Master of Nine Stars

Gao Lingwei quickly returned to the cave entrance and said urgently, ”There really is a Soul Beast inside.”

Rong Taotao’s breath hitched slightly. ”Say what?”

Gao Lingwei said, ”A Soul Beast, shaped like a cat. It didn’t attack me. In fact, its attitude was pretty good. I fed it a Little Rascal. You should put the Cloud Dog away first, just in case something happens.”

Rong Taotao’s mind exploded on the spot!

’I’ve been living with a strange Soul Beast for a full three days? And I didn’t even notice?’

’Cloud Dog, I was wrong about you. As expected, you’re the real dog here. I shouldn’t have doubted your skills...’

As she handed the Cloud Dog to Rong Taotao, Gao Lingwei said, ”I’ve never read about this kind of Snow Realm Soul Beast in any books. It was likely blown here by the blizzard a month ago. A rare species.

”Although I’d rather not ask Xia for help, it looks like it’d be best to have Coach Xia come and take a look.”

”You’ve never studied it? You don’t recognize it?” Rong Taotao was stunned. If someone as experienced as Gao Lingwei hadn’t learned about it, then it had to be a rare species. There was indeed a need to call Xia Fangran. ’Wait...’ ”Did you just say the creature is shaped like a cat?”

”Yes,” Gao Lingwei nodded immediately.

An idea struck Rong Taotao, and he quickly asked, ”What kind of cat? A Ragdoll?”

”Hm?” Gao Lingwei was also taken aback. The variety of pet cats in human society was immense. For Rong Taotao to pinpoint the name Ragdoll, he clearly knew of this creature. She quickly replied, ”Yes, it looks almost identical to a Ragdoll cat. You know it?”

Holy shit!!!

Rong Taotao felt the world go dark as a single term slipped from his lips: ”Calamity Xuerong?”

”Calamity Xuerong...” Gao Lingwei frowned, carefully mulling over the peculiar name.

While she was thinking, she noticed Rong Taotao’s gaze was fixed on something in the distance.

Gao Lingwei turned to look behind her and saw the little creature, all white and fluffy, actually approaching with an elegant, tiptoeing cat-walk.

But the little one was clearly hesitant, looking like it wanted to get closer but didn’t dare, wanting to be friendly but was too shy.

Rong Taotao stared dumbly at the little creature, muttering to himself, ”That’s it. It’s a Calamity Xuerong. Exactly as described in the historical records.”

Gao Lingwei’s mind raced. After some thought, she pulled a can of braised pork from her pack. She hooked her finger through the pull-tab and gently opened it.

In the low temperature, the pork fat inside the can had long since solidified.

Gao Lingwei tipped the can directly onto her hand, holding the thick ”pork-fat patty.” After taking a bite herself, she put the braised pork back into the can, placed it on the ground, and gave it a little push forward.

This was clearly a well-considered move. On one hand, it was to lure the little one out. On the other, having seen how fast it ate the candy, she had opened a frozen can of braised pork, seemingly to buy some time.

Rong Taotao immediately turned and shouted toward the cave’s exit, ”Coach Xia! Calamity Xuerong! There’s a Calamity Xuerong here, get in here, quick!”

The next moment, a ”Snowman” appeared instantly at the mouth of the cave.

Covered in frost and snow, Xia Fangran’s first words, however, left Rong Taotao completely baffled: ”What’s a Calamity Xuerong?”

Rong Taotao: ???

’How the hell did you become a teacher at Pine Soul? Weren’t you teaching inside the Third Wall for twenty years? You...’

Even as he asked, Xia Fangran’s eyes were fixed on the distance.

It was a petite creature, about 50cm long, shaped like a cat, and impossibly cute.

Its large, azure eyes sparkled with a strange, iridescent light.

It had a coat of snow-white fluff, its fur soft and loose. Its tail was bushy, and there was even a scarf-like ruff of fur woven around its neck.

”Meow~” the Calamity Xuerong let out a soft cry at Gao Lingwei.

Rong Taotao whispered, ”From the looks of it, it has at least some intelligence and isn’t aggressive or irritable. See if you can build a good relationship with it and keep it calm for now. It can only help us.”

Gao Lingwei didn’t refuse. She picked up the pork-fat patty from the can, stepped forward slowly, crouched down, and carefully extended her hand.

The Calamity Xuerong walked to Gao Lingwei’s feet, tilted its head up, and extended its small, pink tongue to lick, letting out a soft whimper.

Xia Fangran looked left and right with a curious expression, realizing he truly didn’t recognize this species. He pulled a small, black, brick-like phone from his pocket and dialed a number...

Gao Lingwei keenly noticed that something was off.

The Calamity Xuerong was indeed obediently licking the food, but while it didn’t seem wary of Rong Taotao and her, it was exceptionally guarded against Xia Fangran!

And of the Calamity Xuerong’s pair of large, azure eyes, the right one remained fixed on the pork patty before it, while the left eye... that vertical pupil had actually shifted from its normal line of sight, moving to the upper left to stare intently at Xia Fangran, who was on the phone.

Its two eyes were looking in different directions, even emitting completely different emotions!

The sight was honestly a little creepy...

Gao Lingwei marveled inwardly. While carefully feeding it, she quietly asked, ”This Calamity Xuerong, how strong is it?”

Rong Taotao said, ”Humans don’t know its specific power level, but there’s a reason this species was named ’Calamity Xuerong’.

”’Calamity’ means that wherever it appears, a great tragedy is sure to follow.”

”Hm?” Gao Lingwei raised an eyebrow. The little one’s adorable appearance was extremely deceptive; it didn’t fit with a word like ’calamity’ at all.

The variety of Soul Beasts in the Snow Realm Vortex was immense. To this day, no one would dare claim to have seen every Snow Realm Soul Beast.

And a creature like the Calamity Xuerong had never been absorbed by any Soul Martial Artist to become a Soul Pet.

You couldn’t even find a trace of it in human society. To say it was rare was an understatement; it was more like a creature that existed only in legends.

Rong Taotao thought for a moment and explained, ”For certain reasons, I paid special attention to the history of war in the northern Snow Realm. I only saw a line or two about the Calamity Xuerong in historical records.

”This creature has only appeared a few times, when the Snow Realm Army invaded Earth. In the long history of the northern Snow Realm, it has never appeared in the sight of human Soul Martial Artists, aside from a few major, noteworthy battles.

”That’s also where the word ’Calamity’ comes from.

”It’s like the prejudice against black cats in human society. Seeing one is almost equivalent to seeing impending doom.

”Because the Calamity Xuerong appears so rarely and has never been tamed, human Soul Martial Artists have no definitive conclusion about its actual strength.

”But there’s no doubt that its symbolic meaning is likely greater.

”As for the ’Xuerong’ in its name, that’s easier to understand. It just describes its beautiful, snow-like fur...”

As he spoke, Rong Taotao foolishly lifted his head and looked at Xia Fangran, who was still on the phone.

’Don’t let it be...’

’Don’t tell me the Snow Realm Army is about to invade again?’

’This little guy must be a product left behind by that super-blizzard a month ago, right?’

’Right! It has to be! You better not be starting trouble!’

’Of course, if you all wanted to send another Lotus petal my way, I wouldn’t mind... ’

Gao Lingwei spoke up, ”To think it has such a meaning. Did you notice? Its attitude toward us seems different from its attitude toward Xia?”

Uh...

Rong Taotao scratched his head. ’What does that mean? Did it develop feelings for us after stealing our food for three days?’

Seeing the little cat eating peacefully, an idea struck Rong Taotao. He quietly stepped forward, took another can of braised pork from his pack, gently opened it, and placed it beside the Calamity Xuerong.

As expected, the Calamity Xuerong didn’t have any overly aggressive reaction to Rong Taotao’s approach.

Just as Rong Taotao put down the can, he took the opportunity to stroke the Calamity Xuerong’s snow-white fur.

In an instant, a message came from his Inner Soul Map:

”Discovered Soul Beast: Snow Realm - Frost Night Xuerong (Elite Level, Potential Value: 6 Stars).

Soul Pearl Soul Skills:

1. Pupil Sharing: Releases an invisible thread of Soul Power to connect with a specific target, sharing their vision. (Elite Level, Potential Value: 6 Stars.)

2. Frost Night’s Eye: Skillfully uses ice and snow Attribute Soul Power to transform the eyes into a frost-mist form. The Frost Night’s Eye, becoming one with the Snow Realm environment, can see through the darkest nights and densest blizzards. (Elite Level, Potential Value: 6 Stars.)

Current Soul Slots are full. Cannot be absorbed as a Soul Pet.”

Rong Taotao’s mouth had already formed an ”O” shape...

’Holy crap! A Potential Value of 6 stars!?’

’It’s already on my level?’

’Awesome...’

’1 is Ordinary, 2 is Excellent, 3 is Elite, 4 is Master, 5 is King, 6 is Legendary, 7 is Epic, and 8 is Mythical!’

’If it’s raised well, it’ll eventually become a Legendary Level Snow Realm Soul Beast?’

’A Soul Beast with such potential is actually this docile!? This shouldn’t just be a Soul Pet, it should be a Lifebound Soul Beast!’

’Isn’t this clearly meant for human Soul Martial Artists with low potential?’

’Every year, countless parents worry about their children’s low aptitude, desperately searching for a Lifebound Soul Beast with high Talent to try and give their kids a boost.’

’But the higher a Soul Beast’s Talent, the more arrogant it tends to be, making it very easy for it to turn on its master and eventually transform the human Soul Martial Student into a Humanoid Soul Beast.’

’Look how docile this Frost Night Xuerong is. How much would this sell for?’

’Forget about a few courtyard houses in the Imperial Capital; this thing even comes with a god-tier Soul Skill!’

’Seeing through darkness and blizzards?’

’Even though it’s not an offensive Soul Skill, what the hell...’

”Meow~” The Calamity Xuerong... no, it should be called Frost Night Xuerong, seemed a little unhappy about being touched by Rong Taotao’s fingers.

But it didn’t do anything drastic, only letting out a cry at Rong Taotao before tilting its head up again to lick the pork-fat patty in Gao Lingwei’s hand.

The way it ate was very interesting. After licking the frozen pork-fat patty until it was soft, it would take small bites and chew with a ”CRUNCH CRUNCH” sound.

”What’s wrong with you?” Gao Lingwei asked, turning to look at Rong Taotao as she fed the little cat, noticing something was off with him.

Rong Taotao dumbly shook his head, spouting complete nonsense. ”N-Nothing. It’s really soft to the touch.”

In reality, Rong Taotao’s true inner thoughts were...

’What’s wrong with me?’

’I’m completely losing my mind!’