Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 39 - 33: To Acknowledge or Not to Acknowledge

To Rong Taotao’s complete surprise, once the blizzard started, it seemed as if it would never end.

It was as if the storm was a show of force meant for the new students, making them understand that the Snow Realm was not a place one could just waltz into. Even outside the first wall, survival was far from easy.

The extremely harsh weather had thrown all of Rong Taotao and Jiao Tengda’s plans into disarray.

Even the Shi family sisters, Shilou and Shilan, were trapped in the cave.

With no other choice, everyone could only rest in the cave. No one was willing to gamble with their lives, especially with a predatory Xu Taiping lurking in the vast, swirling snow outside.

Of course, Rong Taotao took the opportunity to try and get on good terms with his two "powerhouses."

Shi Lan’s attitude toward Rong Taotao was still very good. As for her older sister, Shi Lou, her demeanor had also changed significantly ever since she went to retrieve Rong Taotao in the early morning. At the very least, she no longer wore a stern expression.

Her wariness might not have completely vanished, but she seemed to hold a great deal of admiration for a Martial Artist like Rong Taotao. After all, she had seen everything he did in the early hours of the morning.

Moreover, the fact that Rong Taotao had returned unscathed from the vast, white-out blizzard was proof enough of his strength.

If daring to face Si Huan Nian in the Martial Arts Arena that day was a show of courage, then today, he had demonstrated true strength.

As night fell, something completely unexpected happened.

The soldiers resting in the cave seemed to have received some kind of order through their invisible headphones. They all stood up, startling the students in the cave so much that they held their breath, watching the soldiers with curiosity.

"Change of mission. The original seven-day assessment for Songjiang Soul Martial University has been shortened to three days." a soldier announced, glancing down at his watch. "In another hour, it will be midnight. Survive this final hour, and we will escort you back."

Rong Taotao and the others were momentarily stunned.

But when Jiao Tengda and the Shi family sisters heard this, their expressions immediately changed.

While Rong Taotao’s team had sufficient achievements to get into the Songjiang Soul Martial University’s Junior Class, the three of them had seemingly accomplished nothing noteworthy in the past three days!?

"The assessment period has been cut by more than half? Why?" the younger sister, Shi Lan, asked impatiently, her words rushing out.

The soldier thought for a moment before replying, "The weather in the Snow Realm is unpredictable. After analysis by experts from both the university and the military, it’s been determined that this blizzard will only intensify."

"The students’ safety is the top priority, which is why this decision was made on the spot."

As he spoke, the soldier looked at Rong Taotao and said, "Even if we let you continue the assessment in such a dangerous environment, you would likely just be stuck in this cave, unable to move, just like today."

Rong Taotao: "..."

’That may be true, but why are you looking at *me* when you say it?’

’Have even you figured out that I’m the leader of this team?’

’Hmm...’

Rong Taotao scratched his naturally curly hair. ’Looks like I’ve got a pretty decent air about me, huh?’

Jiao Tengda pushed up the glasses on his nose. Looking at the somewhat helpless Shi Lan, he offered some comfort, "Natural disasters are truly beyond our control."

"A blizzard of this magnitude will transport many Soul Beasts to Earth. Even though we’re at the first wall with two more walls to the north as barriers, some powerful Soul Beasts might still slip through."

"We don’t even have our Lifebound Soul Beasts yet, let alone face creatures like that."

"Hmph, isn’t that Xu Taiping a high-quality Soul Beast too? If little Juanjuan could beat him so badly he ran for the hills, so can I!" Shi Lan pouted, speaking with dissatisfaction.

Rong Taotao quickly cut in, "That Xu Taiping is indeed a high-quality Soul Beast, but the Ice Soul Guide species is a lot like humans; they have a very long developmental period."

"He’s still in his juvenile stage. Although his quality ceiling is extremely high, his current level is very low, and his exclusive Soul Skill isn’t even an offensive one..."

"Huh? Are you defending Xu Taiping?" Shi Lan froze for a second, looking Rong Taotao up and down. After a long moment, she suddenly burst out laughing. "Hehe, don’t tell me you two developed feelings for each other from fighting?"

Rong Taotao scratched his head but turned to look at Sun Xingyu. "Quick, you two could be best friends."

Sun Xingyu blinked her big, pretty eyes. "Why?"

Rong Taotao: "Because you both have the blazing fires of gossip burning in your hearts!"

While the rest of the team bickered noisily, Lu Mang, who had been sitting silently to the side, let out a deep sigh of relief.

For the assessment to end now was, perhaps, the best possible outcome for Lu Mang.

Lu Mang was injured, dragging a wounded leg that hindered his movement. In the team’s original plan to go out hunting, he would have either had to stay behind to guard the camp or tag along and slow everyone down, requiring others to protect him.

So, the soldier’s news was truly a lifesaver for him. Who knew if being protected by others and holding the team back would result in a deduction of points?

In contrast, Jiao Tengda had managed to come to terms with it.

Joining in on the boisterous atmosphere, Jiao Tengda had probably figured things out. He had accomplished virtually nothing in these three days. He had finally found a "Great God" team and was just about to show what he could do when the assessment came to an abrupt halt.

Jiao Tengda saw it clearly: he probably wasn’t going to pass. ’Oh well, I’ll just chalk it up to life experience.’

Honestly, seeing this Snowfield for himself was a completely different experience than just hearing about it. It really was dangerous!

The carefree younger sister, Shi Lan, didn’t show much of a reaction, but the older sister, Shi Lou, was filled with helplessness and couldn’t stop herself from letting out a long sigh. "Sigh..."

That one sigh quickly silenced the lively atmosphere in the cave.

Rong Taotao knew that the Shi Family Sisters’ abilities were beyond question. But alas, life is full of disappointments, and this sudden blizzard could very well affect the course of Shi Lou’s entire life.

Jiao Tengda, who was sitting on the ground, leaned back slightly, supporting himself with his hands. In a seemingly casual movement, he gently pressed on Rong Taotao’s military boot.

"Hm?" Rong Taotao tilted his head to look at Jiao Tengda.

He saw Jiao Tengda give him a meaningful look, gesturing with his eyes toward the supplies piled in the corner.

Rong Taotao frowned slightly. Connecting this to Shi Lou, who was sighing with her head down, he immediately understood Jiao Tengda’s meaning.

The two sisters had all the skill in the world, but fate simply wasn’t on their side.

In the final remaining hour, with no possibility of going out to slaughter Soul Beasts, the only path left for the sisters to get into the Songjiang Soul Martial Junior Class was to "kill and plunder"!

The mountain of supplies piled in the corner very likely represented "points."

"Hey, Sis! Cheer up! Look at you, all mopey and sighing. The worst that can happen is we come back to the Snow Realm in three years," the younger sister, Shi Lan, said, scooting over to her sister’s side.

Shi Lan wrapped an arm around Shi Lou’s shoulders and continued, "Besides, what’s so great about the Junior Class? You can’t even participate in the high school league. Think of all the honor we’d miss out on! The prize money? The Soul Pearls?"

"Three years from now, we’ll come back to apply for Songjiang Soul Martial with the national championship title in hand, and they’ll be guaranteed to accept us!"

"Look at the students who competed in the high school league this year. Even the ones who didn’t make it to the finals were being fought over by tons of universities."

"Heh." Shi Lou let out a helpless laugh and gently bumped her head against her sister’s cheek. In an instant, her dejected look vanished, replaced by a carefree confidence. "Alright, then we’ll wait three more years and use the championship trophy as our ticket in."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up.

’Damn, girl, that kind of ambition is really something else!’

Jiao Tengda, however, just silently shuffled back until his back was against the wall, quietly watching the scene unfold.

He felt he had already done everything he possibly could. Although he had just joined the team, he had said what needed to be said and given the warning he needed to give. For the remaining hour, no matter what happened, he just didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

"But before we go, shouldn’t we fulfill one of our wishes?" Shi Lan’s tone shifted, and her long, beautiful eyes turned toward Rong Taotao.

Beneath a pair of heroic, sword-like eyebrows, her eyes were eager for a fight.

The expressions on Sun Xingyu’s and Li Ziyi’s faces stiffened, while Rong Taotao...

...simply reached behind him and grabbed the Heaven-piercing Halberd leaning against the wall. Thanks to Jiao Tengda’s earlier warning, Rong Taotao was clearly prepared for anything.

"Not now. Let’s wait until we get back." The older sister, Shi Lou, smiled and looked at Rong Taotao. "The day after tomorrow, at the Martial Arts Arena, let’s set a time. Lanlan and I will stay here for another two days. Since we came all this way to the Snow Realm, we should at least look around Pine Soul Town."

’She chose to earn her achievements through proper means and harbored no crooked thoughts whatsoever!’

’Such class! Such integrity!’

Rong Taotao never would have imagined that one day he would use such words to describe a girl.

They were all just fifteen or sixteen-year-old kids, all students with explosive talent. Which one of them wasn’t proud and ambitious? Which one was willing to be second best?

Even though Rong Taotao’s team had taken them in, it’s not like people who forget all principles at the sight of profit are rare, right?

And how many people were there of the "If I can’t have it, neither can you" type?

Zheng Tianpeng’s team had tried to seize their nest, Sun Xingyu’s roommate Zhou Ting had betrayed them from the inside—in just a few short days, Rong Taotao had been through far too much.

And at this final, critical moment, a mountain of points was piled in the corner—points that would undoubtedly decide the future fate of every student in the cave. The sisters still had one last chance to fight for it!

Faced with such a temptation, the attitude the Shi Family Sisters showed was truly impeccable.

It seemed that with the assessment about to end, Shi Lou had let down her guard. She "came alive" and reverted to her true nature.

She took off her milky-white cotton hat and ran a hand through her messy short hair. The cold wariness in her long, narrow eyes was gone, replaced by a blazing desire for battle. "Let’s make a date. The day after tomorrow, in the morning. We’ll meet at the Martial Arts Arena. What do you say?"

Rong Taotao loosened his grip on the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s shaft. He flicked two fingers against it with a sharp *TWANG*. "The weapon I train with is the Heaven-piercing Halberd."

Shilou and Shilan’s movements were surprisingly in sync; even their reactions were identical. Both of them raised an eyebrow slightly, the corners of their mouths lifting. "Oh?"

Rong Taotao grinned. "In my life, I, Rong Taotao, only acknowledge my father. I never acknowledge defeat."

Shilou & Shilan: ???