Master of Nine Stars

The next morning, the Outer League made an official announcement: The team from Fengtian Soul Martial University, Tang Xiaoxuan and Tang Xiaoyu, had forfeited the semi-finals due to severe injuries that required ongoing hospitalization. Consequently, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s team automatically advanced to the finals.

The world was already prepared for such news.

It was also the first time Rong Taotao’s team had watched a match from their hotel room.

Regarding the other semi-final matchup, the usually strict Xia Fangran was full of praise for Guan Cang and Guan Qiong.

The two brothers from Baishan Soul Martial University won. Although there were some bumps along the way, the victory was never in doubt. Any discerning eye could see that their opponents were a level below them.

"This isn’t looking good, Rong Taotao." Xia Fangran slumped onto the sofa, watching the two brothers wave to the crowd on the TV screen. He couldn’t help but say, "Starfield Soul Martial Artists... a major Attribute disadvantage."

"Besides, all the injuries the brothers sustained in this match were superficial. The only one that pierced a forearm can easily be healed in two days with the Sea Prayer Radiance Soul Skill."

Yang Chunxi’s expression was grave, and she sighed softly. "As expected of a pair that made it to the finals. They’re truly formidable. Both their style and their strength are top-tier."

"I like opponents like this," Gao Lingwei said suddenly, one hand gently stroking her Snowball Cat’s pristine white fur. "Their desire for victory is written all over their faces."

Rong Taotao shot Gao Lingwei a woeful look and said weakly, "I, um... can also write it on my face."

Hearing this, Gao Lingwei shot Rong Taotao an amused glare. "Just focus on preparing. Since neither of them was seriously injured, they’ll be at one hundred percent for the finals. We’ve got a real fight on our hands."

"Yeah." Rong Taotao dropped the playful act and nodded as well.

The Guan Cang and Guan Qiong brothers didn’t have any Illusionary Soul Pearls for their eyes. So, the question was, for a pair of contestants without eye-based Illusionary Soul Pearls to reach the finals with such a dominant victory, just how terrifying must their physical strength and Martial Arts skills be?

Without a doubt, after watching their match, only two words remained in Rong Taotao’s mind: "mad dogs."

The term, used here, was not derogatory.

It was just like Rong Taotao’s own reckless attitude from before; he had once let Yuan Tiancheng slice his neck with a Snow-made Precepts Saber. That was also a display of the "mad dog" mentality.

"That Chaotic Star Shock Soul Skill is very tricky," Yang Chunxi suddenly said. "It can stir up a vortex of Soul Power at your feet, which will severely impact your movement."

Rong Taotao knew of this Soul Skill and had even experienced it firsthand. He even had a Human-Faced Strange Stone Soul Pearl, a gift from Ye Nanxi.

Unfortunately, that Soul Pearl wasn’t Elite-tier; it was Master-tier. Of course, even if it were Elite-tier, Rong Taotao’s two-star Soul Technique wouldn’t be enough to support the Chaotic Star Shock Soul Skill.

Xia Fangran had clearly gotten much more serious. "A Starfield Soul Martial Artist’s self-cultivated Soul Skill, Star Wave Stream, has incredible killing power."

"Normally, you and Ling Wei should be fighting on the move, but since those brothers have Chaotic Star Shock, you two have to engage in close-quarters combat. This makes things very difficult. You’re caught between a rock and a hard place."

Rong Taotao’s train of thought was crystal clear. "Fighting on the move is impossible. Even though the enemy also has Douxing Qi and a complete advantage in physical strength, we still have to fight them up close."

"There are plenty of ranged Starfield Soul Skills, like Lesser Starfall, Lone Star Fall..."

"No wonder." As he spoke, Rong Taotao leaned back and flopped onto the sofa. "They can attack and defend, fight up close or at a distance. Not only do Starfield Soul Martial Artists have excellent training resources, but their self-cultivated Soul Skills are also incredibly well-rounded. No wonder they’re called the Huaxia Dominators..."

Seeing Rong Taotao’s dejected look, Yang Chunxi offered gentle comfort. "It’s alright, Taotao. You two have already achieved amazing results, far exceeding the expectations of the public and the school."

"As long as you fight with style, you can bow out with your heads held high and no regrets. After all, considering you’re just first-years, no one will have anything bad to say."

Unexpectedly, Xia Fangran actually started speaking like a normal person. "You and Gao Lingwei aren’t like that brother and sister duo with the surname Tang. People know your situation, so they probably won’t flame you."

"Hmph." Rong Taotao pouted. "I was just looking at Tang Xiaoyu’s Weibo yesterday. Everyone was saying she owes Fengtian Soul Martial a championship. Well, great. Now it’s me and Da Wei who owe Pine Soul Soul Martial a championship."

"Haha." Hearing this, Xia Fangran couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Yang Chunxi: ???

"Ahem." Xia Fangran coughed lightly. "Let them say whatever they want. I can’t control other people, but within the bounds of Pine Soul Soul Martial, if anyone dares to say you two owe the Yuan Brothers a championship, I, Xia Fangran, will be the first to teach them a lesson!"

"Remember that. I, Xia Fangran, said it. If anyone dares to run their mouth, I’ll go sort them out!"

Rong Taotao looked at Xia Fangran and, for some reason, felt a flicker of emotion.

’He really is our teacher, after all. Even if he can’t help but enjoy our misfortune a little, deep down, he’s still on his students’ side.’

Gao Lingwei tapped the Snowball Cat’s little head with her finger and said softly, "Fight well. Leave no regrets."

Rong Taotao: "I already have regrets."

Xia Fangran: "Huh? The fight hasn’t even started. What regrets could you have?"

Rong Taotao looked miserable. "Those two brothers are both really skilled with their Star Trace Whips. Sigh... Just the thought of two guys whipping me the day after tomorrow makes my skin crawl."

Xia Fangran stared blankly at Rong Taotao, then suddenly blurted out, "So if it were a woman whipping you, you’d be fine with it?"

Rong Taotao: ???

’I was just thinking you were on my side, and now you’re setting a trap for me right in front of Da Wei?’

’Damn you, Xia Fangran! Slandering my good name like this! Your intentions are despicable! Despicable!!!’

Unexpectedly, Xia Fangran added, "If you’re into that sort of thing, I can teach Gao Lingwei some whip techniques during special training after this tournament."

Rong Taotao righteously shouted, "Silence! I have never seen such a..."

"Hmm?" Xia Fangran glanced at Rong Taotao, raising an eyebrow.

Rong Taotao flinched, timidly lowered his head, and his voice trailed off, yet it became more and more melodic, "...thi-thi-this divination I cast, was the best of luck, but I still can’t let it go~"

Xia Fangran froze for a second, his expression priceless. "Yo? That’s actually pretty catchy. What song is that?"

’What song?’

’A song that can save my life! That’s a good song!’

Taking advantage of the change in topic, Rong Taotao scooted over to Gao Lingwei’s side. "Let’s go. We should get out of the hotel for a bit, clear our heads. The finals aren’t until the day after tomorrow. Seeing you cooped up in the room all the time isn’t good for your state of mind."

"That’s true," Yang Chunxi said, picking up her phone. "I’ll look for a park or something nearby. Ling Wei has been in bed for almost two days. It’d be good to move around and get some fresh air."

"Good idea! Let’s go get some sun!" Xia Fangran’s attention was successfully diverted, and he immediately agreed.

Yang Chunxi arranged for a hotel car and found a park near the outskirts of the city to take the two students for a walk.

Clearly, the two of them were getting plenty of fresh air, but at the same time, they were constantly replenishing and converting their Ice and Snow Attribute Soul Power, not forgetting what was important.

After all, the highly anticipated finals were the day after tomorrow. They were just one step away from their goal.

As for the final result...

They would do their best and leave the rest to fate.

While Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei were walking through the park and cultivating, Rong Taotao’s Weibo account absolutely blew up.

In fact, ever since the siblings Tang Xiaoxuan and Tang Xiaoyu had confirmed their withdrawal, Rong Taotao’s Weibo had already been flooded with comments.

Although there were occasional sour remarks, the vast majority of comments were congratulatory and celebratory.

It was important to remember that the Rong Taotao of today was different from before. His public image was now very positive, and he had earned widespread public approval with his solid track record.

If the First-class contestants Tang Yang and Tang Meng were the first hurdle Rong Taotao cleared, then the internal match at Pine Soul Soul Martial was what allowed him to completely turn his reputation around.

Once a person’s fame matched their strength, the amount of love and support Rong Taotao received grew exponentially, almost doubling day by day.

The National Tournament had not yet begun, and the seven major divisions of Huaxia had just established their respective top eight contestants. Yet, among all the contestants, Rong Taotao’s popularity was in a league of its own, with no one else even coming close.

Pine Soul Soul Martial, Junior Class, Soul Skill creator, son of a Soul General.

After the undeserved accusation of being a "fraud" was completely shattered, these labels, one after another, elevated Rong Taotao’s prestige to incredible heights.

In a world that revered Soul Martial Arts, people paid close attention to the highest-level tournaments. But in all the years past, no one had ever reached such a level of explosive popularity before the National Tournament had even started.

And for that very reason, a comment from Guan Qiong attracted a massive amount of attention.

It was only at night, while lying in bed and looking at his phone, that Rong Taotao discovered the comment Guan Qiong had left that morning.

Judging by the time of the comment, did the brothers post it impatiently the moment they got back to the locker room after their victory?

Baishan Soul Martial - Guan Qiong: "@Nourishing People, for almost two weeks now, all I see is news about you, whether my eyes are open or closed. I never expected we’d meet in the finals."

"What a coincidence. I’m also the type to fight with my life on the line."

Below it was an assortment of comments:

"Pfft~ Our Taotao will poke you to death with one jab of his halberd!"

"Go easy on him, bro. You’ll be comrades in the same trench later, representing the Outer Region Division to compete for the national championship."

"Top-tier Starfield, can fight long or short range, can attack, defend, and control. Tsk... Although Guan the Second sounds a bit provocative, his strength is undeniable, so he has the right to be arrogant. It’ll definitely be a tough fight for Rong Taotao."

Happy Life: "Just fight him, what’s with all the crap? So what if he’s a mad dog? You think Taotao would be afraid of a fighter like that? Let’s see who’s more mad, who’s more of a dog? Our Taotao won’t lose in that department!"

Rong Taotao’s finger froze slightly. Seeing the familiar ID, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xia Fangran! The God of Sarcasm!

You could never even tell if he was praising you or insulting you.

Rong Taotao thought for a moment, then, with heartfelt admiration, replied directly to Happy Life: "6666666..."

In the double room, on the bed by the window, Xia Fangran was fiddling with his phone when he suddenly laughed out loud. "Yo, he replied to me. What, feeling pretty impressed, are you?"

"Hmph." Rong Taotao snorted, tossed his phone onto the nightstand, and rolled over to sleep.

Having received his disciple’s approval, Xia Fangran was clearly in an excellent mood, humming a little tune under his breath: "Endlessly guess, guess, guessing, I cast another divination, good or bad fortune, still worried and afraid..."

Rong Taotao: "..."

’Damn, he’s already learned it?’

"Coach Xia."

"Yeah?"

"Could you sing something a little more auspicious?"

"Quiet, can’t you hear I’m telling your fortune right now..."

"Fine." Rong Taotao pouted, grabbed the blanket, and pulled it over his head.

"Yip?" In the pitch-black space under the covers, a Cloud Dog materialized. It stuck out its small, pink tongue and licked Rong Taotao’s cheek.

Rong Taotao hugged the Cloud Dog close to his face, nuzzling its little head with his cheek.

"Mmm~" The Cloud Dog curled up its body, found a comfortable position, and settled down.

He gently stroked its fur, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Just one step left. The final step.