Master of Nine Stars

Si Huan Nian changed the subject, redirecting Rong Taotao’s attention. ”Ready to learn the next Soul Skill?”

”Okay!” Rong Taotao said hurriedly, brushing the frost from his face. ”What’s this Soul Skill that spits snow in people’s faces? Can I learn it?”

”You can,” Si Huan Nian replied. ”But before you learn Soul Skill: Frost Breath, you have to master another one first. It’s called ’Jade Dragon Gift.’”

”’Jade Dragon’ is a metaphor for snow. The ’Gift’ is the present the snowflakes bestow upon us.”

At this, Si Huan Nian let out a soft sigh. ”This is a Soul Skill that the older generation of Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists comprehended and created atop snow-capped mountains, amidst swirling blizzards.”

”Most Snow Realm Soul Beasts have their own unique traits. The various manifestations of their Soul Skills are also mostly in the form of frost and snow, but they don’t have a specific Soul Skill dedicated to creating it.”

”Only after ’Jade Dragon Gift’ came into being did we human Soul Martial Artists finally carve out a place for ourselves.”

”To be precise, it allowed us, the Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists, to break free from our reliance on blizzards. It lets us cast our Snow Realm Soul Skills in unique environments, indoors, or even in other regions of the world.”

”This is the ultimate Core Soul Skill for Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists. You must not only learn it, but practice it diligently.”

Rong Taotao nodded repeatedly. ’If Jade Dragon Gift isn’t a core skill, then nothing is!’

Seeing Rong Taotao’s earnest expression, Si Huan Nian couldn’t help but ruffle his naturally curly hair. ”Work hard. Once your Soul Technique reaches the three-star level, there’s another Core Soul Skill for Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists waiting for you.”

”At that point, your strength will take a huge leap, and you’ll be a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist in the truest sense of the word.”

’Another Core Soul Skill?’

Rong Taotao asked eagerly, ”What’s that Core Soul Skill?”

”Snow Dance,” Si Huan Nian said.

Rong Taotao blinked. ’That name sounds like something a girl would learn...’

”It’s a Soul Skill that helps you defy gravity,” Si Huan Nian explained.

Rong Taotao was startled. ”It lets you fly?”

”If you master it completely, yes,” said Si Huan Nian. ”But that’s extremely difficult.”

”The standard Snow Dance will cause specks of frost and snow to swirl up from your feet and envelop your body. It makes you faster, your body lighter, and significantly increases your movement speed.”

”On the battlefield, being even a fraction of a second slower can plunge you into an inescapable abyss. The increase and bonus that Soul Skill: Snow Dance provides to a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist’s Agility Attribute is substantial. That’s why it’s also considered a Core Soul Skill.”

Rong Taotao: !!!

He’d seen Snow Dance before. A Core Soul Skill like that was fairly common in the Martial Arts Arena.

The problem was, once someone learned this Core Soul Skill, their power as a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist would see a qualitative leap!

And that meant...

Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He shot to his feet and pulled his phone from his pocket.

Si Huan Nian watched him curiously, wondering what crazy idea had gotten into the kid’s head.

Rong Taotao went straight to the three-person group chat Gan Lin had started, his fingers flying across the screen. ”@Gao Lingwei, when were you promoted to Soul Captain?”

After sending the message, Rong Taotao muttered to himself, ”My great Goddess Wei, please don’t have learned Snow Dance yet... Wait, that’s not right. The stronger you are, the more I like you. Argh, I’m so conflicted...”

Rong Taotao’s feelings were a mess. His criteria for a girlfriend was ”wields a Heaven-piercing Halberd”; he wanted a peerlessly valiant, dashing female general. So, the stronger Gao Lingwei became, the happier and more attracted to her he was...

”What’s wrong?” Si Huan Nian asked, her curiosity piqued.

Before Rong Taotao could answer, a message popped up in the group chat.

Gao Lingwei: ”Three days ago.”

”It’s over. No miracle for me...” Rong Taotao plopped down onto the sofa.

Once she got her hands on a Core Soul Skill like Snow Dance, even with the boost from his Nine-Petaled Lotus, Rong Taotao would have to wait a long, long time before he’d be qualified to challenge her...

Si Huan Nian, however, propped her elbow on Rong Taotao’s shoulder and leaned in to look at the phone screen. Seeing the conversation, she immediately understood what he was *really* asking.

She couldn’t help but scoff. ”If you’re going to ask, ask the right question. Ask about her Soul Technique level.”

”Not everyone is an anomaly like you, with a Soul Technique that far surpasses their Soul Power level. Under normal circumstances, no matter how much of a genius a Soul Martial Artist is, their Soul Technique will lag behind their Soul Power rank.”

Rong Taotao just grimaced and turned to Si Huan Nian. ”If she’s not a genius, then is anyone?”

Si Huan Nian looked at him with exasperation. ”There are levels to genius, you know. No matter how difficult it is to get into Songjiang Soul Martial, you can still tell the top students from the slackers in any given class.”

As she spoke, Si Huan Nian reached out, tapped Rong Taotao’s phone screen, and sent two words: ”Soul Technique.”

Gao Lingwei: ”Should be two-star peak. I feel like I could break through any day now. Why? Are you ready?”

Rong Taotao instantly came back to life!

”Hah.” Si Huan Nian looked completely unsurprised. ”A genius is only a genius relative to who they’re compared with. Remember, the two of us have the Nine-Petaled Lotus.”

”In front of you and me, all those other so-called geniuses are just ordinary people.”

”And since they’re ordinary people, they’re subject to a certain rule: Soul Technique is always harder to improve than Soul Power. Hasn’t Coach Xia ever told you how things are supposed to work in the Soul Martial World?”

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. ’Coach Xia never mentioned it, but a long time ago, Yang Chunxi did allude to it...’

’But wait, even before I got the Nine-Petaled Lotus, wasn’t my Soul Technique already a Minor Rank higher than my Soul Power level?’

’Does that mean I’m even more of a genius than Si Huan Nian?’

Rong Taotao shot Si Huan Nian a strange look.

Si Huan Nian, however, asked, ”She asked if you were ready. What did she mean by that?”

”Er,” Rong Taotao hesitated for a moment before saying, ”She said that when I approach her as a challenger, she’ll consider... um, consider us...”

Si Huan Nian blinked. A playful smile touched the corners of her lips as she snatched the phone from Rong Taotao’s hand, her fingers flying across the screen with a TAP-TAP-TAP.

Rong Taotao: ???

’Man, getting closer to someone really changes things!’

’When Si Huan Nian first found out my goal was Gao Lingwei, she mocked me for ”daring to dream so big.” But look at her now! She’s actually taking the initiative to help me... help me... What the fuck!?’

Rong Taotao was stunned!

Because Si Huan Nian had actually sent: ”Let me know after your Soul Technique breaks through to three-star but before you’ve learned Snow Dance. I’ll come challenge you then.”

Si Huan Nian looked at the message with satisfaction before tossing the phone back to Rong Taotao. ”I’ve bought you as much time as possible. Now, work hard.”

Rong Taotao stared at the famously prestigious Sugar of the Pine Soul Four Rites, unable to believe that she was the one who had sent such a shameless message!

Si Huan Nian arched an eyebrow. ”What?”

Rong Taotao immediately shot her a thumbs-up. ”Brilliant! You’re on another level!”

”Who needs pride when you’re chasing a girl?” Si Huan Nian huffed, leaning back against the sofa with a wistful, disappointed look. ”Those guys back then cared way too much about their pride. So what if you get kicked a few times after confessing? They all just gave up, one after another...”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

”Sigh... I must have been sick in the head. If I’d just gone a little easier on them, I wouldn’t still be single today.” Si Huan Nian let out a soft, melancholic sigh.

Rong Taotao immediately grabbed his phone, switched it to voice recording mode, and held it up to Si Huan Nian’s mouth. ”Teacher, could you say that again? Please start from ’I must have been sick in the head’...”

Si Huan Nian: ???

...