Master of Nine Stars

A temperature of negative 25 or 26 degrees Celsius wasn’t really a big deal. As long as you bundled up properly, even an ordinary person could withstand it.

In harsh weather conditions, however, that wasn’t necessarily true. For instance, the seemingly endless blizzard was causing the trio immense trouble.

Fortunately, Teacher Xia Fangran didn’t strictly require the three of them to stand at attention like soldiers; they were still allowed to move their bodies.

Sun Xingyu had five Initial Soul Slots, a sign of high Talent. Within just one short hour, she had already sorted out her Soul Power and successfully channeled it to the soles of her feet.

The problem, however, arose with her knees and ankles.

The technique for the Snow Step Soul Skill required the knees to act as a "transformer," converting the Soul Power Sun Xingyu sent into a moderate, steady, and continuous output channeled downward.

If the knees were relatively easy to deal with, then the ankles required truly delicate work.

Every single time, Sun Xingyu failed to evenly envelop the soles of her boots with Soul Power. ’It’s so infuriating!’

It was the first time she’d ever hated her military boots this much. They were special-issue boots from the Snow Burning Army, and to increase their grip, the soles had far too many treads. Trying to evenly coat the soles with Soul Power, filling in every single groove, was just too difficult.

After failing yet again, Sun Xingyu couldn’t help but lift her head and look at Xia Fangran, who was lying suspended in mid-air amidst the blizzard.

Finally, she understood just how incredible Teacher Xia was!

’The swirling snow is in constant motion, nothing like the smooth, packed snow on the ground. For Xia Fangran to lie so effortlessly in the air... just how exquisite must his control over Soul Power be?’

’It can’t just be a simple matter of coating his boot soles with Soul Power. He must be enveloping his entire body, right?’

"Ugh! This is so hard~" Sun Xingyu covered her nose and mouth with one hand, stomping her foot in frustration.

Beside her, Li Ziyi asked, "How far have you gotten? Have you sorted out the pathway for channeling your Soul Power?"

"Yeah." Sun Xingyu nodded, then stomped her foot again in annoyance. Her disobedient ankles weren’t providing enough Soul Power to smooth out her boot soles. "Huh?"

Sun Xingyu’s eyes suddenly lit up. She plopped down in the snow and started to untie her shoelaces.

"What are you doing?" Li Ziyi sat down as well and hurriedly stopped Sun Xingyu from taking off her boots. And what’s more...

...Li Ziyi actually started to tie her laces for her, his unique, raspy voice speaking gentle words, "Keep your boots on. If your feet get cold, you’ll get sick when you’re older."

Sun Xingyu pouted, tilting her head to watch Li Ziyi tie her boots for her. After a few seconds, her mood seemed to improve considerably.

But in the next moment, her mood soured again!

She saw Rong Taotao’s figure a few meters away, wobbling in the snow!

The terrain at the base of the city wall was relatively flat, but when Rong Taotao walked, it was as if the ground were full of potholes.

Obviously, Rong Taotao hadn’t completely mastered how to walk on snow. He was still staggering as he moved, but he was infinitely close to succeeding!

’Is this what they call Talent?’

’Is this the gap between six Initial Soul Slots and five?’

Sun Xingyu’s heart tightened. She hurriedly looked at Li Ziyi beside her and said, "Hey, let’s get back to training. Quickly."

As she spoke, Sun Xingyu hastily got to her feet.

In Sun Xingyu’s mind, Li Ziyi and Rong Taotao were on the same level, both being geniuses with six Initial Soul Slots.

Seeing Li Ziyi falling behind now made Sun Xingyu feel terribly vexed, believing that her own willfulness and thoughtlessness had delayed his training.

The young couple stood up and resumed their diligent training, while Xia Fangran, lying leisurely in the blizzard, quietly opened his eyes.

He turned on his side, like a sleeping person rolling over unconsciously, but his gaze was fixed on Rong Taotao’s staggering figure.

With just one glance, Xia Fangran was delighted. ’Good kid! You truly are Xu Fenghua’s son!’

’It’s been an hour at most, and he’s already figured out the trick and is most of the way there.’

’Anyone can achieve miracles with brute force; all you have to do is be reckless.’

’The real difficulty of the Soul Skill: Snow Step is the delicate "micro" required.’

’I believe that if Taotao were barefoot right now, or wearing flat-soled slippers, he would have already succeeded.’

And just as Xia Fangran was thinking this, Rong Taotao’s rate of progress became terrifyingly fast!

He was improving at a speed visible to the naked eye...

’Now *that* is what you call a genius!’

’A genius isn’t defined by words, but proven one step at a time!’

Rong Taotao’s wobbly body grew steadier and steadier. The irregular footprints he left behind in the snow also became shallower and shallower.

"Learned Snow Realm Soul Skill: Snow Step!

Snow Step: Envelop the feet with Soul Power to move freely in snowy environments. (Ordinary Level, Potential Value: 3 Stars)"

Rong Taotao was finally standing on the thick snow, leaving not the slightest footprint. At the same time, a message appeared in his Inner Soul Map.

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but frown. ’Only a 3-star Potential Value?’

’It’d be completely understandable if my Potential Value for various Martial Arts skills were a mix of high and low.’

’After all, some people are good with blades, while others are good with staves.’

’But when it comes to Soul Skills, I’m supposed to be exceptionally talented.’

’So, if the Snow Step Soul Skill only has a 3-star Potential Value...’

’...that must mean the maximum potential for this basic Soul Skill is only 3 stars.’

Rong Taotao nodded thoughtfully. Once he’d figured it out, he stopped worrying about it.

’After all, there are thousands upon thousands of Soul Skills. Some are basic techniques, while others are advanced, high-level versions. Of course their development limits would be different.’

But now a new question arose, and Rong Taotao’s mind started racing again. ’I’m different from all other Soul Martial Artists. I have Potential Value!’

’Every Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist in the world can only develop Snow Step to 3 stars at most. What if I raise its potential limit?’

’1-star Ordinary Snow Step, 2-star Excellent Snow Step, 3-star Elite Snow Step... What would a 4-star Master Snow Step look like?’

Rong Taotao hurriedly turned his head to look at Xia Fangran, who was lying in the blizzard behind him.

’Assuming Teacher Xia’s Snow Step is at the peak 3-star Elite level, he’s like a fish in water during a blizzard, able to roam about freely and without restraint.’

’So what kind of tricks could I pull off with a 4-star Master Snow Step?’

’And... what about a 7-star Epic Snow Step, or an 8-star Mythical Snow Step?’

’As long as there’s a single snowflake, couldn’t I just step on it and travel to the ends of the earth?’

"WHOOSH..."

A fierce, cold wind howled past. The sudden increase in force blew Rong Taotao a step backward.

And it was this very scene that made Xia Fangran, who had been lying in mid-air, "sit" up.

The wind at the base of the city wall was indeed relentless, but this sudden gust was not a "gift" from nature. Rather, it was Xia Fangran secretly exerting his power, intentionally testing him.

Rong Taotao had been caught off guard and taken the step back without any preparation, but when his foot landed, the snow still didn’t cover his ankle.

Rong Taotao was still standing on top of the snow, not leaving the slightest footprint.

’This means he’s truly succeeded in learning it!’

"It seems I underestimated you," Xia Fangran said, landing steadily on the ground.

Nearby, Li Ziyi remained silent, continuing to practice diligently. He had been left behind by Rong Taotao again! Sun Xingyu was also vexed; she wanted to help Li Ziyi move forward, not be a stumbling block in his path.

Xia Fangran was perfectly aware of the young couple’s progress, so his previous words had been directed at all three of them.

Xia Fangran continued, "I originally thought your body would be frozen stiff before you mastered Snow Step, but I didn’t expect you to show results in just one short hour. Mm, not bad, not bad at all..."

Shielding himself from the wind and snow, Rong Taotao stepped forward and asked the question on his mind, "Teacher, how can I stand in mid-air like you?"

"Haha." Xia Fangran chuckled. "I was just trying to pique your interest and give you some motivation. Standing in mid-air isn’t something that can be achieved with a simple Snow Step."

Rong Taotao finally reached Xia Fangran’s right side, turned around to face him with his back to the oncoming blizzard, and looked at him with a burning gaze. "Teach me, Teacher!"

"Haha." It was clear that Xia Fangran genuinely appreciated Rong Taotao, but he shook his head. "The Soul Skill: Snow Step is just the most basic of basics."

"A Soul Martial Artist can maintain this basic Soul Skill with very little Soul Power and a low-level Heart of Ice and Snow."

"You’re just a Soul Soldier-stage Soul Martial Artist right now. If I’m not mistaken, your Soul Technique: Ice and Snow Heart is only at the one-star initial stage."

"Oh." Rong Taotao nodded.

Xia Fangran said, "So right now, you can only learn the lowest-grade, Ordinary Level Soul Skills."

"To cultivate second-grade Excellent Level, third-grade Elite Level, and fourth-grade Master Level Snow Realm Soul Skills, you need a corresponding Soul Technique level."

"Ah..." Rong Taotao smacked his lips, a look of disappointment on his face.

Seeing Rong Taotao’s expression, Xia Fangran thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, you could learn Excellent or Elite Level Snow Realm Soul Skills right now, but even if you succeeded, it wouldn’t be of much use."

"If the amount of Soul Power reserves is the foundation of a Soul Martial Artist..."

"...then the level of your Soul Technique is the cornerstone for casting Soul Skills."

"Let’s say you get lucky and manage to learn an Excellent Level Snow Realm Soul Skill. Limited by your low-level Soul Technique, you would find it very difficult to actually use that Excellent Level Soul Skill."

"Not having learned it and having learned it but being unable to use it are one and the same."

"Am I making myself clear?"

"Ah." Rong Taotao was startled!

’Thank goodness for Xia Fangran’s guidance. Otherwise, if I’d accidentally practiced Snow Step to the Excellent Level, I wouldn’t have been able to use the skill at all?’

"Then... then..." Rong Taotao thought for a moment and said, "Then what other Ordinary Level Snow Realm Soul Skills can I learn right now?"

"Of course there are, but that’s not part of today’s lesson." Xia Fangran pointed toward the main gate. "Go into the city. Practice Snow Step. Do laps around the Martial Arts Arena. You have 20 minutes per lap."

Rong Taotao: "Oh..."

Xia Fangran suddenly added, "And you’ll keep going until Li Ziyi and Sun Xingyu have learned it."

For a moment, all three of them were stunned.

Xia Fangran said, "You can compete within the team. But don’t forget, you are a single unit."

"Go, Rong Taotao. You can rest when those two have mastered the skill."

’One for all, and all for one?’

Xia Fangran wasn’t just teaching them Soul Skills; it seemed he was also instilling other ideas and principles in them.

Rong Taotao turned to look at the silent young couple.

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Stay calm. This is delicate work. The more anxious and impatient you are, the slower your progress will be."

With that, Rong Taotao gave the two of them a thumbs-up and turned to walk toward the city gate.

Although the master and his student had only interacted for a short time, Xia Fangran had already gathered a lot of information.

’Li Ziyi’s goal is clearly to defeat Rong Taotao; that’s beyond doubt.’

’And yet Rong Taotao, as he was leaving, offered words of sincere concern, sharing his experience.’

Watching Rong Taotao’s departing back, Xia Fangran nodded to himself. ’To have the bearing of a great general at such a young age. Not bad. Mm, not bad at all...’

’It seems the relationship between these two boys isn’t just about competition, as it appears on the surface.’

’Three years... Have they forged a deep friendship?’

’Mm, I’ll have to ask Yang Chunxi when I get back and see how these two kids performed during the previous Snowfield assessment.’

’It should be... quite interesting, right?’