Master of Nine Stars

After being a life model for the whole morning, Rong Taotao was finally let go by Si Huan Nian.

Around lunchtime, Xia Fangran finally led Li Ziyi and Sun Xingyu back, arriving at the Martial Arts Arena to find Rong Taotao, who was strolling around like an old man out for a walk.

Aside from being called away by Si Huan Nian to be a model, Rong Taotao had been very obedient and diligent, tirelessly circling the Martial Arts Arena lap after lap.

By now, Rong Taotao had become quite proficient with the Soul Skill: Snow Step. It was as natural as regular walking; he no longer had to think about it and just instinctively entered the state of Walking on Snow.

Rong Taotao was a pretty sharp kid, and he understood Li Ziyi’s personality well.

Seeing that Li Ziyi wasn’t looking miserable, Rong Taotao knew he must have succeeded long ago. He had just deliberately stayed behind to keep Sun Xingyu company, only returning with her around noon.

"Let’s go eat." Xia Fangran waved to Rong Taotao, his eyes also landing on Si Huan Nian, who was still teaching in the Martial Arts Arena.

The two teachers’ eyes met. They exchanged friendly nods but no further words.

Rong Taotao found this a little surprising. ’The two of them must not know each other well,’ he thought. ’You can tell from how overly polite they’re being.’

’Well, that makes sense.’

One was from the Pine Soul Four Seasons, while the other belonged to the Pine Soul Four Rites. They were in different divisions, so it was normal they weren’t well acquainted.

’Though it wasn’t his place to say, with a faculty as formidable as Pine Soul Soul Martial’s, there were probably quite a few factions within it.’

Of course, at their current level of status and strength, Rong Taotao and the others had no access to such matters.

"How’s it going?" Xia Fangran draped an arm over Rong Taotao’s shoulder, his attitude having clearly changed.

From initially wanting to put Rong Taotao in his place to his current pleasant demeanor, it was clear he was very satisfied with the boy.

Xia Fangran was particularly pleased when he returned to see Rong Taotao diligently circling the Martial Arts Arena. He grew even more fond of this obedient kid.

Xia Fangran was blissfully unaware. How could he have known that Rong Taotao had just been moonlighting as a life model...?

The group headed for the academy dorms; the dining hall was on the first floor. Due to the sudden blizzard, all the recalled Social Practitioners had been sent away. The dorm building was now deserted, with only the Junior Class students occupying three rooms.

Rong Taotao was chatting with Xia Fangran when they reached the main central road. It was then that he heard the faint, fragmented clopping of horse hooves in the distance.

In the blink of an eye, a troop of Snow Night Shocks appeared in view.

"Stay clear!" the lead soldier shouted.

Rong Taotao’s group hastily backed away.

When the grand army passes, all must make way.

But they hadn’t expected to be waiting for a full ten minutes!

The main road running between the South and North Gates of Hundred Corps Pass was the widest in the fortress.

It was wide enough for five of the enormous Snow Night Shocks to ride abreast.

And yet, Rong Taotao and his friends waited by the roadside for ten long minutes, watching the majestic warhorses gallop past. The relentless drumming of hooves filled their ears.

Rong Taotao’s expression grew more and more stunned. It seemed as though no matter how long they waited, the last soldier in the procession would never appear. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Th-this... Just how many soldiers are there?" Rong Taotao looked up, dumbfounded, and couldn’t help but nudge Xia Fangran with his elbow. "What’s going on?"

"Sigh..." Xia Fangran let out a sigh, gazing up at the gloomy gray sky.

Inside Hundred Corps Pass, snowflakes as large as goose down drifted lazily from the sky.

But outside its walls, a terrifying blizzard raged.

A troop deployment of this magnitude had to be related to the massive blizzard.

’Could it be...’

A sense of foreboding grew in Xia Fangran’s heart.

In the northern Snow Realm of Huaxia, war was the main theme; peace was merely a fleeting interlude.

’Has something happened at the front lines again?’

’Reinforcements on this scale... the situation must be critical.’

Soldiers flashed past Rong Taotao’s eyes one after another, men and women alike, their faces grim and solemn.

It was a strange sensation. Rong Taotao had rarely experienced a life-or-death battlefield, but from the almost identical expressions on the soldiers’ faces, he seemed to sense a resolve—the mindset of those marching to their deaths.

The great column of riders finally passed. The staccato sound of hooves faded into the distance, leaving the trio standing stunned amidst the swirling snowflakes.

"Let’s go eat. You’ll see this more in the future. You’ll get used to it." Xia Fangran’s tone was casual, but inwardly, he was anything but.

Even Xia Fangran had rarely witnessed reinforcements of this magnitude, but as their teacher, he saw no need to tell his students too much.

After all, these three youngsters were still too far removed from the world outside.

After lunch, Xia Fangran led the trio up to the city wall. He had them stand between the crenellations to absorb Soul Power and cultivate their Hearts of Ice and Snow.

Xia Fangran, however, did not rest. He stood there as well, his gaze fixed on the distance, staring out into the blizzard-filled sky. It was as if his eyes could pierce through the layers of wind and snow to see what was happening on the other side.

The day’s training didn’t end until dinnertime. Xia Fangran departed on his own, leaving the trio with their packed schedule to head to their evening class.

"Hey, how many soldiers do you think there were... back at noon?" Sun Xingyu nudged Li Ziyi’s arm with her shoulder, asking in a hushed voice.

Li Ziyi shook his head. "At least several thousand, right? At the speed they were galloping, maybe even over ten thousand?"

The trio continued chatting as they entered the classroom, and in an instant, their somber mood lifted.

It was all because of one person in the stone classroom: Yang Chunxi.

She wore a radiant smile that seemed capable of melting all the ice and snow in the entire Snow Realm. Her bright eyes held a touch of warmth as she watched the students who had just walked in.

"Hello, Teacher~" Sun Xingyu waved at Yang Chunxi.

"Hello." Yang Chunxi replied with a smiling nod. "Try to be a little earlier next time."

"Oh." Sun Xingyu stuck her tongue out sheepishly. Seeing that the classroom was already full, she scurried to her seat.

"Since everyone’s here, let’s start class early and not worry about the schedule." Yang Chunxi rested her hands on the lectern, looking down at her students. A faint smile touched her lips. "I know you’re all exhausted today. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?"

Although no one spoke, their weary little faces were answer enough.

Yang Chunxi continued, "Since this is our first official class, I’m not going to lecture on theory. You are all students of the Junior Class, chosen through a rigorous selection process. Let’s start by getting to know one another."

The students glanced at one another. They already knew each other’s names, and a good number of them had already become acquainted during the Snowfield assessment.

Yang Chunxi was very gentle, a complete contrast to the practical skills instructors they’d had earlier today. She said softly, "There’s a saying that gets passed around in Huaxia: Soul Martial Artists who come to the Snow Realm to train must be people of conviction."

Rong Taotao was very familiar with that saying, and he agreed with it.

"Let’s start with the first group." Yang Chunxi’s gaze fell on Fan Lihua at the first desk. "You’re from Jiangnan. Why did you come to the Snow Realm instead of choosing to become an Ocean or Starfield Soul Martial Artist?"

At once, all the students turned to look at Fan Lihua.

Fan Lihua seemed a little shy. With her head bowed slightly, she answered in a small voice, "My... my family told me to come, so... I came."

Yang Chunxi asked, "Oh? Was it a decision you and your family made together?"

Fan Lihua kept her head down, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "My mom and dad."

Yang Chunxi nodded thoughtfully. It was perfectly understandable for a child who just graduated from middle school to follow their parents’ arrangements. Their own worldview hadn’t fully formed yet.

She looked at Shi Lan, who sat behind Fan Lihua. "And you?"

WHOOSH!

Shi Lan suddenly shot to her feet, startling everyone!

She was absolutely brimming with Vitality!

Shi Lan declared, "I’m going to enter the Snow Realm Vortex!"

"Oh?" Yang Chunxi’s interest was piqued. She looked at Shi Lan, intrigued. "And why is that?"

"Hehe." Shi Lan, whose sharp features belied a goofy grin, said, "My grandpa was a soldier in the Snow Realm. He raised my sister and me until I was ten, and every night, he’d tell us bedtime stories about his time there.

He had many regrets from his time in the army. He said he’d never made it into the Snow Realm Vortex, so he never knew what it was like inside.

Well, I’m going to see what it’s like in there and go back and tell him all about it!"

Shi Lan was full of high spirits, declaring loudly, "When we were little, he told us stories to help us sleep. When he gets old, it’ll be my turn to tell him stories and help him sleep."

Yang Chunxi watched Shi Lan quietly, a soft sigh echoing in her heart.

From those few words, Yang Chunxi could almost picture a white-haired old man sitting by the two sisters’ bedside each night, his soft voice recounting tales of the past by the light of a dim lamp, lulling the children to sleep...

Yang Chunxi asked gently, "And where is your grandfather now?"

"Ah..." Shi Lan’s expression fell. "He lost both his legs in a battle. He went back to our old home in Guanzhong and has been there ever since, in Chang’an City in the San Qin Land."

Yang Chunxi nodded. "So, your parents are both Starfield Soul Martial Artists, but you and your sibling left your hometown to come to the Snow Realm."

In truth, her and Shilou’s father had been adopted by their grandfather, but there was no need for Shi Lan to mention that here.

Shi Lan clenched her fists and nodded firmly. "Right. Grandpa is getting older. I have to get strong, and fast, so I can go back and tell him what the Snow Realm Vortex is really like inside."

At some point, Fan Lihua, who sat at the desk in front of her, had turned around.

Fan Lihua’s head was tilted back, her mouth slightly agape as she stared up at Shi Lan’s face.

In that moment, to Fan Lihua’s eyes, the already tall Shi Lan seemed to grow infinitely taller, as if she were radiating a brilliant light!

Gazing into Shi Lan’s narrow eyes, Fan Lihua felt her own heart begin to tremble.

In Shi Lan’s eyes, Fan Lihua saw something she herself had never possessed.

It was called a dream.

Her whole life—the age she began martial arts, which weapon she would train with, what kind of tutoring classes she would attend, which middle school she would test into, and even now, which university she would go to...

Everything had been arranged by her mom and dad.

Fan Lihua was a girl of few words. In front of her parents, she was well-behaved and timid. Always obedient, she had followed her parents’ wishes, come to the Snow Realm, and successfully tested into the Junior Class.

And now, for the first time, Fan Lihua saw in someone else the very thing she had always been missing.

’Teacher Yang Chunxi said that everyone who comes here is a person of conviction.’

’So... why am I really here?’

As if sensing Fan Lihua’s stunned gaze, Shi Lan lowered her head and gave her a smile.

"Ah." Fan Lihua’s face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head, turning back to the front.

This girl from Jiangnan was a little too shy...