Master of Nine Stars

Li Lie froze for a moment, then he couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle in amusement.

He strode forward, rested his hands on the battlements, and leaned over to look down. His timing was perfect, catching the sight of Rong Taotao’s dazed, upturned face.

"My own students haven’t learned it yet, but the one listening in has," Li Lie said with a hearty laugh.

Behind him, Jiao Tengda, who had come over to take a look, flushed red. Strangely enough, Lu Mang, despite his desperate hunger for power, showed no signs of shame.

In Lu Mang’s eyes, it seemed, this was all perfectly natural.

Had it been anyone else stuck to the outside of the wall, Lu Mang probably would have been ashamed...

"Hmph, I already knew how to do that," Xu Taiping, the only one who hadn’t crowded forward, said coldly from behind.

Jiao Tengda ignored Xu Taiping and leaned over to look down. "Hey! What are you doing down there, sneaking around? By the way, how are you stuck to the wall like that? Isn’t it dangerous?"

Rong Taotao craned his neck, trying to look up at them. "Oh, sticking to the wall? It’s nothing. You guys will probably learn it soon enough."

"Oh ho, you little punk..." Jiao Tengda said with a chuckle. "Did you come all this way just to mess with us?"

Rong Taotao also laughed, smirking. "So, this special technique of mine—’carving a hole in the wall to steal a lesson’—have you learned it, or did you just learn how to fail?"

Lu Mang quietly added, "Okay. In a couple of days, I’ll come to your group to learn your secrets."

"Well, I’ll be... You’ve only said two sentences to me in two days," Jiao Tengda said, looking at Lu Mang with a disgruntled expression. "This guy shows up, and you immediately say a full sentence to him."

Li Lie placed a hand on Jiao Tengda’s head and another on Lu Mang’s, steering them both away. "Get back to it," he said casually. "Don’t disrupt my class."

"Oh..." Outside the wall, Rong Taotao glanced at the starlight still swirling above him before taking a step down.

SWISH...

What Rong Taotao hadn’t expected was that the starlight swirling among the battlements actually chased after him.

Rong Taotao: ???

’It actually has feelings?’

’Is it really that magical? Wherever I go, you follow?’

An idea sparked in Rong Taotao’s mind. His feet suddenly "slipped," and instead of walking, he began to slide rapidly down the wall.

And wouldn’t you know it, that swarm of "fireflies" immediately gave chase.

Unfortunately, Rong Taotao had released too little Soul Power that one time. In the middle of the chase, the snowflakes lost their "sentience" and reverted to normal. A gust of wind blew, and they vanished without a trace.

Rong Taotao, his body perpendicular to the wall, went from walking to suddenly sliding. He himself didn’t think it was a big deal, but it gave Xia Fangran a heart attack!

In the blizzard, Rong Taotao’s visibility was limited, and he couldn’t see Xia Fangran. But Xia Fangran, airborne, was secretly watching over and protecting him, terrified that he might get into an accident.

Earlier, if he hadn’t seen Li Lie intervene, Xia Fangran would have already flown over.

Seeing Rong Taotao’s figure suddenly slide and then stop on a dime, Xia Fangran’s heart skipped a beat...

Then, hidden within the blizzard, Xia Fangran let his composure slip, a look of faint astonishment appearing on his face.

’He’s already... that proficient?’

’How long has he even been practicing "wall-climbing"?’

’And he’s already started showing off with fancy tricks?’

Xia Fangran had been a teacher for twenty years and had seen all sorts of students, but Rong Taotao seemed to have been sent purely to broaden his horizons!

’Is this kid really a Soul Martial Artist who just successfully awakened?’

’He’s not some student who awakened years ago, got sent back to the beginning, and is just pretending to be a rookie, is he?’

’No, that’s not right. The kid’s Soul Power is very faint; he’s obviously a novice. And that Cloud Dog is a Lifebound Soul Beast he just recently absorbed.’

’Could it be... Rong Taotao is actually a Humanoid Soul Beast?’

’That makes even less sense.’

’Rong Taotao’s parents are both famous Soul Martial Artists. His dad is an elite in the industry, and his mom is literally a figure from the textbooks. Those two are definitely, one-hundred-percent human...’

’Back when Rong Yang was a student at Songjiang Soul Martial University, a place teeming with geniuses, he wasn’t considered particularly famous. True, the kid graduated early and was specially recruited by a certain military unit, but there were plenty of outstanding students like that.’

’Other than that, are there any other stories about Rong Yang that have been passed down? It seems not.’

Xia Fangran remained hidden in the blizzard, silently observing Rong Taotao. Rong Taotao, in turn, kept one hand braced against the fortress wall, cautiously making his way toward the main gate.

He didn’t dare stray from the wall. Otherwise, he could easily get lost.

Beyond three to five meters, there were no landmarks. It was a dangerous, potentially fatal situation.

After finding his way back to the gate, Rong Taotao curled up and sat down facing it, doing his best to shelter the Cloud Dog, who was reluctant to return inside his body.

Rong Taotao lowered his head, burying his chin in his collar. The Cloud Dog tilted its own head back, its little pink tongue affectionately licking the tip of Rong Taotao’s nose. Even in the midst of the vast, howling blizzard, the space in Rong Taotao’s embrace seemed especially warm.

Rong Taotao played with the Cloud Dog for a little while, preparing to climb the wall again to solidify his newly acquired Soul Skill. However, when he lifted his head...

"Huh?" Rong Taotao froze. Why was it dark?

Even though his visibility in the blizzard was only about three to five meters, the environment as a whole had still been faintly lit. It was obviously high noon, but... why had the sky gone dark?

Rong Taotao scrambled to his feet, one hand instinctively bracing against the massive fortress wall. In the dim, swirling snow, he couldn’t see any of his classmates or teachers. Only the gate of Hundred Corps Pass offered him a sliver of security.

"Rong Taotao!" Along with the shout, several figures burst into view.

Xia Fangran appeared before the gate, carrying Li Ziyi in one hand and Sun Xingyu in the other, with the carcass of a Snowflake Wolf slung over his shoulder.

"I’m here!" Rong Taotao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called back.

’This weather... It’s terrifying.’

Xia Fangran nodded. "That’s all for this morning. Time for lunch."

At Xia Fangran’s call, the massive gate finally creaked open. Rong Taotao didn’t even have to walk; the fierce wind simply blew him stumbling through the opening.

Rong Taotao had always considered Hundred Corps Pass to be the safest place in the world.

Every time he came back from outside the walls, the wind inside would be gentle and the atmosphere tranquil.

But this time, the sudden darkness had completely shattered the pass’s tranquility.

Even after returning inside the fortress, Rong Taotao’s visibility remained poor. The grim expressions on the faces of the soldiers around him sparked a bad feeling in his gut.

Under Xia Fangran’s escort, they all returned safely to their dormitory. The three youngsters went to the first-floor cafeteria to eat, but Xia Fangran hurried away with the Snowflake Wolf carcass, leaving only a single instruction: "Practice your Soul Power in your dorm this afternoon. Wait for further notice."

Rong Taotao never would have guessed that he would end up waiting for the entire afternoon. Xia Fangran never showed up again.

It wasn’t until six in the evening that the three of them, braving the wind and snow—and even needing help from soldiers—finally found their way to the stone classroom on the fortress’s east side.

"Whew..." Rong Taotao stepped into the warm classroom, exhaling a plume of frosty air. He pulled off his winter hat, ruffled his naturally curly hair, and saw Yang Chunxi standing at the front of the room.

Seeing her familiar, graceful figure, Rong Taotao felt his anxiety lessen.

But even Yang Chunxi, who was usually as bright as sunshine, had a dark expression on her face. She looked deeply troubled.

Yang Chunxi waited for Rong Taotao to sit down before walking over and handing him a crystal-clear Soul Pearl.

"Eh?" Rong Taotao quickly took it. The information fed to him by his Inner Soul Map identified it as a Snowflake Wolf Soul Pearl.

Yang Chunxi said, "The soldiers have already butchered the Snowflake Wolf you killed this morning. This is its Soul Pearl. You’re the group leader, so you can decide what to do with it."

With that, Yang Chunxi walked back to the front of the classroom. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she began, "This afternoon, the school made a decision concerning the Junior Class—specifically, the Soul Class. I’m here to inform you of it."

Rong Taotao put the Soul Pearl away. While taking the Cloud Dog out from his jacket and placing it on top of his head, he looked at Yang Chunxi with curiosity.

Yang Chunxi’s expression was grim. "The summer training session here at Hundred Corps Pass will end tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"But I thought we were supposed to be here for the entire summer break? For a month and a half?"

Yang Chunxi held up a hand, silencing the students. "At ten o’clock tomorrow morning, the university’s instructors will escort you back to Songjiang Soul Martial University. Also..."

Yang Chunxi pressed her lips together. "The university is granting you special permission to go home—back to your hometowns—and spend a normal summer holiday.

Since you’ve all successfully enrolled in the Pine Soul Soul Martial Junior Class, you should share this happy news with your families."

Rong Taotao: !!!

’A summer vacation? Are you kidding me?!’ 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

’The school spent so much time and effort putting this meticulously planned Junior Class program together, and now the entire curriculum is being disrupted just like that?’

’The nine of us in the Soul Class were practically being held "hostage" here by the university, force-fed an exclusive training regimen so we could grow as quickly as possible and live up to the "Junior Class" name.’

’Why the sudden reversal? In the span of a single afternoon, the unthinkable "summer vacation" has actually arrived?’

’Wait,’ Rong Taotao thought. ’I saw large columns of troops passing through the fortress earlier. Did something happen on the front lines?’

After mulling it over, Rong Taotao turned his head to look at Jiao Tengda, who was sitting behind him and to his right.

Meeting Rong Taotao’s questioning gaze, Jiao Tengda pushed his glasses up his nose, leaned forward, and whispered, "It must be related to the sky going dark. Sending everyone home on vacation... the school is clearly trying to lighten its load, or maybe prevent any accidents."

Although Jiao Tengda’s voice was quiet, there were only a handful of people in the classroom. And with someone as powerful as Yang Chunxi, how could she possibly not hear him?

"Ahem." Yang Chunxi coughed lightly. Jiao Tengda immediately ducked his head and straightened back up in his seat.

In truth, Jiao Tengda knew perfectly well that Yang Chunxi would be able to hear him before he even started speaking.

But since Rong Taotao had asked, Jiao Tengda was willing to take the risk to answer his question.

It was clear that Jiao Tengda held Rong Taotao in high regard.

Yang Chunxi didn’t scold Jiao Tengda. Instead, she said, "Of course, even though it’s a holiday, you may choose to remain at the university. However, if you do, you must obey all university regulations.

During the summer break, Songjiang Soul Martial University will be locked down. It won’t be like the open campus you might imagine, where you can come and go as you please."

Yang Chunxi looked at the whispering Shilou and Shilan and said, "Discuss it tonight in your rooms. At seven o’clock tomorrow morning, everyone will meet for breakfast on the first floor of the dorm. Give me your decisions then."

"Alright, that’s all for textbook instruction today." Yang Chunxi clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. "Over the past two days, under the guidance of your respective instructors, is there anything you didn’t understand, or perhaps something you were hesitant to ask them about? You can bring it up now, and I’ll help you."

Shi Lan suddenly raised her hand. "Teacher, why are we suddenly getting a summer vacation?"

"There is a situation on the front lines, but it has nothing to do with any of you. You currently lack the ability to help, and you are not qualified to know the details."

With that, Yang Chunxi waved her hand dismissively. "Do you have any questions about what your instructors have taught you over the last two days? If not, I’ll escort you back to the dorm."

"Blast Pearl," Lu Mang suddenly said. "Li Lie mentioned that Soul Martial Artists have the option to use a Blast Pearl. When I tried to ask more about it, he was too drunk to give me an answer."

Yang Chunxi nodded thoughtfully. "A Blast Pearl, you say..."