Master of Nine Stars

"Wow!" Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up. "I’ve just realized the ultimate destructive potential of this kind of Soul Skill!"

"I can annoy my opponents to death, even if they plug their ears! Haha, in the arena, I’ll be able to trash-talk them from start to finish..."

Upon hearing this, Rong Yang’s expression turned a bit odd. He finally looked up at Rong Taotao and said, "You can definitely do that. I often use that method myself on missions to mess with the enemy’s head."

Oh-ho?

Rong Taotao blinked. ’So my brother’s whole gentle, refined act is just for show? Secretly, he’s a muttering motormouth too?’

Rong Taotao’s interest was immediately piqued. He said excitedly, "Hey, let me introduce you to a teacher! The one and only Xia Fangran, from the famous Pine Soul Four Seasons!

"I’ll give you his number later. You should learn his brand of sarcasm from him. I guarantee it’ll take your skills up a notch!

"That mouth of his... let me tell you, it’s not just annoying. His words really sting..."

Rong Yang couldn’t help but chuckle. "Haha, Coach Xia has a talent for that?"

"Shut up," Yang Chunxi, who was always so gentle, suddenly snapped. "Eat!"

Rong Taotao & Rong Yang: "Mmph..."

The startled Cloud Dog flopped onto Rong Taotao’s head. "Ngh~"

The Snowball Cat also flopped onto Gao Lingwei’s head. "Ngh~"

Yang Chunxi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, a smile as bright as a spring day graced her face. In a gentle voice, she said, "Let’s eat, everyone."

Rong Yang nodded eagerly. "Yes, let’s eat, let’s eat..."

The meal was actually quite pleasant, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. Gao Lingwei even felt like she had returned to the holidays she spent with her parents a few years ago.

Rong Taotao lived up to Yang Chunxi’s hopes, polishing off every dish on the table. He even had two chocolate bars afterward.

The two of them also took care of clearing the table and washing the dishes.

This meal was also the one where Rong Taotao chatted the most with his brother, Rong Yang.

The two rarely had a chance to get together. But now that Rong Taotao was a Soul Martial Artist and, in a way, Rong Yang’s junior, they had a lot more to talk about.

While Rong Taotao was washing the dishes, Rong Yang walked to the kitchen doorway with his phone and said, "The team approved my Soul Pearl application. I have to go pick it up. If all goes well, I should be back by noon tomorrow."

"In such a hurry?" Rong Taotao asked, turning his head while still washing the dishes. "Can’t it wait until after the New Year?"

"It’s better if I deliver it to you personally. You could advance at any moment, and I want you to have the biggest possible power boost the instant you do." Rong Yang wore a gentle smile. "After all, we’re in the Snow Realm. Even increasing your strength one second sooner is better for you."

Hearing Rong Yang’s words, Rong Taotao silently nodded.

After seeing Rong Yang out, Gao Lingwei returned to the kitchen and said, "One second in the Snow Realm is one second on the battlefield."

"What?" Rong Taotao said, carrying the plates and bowls to the cabinet.

Gao Lingwei opened the cabinet door and said, "That’s the philosophy our homeroom teacher drilled into us back in high school.

"Once you set foot in the Snow Realm, there’s no such thing as a completely safe place. Even here in the peaceful Songbai Town, we have to be prepared for an invasion by a Soul Beast Army at any moment."

"Don’t jinx it. Seriously, stop talking like that and go watch TV." As he spoke, Rong Taotao ducked his head. "Here~"

Gao Lingwei snorted, plucked the Cloud Dog off Rong Taotao’s head with one hand, gave it a little bounce, and turned to walk out of the kitchen.

That night, Rong Taotao slept in Gao Lingwei’s bedroom.

Ahem... don’t get the wrong idea. Gao Lingwei slept with Yang Chunxi in the master bedroom.

The life of a Soul Martial Artist is just that dull and boring. Even while watching TV after dinner, Rong Taotao was still training hard, looking absent-minded.

It was only 9 o’clock when Rong Taotao went into the room. Under the pretext of sleeping, he focused on absorbing Soul Power and practicing his Soul Techniques.

Truth be told, Gao Lingwei’s room was indeed very suitable for training.

Because the walls were covered in calligraphy, all of it intensely motivational poetry, Rong Taotao couldn’t have fallen asleep if he’d tried!

Especially when Rong Taotao lay down on the bed and found another piece of calligraphy taped to the ceiling right above him. This one wasn’t so motivational, but damn, did it sting...

"Waste not your youthful hours, lest you grieve in vain when your hair turns gray."

’What the fuck...’

Rong Taotao immediately rolled over and lay face down on the bed, because no matter which way he faced, he could see calligraphy.

’So *this* is a girl’s bedroom, huh?’

’Terrifying... simply terrifying...’

In the dead of night, Rong Taotao, who was groggily training while lying on his stomach, suddenly shot his eyes wide open!

’This is... This is!?’

’The Soul Power in my body is showing faint signs of breaking through its restraints?’

At the same time, Gao Lingwei’s faint voice suddenly echoed in Rong Taotao’s mind: "Are you done training? Or did you fall asleep?"

It was clear she was deliberately speaking quietly, worried that Rong Taotao might have actually fallen asleep.

But Rong Taotao suddenly sat bolt upright. His last Soul Power advancement, breaking through from the late-stage Soul Soldier to the peak-stage Soul Soldier, had been a month and a half ago, right before he absorbed the Prison Lotus.

’But I can’t forget I was asleep in the hospital for 16 days! The way I saw it, my peak two-star Soul Techniques should have leveled up before my Soul Power, hitting three-star first.’

’Could it be... absorbing the Lotus Petals also has the effect of raising one’s Soul Power Realm? It’s just not as obvious as the improvement to Soul Techniques? Because the increase in Soul Power didn’t cross a Minor Rank, the Inner Soul Map didn’t give a notification, which gave me the wrong impression?’

Thinking about it now, Rong Taotao had already passed out twice from absorbing Lotus Petals, but he still hadn’t fallen behind the other students in the Soul Class. This must be the reason.

At this moment, Rong Taotao couldn’t be bothered with other thoughts. His expression was extremely solemn, and he focused with all his might. The Soul Power absorption process, which had been interrupted by his shock, immediately resumed.

The V-shape formed by the two Lotus Petals fluttered its beautiful wings like a butterfly inside Rong Taotao’s Dantian.

Streams of Soul Power surged into his body, not only gathering in his Dantian but also beginning to converge in large amounts at the body’s second central point—the Pleiades acupoint in his chest.

This wasn’t a breakthrough to a new Minor Rank within the same realm, but a breakthrough to a major new realm. Of course the commotion would be different.

CLICK. The door was pushed open. Gao Lingwei, wearing a white nightdress, strode into the room, holding a slightly panicked Cloud Dog, and placed it directly on Rong Taotao’s head.

Only after watching the Cloud Dog merge into Rong Taotao’s body did Gao Lingwei let out a sigh of relief. She carefully backed away and stood at the doorway.

She clasped her hands together, pressing them to her lips. Her beautiful eyes were bright, and she silently watched Rong Taotao by the light from the window.

’Is he advancing to become a Soul Warrior?’

’Awakening in July and advancing in early February.’

’A normal student, even an exceptionally talented one, would need at least a year and a half to go from the Soul Soldier Stage to the Soul Warrior Stage.’

’But Rong Taotao had only taken seven months?’

’And that was just his Soul Power. His Soul Techniques were already almost on par with hers... ’

Gao Lingwei truly understood what it meant for one year of his progress to equal three years for anyone else!

And what the Snow Realm Treasure, the Nine-Petaled Lotus, truly was!

She tiptoed back into the living room, trying her best not to disturb Rong Taotao’s breakthrough. Through the doorway, she watched his every move from a distance.

Illusory Soul Slots lit up on his forehead and his right elbow. As the dense Soul Power swirled, the Soul Slots grew larger and brighter.

Gao Lingwei prayed silently, quietly accompanying Rong Taotao as he charged toward the Soul Warrior Stage.

Meanwhile, at the master bedroom’s doorway, Yang Chunxi was leaning against the frame with a faint smile, also watching Gao Lingwei’s every move.

Yang Chunxi only watched for a few minutes before returning to bed, reassured.

But Gao Lingwei stood there from night until the crack of dawn. Only when the sky began to turn a fish-belly white did she finally move, walking toward her bedroom.

In her line of sight, Rong Taotao opened his eyes, a hint of joy on his face. The Soul Power Vortexes on his forehead and right elbow had not yet dissipated.

He turned his head and saw Gao Lingwei’s inquisitive expression, a touch of emotion in his heart. "You didn’t have to watch over me all night."

Gao Lingwei, however, shrugged, looking rather nonchalant. "This is my house. I have to be responsible for you."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. ’It was a nice thing to say.’

’Hmm... no matter how I think about it, it sounded nice.’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Gao Lingwei: "Made it?"

"Soul Warrior!" Rong Taotao nodded and said, "Since you’re responsible for me, then... well, I’m hungry."

Gao Lingwei: "..."

’Did I stand here all night just to make you breakfast in the morning?’

...

Third update complete. Please send some votes my way~