Master of Nine Stars

"That’s about enough, Taotao. Know when to quit while you’re ahead." From within the dense branches of a nearby pine tree, a voice suddenly called out.

"Hm?" Hearing the familiar voice, Rong Taotao looked up to see Rong Yang wearing a black balaclava.

Rong Yang said, "If you go any further, you’ll be entering the Second Wall’s territory. Captain Fu promised you could pick any Soul Beast you encountered on the way back to the First Wall. He didn’t say you could head toward the Second Wall."

’Fu Tiance didn’t want to be the bad guy, so he sent Rong Yang instead?’

The timing was pretty good too. It was right after Rong Taotao had just finished absorbing the elite-grade Snow Fury, so you could say he’d been given a little treat.

Rong Taotao knew he was in the wrong. After all, they had been heading straight for the Second Wall. Along the way, not only had they killed some Snowflake Wolves, but they had also obtained an Ice Crystal Squirrel’s Soul Pearl and two Snow Fury Soul Pearls.

He chuckled and said, "Ah, I know we went the wrong way. We’ll turn around and head south in a bit. I promised Lu Mang I’d pick out a sword for him."

"Mm," Rong Yang mused for a moment. "How about this: I’ll go pick out a sword. You and Gao Lingwei go back and regroup with Lu Mang now. Head toward Hundred Corps Pass, and we’ll deal with any Soul Beasts you encounter on the way. Sound good?"

’Tsk tsk, he really is my big brother, spoiling me like this...’

Rong Taotao nodded. "Why the rush to go back? Is there a mission?"

Rong Taotao had been thinking of messing around here for another two days, but unexpectedly, he was being told to stop. Still, the haul this time had been substantial, which made him feel a lot better.

Rong Yang: "Not really, but the Twelfth Squad has its own mission parameters. They’re not your personal bodyguards.

"They’ve been following you, on one hand, because of Captain Fu’s orders, and on the other, because Ugly Ox wanted to see your combat capabilities. Now that he’s seen them, Ugly Ox is quite impressed with you. Let’s just call it a day.

"Ugly Ox and Mao Rabbit are different from us. They haven’t had a proper rest in a long time."

"Okay, sure." Rong Taotao understood. It really wasn’t appropriate to have these Great Gods condescend to act as his nannies. They were all special forces soldiers and incredibly powerful Soul Martial Artists. Each of them had a bit of a temper; they were only following Captain Fu’s orders unconditionally.

Since Rong Yang himself had offered to go pick a sword for Lu Mang, there was nothing more Rong Taotao could say.

’If I get on good terms with these soldiers, I’ll be set for Soul Pearls in the future. Besides, Gao Lingwei is still waiting for the forehead Soul Pearl that Fu Tiance is supposed to bring her.’

"Should we head back?" Rong Taotao asked, looking at Gao Lingwei.

"Okay," Gao Lingwei nodded immediately, without a second word.

The two of them carefully made their way deeper into the Pine Forest. With the Snowball Cat’s help, they found Lu Mang, who was watching over Snow Night Shock.

Seeing the two of them return, Lu Mang was inwardly delighted, though his face showed no emotion. He just carefully checked Rong Taotao for any injuries. "You’re back."

"Yeah," Rong Taotao replied casually, but he looked up into the pine trees. "Captain Fu? Are you there, Captain Fu?"

"What is it, kid?" Fu Tiance’s voice came from another tree.

"We’re getting ready to head back," Rong Taotao said with a smile, waving his hand.

"Oh?" Fu Tiance was taken aback for a moment. In fact, Rong Taotao’s earlier assumption had been wrong; Fu Tiance really hadn’t been the one to send Rong Yang over to persuade him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Hanging onto a branch with one hand, Fu Tiance looked down curiously. "Kid, an opportunity like this is rare. You have four bodyguards with you, ensuring your safety and letting you run wild out here, and you’re planning to go back already?"

"Ah, our squad has already harvested a lot!" Rong Taotao said, looking up with a grin. "Da Wei and I are now decked out in elite-grade Soul Pearls. It’s ideal. And the Twelfth Squad hasn’t rested in a long time, right? Let’s head back to the First Wall now."

"Oh?" From another tree, Mao Rabbit looked down curiously.

She didn’t know why Rong Taotao had suddenly changed his mind. Perhaps it had something to do with Sheep. But regardless, the little guy’s decision was a real liberation for her.

Nearby, Ugly Ox, who had been lying back on a branch for a nap, also silently opened his eyes.

Fu Tiance smiled at Rong Taotao, realizing what Rong Yang must have said to him. He then said, "Alright, let’s head back."

’That Rong Yang... he really knows what he’s doing.’

’The young man is good. He sees the big picture and is perceptive.’

...

By nightfall, snow had begun to fall again within Hundred Corps Pass.

Because Rong Taotao’s group of three had a special status and weren’t official soldiers, they couldn’t stay in the soldiers’ barracks with the Twelfth Squad.

Hundred Corps Pass was not yet open to the public, so the dormitory building for Social Practitioners was completely empty, occupied only by Rong Taotao’s trio.

It was unclear whether it was for the dorm manager’s convenience or simply because they were informal about it, but in any case, the three of them were staying in the same room.

Rong Taotao, for his part, had experience with this. Back when he first enrolled in school, he had shared a room with Li Ziyi and Sun Xingyu.

"CRUNCH... CRUNCH..." While chewing on Cubed Sugar, Rong Taotao sat cross-legged on his bed, a short-handled heavy hammer in one hand, which he was studying meticulously.

The hammer was translucent and very hard.

But if you didn’t touch it and only looked at it from a distance, you might easily think it was made of "Jell-O"...

As it turned out, the hammer was indeed very angry. The moment it left his hand, it would seek out a target to attack.

But this anger was still within a controllable range. It hadn’t lost its mind, and surprisingly, it was actually quite obedient?

Rong Taotao gripped the translucent handle, watching the dark golden glint flicker inside the hammer, and the more he looked, the more delighted he became.

In front of Rong Taotao, both the Snowball Cat and the Cloud Dog sat on the bed. The two little ones tilted their heads up, curiously staring at the hammer in Rong Taotao’s hand, seemingly captivated by the glittering object.

Rong Taotao picked up the hammer with his left hand, leaned off the bed, and threw it toward the nearby window.

"SWOOSH~"

The Meow Meow Hammer shot straight out. Attached to its handle was a Soul Power thread, invisible to the naked eye, but as the Caster, Rong Taotao could personally feel it and control the thread’s length.

Rong Taotao abruptly pulled his hand back, and the hammer that had flown out instantly froze in midair before flying back.

"SMACK!" Rong Taotao caught the short-handled hammer as it flew back into his grasp and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "Whoa, it’s a yo-yo!?"

’There’s so much I can do with this slick move.’

Rong Taotao released the handle and waved his left hand. By intentionally shortening the connecting thread, he made the hammer fly in circles around his palm.

The invisible thread was fascinating. It didn’t get tangled around Rong Taotao’s hand; instead, it passed right through his flesh, spinning freely without any obstruction, while its other end remained tightly bound to the hammer’s handle.

On the bed nearest the dorm room door, Lu Mang suddenly sat up.

Rong Taotao jumped in surprise and quickly turned to look, only to see Lu Mang’s face alight with joy. Suppressing his excitement, Lu Mang said, "I think I’m about to advance. I have this feeling of being full of Soul Power, like I’m about to break through a bottleneck."

Rong Taotao was also delighted. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Rong Taotao was always in a state of absorbing Soul Power, and under the effect of the Lotus Petal within his body, Lu Mang’s speed of absorbing Soul Power was also astonishingly fast.

Lu Mang immediately sat cross-legged and nodded emphatically. "Right!"

Ever since traveling with Rong Taotao during the day, he had felt the accelerated benefits of cultivating Soul Power and Soul Techniques.

It wasn’t Lu Mang’s first time north of the First Wall, and he knew what the cultivation speed was like here. Although he didn’t know the exact reason for the change, he was certain that Rong Taotao hadn’t been lying to him.

And now, on the verge of a breakthrough, he was finally about to enter the Soul Warrior Stage! This meant the Snowflake Wolf Soul Pearl could be put on the agenda!

Of course, the Snow Fury Soul Pearl was still out of the question. On the way back, Rong Taotao had given Lu Mang a Snow Fury Soul Pearl, but it was an elite-grade Soul Skill, which Lu Mang couldn’t use yet.

"SPLASH..."

Just as Rong Taotao was closely observing Lu Mang, the sound of the shower in the room’s bathroom gradually faded.

A moment later, Gao Lingwei walked out wearing the "patient pajamas" issued by the Snow Burning Army. Her face was flushed, and without the heroic spirit of the battlefield, she had an added touch of gentle beauty.

With a white towel in one hand, she dried her long, damp hair as she glanced toward Lu Mang’s bed.

Feeling the waves of Soul Power fluctuations, Gao Lingwei understood. ’This kid is probably breaking through to the Soul Warrior Stage.’

She intentionally slowed her steps and averted her gaze, only to find three pairs of eyes staring quietly at her.

"Heh." Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but chuckle. She walked over to Rong Taotao’s bed and sat down on the edge.

"Woof~" The Cloud Dog wagged its tail and hopped excitedly on the spot upon seeing its female master appear.

Beside it, the Snowball Cat copied the Cloud Dog, wagging its fluffy, bushy tail, sticking out its little pink tongue, and letting out a happy smile. "Woof~"

"Shh..." Gao Lingwei raised a finger to her lips in a hushing gesture.

She picked up the Cloud Dog and the Snowball Cat, one in each arm, held them to her cheeks, and nuzzled them affectionately.

Rong Taotao: "..."

Gao Lingwei settled the two little ones in her lap, then tilted her head to look at Rong Taotao and silently mouthed a few words: "He’s advancing to Soul Warrior?"

Rong Taotao nodded, looking at her rosy cheeks. They were like a ripe peach, so tempting he had the urge to take a bite.

’It would probably... taste delicious, right?’

Gao Lingwei drew up her slippered feet, turned around, and sat cross-legged on the bed, facing Rong Taotao.

Cradling the two mischievous little ones with one arm, she pointed to her own right eye with her other hand, and then to Rong Taotao’s eyes.

Rong Taotao: "..."

’What’s coming will come!’

He had indeed wanted to experience Gao Lingwei’s Ice Crystal Evil Face before, but she had said it would likely leave him with psychological trauma.

’Ugh, Da Wei has such a wonderful image, it’s best if she keeps it that way. If you really manifest the image of a Fierce Ghost, then in the future, I...’

Gao Lingwei mouthed words again, her expression questioning: "Ice Crystal Evil Face. You said you wanted to see it before?"

Rong Taotao hesitated for a moment, pointed to his ear, then waved his hand and said in a hushed voice, "I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you."

"Heh." A faint smile played on Gao Lingwei’s lips. She hugged the Cloud Dog and Snowball Cat in her arms tighter, and in her right pupil, a dim red light suddenly glowed, vanishing as quickly as it appeared...