Master of Nine Stars

...

That night, there were no more disturbances in Dorm 123. Not many words were exchanged, and Rong Taotao slept relatively peacefully.

The next morning, at eight o’clock.

All the new students gathered at the stadium on the east side of the Martial Arts Arena. They arranged themselves into formations on the green field. Up on the main stage, seats had been set up, and the nameplates on the tables bore the names of several school leaders, though it didn’t seem like many were in attendance.

As the matriculation ceremony began, Rong Taotao stood on the field, the words going in one ear and out the other as usual.

Rong Taotao could never bring himself to listen to these kinds of speeches from school leaders. Once the ceremony was over, the first-year students would stay behind for class assignments and military training, and the kids from the Junior Class would finally be free to go.

Rong Taotao secretly cultivated his Soul Power while letting his mind drift. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he was suddenly jolted back to reality by a round of thunderous applause.

Rong Taotao jumped. ’Have I been spacing out for that long? Is the ceremony already over?’

He instinctively began to clap along and looked up, only to see a familiar figure.

A tall figure, long raven hair, a fair and flawless complexion, and beneath a pair of sharp, heroic brows were eyes that surveyed the crowd with neither arrogance nor humility.

She carried herself with a heroic and natural grace.

Facing the stares of over a thousand people, she showed not a single trace of stage fright, as if she were already accustomed to being the center of attention.

"It is my honor to be speaking here today as the new student representative..." Gao Lingwei stood on the stage, a faint smile on her face as she looked down at the crowd of students. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

However, Gao Lingwei had only spoken a few sentences when the sky began to gradually darken.

Darker and darker it grew...

With it, a biting wind arose, and gusts of wind and snow swept over the field.

"It seems the instructors’ predictions were accurate. Before I came on stage, one of them reminded me that a blizzard was about to arrive." Gao Lingwei tilted her head back slightly, looking at the rapidly dimming sky. "Everyone... knows how to use White Lantern Paper Cage, right?" she asked softly.

As she spoke, she raised her left hand, and a fluorescent glow flickered to life.

Below the stage, hands were raised one after another, and points of light flickered into existence, one after another.

Amidst the formation of over a thousand new students, a swarm of fireflies seemed to dance, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

The small formation from the Junior Class, however, looked a little pathetic. Not only was the light from their drifting snowflakes dimmer, but some of the students didn’t even know the White Lantern Paper Cage Soul Skill at all.

And for that very reason, the White Lantern Paper Cage that lit up above Rong Taotao’s head was dazzlingly bright within their formation, and the number of "activated" snowflakes was astonishingly high.

Gao Lingwei looked at the White Lantern Paper Cage above her own head, her gaze passing through the specks of light toward the rapidly darkening sky. "My instructor also told me that for a period of time to come...

...our lives on campus will make it hard to tell day from night. The sky here will remain this dim, until at some point, it becomes completely pitch-black."

As her words fell, a buzz of discussion immediately swept across the thousand-strong crowd on the green field.

Gao Lingwei lowered her head and looked at the crowd. "You all know that Songjiang Soul City has been locked down, and Songjiang Soul Martial University has sealed its campus.

During summer break, the school sent out a clear notice advising everyone not to report to campus early. All of this was because of the unique environment here."

As she spoke, Gao Lingwei scanned the entire field, and her beautiful eyes finally settled on the dimly lit formation of the Junior Class. There, in the spot where the White Lantern Paper Cage shone brightest, was a familiar figure.

Gao Lingwei’s gaze fixed on Rong Taotao as she continued, "But on September 1st, the school opened its doors all the same.

At this very moment, with a blizzard about to strike, we are still holding our welcoming ceremony. Perhaps this is the spirit that a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist should have."

"I know that our four years of university will be different from any other. We will constantly be in a low-temperature, bitterly cold environment, and we will often walk through raging blizzards.

The extremely harsh weather will make it difficult for us to enjoy the sunny and vibrant campus life that students at other universities have."

Gao Lingwei: "They say... this blizzard began a month and a half ago, gradually eroding the northern lands. And now, it has finally reached us here.

The sky is dark, and it may remain dark for a long time. No one knows when this once-in-a-decade blizzard will end.

They say that over a decade ago, in the mid-1990s, a blizzard of this magnitude also descended, and darkness shrouded the lands of the Snow Realm.

In that year, the three great walls of the north were plunged into an eternal night, becoming a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses.

And it was in that very year, in this dark Snow Realm, that a galaxy of brilliant generals rose to prominence, illuminating those dark and frigid times.

I have always believed that after enduring four years of bone-chilling cold at Songjiang Soul Martial, my future will be even more brilliant than that of students from any other university."

Finally, Gao Lingwei’s gaze moved away from Rong Taotao.

She continued, "Take right now, for example. I’m grateful for this darkness and this snowstorm. They’ve made my speech a little more exciting.

Because you do not want to know just how long-winded and tedious the speech I prepared beforehand was.

At the very least, this snowstorm saved me from reciting the same old cookie-cutter template phrases you find all over the internet on the first day of school."

Gao Lingwei clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward slightly, and brought her lips to the microphone. "I am Gao Lingwei, a first-year student of the Class of 2010 at Songjiang Soul Martial.

No matter when this snowstorm ends, or when the sky brightens again...

...for the next four years, I will plant my roots in this land and accompany my Songjiang Soul Martial through this extraordinary time.

Of course, if the sky still hasn’t brightened after four years..."

Under the dim glow of the White Lantern Paper Cages, Gao Lingwei’s heroic and poised face suddenly broke into an unprecedentedly mischievous expression.

She turned, looked at the main stage behind her, and said with a smile, "If four years isn’t enough, then it will depend on whether Mr. Cha of the Pine Soul Four Rites is willing to take me as his disciple."

With that, Gao Lingwei turned back around and nodded to the crowd with a smile. "Lastly, I’ll leave you with the motto of Songjiang Soul Martial: The snow and wind are endless, but the northern lands have their borders.

To guard the border, to expand the border, or to become a border unto yourself.

However you interpret it, I hope that one day, you and I can live up to the expectations of Pine Soul.

Thank you for your White Lantern Paper Cages."

With a faint smile on her face, she gave a slight bow, stepped off the stage, and walked away, so perfect she almost didn’t seem real.

"Whoa..."

"Tsk... Comparisons are killers. How can anyone be that composed?"

"What kind of godly speech was that? Did she really just improvise it on the spot?"

"Gao Lingwei is a total badass!!! Now that’s the style of the number one high school student from the Outer Region!"

At the same time, in the Junior Class formation...

"Taotao."

Rong Taotao: "Hm?"

Sun Xingyu looked at Rong Taotao with her big, beautiful eyes, her expression serious. "She’s too dazzling. Chasing her would be incredibly difficult. Maybe... maybe we should pick a different target..."

The more perfect Gao Lingwei appeared, the more Sun Xingyu feared that Rong Taotao would get his heart broken...

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together, gazing at the girl who shone with dazzling confidence under the dim sky, and whispered, "One day."

Sun Xingyu: "One day what?"

Rong Taotao’s only reply was to repeat his earlier words: "One day."