Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao slowly sat down in the snow, lost in thought.

She’d refused to train with him, but she hadn’t rejected his attempts to pursue her. In fact, she’d encouraged him, even setting a goal for him to reach.

A person like that would absolutely not go back on her word. After all, she had just dropped her facade and let her true self show.

Rong Taotao was very satisfied with this outcome. A weapon’s style and techniques really did have a huge influence on a Soul Martial Artist’s personality.

In normal society, when you’re set up on a blind date, you have to consider the matchmaker’s reputation. Assuming the matchmaker is a reliable person... when you can’t get a clear read on yourself, you just need to look at the kind of person the matchmaker sets you up with.

At the very least, in the matchmaker’s heart, you and the person you’re introduced to are on the same level.

And Rong Taotao had gotten to know Gao Lingwei through the "Heaven-piercing Halberd." So, in this relationship, the weapon was the so-called "matchmaker."

Just as Rong Taotao had expected, the two of them... were, to some extent, both stubborn people with their own demands and standards.

What was even more perfect was that Gao Lingwei’s demands and standards were perfectly aligned with the direction of Rong Taotao’s own efforts.

Rong Taotao, who had long since stopped needing any external motivation to improve his strength, now seemed to have found a little more.

’It’s like stacking buffs...’

Just as Rong Taotao was lost in thought, a pleasant female voice, full of vitality, sounded from beside him. "Juanjuan, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Rong Taotao turned his head to see Shi Lan.

The trio naturally appeared as a group. The Shi Family Sisters and Fan Lihua were all looking at Rong Taotao curiously. Only their teacher, Si Huan Nian, who was behind them, wore a faint, playful smile as she watched him.

Rong Taotao’s face flushed with embarrassment. It felt like being caught dating too young—extremely awkward.

’Hm... but then again, I’m technically a university student now. This should be the right age to start dating, right?’

Rong Taotao replied, "Nothing much. Just tired, taking a break."

"Eh? That’s a surprise. You get tired?" Shi Lan blinked in confusion. Over the past twenty-some days, aside from seeing Rong Taotao sitting and listening in class, every time she saw him in the Martial Arts Arena, the guy was definitely training his heart out.

His level of dedication was staggering. Rong Taotao was like a catfish thrown into a school of sardines, wreaking havoc. Under Rong Taotao’s "frenzied output," none of the other Eight Little Souls dared to slack off. They wouldn’t even stop for a moment, all of them pushing themselves to their limits and training like mad...

"Get up. Act like a man," Si Huan Nian said coolly.

Rong Taotao: "..."

’Do men not get to sit down?’

Seeing Rong Taotao get to his feet, Si Huan Nian nodded in satisfaction. "Let’s go. It’s time for dinner."

Rong Taotao thought for a moment but decided not to defy Si Huan Nian. He adjusted the Dragon Sparrow slung horizontally across his lower back and followed her out of the arena.

"How’s your Soul Technique? Have you advanced to the peak of one star yet?" At his side, the older sister, Shi Lou, walked over. She didn’t look at Rong Taotao, just asking her question matter-of-factly. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"No, it’s not that fast. I only advanced to the high-rank stage twenty days ago," Rong Taotao replied.

Shi Lou was speechless. Rong Taotao said it so casually, but it was a level she had yet to reach.

During the month and a half of summer vacation, her Soul Power hadn’t fallen behind, but in terms of Soul Technique, she had indeed been left in the dust.

The Shi Family Sisters, along with the other Little Souls, had indeed developed in all aspects. Most of them had cultivated the Ocean Soul Technique and a few Ocean Soul Techniques. But Rong Taotao, who had remained behind in the Snow Realm, had now become the one to stand out from the rest.

Shi Lan quickly piped up, "You’d better keep it up, Juanjuan! I’ll catch up to you soon!"

"Ah..." Rong Taotao turned to look at the competitive younger sister, Shi Lan, only to see a peculiar sight. Shi Lan was leaning her elbow on Fan Lihua’s shoulder, using the petite girl as a crutch.

Rong Taotao was not happy about that at all. He spoke up, "Hey, why are you bullying a teammate? You think you can do whatever you want just because you’re tall and have long legs?"

"It’s... it’s okay." Who would have thought that before Shi Lan could say anything, Fan Lihua would be the one to speak up? Her voice was as soft and sweet as ever, and she had the gentle and meek look of a well-behaved child. "I’m the captain. I should take care of them."

Alright then. One was willing to dish it out, and the other was willing to take it. Rong Taotao didn’t say another word.

Shi Lan, however, removed her elbow from Fan Lihua’s shoulder and straightened her slightly leaning posture. Her expression was very serious as she said, "Was that mistaken for school bullying? I thought it was an affectionate gesture. Don’t you like it? I won’t do it anymore."

Fan Lihua lowered her head slightly, her voice growing quieter and quieter. "You can lean on me. It’s very... affectionate. I like it..."

Her older sister, Shi Lou, suddenly stuck out her elbow and, in the same posture, leaned it on Rong Taotao’s shoulder. She scoffed, "Don’t worry, Lanlan isn’t that kind of person. If that were really the case, no one else would need to scold her. I’d have kicked her myself long ago."

Although both Shi Family Sisters were competitive people, the older sister was calmer and more focused on strength, while the younger sister was more lively, full of vitality, and a bit mischievous. And since the two sisters looked exactly alike, so...

So when Shi Lou made such a frivolous gesture, Rong Taotao almost thought that Shi Lou had been eaten by her younger sister, and now there were two Shi Lans in the world?

Rong Taotao did his best to lean away, trying hard to get some distance from Shi Lou. Her way of sticking up for her sister was certainly unique.