Master of Nine Stars

"Letting our weak selves learn to be cruel, to fiercely face every coldness in life..." The soft humming echoed through the dorm room, creating a strange atmosphere.

Lu Mang thought Rong Taotao had gone crazy. Ever since Rong Taotao returned to the dorm, he had been lying on his side on the bed, facing the wall, continuously singing this one song.

It wasn’t exactly an assault on the ears; the kid was actually a decent singer.

The problem was... sure, it was pleasant to listen to, but he’d been at it all morning!

’Is he just going to play this one song on repeat for me!?’

Lu Mang stood by the window, doing his best to absorb ice-attribute Soul Power. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He turned to look at Rong Taotao, who was still facing the wall, and asked, "Who was that woman?"

That’s right. When Rong Taotao had returned this morning, he hadn’t come back by himself. And well... he hadn’t walked into the dorm, either.

He had been carried back to the dorm by Si Huan Nian, slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

After Teacher Si tossed Rong Taotao onto the top bunk, she left without a word, leaving behind only a Rong Taotao stuck on repeat...

Ever since Rong Taotao had confirmed that Si Huan Nian wasn’t wearing thermal underwear, Teacher Si had frozen for a full three seconds before suddenly driving her knee upward!

That one knee strike had instantly folded Rong Taotao in half like a shrimp.

However, a little shrimp all bent over was the perfect shape to be carried, just like a scarf draped around the neck, which saved Si Huan Nian quite a bit of trouble.

Lu Mang spoke again, "Rong Taotao."

"Ugh..." Rong Taotao finally gave a slight response. He seemed to have not yet recovered from this morning’s ordeal, and his voice sounded less than intelligent.

Lu Mang asked, "Who was the woman who carried you back this morning? She looked formidable."

Rong Taotao said, "Si Huan Nian, one of the Pine Soul Four Rites—Sugar. AKA the Pine Soul Forget-me-not."

Lu Mang: "..."

’What was all that nonsense?’

Being very wise, Lu Mang didn’t press for details. Instead, he just took out his phone and searched for "Pine Soul Four Rites."

As he read, Lu Mang’s expression began to change.

Songjiang Soul Martial University, or Pine Soul University for short.

The "Pine Soul Four Rites" referred to four extremely powerful teachers.

Among "Smoke, Alcohol, Sugar, and Tea," Teacher Si Huan Nian was "Sugar."

It wasn’t that Si Huan Nian had any strange habits; she simply had to carry candy with her because she suffered from severe hypoglycemia...

’For such a powerful teacher to suffer from hypoglycemia... Hmm, it’s really hard to imagine.’

Si Huan Nian had been living with hypoglycemia for many years, and despite trying every modern medical treatment available, it couldn’t be completely cured.

Modern medicine wasn’t the only thing that failed; even some restorative-type Soul Skills were unable to cure Si Huan Nian’s condition.

While teaching at Songjiang Soul Martial University, Si Huan Nian had a professional Soul Martial Nutritionist, but she still hadn’t recovered.

A person with hypoglycemia shouldn’t engage in strenuous exercise; severe episodes could lead to blurred consciousness, muscle spasms, or even a coma.

But as a Soul Martial Artist and a teacher, Si Huan Nian still engaged in large amounts of exercise and training every day.

Many people suspected that Si Huan Nian wasn’t really suffering from "hypoglycemia." After all, her status and situation were quite unique, so she very likely had another underlying condition, with symptoms that only resembled hypoglycemia.

But regardless, Si Huan Nian always had candy on hand and was always eating it, so the moniker "Sugar" stuck.

Lu Mang carefully read the information online, unsure of its authenticity, and murmured, "Pine Soul Four Rites... Soul School rank and above."

Rong Taotao finally rolled over. The ache from the knee to his stomach made him miss his Devil Master. ’A spanking is so much more comfortable!’

Hmm...

Rong Taotao propped himself up on his elbows, his head hanging over the edge of the bed. He looked at the stick-thin Lu Mang by the window and said, "Soul School?"

Lu Mang nodded silently, his eyes still glued to the information on his phone.

Rong Taotao was stunned for a moment. "A Soul School!? The one who fought me this morning was a Soul School!?"

This time it was Lu Mang’s turn to be stunned. He looked at Rong Taotao in disbelief. "You fought Si Huan Nian this morning?"

Rong Taotao: "Yeah..."

Lu Mang: ???

’Then how are you still alive?’

Of course, Lu Mang only asked this in his head.

It was a reflexive question. A moment’s thought was all it took for him to realize the obvious: of course Si Huan Nian went easy on him.

No, "going easy" was an understatement. This wasn’t just holding back a trickle; she was holding back an ocean.

Rong Taotao held out his fingers, muttering, "Let me count... I’m a Soul Soldier, hmm..."

"Soul Soldier, Soul Warrior, Soul Captain, Junior Soul School, Middle Soul School, Upper Soul School, Great Soul School, Soul General..."

In this world, there were originally five major power ranks: 1. Soul Soldier, 2. Soul Warrior, 3. Soul Captain, 4. Soul School, and 5. Soul General.

In the past, whenever a Soul Martial Artist reached a certain standard, they would be classified as a Soul School.

But people later discovered that the power gap between one Soul School and another was simply too vast.

As times changed and people’s understanding of Soul Martial Artists deepened, the "Soul School" rank was eventually split into four distinct sub-ranks: Junior Soul School, Middle Soul School, Upper Soul School, and Great Soul School.

If the Pine Soul Four Rites were "Soul Schools," then Si Huan Nian had to be at least a Junior Soul School!

Holy cow, that’s incredible!

What kind of level was a "Soul General"?

That was the absolute ceiling for a Soul Martial Artist!

To put it simply... that was Xu Fenghua’s level!

Among Huaxia’s population of over a billion, Soul Generals were incredibly rare finds. They were true "human weapons of mass destruction," not to be deployed casually.

Such individuals were a matter of serendipity, not someone you could actively seek out. The vast majority of people would never even meet a single Soul General in their entire lives.

They only appeared in Legendary Level myths or in textbooks; every single one of them was a world-shaking figure.

Therefore, in the conventional Soul Martial World, the public image of every nation was upheld by its "Soul Schools."

Rong Taotao counted on his fingers, meekly tallying up just how weak he was.

He was at least three Major Ranks below Si Huan Nian. At most, the gap could be as wide as six Major Ranks!!!

Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. ’Si Huan Nian is actually a Soul School?’

The Warriors who formed the backbone of the Huaxia Army were typically ranked from the second level, the Soul Warrior Stage, to the third level, the Soul Captain Stage.

Officers, or Warriors in certain elite units, had an average level of the third-rank Soul Captain Stage.

If you were really determined to find a Soul School, you would probably have to look within Huaxia’s special forces, and their rank and position would certainly not be low.

And yet today, Rong Taotao had actually run into a fourth-level Soul School?

It would be no exaggeration to say he was incredibly lucky!

’The teachers at Songjiang Soul Martial University are this damn strong. It really is one of Huaxia’s top universities, just as they say...’

’When was your most glorious moment?’

’For me, it was this morning!’

’I lasted at least two rounds against a Soul School!’

Okay, he had to admit that Teacher Si was holding back an ocean. It was more like she had handed him two rounds for free. If she’d used even a tiny bit more force, there would have been no room for him to fight back.

Take, for example, the way Si Huan Nian ended the fight—Rong Taotao didn’t even have time to react before she’d lifted him up with one hand.

’Oh, right. Before the fight, she said that if I passed the assessment, she might become my teacher?’

’Awesome!’

’Coming to the Pine Soul Soul Martial Junior Class was definitely the right choice.’

’Such a terrifying Soul School-level teacher giving lessons personally... What kind of teaching staff is this? How could those top high schools even compare?’

Rong Taotao quickly pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and tapped on Yang Chunxi’s chat. "Chunxi, can you send me Teacher Si Huan Nian’s WeChat?"

Over ten minutes later, his phone buzzed.

Rong Taotao quickly picked it up and saw Yang Chunxi’s reply: "You know her?"

Rong Taotao’s fingers tapped away at the screen: "Yeah, I trained with her this morning. She even gave me a piece of candy."

Yang Chunxi: "Haha, you little devil, you sure are good at ’chance encounters.’ I’ll send you her WeChat.

Also, you used the wrong characters for her name. It’s Si Huan Nian. You need to get it right. It’s a matter of respect."

Rong Taotao: "Oh..."

BUZZ~ BUZZ~

Rong Taotao looked at the contact card, tapped it, and chose to add her.

But to his dismay, after waiting expectantly for nearly an hour, his friend request was met with silence, like a stone dropped into the sea.

Rong Taotao felt bitter, hmm... but he wasn’t about to say it.

He tossed his phone aside, sighed deeply, and hummed quietly, "The ones I loved, so hard to part with, often share a fate, but never a destiny."

In the dorm room, Lu Mang, who had just put on his down jacket and was about to go out for lunch, froze.

Hearing that familiar song on repeat again, Lu Mang fled the dorm without even zipping up his jacket...