Master of Nine Stars

’My mind is made up!’

Gao Lingwei extended her hand, carefully approaching Frost Night Xuerong. Her movements were gentle as she rubbed its head.

Then, she shifted from a squat to a half-kneel, slowly bringing her right ankle closer to Frost Night Xuerong.

Assuming she didn’t want to destroy any of her existing Blast Pearls, the Soul Slot on her right ankle was the most expendable of her remaining available slots.

Gao Lingwei was a champion student, the kind with explosive Talent.

She started with an initial aptitude of six Soul Slots. At the Peak of Soul Warrior, through her own hard work, she managed to open another one at her left knee. At this moment, Gao Lingwei had a total of seven Soul Slots.

The order in which the Soul Slots had opened was: 1. left ankle, 2. left wrist, 3. right eye, 4. forehead, 5. chest, 6. right ankle, and 7. left knee.

However, she could currently only use six Soul Slots. The seventh one, her left knee, would only become available after she advanced to the rank of Soul School.

"Ying?" Frost Night Xuerong looked up at the girl curiously. ’What’s happening?’

Gao Lingwei’s hand pressed down a little harder, guiding its small head toward the ankle of her military boot.

"Mmm..." Frost Night Xuerong clearly hesitated for a moment, but after a few seconds, it tilted its head, comfortably squinted its large azure eyes, and nuzzled against Gao Lingwei’s ankle.

The feelings between Frost Night Xuerong and Gao Lingwei were completely out of sync.

Gao Lingwei had only just met this little creature today, but Frost Night Xuerong... it had imagined the Cloud Dog was her, and had snuggled affectionately in "her" arms countless times...

The next moment, Frost Night Xuerong suddenly shattered into a cloud of frost-mist and surged toward Gao Lingwei’s right ankle.

Zheng Qianqiu nodded to himself. ’It seems my judgment was correct. This precious Soul Beast truly does have some special feelings for the girl. It’s been quite obvious.’

He said, "It was a success."

"I think so..." Gao Lingwei hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. Then, a layer of frost spread over her ankle, and Frost Night Xuerong re-formed, wagging its fluffy, bushy tail. It looked up at Gao Lingwei with an expression of pure bliss.

But in that same instant, Gao Lingwei’s expression froze!

"What’s wrong?" Zheng Qianqiu asked hurriedly.

"I... I can see myself," Gao Lingwei muttered in disbelief.

Zheng Qianqiu was stunned. ’See yourself?’

"Yes. It must be its line of sight, from an angle looking up at me," Gao Lingwei said. "My vision and its vision are two overlapping images, both appearing before my eyes."

A thought struck Zheng Qianqiu, and he quickly said, "In a snowy environment, most Snow Realm Soul Beasts can see farther than humans. Try having it look at the environment outside."

Gao Lingwei was clearly a bit disoriented, not yet accustomed to the two overlapping images.

She picked up Frost Night Xuerong with one arm and turned to face the cave entrance.

"Meeeow..." Frost Night Xuerong craned its little head and nuzzled Gao Lingwei’s cheek.

Gao Lingwei, however, patted its head and pointed toward the dark, snowy night outside the cave.

Frost Night Xuerong blinked its large, sapphire-like eyes. Following Gao Lingwei’s gesture, it looked out of the cave curiously. Then, its azure eyeballs were suddenly covered by a layer of frost.

Gao Lingwei’s breath hitched...

This wasn’t just a matter of seeing farther; this was a complete ability to see through the snow, combined with night vision!

Gao Lingwei said, "The visual range... is at least 500 meters. I can see two Snow Burning Army soldiers directly ahead, in a standoff with a Snowflake Wolf Pack."

The three Snow Burning Army soldiers inside the cave were also dumbfounded!

They whipped their heads around to look outside. The soldiers knew, of course, that their comrades were guarding the cave, but in their line of sight... aside from the vast, swirling snow, there wasn’t a soul to be seen.

A look of delight crossed Zheng Qianqiu’s face. As sharp as he was, he immediately realized the value of this Soul Skill!

This was a Soul Skill that could even change the entire situation for Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists. The appearance of Calamity Xuerong had finally shored up one of their greatest weaknesses!

Zheng Qianqiu asked, "Is it clear in the dark, too? It has a Pupil Technique that can see through snow, with an accompanying night vision effect, and it allows for shared vision between the human and pet."

Gao Lingwei nodded lightly. "Yes."

Zheng Qianqiu let out a long, deep breath and said, "Take it deeper into the cave for now. Spend some time bonding with it. I’ll come find you in a little while."

"Okay." Gao Lingwei picked up Frost Night Xuerong with one arm, held the greasy meat patty in her other hand, and quickly walked deeper into the cave.

As her position changed, the frosty mist covering Frost Night Xuerong’s eyes finally receded, and the second, overlapping image in Gao Lingwei’s vision vanished without a trace.

Frost Night Xuerong wriggled its fluffy body, stretched its head toward the meat patty in Gao Lingwei’s right hand, and with a CRUNCH, bit off a small piece of braised pork.

Holding the fluffy Frost Night Xuerong in one arm, she gently squeezed its soft little belly with her slender fingers and couldn’t help but sigh softly, "Little guy, is this your special ability?"

Frost Night Xuerong couldn’t understand human language yet. It only felt that being squeezed was very comfortable. The loving interaction it had always imagined was finally happening to it.

Frost Night Xuerong wriggled its soft body, squinted its eyes in comfort, and let out a soft, sweet whimper, "Ying~"

At the cave entrance, Zheng Qianqiu showed a rare moment of excitement. With slightly trembling fingers, he undid the buttons of his tunic suit and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Beside him, a few Snow Burning Army soldiers also had looks of ecstasy on their faces. One of them immediately pulled out his phone and walked toward the cave entrance.