Master of Nine Stars

"One step, two step, step by step like a claw... it’s the pace of a demon..." Rong Taotao hummed a little tune, looking to be in an excellent mood.

He stared intently at the snowy ground beneath his feet, carefully rounding a corner and inching forward with small, deliberate steps.

He felt like an artist, each step a meticulously sculpted masterpiece.

’A genius!’ Rong Taotao couldn’t help but look back. Not a single footprint was left in the snow behind him.

Inside the city of Hundred Corps Pass, the wind was light, and snowflakes drifted down lazily.

As he circled the Martial Arts Arena, he could watch the soldiers inside sparring. He couldn’t have felt more at ease.

Suddenly, a pleasant female voice called out, "Juanjuan, what are you doing?"

Rong Taotao paused, turning his head to see the members of Team 1 not far away: Fan Lihua and the Shi Family Sisters.

And "Juanjuan" was the younger sister Shi Lan’s exclusive nickname for Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao instinctively ruffled his naturally curly hair and gave a silly grin. "Oh, nothing, just taking a stroll~"

Shi Lan looked completely baffled. "Huh?"

’What a waste of that valiant, heroic face. Her looks and personality don’t match at all.’

"So, uh..." Rong Taotao was about to say more, but then he saw Si Huan Nian striding toward them, moving with such purpose that she seemed to bring the wind with her!

’Whoa!’

It was the first time Rong Taotao had ever seen someone walk in a way that kicked up a flurry of snowflakes!

’What did the snowflakes ever do to you?’

’They were just falling peacefully, minding their own business. Did you have to go and stir them all up?’

Rong Taotao muttered to himself, but what he said out loud was, "You guys carry on, carry on."

With that, Rong Taotao spun around. His strides were small, but his speed was surprisingly fast...

"Go on in." Si Huan Nian arrived in front of the Martial Arts Arena. She watched Rong Taotao, who was about to vanish in a flash, then glanced at the snow he had just crossed. She couldn’t help but frown slightly.

’Who’s teaching Team 2?’

’Instead of having them properly absorb Snow-Attribute Soul Power and explaining its application in the various acupoints, they’re teaching Soul Skills directly?’

’This kid... he’s actually quite impressive. He’s already learned Snow Step?’

’An average student needs at least a full day to master the Snow Step Soul Skill. Slower ones might even take two or three days.’

’How long has Rong Taotao been at it?’

’One or two hours?’

Si Huan Nian, feeling a trace of admiration, led the three students to an empty space. A flurry of snowflakes gathered, forming a Snow-made Teaching Whip in her hand.

"Attention! Stand straight." Si Huan Nian was truly strict. Her voice startled the soldiers sparring nearby in the Martial Arts Arena. One of them even snapped to attention out of reflex...

It couldn’t be helped; it was a conditioned reflex.

Si Huan Nian gave the soldier an apologetic nod and said, "I’ll keep my voice down."

"It’s no problem, no problem at all! Please, Teacher, carry on as normal," the soldier said, waving his hands dismissively.

The Snow Burning Army and Pine Soul Soul Martial University had an unusually close relationship. It wasn’t just joint lectures or nationally appointed teachers for the reserve forces. Many soldiers in the Snow Burning Army were graduates of Pine Soul Soul Martial University themselves.

With one hand behind her back, Si Huan Nian used the Snow-made Teaching Whip to tap just below each of the three girls’ navels. "The Dantian. For any Soul Skill involving the lower limbs that you can practice, this is the initiation point for your Soul Power."

"Now, mobilize all of your Soul Power. Gather it here, compress it with all your might, and store as much of it as you can in this spot. This is the foundation for everything."

"The knee joint. Whether it’s a Soul Skill you’ve gained from an embedded Soul Pearl or one you’ve learned on your own, most are output-type skills. There’s not much difficulty there."

"The problem is that the knee isn’t just an endpoint. During the execution of some foot-based Soul Skills, the knee acts as a minor hub, responsible for processing..."

As Si Huan Nian spoke, she tapped the students’ knees with her teaching whip.

And at some point, far behind Si Huan Nian and outside the iron cage of the Martial Arts Arena, Rong Taotao had appeared. He was gripping the cage with both hands, peering inside with eager eyes.

’Oh... so that’s how it is. Coach Si’s explanations are so clear. Her teaching style is completely different from Teacher Xia Fangran’s.’

Rong Taotao was frantically eavesdropping from outside the cage. Si Huan Nian had her back to him and hadn’t noticed him yet, but the other three students were facing his direction.

The older sister, Stone Tower, and Fan Lihua were focused on the lecture and showed no reaction.

But the younger sister, Shi Lan, saw Rong Taotao. Seeing his curious, peeking face, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

SMACK! With a sharp crack, Si Huan Nian’s Snow-made Teaching Whip struck Shi Lan squarely on the knee.

"Ouch!" The pain shot through Shi Lan’s knee, and she instinctively bent down to rub it, only to hear Si Huan Nian’s stern voice: "Stand straight!"

Shi Lan endured the pain, quickly straightened her back, and snapped to attention.

Saying that, Si Huan Nian turned around and immediately understood why Shi Lan had been distracted. She looked at Rong Taotao coldly and said, "If you want to listen, come in. There’s no need to sneak around."

Rong Taotao immediately lowered his head and began to shuffle away, muttering under his breath, "It’s... it’s a scholar’s pursuit. How can you call it sneaking...?"

From the side, Si Huan Nian’s voice came again. "Come in."

"No, it’s okay, Teacher. Teacher Xia gave me a task to do..." Rong Taotao waved his hands repeatedly, refusing.

Si Huan Nian said, "I told you to come in."

"Oh..." Rong Taotao pouted, reluctantly walking around to the side of the Martial Arts Arena, opening the chain-link gate, and stepping inside.

Si Huan Nian tapped the spot beside her with the teaching whip. "Who is your team’s instructor?"

Rong Taotao came to stand beside Si Huan Nian and replied, "Teacher Xia Fangran."

"Xia Fangran?" Si Huan Nian’s brow furrowed slightly. Clearly, Rong Taotao’s answer had surprised her.

"Hmm, he is an expert with both spear and halberd..." After a moment of thought, Si Huan Nian said no more. Instead, she grabbed Rong Taotao’s shoulder and spun him around to face the three female students.

Si Huan Nian’s Snow-made Teaching Whip tapped Rong Taotao’s chest. "I will now teach you the second Soul Power initiation point: the chest."

Rong Taotao: ???

’Oh, for crying out loud. I’m a human anatomical model now?’

The three young women’s gazes converged on Rong Taotao’s chest, making him a little shy.

Although his status meant he was always the subject of discussion and the center of attention wherever he went, being stared at so intently by three pretty girls still made Rong Taotao feel a bit... hmm...

"For all the Soul Skills you practice that are released from the shoulders, elbows, or wrists, the required Soul Power should be channeled from the chest."

As she spoke, Si Huan Nian tapped Rong Taotao’s chest again. "Remember this position, the Pleiades acupoint, just below your collarbones."

Si Huan Nian’s lecture was detailed and clear, and Rong Taotao found it incredibly satisfying to listen to.

Xia Fangran was a master; he let his students figure things out for themselves. His style was more of the "if you get it, you get it" variety.

Si Huan Nian was different. She was carefully spoon-feeding them knowledge, bringing it right to their mouths. How could the results be the same?

But as she listened, Fan Lihua felt that something wasn’t quite right. She suddenly spoke up, "Teacher Si."

Si Huan Nian: "Yes?"

Fan Lihua’s voice was soft and sweet. Every time Rong Taotao heard it, his assessment of her as a "soft, adorable girl" was reinforced.

Fan Lihua asked, "What about Soul Skills from the forehead, eyes, and chest? Is their initiation point also the Pleiades acupoint?"

Hearing this, Si Huan Nian shook her head. "Currently, among the Soul Skills that human Soul Martial Artists can learn on their own, there are none that originate from the forehead, eyes, or chest."

"As you know, the Soul Slot on the forehead is for embedding Spiritual Soul Techniques."

"The Soul Slots in the eyes are for output-type Soul Skills, as well as a few Spiritual Type and spatial-type ones. The chest Soul Slot is for full-body Defense Soul Skills."

"These Soul Skills are all too advanced. Even with their vast knowledge and rich practical experience, our human scholars still haven’t been able to decipher them. We can only use such skills by embedding Soul Pearls."

"In the future, I hope you all can make some achievements in this area."

Si Huan Nian’s stern expression softened considerably. She looked at Fan Lihua and continued, "Your question is a very good one. After you graduate from the Junior Class and have built a solid foundation..."

"If you want to walk the path of a researcher, Pine Soul Soul Martial has a number of elites in the field. You could apply to be one of their graduate students."

"Oh... okay." Fan Lihua nodded obediently. It was hard to tell if she was just being polite, but she added, "I’ll work hard."

Whether Fan Lihua was being polite or not, Si Huan Nian was completely sincere. Her already softened expression broke into a slight smile. "Among the mentors, I would first and foremost recommend Tea of the Pine Soul Four Rites."

"If you’re interested, you can look up Teacher Cha in your own time. He’s known as the ’Pine Soul Technician’."

"Nearly half of all the self-taught Soul Skills currently available to Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists were deciphered by teams led by Mr. Cha."

"Of all the Snow Realm Soul Skills that can be learned in the world today, there isn’t one he doesn’t know. He is a living Soul Skill textbook."

Hearing that one word, "technician," spoken in Si Huan Nian’s husky, languid voice, made Rong Taotao’s mind go to a weird place.

’Whoa, they’ve even got "technicians" now.’

’Does Mr. Cha give his students massages while he teaches them?’

’As expected of Pine Soul Soul Martial University. Their methods are so wild. I’m a fan, I’m a fan...’