Master of Nine Stars

「One month later, inside the Starfield Vortex.」

A brilliant Star River sprawled across the night sky. The nights within the Starfield Vortex were truly a magnificent and vast sight.

The countless stars above twinkled, and on the ground, the Star-shaped Lamps shone just as brightly.

On the grasslands, a Cloud Dog pounced at the small, glowing orbs before it. The Star-shaped Lamps scattered on the ground were incredibly light, emitting a bright glow. From time to time, the Cloud Dog would balance one on the tip of its nose and try to toss it up toward the sky.

Unfortunately, the Cloud Dog failed every time. The little star wouldn’t slowly ascend to hang in the night sky. It would only drift gently back down.

The Cloud Dog continued to play by itself, frolicking to its heart’s content.

But not far away, a battle was in full swing, raging with incredible intensity.

Rong Taotao wielded a Tang Saber. With every slash and swipe, his movements were as fluid as flowing water—a magnificent sight.

The scattered lights illuminated his elusive, agile figure, glinting off the sharp, slender Tang Saber in his hand.

Rong Taotao’s opponent, however, was a stark contrast to the beautiful night scenery. It was a massive, hideous black bear. Four arms extended from its shoulders, each tipped with sharp, glowing claws, which it used to slash madly at Rong Taotao.

"Hmm, right, fall back... Fall back sooner!" Rong Yuanshan said, his arms crossed over his chest. Though his tone was stern, his expression was one of pure satisfaction.

After all, the creature Rong Taotao was fighting was an elite-level Fighting Star Bear.

Yet the elusive Rong Taotao showed no signs of losing. In fact, he fought with increasing ferocity and fluidity as the battle progressed.

"GRR... ROAR!" The Fighting Star Bear, standing over two meters tall, swung its paws viciously. It had completely lost patience, utterly fed up with the annoying little insect before it.

’Left, right, left... down,’ Rong Taotao chanted in his mind, constantly sidestepping and backpedaling to dodge the paws wreathed in the Cold Star Cover.

The only reason Rong Taotao could keep up with the Fighting Star Bear was because the creature was relatively slow.

Without a doubt, though, if even one of those swipes landed, Rong Taotao would have a hard time getting back up.

The Fighting Star Bear sacrificed speed for raw power. Its attack strength was undeniable.

And Rong Taotao... was starting to love the heart-pounding thrill!

"Swipe! Use the saber!" Rong Yuanshan suddenly barked. "Why are you only retreating? Seize every opportunity!"

Left...

Rong Taotao took a sharp step to the left, turning slightly and letting two paws slash past his face and chest.

Down...

The Fighting Star Bear’s four arms weren’t just for show. Though its attacks were slow, they came one after another.

Rong Taotao quickly bent forward, and two more paws scraped over his back as they swung past.

Rong Yuanshan’s eyes lit up. "Advance!"

But even as he spoke, Rong Taotao was already moving forward. Over the past month of training, his combat instincts and philosophy had become perfectly synchronized with Rong Yuanshan’s.

As he advanced, Rong Taotao’s left palm became wreathed in the Cold Star Cover, and he viciously slammed it into the Fighting Star Bear’s stomach.

"ROAR! ROAR!" The Fighting Star Bear was considered elite-level for a reason. In addition to its strength, its defense was not to be underestimated.

Even though the palm strike landed squarely on its stomach, its thick hide and layers of fat prevented it from taking much damage.

The Fighting Star Bear was enraged. Its massive body stumbled back a step, then it stomped a foot on the ground to regain its footing. In the next second...

SHIICK!

Rong Taotao’s attack was just as fluid. The moment his left palm pushed the Fighting Star Bear back with a burst of shattering stars, his right hand had already swept up from behind his back. He reverse-gripped the sharp Tang Saber and slashed diagonally, from his lower right to his upper left!

A long, bloody gash instantly appeared on the Fighting Star Bear’s stomach, splattering droplets of blood.

It might have been able to withstand the concussive damage from the burst of Star Force, but against a sharp Tang Saber imbued with dense Soul Power, its hide was finally torn open.

’Press the attack! Hmm?’ Rong Yuanshan had been enjoying the feeling of playing a video game, but he saw that the "character" he was controlling wasn’t following his command.

’Rong Taotao retreated?’

’While it’s still off-balance is the perfect time to carve it up. Why would you retreat?’

But not only had Rong Taotao retreated, he had also swung his left hand high. From about ten meters up in the sky, a brilliant star plummeted down, instantly piercing through the Fighting Star Bear’s massive body!

"WHIMPER~" The sound the Fighting Star Bear made was bizarre, somewhere between a Battle Cry and a whine.

Rong Taotao, however, waved his hands one after the other, and a series of small stars rained down from the sky!

"Yip?" The Cloud Dog, lying on a Star-shaped Lamp, blinked its beady black eyes. It watched the chain of falling stars with curiosity, thinking they looked quite beautiful.

But this beautiful picture was shattered by a sharp Tang Saber!

The Fighting Star Bear was pierced by one small falling star after another. As it struggled to endure the concussive pain, unable to move, Rong Taotao kicked off the ground and shot forward.

BANG!

As Rong Taotao’s phantom-like figure shot forward, his signature move was the Snow Burst Ball in his left hand. The moment this ball of wind exploded, Rong Taotao’s speed surged once again!

SHLIIICK...

Carried by the unparalleled momentum, Rong Taotao curled his body and plunged headfirst into the Fighting Star Bear’s broad chest.

But this "swallow" had a sharp beak!

The sharp Tang Saber in his hand pierced straight through the Fighting Star Bear’s chest, punching through its tough hide and out its back!