Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao frowned and said, ”I actually do know. I’ve been chased by Frost Beauty before, so I experienced the effects of the Prison Lotus firsthand.

But I always feel like something’s missing. My connection with the Prison Lotus still isn’t strong enough.

Coach Si said before that you can use Lotus Petals as early as the Soul Captain stage. Looking at it now, that was just based on her own experience. Every Lotus Petal is different; you have to analyze each case individually.”

Gao Lingwei walked over, her long legs carrying her to his side. She sat on the edge of the bed and said softly, ”Don’t rush. We have plenty of time.”

”Yeah, yeah.” Rong Taotao nodded, but his expression was still grim, as if he was deep in thought.

”Are you hungry?”

At that one question, Rong Taotao’s eyes suddenly lit up. He snapped out of his contemplation and said eagerly, ”Starving!”

Gao Lingwei bent down and picked up a plastic bag from the floor. It was filled with snacks. ”Have some of these first. I’ll take out your IV...”

Before she could finish, there was a CRACK.

A small Lotus Petal had abruptly appeared on the back of Rong Taotao’s hand. It covered the IV insertion point like a bandage and had even shattered the needle.

’Just as I thought. Huilian automatically activates with a single thought from its master.’

’You could say the Lotus Petal was actively used, but I hadn’t specifically asked it to bandage and heal my hand.’

’But if you were to say Huilian has a passive effect... well, before I had that thought, the needle was inserted just fine under my skin and into my vein. It’s so strange.’

’During my next training session,’ Rong Taotao thought, ’I have to properly test just how powerful Huilian is. Does this mean I don’t have to be afraid even if I’m sliced to pieces?’

’After all, back when we captured the Free People: Red-clothed Merchant, Huilian’s suturing ability was practically divine. Even when Si Huan Nian beheaded the Red-clothed Merchant, it was able to stitch the head right back on...’

’Wait! Si Huan Nian!?’

The moment he thought of Si Huan Nian, Rong Taotao had a very bad feeling.

’I’m done for! With Huilian’s help, I probably really won’t have to fear being hacked to bits!’

’Doesn’t this give Si Huan Nian the perfect source of entertainment? Won’t I just become her personal punching bag?’

’Honestly, with her sadistic pleasure of tormenting the weak, if she gets her hands on a punching bag that she doesn’t have to worry about accidentally breaking... wouldn’t that mean...’

At this moment, Rong Taotao finally realized the gravity of the situation.

Gao Lingwei picked up the dripping IV tube, lifted it, and stuck the end back into the nutrient bag above. She also noticed Rong Taotao’s deeply troubled expression.

’How could a glutton of Rong Taotao’s caliber be completely unfazed by a bag full of snacks?’ Gao Lingwei wondered.

”Taotao?”

”Huh?”

Gao Lingwei asked, ”What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”

”Oh, I was just thinking about how to use the Lotus Petals.” Rong Taotao forced a smile. He dejectedly tore open a bag of shrimp chips, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into his mouth, apparently still contemplating the agonizing torment his future might hold.

’Huh? What’s this?’ Rong Taotao had actually found a small jelly cup inside the bag of shrimp chips.

’What brand is this? They sure have a lot of gimmicks, huh?’

’Let’s see... ”Kiss Kiss”?’

’This name... uh, is it trying to tell me to do something?’

’Should’ve tried telling me that earlier. I’m in no mood for it right now.’

Gao Lingwei, having finished dealing with the IV bag, stood by the bed and looked down at Rong Taotao. ”While you were resting these past few days, my Soul Technique advanced to the four-star level.”

Hearing the good news, Rong Taotao looked up at Gao Lingwei and offered her the shrimp chips. His mood finally lifted a bit. ”Really?”

”Of course.” Gao Lingwei plucked out a chip with two fingers.

”That’s great!” Rong Taotao collected himself and said, ”You’ve finally caught up to me.”

”Oh?” Gao Lingwei’s eyes lit up. ”Your Heart of the Snow Realm reached the four-star level too?”

”Uh...” Rong Taotao opened his Inner Soul Map to check, then carefully sensed his own power. ”Almost. I’m still at the peak of the three-star level. But absorbing the Lotus Petal gave my Soul Technique Cultivation a huge boost, so it should be soon.”

The benefits he gained from absorbing Lotus Petals were indeed diminishing. On the other hand, the amount of time Rong Taotao spent asleep was also getting shorter.

Back when Rong Taotao absorbed his first Lotus Petal, his Soul Technique had jumped an entire Major Rank.

This time, however, his Soul Technique was at the peak of the three-star level before absorbing the Lotus Petal, and it remained so afterward.

Of course, it wasn’t a fair comparison. After all, when Rong Taotao absorbed his first Lotus Petal, his Soul Technique had been at the lowest level, one-star, so the leap was naturally much larger.

Besides, Rong Taotao’s Soul Technique had only reached the peak of the three-star level a few days prior, having advanced while he was using the Sin Lotus Ultimate Killing Move. As soon as he woke up, he had joined the teachers to hunt down the Poachers.

So, all in all, only a week and a half had passed since his Soul Technique reached the peak of the three-star level.

Gao Lingwei smiled. ”In that case, I’ll wait for you to reach the four-star level, and we can go find Coach Xia to learn Soul Skills together?”

”Don’t wait for me, you should go learn first.” Rong Taotao tossed the empty chip bag into the plastic bag and swung his legs off the bed. ”Nope, I still need a proper meal. I’m going to go wash up.”

As he spoke, Rong Taotao slipped on his slippers, grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe, and headed for the bathroom. ”What Soul Skills are compatible with a four-star Soul Technique again?” he asked as he walked.

Gao Lingwei tidied up, making the bed as she answered, ”Ice Barrier and A Snowy Ocean.”

”Only two?”

Rong Taotao had seen Ice Barrier only a few times. Xia Fangran had used it once back when he was being hunted by Frost Beauty and Xiao Ziru. From what he could tell, that Soul Skill was highly dependent on the terrain.

As for the Soul Skill: A Snowy Ocean, Rong Taotao had seen it many times.

It caused thick snow to surge like a river, swallowing everything in its path. Even Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists, who could walk on snow, might get caught in it. And even if it couldn’t completely submerge them, it would at least severely impede their movement.

Gao Lingwei explained, ”A four-star Soul Technique corresponds to the Soul Power level of a Junior Soul School.

At that stage, you’re already moving from the mid-tier to the high-tier. There aren’t many Soul Skills you can learn on your own.”

Rong Taotao turned on the shower and shouted over the sound of the water, ”I thought Soldier’s Soul...”

Gao Lingwei replied, ”Soldier’s Soul, Great Snowstorm, and Ice Power Like a Mountain are for a five-star Soul Technique. Ice Prison is for a six-star Soul Technique.”

’Oh...’ Rong Taotao felt a pang of regret. ’Soldier’s Soul is that enormous, 20 to 30-meter-long weapon, right? The advanced version of Snow Soul.’

’I’ve also seen Ice Power Like a Mountain. That must be the advanced version of Ice Pillar. Soul Martial Artists use those eight giant ice pillars to block Soul Skills raining down from above. Both Coach Cha Er and my brother, Rong Yang, have used it before.’

’As for Great Snowstorm, that was just Snow-Flipping Carpet. Li Lie and Xia Fangran used it often; it’s perfect for breaking out of a siege.’

’And that last one, the Soul Skill compatible with a six-star Soul Technique, Ice Prison... Chenlong Fu Tiance had used it once.’

’That was back when we were hunting Poachers at the First Wall. Fu Tiance had sealed the Soul Power of that Soul School from the Starfield, creating an opening for me and Gao Lingwei.’

’A four-star Soul Technique corresponds to the Junior Soul School rank and has two Soul Skills you can learn on your own.’

’A five-star Soul Technique corresponds to the Middle Soul School rank, but it actually has three Soul Skills you can learn on your own.’

’A six-star Soul Technique corresponds to the Upper Soul School rank, with only one self-learnable Soul Skill left.’

’A seven-star Soul Technique corresponds to the Great Soul School rank... and there are no Soul Skills you can learn on your own at all.’

’Based on that, could I infer that Coach Cha Er spent the most time at the Middle Soul School rank? Is that why he developed the most skills for that level and is most proficient with them?’

’Of course, drawing such a crude, direct parallel isn’t really logical.’

’After all, a Soul Martial Artist’s Soul Technique level is generally lower than their Soul Power level. So, a Soul Martial Artist at the Middle Soul School rank might not even have a five-star Soul Technique; they could still be stuck at the four-star level, forcing them to learn and use Soul Skills from a lower tier.’

Hot water cascaded down from the showerhead. As Rong Taotao washed his hair, he thought to himself, ’There are too few Soul Skills compatible with a four-star Soul Technique. This won’t do. I need to figure out a way to create a few new ones to play around with.’

’Hmm... whatever. Food first. I’ll figure it out after I eat.’