Master of Nine Stars

The first afternoon class passed under Teacher Yang Chunxi’s warm smile.

Discipline in the Junior Soul Class had always been excellent, and Yang Chunxi never had to enforce it. But during the first class this afternoon, the students were exceptionally well-behaved, and everyone was incredibly eager to participate.

Even Lu Mang raised his hand to voluntarily answer questions, which was just a bit too surreal...

It was all because Principal Mei Hongyu was sitting at the back of the class—or more precisely, next to Rong Taotao’s little desk—listening in for the entire period.

With Yang Chunxi’s announcement that class was over, the Soul Class’s first-ever open class came to an end.

But none of the students moved. They were all waiting for Principal Mei to leave first.

However...

In Rong Taotao’s line of sight, a cane swept past his desk and gently tapped the leg of the chair in front of him. "TAP, TAP."

"Eh?" Shi Lan, who hadn’t even dared to breathe too loudly, let out a subconscious sound before hastily clamping her mouth shut. Her body, however, didn’t move an inch.

"TAP, TAP."

The wooden cane tapped Shi Lan’s chair leg again. This time, Shi Lan knew it wasn’t her imagination. She felt like she was doomed.

In just a few short seconds, the entire class session replayed in Shi Lan’s mind.

’What’s going on? I paid close attention, and I even raised my hand to participate. What’s happening?’

It felt strangely similar to one’s life flashing before their eyes just before death.

In the end, Shi Lan stood up, turned around, and faced the gaunt old man. "Principal Mei."

"Mm." Mei Hongyu’s voice was highly distinctive and exceptionally hoarse. "Come here, girl."

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Bracing herself, Shi Lan walked over.

Mei Hongyu said, "Your teammates."

You could tell Mei Hongyu was trying his best to appear amiable, but the cold Death Qi emanating from him was far too intimidating...

"Sister, Lihua! Quick, come over here! The principal is calling for us," Shi Lan’s clear, pleasant voice rang out. Sitting in the front row, Stone Tower and Fan Lihua exchanged a look but didn’t dare to delay, quickly rising and walking over.

Looking at the three respectful young talents standing before him, Mei Hongyu nodded in satisfaction. "Your team gets along well."

Although it was a statement, the older sister, Stone Tower, replied, "Yes, Principal. Our team gets along very well, we’re very close, and we have no conflicts."

"Mm, very good." Mei Hongyu leaned on his cane with both hands, raised his gaze, and looked at Stone Tower, whom he took for the leader. "If the school were to split up your team, would you accept it?"

Clearly, being unaware of the situation, Mei Hongyu had mistaken Stone Tower for the team captain.

"What?" Hearing this, Shi Lan was the first to fly off the handle, her expression anxious. "But... but... the three of us coordinate so well! We eat and live together..."

Mei Hongyu gestured toward the well-behaved Fan Lihua and said, "She wields a spear. You two wield sabers."

Before Shi Lan could say more, Mei Hongyu continued, "Moreover, you two are twins—twins with Soul Slots on your foreheads. A different Soul Martial path is your true calling."

For a moment, the three girls fell silent. They knew exactly what Mei Hongyu was talking about.

Mei Hongyu sighed softly and said, "I had originally thought the Junior Soul Class could follow a normal training process for two years before we made any adjustments."

"But I underestimated the level of your talent. Since every art has its specialization, and you were all specially recruited, perhaps it’s time you were cultivated with special methods."

Ultimately, it was Rong Taotao’s outstanding performance that had taught Principal Mei this lesson.

Fan Lihua reached out and gently tugged the corner of Stone Tower’s sleeve. "Just agree with the principal."

Stone Tower: "Huh?"

Mustering her courage, Fan Lihua tilted her small face up to look at Shi Lan. "You two were meant to walk this path. Soul Martial Artists with forehead Soul Slots are rare, and twins with them are even rarer."

Mei Hongyu looked at Fan Lihua, who had summoned her courage, a hint of admiration in his lone eye. He knew that this obedient, sensible, and well-behaved young girl was ranked first in the Soul Class.

Most importantly, the Soul Class had a student like Rong Taotao! And yet, Fan Lihua was still ranked first. The significance of that achievement was immense.

Yang Chunxi walked over from the side and gently explained, "Being put into different groups doesn’t mean you’ll be separated."

"The Soul Class will remain an inseparable unit. You’ll study together and live together."

"The grouping is just to ensure well-rounded development, allowing you to interact with the world in different ways."

"If the Junior Soul Class, as a whole, can blossom in multiple areas, it will actually raise the overall level of the class."

The students and the school clearly approached the problem from different angles. The Shi Family Sisters were thinking about their teammate, while the school was thinking about the Junior Class as a whole. Of course, neither side was right or wrong—it was just a matter of perspective.

The sisters, Stone Tower and Shi Lan, turned their heads—one left, one right—to look at Yang Chunxi behind them.

With this explanation from Counselor Yang, who managed both their academic and daily lives, the sisters’ moods instantly brightened considerably.

’As long as we’re not separated, it’s fine.’ They didn’t ask for much; they just didn’t want to be torn apart.

Mei Hongyu waved his hand, dismissing them, but then tapped the leg of the desk to his left with his cane.

Li Ziyi hurried over. Sun Xingyu, immediately realizing what was happening, got up to follow, though her eyes darted toward Rong Taotao.

Mei Hongyu said, "I hear you two are childhood sweethearts. Your techniques are similar, your styles match, and you have excellent synergy. Do you wish to walk the path of a duo?"

Sun Xingyu blinked her big, beautiful eyes and turned to look at Rong Taotao. "Well..."

Li Ziyi, on the other hand, felt as blissful as if he’d just eaten ice cream on a sweltering summer day. ’So damn good~’

’To a couple head over heels in love, anyone else is just a third wheel!’

Sun Xingyu said cautiously, "Principal Mei, the path of a duo is too difficult, and my aptitude is the lowest in the class. I’m afraid... I... I’m worried I’ll drag Li Ziyi down."

Li Ziyi’s expression froze. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of the cane striking the floor.

"THUD!"

"Mm, good." Mei Hongyu gave a slight nod. "Speaking your true thoughts, taking responsibility for your own future. That’s very good. And you?"

Mei Hongyu looked at Li Ziyi.

Li Ziyi opened his mouth, only to find Sun Xingyu glaring fiercely at him from the side.

Defeated, Li Ziyi said, "Let’s... uhm, let’s stick with a three-person team. It’s more mainstream."

"Very well. I will assign you an outstanding new teammate, one whose style and methods are compatible with yours and who can help you in various aspects." Mei Hongyu waved his hand, dismissing the pair, then pushed himself up with his cane and walked to the lectern.

The young couple returned to their seats, utterly bewildered. Yang Chunxi followed Mei Hongyu to the front of the classroom, standing off to the side of the lectern.

Mei Hongyu looked down at the youths below and began to speak. "You are the first batch of students in the Junior Class. You are the test subjects for this program."

The youths of the Soul Class: "..."

’Is it really okay to be so brutally honest?’

Mei Hongyu’s lone eye swept across the group. "You are not only the first for Songjiang Soul Martial, but you are also the very first Junior Class in any Soul Martial University in all of Huaxia."

"Everyone’s eyes are on Songjiang Soul Martial, and by extension, on you. So, although I call you test subjects, you must succeed. Failure is not an option."

"You have the best faculty resources, specially tailored teaching methods, and Lifebound Soul Beasts provided exclusively by the university."

"The Martial Arts Arena, which is normally open only at scheduled times, is now your residence, allowing you the convenience of training day and night. In the future, the school will only provide you with more, never less."

"And while you enjoy this top-tier education, you must always remember that you represent not only the success or failure of this program, but also the very honor of Songjiang Soul Martial University."

As he spoke, Mei Hongyu’s gaze fell upon Fan Lihua, and he said softly, "Similarly, I hope that one day, you will be able to stand at the very apex and become the representative figures of Huaxia’s entire younger generation."

Fan Lihua’s face flushed slightly as she surreptitiously lowered her head, her fingers twisting together nervously beneath her desk.

Having such high expectations placed upon her by such an important figure was indeed a bit much for Fan Lihua to handle.

Mei Hongyu picked up a piece of chalk from the lectern. His withered fingers snapped it in half, and he said in his hoarse voice, "You must set goals for yourselves. Any goals at all."

Although Mei Hongyu had told the students to set their own goals, as soon as he finished speaking, he turned, walked to the far-right edge of the blackboard, and wrote two vertical lines of characters:

"You must remember the cloud-piercing ambitions of your youth,And the vow you once made to be first-class in this world."

Mei Hongyu stood by the lectern, handed the chalk to Yang Chunxi, and turned to the students of the Soul Class. "The full poem is more pessimistic than these two lines I’ve excerpted."

"I do not want to wait until you are in your thirties or forties, having accomplished nothing, to use verses like these to awaken you."

"So I give this verse to you now."

"The next time we meet, I hope you will be able to face me with a clear conscience and without a shred of guilt."

With that, Mei Hongyu leaned on his cane and strode out of the classroom.

He didn’t allow Yang Chunxi to see him out; he simply left on his own.

The few short minutes of the break felt longer than the entire class period. So much had happened. The students had heard his thunderous words and seen the sharp, forceful, yet elegantly spaced characters on the board.

Those two short vertical lines of text were now imprinted on the far-right side of the blackboard. In any other school, that was the space for the daily class schedule, but in the Soul Class, it now held the old principal’s message.

Gazing at the characters, written in that slender, sharp style, the students felt as if a single, lonely eye was piercing through the blackboard, staring fixedly at them...

Pressure. Endless, suffocating pressure.

Lu Mang, sitting in the second row by the wall, had always thought he handled pressure well—life had certainly given him more than his fair share. But at this moment, he felt genuinely suffocated by the weight of those words on the board.

He had never imagined that a top-tier Soul Martial Artist could command such an overwhelming presence just by writing a few words.

Lu Mang turned his head, averting his gaze from the words on the blackboard. As he did, he happened to see that Rong Taotao had already turned to face the window long ago, seemingly admiring the night view and soothing his nerves...

’So, was this also part of your plan, Taotao?’

’Did you switch seats earlier just for this moment?’