Master of Nine Stars

The referee, Si Huan Nian, had just blown the whistle to end the match, but the field’s little gossip-monger, Sun Xingyu, could no longer contain herself!

"Hey? What’s going on? What’s going on?" Sun Xingyu scrambled on her short legs. Despite just having gone through a fierce fight, she didn’t feel tired at all. Shouting, she squeezed into the crowd.

Behind her, Li Ziyi hurriedly followed. Left on the field were a dazed Fan Lihua and three dejected students from the Martial Arts Class.

Si Huan Nian frowned slightly and tilted her head to look toward the edge of the field. When she spotted Xia Fangran by the sidelines, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief, thinking that with a teacher present, nothing could go wrong.

But then, Si Huan Nian felt something was off. ’Could Xia Fangran... be the source of this "disaster?"’

Regardless, Si Huan Nian blew her whistle and announced, "The three Junior Class teams advancing to the finals have been decided: Soul Class Team 1, Team 2, and Team 3. The round-robin tournament to determine the final rankings will begin in half an hour. All teams, please rest."

"Yes, teacher." On the field, the only one standing obediently, Fan Lihua, gave Si Huan Nian a proper bow before walking off. ’I wonder what on earth is happening over there,’ she thought, her curiosity piqued.

She couldn’t squeeze through the crowd and could only stand on her tiptoes to watch from the outside, but she still couldn’t see anything. Just as Fan Lihua was feeling frustrated, she saw the crowd suddenly part. Xia Fangran was walking onto the field with Rong Taotao and a group of students from the Martial Arts Class.

Si Huan Nian frowned. ’Something’s about to happen.’ Her gaze inevitably fell upon Rong Taotao, and then, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile.

Seeing this, the surrounding students were all dumbfounded...

’She smiled? She actually smiled?’

’Mom, your daughter-in-law really smiled... She’s so beautiful...’

The Junior Class martial arts trials had been going on for a whole week. Of course Si Huan Nian had no desire to watch such low-level matches, much less act as referee. Why would she ever give the students a pleasant look?

"Still alive, I see," Si Huan Nian said, slightly raising her chin to greet Rong Taotao as he walked up to her.

Rong Taotao grinned. "Thanks to you, I’m just about getting by."

"Hah. Looks to me like you’re on your last legs," Si Huan Nian snorted, turning to Xia Fangran. "What is it, Coach Xia?"

Xia Fangran came to Si Huan Nian’s side. "These kids are questioning our disciple. I heard them and wasn’t happy about it. Taotao has to teach them a lesson!"

Si Huan Nian: "..."

Xia Fangran continued, "Everyone in the Junior Class knows Rong Taotao studies under me, Xia Fangran. But these little punks still dare to provoke him right to his face. How could I be happy about that? By the way, do these students know his Swordsmanship comes from you?"

Si Huan Nian, however, just frowned. She didn’t take the bait. "Rong Taotao’s situation is unique. It’s better if he doesn’t compete against human students."

"It’s fine. Yang Chunxi already told me Rong Taotao has it under control; there won’t be any accidents. Besides, aren’t we both here to keep an eye on things?" Xia Fangran lowered his voice. "I can’t let him suffer even the slightest injustice, especially an unprovoked one. I just can’t stand by and watch. And it would be hard to explain later."

Si Huan Nian: "..."

’What’s so hard to explain about a squabble between students? To put it bluntly, you just want to watch a show, don’t you?’

Strictly speaking, Si Huan Nian wasn’t like Xia Fangran. She had a strange, twisted sense of pleasure and much preferred crushing weaker opponents. If she could, she’d rather get on the field herself...

Unfortunately, she was the referee, firmly pinned in this position by Mei Hongyu.

Looking troubled, Si Huan Nian said, "Didn’t he just get out of the hospital?"

Xia Fangran replied, "This is the perfect time to test his skills. It’s a good chance for you to see for yourself just how much the kid has improved these past few months.

"It’ll also serve as a wake-up call for Li Ziyi and Lu Mang from your Soul Class. I’ve noticed those two are getting a little arrogant, getting too big for their britches."

"Alright, then. Since you say he has it under control, we’ll see. I’ll trouble you to keep a close eye on him, Coach Xia." With that, Si Huan Nian blew her whistle and said, "We’ll have one additional match before the finals. As for why... because, um... Coach Xia wants to see it."

’Because Coach Xia wants to see it?’

The students exchanged glances. That reason... ’Well, as expected of the absolute queen of the Martial Arts Arena. She’ll play favorites with whoever she wants!’

’And Coach Xia must be a big shot too, for Si Huan Nian to show him that much respect.’

"Alright, that settles it. The three finalist teams, hurry up and rest. What are the terms for you two sides? A three-on-one?" Si Huan Nian had noticed something else was off. Rong Taotao was clearly by himself; Gao Lingwei hadn’t returned to school.

Rong Taotao grinned. "One-v-three is my specialty. Bring it on. It wouldn’t be any fun with one less."

"Tch, you little brat." Si Huan Nian shot Rong Taotao a smiling glare, then turned to the boys from the Martial Arts Class. "Are you ready?"

"We’re ready, Coach Si!"

"Ready!" the three students from the Martial Arts Class, led by Ji Qingmei, declared, full of confidence.

Just a moment ago, Xia Fangran had promised them that if they won, he would give them another chance to prove themselves by challenging Stone Tower and Shi Lan again.

But it wouldn’t be a single, winner-takes-all match. It would be a best two out of three. This meant that since Stone Tower and Shi Lan had already won the first round, Ji Qingmei’s team would need to win two straight rounds to change the outcome of the qualifier.

He knew that with Xia Fangran being Rong Taotao’s master, a promise like this had to be fishy. But Ji Qingmei seized the opportunity immediately. ’No matter what,’ he thought, ’as a revered member of the Pine Soul Four Seasons, there’s no way Xia Fangran would go back on his word in front of everyone.’