Master of Nine Stars

”What, are you getting ideas about my students again?” Yang Chunxi, mounted on her Snow Night Shock, leaned over and gently bumped Rong Yang with her shoulder.

Seeing such an intimate gesture, Si Huan Nian, who was behind them, pursed her lips. ’I’m not jealous of their sweet romance. I have my Little Rascal.’

As she thought this, Si Huan Nian took a piece of candy from her pocket. She twisted open the wrapper with her fingers and leisurely popped the Cubed Sugar into her mouth.

This training expedition for the students had indeed brought Yang Chunxi an unexpected delight. Rong Yang would be accompanying her the whole time. For a couple who spent more time apart than together, this was practically a small vacation.

Rong Yang smiled. ”Managing to take command from Taotao says a lot on its own.”

Yang Chunxi, however, said, ”It’s not what you think. Taotao asked Jiao Tengda to be the commander.”

Rong Yang asked, confused, ”What do you mean?”

”Heh.” At their side, Xia Fangran grinned. ”Your little brother is very shrewd. Don’t treat him like a child. He’s already started cultivating his own people.”

Rong Yang repeated, ”His own people?”

”Yep.” Xia Fangran looked at Rong Yang and said, ”Your brother’s status, along with the achievements he and Ling Wei have accomplished, gives him considerable prestige within the Youthful Spirit program. The others are naturally drawn to him.

”I’ve figured it out. That kid is building his own core team here.”

”That’s a good thing,” Si Huan Nian surprisingly chimed in. ”If they can stick together in the future, they won’t be lonely.”

’Lonely?’

Xia Fangran’s expression turned strange. If he didn’t know Si Huan Nian was single too, he would have thought she was mocking him...

”Kill!” Jiao Tengda’s sharp shout suddenly burst from the walkie-talkie.

Indeed, a small situation had developed on the battlefield far ahead.

The team had been advancing in formation, but the Moon Leopard patiently held its ground, not attacking even as Stone Tower and Shi Lan passed the huge pine tree where it was hiding.

Finally, as the two passed beneath it and had their backs turned, the Moon Leopard shot out. It pounced like a starving predator, terrifyingly fast and utterly silent.

*THWUMP~*

A bizarre sound rang out as a Snow Ghost Hand erupted from the snow!

’You may have the Hungry Leopard Pounce, but I have Black Tiger Heart Stealing!’

The graceful, slender Snow Ghost Hand shot up from below, seizing the soft flesh of the Moon Leopard’s underbelly!

Pinching skin and flesh together in its palm, it actually lifted the Moon Leopard into midair!

Moon Leopard: ???

”Whimper... whimper...” A series of whimpers could be heard. The Moon Leopard was in pain. Real pain...

Its sharp claws frantically tore at the Snow Ghost Hand’s arm, trying to escape.

But at that very moment, Shi Lan spun around. The Snow Burst Ball in her hand was fully charged and held before her face, but she didn’t detonate it. She only saw a massive creature caught in midair, struggling frantically.

The instant her sister, Stone Tower, turned, her right hand had already swung from back to front. A Wind and Snow Blade rapidly formed amidst the falling snow and immediately slashed down.

In the Snow Realm environment, the Wind and Snow Blade could be cast with incredible speed!

Similarly, Li Ziyi from the vanguard swung viciously. The two Wind and Snow Blades formed an ”X” as they descended from the sky!

The team had planned this all along, giving their prey no chance whatsoever!

The Moon Leopard’s pathetic whimpers ceased the moment the two Wind and Snow Blades struck.

From start to finish, it hadn’t even managed to let out a basic roar.

In the blink of an eye, the exceptionally graceful Moon Leopard was sliced into several pieces.

”Yeah!” Shi Lan cheered, waving away the blast of wind and snow in front of her. She hurried over and began searching for the Moon Leopard’s head amidst the scattered limbs and flesh.

A smile appeared on Jiao Tengda’s face as well. Judging by the Moon Leopard’s size, it was likely an elite-level creature. The squad had cleared it without a single injury—an instant kill, even. The result was absolutely gratifying!

’As expected, you can always trust Rong Taotao.’

While he was thinking, Jiao Tengda looked to his left and saw Rong Taotao on the flank dismissing the Snow Ghost Hand, looking every bit the humble hero.

Noticing Jiao Tengda’s gaze, Rong Taotao gave him a sloppy military salute, tapping his temple with his palm before flicking it slightly upward.

The gesture was undeniably cool, especially with the ”Snow” insignia on his armband, which filled Jiao Tengda with envy.

In this squad, besides Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, no one else’s snow-camo uniform had an armband.

’They, hmm... weren’t worthy yet!’

”Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”

”Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!” Just then, a series of strange cries echoed from the mountain forest not far away.

Perhaps the commotion from the Wind and Snow Blades, or maybe the felling of the giant tree, had attracted the attention of a certain group of creatures.

Fan Lihua, the point soldier at the very tip of the vanguard, immediately called out, ”That’s the sound of Bandit Snow Monkeys!”

Everyone quickly looked in that direction, only to see the trees in the distant forest shaking violently. Branches swayed up and down, sending showers of accumulated snow to the ground.

Fan Lihua’s expression turned to one of alarm. ”They’re coming this way!”

The creatures known as Bandit Snow Monkeys were far more vicious than the monkeys you might find at a tourist park. There was a reason human Soul Martial Artists named them ”Bandits”—the species was inherently brutal and took human lives.

Bandit Snow Monkeys are social creatures that often gather in groups of dozens, sometimes even hundreds. Their agility and mobility are terrifyingly high, making them quite tricky to deal with.

These creatures are utterly malevolent and cruel. They don’t even kill their targets right away; instead, they’ll toy with their prey to their heart’s content, waiting until it’s exhausted from torture before delivering the killing blow and eating it alive.

Generally speaking, if one encountered a large group of Bandit Snow Monkeys, retreating was the best course of action.

But now, the Little Souls had spotted them too late. Trying to compete with a pack of Bandit Snow Monkeys in speed and agility within a dense forest was an absolute fool’s errand.

Jiao Tengda remained extremely calm, displaying excellent command qualities. He made a decisive call: ”Cut down the trees! All the trees around us! Cut them down quickly! We don’t have time to get out of the Snow Forest, so we’ll make a clearing right here!”

Bandit Snow Monkeys, with their leaping and climbing, are terrifyingly agile in terrain with trees. Their combat effectiveness increases exponentially!

As an analogy...

You could think of them as Spider-Man.

Among a dense forest of skyscrapers, Spider-Man can zip around freely, even swing to his heart’s content, reaching for the sky...

But if you put Spider-Man on a vast, open prairie... well, that would be a little awkward.

The faces of the team members were extremely grave. The slight note of urgency in Jiao Tengda’s voice made them all think that things were not looking good.

Unfortunately, an elite-grade Wind and Snow Blade could only slash downward, not horizontally.

Clearly, Jiao Tengda’s decision was the correct one, but being used to dealing with normal Little Souls, he had forgotten about the two Great Gods on the left flank.

Rong Taotao shouted, ”Everyone, brace yourselves! Use your Snow Step!”

As he spoke, Rong Taotao dropped to one knee and pressed both hands into the thick snow.

Jiao Tengda’s eyes lit up. ’That’s right!’

’His Taoist Soul-Searching Technique is four-star!’

’And what does four-star mean? It means Snow Realm Soul Skill: A Snowy Ocean!’

Jiao Tengda hurriedly shouted, ”Everyone! Make sure you keep your footing! As the trees fall, knock them outward to clear the area!”

*WHOOSH...*

The next moment, as far as the eye could see, the very earth began to shake and tremble!

The thick snow surged like a roiling flood, cresting and falling in massive waves. The scene was utterly spectacular!

*CRACK!*

*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK...* With a series of splintering sounds, countless pine trees toppled over.

Gao Lingwei stood guard beside Rong Taotao. She extended her left hand to the side, a Snow Burst Ball rapidly forming in her palm. With a soft *POP*, she sent a splintered tree toppling in the other direction.

Unlike the others, she didn’t seem too concerned about the brutal battle that was about to unfold.

Gao Lingwei’s figure rose and fell with the snowy torrent. While keeping an eye on her surroundings, her gaze would also sweep, from time to time, to the young man at the center of the torrent—the one creating this Natural Disaster.

’This was the Soul Skill she had taught him. He was using it well.’

The more violent the roiling torrent became, the more at ease she felt. To her, this scene was truly beautiful.

”ROAR~!” A cry, clearly different from a monkey’s screech, echoed out. Gao Lingwei finally tore her gaze away from Rong Taotao.

’A Pirate Leader Snow Ape?’

’So, does that mean a Master-tier Iron Snow Armor is on its way?’

...