Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao slept so long and deep, it was as if day and night had blurred together.

It wasn’t until noon that he was roused by the fragrant aroma of food.

"Mmm..." Rong Taotao rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up, only to see lunch containers placed on the large table in the middle of their dorm room.

The containers were open, revealing two meat dishes and one vegetable dish that were giving off waves of fragrant aroma.

Across the table, Sun Xingyu had her elbows propped on the tabletop, her hands cupping her cheeks. Her beautiful, large eyes were quietly watching Rong Taotao.

"I knew this would work." Seeing Rong Taotao awake, Sun Xingyu couldn’t help but giggle, looking as though her little scheme had succeeded.

Rong Taotao ruffled his messy, naturally curly hair and glanced at Sun Xingyu, who was poised to feed him. He slipped on his slippers, pulled the washbasin out from under his bed, and quickly went out.

In the Snowfield, between standing watch and worrying about the team’s safety, Rong Taotao had never managed a peaceful night’s sleep. Last night was the soundest he had slept in ages.

Rong Taotao quickly washed up and rushed back to eat. While wolfing down his food, he gave Sun Xingyu a thumbs-up. "You really are as kind as you are beautiful~"

"Oh." Sun Xingyu blushed, seemingly flustered by the compliment.

She did feel a bit undeserving. ’After all... my reason for feeding him isn’t exactly what you’d call normal.’

Rong Taotao: "Where’s Li Zi?"

Sun Xingyu: "A soldier is showing her around Hundred Corps Pass. Hurry up and eat. We’re going to the classroom when you’re finished."

"Mhm."

...

They were scheduled to assemble at 2:00 PM, but by 1:30, all nine students of the Soul Class were already present.

Upon entering the stone house, Rong Taotao discovered it had completely changed. The tactics board at the front had been replaced by a blackboard, and nine small desks were arranged neatly inside. It was finally starting to look like a classroom.

The students weren’t very familiar with each other, and everyone seemed to have something on their mind. No one was talking; they just found their seats and sat down.

A moment later, Yang Chunxi came in. She clapped her hands, drawing the young students’ attention. "Line up."

The nine of them quickly formed a line. Sun Xingyu could no longer hide her excitement, looking as though she expected to see her "True Destiny Celestial Beast" the moment they pushed open the stone door.

Under Yang Chunxi’s lead, the students of the Soul Class filed out of the classroom.

When they had arrived, the area outside was empty. But this time, Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up!

’Holy moly... So many Soul Beasts.’

’What the hell!?’

’Is that a Snow Night Shock?’

’A pure black Snow Night Shock? Its huge eyes aren’t deep-sea blue, but dark gold?’

’How awesome is that?’

The high walls of Hundred Corps Pass kept the wind gentle. Large snowflakes drifted down, blanketing the quaint, ancient fortress and dusting the pitch-black coats of the Snow Night Shocks. The sight filled Rong Taotao with utter delight.

Yang Chunxi chose this moment to explain, "Those are Anomalous Snow Night Shocks, and they are extremely rare."

"You are the inaugural students of Songjiang Soul Martial University’s Junior Class. To reward you and prioritize your development, the university specially requested these from the Snow Burning Army."

"Take note: Anomalous Snow Night Shocks are exceedingly rare, and these ten are no longer foals."

"However, that won’t stop you from growing alongside them. Furthermore... they come from the Snow Burning Army, meaning they are already well-trained warhorses. They are very attuned to people and have docile temperaments, so you can set aside any concerns about adult Soul Beasts being unwilling to bond with a Soul Martial Artist."

"No matter how much pride you have, I can tell you this plainly: a Soul Beast trained by the Snow Burning Army will be far better than any you could train on your own. They are the professionals’ professionals."

Rong Taotao nodded to himself. He understood what Yang Chunxi meant.

His gaze swept over the area. In addition to the ten extremely special Anomalous Snow Night Shocks, there were also Snowflake Wolf cubs that looked like a mix of wolf and dog.

True to their name, the Snowflake Wolves had coats of fur as bright white as snow. Since these were cubs, they were still quite small.

’What are those?’

Rong Taotao raised an eyebrow, his attention drawn to five weapons that seemed to be crafted from snowflakes.

They included a bow and arrow, a club, a shortsword, a Great Saber, and a Long Spear. All five weapons hung silently on a rack.

Yang Chunxi continued her introduction. "These five weapons, though they differ in appearance, are all the same type of Soul Beast. They have a lovely name: Snow Soul." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You’ll rarely see a Snow Soul in the wild, but their presence is a certainty in every major war between humanity and the Snow Realm Soul Beasts."

"Most Snow Realm Soul Beasts capable of wielding weapons choose to keep a Snow Soul by their side. As long as you get along with it, a Snow Soul will transform into any weapon you desire."

"Of course, I must remind you of something before you make your choice. Although a Snow Soul can take the form of any weapon, it is best to have it consistently maintain one shape."

"After you bond with a Snow Soul, whatever form you have it take the first time your minds connect should be the form it keeps for the rest of its life."

"A Snow Soul might have the ability to transform into a myriad of weapons, but research indicates they do not like to frequently alter their own form."

"The reason they are called ’Souls’ is that a Snow Soul has its own understanding of weaponry—one that is quite possibly deeper than any human’s."

"Loyalty is mutual."

"Not only to each other, but to one’s own nature as well."

Shi Lan couldn’t help but glance at her sister, Shi Lou, but Shi Lou just gave a slight shake of her head.