Master of Nine Stars

Suddenly, the one-man night watch had turned into a three-person job.

Rong Taotao didn’t refuse when the older sister, Shi Lou, insisted on joining.

After all, you can never truly know what’s in a person’s heart. Although the sisters were taking shelter here, they still had to be on their guard. Shi Lou felt even more uneasy after seeing the pile of supply packages in the corner.

The three of them—Rong Taotao, Jiao Tengda, and Shi Lou—gathered around the campfire and began chatting quietly, getting to know one another.

Rong Taotao, for his part, had nothing to hide. He told them the whole story of his clash with Zheng Tianpeng’s team and also warned them that Xu Taiping was outside, eyeing the cave like a tiger watching its prey.

But who would have thought that the mere mention of Xu Taiping’s name would make both Jiao Tengda and Shi Lou freeze.

Rong Taotao: "What’s wrong? You’ve met him?"

Jiao Tengda looked embarrassed. He gave a wry smile and said, "Remember how I said I lost my weapon while being chased by a Soul Beast?"

Rong Taotao: "Yeah."

Jiao Tengda: "Well, it was actually Xu Taiping who was chasing me."

Rong Taotao’s expression froze. "Xu Taiping is eliminating other contestants?"

’So it wasn’t just a whim today, eliminating Zheng Tianpeng. He’s been doing this the whole time?’

’And apparently, Xu Taiping hasn’t broken any rules? After all, the Snow Burning Warriors haven’t kicked him out of the competition.’

Jiao Tengda rubbed his nose awkwardly. "That kid is truly terrifying. He’s on a killing spree. When I ran into him, I tried to negotiate, but he just attacked me outright. I was lucky that Shilou and Shilan helped me."

As he spoke, Jiao Tengda shot a grateful look at Shi Lou.

Shi Lou gave a soft "mm," acknowledging it. She and her sister weren’t on a team with Jiao Tengda; in fact, they had explicitly turned him down.

But Jiao Tengda was persistent and desperate to latch onto someone powerful. Even after the sisters rejected him, he didn’t make a nuisance of himself, just trailed along behind them, trying to figure out how to win over the two "Great Gods" up ahead.

The sisters had no intention of attacking a fellow student, so they paid no mind to the guy trailing far behind them.

And because of that, Jiao Tengda, lagging behind, became Xu Taiping’s target.

Fortunately, Shilou and Shilan up ahead noticed something was amiss. After a moment’s consideration, they decided to help Jiao Tengda, chasing off that "Humanoid Soul Beast," which is how he was saved.

Although Jiao Tengda wasn’t eliminated or even injured, he did get a solid beating from Xu Taiping. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because when the sisters saw his miserable, pitiful state, they actually let him tag along...

Hearing this, Rong Taotao sighed to himself. ’There are still so many kind people in the world.’

’Even knowing Jiao Tengda was a competitor from their own class, the sisters still chose to protect him.’

’Then again, maybe they never considered him qualified to be their competition in the first place.’

’Wait... Does Shi Lou think she’ll get bonus points for helping a fellow student? That’s entirely possible, just like what I’m doing right now.’

’After all, the last time I saw the sisters, their ferocious fighting style and ruthless attacks were clearly forged in the crucible of battle. They didn’t seem like the type to be soft-hearted.’

Rong Taotao chuckled and looked at Jiao Tengda. "So why were you so shamelessly tailing them? You got a crush on one of them?"

Jiao Tengda shrugged. "I did my research on them."

Shi Lou’s sharp, heroic brows furrowed slightly as she turned to look at Jiao Tengda.

But Jiao Tengda just smiled openly. "I researched some of the contestants from our year, including you, Rong Taotao. In fact, the moment I recognized Sun Xingyu, I knew you’d have to be in this cave."

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow slightly. ’It’s only been two days since the students gathered for the competition. This guy is certainly diligent, isn’t he?’

In response to Rong Taotao’s unspoken question, Jiao Tengda explained, "As for why I chose to follow them... I came to this competition alone. My roommate wasn’t very reliable, so I missed my first chance to team up. And these sisters, they’re quite well-known in Chang’an City."

Shi Lou shot Jiao Tengda a cold glance. In the past two days, they had learned very little about him, whereas he was clearly very familiar with them.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

Jiao Tengda pushed up his glasses and looked at Rong Taotao. "Those two are a lock for the Junior Class."

Rong Taotao’s interest was instantly piqued. "Why do you say that?"

Jiao Tengda: "First of all, their strength speaks for itself. They’re known as the strongest middle schoolers in Chang’an City, a reputation they earned with blood and steel on real battlefields."

Rong Taotao nodded thoughtfully, his gaze involuntarily flicking toward Shi Lou.

Jiao Tengda: "Those three commendations they received for ’acting heroically for a just cause’ are real, too. I figured they wouldn’t attack someone like me; they’d be more likely to help."

Jiao Tengda smiled sheepishly. "My Martial Arts aren’t great. I haven’t been training for very long, and now I really regret it..."

Rong Taotao: "And?"

Jiao Tengda: "And most importantly, they both have Soul Slots."

As he spoke, Jiao Tengda raised a finger and tapped his forehead.

Rong Taotao: !!!

Seeing Rong Taotao’s reaction, Jiao Tengda nodded. "So they’re guaranteed to get into the Junior Class. Even if they perform poorly, Pine Soul Soul Martial will absolutely recruit a pair of twins who have opened their forehead Soul Slots.

To be honest, when the assessment began, I was deliberating for a long time between your team and the Shi Family Sisters’ team. In the end, I chose them."

Rong Taotao felt a little stung. "So, in your opinion, they have a better chance of getting in than I do?"

Jiao Tengda: "You’ll get into the Junior Class, too."

Rong Taotao: "Why do you say that?"

But Jiao Tengda just smiled and tapped his forehead again, the meaning obvious. "Aren’t I right?"

Rong Taotao smiled as well. "If I get in, it won’t be because of a forehead Soul Slot. It’ll be because of my performance."

As he spoke, Rong Taotao gestured toward the pile of supplies in the corner.

At these words, a peculiar light flashed in Shi Lou’s narrow eyes.

She admired people with such confidence. More than that, she admired the person who had dared to face Si Huan Nian in the Martial Arts Arena.

She knew just how much courage it took for a fledgling to dare face off against Si Huan Nian.

’It’s just a shame,’ she thought, ’that before I could even step up and challenge him, before I could cut him down myself, Si Huan Nian kneed him into a curled-up shrimp and then carried him off draped over her shoulders like a scarf...’

"Mm," Jiao Tengda nodded. "If you want a better score, I’d advise you to stop wasting your supplies."

Rong Taotao was taken aback. "What?"

Jiao Tengda pushed up his glasses. "Delicious lamb pilaf, piping hot meat broth... Pretty comfortable, isn’t it?"

Rong Taotao blinked. ’What is he talking about?’

Jiao Tengda: "The school never gave us the grading criteria. There are no explicit ways to earn or lose points. So, we have to think carefully about how to stand out from all the other contestants."

"Right." Rong Taotao nodded, catching on to Jiao Tengda’s train of thought. "Go on."

Jiao Tengda: "Although there are no grading criteria, the school issued the same amount of supplies to everyone."

At this, Rong Taotao already understood what Jiao Tengda was getting at.

Jiao Tengda picked up a stick and prodded the campfire. "In seven days, everyone returns to the wall.

If they have to choose between a student who used up all their supplies and one who has half a pack left, who do you think the school will pick?"

Rong Taotao considered this for a moment. "I have a lot of supplies."

Jiao Tengda: "If you weren’t lying before, then you obtained this pile of supplies legitimately. That means you already have a high score. So... stop eating your points."

Rong Taotao: "Your body is your capital. Getting the necessary nutrition is essential."

Jiao Tengda: "The school didn’t send you here to live in comfort. To maintain your physical condition, one meal a day might be enough to handle whatever comes up. Besides, instead of using supplies, we should be hunting Soul Beasts and eating their meat."

The flickering campfire illuminated Jiao Tengda’s thoughtful face. "Otherwise, there would have been no reason for the school to hold the assessment here."

Rong Taotao watched Jiao Tengda in silence for a long moment before speaking. "We’re competitors. You shouldn’t be telling me this."

Jiao Tengda turned his head and gave Rong Taotao a friendly smile. "If I want to join your team, I have to show some good faith."

Looking at Jiao Tengda’s earnest expression, Rong Taotao shook his head with a small smile. "Where are you from?"

Jiao Tengda: "Sichuan and Shu."

Rong Taotao was a little surprised. "Your Mandarin is perfect. We’ve been talking for a while and I haven’t heard the slightest accent."

Jiao Tengda smiled, then turned to Shi Lou. "Thank you and your sister for saving my life."

Shi Lou, however, gave a casual, cool wave of her hand. "It was nothing." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Jiao Tengda looked at Rong Taotao again. "You should try to recruit them."

Rong Taotao: "Huh?"

Jiao Tengda: "If you’re content to hide out in this cave until the assessment is over, you have enough people. But if you want to go out and hunt Soul Beasts, you’re clearly short-handed.

The Soul Beasts let loose within the walls are low-level, but some of them travel in packs.

And you won’t just be facing Soul Beasts. You’ll likely run into other student teams, too. At the very least, Xu Taiping is still watching you."

With that, Jiao Tengda sighed softly. "What’s more, you have an injured teammate. He’s not just a non-combatant; he’ll be a burden, requiring someone to protect him. Unless... you get rid of the injured man..."

"No," Rong Taotao cut him off flatly. "In my book, there’s no such thing as ’killing the donkey once the grinding is done’."

From the shadows, Lu Mang’s faint voice drifted over. "I’m not a donkey."

Everyone: "..."

’He’s not asleep?’

’Have his ears been pricked up this whole time? We’re speaking so quietly, how can he hear?’

Not wanting to disturb the others’ rest, Rong Taotao immediately stood up. "Come on, let’s go stand watch at the entrance."

As he spoke, Rong Taotao walked over to the firewood pile and gestured for Jiao Tengda to take some lit tinder from the campfire.

Shi Lou wasn’t in the habit of letting others do things for her. She took a long stride and walked toward the firewood pile as well.

After a moment of thought, Rong Taotao had already made up his mind.

’Rather than letting these two powerhouses go off and protect someone else, wouldn’t it be better to invite them to join my team?’

’Judging by the Shi Family Sisters’ attitude and actions toward Jiao Tengda over the past two days, they seem like ideal teammates, don’t they?’

Having made up his mind, Rong Taotao looked expectantly at Shi Lou, who was gathering firewood beside him.

Shi Lou understood what he was thinking. She was certainly interested in Rong Taotao, but she’d rather face him in the Martial Arts Arena than be his teammate.

Shi Lou shook her head gently. "We’re leaving tomorrow."

’Ah, crap...’

Rong Taotao was crestfallen. ’The powerhouses are leaving, and I haven’t even had a chance to latch on yet...’