Master of Nine Stars

”What’s going on? Why is everyone so happy?” Yang Chunxi came up to the second floor. She wore a brown woolen coat and a Snowflake Wolf hide hat, creating a contradictory beauty—a mix between a rugged pioneer and a chic city girl.

’Well... on second thought, her clothes were too clean and tidy. The rugged feel wasn’t very strong, which made the Snowflake Wolf hide hat lose its ”soul.”’

Rong Taotao turned to look at his sister-in-law, a pang of regret in his heart. ’A full matching set would look even better on her, wouldn’t it?’

’On this training trip to the Three-Wall Area, I should be able to find plenty of Snowflake Wolves. I’ll kill a couple extra then. Just in time for the New Year, I can go back to Songbai Town, find a tailor, and have a Snowflake Wolf Fur Coat made for her.’

Rong Taotao always felt deeply indebted to Yang Chunxi. After all, she had devoted herself to caring for him and Gao Lingwei, following them all over the country and ensuring their safety. Her contributions and hardships were immeasurable.

And yet, Rong Taotao had given her nothing in return... ’Well, do the dual championships in the Outer Region and Huaxia count?’

Hearing Yang Chunxi’s question, Sun Xingyu hurriedly said, ”Taotao’s Lifebound Soul Beast just advanced! We’re all so happy for him~”

”Hee hee~”

”Haha...” Following Sun Xingyu’s words, the students erupted in laughter. The air inside and outside the cafeteria was filled with joy...

”Oh? It advanced?” Yang Chunxi’s eyes lit up. She walked over to their table and looked at Rong Taotao.

”Yeah, it advanced,” Rong Taotao replied nonchalantly, lowering his head to take a sip of millet porridge before picking up a slice of braised beef.

”Good. With your Talent, you most likely won’t have to wait until the Soul School Stage. You should be able to perform a Fusion Skill with your Cloud Dog by the time you reach the peak of the Soul Captain Stage.” Yang Chunxi smiled, reached out, and gently ruffled Rong Taotao’s hair.

”Mhm,” Rong Taotao mumbled in agreement, hurrying to finish his food. He knew that his sister-in-law’s arrival meant the team was about to depart.

”Alright, listen up. The eight of you from the Soul Class, besides Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, each get one of these.” As she spoke, Yang Chunxi pulled a handful of small pouches from her pocket and, without sorting them, tossed them onto the dining table. ”The school has assigned you Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearls. Fan Lihua.”

Fan Lihua looked up, her face filled with confusion. ”Yes, Coach Yang?”

Yang Chunxi asked with a smile, ”What Soul Skills does the Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearl have?”

Fan Lihua thought for a moment before answering, ”One pearl, two skills. The first is the forehead Soul Skill, Frost Silence. It’s a group support skill that can calm and soothe targets within a certain range.

The second is the wrist Soul Skill, Wind and Snow Blade. It’s a very powerful offensive skill that summons a giant blade of snow from the sky to strike an opponent.”

”Very good.” Yang Chunxi nodded in satisfaction. Her own mood lifted as she watched the delighted expressions on the Little Souls’ faces as they received their pouches. ”These are elite-grade Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearls. You won’t find any in the area between the Second and Third Walls.

This type of creature is of very high quality and matures too quickly, so the elite-grade ones are hard to come by. The school has specifically provided these to increase your chances of survival. You all have wrist Soul Slots, so go ahead and absorb them.

Be careful when you Blast the Pearl. Go to that window over there, stick your hand out before you do it, and make sure to keep the dining hall clean.”

”Yes, ma’am!”

”Alright~” The group of Little Souls lined up, happily heading to the window to Blast their Pearls.

This was Wind and Snow Blade!

As Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei’s support team, the Little Souls had watched nearly every single one of their matches. They had, of course, seen the power of Wind and Snow Blade when Gao Lingwei used it.

For the average student, this was a reward given only after qualifying in the school’s selection tournament. For the school to be so generous as to give a reward of this caliber directly to the Soul Class as standard-issue equipment for everyone...

...It was clear that when Pine Soul Soul Martial said it would pour resources into the Junior Class, it wasn’t just lip service.

It was worth noting that the wrist and ankle Soul Slots were the easiest to open. Now that all the Little Souls had advanced to the Soul Captain Stage, they each had a full six usable Soul Slots, all of which invariably included a wrist Soul Slot.

Even Zhao Tang, who was missing a forearm, had opened a wrist Soul Slot on his remaining arm.

However, while most of the students lined up to Blast their Pearls, Sun Xingyu stayed behind. She walked over to Yang Chunxi’s side, lowered her head, and whispered, ”Coach Yang.”

”Hm?”

Sun Xingyu pouted, looking pitiful. ”My Soul Technique hasn’t reached three-star yet. I can’t use it...”

Sun Xingyu had indeed advanced to the Soul Captain Stage. However, according to the rules of the Soul Martial World, a Soul Martial Artist’s Soul Technique Cultivation generally lagged behind their Soul Power cultivation.

This meant Sun Xingyu was a Soul Captain in name only. While her physical attributes had reached the Soul Captain Stage, her Soul Technique and Soul Skills were still at the level of the Soul Warrior Stage.

The other students in her group, Li Ziyi and Fan Lihua, had already learned Soul Skills compatible with a three-star Soul Technique—Ice Pillar, Ice Glass, Snow Trap, and Snow Dance—but Sun Xingyu couldn’t learn any of them.

Ice Glass and the others didn’t matter as much. The key was the Core Soul Skill: Snow Dance. This Soul Skill’s utility was immense, providing a huge speed boost. Until you truly learned the Soul Skill: Snow Dance, you could hardly call yourself a true Soul Captain.

Back when Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had agreed to a duel, the cunning Si Huan Nian had exploited this exact window of opportunity. He’d arranged for Gao Lingwei to fight Rong Taotao one-on-one right after she had advanced to a Soul Captain but before she had learned Snow Dance...

Yang Chunxi’s gaze softened, and she placed a gentle hand on Sun Xingyu’s head. ”Don’t worry. Your Soul Technique will advance during this training trip.”