Master of Nine Stars

Xiang Ming didn't have any special tricks to share regarding the elite-level Douxing Qi; its training method was no different from the Excellent Level.

Besides, even if Rong Taotao knew how, he couldn't practice it right now. After all, his Starfield Soul Technique was only two-star, so he couldn't use elite-level Starfield Soul Skills.

Rong Taotao chatted with the others for a while before heading back. Watching the match had been incredibly rewarding.

After returning to the hotel, he even arm-wrestled Gao Lingwei.

Keep in mind, back when his Douxing Qi was at the ordinary level, Rong Taotao's Strength Attribute was no match for Gao Lingwei's. After all, reaching the rank of Soul Captain was a major threshold that comprehensively improved a Soul Martial Artist's physical condition.

But after his Douxing Qi advanced, Rong Taotao was thrilled to discover he could actually contend with Gao Lingwei's strength!

Ah~!

That felt so good!

'I, Rong Taotao, have finally risen!'

This not only meant Rong Taotao's physical Attributes had been boosted, but more importantly, it meant that in future battles, he wouldn't have to rely solely on deflecting brute force with finesse. He could now deliver a proper head-on blow when needed!

However, Rong Taotao also contacted Ye Nanxi and the Xiang Brothers, telling them not to spread the word.

He planned to make the most of this advantage, intending to take his opponents out with a nasty surprise at a critical moment... He could already picture their dumbfounded expressions...

'During the national tournament, you can't change your Soul Pearls or your equipped Soul Skills, but you can improve the Soul Skills you cultivate yourself. No matter how overbearing the organizers are, they can't forbid people from training, can they?'

「That night, in the hotel room.」

Xia Fangran wore a strange expression as he watched Rong Taotao snickering foolishly. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you so happy about? As I recall, you didn't actually win the arm wrestle, did you? You were just stuck in a stalemate with Gao Lingwei. You have the nerve to be grinning like that?"

"What do you know!" Rong Taotao chuckled, keeping his devious plan to himself and playing along with Xia Fangran's words. "It means I've finally risen!"

"That's it? That's all it takes for you to 'rise'?" Xia Fangran grinned. "Heh, you're pretty short for someone who's supposedly risen~"

Rong Taotao: ???

'This mouth of yours is just the worst!'

Looking displeased, Rong Taotao retorted, "But I didn't lose, either!"

Xia Fangran pursed his lips into a smile. "You didn't win, either, did you?"

Rong Taotao pursed his lips into a smile. "I didn't lose, either, did I?"

...

Rong Taotao felt like there was something wrong with Xia Fangran. The man could argue with a kid for half the night, and just by repeating the same sentence over and over.

Finally, Rong Taotao was too exhausted to continue. He summoned his Cloud Dog, placed it beside his bed, pointed in Xia Fangran's direction, and commanded it, "Every time he says a word, you give him a 'woof,' got it~"

The Cloud Dog blinked its small, glossy black eyes, looking at Rong Taotao in confusion. "Yip?"

Rong Taotao looked miserable. After that intense showdown with Xia Fangran, his earlier smug mood was completely gone. "We can't beat Gao Lingwei, but we have to beat this Xia Fangran! Cloud Dog, go! Woof him!"

The Cloud Dog was very obedient. It stood up, its cloud-like tail wagging back and forth, and let out a bark toward Xia Fangran's bed. "Woof~"

Xia Fangran: "..."

Looking at the adorably fierce little creature, Xia Fangran suddenly found he couldn't bring himself to be mad.

'Sure enough, cuteness is justice!'

"Arf?" The Cloud Dog turned its head to look at Rong Taotao, blinking its small, glossy black eyes as if to ask, 'Why isn't Xia Fangran retorting?'

And so, the night finally grew quiet.

Rong Taotao hadn't managed to beat Gao Lingwei, but he had defeated Xia Fangran—and it was a crushing victory!

Faced with the Cloud Dog, Xia Fangran hadn't uttered a single retort. He really couldn't afford that kind of embarrassment!

After all... if word got out that a dignified Soul School had argued with a dog for half the night, it would be a massive joke!

In truth, Xia Fangran had completely misunderstood why Rong Taotao was snickering.

Rong Taotao was thinking that in the future, he wouldn't need a wide array of Soul Skills from Soul Pearls. The self-cultivated Soul Skills he already had were varied enough.

He didn't even need to learn that many self-cultivated Soul Skills—he just had to pick a few and master them!

Douxing Qi and Snow Dance!

He had an advantage that no one else did: Potential Points!

'In the future, I'll use Snow Dance for speed and Douxing Qi for strength, and train them both to Legendary Level, or even epic level... hehe...'

'I'll achieve Becoming a Saint in the Flesh. I won't even have to throw skills at you. I'll just stomp you in close combat and call it a day!'

'I'll be faster than you, stronger than you, and with a few Lotus petals to back me up... Tsk, just thinking about it gets me a little excited.'

The qualitative leap from his Douxing Qi helped Rong Taotao clarify his future path for growth. He would focus on cultivating Soul Skills that enhanced his physical Attributes, supplemented by a few technique-based ones.

'I'll clear out all my Soul Slots and fill them all with god-tier Soul Pets. Ahh, that's the life~'

As he drifted off to sleep, Rong Taotao once again let out a muffled chuckle in his dreams...

On the opposite bed, Xia Fangran was still happily scrolling on his phone. Hearing the kid's silly laugh again in the dead of night made him want to fire back a retort...

But a glance at the Cloud Dog, curled up and sleeping soundly at the head of the bed, made him hold his tongue.

'Fine. You have to consider the dog before you insult the master, I guess.'

'If that Cloud Dog really started woofing back and forth with me, it would be an awkward situation to get out of...'

A day passed in a flash. Rong Taotao spent it consolidating his newly improved Soul Skill. The next morning, the organizer's drawing ceremony finally began.

However, today's ceremony probably wouldn't attract much attention. After all, during the two days Rong Taotao had been resting, the placement matches in the losers' bracket had been going on.

The losers' bracket was full of teams that had already lost once, so tempers were running high, which ironically made for even more spectacular fights.

In the national tournament, each bracket had 56 teams. Even the lowest rankings had to be earned through real, hard-fought battles. Most Soul Martial Schools were like this, having certain expectations for their students' performance.