Master of Nine Stars

’So that’s the effect I have on her, huh?’

Rong Taotao wore a strange expression, but he summoned the Cloud Dog anyway and handed it over to Gao Lingwei.

"WOOF WOOF!" The little guy flapped its large, cloud-like ears, its little tail wagging back and forth as it revealed a happy smile.

Without a doubt, the so-called healing was a two-way street.

The two of them left their dorm room and went next door. Rong Taotao knocked politely on the door. "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~"

"Come in." Xia Fangran’s voice came from behind the door.

"Hello, teachers." Rong Taotao opened the door and walked in, only to smell the faint scent of alcohol.

He glanced over and saw Li Lie lying on his side on the bed, holding a small, palm-sized flask. His eyes were narrowed in enjoyment as he took another sip with a SLURP.

Rong Taotao’s mouth twitched. Seeing Li Lie’s blissful expression, he couldn’t help but say, "Drinking it straight like that? I’ve got some chocolate sticks."

Li Lie waved his hand dismissively. "That stuff doesn’t go well with this."

"Ignore him." Xia Fangran gestured for Rong Taotao to close the door, then pointed to the table in the center of the dorm. "Those embroidered pouches are for you. I also reported your training progress to Old Ghost Mei. He’s very satisfied with how you two are doing. Also, you really are a good fit for an insidious Soul Skill like Snow Ghost Hand."

Rong Taotao: "..."

Gao Lingwei, holding the Snowball Cat and the Cloud Dog, walked to the table, placed the two little creatures on it, and casually picked up a red pouch, taking out a Soul Pearl.

This Soul Pearl looked like a glass marble filled with swirling layers of frost. It was quite exquisite.

Gao Lingwei asked, "Coach Xia, what Soul Pearl is this?"

Rong Taotao also stepped forward and took the Soul Pearl from Gao Lingwei’s hand. At the same time, a message appeared in his Inner Soul Map:

"Soul Pearl discovered: Snow Realm: Frost Death Warrior (Elite Grade)

Soul Pearl’s Soul Skills:

1. Frost Silence: Gathers Frost and Snow Attribute Soul Power to stimulate the brain, emitting a special Spiritual Ability that connects to certain targets within a range, calming their minds and soothing their spirits. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

2. Wind and Snow Blade: Gathers a large amount of Frost and Snow Attribute Soul Power at the wrist, releasing multiple Soul Power Threads invisible to the naked eye. These threads cleverly connect with the frost and snow in the environment, piecing together a sharp, massive blade to attack the target. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

Current Soul Slots are full. Unable to absorb."

Xia Fangran said, "A Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearl. A rare, low-rank, Elite Grade Soul Pearl.

"If you embed it in your head, it’s a Spiritual Soul Technique that calms your companions’ minds. If you embed it in your wrist, well, you know... Wind and Snow Blade."

Gao Lingwei pursed her lips. Wind and Snow Blade... she was all too familiar with it!

The output of this powerful, single-strike Soul Skill was a huge step up from the same-grade Ocean Soul Skill: Sharp Water Blade!

Although Spiritual Soul Pearls are rare, when considering the effect of the Soul Skill, most people would choose to embed the Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearl in their wrist, not their forehead.

For example, the other groups of upperclassmen from Pine Soul Soul Martial who broke through the encirclement were also rewarded with Frost Death Warrior Soul Pearls by the school, but who among them embedded it in their forehead?

Calming your teammates’ minds is a good thing, but you can’t give up the mind-sharing and body-sharing between brothers and sisters for it...

Xia Fangran suddenly said, "This Soul Skill is a bit too destructive. In the next phase of training in the canyon, I plan to place some restrictions on you. You’re not allowed to use Wind and Snow Blade."

Gao Lingwei: "..."

Rong Taotao, however, wasn’t happy about this. He protested, "My Lingwei is already self-disciplined enough! Look at all her injuries—she gets wounded over and over again. She’s even faced defeat time after time, and she still hasn’t used her Iron Snow Armor Soul Skill. And now you want to restrict her from using an Output Skill?"

And it was true. From beginning to end, Gao Lingwei hadn’t used her Iron Snow Armor Soul Skill, because she knew that only under enough pressure would she improve faster.

If she used Iron Snow Armor, she would lose a measure of vigilance and gain a measure of recklessness.

Throughout her training, she had single-mindedly forced herself to grow to the greatest extent and at the fastest speed possible.

’Not using a defensive skill is one thing, but now you’re restricting an Output Skill too?’

Xia Fangran thought for a moment before speaking again. "You can listen to me, or you can choose not to. After all, the goal of this Specialized Training is to hone your teamwork, willpower, and Martial Arts.

"Soul Skills are tools in a Soul Martial Artist’s hands, and each has its own special function. If you insist on using Wind and Snow Blade, then I’ll get rid of the Snow Corpses and fill the bottom of the valley with Snow Ghosts instead, minimizing the effectiveness of Gao Lingwei’s Wind and Snow Blade."

Gao Lingwei: "Fine."

Gao Lingwei’s thinking was actually quite simple. Given her fighting style, she could do without defense, but never without offense!

She was a Soul Martial Artist, a dauntless Warrior! As long as she was alive, she would crush any opponent before her.

Xia Fangran shrugged nonchalantly, while Rong Taotao picked up a blue pouch and took out the Soul Pearl.

"Soul Pearl discovered: Snow Realm: Moon Leopard (Elite Grade)

Soul Pearl’s Soul Skills:

1. Snow Step: Envelops the feet with Soul Power, allowing for free movement in a snowy environment. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

2. Snow Wind Charge: Gathers Soul Power in the feet and stomps the ground, forming a rapidly spinning, forward-charging whirlwind that sends targets in its path flying. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

Current Soul Slots are full. Unable to absorb."

"No! Wait!" Xia Fangran looked at the blue pouch in Rong Taotao’s hand, as if he had suddenly thought of something. "Snow Wind Charge is a wind-and-snow type Soul Skill, similar to Snow Burst, but its casting speed is faster!

"Once a group of Snow Ghosts realizes you have the Snow Wind Charge Soul Skill, they won’t dare to break their bodies apart into frost and snow, because they’ll be afraid of being completely churned to pieces.

"And that way, your Wind and Snow Blade will have a much better chance to shine!"

Rong Taotao: "..."

Gao Lingwei shot Xia Fangran an exasperated yet amused look. She was well aware that this teacher, who was trying so hard to create obstacles for her, was only doing so to help her grow.

Li Lie said groggily, "The Wind and Snow Blade doesn’t fall that fast, does it?

"Those Snow Ghosts are as cunning as demons. They break apart and reassemble their bodies extremely quickly.

"Old Xia, think it over again. There’s really no need to restrict them."

Xia Fangran snapped irritably, "Shut up and drink your wine!"

_SLURP~_

Gao Lingwei took the Soul Pearl from Rong Taotao’s hand and said, "So this is the Snow Wind Charge Soul Skill."

Xia Fangran: "Mhm. Snow Step and Snow Wind Charge are both ankle-slot Soul Skills, and they should both be Elite Grade."

Knowing the effects of the two Soul Skills, Rong Taotao was now overjoyed and brimming with confidence.

’This is great!’

’A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well!’

’Soul Pearls and Soul Skills are undoubtedly the "tools" of a Soul Martial Artist!’

’With the right combination, what great task could I possibly fail?’

As he thought this, Rong Taotao picked up the last pouch, a golden one.

The color was a little ostentatious, giving it the air of a pouch personally bestowed by an ancient emperor.

Xia Fangran grinned. "For you two, Old Ghost Mei probably pulled a lot of strings and used up a lot of resources.

"The Soul Pearl in that yellow pouch can be considered something you chance upon but can’t seek out. It’s not just extremely rare; the key is that its rank is terrifyingly low—only Elite Grade, which is perfect for you two to use.

"It’s a forehead-slot, Spiritual Type Soul Pearl. You two can decide who gets it."

Rong Taotao opened the pouch and took out the Soul Pearl inside, but his expression stiffened slightly.

"Soul Pearl discovered: Snow Realm: Ghostly Ugly Face (Elite Grade)

Soul Pearl’s Soul Skills:

1. Frost Fearful Face: Gathers Frost and Snow Attribute Soul Power to piece together an ugly, snow-crafted demon mask.

Stimulates the head with Soul Power to release the demon mask in an Illusory State, which impacts the target’s body and inflicts a certain degree of spiritual trauma. (Elite Grade, Potential Value: -)

Current Soul Slots are full. Unable to absorb."

’What the hell!’

’What kind of god-tier Soul Skill is this? It’s not in any of the books, and I’ve never even heard of it!’

’Since Principal Mei was the one who provided it, the effect of this Soul Skill must be incredibly powerful, right?’

’Frost Fearful Face? A forehead Soul Pearl, a Spiritual Soul Technique!’

’The! Principal! Loves! Me!’

...

Asking for some votes~