Master of Nine Stars

「The next afternoon, in a hotel room in Starfield Town.」

The four of them, teacher and students, were gathered in Yang Chunxi’s room, their eyes glued to the television screen.

Well... the group had rushed to Starfield Theme Park the previous night, but judging by the current situation, it seemed to make no difference whether they had come or not. The four of them were still dutifully holed up in their hotel, watching the other three teams face off.

They had been watching matches all day. The morning’s matches had Rong Taotao shouting in excitement, but the afternoon’s matches... especially this grand finale... the scenes from the battle were simply horrifying!

”Hiss...” Watching the astonishing scene on the television, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

’Was this what they called a stampede of ten thousand... no, ten thousand camels!?’

And they were skeletal camels, their bodies engulfed in raging flames!

The sight was simply too breathtaking.

This offensive Divine Skill from Wanqi Wu created a scene of utter magnificence!

Putting aside the searing heat of this herd of skeletal fire camels, their impact force alone would be enough to send a person flying and trample their body to pieces, right?

After all, these were pure camel skeletons, devoid of the iconic fleshy humps.

As a result, each burning skeleton looked like a bizarre, terrifying monster. Their long limbs and neck bones, combined with their towering frames, were a particularly chilling sight!

”Is that an Elite-tier Soul Skill?” Rong Taotao asked, staring in astonishment at the herd of flaming skeletal camels. ”If this was the original, standard-level version, how much more terrifying would it look? I haven’t seen him use this in previous matches, have I?”

Gao Lingwei’s expression was grave. ”There’s no doubt. We’re all familiar with his list of Soul Skills; he just hasn’t used this one until now. He’s probably been pushed into a corner and can’t hide it anymore. Those two Yan Zhao Soul Martial Artists on the other side are very strong.”

Yang Chunxi also replied, ”It’s Elite-tier, no question. It comes from the eponymous Soul Pearl of a Molten Soul Beast - Corpse Fire Camel.

”Corpse Fire Camels are very high-level and mature extremely quickly. It’s not easy to find a low-level, Elite-tier Soul Pearl from one. It must have been a reward given to Wanqi Wu by Dajiang Soul Martial.

”It’s just like with you two. You couldn’t have possibly obtained a low-level Soul Pearl like the Snow Grudge Spirit’s by yourselves. It could only have been a gift from the school or the military.”

”Hmm...” Rong Taotao’s brow furrowed. As he watched the screen, a million questions flooded his mind.

Without a doubt, this was a Soul Skill!

A Soul Skill that summoned a herd of skeletal fire camels to charge the opponent.

’But... riding a Soul Pet is one thing, but you can ride a Soul Skill too?’

The competition strictly followed the World Cup rules, which forbade the use of Soul Pets in matches. As a result, it had always been purely human versus human.

Yet at this very moment, the Wanqi Siblings, Wanqi Wu and Wanqi Yan, took a running start and leaped directly onto the camels’ backs. Amidst the grand formation of dozens of Corpse Fire Camels, they charged straight through, barreling toward the Yan Zhao Soul Martial Artists on the other side.

Wanqi Wu’s rugged and unrestrained roar, one that could make one’s blood boil, echoed in their ears. ”Kill!!!”

A stirring call to battle, a herd of Fire Camels bellowing toward the sky, a breathtakingly magnificent scene...

Rong Taotao even felt a layer of goosebumps rise on his skin!

’So damn cool!’

’Only these Magma Soul Martial Artists would dare to ride such Fire Camels. Anyone else would probably burn their butts off...’

”BELLOW!!!”

”RUMBLE~”

As the herd of camels stampeded, they left a trail of scorched earth. Not only did the turf wither, but flames had already begun to spread!

This was the Starfield arena; there was no water or anything else to stop the flames from spreading. In an instant, the green field was on fire.

Wanqi Yan sat atop the skeleton of a Fire Camel, her long hair flying in the wind. Dressed in fiery red, her clothes were slightly disheveled from the fierce battle, but it did nothing to diminish her aura. She radiated a heroic and commanding presence!

Suddenly, she raised a hand high, not in a grasping motion, but in an inviting one, as if she were summoning the heavens... the heavens...

”SCREECH~!!!” In that instant, the sharp, piercing cry of a phoenix tore through the sky. High above, countless Fire Elements suddenly coalesced into a gigantic fire phoenix, which let out a deafening shriek as it burned with raging flames!

The next moment, the massive fire phoenix dove down!

And as the fire phoenix charged downward, Wanqi Yan’s hand, which had been inviting the heavens, suddenly splayed its five slender fingers wide!

”SCREECH!!!”

”SCREECH!!!”

In that moment, the spectators discovered that the giant fire phoenix had transformed into dozens, even hundreds, of smaller fire phoenixes, which plummeted down like a dense rain of fire.

’Is she going for a carpet bombing? A wide-area attack?!’

Wanqi Yan’s arm slowly lowered, only stopping when her palm was aimed in the direction of her two opponents.

In the close-up, a victor’s smile graced Wanqi Yan’s face. The Corpse Fire Camel beneath her was ablaze, the raging flames even licking at her face, yet she remained completely unharmed, not even her clothes singed.

Amidst the dancing flames, Wanqi Yan’s smile flickered in and out of view, creating an image that was both eerie and beautiful.

Suddenly, the camera cut to Wanqi Wu.

At this moment, Wanqi Wu was no longer in his red competition uniform. His body... was wreathed in Heavy Armor forged from flames, looking supremely majestic!

Not only did he have armor, but he even had a helmet. From within his half-helm, a valiant face was revealed.

In his hand, he produced a heavy weapon exclusive to heavy cavalry, forged from flames: a Ma Shuo!

The massive, long, and straight Ma Shuo pointed forward as Wanqi Wu roared, ”Yan Zhao!!!”

RUMBLE...

Before the skeletal camels could even reach the enemy, the group of small fire phoenixes diving from the sky had already set the entire field ablaze!

There wasn’t even anywhere to hide!

That massive flock of small phoenixes blotted out the sky as they dove, covering nearly a quarter of the field!

At that moment, Rong Taotao suddenly understood what Yang Chunxi had said before. If they were to face Modu Soul Martial and encounter the so-called Ocean Soul Technique, Nine Heavens Great Waterfall, they probably wouldn’t have anywhere to hide either.

’With that kind of casting speed, the diving speed of the Phoenix Group, and the sheer area of effect of the Soul Skill’s bombardment... how could anyone dodge that?’

For a moment, the television screen was filled with a sea of flames, with the faint silhouettes of figures trapped within the raging inferno. Miserable screams were endless.

”I can’t see anything...” Rong Taotao said anxiously. But although the camera angle switched several times, it was as if it hadn’t switched at all—all it showed was a sea of fire.

The difference between watching on TV at home and spectating live finally became apparent. Fortunately, the camera immediately switched to a high-angle overhead view, revealing that the southwest corner of the green field was a veritable inferno.

You couldn’t see anything at all.

The Corpse Fire Camels were, after all, a Soul Skill cast by Wanqi Wu, not Soul Pets. This meant that these creatures, which resembled Soul Pets in form, lacked much in the way of intelligence or thought.

One after another, the Corpse Fire Camels charged out of the fiery arena and slammed headfirst into the defensive barrier at the edge of the field.

The crashing sounds came one after another, endlessly.

For a moment, the spectators in the southwest corner all feared for their safety, screaming and fleeing in panic.

”CRACK!”

”CRASH...” The flaming skeletal camels shattered as they collided with the Starfield defensive shield, which had been jointly activated by the staff. Shards of bone littered the ground, a truly horrifying sight!

Then, amidst the great fire, the skeletons scattered across the scorched earth all dissolved into Soul Power and vanished without a trace, a sight that made people click their tongues in wonder.

”TWEET~! TWEET!!!” On the field, the referee’s sharp whistle blew.

Watching the fire on the television screen, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but ask, ”Is it over?”

”It should be,” Yang Chunxi said, shaking her head with a sense of resignation. ”Throughout history, when infantry faced a charge from a large cavalry force, the victor was usually decided in a single clash.”

As she spoke, Yang Chunxi pressed her lips together. ”Although the other side aren’t pure infantry—they have Soul Skills—the Wanqi Siblings have Soul Skills too. That flock of dive-bombing fire phoenixes pretty much decided the outcome of this match.

”Even in a human stampede, if you fall, it’s very difficult to get back up. Not to mention being blown over and falling in front of a charging herd of camels...”

Rong Taotao clenched his fists. A moment later, he saw a team of medics extinguish the flames on and around the injured players and begin treatment on the spot, not even having time to move them to the infirmary.

The match had been going on for fifteen or sixteen minutes. Before this, the Molten Rock Siblings and the Yan Zhao Brothers had been locked in a tight, back-and-forth battle.

But then, a cornered Wanqi Wu, with just a single coordinated move with his sister Wanqi Yan, ended the match in one fell swoop...

The explosive power of the Magma Soul Martial Artists wasn’t just in the output of their Soul Skills, but also in their ability to turn the tide of a battle.

The Yan Zhao Brothers hadn’t failed to resist, nor had they simply sat back and waited for defeat. They had attacked and tried to dodge, but...

The mindless Corpse Fire Camels were completely fearless, charging without a thought for their own destruction, and the diving Phoenix Group was astonishingly fast!

In Rong Taotao’s view, Wanqi Wu leaped lightly off the Corpse Fire Camel beneath him, and the heavy cavalry weapon in his hand, the Fiery Flame Horse Armor, dissipated into thin air.

”BANG!” The last Corpse Fire Camel on the field crashed headlong into the defensive barrier and shattered. Clad in his Flame Armor, Wanqi Wu turned to look back at the field he had charged across, his eyes falling on his two incapacitated opponents.

In truth, Wanqi Wu had held back at the last moment. That long Ma Shuo should have pierced a hole straight through his enemy’s body...

A Soul Pearl’s Soul Skill, as a ”tool” in the hands of a Soul Martial Artist, could naturally enhance their strength through its efficacy and Quality.

The effect of a Warrior holding a pistol is completely different from one holding an assault rifle.

This was also why all Soul Martial Students dreamed of getting into the four top academies. It came down to one word: resources!

And resources came in many forms; rewarded Soul Pearl Soul Skills were, of course, one of them.

”Mew~” The Snowball Cat let out a soft cry. It had been curled up on Gao Lingwei’s lap, enjoying its owner’s gentle pets, but for some reason, its owner’s grip had suddenly tightened.

The Snowball Cat turned its head, looking up at Gao Lingwei pitifully with its big, azure-blue eyes.

Gao Lingwei snapped back to her senses and gave it an apologetic smile, gently stroking the Snowball Cat’s soft little body.

Ever since the tournament began, Gao Lingwei’s hand had been stroking the Snowball Cat out of habit, an unconscious action. Her attention had long been captivated by the television screen.

But just now, after watching the Wanqi Siblings’ explosive damage output...

Yang Chunxi clearly noticed the heavy atmosphere in the room.

She glanced at Gao Lingwei, who was quietly petting her cat, then at Rong Taotao, who was staring silently at the screen. Yang Chunxi spoke up, ”Come on, let’s go get some dinner.”

”Let’s go!” Rong Taotao shot to his feet. As expected, upon hearing the word ”dinner,” his response was very enthusiastic!

With that, Rong Taotao walked over to Gao Lingwei, scooped up the Snowball Cat, and took her hand. ”Let’s go, Da Wei. We’ll figure out how to take them down while we eat!”

Allowing Rong Taotao to pull her up, Gao Lingwei stood and looked at his ambitious expression. She nodded, uttering a single word: ”Okay!”