Master of Nine Stars

An extra Chapter for the wonderful fan, Happy Little Bambi.

...

Wearing a miniature microphone, Rong Taotao surveyed the arena.

Patches of pure white frost and snow dotted the distant green field. ’So this is the so-called Snow Realm home-field advantage?’

’There’s barely any snow at all...’

"Go, Rong Taotao! Go, Gao Lingwei!" A familiar, piercing voice cut through the deafening roar of the crowd and reached Rong Taotao’s ears.

He turned his head and saw the Yuan Brothers, Yuan Tianri and Yuan Tiancheng, in the front row. They were wearing black winter hats, leaning halfway over the railing, and pumping their fists at him.

A smile spread across Rong Taotao’s face as he waved back at the Yuan Brothers.

At that, the crowd in that section erupted.

"No pressure, Coach Rong, Gao Lingwei!" Yuan Tianri shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Just do your thing!"

"Run ’em through! Let everyone see that Heaven-piercing Halberd of yours!" his younger brother, Yuan Tiancheng, yelled, raising a tightly clenched fist and punching the air in Rong Taotao’s direction.

Rong Taotao clenched his own fist and gave Yuan Tiancheng an air bump.

’My schoolmates are here too,’ he thought. ’No resentment, no distance between us.’

’These are my people. The teammates I’ll be fighting alongside in the national tournament.’

Gao Lingwei pursed her lips and put an arm around Rong Taotao’s shoulder. At the official’s signal, they stepped onto the grassy field.

The two of them took their positions on the east side of the field. Across from them, on the west side, two other figures emerged.

They were two nearly identical men: the brothers, Guan Cang and Guan Qiong.

Before the match, the brothers’ eyes weren’t sharp, and they lacked their typical "mad dog" aggression. To everyone’s surprise, the opponents who should have been waiting on the west side of the field started walking toward them.

The Yuan Brothers had done something similar during the quarterfinals, but they were schoolmates. ’What do these two want?’

With more than sixty thousand people in the stadium—and the entire nation—watching, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei didn’t put on airs. They walked forward to meet them.

At the center circle, the elder brother, Guan Cang, extended his right hand.

This was a scene most people were happy to see. The Huaxia People valued sportsmanship, and most preferred a graceful, humble gentleman.

Unfortunately, this was an arena—one where victory and defeat, life and death, were decided. So, unlike in other competitive sports, once Soul Martial Artists began to fight, it was very difficult for either side to maintain that sportsmanship.

"I’ve heard a great deal about you, Rong Taotao, Gao Lingwei," Guan Cang said.

"A pleasure," Rong Taotao replied with a smile, shaking Guan Cang’s hand and nodding.

’As long as the fight hasn’t started, anyone can keep up appearances.’

Guan Cang continued, "You’re still young, and you have so much potential. In fact, you’ve already begun to realize that potential and have achieved a great deal.

You have a very bright future ahead of you. I hope you won’t be reckless for a moment’s glory. When the time comes, you should know when to surrender.

After all, blades have no eyes in the arena. Accidents happen, and no one wants to see a promising rookie like you meet an untimely end."

Rong Taotao gave him a strange look. "Are you serious? Trying to talk me into surrendering before the fight even starts?"

Guan Cang hesitated for a moment before speaking. "My younger brother left you a message before. He wasn’t lying. Coincidentally, we’re also the type to risk it all."

Rong Taotao just shrugged.

The younger brother, Guan Qiong, cut in. "We’ve seen your fighting style and philosophy. If you keep fighting like that, you’re the one who’s going to get killed."

"Since you already know my style, do you really think I care about that?" Rong Taotao laughed. "It just means there’ll be one less interesting person in the world."

Before they could respond, Rong Taotao added, "But at the same time, there’ll be one more interesting soul."

Hearing this, Guan Cang and Guan Qiong were stunned. And it wasn’t just them; Dai Liunian and Su Wan, the commentators for the Huaxia Main Channel, were also a bit bewildered.

No one had expected this seemingly friendly pre-match handshake to escalate the stakes to this level. And the response from Rong Taotao, who was considered the underdog... It was something else.

The sixty thousand spectators in the stadium couldn’t hear what was being said, but for the millions watching at home on their TVs and computers, the exchange caused an uproar.

’This kid really is something else, isn’t he?’

The media reports hadn’t been exaggerated. This kid really was someone who treated life and death with a casual air.

He spoke softly and seemed completely at ease, but his words packed a real punch.

On the Huaxia Main Channel’s live stream, waves of comments flooded the screen:

"First time watching Rong Taotao fight. This kid’s got so much style, I’m a fan, I’m a fan..."

"Can you really trust his performance in the highlight reels? Lots of people look like gods in their highlights, but when you watch a full match, they just fade into mediocrity."

"Bro! Trust me! Just watch! You won’t regret stanning him! His skills are the real deal, no fluff, 100% legit! Every single frame of our Taotao is a highlight!"

"Just this pre-match exchange is highlight-reel material on its own. Man... I think I’m starting to believe you."

"Gao Lingwei is so beautiful! She seems so cool and aloof. Does she not like to talk?"

"Oof, that hits home, bro! Our Goddess Wei is the one and only King of Guanwai from high school. Back when she was leading her own team, she’d still find a moment in her busy schedule to give us a perfunctory reply.

Ever since she teamed up with Rong Taotao, he does all the talking, and her Weibo is filled with pictures of him!