Master of Nine Stars

Holding the three small silk pouches, Rong Taotao said goodbye to the two teachers, then returned to the dorm room with Gao Lingwei.

Rong Taotao handed the pouches to Gao Lingwei and took the Snowball Cat and Cloud Dog from her arms. "You absorb all of these," he said. "The Snow Fury on your wrist, the Snow Burst at your ankle, the Snow Prison Arena on your forehead... let’s get rid of them all."

Gao Lingwei hesitated for a moment and asked, "All of them for me?"

"Of course." Rong Taotao nodded matter-of-factly. ’Since I’m relying on you to carry me, I’ve got to make sure you’re as strong as possible...’

Gao Lingwei sat on her bed, legs spread wide in a commanding posture, her elbows resting on her knees. She watched Rong Taotao in silence. "Ever since the campus qualifier, you’ve given all the rewards to me."

Rong Taotao plopped onto his own bed, leaning his back against the wall. He placed the two little critters on his stomach and said, "I got a Soul Pet as a reward too, remember? Rong Ling? I can’t replace the Soul Pearl in my forehead; that’s my ultimate trump card.

"As for the Snow Wind Charge for the ankle, I don’t even have a Soul Slot there, so I can’t embed it anyway. Besides, you’ll get more out of it. I already have the Soul Skill: Star-Stepping Split."

To Rong Taotao, a self-cultivated Soul Skill that could increase his maximum Potential Value was far superior to a Soul Skill from an embedded Soul Pearl.

An embedded Soul Pearl’s Soul Skill was purely a "tool." Rong Taotao didn’t understand the principles behind it, which meant he couldn’t increase its Potential Value cap.

But he could continuously refine the Soul Skills he cultivated himself.

At this point, Gao Lingwei was purely a Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist who had only learned a few Snow Realm Soul Skills. Rong Taotao, however, was different. He had learned Soul Skills from two different domains: the Snow Realm and the Starfield.

In fact, you could say that Rong Taotao had eight more Soul Slots than Gao Lingwei, in which he had embedded eight Starfield Soul Pearl skills.

Rong Taotao continued, "I have Snow Ghost Hand, so you can use Wind and Snow Blade. I’ll control the enemy, and you’ll attack. It perfectly fits our team’s combat philosophy. Don’t hesitate. This is for both of us, for our team to go further in the national tournament."

"Okay." Gao Lingwei was clearly not one for false modesty. Since Rong Taotao had laid out his reasoning and his mind was made up, she didn’t hesitate any longer.

’She would give her life for Rong Taotao; a few Soul Pearls were truly nothing in comparison. Like he said, it was all so their team could go further.’

Rong Taotao said, "You also feel too conflicted about Blast Pearls.

"It’s like your Snow Prison Arena. It’s incredibly effective, no doubt, but these are all transitional Soul Skills. They’re meant to serve us for a specific period.

"No matter how rare they might be, at the end of the day, they’re just Elite-tier Soul Pearl skills. We’ll have to replace them eventually."

"Okay," Gao Lingwei replied softly. Holding the three silk pouches, she walked out of the dorm room.

The Cloud Dog watched Gao Lingwei leave with curiosity. It flapped its large ears and was about to chase after her, but Rong Taotao grabbed its small, cloud-like tail and yanked it back.

"Yip?" The Cloud Dog turned to look at Rong Taotao, its beady black eyes blinking.

Rong Taotao, however, held the dog in his left hand and the cat in his right, hefting them up and down.

’Do creatures like the Cloud Dog ever grow up?’

Even now, it was only a little bigger than Rong Taotao’s palm. The Snowball Cat was clearly the type that didn’t grow much either, which made it a suitable playmate for the Cloud Dog.

’Just look at Rong Ling. It’s growing at a frankly insane rate. Before long, it’ll be too big to ride the Cloud Dog.’

It was worth noting that while Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had been training arduously for the past month, so had Rong Ling.

Under Teacher Li Lie’s careful tutelage, Rong Ling had already learned three Soul Skills: Snow Step, Snow Burst, and Ice Path. It could also wield its little Stone Halberd with considerable skill.

As for White Lantern Paper Cage, Luminous Lantern Paper Cage, Jade Dragon Gift, Frost Breath, and Snow Soul, Rong Ling still hadn’t managed to learn them.

But that didn’t matter. After all, Rong Ling was a Snow Realm Soul Beast, so its field of vision was already much wider than that of a human Soul Martial Artist. Plus, its body was made of frost and snow, so it didn’t need the Jade Dragon Gift to create more.

The Soul Skill: Snow Soul had high technical requirements. Rong Ling would probably have to practice with the Heaven-piercing Halberd for a very long time before it could form a Snow Soul from the wind and snow.

Rong Taotao thought for a moment but decided not to summon Rong Ling. ’For Rong Ling, my body is both its home and a Lotus Body. As a Snow Realm Soul Beast, the feeling of being immersed and nourished inside is just incredible!’

*Whoosh...*

As he was lost in thought, a wave of mental energy washed over him. Rong Taotao knew Gao Lingwei must have just shattered the Soul Pearl in her forehead.

A moment later, the dorm room door opened, and a "ghostly figure" walked in.

"Whoa!" Rong Taotao jumped, clutching the Cloud Dog and Snowball Cat. He stared in astonishment at the "demon" that had just walked through the door.

With a mere thought from Gao Lingwei, the snow-wrought mask on her face silently shattered, turning into specks of frost and snow that dusted her body before sliding to the floor.

"It’s the middle of the night! Are you trying to scare me to death?" Rong Taotao complained.

"Sorry. I hadn’t seen it myself and just wanted to use the mirror," Gao Lingwei said, nodding apologetically. But then she noticed the Cloud Dog and Snowball Cat in Rong Taotao’s arms, both huddled in his embrace, curled up with their heads buried as if they couldn’t bear to look at her.

Rong Taotao recalled the Cloud Dog into his body and composed himself, his expression a little strange.

’Was the mask that ugly?’