Master of Nine Stars

Of course, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had no need for such considerations. That morning, the four of them—teachers and students—gathered once again in Yang Chunxi's room, watching the TV and waiting for their opponent to be drawn.

On the television, every ball the man in the suit and tie drew was nerve-wracking to watch.

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei's names hadn't come up yet, but the Yuan Brothers' did.

Yang Chunxi's eyes widened. When she saw the ball reveal "Huazhong Division," she sighed in resignation. "Ah..."

Rong Taotao asked, "What's wrong, Sister-in-law?"

Yang Chunxi explained, "The Huazhong Division... all their academies are Starfield-aligned. The Yuan Brothers' opponents..."

On the screen, the man twisted open another ball. On it was a single, stark number: 1.

The number one ranked team from the Huazhong Division.

Yang Chunxi's expression darkened. She sighed, "It's over. This is probably the end of the road for the Yuan Brothers. The top team from the Huazhong Division is quite famous—Chen Zhaowu and Chen Muge."

"This has been a year of explosive growth in the strength of duo teams, and even among them, that pair is considered one of the best. The experts are predicting they're a shoo-in for the top eight, and they'll definitely have a spot on the national team."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao nodded silently.

'To be ranked first in an entire division, their strength must be undeniable!'

'What's more, they're Starfield Soul Martial Artists, and the competition is being held in a Starfield-type arena...'

'The even more terrifying thing is that Huaxia is home to three major Vortices: Starfield, Molten Rock, and Snow Realm. Add to that Earth's own oceans.'

'Among those four attributes, nothing counters Starfield. You could say that, from top to bottom, the national tournament is extremely friendly to Starfield Soul Martial Artists.'

'Of course, the same goes for Ocean Soul Martial Artists—they counter other attributes, but nothing counters them. The only difference is that, unlike Starfield Soul Martial Artists, they don't have a home-field advantage.'

'Inevitably, year after year, the teams chosen for the national team to represent the country are mostly Starfield and Ocean teams. The problem is... while they enjoy unparalleled advantages domestically, once they compete abroad, they face droves of opponents who can counter them.'

'Rong Taotao could never understand why the country didn't change things. If they could at least ensure one or two Snow Realm or Molten Rock teams were sent to the World Cup each year, wouldn't their results be better? He really couldn't wrap his head around this tournament format. After all these years, they still hadn't figured out how to be flexible...'

"Here we go," Gao Lingwei said suddenly. Rong Taotao snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the television screen.

Two small balls were placed on the rack: "Outer Region Division" and "1," representing Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei.

Yang Chunxi held her breath, praying silently. A few seconds later, her expression froze as she stared blankly at the ball in the man's hand. It read: "Outer Region Division."

'The Outer Region Division again?'

'A civil war? How many teams from the Outer Region are even left? Thank goodness the Yuan Brothers were already drawn...'

"8?" Yang Chunxi stared at the ball on the screen. She didn't even need to check her files.

The eighth-place team from the Outer Region qualifiers: Bai Shan and Bai Ming!

During the quarterfinals, the twins had been seriously injured. To care for her brother, the younger sister, Bai Ming, decisively forfeited and went home to help him recover. They didn't participate in any subsequent matches, so among the 5th-8th place teams in the losers' bracket, they naturally ended up in last place...

They were eighth in name only. Bai Shan and Bai Ming's true strength was far greater than their ranking suggested.

They were hailed as the top Ocean team in the Outer Region! And the top team from Fengtian City!

It was just that during the Outer League, the Bai siblings ran into the second-seeded team from their own academy, Tang Xiaoxuan and Tang Xiaoyu.

It was hard to say if there was some internal politics at play in their academy, or perhaps a disagreement on tactics to ensure qualification. In any case, the second-seeded Tang Xiaoxuan and Tang Xiaoyu fought with their lives on the line, paying the price of grievous injury to forcibly win the match.

Of course, the second-seeded team was also a spent force. Although they won their quarterfinal match, they were hospitalized with severe injuries before the semifinals and couldn't compete. In a way, they gave Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei a free pass to the finals.

As for the Bai siblings, Bai Shan and Bai Ming, their injuries were far, far less severe than those of Tang Xiaoxuan and Tang Xiaoyu.

Anyone could see that once they had secured a spot in the top eight, the Bai siblings didn't fight their opponents to the death, choosing instead to conserve their strength.

The Bai siblings even had the strength to be number one in the Outer Region! That was no joke!

"So, we finally meet them," Gao Lingwei said, turning to look at Rong Taotao.

"Yeah." Rong Taotao nodded lightly. He had just seen the siblings in the hotel restaurant a few days ago. Bai Shan had even worn a regretful expression, saying it was a shame they hadn't faced each other in the Outer Region qualifiers.

'Heh. Well, now we have!'

Yang Chunxi pulled out the siblings' file, a look of "I knew it" on her face. Their Soul Skills hadn't changed. They were still using the same set of Soul Pearl Soul Skills that had allowed them to shine so brightly and crush all opposition during the Outer League!

The Bai siblings' arsenal of forehead and eye-based Spiritual Soul Pearls was just... utterly terrifying!

Sea Ghost's Mighty Gaze, Sea Maiden's Smile... an entire loadout of offensive Spiritual Soul Skills, every bit as formidable as Gao Lingwei's Frost Fearful Face!

Worthy of the title of Fengtian's First Squad!

Yang Chunxi began, "The siblings are both very calm and their tactics are clear. They rarely engage opponents at close range. They're a classic long-range DPS type. In your generation's terms, they're pure Mages."

"And they're Ocean Mages with powerful offensive capabilities, on top of the fact that Ocean Soul Martial Artists are already known for their high defense."

"Taotao, you may have a Spiritual Defense Soul Skill, but if you're not careful, your physical body will be crushed."

"Ling Wei, you have your Iron Snow Armor, but you have no Spiritual Defense. One careless glance at them and the entire tide of battle could turn... We need to study them carefully and come up with a viable strategy."

Yang Chunxi had once been relieved that they hadn't faced the Bai siblings in the Outer Region, but it seems you can run, but you can't hide. To think they would meet in the national tournament.

'This draw is the absolute worst!'

Gao Lingwei nodded, her expression grave. She knew in her heart that this match was the *real* Outer Region finals.

She turned to look at Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao: "What is it?"

Gao Lingwei reached out and placed a hand on the back of Yang Chunxi's, silently comforting her sister-in-law. At the same time, she looked at Rong Taotao and said softly, "It's time to truly become number one in the Outer Region."

Rong Taotao was surprised for a moment, but after a little thought, he understood what Gao Lingwei meant.

Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao were the undisputed champions of the Outer Region. No one could deny that fact.

But perhaps, in the minds of many, the Bai siblings—who had yielded to their academy-mates and wisely assessed the situation—were the *true* number one team in the Outer Region!

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together. "If I could take the top spot once, I can do it again!"

"Tsk. All talk," Xia Fangran muttered disdainfully, curling his lip. "Talking a big game before the match, are we?"

Rong Taotao: "..."

'I was on such a roll! You jerk, why'd you have to ruin my moment?'

Sure enough, the online behavior of that head hater "Rampage" was bleeding into real life.

Did Xia Fangran care for Rong Taotao? Of course he did. That was beyond question.

Xia Fangran and Rong Taotao even shared a bond forged through life and death. Back when the two of them, master and student, were being hunted by a Frost Beauty in the Snowfield, Xia Fangran had done everything in his power to help Rong Taotao escape. He had protected Rong Taotao right up to the moment of his own death.

And yet, here was Xia Fangran, happily trading barbs with him...

With a look of pure annoyance, Rong Taotao directly summoned his Cloud Dog!

A puff of mist gathered before his chest, quickly taking shape.

Rong Taotao held the Cloud Dog, which was barely bigger than his palm, in one hand. He scooted across the sofa toward Xia Fangran and shoved the Cloud Dog right in his teacher's face!

"Bark at him! Bark at him!"

The Cloud Dog caught on, wagging its little tail and letting out a volley of fierce yaps at the large face before it: "YIP YIP~ YIP! YIP!"

Xia Fangran: "..."

...

The last update of 2020. This year is finally over. I wish everyone a smooth new year, and may all the bad things go away.

Tomorrow is the first day of the new year, so I hope to get off to a good start with a three-chapter release~

Also, I'm begging all my dear readers for your monthly votes! Please! I'd be eternally grateful!