Master of Nine Stars

Lost in thought, Rong Taotao felt a hand on his shoulder, guiding him off the field.

Looking at the dazed little guy, the soldier’s heart was filled with emotion and a sense of accomplishment. He said, "You need to clearly remember the order in which you opened your Soul Slots. It’s very important for you."

Indeed, Soul Slots couldn’t be embedded just anywhere.

As a Soul Soldier, you could only use one Soul Slot—the very first one you opened.

At the Soul Warrior Stage, you could add two more usable Soul Slots, which had to be the second and third ones you opened.

At the Soul Captain Stage, another three usable Soul Slots were added, following the same sequence.

In this Soul Martial World, where people generally opened one to four Soul Slots, the vast majority could utilize all their slots after reaching the Soul Captain Stage.

But Rong Taotao was different. A Soul Captain could use a total of six Soul Slots, which was clearly not enough for him. After all, as a Soul Martial Artist grew, they would gain an additional one to three slots on top of their initial number.

"Ah... Ah!" Rong Taotao snapped back to his senses and quickly responded. Then he said to the soldier, "Thank you. I’m really grateful."

"Don’t mention it. This is my job, and it was my honor," the soldier said with a smiling nod. Compared to half an hour ago, he was much more relaxed and had a better attitude.

Rong Taotao suddenly remembered something. He strained to turn his head, his eyes searching the green field, but he couldn’t find a single person. He did, however, see a group of VIPs on the rostrum just getting up, apparently preparing to move to a different location.

The soldier seemed to realize what Rong Taotao was thinking. "You’re the last one," he said. "The one who stood the longest."

With that, the soldier half-supported, half-carried Rong Taotao by the shoulder toward the school building.

The athletic field was filled with abundant but chaotic Soul Power, making it unsuitable for these newly awakened children to linger. A change of venue was necessary. The children who had failed to awaken were already being cared for in the army’s medical tents, while those who had succeeded were sent to the main auditorium in the school building after a brief moment of calm.

There, an officer had many things to instruct them on. For these children who had just awakened and become Soul Martial Artists, what they needed most right now was a "moral education class."

At the very least, someone needed to put them in their place and make them understand what their change in status truly meant.

After becoming a Soul Martial Artist, you were like a "god" in the eyes of ordinary people, capable of easily dominating their lives and deaths.

Because of this, the world placed more restrictions on Soul Martial Artists. The legal and moral requirements for them were much stricter—at least, that was the case in Huaxia.

And, if all went as expected, this kind of moral education would be a constant part of these children’s high school and university careers.

...

When the soldier, still propping up Rong Taotao, pushed open the auditorium doors with one hand, everyone’s eyes turned toward them.

Defiance, comprehension, envy, jealousy...

All sorts of gazes landed on Rong Taotao, making his scalp tingle.

The previously quiet auditorium instantly erupted into a low BUZZ of discussion.

"I knew it was him!"

"Heh, you can’t argue with it. After all, the guy’s got a good mom."

"That bastard. I’ve been sitting here for almost 20 minutes, and he’s only just coming in..."

"Taotao, you beast! Real men last for half an hour!"

Accompanied by a whistle, a loud shout echoed through the auditorium. The soldiers standing guard around the hall turned in the direction of the voice, glaring at the boy who had shouted.

The teenager immediately hung his head and buried his face, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

"Haha!"

"Hahahahaha!" Although the students harbored all sorts of feelings, after a scene like that, they all burst into laughter.

Rong Taotao tilted his head and looked toward his classmates. Unsurprisingly, it was the most mischievous kid in their class.

Being qualified to sit in this auditorium meant, of course, that he had also become a Soul Martial Artist. Rong Taotao just didn’t know how many Soul Slots he had awakened.

However, Rong Taotao’s gaze inevitably fell upon a couple sitting next to Li Wen.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them the golden couple.

There was Sun Xingyu, with her chic short hair and beautiful, big eyes, and the serious-faced, rather handsome Li Ziyi.

Those two had been shoving their public displays of affection in their classmates’ faces for nearly three years!

Everyone in their class, and even the entire grade, knew about these childhood sweethearts. In their daily school life, they were practically inseparable.

Honestly, if boys were allowed in the girls’ restroom, Rong Taotao believed that Li Ziyi would be the one accompanying Sun Xingyu to the bathroom during breaks...

Li Ziyi didn’t talk much. Despite being handsome, he wore a sour expression every day, giving off a "don’t-mess-with-me" vibe. In three whole years of junior high, he was never seen with any friends.

Sun Xingyu was much better. She was very popular, with a cheerful personality, and loved to laugh and joke around.

Rong Taotao had more than once heard classmates gossiping behind their backs, saying that Sun Xingyu was "wasted on a pig," but what could anyone do? They were practically family, tied together from an early age.

It was proof that the only thing that could defeat puppy love was being childhood sweethearts!

And if being childhood sweethearts wasn’t enough, just add an arranged childhood engagement on top of that!

The school administration and their homeroom teacher had approached Sun Xingyu’s parents multiple times, but eventually, the school rarely bothered the two anymore. As long as they weren’t too excessive, the teacher would also turn a blind eye. It was clear that this was all sanctioned by their parents.

Puppy love?

Heh, it started early indeed.

’It all started back when we were still wearing split-crotch pants...’

As he mulled it over, Rong Taotao, guided by the soldier, arrived at the seating area for his class. He even high-fived Li Wen as he passed.

Interestingly, when Rong Taotao walked past Li Ziyi, he heard the other boy let out a cold snort.

"Hmph." Watching Rong Taotao walk by, Li Ziyi let out a nasal sound that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"SLAP!" Sun Xingyu slapped Li Ziyi’s thigh with her right hand and shot him a displeased look. She reached out with her left hand and pressed it against Rong Taotao’s arm, pushing him forward with a slight force, averting a potential small conflict.

Rong Taotao and Li Ziyi had a bit of a grudge.

Well... okay, in fact, many male students had a grudge against Li Ziyi. After all, Sun Xingyu was so pretty and had such a great personality, yet she was already spoken for.

But Rong Taotao was different from the other students. His feud with Li Ziyi was mostly centered on their spars and matches.

This was also one of the reasons Rong Taotao lacked confidence in his Heaven-piercing Halberd skills. The people he had defeated with it were mostly people like Li Ziyi.

What level was 3-Star (Maxed) really at?

As a junior high student, Li Ziyi was clearly not a very good yardstick.

Rong Taotao glanced at the scowling Li Ziyi, then looked down at Sun Xingyu’s fair little hand resting on his arm. He pursed his lips, said nothing, and continued forward to sit in an empty seat.

There was actually an empty seat right next to Sun Xingyu, but Rong Taotao kept walking, sitting down with one seat between them.

Compared to sitting next to Sun Xingyu, Rong Taotao would have preferred to sit next to Li Ziyi. Rong Taotao’s Martial Arts were decent for his age, but they were nothing compared to his verbal skills...

’If I could roast Li Ziyi in this auditorium of a thousand people until he completely loses it, that would be pretty fun, right?’

On the stage was the same officer who had presided over the awakening ceremony.

Compared to the principal and teachers, the children were clearly more inclined to listen to a soldier’s words.

As for Rong Taotao... his thoughts inevitably took flight once more. ’Just what on earth is this Inner Soul Map?’

Although Rong Taotao had just become a Soul Martial Artist, he was certain that this so-called "Inner Soul Map" was not something everyone had!

For three years in junior high, Rong Taotao had not only studied subjects of human society but had also been exposed to and learned a great deal about the Soul Martial world. The school did a good job in that regard, providing a comprehensive education, since about 50% of the students would become Soul Martial Artists upon graduation.

If everyone had an "Inner Soul Map," why had Rong Taotao never heard of it?

The thought made Rong Taotao even more determined to keep it a secret.

As the saying goes, lay low and get rich! ’For now, this thing seems beneficial to me, with no downsides.’

At the very least, as soon as it appeared, it pointed right at his nose and told him: Heaven-piercing Halberd. Talent. You have none!

Rong Taotao was getting fidgety. He really wanted to search for "Inner Soul Map" online, but... for today’s awakening ceremony, he hadn’t brought his phone. All he had in his pocket were a few bucks for the bus ride home.

In fact, Rong Taotao rarely used his phone even when he had it. The main reason was that he didn’t know who to contact. In his hands, the phone was practically just an alarm clock.

He had pretty much poured all his energy and companionship into the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

And the result...

Today, the Heaven-piercing Halberd had cruelly struck him with its blade, piercing his heart through and through.

’Scumbag Halberd!’

’Three years! Three whole years!’

’I haven’t even held a girl’s hand! I spent all my time doting on you, and this is how you treat me?’

"Ugh~" At this thought, Rong Taotao clutched his heart and hung his head in sorrow.

Beside him,

from across the empty seat, Sun Xingyu turned to look at him. Her beautiful, big eyes blinked as she watched him with curiosity and concern. "What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"Huh?" Rong Taotao looked up and saw Sun Xingyu’s concerned expression.

To be honest, Rong Taotao wasn’t very familiar with Sun Xingyu. He had spoken to her even less than he had to Li Ziyi—after all, when he and Li Ziyi sparred, the trash talk would fly nonstop...

Right now, it was simply the young girl being kind-hearted. Plus, everyone had just awakened, and it was possible for things to go wrong, which was why Sun Xingyu was so concerned.

Suddenly, a hand came into his line of sight, wrapping around Sun Xingyu’s shoulder.

Li Ziyi leaned back, pulling Sun Xingyu closer. At the same time, he tilted his head and stared blankly at Rong Taotao. "If you’re sick, go get treated."

Hearing that grating, adolescent croak, Rong Taotao suddenly felt a cringe that made his teeth ache.

Li Ziyi was clearly in the middle of his voice changing, and it was at a particularly unpleasant stage.

His short, jet-black hair, clean and handsome face, and tall, strong build clearly didn’t match his voice...

Rong Taotao grimaced and turned his head to look at the instructor on stage, muttering under his breath, "Such a handsome kid...唉, what a shame he just had to have a mouth..."

This time, it was Li Ziyi’s turn to look uncomfortable. At such a young age, he suddenly felt a dull ache in his liver...

"Jerk!" Sun Xingyu shot Rong Taotao a glare and whispered, "Don’t talk about my Ziyi like that."

Rong Taotao clutched his heart again, once more lowering his head in sorrow. "Hiss..."

’Wow, what a sharp blow...’