Master of Nine Stars

Gao Lingwei didn’t seem to care that she, a Soul Captain, had been defeated. On the contrary, she was proud and thrilled by Rong Taotao’s incredible feat.

As a reporter for the Huaxia Main Channel, Dai Liunian had seen all sorts of people, and his sharp perception picked up on something.

Whatever Gao Lingwei’s state of mind had been on the day of her defeat, right here, right now, for her, it was no longer about "I." It was all about "we."

Gao Lingwei was clearly, genuinely happy for Rong Taotao, and proud of him.

Dai Liunian looked at Rong Taotao, who was covering his face with a wry smile. "Congratulations on defeating a Soul Captain and gaining an excellent teammate."

"Ah." Rong Taotao rubbed his face, composed himself, and let out a deep sigh. "Everyone gets dumplings on New Year’s, right?"

Dai Liunian was speechless.

Dai Liunian didn’t press for details about the battle. Instead, he used it as a lead-in. "Rong Taotao, your strength has grown at an incredible speed. Everyone can see it."

"A typical talented Soul Martial Student takes a full three years of high school to reach the Peak of Soul Warrior. Just like the high school King of Guanwai beside you—her final report card to the world at the Outer Region tournament finals was Peak of Soul Warrior. But you..."

"Just now, I was chatting with your team leader and learned that you’re already at the Peak of Soul Warrior."

"From your awakening last July until now, it’s only been one year and four months. In one year and four months, you’ve covered a journey that takes others over three years."

Rong Taotao shrugged. "Everyone gets dumplings on New Year’s, right?"

Dai Liunian was speechless.

’Good grief, is that his universal answer?!’

’Yes! Everyone gets dumplings on New Year’s!’

’But who has a New Year’s like you do? For you, it’s New Year’s every day!’

Dai Liunian stammered for a moment before saying, "Student Rong Taotao, you have quite a sense of humor. And it seems your New Year’s comes around a bit frequently, hmm?"

"Well, what can I say? Life is good now." Rong Taotao waved his hand dismissively. "Meat with every meal, New Year’s every day."

Dai Liunian was speechless.

’What is he even talking about?’

Dai Liunian knew he’d met his match.

He was a battle-hardened reporter, but at this moment, he was actually starting to regret interviewing Rong Taotao. He had a feeling he wouldn’t get a straight answer out of him...

"Heh." Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but chuckle, gently bumping Rong Taotao’s shoulder. "Behave yourself."

Rong Taotao nodded and said, "It’s also why I’m able to stand here at the national tournament. Talent, hard work, and luck—you can’t succeed without all three."

"Hmm..." Dai Liunian mulled it over for a moment and decided not to press further. Regarding the issue of the Lotus Petal, the Huaxia Main Channel knew to only ask superficially. But it seemed this Rong Taotao was even more aware, and would only give nonsensical answers.

Dai Liunian said, "Why not wait another two years? Soul Martial Students can only participate in a tournament like this once. If you gave up this chance and chose to compete two years from now, wouldn’t your team have a much better shot?"

Gao Lingwei spoke up, "We like a challenge."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Rong Taotao’s profile. "Challenging strong opponents, and challenging ourselves."

Rong Taotao turned to look at Gao Lingwei as well and asked in return, "But if we came back in two years, wouldn’t that be unfair to our opponents?"

Gao Lingwei was taken aback for a second. Seeing the earnest look in his eyes, the corners of her mouth slowly curled up into a smile that was both confident and radiant.

Seeing this scene, Dai Liunian couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. ’They’re really... just too perfect for each other.’

Looks, strength, mindset, heart.

A team like this is just too in sync...

"Ahem." From behind the camera, Yang Chunxi coughed lightly.

Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao broke their gaze and turned back to Dai Liunian.

"Er, Student Rong Taotao, let’s talk about you," Dai Liunian said, changing the subject. "Ever since you took first place in the Outer Region ranking tournament, the post you published on Weibo has attracted immense attention from all corners of society, even creating a media frenzy."

"Now, many people know where you’re from. Is there anything you’d like to say to everyone?"

Rong Taotao: "Actually, while the post was written in the first person, using ’I,’ it really represents all Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists."

Dai Liunian: "Oh?"

Rong Taotao thought for a moment. "The Snow Realm is a harsh and bitter land. Although it’s part of Huaxia, it feels like another world, isolated from everything else."

"For the vast majority of people in society... hmm..."

"People have only heard the name ’Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist,’ but they don’t know their stories."

"People only know what Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists have done, but they don’t know what they’ve been through."

"If my post can pique people’s curiosity, or make them pay more attention and be more willing to understand the Snow Realm, then my goal has been achieved."

"People won’t just know where I come from, but where ’we’ come from."

"Heh..." Off-camera, Dai Liunian let out a soft sigh. Of course, that sigh would be edited out later.

It was precisely because Rong Taotao was still so young that these words left Dai Liunian so full of admiration.

’Perspective. True perspective.’

’This kid’s thinking is very clear. He knows exactly what he wants.’

’So the question is, if you have a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist like this, a young man with this kind of mentality, wouldn’t you look forward to his future?’

Dai Liunian firmly believed that after this program aired, many people would feel the same way he did, eager to anticipate and witness this boy’s growth.

He looked at Rong Taotao and said sincerely, "I truly hope you can make it to the national top eight and represent Huaxia in the Soul Martial World Cup."

’A young man like this deserves to be the face of Huaxia, doesn’t he?’

"Keep hoping. No need to be too pessimistic, though." Rong Taotao leaned back in his chair and said casually, "After all, everyone gets dumplings on New Year’s, right?"

Dai Liunian was speechless.

’I only asked one question! We were just getting on the right track, how did we end up back here?’

"Ahem." Behind the camera, Yang Chunxi’s light cough was heard again.

Rong Taotao glanced over at Yang Chunxi and saw the reproachful look from his dear sister-in-law.

"Uh..." Rong Taotao thought for a moment and said, "Everyone is also welcome to visit Songbai Town. I’m not just saying that. We have the grandest New Year’s Eve celebration, which lasts from the first day of the new year all the way to the fifteenth."

"The saying ’trees of fire and flowers of silver in a Nightless Heaven’ describes our town perfectly. It’s beautiful."

Dai Liunian silently watched Rong Taotao. ’The way you’re so passionately promoting your hometown, you’re exactly like one of those live-streaming sellers!’

’Hmm, but unlike those streamers who only have eyes for money, you’re promoting your hometown, promoting the Snow Realm.’

Dai Liunian smiled, tidied up his script, and continued with his questions.

Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao answered fluently. The hour passed quickly, though it was likely that most of it would be cut in the final edit.

When the interview finally ended and the camera was turned off, Dai Liunian stood up, came forward, and once again extended his hand to Rong Taotao. Only this time, his demeanor was much more sincere than when they first met.

The more he got to know Rong Taotao, the more moved Dai Liunian felt, and his attitude had changed again and again.

"I wish you the best of luck in the tournament." Dai Liunian shook Rong Taotao’s hand but didn’t let go.

"Ah, thank you," Rong Taotao nodded. Under his sister-in-law’s stern gaze, he finally refrained from mentioning dumplings.

Dai Liunian suddenly said, "Can I add you on WeChat? I’m sure that as the tournament progresses, I’ll have many more questions. You want to contribute to the Snow Realm, and I want to publish articles, one report after another. It’s a win-win, what do you say?"

"Sure," Rong Taotao nodded, pulling out his phone. While opening the app, he said, "Actually, you can just ask me on Weibo. I’ll follow you, so I’ll see your questions."

"If you message me directly on WeChat, it’ll be awkward for me to ignore you. On Weibo, don’t DM me either. Just leave a normal comment with your question. That way, if I don’t answer, we both have some plausible deniability."

Dai Liunian’s expression was quite a sight. ’Good grief, so blunt...’

’If only you were this straightforward when answering questions. How many times did you mention ’dumplings’ in that one-hour interview?’