Master of Nine Stars

July 25th, Fengtian Peace District Sports Center.

Yang Chunxi, Xia Fangran, Rong Taotao, and Gao Lingwei were sitting in the player’s locker room, seriously preparing for the match.

This stadium was a bit old and couldn’t compare to the previous Fengtian Olympic Sports Center. Not only was the locker room somewhat rundown, but you could even faintly hear the murmur of the crowd from inside.

Yang Chunxi had her arms crossed as she listened intently to her two students’ match plan.

As for Xia Fangran... well, he was busy flaming someone online.

Dressed in flip-flops, a T-shirt, and shorts, he was casually crossing his legs and playing on his phone. His posture, his whole vibe... he looked just like a street loafer who did nothing but wander around all day.

All he was missing was a clutch bag tucked under his arm!

But Xia Fangran’s two good disciples were taking things very seriously.

Rong Taotao held a file in his hands, his eyes glued to the TV. He wasn’t watching a live broadcast, but a recording.

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had already watched the recording of the siblings, Tang Yang and Tang Meng, many times. In the short clip, which was less than three minutes long, Rong Taotao couldn’t pick out too many specific details, but it was enough to see the big picture.

After the sub-three-minute recording finished, Rong Taotao lowered his head again to look at the older brother Tang Yang’s profile and suddenly said, ”Da Wei.”

”Hm?” Gao Lingwei turned to look at him.

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together, seemingly hesitating about something, but finally spoke. ”I trust you. Do you trust me?”

”Of course,” Gao Lingwei replied decisively, without a hint of hesitation.

Rong Taotao said, ”That girl, Tang Meng, is definitely a control master. The Soul Skills from her embedded Soul Pearls are also extremely powerful. We have to take her out first.”

”Okay.” Gao Lingwei agreed with Rong Taotao’s plan. Since she had already accepted him as the commander, she would naturally follow his orders unconditionally.

Rong Taotao said, ”I’ll hold off Tang Yang. You go and take on Tang Meng one-on-one. Divide and conquer.”

Hearing this, Gao Lingwei frowned slightly. She finally understood why the first thing Rong Taotao had asked was, ”Do you trust me?”

Having watched the recording countless times, she had, of course, seen Tang Yang’s devastating combat prowess. Tang Yang was a Senior Year student and, more importantly, at the peak of the Soul Captain rank!

Not only was his physical fitness a cut above Rong Taotao’s, but his set of Soul Pearls and Soul Skills was also extremely potent, making his combat ability terrifyingly strong. And Rong Taotao wanted to hold him off all by himself...

Rong Taotao put down the file in his hands and looked into Gao Lingwei’s eyes. ”You don’t trust me.”

Gao Lingwei looked slightly troubled. ”I’m just worried about you, um...”

Rong Taotao said, ”Then before I get crushed by Tang Yang, you crush Tang Meng first.

”We need to get our priorities straight. This is an ocean-type field, after all, with standing water everywhere. If Tang Meng uses her Water Concealing Ghost Hand to disrupt and control the battlefield, the two of us won’t be able to withstand Tang Yang’s furious onslaught.

”Besides, the Torrential Rain Water Needle Soul Skill is also on Tang Meng. This woman must be eliminated, and the sooner, the better!”

Nearby, Yang Chunxi listened to Rong Taotao’s analysis and nodded in satisfaction.

Rong Taotao placed a hand on Gao Lingwei’s shoulder, his expression incredibly serious. ”I don’t have your powerful damage output, so it would be hard for me to handle that job. But I can play defense and hold off Tang Yang.

”When it comes to solo burst damage, you’re at the very top among all the contestants in this tournament.”

Gao Lingwei hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly. ”Okay.”

But Rong Taotao continued, ”Go and duel that girl. Defeat her, both physically and mentally. Can you do that?”

Gao Lingwei suddenly smiled. The ”duel” she used in the last match was just a fake-out, merely a way to buy a few seconds for their offense.

But this time, Rong Taotao was giving a direct order, naming Tang Meng specifically. Duel her!

After all, ever since high school, with her unparalleled and valiant fighting style, she had never been a fan of defensive counterattacks. She much preferred this kind of aggressive, forward-charging style that shattered all opposition.

Seeing the expectant look in Rong Taotao’s eyes, the fighting spirit in Gao Lingwei’s heart began to burn fiercely.

There in the locker room, with both of their teachers present, Gao Lingwei did something rather inappropriate for the occasion.

She tilted her head, pressing Rong Taotao’s hand between her shoulder and cheek. Closing her eyes, she nuzzled it from side to side. ”As you wish.”

Rong Taotao looked at his suddenly gentle and sweet girlfriend and couldn’t help but think to himself:

’As I wish?

’Look how ridiculously happy you are. It’s more like *as you wish*, isn’t it!

’Hmm... but to be fair, Da Wei is so sweet like this, isn’t she?

’So... is it only when you’re happy, when things are going your way, that you occasionally show this side of yourself?

’Maybe I should just let you have your way from now on? Hmm... on second thought, never mind.

’Rong Taotao thought it over and over, but still decided that victory was the most important thing. A girlfriend can be coaxed if she gets angry~ But if you lose the match, it’s gone for good!

Yang Chunxi suddenly spoke up. ”It’s time to go on.”

Rong Taotao didn’t move, however. He gently squeezed Gao Lingwei’s shoulder and said, ”Promise me, no matter what happens on my side of the battlefield, you can’t get distracted. Don’t worry about me. Duel Tang Meng, and only after you’ve defeated her, come and check on me.”

”Alright!”

Led by the staff and their two teachers, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei walked out of the locker room and into the old stadium.

This stadium had been around for years. Although it was old, the attendance rate was extremely high. In a world that revered Soul Martial arts, people paid close attention to Soul Martial competitions, especially the biennial university ranking tournament, which could be considered the highest-level open tournament in all of Huaxia.

This wasn’t just true for Huaxia, but for the entire world. The university level was the highest standard of open competition a country could offer.

In a world where the Soul Martial profession was developing rapidly, there were many other commercial tournaments, but they were far too commercialized and lacked the purity of the university competitions.

As Rong Taotao cooperated with the on-site staff to put on a miniature microphone, he turned his gaze toward the vast green field.

The field... looked as if it had just been drenched by a downpour. There was standing water everywhere.

Moreover, the field had been deliberately made uneven, with puddles of all sizes dotting the green turf, visible everywhere.

For other Soul Martial Artists, this might slightly hinder their movement. But for Ocean Soul Martial Artists, every single puddle, big or small, could be a spot from which they could unleash a fatal Soul Skill!

”Contestants may now enter the field,” the young staff member said before quickly exiting.

Rong Taotao felt a pang of regret. This young staffer wasn’t the same one he’d met at the Olympic Sports Center. Rong Taotao had been thinking that if he saw him again, he would have to thank him for his earlier encouragement.

”They’re coming in! The contestants are finally entering the field!” On the north side of the stands, Li Gang sat in the commentator’s booth, his face alight with excitement. ”Before the match, we introduced the profiles of the competitors. And now, the long-awaited match is about to begin!

”Will the dark horses, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao, continue their dark horse run, or will the traditional powerhouse from Liaolian Soul Martial University, Tang Yang and Tang Meng, claim victory? Xiaoyang, what are your thoughts?”

Yang Xiaoyang smiled and said, ”According to the experts’ pre-match predictions, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao are at a definite disadvantage, with only a 3% chance of winning.”

Li Gang chuckled. ”Oh? So you’re also favoring the Tang siblings?”

Yang Xiaoyang gave a radiant smile. ”I’m choosing not to.”

Li Gang: ”...”

The provincial station’s host seemed a bit more lively than the local one, not quite as serious.

Yang Xiaoyang chuckled and changed the subject. ”But I have to say, the contestants in this match are probably the peak of good looks among all the participants this year!

”Look at the handsome Tang Yang, the gentle and beautiful Tang Meng, and the valiant and heroic Gao Lingwei... My goodness, it’s truly a feast for the eyes.

”They’re all frighteningly good-looking to begin with, and the Soul Martial Artist profession does so much to cultivate a person’s aura...”

Li Gang suddenly cut in, ”Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

”Er? Rong Taotao?” Yang Xiaoyang looked slightly awkward. ”Student Rong Taotao, um... is also quite, uh, he looks quite sweet, yes.”

”Haha,” Li Gang couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ”You’ve seen Rong Taotao’s highlight reel, seen him stab himself with an enemy’s knife, and seen him slit an opponent’s throat with his own distinctive style, and you still think he’s ’sweet’?”

Yang Xiaoyang’s expression was a little strange. ”Well, Student Rong Taotao is only 16, after all. And with that head of soft, natural curls, he certainly is deceptive.

”I’ve looked at many experts’ pre-match predictions, and every single one of them says that the Tang siblings from Liaolian Soul Martial University have the advantage in every aspect.

”However, a few experts have indicated that the one area where Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao might have the upper hand is in their ’software’—that is, their mental state and willpower.”

”Mm,” Li Gang nodded in agreement. ”At the end of the day, those two are a pair who fought their way out of the northern Snow Realm.

”Year after year, Pine Soul Soul Martial has managed to dominate against the odds, defying attribute matchups. This is inextricably linked to their harsh living conditions and their life-and-death battle experiences. Oh? We’re hearing Tang Meng speak!”

Li Gang quickly fell silent, listening intently to the words from the field through his headset.

The Tang siblings stood on the eastern half of the field. As the first team set in the match-up list, they had the right to choose their side.

This was unfortunate. The field was already an ocean-type, and on top of that, they got to choose their side.

It was morning, and the sun was still in the east, which meant attacking from the western half of the field would be a slight disadvantage.

Tang Meng straightened her long, flowing hair, twirled the ends with her fingers, and said with a smile, ”Be careful, Student Rong Taotao.”

Rong Taotao: ???

Gao Lingwei: ”...”

”At your age, you shouldn’t be on a battlefield of this level. After all, blades have no eyes.”

Tang Meng, dressed in an ocean-blue tracksuit, was tall and slender with a gentle demeanor. A faint smile on her face, she looked at Rong Taotao from a distance and added one final word: ”Careful.”

”Heh.” The tall and handsome Tang Yang also shook his head with a small laugh. From his expression, it seemed he wasn’t very satisfied with their opponents either.

Gao Lingwei’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly...

She was being looked down on!

That Tang Meng was acting all high and mighty, showing ”concern” for the weak, while Tang Yang’s expression, his smile, his posture—it was all pure contempt for his opponents.

It was as if they already had victory in the bag, not even treating their opponents as human!

It didn’t matter that Rong Taotao had already won a match, or what his past record was; the difference in raw power between the two sides was undeniable and plain to see.

Rong Taotao lifted his elbow, leaned over, and rested it on Gao Lingwei’s shoulder. He turned his head and grinned. ”Looks like you have another reason to crush her.”

Gao Lingwei didn’t speak, only letting out a soft ”Hmph.” through her nose.

For those self-righteous, high-and-mighty Deities, the moment they are crushed, trampled, and fall from their pedestals—for the challenger, that is the most satisfying and exhilarating scene of all, isn’t it?

...

Three Chapters today, 12/17/20