Master of Nine Stars

"You’re here." A pleasant female voice suddenly came from behind him.

SWISH...

Rong Taotao flicked his wrist, sheathing his blade.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow rested horizontally behind his back, its ornate hilt and scabbard visible on either side of his waist.

Rong Taotao turned, his expression freezing for a moment.

The person before him was someone who should not have been here.

She wore her usual faint, confident smile. In Rong Taotao’s eyes, she was radiant, like a Little Sun shining with a dazzling light amidst the harsh winter.

Gao Lingwei!?

Gao Lingwei glanced at the way Rong Taotao held his blade.

As an exceptional Martial Artist, she seemed to understand his current mindset perfectly.

Sheathing the blade was a courtesy to the newcomer, but the hand resting on his hip, gripping the hilt, showed he was ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

The Martial Arts Arena was fairly well-lit. Huge floodlights stood between each training area, illuminating the swirling snowflakes and piercing the pitch-black night.

Rong Taotao looked at Gao Lingwei, dressed in snow-camo, and hesitated for a long moment before saying, "Hello?"

Gao Lingwei gave a friendly nod, her gaze fixed on Rong Taotao’s eyes. "Teacher Yang Chunxi specifically sought out my military training platoon. After discussing it with my drill instructor, she gave me a new assignment."

In that moment, Rong Taotao felt he could finally understand what Fan Lihua must have felt when she looked at Shi Lan. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He averted his gaze, a little unnaturally, and said, "Huh?"

Gao Lingwei casually reached out. As her hand extended into the vast snowstorm, a surge of Soul Power gathered, and a snow-white Heaven-piercing Halberd materialized.

CLANG! With a crisp sound, Gao Lingwei planted the Heaven-piercing Halberd in the snow. "Very few Huaxia Soul Martial Artists use the Heaven-piercing Halberd. These are special times, and the teachers all have their own missions. It seems you have no one to guide you, so you’ve been forced to train in isolation."

Rong Taotao was stunned. ’What... What is this?’

’Is Teacher Yang playing wingwoman?’

Gao Lingwei said, "Until your Soul Technique advances and you receive new lesson material, perhaps I can help you."

Rong Taotao: "Uh, okay."

Any other student from the Soul Class would have been stunned to see this side of Rong Taotao...

The Rong Taotao who’d argue with heaven and earth—why had he suddenly become so docile? It was completely out of character!

Gao Lingwei, however, frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. "Tell me you use the Heaven-piercing Halberd."

"Of course." Rong Taotao reached out, and from the swirling snow, he too produced a Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Gao Lingwei carefully examined the structure of his Heaven-piercing Halberd. The longer she looked... the deeper her frown became.

’Such an exquisite Snow Soul already proved that the boy had passed the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s trial, so why is he acting like this?’

Completely baffled, Gao Lingwei said, "Look me in the eye and say it."

Rong Taotao raised his eyes, confused. "I use the Heaven-piercing Halberd. What’s wrong?"

"Hmm..." Gao Lingwei still seemed unconvinced. "Come on. It looks like there’s a lot I can teach you."

Rong Taotao: "Okay."

Gao Lingwei: "First, let’s see what you’ve got."

As she spoke, the Long Halberd in her hand was already thrusting forward!

The Soul Martial Artist profession was truly one of a kind. From the moment they met to the start of the fight, not even a full minute had passed...

CLANG!

The crescent blades of the Battle Halberds crashed together!

As Rong Taotao parried her halberd’s point, he loosened his grip on the shaft, kicked out with his foot, and swung the Halberd Shaft like a staff, sweeping it directly toward Gao Lingwei.

One move is all it takes to see a master’s skill!

The displeasure in Gao Lingwei’s eyes vanished instantly. She raised her Long Halberd vertically to block his sweeping shaft, then turned and lifted her leg in a powerful roundhouse kick.

Rong Taotao hurriedly bent backward to retreat, and the Heaven-piercing Halberd in his hand... he let it go!?

He abandoned it!?

Yes, he really did!

The existence of Soul Skills gave Rong Taotao far more tactical options.

With grueling training day and night as the soil,

And an incredibly high combat IQ as the nourishment,

A beautiful flower of skill bloomed amidst the vast, swirling snow...

As Rong Taotao retreated to dodge, he reached behind him and pulled another Heaven-piercing Halberd from the endless snowstorm!

He dropped into an elegant crouching stance, gripping the end of the Halberd Shaft with one hand. He swung it from back to front, tracing a full moon in the snowstorm as he brought it crashing down!

Truly grand and sweeping!

Gao Lingwei nodded to herself. ’Now this is the true bearing of a Spearman!’

She met the attack with composure, thrusting her Heaven-piercing Halberd up. Its sharp Ironspear Point stabbed precisely into the crescent blades of the halberd swinging down from above.

The two Battle Halberds locked together, their blades interlocking perfectly, fitting like teeth on a gear.

Gao Lingwei, holding her halberd with one hand, twisted her wrist. Trapping his Long Halberd, she flung it high into the air.

Rong Taotao went with the motion, relaxing his grip and letting Gao Lingwei rip the Battle Halberd from his grasp. He allowed the Heaven-piercing Halberd to shatter into snowflakes and dissipate into the vast, swirling snow.

His crouching stance instantly shifted to a bow stance. Rong Taotao fisted his empty hands and thrust forward. In the instant he lunged, a Heaven-piercing Halberd had already appeared in his grasp!

’In this Snow Realm, every snowflake is my friend. That’s what Xia Yinyang said!’

A flash of admiration passed through Gao Lingwei’s eyes. She swung her left hand, moving to block the Battle Halberd thrusting toward her stomach.

But in the palm of that seemingly blocking hand, a Vortex of wind and snow suddenly swirled to life.

The Snow Burst came quickly, and it detonated just as fast.

BANG!

The Ironspear Point was blasted aside by the Snow Burst!

It all happened so suddenly that Rong Taotao had no time to react. Gripping the halberd with both hands, he was pulled along by the force on his Heaven-piercing Halberd, his body involuntarily spinning around—leaving his back completely exposed to his opponent...