Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao was woken by hunger.

Yes, it was quite miraculous.

The same person who had once fainted from hunger was now being woken by it...

Either way, Rong Taotao was destined to be synonymous with "hungry person" from now on.

Rong Taotao didn’t know how long he had slept. When he opened his eyes and looked up to his right, he saw an IV bag still hanging there.

The scene was identical to the last time he’d woken up. The person sitting by his bed, however, had changed.

It was no longer Yang Chunxi, who had been tightly holding his hand, but Si Huan Nian, who was dozing off with her legs crossed and arms folded in front of her.

"Coach Si?" Rong Taotao called out softly.

"Hmm?" Si Huan Nian’s eyes shot open, and she was instantly awake.

Seeing that Rong Taotao was awake, Si Huan Nian stood up and strode toward the adjacent bathroom. "Pull it out. I’m hungry."

’Ah, so refreshing! So satisfying!’

’It’s great being with someone who understands!’

Rong Taotao had just been woken by hunger himself, and before he could even say anything, Si Huan Nian was already heading off to eat...

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Si Huan Nian spoke while washing her face, "It’s been almost a month. You should be discharged."

Rong Taotao’s breath hitched. "What did you say?! I slept for a whole month after we talked last time?!"

"Hah," Si Huan Nian scoffed. She unwrapped a disposable toothbrush at the sink and said, "We talked last night. It’s been almost a month from when you fell unconscious until you woke up last night."

"When you get back, you need to properly thank your sister-in-law. Even though there was nothing seriously wrong with you, she still watched over you for a month."

Rong Taotao stared blankly at Si Huan Nian, his lips moving, but he couldn’t get a single word out.

Si Huan Nian continued, "After this invasion, quite a few of the school’s instructors have returned. Principal Mei saw that Yang Chunxi has been too unsettled to teach, so she gave her a vacation."

’A month?’ Rong Taotao felt terrible. ’How much training have I missed?!’

’Nine-Petaled Lotus? Snow Realm Treasure?’

’What stupid flower made me sleep for a month?!’

Rong Taotao immediately opened his Inner Soul Map, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Soul Technique: Heart of the Snow Realm, Two-Star Mid-Tier?

’Oh... right. I think I did get a notification about this before I passed out.’

After nearly a month without training, Rong Taotao was still just a lowly Soul Soldier, stuck at the mid-tier of the rank.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Two-Star High-Tier. Heaven-piercing Halberd Mastery: Four-Star High-Tier. Sword Mastery: One-Star Peak... These Martial Arts hadn’t changed at all. They were exactly as they were before he lost consciousness.

His Potential Value, however, was now at "2" points.

Absorbing the Nine-Petaled Lotus had given Rong Taotao 1 point of Potential Value. Where did the extra point come from?

’That’s right!’

’Si Huan Nian said last night that I was the great hero who resolved the crisis! Even though it was unintentional, I still took the Nine-Petaled Lotus from the Ice Soul Guide, indirectly weakening the enemy’s strength.’

’This point of Potential Value must be my reward for resolving the Songjiang Soul Martial University crisis.’

"What are you spacing out for? Aren’t you hungry?" The Big Hungry Ghost walked out of the bathroom, brushing her teeth as she looked at the Little Hungry Ghost on the hospital bed.

Well... no point in pretending. They both knew exactly how hungry the other was...

"Hungry! So hungry!" Rong Taotao said, pulling out the IV needle. He pressed down on the tape on the back of his hand and tried to get up. His body was weak, and as his feet touched the floor and he tried to stand, his legs gave out, and he pitched forward.

Si Huan Nian reacted instantly, quickly grabbing Rong Taotao’s shoulder to steady him. "You’ll need some time to adjust. Your body will recover slowly. Just eat more from now on, and you’ll be fine once you get your nutrition back up."

Rong Taotao supported himself with one hand on the wall and carefully took a step.

Right in front of his face, a Cloud Dog flapped its large ears, hovering in mid-air. Its small, dark, beady eyes looked at Rong Taotao curiously. "Woof~"

Not only was it flying with its ears, but its four short legs were also paddling back and forth, even mimicking a walking motion in mid-air as if it were teaching Rong Taotao how to walk...

Rong Taotao’s face flushed red. "Are you... are you mocking me again?"

The Cloud Dog: "Woof woof~"

Si Huan Nian: "Pfft... HAHAHAHAHAHA..."

Rong Taotao wiped the flecks of toothpaste that had sprayed onto his cheek and shot a resentful look at Si Huan Nian. ’Truly worthy of being a Pine Soul instructor. So mature and composed~’

...

After washing up and enjoying a nice hot shower, Rong Taotao changed into a new set of clothes provided by the university hospital and was then hauled off by Si Huan Nian, "flying" toward the school cafeteria.

It was clear that Si Huan Nian was genuinely hungry.

The moment they left the hospital, Rong Taotao couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

The sky was still dark.

The wind still blew, though it was much less intense.

In the distance, some Soul Martial Students were still clearing snow. No one was using Soul Skills to do it; this kind of manual labor was probably considered a form of training.

On the way from the university hospital in the eastern part of campus to the cafeteria in the center, Rong Taotao saw a familiar sight.

There were no collapsed buildings, no cratered grounds... in fact, nothing looked different at all.

It was as if that battle had never happened.

Songjiang Soul Martial University had suffered such severe damage; it should have been impossible to repair everything in just a month. Perhaps this was the work of Soul Skills.

As he was being carried by Si Huan Nian, Rong Taotao looked at the campus scenery and felt a sense of unreality.

There were no broken walls or ruins, no scene of utter devastation.

The state of the entire school, much like the way Si Huan Nian spoke to him, seemed to be deliberately downplaying something.

From the cafeteria’s location, he couldn’t see the academic building, but he could see the three libraries standing to the south of the street.

Based on the direction the sounds had come from that night, those three libraries, like the academic building, should have been reduced to rubble. But now, the three buildings stood there, completely intact.

Yes, Songjiang Soul Martial had driven out the invaders and protected its home. But Rong Taotao knew that, at the very least, many of the students who had been in evening classes on the 5th and 6th floors of the academic building must have perished.

That student who had dragged his half-destroyed body, crawling over Rong Taotao and begging for help... The tragic scene was still vivid in his mind.

The perceptive Si Huan Nian sensed Rong Taotao’s somber mood, but she didn’t say anything. She simply led him into the cafeteria, went straight up to the second floor, ordered their food, and began to eat in silence.

Unexpectedly, while the master and apprentice were eating quietly, a chef in a white uniform came out from the back kitchen and approached their table.

Rong Taotao paused his chopsticks and turned his head curiously to look at the chef.

He was a middle-aged man with slightly small eyes and a very kind, smiling face. He placed a hand gently on Rong Taotao’s shoulder. "Student Rong Taotao, you don’t have to eat the same dishes as Coach Si anymore. Just order whatever you like, and I’ll make it for you."

"Huh?" Rong Taotao was a little surprised and confused.

"You’re a hero of Songjiang Soul Martial," the chef said, gently patting Rong Taotao’s shoulder.

"A hero? Am I... a hero?" Rong Taotao asked blankly.

"Of course," the chef nodded. His eyes weren’t large, but his gaze was sincere. "That night, everyone who fought to survive, everyone who did everything they could to help others survive, is a hero."

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together, his heart stirring, but he didn’t know what to say.

The chef continued, "I know your body suffered greatly and needs to recover. The school specifically instructed me to prepare special meals for you. It’s my honor to be able to help you and do my part."

"Thank you," Rong Taotao said, lowering his head and starting to eat again.

He wasn’t sure if he deserved such a title.

Ever since stepping into this Snow Realm, its dangers had exceeded Rong Taotao’s expectations time and time again.

From the shortened assessment period at the very beginning, to the scuttled training plan at Hundred Corps Pass, to the rising winds and darkened sky, and finally to the Soul Beast invasion of Songjiang Soul Martial University...

And now, the chef’s words, his definition of a hero... was simply anyone who had fought to survive.

Perhaps the criteria were different in different places.

In this Snow Realm of endless blizzards, simply surviving with all your might was the greatest act of heroism.

"From now on, just order whatever you want to eat. Any type of cuisine is fine." The chef seemed confident, or perhaps the culinary team here was truly full of hidden talents, skilled in all kinds of cooking styles.

Rong Taotao hummed softly in agreement. "Okay, thank you, Uncle. May I ask your name?"

"Gao Xu," the uncle said, his small eyes crinkling with a kind expression. "I have a son named Gao Chen—the ’Chen’ from ’xingchen,’ for stars. He might just become your schoolmate next year."

Even just mentioning his son’s name filled his face with immense pride.

Rong Taotao put down his chopsticks and looked up at Uncle Gao again. He hesitated for a long moment, as if mustering his courage, before finally asking, "You... you experienced all this firsthand. You know how dangerous the Snow Realm is. Are you still going to let him apply to Songjiang Soul Martial?"

"No, it’s not me letting him. It’s his own ambition," Chef Gao grinned, his face full of pride. He pressed his hand firmly on Rong Taotao’s shoulder. "Every Soul Martial Artist who resolves to come to the Snow Realm is a person of faith, aren’t they?"

Rong Taotao was stunned for a moment. It took him a while to process this before he slowly nodded. "Yeah... I guess so."

The path was still the same path.

It was just that too many people had forgotten why they had chosen to walk it in the first place.

Rong Taotao, who carried the Nine-Petaled Lotus: Sinful Lotus, certainly knew why he had come to the Snow Realm. And he knew, even more clearly, that he was getting closer and closer to his dream.

"Here." Si Huan Nian picked up a braised chicken wing with her chopsticks and placed it on Rong Taotao’s plate. "It seems you really like these."

Snapping back to his senses, Rong Taotao was taken aback.

The "ruthless and cruel" Si Tantang of the past seemed to be a little nicer and more considerate toward him now.

Rong Taotao knew, of course, how difficult it was for a "hungry ghost" to give away food from their own plate.

’This... this isn’t my Si Huan Nian!’

’Why is she suddenly being so nice to me? Did she get possessed by my sister-in-law?’

’Or did my performance in that battle completely win over this incredibly discerning, exceptionally picky, and strict teacher?’

’My goodness, am I that much of a player? Things with Gao Lingwei aren’t even settled yet, and now I’ve already conquered Si Tantang?’