Master of Nine Stars

WHOOSH...

Rong Taotao’s Heaven-piercing Halberd had a reach advantage. He swept it out first, and Zheng Tianpeng’s group of seven hurriedly fell back.

At almost the same instant, two figures appeared at the cave’s entrance. They weren’t wearing padded winter hats, but military-style caps, and on their sleeves were armbands bearing the character for "Snow."

’The Snow Burning Corps!?’

The sudden appearance of the two soldiers brought the erupting battle to a swift halt.

In that split second, the students, who had been on the verge of an all-out brawl, froze in place.

But... to everyone’s surprise, one of the soldiers simply waved a hand and said, "During the assessment, the Snow Burning Corps will not interfere with the students’ actions. Continue."

Everyone was utterly confused.

’Then what are they here for? To ensure no one dies? Can’t they see what’s happening from outside?’

’They’ll probably just forcibly remove anyone who’s incapacitated and eliminate them from the assessment, right?’

THUD!

A dull thud rang out.

Rong Taotao was the quickest to react. The instant the soldier finished speaking, Rong Taotao planted his Heaven-piercing Halberd on the ground, spun in a tight half-circle, and unleashed a whipping kick aimed straight at Zheng Tianpeng’s face.

Zheng Tianpeng was a beat too slow. He hastily brought up the Battle Saber in his right hand to block.

The kick sent Zheng Tianpeng stumbling back. He was forced to retreat just to keep his balance.

Rong Taotao wasn’t as strong as Si Huan Nian; there was no way he could have sent Zheng Tianpeng flying that far with a single kick.

It was only because the attack was so sudden that Zheng Tianpeng lost his balance. He was the one actively retreating, fighting to stay on his feet.

And so, Zheng Tianpeng stumbled back several steps, only to see Rong Taotao burst from the crowd and charge straight for him.

Zheng Tianpeng knew this was bad. His own momentum made it impossible to regain his footing, so he simply turned tail and ran for the exit.

Running forward hunched over was a far better option than stumbling backward. Clearly, Zheng Tianpeng intended to regroup and fight it out outside the cave.

Rong Taotao shot out of the cave like a gale, yelling at the two soldiers, "Coming through, coming through!"

’No more "Nourishing People." Today, I only hurt people.’

As Rong Taotao sprinted past the two soldiers, their expressions remained placid. They even shifted slightly to the side, clearing a path for him.

The scene was surprisingly comical.

Behind Rong Taotao, Wen Ying charged out as well, her face a mask of malice...

As he ran, Rong Taotao glanced back and saw Wen Ying charging after him, Battle Saber in hand. A plan instantly sparked in his mind. He began to slow down, preparing to bait the hook.

Up ahead, the fleeing Zheng Tianpeng clearly had a strategy in mind. His target was the dense Snow Forest just a short distance away!

Zheng Tianpeng had calculated everything perfectly; he was determined to turn the battlefield into his home turf.

Compared to Zheng Tianpeng’s Battle Saber, Rong Taotao’s Heaven-piercing Halberd was long and heavy. Inside the dense Snow Forest, it would be constantly hindered, making it difficult for him to use his skills effectively.

Zheng Tianpeng also figured that by luring Rong Taotao out, his six remaining teammates back in the cave could easily overwhelm the other three members of Rong Taotao’s team. It was a surefire plan.

But Zheng Tianpeng never imagined that Wen Ying’s hatred for Rong Taotao ran so deep that she would actually chase after him too.

Rong Taotao’s deliberate slowing of his pace had finally hooked a small fish.

When the distance between them closed to about three meters, Rong Taotao abruptly skidded to a halt and spun around.

His body, slightly crouched and leaning forward, slid backward for less than a meter in the snow, kicking up a small bank of powder behind his heels.

Rong Taotao once again leveraged the length of his Heaven-piercing Halberd. Swinging it from back to front in a wide crescent, he used it like a staff!

The heavy Heaven-piercing Halberd came crashing down on Wen Ying from above.

Wen Ying’s malicious expression froze, then twisted in shock. She, who thought she had the upper hand with a rear attack, was suddenly confronted with her own weapon’s lack of reach!

Advantage and disadvantage had flipped in an instant!

But Wen Ying wasn’t an instructor, and she was in no mood to compliment Rong Taotao. ’In her mind, she was already cursing him and his entire family tree.’

’She started with his mother and was now working her way through eighteen generations of his ancestors, picking and choosing creative insults for each...’

Although Wen Ying also tried to stop, this was snow, not concrete, and everyone’s control over their movements was diminished to some degree.

Wen Ying scrambled to a halt, taking several stuttering steps as she tried to swerve out of the way.

But this was Rong Taotao.

He was just that devious.

The moment Rong Taotao turned, they were less than three meters apart. Wen Ying was completely within his striking range, and the Battle Saber in her hand now seemed pitifully short.

Rong Taotao’s reach was long. Very long.

Desperately trying to turn the tables, Wen Ying still managed to raise her Battle Saber with both hands, blocking above her head.

CLANG!

A loud clang echoed as steel struck steel, the sound sharp and grating.

Wen Ying’s arms went numb, and she couldn’t help but grimace in pain.

This wasn’t some hasty, panicked strike from Rong Taotao; it was a calculated, premeditated blow!

The long, heavy Heaven-piercing Halberd had traced a full half-circle arc before descending, endowing it with immense force!

Wen Ying, already off-balance from trying to stop, was sent staggering by the powerful blow from the heavy Battle Halberd. Her footing gave out, and she fell backward, landing hard in the snow!

Her last act of defiance was to clutch her Battle Saber with all her might, resisting the Heaven-piercing Halberd now being pressed down toward her face.

Meanwhile, Rong Taotao in front of her remained in a low, powerful stance, his body and legs coiled like a spring.

"Stop! Do you dare kill me!? He’s trying to kill me! Murder!" Wen Ying shrieked, trying to get the attention of the Snow Burning Corps soldiers. "Help me! Someone, help! He’s murdering me!!!"

"Heh," Rong Taotao smirked, letting out a cold laugh. He shifted from a horse stance to a lunge, his forward thrust with the halberd so textbook-perfect it was frightening.

Even the onlooking members of the Snow Burning Corps had their eyes light up in appreciation.

But as Rong Taotao’s Heaven-piercing Halberd shot forward, its tip wasn’t aimed at Wen Ying, but at the snow just above her head.

The head of a Heaven-piercing Halberd, after all, has a complex, multi-pronged design.

The Crescent Blade on the side of the Battle Halberd hooked firmly onto Wen Ying’s blade, wrenching the Battle Saber right out of her grasp!

Stance, positioning, leverage—Rong Taotao held the absolute advantage in every aspect. Wen Ying couldn’t even muster a decent struggle. Sitting helplessly in the snow, she was completely at his mercy.

As the Half Moon Blade ripped her Battle Saber away, her hands were flung backward, pulling her upper body along. Her sitting position turned into a backward recline.

Talk about leaving yourself wide open!

Rong Taotao didn’t pull back his momentum from the thrust at all; he simply lunged forward!

Facing the completely exposed Wen Ying, Rong Taotao brought his elbow into play!

In a flash, a heavy elbow strike slammed viciously into Wen Ying’s jaw!

The movements were fluid and seamless, a brutal kind of art.

Rong Taotao gave no one a chance to react.

There wasn’t even the slightest pause between his actions...

THUD!

A muffled thud. The Snow Burning Corps’ camouflage uniform saved Wen Ying’s life.

The snow camouflage worn by the students for warmth was thick, so Rong Taotao’s elbow strike was like hitting her with a padded glove.

Even so, the force of the blow left Wen Ying’s mind reeling.

She had never imagined that the first person to ever fall into her arms wouldn’t be her fated Prince Charming, but a vicious Tao’Er...

Of course, Rong Taotao wasn’t about to give her any chance to recover. He slammed his left hand into the snow, pushing his body up just enough to create space for his right elbow to come crashing down again!

Honestly, without the thick snow camouflage, Wen Ying might have suffered less. If the first blow had knocked her unconscious, she would have been spared the ones that followed.

Rong Taotao’s strikes were swift and brutal!

THUD!

Another sickening thud!

It was a terrifying sound to hear.

Wen Ying’s eyes fluttered open, dazed and unfocused. Excruciating pain shot from her jaw, and her vision blurred. She flailed her hands, trying to push him away in a final, desperate struggle. "Stop... stop... murder..."

Rong Taotao’s left hand forcefully batted away her arm, which was too weak to offer any real resistance. He raised his right elbow again!

THUD!

Wen Ying: "Mur..."

THUD!

Wen Ying: "Help... hel..."

THUD!

Wen Ying: "..."

"Stop," a man’s voice called out from nearby.

Rong Taotao grabbed the Halberd Shaft with his left hand to push himself up. He looked up and saw one of the soldiers approaching.

Once he confirmed the order came from the Snow Burning Corps, Rong Taotao slowly got to his feet.

At his feet, Wen Ying’s face was swollen and bruised, the corner of her mouth split and bleeding freely. She had been beaten completely unconscious.

Now that was what you call precise, ruthless, and efficient. A clean takedown.

"RONG! TAO! TAO!" Zheng Tianpeng’s enraged roar echoed from the woods in the distance. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Rong Taotao turned, smiled, and waved at the distant Zheng Tianpeng. "Your woman’s Martial Arts are a little... sloppy."

"*Pfft... cough, cough...*" The Snow Burning Corps Warrior, who had just hoisted the unconscious female student onto his shoulder, almost burst out laughing when he heard Rong Taotao’s comment.

His supreme professionalism stopped him from laughing outright, but he was clearly struggling to hold it in, letting out a series of choked coughs instead.

...