Master of Nine Stars

She didn’t like the idea of telling a teammate to back down.

If she was strong enough, even if her teammate was a bit weaker, she would just give it 120 percent and try her best to carry them.

But facing the group of Snow Furies before them, Gao Lingwei was truly wary. She was worried her own overconfidence would get Lu Mang killed.

She would only dare to bring Lu Mang into the fight if the Twelfth Squad showed up and secured the edge of the battlefield. Otherwise... it would truly be gambling with Lu Mang’s life.

"Mango, which one do you like? Let me see. I’ll do my best," Rong Taotao said.

Lu Mang, however, just smiled and nodded at Gao Lingwei before turning to Rong Taotao. "Be careful. Safety is the most important thing."

"You got it. Those Dual Sabers look pretty good. You fall back for now. Da Wei and I will look for an opening." Rong Taotao bent down, tugged on Gao Lingwei’s sleeve with one hand, and stealthily crept forward.

Lu Mang didn’t say another word and immediately retreated. He always followed Rong Taotao’s orders and was very good-natured.

Although such a decision stung a little, Lu Mang wasn’t an unreasonable person. What Gao Lingwei had said earlier was already quite tactful.

While Lu Mang took the two Snow Night Shocks to seek shelter with the Twelfth Squad, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei carefully made their way to the edge of the battlefield.

"Charging in is unrealistic. You saw their attack speed," Gao Lingwei whispered, squatting beside Rong Taotao.

"Can you use your Ice Crystal Evil Face? Can it intimidate them for a moment?"

Gao Lingwei shook her head. "They have no sight. They rely on a unique sense granted to them by their creator to find prey. A Visual Illusion Technique would be useless."

Rong Taotao suddenly spoke up. "Look at those Dual Sabers. Their hilts are actually joined together. Does that count as one Soul Beast or two?"

Gao Lingwei: "Hmm..."

BANG! With a dull thud, the Dual Sabers, joined at the hilt, ruthlessly stabbed into the body of a Snowflake Wolf, leaving only half the blades exposed. The Snowflake Wolf, however, whipped its head around and spat, and a Snow Burst Ball exploded with a boom! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The Snowflake Wolf was clearly in a last-ditch struggle; even as it was being slaughtered, it wanted to spite its opponent.

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s bodies tensed in an instant!

An opening!

Watching the connected Dual Sabers get sent flying toward them, Gao Lingwei ordered, "Prepare for Snow Burst! Don’t hold back!"

"Got it!" Rong Taotao quickly began to gather a Snow Burst Ball at each of his wrists, continuously pouring power into them.

Gao Lingwei, however, didn’t draw a weapon. Instead, she waved her hands repeatedly in front of her, scattering sheets of frost downward.

’Huh???’

’Can you even see the enemy anymore?’

’Oh, right... you have a Snowball Cat...’

As he pondered, the translucent Dual Sabers came flying through the layers of frost Gao Lingwei had scattered, becoming completely coated in it.

But Gao Lingwei turned sideways and took off running, following the trajectory of the flying Dual Sabers. She ran alongside them, her long, dark ponytail fluttering wildly...

Then, Gao Lingwei took a sharp breath, her fair cheeks suddenly puffing up as she blew out a mouthful of frost!

Gao Lingwei exhaled with all her might, a continuous stream of frost showering down entirely onto the Dual Sabers!

Snow Realm Soul Technique: Frost Breath!

A breath of frost, freezing all creation!

Rong Taotao never would have expected Gao Lingwei to choose such a combat method.

Seeing this astonishing scene, he broke into a run and chased after her.

The Dual Sabers, having been blasted away by the Snow Burst Ball and now disrupted by the Frost Breath, lost control of their flight path and stabbed deep into the trunk of a pine tree.

CRACK... CRACK...

The sound of shattering came continuously from the condensed frost. The Dual Sabers seemed to be struggling, trying to pull themselves free.

Meanwhile, Gao Lingwei stood to its side, still breathing out frost.

The Frost Breath blew ceaselessly onto the blades, not only freezing the Dual Sabers but also encasing the tree in ice, freezing them firmly to the trunk and rendering them completely immobile.

Gao Lingwei raised her right hand and beckoned to Rong Taotao. A Snow Burst Ball also formed at her left wrist.

Rong Taotao, gathering Snow Burst Balls in both hands, hurriedly said, "I want the Seven Star Saber! This one’s for you. Go ahead and use Blast Pearl!"

"Meow~" The Snowball Cat saw things were about to get ugly and hastily leaped onto a nearby tree.

Gao Lingwei didn’t stand on ceremony and chose to obey the order. After all, once the team had a Snow Fury, hunting other Snow Furies wouldn’t require such a convoluted plan.

She raised her slender fingers one by one: 1... 2... 3!

Two people, three Snow Burst Balls, aimed at the Dual Sabers that were frozen and trapped by layers of frost, and blasted them viciously!

RUMBLE...

The not-so-thick tree trunk instantly exploded, and the figures of Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao were sent flying backward...

"Ugh..." A pained groan escaped Rong Taotao’s lips as he tumbled countless times in the snow, leaving a long trail behind him.

He shook his head hard, trying to clear it, and turned to look in the direction Gao Lingwei had been thrown.

At the level of a Blast Pearl, the impact Gao Lingwei took was far greater than Rong Taotao’s. But in this mountain forest, with the Snowflake Wolf Pack and the Snow Furies fighting, other creatures had long since fled. As long as they weren’t blasted into the main battlefield, there wasn’t much danger.

Seeing Gao Lingwei struggle to her feet and wave to show she was okay, Rong Taotao’s face lit up with joy, and he hurried toward the broken pine tree.

And from a tree not far away, the Snowball Cat’s figure zipped off and ran into the depths of the Snow Forest.

By the time Rong Taotao ran over, the little guy was obediently crouched on the ground with a Soul Pearl in its mouth. It blinked its big, beautiful, flawless eyes and looked up at Rong Taotao. "Mewl~"

"Thanks." Rong Taotao knelt on one knee and took the Soul Pearl from the Snowball Cat’s mouth.

In an instant, a message appeared in his Inner Soul Map:

"Soul Pearl discovered: Snow Realm - Snow Fury (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

Soul Pearl’s Soul Skills:

1. Snow Fury: Summon an enraged being through a special method. This being possesses a degree of autonomy. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

2. Tractive Snow Line: Release a Soul Power Thread invisible to the naked eye to bind the enraged being, continuously supplying it with Soul Power and keeping it within the user’s control.

Thread connected, creature lives. Thread broken, creature perishes.

Current Soul Slots are full. Unable to absorb."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. ’So this is one of those extremely rare weapon-type Soul Beasts?’

’It looks... so fierce!?’

...