Master of Nine Stars

Rong Taotao: "..."

But Li Lie slowed his horse and looked over at Rong Taotao. "Let me see."

Rong Taotao’s spirits lifted. He quickly gathered a Snow Burst Ball at his wrist, then pushed it into the palm of his cupped hand.

Li Lie watched it for a long moment. "The speed at which the Wind Snow Ball spins and the speed at which it gathers are both way too slow. You really do need more practice. There are no shortcuts."

"Fine," Rong Taotao said, pouting. "By the way, my Snow Soul is still at the lowest level. Is there any way to train it?"

Hearing this, Li Lie paused, taken aback. "The lowest level?"

Rong Taotao: "Yeah!"

A curious look appeared on Li Lie’s face. "With your Halberd Technique, how could your Snow Soul possibly be at the lowest level?"

Rong Taotao scratched his head in embarrassment. "I have no idea."

A thought struck Li Lie. "You haven’t paid much attention to it since you first learned the Soul Skill, have you?"

Rong Taotao blinked. "Huh?"

Realization dawned on Li Lie. "You haven’t tried to connect with it in a long time, have you?"

Rong Taotao said dumbly, "Well..."

Li Lie said, "Draw your Heaven-piercing Halberd."

Frost and snow immediately gathered in Rong Taotao’s hand as he drew a Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Li Lie looked at the Snow Soul and nodded to himself. "Refine it."

Rong Taotao was a little baffled. "How do I refine it?"

Li Lie explained, "It’s not a weapon. It’s a Soul Skill—the soul of a Heaven-piercing Halberd, made of snow.

"Grip it tightly, connect with it. Use the techniques in your mind to refine it, to make it denser and more exquisite."

Atop Hu Bugui’s head, the majestic little chubby fellow turned and leaped.

Gao Lingwei reached out to catch the little guy, and the Snow General Candle scrambled onto her right shoulder.

Its candle-like eyes glowed as it curiously watched Rong Taotao behind them, and the Heaven-piercing Halberd in his hands.

Rong Taotao held the halberd in both hands, gently stroking its long shaft. His fingers brushed over the icy Half Moon Blade and its sharp Ironspear Point, before finally pressing the tic-tac-toe-shaped guard against his forehead.

"I... learn," Rong Ling (the Snow General Candle) buzzed, managing to get out two words.

Gao Lingwei raised her left hand and slapped the helmet floating around Rong Ling’s head. Her voice was stern. "Don’t bother your master."

The candle-like eyes inside Rong Ling’s helmet flickered. He grabbed Gao Lingwei’s earlobe with one hand to balance himself and plopped down on her right shoulder.

He was very obedient and didn’t disturb Rong Taotao anymore. He just sat there quietly, peering through the tic-tac-toe-shaped guard of the snow halberd to watch Rong Taotao, who had his eyes closed in thought.

The short 50-kilometer journey was over quickly, and the group soon arrived at Hundred Corps Pass.

During the ride, Rong Ling had been silently staring at Rong Taotao, watching the tic-tac-toe-shaped Snow Halberd pressed against his forehead, watching the snowflakes piece themselves together, compressing and solidifying...

Clearly, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei were a pair of excellent first teachers.

One taught Rong Ling to be polite.

The other sparked Rong Ling’s interest in the Soul Skill: Snow Soul.

Just as the walls of Hundred Corps Pass came into view, Rong Taotao finally opened his eyes, a slight smile on his face.

"Did it work?" Li Lie asked.

"No," Rong Taotao said, shaking his head, though he seemed to be in high spirits. "But reliving my Martial Arts with it, reliving the time we grew together... it’s a wonderful feeling."

"We’re going straight to the Second Wall. No breaks," Xia Fangran’s voice came from the front.

"Understood," Gao Lingwei replied immediately.

"By the way," Xia Fangran said, turning back to look at Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao as he rode through the gate, "Principal Mei has designed a training plan for you two."

"Oh?" Gao Lingwei raised an eyebrow, a hint of anticipation stirring within her.

Xia Fangran said, "He told me to throw you two into a pile of corpses."

Rong Taotao looked completely lost. "What does that mean?"

Li Lie frowned slightly. "Snow Ghosts and Snow Corpses?"

Xia Fangran nodded immediately. "Yep."

Li Lie mulled it over for a moment, seemingly in disagreement. "Isn’t it a bit early for that? Even their graduation exam shouldn’t be this difficult."

Xia Fangran shrugged. "That’s what Old Ghost Mei said. He had nothing but praise for Rong Taotao’s Heaven-piercing Halberd technique, saying he’s almost caught up to me."

Rong Taotao’s head peeked out from behind Gao Lingwei. He blinked. "Principal Mei must have misspoken, right?"

"Hmph." Xia Fangran snorted. "Just take the compliment. No need to be humble."

Rong Taotao spoke up weakly, "No, I mean... my Heaven-piercing Halberd technique has already surpassed yours, hasn’t it?"

Xia Fangran’s expression froze. ???

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Li Lie couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter, slapping Rong Taotao on the back. "Good! That’s the kind of spirit you need!"

Xia Fangran’s brows shot up. "What are you laughing at? It’s not funny! If you’ve got a problem, we can spar later!"

Li Lie just gave a cool shrug, looking completely unbothered, which only made Xia Fangran fume internally...

Gao Lingwei, however, spoke up. "Coach Xia, what exactly does ’throwing us into a pile of corpses’ mean? Is it to train our courage and willpower?"

Xia Fangran finally tore his gaze away and looked at Gao Lingwei. "Not real corpses. Soul Beasts.

"When the time comes, Old Li and I will round up three to five hundred Snow Corpses and Snow Ghosts, herd them into a group, and then throw you and Rong Taotao in."

Rong Taotao: "You’ll what?"

Gao Lingwei’s brows knitted tightly. "The common ranks for Snow Corpses and Ghosts are Elite-tier to Master-tier, with the occasional King-tier. They aren’t something we should be facing right now."

Xia Fangran said, "You’re not supposed to kill the Snow Corpses and Ghosts—that would be impossible. You’re supposed to break out alive."

Xia Fangran was being relatively polite with Gao Lingwei. If Rong Taotao had been the one to ask, Xia Fangran would have shot back with something like: ’Kill the Snow Corpses and Ghosts? In your dreams! I’ll be burning incense and thanking the heavens if you just manage to escape...’

Rong Taotao asked, "And then?"

Xia Fangran replied, "And then I’ll throw you two back in."

Rong Taotao: "..."

Xia Fangran continued, "This is how we teachers came up back in the day. For the very best graduates of Pine Soul Soul Martial, there has to be a top-tier evaluation method.

"Don’t think that just because everyone who comes to Pine Soul Soul Martial is a genius, they get this kind of treatment. Ordinary geniuses don’t qualify. At most, a group of students who can undergo this test only appears once every three to five years."

Rong Taotao wore a resentful expression. "Do I or Da Wei look like graduates to you?"

"Oh? Didn’t you just say your Heaven-piercing Halberd technique has already surpassed mine?"

Rong Taotao smacked his lips. "Well, fine. If you’re going to put it that way, I won’t argue."

Xia Fangran’s face darkened. "You..."

Li Lie watched the master and student with great interest, finding the teaching atmosphere of this group rather amusing.

But on second thought, if any of Li Lie’s three apprentices—Zhao Tang, Jiao Tengda, and Lu Mang—were replaced with Rong Taotao, he’d probably have a massive headache. After all, a student like that... was simply too dazzling.

"Since Principal Mei has decided, you two should train hard," Li Lie suddenly said. "Without a doubt, for the two of you at your current stage, this training method is a true life-and-death test.

"If you don’t die, every successful breakout will dramatically improve the synergy between you. It will even forcibly enhance your combat skills, muscle memory, and ability to react under pressure.

"It’s no exaggeration to say that every time you break out, it will be a rebirth—for both your bodies and your minds."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao nodded.

The Snow Realm is not like the Starfield or the ocean.

The lands of the Snow Realm cannot offer Practitioners luxurious training conditions or state-of-the-art facilities.

But what the Snow Realm can offer is a real battlefield.

It has never cultivated competitors for a tournament, but true Warriors.

’If the two of us go in and out of that corpse pile for three months and come out alive, wouldn’t our strength take a qualitative leap?’

Li Lie continued, "One more word of advice."

Gao Lingwei: "Yes?"

Li Lie said, "Remember to talk with us every day. Whether you’re happy, sad, troubled, or frustrated—in short, you must express any and all of your thoughts and emotions. You must communicate.

"Making it out physically alive is only one part of it. Your minds must not get lost in that vast sea of corpses. That is the true trial and test."

Hearing this, Gao Lingwei pursed her lips and turned to look at Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao, however, leaned forward and rested his forehead against her back, rubbing it gently from side to side.

Although he didn’t say anything, the small gesture warmed Gao Lingwei’s heart. A slight smile touched her lips, and she said, full of confidence, "Understood, Coach Li."