Master of Nine Stars

When Lu Mang helped Rong Taotao to the second-floor dormitory, they found Si Huan Nian kneeling on the floor, having already encased part of Gao Lingwei’s body in ice.

Gao Lingwei’s expression was awful as she stared blankly at the ceiling. The right side of her waist, her thigh, calf, and the top of her foot were all covered in a thick layer of frost.

"Don’t worry," Si Huan Nian said as soon as she saw Rong Taotao appear in the doorway.

A white light glowed in one of her hands, which was pressed against the right side of Gao Lingwei’s waist. With her other hand, she gestured toward the phone on the coffee table.

Sun Xingyu quickly ran over, grabbed the phone, and scurried back with it.

The healing Soul Skill, Snow Prayer Radiance, never stopped glowing in Si Huan Nian’s hand as she dialed the phone with the other.

A few seconds later, Si Huan Nian spoke. "Coach Dong? Are you at the school hospital? Please hurry to the second floor of the Martial Arts Hall. We have a seriously injured student."

Si Huan Nian hung up and saw Lu Mang helping Rong Taotao, who plopped down onto the sofa. She couldn’t help but ask, "What happened?"

Rong Taotao clutched his forehead. "I... I don’t know. The flower... it acted on its own, out of my control. It attacked Gao Lingwei."

Hearing this, Si Huan Nian, who had been perfectly composed until now, suddenly looked grave.

Gao Lingwei had suffered such a severe injury, but Si Huan Nian wasn’t worried about that. It was as if she’d seen this level of injury countless times and knew with certainty that the student could be saved. But...

Si Huan Nian asked, "The Lotus Petal attacked on its own?"

Rong Taotao rested his elbows on his knees, his voice full of remorse. "Yeah..."

Si Huan Nian sighed softly. ’This kid is truly star-crossed.’

If everything was as Rong Taotao said—that the perpetually uncontrollable Nine-Petaled Lotus would attack at will based on its own whims... then this boy, Rong Taotao, would have to say goodbye to "sparring" and "competitions" from now on.

It might not sound like a big deal, but for a martial artist, this was practically a death sentence!

’As expected of a damage-dealer type Nine-Petaled Lotus!’

’It has a truly explosive temper!’

Looking at Rong Taotao’s tattered, blood-soaked clothes, Si Huan Nian could easily imagine just how miserably he had been suppressed during the fight.

’What if...’ Si Huan Nian thought to herself. ’On the night of the Soul Beast invasion, if the Pine Soul’s Three Rites and one of the Seasons hadn’t been there to protect Rong Taotao in time, and he had been left to be surrounded and mauled by hordes of Snow Realm Soul Beasts... would this Lotus Petal have appeared on its own and gone on a rampage?’

’Or... would Rong Taotao have died a horrible death, with the Lotus acting solely according to its own whims?’

The room fell silent. About thirty seconds later, a tall, slender figure burst into the master and disciple’s dormitory.

Si Huan Nian gestured to Gao Lingwei on the floor. "He’s here, Coach Dong."

Seeing the newcomer, Jiao Tengda grinned. ’That’s Si Huan Nian for you, what a power player. One phone call, and the supervising instructor from the school hospital is here in thirty seconds.’

Winter of the Pine Soul Four Seasons!

Dong Dongdong!

The man wore a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses. He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, with a gentle, refined air that gave him the potential to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Dong Dongdong knelt on the floor. Although his martial title was "Winter," his voice was gentle. "What happened?"

Si Huan Nian said, "Kidney area, thigh, calf, and sole of the foot were pierced by a Lotus Petal."

Hearing this, Dong Dongdong’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked at Si Huan Nian with a hint of disapproval. "Why didn’t you hold back?"

Si Huan Nian shot Dong Dongdong a glare. "It wasn’t my flower." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Dong Dongdong said, "Hm?"

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and glanced at Rong Taotao on the sofa. He nodded thoughtfully, then noticed Rong Taotao’s injuries as well. "You go help him."

Then, Dong Dongdong said to the other Little Souls in the room, "All of you, head out. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine."

As he spoke, Dong Dongdong placed his palm on Gao Lingwei’s waist—or more accurately, on the layer of frost Si Huan Nian had created.

CRACK!

With a faint shattering sound, spiderweb cracks appeared on the surface of Gao Lingwei’s frozen skin.

A light flashed from Dong Dongdong’s hand as a mist of water droplets formed, seeping into the cracks in the ice.

Ocean Soul Skill - Sea Prayer Radiance!

A Soul Skill with a higher quality and better healing effect than Snow Prayer Radiance.

"All of you, go. Get back to your training," Si Huan Nian said. The few Little Souls exchanged glances, shot worried looks at Rong Taotao on the sofa, and then reluctantly left.

Lu Mang patted Rong Taotao’s shoulder and walked out quickly.

Si Huan Nian sat down beside Rong Taotao and tore away the tattered cloth at his waist. Looking at the mangled, bloody wound, a light flashed in her hand, and she pressed it directly onto his skin.

"Hiss..." Rong Taotao shivered from the cold, his body instantly snapping upright.

Si Huan Nian hesitated for a moment before saying, "From now on, you are not to participate in any sparring matches or competitions."

Rong Taotao was stunned. "Huh? But..."

Si Huan Nian’s expression was stern. "At least, not until you can control the Nine-Petaled Lotus. It’s too dangerous for the other students."

"Yes, I understand." Hearing this, Rong Taotao nodded in resignation.

Nearby, as a mist of water droplets emanated from his hands to heal Gao Lingwei, Dong Dongdong spoke up. "A lack of real combat is very detrimental to a Soul Martial Artist’s growth."

Dong Dongdong seemed quite sharp. Though he didn’t know the specific details, he had pieced together the general situation from Si Huan Nian’s words and Rong Taotao’s condition.

"Indeed." Si Huan Nian nodded in agreement. "After eight o’clock, I’ll go speak with Principal Mei and find a solution."

Dong Dongdong continued, "It’s an easy problem to solve. He can substitute sparring with true combat—life-or-death battles.

"The Snow Realm is never short on Soul Beasts, especially now. They’re everywhere."

At these words, Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up.

A clear difference in opinion was emerging.

Dong Dongdong, being a good person, was offering the young genius a way to continue growing and training. Si Huan Nian, however, was worried.

There was a reason the university had been on lockdown for so long. The outside world was indeed crawling with Snow Realm Soul Beasts. Huaxia had already dispatched large forces to clear them out, but the Snow Realm’s signature combination of blizzards and extreme darkness was a real headache.

This wretched natural environment served as perfect camouflage for the Snow Realm Soul Beasts, and the Snow Realm itself had become a grand paradise for poacher teams seeking to turn a profit.

The outside world was simply too dangerous.

After the previous invasion incident, the university had recalled many instructors to defend its home base, all for the sake of protecting the school.

One had to understand... while Rong Taotao and the others had been living a relatively carefree life, for Songjiang Soul Martial University, the past month had pushed it into the eye of a storm! So many outstanding students had died here, and Songjiang Soul City had become the target of public condemnation.

At a critical juncture like this, if the university were to take students out for training and more casualties occurred... one didn’t need to imagine what kind of "tempest" awaited Songjiang Soul Martial.

"If it’s possible, after my injuries heal, I’ll go with you," Gao Lingwei, who was lying on the cold floor, suddenly said.

Hearing this, Rong Taotao’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly looked toward Gao Lingwei.

It wasn’t because of what she said, but because she was speaking at all!

She was speaking!

’Does this mean she’s out of danger?’

And indeed, it did. Gao Lingwei, who had been gritting her teeth against the pain and struggling to maintain control, was now in a much better state thanks to Dong Dongdong’s help.

The tiny droplets and trickles of water, infused with dense Soul Power and a healing effect, were seeping into her body through the wounds, providing immense relief.

"Um, I’m sorry," Rong Taotao said hesitantly, finally apologizing.

"Why are you apologizing?" Gao Lingwei asked softly, still looking at the ceiling. "Since it was a battle, there are not only winners and losers, but also life and death. Besides, before the fight began, I made it clear that I would be taking it very seriously."

For a moment, Rong Taotao was at a loss for words.

Gao Lingwei continued, "And I was serious. If not for your final resistance, you would be the one lying here. So you have no need to apologize."

Rong Taotao, still letting Si Huan Nian tend to his waist, said, "The flower isn’t under my control. It was really an accident, I swear."

Gao Lingwei said softly, "A battle is always full of unknown factors. Luck is a part of strength. Besides, that didn’t seem like luck, but rather one of your offensive techniques.

"In a life-or-death battle, fairness is the last thing you should consider. A Martial Artist wants only victory, only to stay alive."

With that, Gao Lingwei propped herself up with one arm, struggling to lift her upper body slightly. She looked at Rong Taotao’s guilt-ridden face, hesitated for a long moment, and then said, "I’ve trained for a full three years longer than you and have infinitely more combat experience. That’s not fair.

"I used my superior physical conditioning and my proficiency with Soul Skills to completely dominate you. That’s not fair either.

"I lost, and I will face it. Just like in our battle, you knew you were outmatched, yet you didn’t show a hint of cowardice or retreat. You faced it bravely, too.

"We’re the same type of person—we are both halberd-wielders. Like you said before the fight, we don’t need an out, and we don’t need comfort."

Although she said she "didn’t need comfort," this string of words from Gao Lingwei was doing exactly that: genuinely comforting Rong Taotao.

As for the matter of almost killing a classmate... well...

Gao Lingwei’s speech made Si Huan Nian and Dong Dongdong nod in silent approval. Both her upright attitude and her subtle words of comfort were worthy of her brilliant track record.

Too many people with a history of glory put themselves on a pedestal and let their behavior change for the worse. But at this moment, Gao Lingwei was not just a Martial Artist; she was also a kind classmate, helping to ease another’s troubled heart.

It was just that her way of easing a troubled heart was a bit unique—the foundation of all her words seemed to revolve around the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

"That should do it for now. I’ll take her back to the school hospital for further treatment. She’ll be fine after a week or two of rest," Dong Dongdong said with a smile. He slipped one arm under her neck and the other under the bend of her knees, lifting Gao Lingwei into his arms.

"Did you catch the important part?" Si Huan Nian suddenly looked at Rong Taotao and asked.

Rong Taotao asked, "Huh?"

Si Huan Nian said irritably, "She’s recovering. At the school hospital. For one to two weeks."

It took Rong Taotao a moment to react. "Oh... Oh! Right, right! I got it!"