Master of Nine Stars

In the vast, swirling snow, Yang Chunxi walked along the campus’s main road, heading straight for the Martial Arts Arena.

As his class advisor, it was clear she knew her students well. If Xu Taiping hadn’t run into someone else, Yang Chunxi would have surely found him at the Martial Arts Arena.

Yang Chunxi wasn’t too worried along the way. After all, this was Songjiang Soul Martial University; its safety was unquestionable. Besides... as a Snow Realm Soul Beast, Xu Taiping was naturally adapted to this kind of snowy weather, unlike the human students.

Arriving at the Martial Arts Arena, Yang Chunxi scanned the area. The arena was filled with upperclassmen sparring. She didn’t find Xu Taiping, but unsurprisingly, she did spot Si Huan Nian standing in the snowstorm with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the dark sky.

’It makes sense,’ she thought. ’Only Si Huan Nian could draw so many students to the Martial Arts Arena...’

Yang Chunxi walked over. "Coach Si."

"Hm?" Si Huan Nian, hands still behind his back, turned his head inquisitively. "No evening class?"

Yang Chunxi shook her head with a smile. "I do. Have you seen Xu Taiping?"

Si Huan Nian shook his head. "I’ve been standing right here. I’ve seen everyone who has entered or left the grounds, and I haven’t seen Xu Taiping."

Yang Chunxi frowned slightly. "Hmm..."

At the same time, two figures, one large and one small, stood atop the sculpture in front of the main academic building.

The stone sculpture of a book was massive. Xu Taiping and the young man of his kin stood on its open pages, looking up at the brightly lit academic building before them.

"Is this what’s stopping you from coming home?" the young Ice Soul Guide asked, one arm around Xu Taiping’s shoulders. He lowered his head, his dark red eyes gazing gently at Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He stared blankly at the Ice Soul Guide beside him. "Are you going to..."

Xu Taiping had grown up in human society, but he had also suffered all sorts of heartbreak and humiliation there. So now, realizing what his kinsman was about to do, his heart was a storm of complex emotions.

"In this world, no one can stop the advance of our Ice Soul Guide clan. No one." The young Ice Soul Guide patted Xu Taiping’s shoulder and gave a light wave of his left hand.

Xu Taiping’s expression froze. He whipped his head around, only to see the hem of a snow-white Kasaya.

Cranking his head up, his face paled in shock!

Behind them, on the stone pages of the sculpture, a massive figure had appeared at some unknown moment.

Its snow-made Kasaya was imprinted with a black-and-white checkered pattern. The robe enveloped the giant’s body but revealed a featureless, snowy head.

’This... This is...’

A Snow Giant, wearing a Kasaya, humanoid in shape, with a head and four limbs, but no facial features!

’A Snow Realm Soul Beast—Epic-tier—a Snow Monk!?’

This creature was a prime example of explosive damage output within the Snow Realm Army!

In the decades of war between the Human Corps and the Snow Realm Army, the Snow Monk was synonymous with "weapon of mass destruction." And now, it was here...

The usually composed Xu Taiping was truly panicking now. He quickly turned to his kinsman and stammered, "This... this is Songjiang Soul Martial. You’ll die a horrible death."

That one stuttered sentence carried a lot of meaning.

’This is Songjiang Soul Martial. Are you prepared for a fight to the death?’

’This is Songjiang Soul Martial. How did you manage to cross the entire Third Wall in the north and appear here so silently?’

"Yes, this is Songjiang Soul Martial." The young Ice Soul Guide nodded lightly, gazing at the brightly lit academic building ahead, overcome with emotion. "To wait for a snowstorm like this, we’ve waited for nearly sixteen years."

’Nearly sixteen years?’

’They spent almost sixteen years meticulously planning an invasion? What for? To slaughter the human Snow Realm Soul Martial cubs?’

Xu Taiping’s heart sank. The last time there was an Extreme Night this dark and a snowstorm of this magnitude was indeed fifteen years ago.

And that was the very year the stars of generals shone brilliantly across the Third Wall in the north, illuminating the dark night.

The Battle of Dragon River, in particular, was what placed Xu Fenghua at the Snow Realm Peak and made the world redefine the meaning of "Unparalleled Charm." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"My lost kinsman..." the young Ice Soul Guide began, his expression softening.

His pale hand gently ruffled Xu Taiping’s short hair. The Ice Soul Guide said softly, "Everything I’ve meticulously planned for over a decade, everything I came here to obtain, none of it compares to finding you today."

The young Ice Soul Guide held Xu Taiping’s head, tilting his face up slightly. Their dark red eyes met, gazes intertwined. "In all your years of growing up, you had no kinsman to guide you. Today, I will tell you the first creed of us Snow Realm Soul Beasts."

The young Ice Soul Guide leaned in close, his cool, thin lips near Xu Taiping’s ear, and whispered, "Whether in the past, the present, or the future."

"As long as the sky can darken, the wind can rise, and the frost and snow still fall..."

"We, the Snow Realm Soul Beasts, will never bow our heads."

"RUUUMBLE!!!"

The moment the young Ice Soul Guide finished speaking, a tremendous BOOM suddenly erupted from the far northeastern corner of Songjiang Soul Martial University!

No, not one boom, but a series of them.

Xu Taiping dazedly turned to look northeast. He couldn’t see that far, but he knew the source of the rumbling was likely the stadium. That was... where the first-year students were supposed to be for their military training.

At least a thousand first-year students were all there for training!

"RUUUMBLE!"

"RUUUMBLE!"

The next moment, more loud rumbles echoed from far behind Xu Taiping.

*GULP.* Xu Taiping’s Adam’s apple bobbed. ’To the south, the southeast... Is that the library? The stables?’

Before Xu Taiping could speak, the giant Snow Monk behind him spread its snowy arms.

Because of the posture, the wide sleeves of its Kasaya and robe slid down.

The Snow Monk’s arms were a stark contrast to its smooth, featureless face.

Its slender, snow-white arms were covered in a dense network of fine cracks...

"CRACK!"

As Xu Taiping stared in a daze, the Snow Monk’s arms shattered. The snowflakes didn’t disperse in the wind but held the shape of its arms. But high in the night sky, massive snowballs rapidly formed and came crashing down!

"BANG!"

"BANG!!"

"RUUUMBLE!"

Snow Realm Soul Skill, Epic-tier: Celestial Burial Snow Meteor!

One after another, huge meteors made of snow fell from the sky in a dense barrage. A terrifying "Natural Disaster" had begun.

The brightly lit academic building was instantly smashed to pieces by the snow meteors. The crucial part was... the snow meteors didn’t just have the impact of falling from the sky. After they smashed through the walls and into the building, they would explode a second time!

Dense Soul Power detonated violently. The academic building descended into chaos, filled with the endless, blood-curdling screams...

The young Ice Soul Guide pulled Xu Taiping into his embrace, blocking his view of the horrific Natural Disaster. At the same time, the young Ice Soul Guide slowly closed his eyes. A fluctuation of Soul Power emanated from his forehead, as if he were communicating with someone.

"Northern snow in the darkness, descend..."

"SCREEE!!!"

"HISSS..." From hundreds of meters up in the sky came sharp, bird-like cries. The next moment, countless snow-colored figures descended from the dark night, crashing heavily onto the campus.

As they fell, baptized by the raging blizzard, snowy silhouettes abruptly formed from the white snow that covered Songjiang Soul Martial. They crawled out of the deep drifts, all sorts of creatures throwing their heads back and roaring: "ROOOAR!!!"

The sudden and ubiquitous Snow Realm creatures—their roars and hisses echoed in the stables, before the cafeteria, inside the stadium, and at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena...

Under the cover of night, roars erupted from every corner of Songjiang Soul Martial, eventually merging into a torrent that made the dark, snowy night boil with chaos...

The young Ice Soul Guide finally opened his reddened eyes. His gaze lowered, he looked at the stunned Xu Taiping, smiled gently, and said softly, "Young kinsman, this is only the beginning..."

Xu Taiping looked at the Ice Soul Guide’s red eyes and said, "You’re going to die."

The young Ice Soul Guide leaned down slightly, pressing his forehead against Xu Taiping’s. Their eyebrows touched, their gazes locked, and he spoke slowly:

"Death is merely a requisite for reclaiming our dignity. It cannot stop a heart filled with glory.

Young kinsman, you must remember,

Wherever the frost and snow fall... that is the land of our Snow Realm clan.

We are, we were always meant to be, and we will ultimately be the masters of this land."

...

A huge thank you to the awesome Shanks Yo for the 100,000-point donation! Such a generous patron, thank you for your support! You’ve really splurged! *fist and palm salute*

The curtain is rising on a huge scene, and Taotao is about to get his time to shine. I (Yu) will do a good job writing the final few Chapters of Volume One. Also, regarding the "adopted son" issue, I would like to clarify: Xu Fenghua simply found an Ice Soul Guide cub (Xu Taiping) whose clan had been wiped out. For various reasons, she handed him over to the Snow Burning Army.

Xu Taiping’s name was given to him by the Snow Burning Army. Since he was found by Xu Fenghua, they simply gave the Ice Soul Guide cub her surname. In other words, besides the act of Xu Fenghua "picking up" the cub, the two have had no further interaction. There’s no "adopted son" relationship, so please rest assured and enjoy the story.