”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

’Well, I’ll be. I thought you were my fan, but it turns out I’m just a tool for you?’

Rong Taotao shouted back irritably, ”Fine! Next match, I’ll bring a stack of practice exams, squat on the sidelines, and finish a whole set before I fight!”

”AHHHHH! RONG TAOTAO! YOU’RE SO AMAZING!!! REMEMBER TO BRING THEM!!! AHHH!!!”

”REMEMBER TO BRING MATH, PHYSICS, AND CHEMISTRY!!! AND ENGLISH! ENGLISH!”

Rong Taotao nearly stomped his feet and cursed. He roared, ”I don’t study English!”

”Even if you don’t study it, you have to do the English exam for me! You’re a role model!!!”

”What the-?!” Rong Taotao clutched his heart and subconsciously took a step back.

’My fucking mentality is collapsing...’

”What’s happening?” The host, Li Gang, craned his neck. From his commentary booth in the north, he tried to see the southern side of the arena and quickly shouted, ”Is contestant Rong Taotao interacting with the audience?”

Yang Xiaoyang had a strange expression on her face. Pressing a hand to her earpiece, she said, ”Contestant Rong Taotao... um, seems to be discussing an English exam paper with a parent.”

Since Rong Taotao had just put on his mic, the audio was just coming in, and Yang Xiaoyang hadn’t heard the full conversation.

Li Gang sat back down, looking completely baffled. He stared at the monitor in front of him and, pressing his own earpiece, said, ”Don’t they study Russian in the Snow Realm? And I think there’s a Snow Realm Beast Language course after the third year?”

Yang Xiaoyang said, a little uncertainly, ”Well, they are in the Junior Class. It’s the first experimental class, so maybe they study more subjects.”

”Oh? They’re entering the arena! They’re finally entering the arena!” Li Gang quickly changed the subject and began his broadcast. ”The team from Songjiang Soul Martial, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao, versus the brother-sister duo from Liaolian Soul Martial University, Yi Han and Yi Bing! Who will secure a spot in the top eight? Let’s wait and see!”

Since it was morning, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei chose the eastern side of the arena.

The moment she stepped onto the field, Gao Lingwei’s eyes locked onto the brother and sister duo across from them.

The brother, Yi Han, was decent enough; he dared to meet his opponent’s gaze.

His sister, Yi Bing, however... the instant her eyes met Gao Lingwei’s, she hastily looked down, her expression flustered.

This third-year senior didn’t seem to be ready for battle.

It wasn’t a conscious effort to avoid Gao Lingwei’s gaze during combat; rather, as an opponent, she was subconsciously averting her eyes, not daring to face Gao Lingwei at all.

Over the past two days, Rong Taotao had certainly been at the center of a media storm, but in truth, Gao Lingwei had been a hot topic as well—especially the image of her grabbing Tang Meng by the neck and running her through with a single stab.

That image... well, it wasn’t pretty.

Who was Tang Meng? An undisputed powerhouse, an absolutely First-class competitor! Even so, she was still held aloft, to be slaughtered at Gao Lingwei’s whim.

The sight of Tang Meng’s pained and contorted face, in particular, had left a deep psychological scar on many who watched.

Although victory and defeat in a Soul Martial Artist’s match are often separated from life and death by only a thin line, the matches and battles of Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists seemed to hew even closer to that line.

Their methods were more ruthless and much sharper.

When purely tournament-focused competitors encountered true combat-type Soul Martial Artists like these, they were inherently at a psychological disadvantage.

The highlight reels of Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao from the intra-school selection tournament showcased this perfectly. Both of them were the type of people willing to stab themselves to achieve victory.

Rong Taotao whispered, ”Do you think that girl is genuinely afraid of you, or is it an act?”

Gao Lingwei shook her head slightly. ”I don’t know. Either way, we have to crush them. They’re blocking our path forward.”

Rong Taotao watched their opponents thoughtfully. ”We stick to the original plan. You take the lead, and I’ll be your shadow. As for the main target, you can adjust based on your judgment.”

Gao Lingwei nodded slightly. ”If she’s afraid, I’ll target her. If she’s faking it, then I’ll be more than happy to give her what she wants.”

Hearing this, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but chuckle.

In normal life, someone who is timid or cowardly might receive help and care from kind-hearted people.

But on the battlefield, how could your opponent possibly care for or console you? They would obviously seize your weakness and exploit it mercilessly.

Gao Lingwei had probably taken this as a personal challenge. In fact, it was easy for Rong Taotao to guess what she was thinking.

Gao Lingwei was likely hoping that her opponent was just pretending to be weak to lure her into a trap.

After all, Gao Lingwei wasn’t the type to enjoy bullying the weak. She wasn’t Si Huan Nian, after all...

Rong Taotao said softly, ”No more duels. Take a break.”

Gao Lingwei: ”Hm?”

”Promise me.”

”Mm, I promise.”