Master of Nine Stars

”Are the contestants from both sides ready?” the referee asked, standing in the center circle and looking from one team to the other.

Yi Han from Liaolian Soul Martial University nodded, his expression grave.

On the other side, Rong Taotao gave a thumbs-up.

”TWEET!” The referee swung his small flag down. The match began!

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei immediately sprinted forward, charging into the opposing half of the field.

”Oh? The contestants from Liaolian Soul Martial University aren’t attacking. It seems they recognize Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao’s strength!” Li Gang shouted. ”They’ve opted for a defensive stance! They’re taking advantage of the ocean-themed field to set up for a defensive counterattack! Now that’s how Ocean Soul Martial Artists are supposed to fight!”

Yang Xiaoyang looked a little worried. ”The other team acknowledging Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s strength... actually makes this fight much more difficult for the two of them. After all, Ocean Soul Martial Artists are known for their defense.”

As she ran, Gao Lingwei’s white clothes and the ponytail at the back of her head whipped about freely. Her expression, however, was not nearly as carefree. She seemed troubled by something, her brow furrowed slightly as she stared intently at the opponents in the distance.

The siblings, Yi Han and Yi Bing, actually retreated quickly toward the baseline. After stepping into what would be the penalty area on a soccer field, the two of them began tossing one small Water Ball after another into the surrounding puddles.

Gao Lingwei said, ”Water Prison Whip. They’re setting traps. Any three Water Balls arranged in a triangle can form a Water Prison Whip trap.”

”Da Wei, Da Wei, slow down...” Rong Taotao’s voice came from behind. He stared at Gao Lingwei’s long legs, wishing he could just saw a chunk off of them...

”Mm,” Gao Lingwei grunted, slowing her pace slightly.

If she hadn’t activated Snow Dance, Rong Taotao would have been able to keep up. But with both of them using Snow Dance, and Gao Lingwei being a Soul Captain, how could he possibly match her pace?

Rong Taotao observed for a moment before speaking. ”They’re deliberately pulling the combat zone back to the baseline. They probably want to use the rules to their advantage. As long as a contestant is pushed out of bounds, they’re eliminated.”

Gao Lingwei slowed to a stop in the center of the western half of the field. ”Water Cannon and Spring Water Surge are both Soul Skills that can push us out of the arena.

Once we’re trapped by a Water Prison Whip, they can just blast us out of bounds. After all, they can deactivate the whips at will.”

Rong Taotao stopped beside Gao Lingwei. Looking at the ubiquitous puddles ahead, he knew they were all hiding Water Balls. ”Charge straight in?”

Not far off, at the baseline, the siblings Yi Han and Yi Bing stood ready, not underestimating their opponents in the slightest. They seemed to have a very clear understanding of their own standing, fully accepting their position as the underdogs.

They had laid out a massive Water Prison Whip formation, just waiting for their opponents to walk right into it.

’You think you’re so tough?’

’Come on, then! Charge in here if you’ve got the guts!’

”BOOO...”

”BOOO!!!” A wave of boos suddenly erupted from the stands.

Undoubtedly, a portion of the crowd had been eagerly awaiting an explosive battle, but both teams had stopped and were now just staring at each other from a distance. This was clearly not what they had come to see.

The Soul Martial Artists in the audience, however, were nodding to themselves in approval. ’This is the right move. Use the terrain to your advantage, use the strengths of your Ocean Soul Techniques.’

’If Tang Meng and Tang Yang had been as clear-headed and humble as the Yi siblings, Rong and Gao probably wouldn’t even be the ones standing here right now.’

Rong Taotao thought for a moment and said, ”The match is twenty minutes long. The Water Balls for the Water Prison Whip last about three minutes. We have plenty of time to wait for the first wave of them to dissipate before we move in.”

As he spoke, he saw the Yi siblings putting their full effort into tossing more Water Balls to various spots within the penalty area. The sight made Rong Taotao’s expression sour.

”Come and get us!” Suddenly, the older brother Yi Han’s taunting shout carried across the field.

”Is that all you’ve got? Trying to play mind games with me?” Rong Taotao smirked. ”How humble can you two get? Your actions don’t match your words. You’re not the taunting type, so you can stop trying to provoke me.”

Yi Han scratched his head awkwardly. ”Er...”

”Then don’t you come over!” his sister, Yi Bing, suddenly yelled. ”We’ll wait twenty minutes and let the referee decide who wins!”

”Shut up,” Gao Lingwei said, her face dark as she looked at Yi Bing.

”Ooh...” Yi Bing flinched, immediately falling silent. She adopted a meek, submissive expression that left Rong Taotao a little dumbfounded.

’Jeez, how much of a psychological trauma did Gao Lingwei inflict on her?’

’Is Da Wei really that terrifying?’

’We’re opponents in battle! It’s supposed to be a life-or-death struggle at the slightest disagreement! What are you doing, coming onto the field to get a lecture?’

’Snap out of it! This is the competition grounds! Gao Lingwei is your opponent, not your teacher or your parent!’

A truly bizarre scene unfolded on the field, one that certainly no one had expected.

Rong Taotao raised a hand and smoothed it down Gao Lingwei’s back, as if calming a bristling Snowball Cat. ”Don’t let them lead you by the nose,” he said.

”Mm.” Gao Lingwei nodded lightly, her gaze drifting thoughtfully over the puddles before them. Although there was no direct Attribute advantage between Ocean Soul Martial Artists and Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists, in terms of their physical manifestation, Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists held the upper hand.

Even if Gao Lingwei’s Snow Realm Soul Skills didn’t deal double damage when hitting the Yi siblings, she could still freeze their water into ice.