Master of Nine Stars

In a hotel of the same name within the Starfield Town theme park.

Rong Taotao stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of Room 1723A, gazing down at the cheerful, themed town.

Perched atop his soft, naturally curly hair, the Cloud Dog curiously peeked around, staring at the slowly rotating Ferris wheel in the distance and imagining what a delicious treat it might be.

BEEP BEEP BEEP~ The sound of a keycard unlocking the door was heard. Rong Yuanshan walked in, clothes in hand, and asked, ”How is it? Is the Lotus Petal showing any signs of discontent?”

”No, they’re both quiet. No overly strong reactions,” Rong Taotao replied, turning his head.

The Lotus Petal hadn’t shown any unusual activity. Moreover, his Soul Technique, Starfield Heart, had the same Potential Value as his Heart of Ice and Snow—a full six stars. This was likely consistent with the value of his Talent (Initial Soul Slot).

”That’s good. Here, catch.”

Rong Taotao quickly reached out and caught the clothes his father tossed him.

It was a bright orange short-sleeved shirt, white capri pants, and a pair of white athletic running shoes. The soles even had cleats for traction.

Ignoring the shoes, Rong Taotao didn’t think much of it. But looking at the whole outfit...

Rong Taotao scratched his head. ”What’s the deal? Are you taking me to play soccer?”

Isn’t this the Tulip Kingdom’s national team uniform?

Rong Yuanshan shook his head. ”I’m taking you to train.”

Rong Taotao: ”Do I have to wear something so flashy?”

Rong Yuanshan: ”The material is special. It’s highly visible on the grasslands, and at night, it will even glow faintly under the myriad of cold stars.”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

’Are you really my biological father?’

’Are you afraid I won’t die fast enough? Do you want me to be the flashiest kid on the entire Starfield continent?’

Rong Yuanshan wasn’t joking. ”We’re not going to practice Soul Techniques in this hotel. We’re going into the Starfield Vortex to train.”

”According to the rules, you must dress this way to ensure the Star Candle Army can spot you immediately. For both protection and rescue.”

As he spoke, Rong Yuanshan gestured with the orange pack in his hand. ”Put your Sugar in here. Hurry up.”

”Ah...” Rong Taotao changed into the orange short-sleeved shirt. It had been a while since he’d worn short sleeves. In the Snow Realm, he was always bundled up in a thick down jacket.

A few minutes later, Rong Taotao, now transformed into the ”Little Prince of Tulips,” followed his father out of the hotel with the orange backpack on.

’Hmm... okay, if one person dresses like this, it’s definitely a bit gaudy. But after arriving at the helipad and seeing a whole sea of orange ’tulips,’ Rong Taotao felt much more balanced...’

”The training resources available to Starfield Soul Martial Students are truly incomparable to what Snow Realm Soul Martial Students have.” Rong Yuanshan gestured toward the long line of orange figures and shouted over the roar of the helicopter propellers:

”There are many university and high school students here who can go inside to train, accompanied by family or a coach, just by hiring one or two Star Candle Army soldiers.”

As they spoke, a large transport helicopter in the distance, its propellers spinning rapidly, lifted off, carrying several teams of Practitioners toward the distant sky far above.

After waiting in line for nearly 20 minutes, they finally reached the entrance to the helipad.

A soldier held up a hand in a ”stop” gesture, looking at Rong Yuanshan with a serious expression. ”One accompanying parent?”

”Yes.”

The soldier said, ”Your Soul Martial Artist ID, the child’s student ID, and also, the parent’s attire doesn’t meet regulations. You’ll have to go over there and change.”

Rong Yuanshan directly handed over a military officer’s ID.

The soldier took it, examined it carefully for a moment, then snapped to attention and saluted Rong Yuanshan.

The soldier, seemingly accustomed to this situation, asked matter-of-factly, ”Do you require a Star Candle Army escort?”

”No need, I’ll take him myself,” Rong Yuanshan said with a smile.

The soldier took Rong Taotao’s student ID, but this time, he saw something unusual. He looked with surprise at the Pine Soul Soul Martial student ID in his hand, then back at Rong Taotao. ”A Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist? Are you sure you want to train in the Starfield Vortex?”

Rong Taotao quickly shook his head. ”Cloud Peak.”

”Oh.” The soldier finally understood, nodding as he returned the ID to Rong Taotao. ”You two, Helipad 3. Please wait a moment.”

Watching the father and son walk away, the soldier pursed his lips. ’My god... a Cloud Peak Soul Martial Artist!?’

’Did his dad just show me a fake ID? Just how powerful are his connections to get a Cloud Peak Lifebound Soul Beast?’

Of course, the father and son had no idea what the soldier was thinking. They walked toward the waiting area for Helipad 3 and got in line some distance away.

Several young students in the line all had excited expressions, craning their necks to look at the massive vortex in the sky, seemingly imagining what kind of world lay beyond it.

Rong Yuanshan put an arm around Rong Taotao’s shoulder. ”This place is different from the Snow Realm.”

Rong Taotao retorted irritably, ”Yeah, I can see that. You Starfield Soul Martial Artists are just too damn lucky.”

But Rong Yuanshan just smiled, a mysterious look on his face. ”Once we’re inside, you’ll discover an even bigger difference.”

On this trip to the Imperial Capital, not only was it Rong Taotao’s first time on a passenger plane, but it was also his first time on a helicopter—a heavy transport one at that.

Normally, Rong Taotao should have been thrilled by such a new experience, but in reality, the jealousy was eating him alive!

Rong Taotao was just too damn suited for training in the Snow Realm!

Because when you compared the training environment of the Snow Realm to that of Starfield, it was like an unloved orphan—it had absolutely nothing!

Forget amusement parks and zoos; the Snow Realm was a desolate wasteland with just three walls, and it was crawling with Poachers...

’Sigh... you never know how miserable your own life is until you go out and see the world.’

As the helicopter stopped ascending, leveled out, and began to slowly descend, Rong Taotao was filled with mixed emotions. Following a soldier’s instructions, he disembarked from the military aircraft and quickly moved to a safe area to the side.

He looked around and couldn’t help but ask sourly, ”This is the Starfield Vortex?”

”Haha.” Rong Yuanshan laughed, looking at the large military camp built around the vortex. ”The Star Candle Army set up camp here a long, long time ago. Let’s go.”

Rong Taotao looked at the shuttle bus waiting up ahead, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. He turned to look back the way they came and did indeed see a vortex of clouds emerging from the ground.

’But... why is this vortex so small?’

When he stood on Earth and looked up, the vortex blotted out the sun and could even cover the entire Starfield theme park town.

’But after entering the Starfield Vortex, why did the swirling vortex on the ground look so much smaller!?’

’What kind of strange principle was this?’

Standing on the crowded shuttle, Rong Taotao kept racking his brain about the size of the vortex. Before long, the vehicle drove out of the encampment and finally stopped at the gate of the military camp.

A soldier acting as a guide began to explain the safety precautions, but Rong Yuanshan led Rong Taotao directly away from the camp and out into the wilderness.

”Hah...” Rong Taotao took a deep breath. The earthy fragrance in the air was refreshing and invigorating.

As far as the eye could see, a vast green grassland stretched out, a sight that relaxed the mind and lifted the spirits.

The sun shone brightly in the sky. To Rong Taotao’s amazement, even in broad daylight, specks of starlight twinkled between the blue sky and white clouds.

’You can actually see stars during the day? Is that star in the sky the sun from Earth’s dimension?’

Watching Rong Taotao gaze around, Rong Yuanshan asked, ”Well? Isn’t it different from the Snow Realm?”

Rong Taotao smacked his lips and snorted. ”More or less. The weather’s just a bit warmer, the sun’s a bit brighter, the view’s a bit better, the environment’s a bit prettier...”

As he went on, Rong Taotao almost started to cry.

CLIPPITY-CLOP... Behind them, several groups on horseback passed by. The fiery red steeds were like the legendary Red Hare from ancient tales—magnificent and powerful, their coats a pure charcoal red without a single stray hair, a truly pleasing sight to behold.

Rong Taotao watched the departing teams of Practitioners. ”We’re not riding horses?”

”No, we’ll walk to the training grounds,” Rong Yuanshan said. ”Along the way, I’ll tell you about a Soul Skill.”

”Training grounds? Isn’t this the training grounds?” Rong Taotao asked, confused.

”No, this place is divided into many zones. To give Practitioners a better training experience, the Star Candle Army soldiers have sectioned off many areas on these vast grasslands and placed specific Soul Beasts within them.”

Rong Yuanshan started walking, explaining as he went, ”There are nearly 20 training grounds here. You can pick your opponent, choose the level of the Soul Beast you want to fight, whether it’s strength-based or agility-based, skilled in offense or defense, technique-focused or...”

Rong Taotao clapped his hands over his ears. ”Don’t... don’t say anymore... I’m begging you, stop...”

’I only know the Snowflake Wolf!’

’I can only ever run into the Snowflake Wolf!’

’No! Young man, your attitude is all wrong.’

’Even a dog doesn’t despise its poor home, so how can you look down on the very place where your dreams began?’

’The Extreme Nights, the bitter cold, the endless blizzards... all of them are gifts from the heavens... Yes! That’s right!’

Rong Taotao lowered his hands and looked up at Rong Yuanshan. ”What’s the fun in actively choosing your opponent? You’re already prepared before the fight even starts. There’s none of the thrill of winning a lottery.”

”If you want to talk about real training, you have to go to the Snow Realm! Whatever jumps out of a blizzard, you fight it. Now *that’s* what I call exciting!”

”Let me tell you, you can’t even spot an opponent five meters away. That’s what gives you the sense of urgency, of life and death...”

Rong Yuanshan gave him a strange look. ”Then should I send you back to the Snow Realm?”

”No, I’ll just wander around a bit, take another look, just another look...” Rong Taotao pretended to admire the scenery. ”Hey, the concentration of Starfield Soul Power in this vortex is pretty high...”

”Hehe.” Rong Yuanshan chuckled, shaking his head. ”I’ve always heard from your brother and sister-in-law that your talent is extraordinary. Today, I’d like to see it for myself.”

Rong Taotao: ”How?”

Rong Yuanshan: ”I’m going to teach you Cold Star Cover right now. Let’s see how long it takes you to learn it.”

Rong Taotao nodded immediately. ”Bring it on.”

Rong Yuanshan began explaining directly, ”Cold Star Cover is one of the core Starfield Soul Skills. It can be practiced from the one-star Soul Technique level, has immense potential, and is a godsend for Hand-to-Hand Combat specialists.”

”This Soul Skill allows the caster to cover a part of their body with a field of cold stars. When that body part makes contact with an enemy, the stars will burst, damaging your foe.”

”Now, mobilize your Starfield Soul Power, gather it in one of your Soul Slots, and then urge it to cover the surface of your skin. Try your best to resonate with this portion of Soul Power.”

”Remember, your mindset is crucial. You must want them to help you fight your enemies. You must desperately need them. Let them feel your desire.”

”This Soul Skill requires emotional support. ’Desire’ is the key to unlocking Cold Star Cover. Being needed is the very reason for their existence and... huh?”

Rong Taotao opened his palm. The transparent Soul Power that had been flowing above it was now shimmering with specks of starlight, and the skin of his palm looked as if it had been covered by a veil of night.

If you focused only on his palm, you would be astonished to find that it seemed to hold an entire universe.

It was a vast and profound starry sky, with stars scattered about in a beautiful, well-ordered pattern.

Rong Taotao looked at his palm, which glittered with a multitude of stars, then glanced up at his father. ”That’s it?”

Rong Yuanshan, who knew the principles of this Soul Skill inside and out, clearly realized something. His expression grew slightly complicated as he gave an almost imperceptible nod. ”Yes. That’s it.”

Rong Taotao lowered his hand, and a stream of fragmented, bluish-purple stardust trickled from his fingertips, dripping onto the grassland below.

As for desire,

I know it like the back of my hand.