Master of Nine Stars

Seeing that the Snow Night Shock had willingly followed, Yang Chunxi didn’t intervene further. She turned to the few other students who hadn’t chosen a Soul Beast and said, "Jiao Tengda."

Nothing that was happening around him distracted Jiao Tengda. The moment his teacher gave the order, he walked straight toward a Snow Night Shock.

Ever since he first saw the twenty Soul Beasts, Jiao Tengda’s eyes had been fixed on this particular Snow Night Shock.

Thankfully, no one else had chosen it.

And thankfully, after sensing Jiao Tengda’s gaze, the Snow Night Shock had been watching him too.

Yang Chunxi: "Stone Tower."

Stone Tower placed his long, slender fingers under his tongue and let out a sharp whistle at the Snow Night Shock that had a bit of an attitude and was clearly different from the rest.

"CLOMP... CLOMP... CLOMP..."

The Snow Night Shock seemed agitated, its hooves restlessly pawing at the snow. For a horse-like Soul Beast, it let out a dangerous sound, like a predator hunting its prey: "Grrr..."

"Together?" Stone Tower asked, his gaze burning with intensity as he looked at the Snow Night Shock.

And then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the Snow Night Shock began walking toward Stone Tower on its own.

...

Of the nine youths in the Soul Class, aside from Xu Taiping, who didn’t choose a Soul Beast, and Rong Taotao, who chose the White Clouds and Grey Dogs, everyone else had selected an Anomalous Snow Night Shock.

Organized by the soldiers, the group headed to the stables in the southeast corner of the city. Their purpose was twofold: to supervise the students as they absorbed their Lifebound Soul Beasts, and to teach them how to get along with their new companions.

Since all the students had chosen a Snow Night Shock, the difficulty of the instruction was greatly reduced. They only needed to explain the habits of the Snow Night Shock: what it liked, what it disliked, and what to be mindful of when interacting with it in the future.

Interestingly, Fan Lihua’s ordinary Snow Night Shock had, in a way, become the "anomalous" one.

If Fan Lihua were out in the vast Snow Realm, her Snow Night Shock would be the most common and ordinary kind.

But within the Soul Class, Fan Lihua’s pure-white Snow Night Shock had instead become the rare creature.

The rest of the group followed the soldiers and departed, while Rong Taotao and Xu Taiping were led back to the classroom by Yang Chunxi.

However, just before opening the door to the classroom, Xu Taiping looked at Lu Mang, who was standing at attention by the door in a military posture, and said, "You almost fell into the abyss."

Lu Mang showed no reaction at all. His gaze remained fixed forward, quietly looking out at the ancient city before him.

In truth, Lu Mang hadn’t meant to be provocative. He was young and had simply said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

He just... craved strength more desperately than anyone else present.

Rong Taotao had once told him, "We went through hell and high water, traveling all this way to this vast snowfield, not to get eliminated."

Lu Mang deeply agreed with that sentiment.

He had crossed half of Huaxia to come to this land of ice and snow, not to be subservient to others.

Seeing no reaction from Lu Mang, Xu Taiping walked into the stone building.

Rong Taotao clearly felt a change in the White Clouds and Grey Dogs in his arms.

Although the little fellow wasn’t particularly afraid of the wind and snow, it clearly preferred the warmth.

Ever since they went inside, the White Clouds and Grey Dogs had become much more lively. It poked its head out from Rong Taotao’s embrace, its small, glossy black eyes darting around.

Xu Taiping looked at Yang Chunxi, who was walking up to the podium, and said, "If you agree to let the two of us merge, sooner or later, I will turn Lu Mang into a Humanoid Soul Beast."

Before Yang Chunxi could speak, Rong Taotao cut in, "That’s enough out of you! Watch your tone. Is that any way to speak to my sister-in-law?"

Xu Taiping’s expression darkened, and he whipped his head around to glare at Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao was unfazed, but the White Clouds and Grey Dogs in his arms was terrified. The creature, which had been solid a moment ago, suddenly dissolved back into a cloud of mist.

Seeing this, Xu Taiping opened his mouth, but said nothing. He just silently turned his head away to avoid scaring the little creature any further.

It took Rong Taotao a good while to calm it down. The timid White Clouds and Grey Dogs finally stabilized, curling up in his arms and whimpering softly.

Yang Chunxi spoke up. "There are no lessons today. Assemble here tomorrow morning at 8:30. A teacher will be here to get you."

With that, Yang Chunxi pulled two backpacks from under the podium. "Come get your school supplies."

"Coach Yang, would it be possible to get my personal belongings from the locker room at the Martial Arts Hall?" Rong Taotao asked as he walked up.

’Personal belongings?’

’What could he have? Clothes and his phone, probably?’

Yang Chunxi flicked Rong Taotao’s forehead with two fingers. "This is a military camp. You’re not allowed to have cell phones. Wait until the semester starts and you’re back at school."

"Alright then." Rong Taotao grinned, took his backpack, and went to plop down in his seat.

Rong Taotao eagerly opened the backpack. Inside were some books, along with a full set of stationery.

*Snow Realm Soul Beast Encyclopedia*, *Chinese Language*, *Understanding and Application of Basic Snow Realm Soul Techniques*, *Life of the Lifebound Soul Beast*, *Modern History (Soul Martial Chapter)*, *Russian Language Basics*...

Rong Taotao: ???

Rong Taotao could understand the other books, but what was the deal with *Russian Language Basics*?

’I have to learn Russian to be a Soul Martial Student?’

Nearby, Yang Chunxi’s voice explained, "The Snow Realm Vortex opens above the Dragon River. The training grounds for Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists are very close to the Russian Federation."

"In recent years, due to the massive blizzards generated by the Snow Realm, we and the Russian Federation on the other side of the Dragon River have become a community with a shared destiny of sorts. Communication and cooperation are now the norm."

"Moreover, as a student of the Songjiang Soul Martial University’s Junior Class, you need to have the right mindset and hold yourself to a higher standard. Even if you never use this language in your life, just consider it a way to improve your ability to learn languages."

"Oh..." Rong Taotao looked up. He hadn’t noticed when Yang Chunxi had come to stand in front of his desk. He had probably been staring at *Russian Language Basics* for too long and she’d noticed.

Looking at Rong Taotao’s well-behaved expression, Yang Chunxi couldn’t resist reaching out again to ruffle his head of naturally curly hair.

’Ah, that feels nice~’

She continued, "Over at Dajiang Soul Martial, since they’re close to Central Asia, Russian is also a required course. And the Dajiang Soul Martial students have to learn even more foreign languages."

"Mm-hm..." Rong Taotao nodded. "Forget about academic classes for a second. Can you tell me what this little dog likes to eat? I don’t have my phone, so I can’t look it up."

Yang Chunxi held out her hand, palm flat.

"Woof?" The White Clouds and Grey Dogs tilted its head curiously, stretching its neck out as far as it could to sniff Yang Chunxi’s fingertips.

The next moment, SWISH...

The White Clouds and Grey Dogs suddenly dissolved into mist. Visible wisps of fog drifted out and quickly converged in Yang Chunxi’s palm, solidifying back into its physical form.

Rong Taotao: ???

’It betrayed me just like that?’

’Seriously? I just absorbed you as my Lifebound Soul Beast, and you’re leaving me this easily?’

’Are the pretty lady’s hands softer than mine?’

Yang Chunxi extended a finger and gently stroked the little puppy’s head. "Lifebound Soul Beasts feed on Soul Power. They don’t need real food, so you don’t have to worry. As long as you have Soul Power in your body, it won’t go hungry."

"But when you get back to school, you can try buying some snacks at the supermarket to see what it likes."

"Although it can use a special Soul Skill to change its form, look..."

As she spoke, Yang Chunxi pinched the little puppy’s tongue and gave it a gentle tug.

Yang Chunxi: "In its normal physical state, it can eat. Finding food it likes can also help you two bond."

"Hey, don’t break it!" Rong Taotao felt a pang of protectiveness. He hastily snatched the little puppy back from Yang Chunxi’s hand and nudged its small, pink tongue, which it was too scared to retract. He then shot Yang Chunxi a look of displeasure.

"Heh." Yang Chunxi chuckled, amused. "With a Lifebound Soul Beast, the speed at which you absorb Soul Power and cultivate Soul Techniques will increase dramatically. If you’re afraid it’ll get hungry, you can start absorbing Soul Power right now."

Rong Taotao: "Oh. Do I need to retract it into my body?"

"No." Yang Chunxi shook her head and explained, "It’s already a part of your body. However... although this little guy is timid, it seems very curious and doesn’t want to go back inside you."

"Most Lifebound Soul Beasts prefer to stay inside their master’s body after being bonded. To a Soul Beast, a Soul Martial Artist’s body is like a home; it gives them a sense of belonging."

"I don’t mind. If it wants to be out, it can be out." Rong Taotao said with a chuckle, looking at the White Clouds and Grey Dogs. "As long as it’s happy. It’s just that..."

Yang Chunxi: "What is it?"

Rong Taotao scratched his head. "I’ll only be able to use one hand from now on. The other one will have to hold it."

"That’s easy to solve." Yang Chunxi leaned down, picked up the little puppy with one hand, and placed it directly on top of Rong Taotao’s head of natural curls.

Rong Taotao kept his head still, raised his eyes, and tried his best to look up.

The little creature clung to the top of Rong Taotao’s head and peered down...

Too bad.

They were both looking for nothing; neither of them could see the other.

"Hm, not bad, not bad." Yang Chunxi nodded in satisfaction. ’Isn’t Rong Taotao’s head of natural curls a ready-made dog bed?’

The already palm-sized puppy spun around twice on Rong Taotao’s head, seemingly very satisfied with the comfort level. It wagged its small, cloud-layered tail and settled down on its own.

The scene was truly heartwarming. Yang Chunxi even forgot the unpleasantness that had occurred outside the classroom earlier. She smiled and said, "Keep it up. As your Compatibility grows higher and as it becomes stronger, you’ll be able to use its Soul Skills."

"Oh?" Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up. "Does that mean I can also transform into mist and use Thousand Transformations?"

From the side came Xu Taiping’s cold sneer. "Heh, maybe in ten years."

Yang Chunxi said, "It doesn’t necessarily have to be Thousand Transformations. The two of you are a single entity now. With your help, the White Clouds and Grey Dogs’ potential has been greatly enhanced."

"In the future, who knows what its Soul Skills might evolve into."

"Hmm... There are very few Soul Martial Artists in Huaxia who have a White Clouds and Grey Dogs as their Lifebound Soul Beast. After all, this little guy is extremely rare and very difficult to capture."

"I’ll ask around for you in the next couple of days and see if I can find any predecessors."

’Ooh? The puppy is hard to capture?’

’Even Yang Chunxi doesn’t know anyone whose Lifebound Soul Beast is a White Clouds and Grey Dogs? Just how rare is this little guy?’

’Wow, Dad, I was wrong about you!’

Overjoyed, Rong Taotao said, "Alrighty~"

Yang Chunxi: "You should give it a name. That’s another way to deepen your bond."

Rong Taotao thought hard for a moment, then looked at Yang Chunxi and tentatively suggested, "Cloud Dog?"

Yang Chunxi: "..."