Master of Nine Stars

The day and a half of rest passed in a flash. Rong Taotao had spent it all "meditating" in the hotel. It was... well, very Zen.

Other than for meals, Rong Taotao stayed cooped up in his room, barely even speaking.

Xia Fangran was quite curious. After all, Rong Taotao was a cheerful gossiper, and his sudden sullenness was actually a little jarring. However, seeing that Rong Taotao was working hard to absorb Soul Power, Xia Fangran didn’t disturb him.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the lottery draw again. Early that morning, Rong Taotao felt like someone was touching him.

POKE~

Half-asleep, Rong Taotao reached up to scratch his cheek, then drifted off again in a daze.

POKE~

This time, Rong Taotao couldn’t fall back asleep!

’Who’s poking my cheek?’

’There are only two people in this room... No way, no way! It can’t be Xia Fangran, can it!?’

Rong Taotao was so scared he shot awake. He snapped his eyes open, only to see Gao Lingwei turned sideways, perched on the edge of the bed and looking down at him.

"You scared me to death!" Rong Taotao broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing it was Da Wei, he let out a sigh of relief.

’As long as it wasn’t Xia Fangran poking my cheek, I’m good!’

’Ugh~ Just thinking about that image is so awkward.’

Gao Lingwei raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling as she watched Rong Taotao’s relieved expression. She reached out with a long finger and poked his cheek again. "Did you train late last night?"

"Uh." Rong Taotao propped himself up, shifted a bit, and sat leaning against the headboard. Just then, he saw a small head pop out from behind Gao Lingwei’s back.

The stunningly beautiful Snowball Cat, with its big, sapphire-blue eyes, was looking at Rong Taotao curiously. First thing in the morning, it hit the groggy Rong Taotao with a killer head-tilt. "Meow~"

"Ah, here you go, here you go." Rong Taotao summoned his Cloud Dog and reached out to place it directly on Gao Lingwei’s shoulder.

"HAH~ HAH~ HAH~" The Cloud Dog panted, its little pink tongue hanging out, impatiently searching for its companion. Before Rong Taotao could even set it on Da Wei’s shoulder, the Cloud Dog leaped forward.

In an instant, the cat and dog were a rolling ball of fur, tumbling down Gao Lingwei’s back.

Gao Lingwei quickly turned and snatched them up, tossing the two little critters onto the bed before turning back to Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao scratched his head and said sheepishly, "Did I oversleep? I was training until midnight last night. It’s not every day we get to be in the Starfield lands, so I have to seize the opportunity to train."

"Mhm." Gao Lingwei smiled. "You’re usually the one clamoring for breakfast and waking us up every morning. Today was an exception. I thought you might be sick."

Rong Taotao turned to look at the other bed. "Where’s Coach Xia?"

Gao Lingwei: "He went to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Get up and go wash up." Gao Lingwei stood up, clearing a path for him.

"You got it~" Rong Taotao quickly got out of bed and darted into the bathroom.

Gao Lingwei picked up the playful Cloud Dog and Snowball Cat from the bed, walked over to the sofa, and plopped down. Teasing one of the little creatures with each hand, she asked, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling a lot of pressure?"

"Not at all," came Rong Taotao’s muffled voice from the bathroom as he brushed his teeth.

’Not at all?’

’But your behavior over the past two days of rest says otherwise.’

After the lottery ceremony today, the third round of the competition would be tomorrow.

It was the round that would decide their ultimate fate. The remaining 14 teams were, without a doubt, all skilled contenders. Feeling some pressure was normal.

Gao Lingwei said, "The brothers Chen Zhaowu and Chen Muge are getting flamed pretty hard online."

"Huh?"

Hearing Rong Taotao’s reaction, Gao Lingwei sighed internally.

’I knew it!’ He had been training so hard all day that he hadn’t even paid attention to the outside world. Usually, after a victory, Rong Taotao was very active on Weibo.

Gao Lingwei: "After all, they’re older and are Starfield Soul Martial Artists, which gives them a huge advantage. Ever since their post-match interview was broadcast, a lot of people have been unhappy with how they called us out by name."

"Ah... it’s a competition, and we’re all Soul Martial Artists. A challenge like that is pretty normal." Rong Taotao spat out a mouthful of toothpaste foam. "Besides, they didn’t say anything too out of line. I just think they genuinely want to face us."

Gao Lingwei: "Mhm..."

Rong Taotao quickly washed his face—guys are fast, after all, not even knowing what cosmetics are—wiped his face, and came out. "Let’s go, let’s go, time to chow down."

Gao Lingwei glanced at Rong Taotao with a tilt of her head. "You’re going in your pajamas?"

"Oh..." Rong Taotao slapped his forehead. "I’ll change, then."

Gao Lingwei stood up, holding the two little critters. "I’ll wait for you by the door."

With a carefree look, Rong Taotao waved his hand dismissively. "Eh~ No need. You can just sit and wait."

Gao Lingwei rolled her eyes at Rong Taotao and walked out of the room anyway.

Rong Taotao pouted and muttered under his breath, "I don’t even care, so what are you getting worked up about..."

...

Half an hour later, having finished their meal, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei arrived at Yang Chunxi’s room, just in time for the live broadcast of the lottery ceremony.

Rong Taotao, still feeling hungry despite burping contentedly, plopped down on the sofa and patted his stomach.

’Sigh, not only can I never eat my fill, but I also never gain weight no matter how much I eat. Who can I even complain to about this injustice~’

On the coffee table in front of Yang Chunxi, more than half of the information packets were gone. Only 13 stacks remained, laid out in order.

She began, "Besides you, there are 13 teams left. Seven are Starfield squads, four are Ocean squads, and two are Magma squads. The probability of us facing a Starfield team is higher."

Hearing Yang Chunxi jinxing them like crazy, Rong Taotao thought hopefully, ’Maybe we’ll even run into Chen Zhaowu and Chen Muge?’

Yang Chunxi watched the well-dressed man on the TV as he reached into the small box to draw a ball. "You can ignore the public’s predictions," she said, "but the panel of experts invited by the Huaxia Main Channel are all top-tier commentators and outstanding Soul Martial Artists. Their predictions aren’t made recklessly."

"Since they unanimously agree that Chen Zhaowu and Chen Muge are quarter-finalist material, it’s best if you don’t run into them this round."

"Here we go!" Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up as he once again saw the ball for "Huazhong Division" + "1" being placed.

He watched expectantly as the man drew another ball, twisted it open, and revealed... "Southwest Division." Rong Taotao instantly lost interest.

"Heh..." Yang Chunxi let out a soft sigh, seemingly satisfied with this result.

With only 14 teams and seven matchups, the lottery ceremony proceeded quickly. When the combination of "Northwest Division" + "1" appeared, Yang Chunxi’s heart leaped into her throat again!

Thankfully, thankfully... Wanqi Yan and Wanqi Wu were matched against a team from the "East China Region."

At his side, Rong Taotao watched his nervous sister-in-law and couldn’t help but chuckle. "As long as we keep winning, we’re bound to run into everyone we need to."

Yang Chunxi: "Not necessarily."

Rong Taotao: "How come?"

Yang Chunxi replied, "They might lose to someone else first."

Rong Taotao: "Er..."

And it was true. A team’s style was largely determined by its Soul Martial Artists’ list of Soul Skills, and no one was invincible. Even those famous and powerful squads could suffer an unexpected defeat if they ran into opponents whose tactical systems were a perfect counter to theirs.

"The Wanqi Siblings are in for a tough fight," Gao Lingwei commented.

Rong Taotao looked up. Their opponents were the second-ranked team from the East China Region, and they were an Ocean squad—a major Attribute disadvantage!

Indeed, it would be tough...

Rationally speaking, Rong Taotao actually hoped the Wanqi Siblings could make it into the top eight. After all, the national team needed diverse Attributes. A team of purely Starfield and Ocean Attributes would get countered into oblivion on the international stage.

While Rong Taotao’s mind was wandering, the lottery ceremony was already nearing its end. Right up until the very last draw, neither he nor Gao Lingwei had been called.

This meant...

"The matchups for 12 of the squads have been decided," Yang Chunxi said, pursing her lips. "You and your opponents are matched by default."

Rong Taotao quickly racked his brain. "Who? Which team is left?"

Yang Chunxi closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "You’ve seen them. In the last round, their match was right before yours and Ling Wei’s."

"Ah, them... those two adorable, petite girls!?" Rong Taotao realized. Holy crap!!!

’Out of 13 teams, there were only two Magma Squads, and I had to run into one of them!?’

’No way, it can’t be...’

’I just said the national team needs Attribute diversity, and now you’re making me eliminate one of the only two remaining Magma teams?’

Rong Taotao had to be the one to eliminate those two cute girls. This didn’t conflict with his earlier sentiment, because if Rong Taotao lost, there would be no one left from the Snow Realm!

"It’s a major counter," Yang Chunxi said, feeling helpless but trying to be pragmatic. "It can’t be helped. Out of the seven Starfield and two Magma teams, you’d be at a disadvantage against any of them. Facing these two girls is still much better than facing the top teams from the Huazhong or Northwest Divisions."

Rong Taotao rummaged through the files on the coffee table, casually remarking, "Adorable little girls are my favorite."

Gao Lingwei’s fingers, which had been teasing the cat, froze in midair. Her expression stiffened slightly.

Who would have thought that Rong Taotao, while flipping through the team profiles, would add, "When it comes to slaying girls, your man Rong is an expert~"

No one,

is better,

at,

slaying girls~

Gao Lingwei: "..."

Yang Chunxi couldn’t help but laugh at Rong Taotao’s words. She reached out and ruffled his curly hair. "Stop messing around and be serious. Don’t be fooled by those girls’ cute appearance. Their damage output is explosive. They’re strong, really strong."

"The Soul Pearls on their foreheads are extremely rare. Their second Soul Skill, ’Fire Gathering,’ is a very uncommon Spiritual Self-Assistance Soul Skill that boosts fighting spirit."

"So, the ’adorable little girls’ you mentioned might look cute, but once a fight starts, they are anything but soft. In fact, they’re incredibly fierce."

"Mhm, mhm," Rong Taotao replied. Although he spoke flippantly, in his heart, he took the match and his opponents very seriously.

Holding the file on the twin sisters, Rong Taotao lowered his head and read it carefully. As he read on, his relaxed expression didn’t change, but his heart grew heavier and heavier.

’What the hell!’

’What are these explosive-output Magma Soul Skills!?’

’Holy cow, I would’ve been better off facing the Chen Zhaowu and Chen Muge brothers!’

’How did I get so unlucky, running into these two cute, petite girls with such explosive damage output? With their set of Soul Skills... can Da Wei’s Iron Snow Armor really take it?’

’Forget winning or losing, I’m afraid I’ll get my face disfigured after one match, won’t I?’

Rong Taotao immediately recalled his own match two days ago. Even though the Starfield arena had been hastily repaired by the staff, you could still see traces left behind by the sisters everywhere—scorched earth covering the ground...