Master of Nine Stars

"It’s over! Yuan Tiancheng! It’s over!" Rong Taotao wielded his Long Halberd, charging at the older brother, Yuan Tianri, who had been sent flying. He made several feints with his halberd while shouting to provoke the younger brother, Yuan Tiancheng.

Tiny stars shot out one after another, speeding straight toward Yuan Tianri.

"Rise!!!" With an enraged roar, Yuan Tiancheng slammed a hand on the ground, displaying astonishing combat awareness and adaptability!

A seeded player, through and through!

An Ice Pillar shot up from beneath his brother, Yuan Tianri. Although it wasn’t a snow-and-ice environment, the frost and snow left scattered about during the fight still gave Yuan Tiancheng room to maneuver.

Due to the limited amount of frost and snow, the Ice Pillar didn’t rise very high, but its upward force was immense, directly knocking his brother aside.

Yuan Tiancheng’s use of his Soul Skill was exceptionally clever, and his positioning was even more brilliant. The Ice Pillar pushed against his brother’s shoulder, sending him flying off at an angle.

CRASH! Rong Taotao’s knee shattered the Ice Pillar. He had intended to feint again with his Long Halberd, but he abruptly turned and brought it up to block!

CLANG! The Precepts Saber and the Snow Halberd collided heavily once more.

Yuan Tiancheng descended like a divine soldier, his speed terrifyingly fast. He slashed at the Halberd Shaft, sending Rong Taotao flying.

Under the immense force, the backward-flying Rong Taotao grimaced in pain. He instantly let go of the Long Halberd, shaking his numb and aching hands.

Yuan Tiancheng’s movements were fluid as he charged forward, but then he heard Rong Taotao’s enraged shout: "Your brother is already dead!"

"What?" Yuan Tiancheng instinctively turned his head, only to see a series of small stars plummeting from the sky!

Starfield Soul Skill: Minor Starfall!

In that brief instant, there was nothing more Yuan Tiancheng could do. He could only manage a desperate cry, "Brother!"

WHOOSH... A Dark Gold Heavy Hammer came smashing straight for Yuan Tiancheng’s face!

But unbelievably, Yuan Tiancheng’s reaction speed was simply astonishing! As if by pure instinct, in the nick of time, he threw up his arm to protect his face!

THUD! Yuan Tiancheng was sent flying by the Dark Gold Heavy Hammer. Would this tiny mistake, this instinctive turn of his head, cost him the entire match?

"Getting distracted on the battlefield? Did you think I was a pushover?!" Rong Taotao landed firmly on his feet. The immense force still had him sliding backward, but his hands were a blur, hurling one Heaven-piercing Halberd after another!

Yuan Tiancheng, who had been sent flying, had the hammer smash solidly against his arm, which in turn slammed into his face. He had no time to gather a Snow Burst Ball, nor did he have the ability to reposition himself in mid-air. The javelins of the Heaven-piercing Halberd were already upon him!

"Holy shit... Holy shit!!!"

"Ah! Snap out of it!"

"Noooooo!"

It should have been either Gao Lingwei or Yuan Tianri who was eliminated first, but no one had expected that the first one out would very likely be the younger brother with the god-like skills, Yuan Tiancheng.

It all came down to one detail! All it took was one opportunity!

WHOOSH... A sudden gale rose from the ground, sweeping out and scattering several of the Heaven-piercing Halberd javelins. It also sent Yuan Tiancheng, who had just barely managed to form a sheet of Ice Glass, flying.

The Ice Glass in his hands wasn’t even fully formed, only a few times larger than his palm. But after that tornado, Yuan Tiancheng was out of danger.

TWEET! TWEET! The referee immediately blew his whistle and looked to the side of the field.

The team leader on the west side of the field raised his right hand. While still casting a Soul Skill, he shouted, "We forfeit! I forfeit on behalf of the Yuan Tianri and Yuan Tiancheng team!"

"It’s... over? This feels like a fucking dream!"

"Now *that’s* a fucking fight! My head is buzzing! Life and death in a second—either you become a ghost or a god!"

"Rong Taotao! Forever a god!!!"

"To be fair, the younger brothers on both teams have had some really impressive plays..."

Amidst the uproar, the referee announced, "The team leader for Songjiang Soul Martial’s Yuan Tianri and Yuan Tiancheng has forfeited. The winners are Songjiang Soul Martial’s Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei!"

Rong Taotao planted his Long Halberd on the ground, finally halting his backward slide. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

From all directions, waves of applause and cheers washed over him, roaring like a tidal wave toward Rong Taotao in the center of the arena.

Rong Taotao, however, looked to the sidelines and saw Xia Fangran knocking away the Butterfly Dual Sabers while Yang Chunxi helped Gao Lingwei to her feet.

"Da Wei," Rong Taotao murmured softly. It was hard to imagine what Gao Lingwei had gone through in the Snow Prison Arena.

In a normal Snow Prison Arena, even though both sides were fighting on a spiritual level, they could still battle physically. When Gao Lingwei fought Tang Meng, she was still able to grab her opponent by the neck and stab a blade through her chest. But this match...

Just how intense was the confrontation between Gao Lingwei and Yuan Tianri that it had made it difficult for either of them to even move?

’Looking at the result, it might have been better for Yuan Tianri to just fall off the cliff and exit the Arena... No, that wouldn’t have worked either. With Gao Lingwei’s personality, if Yuan Tianri had tried to escape, she would have just kept pressing him, reopening the Arena.’

In that land of snow, there was no true retreat. When two foes meet on a narrow path, only the bravest can be the last one standing.

Gao Lingwei’s Frost Snow Armor dissipated. She opened her dazed, blurry eyes, gazing at the silhouette of Rong Taotao in the distance.

"Come on, I’ll help you back," Yang Chunxi said, her face filled with concern as she supported Gao Lingwei, walking toward the players’ tunnel amidst the roaring cheers.

But Gao Lingwei stubbornly kept her head turned, her gaze fixed on the blurry figure in the distance.

Rong Taotao finally snapped out of it and hurried over.

She had finally waited for this blockhead to reach her side. She murmured softly, "Plan successful, comrade."

Rong Taotao took Gao Lingwei’s wrist, wrapped her arm over his shoulder, and supported the other half of her body, murmuring in agreement, "Yeah, yeah."

"He was stronger and more resolute than I imagined. We never determined a winner, right up to the very end," Gao Lingwei said, her head hanging low as the two of them helped her walk.

"It’s enough. It’s more than enough... Sleep, Da Wei. Just sleep..."

Gao Lingwei murmured softly, "I don’t know how long I’ll be asleep. For the next match... remember to wake me up..."

Rong Taotao: "..."

Gao Lingwei’s arm, draped around Rong Taotao’s neck, tightened slightly. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

...

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