Master of Nine Stars

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK~" In the dead of night, a knock echoed from the fourth floor of the otherwise silent administration building.

A moment later, Yang Chunxi spoke. "Come in. Principal Mei said we can enter."

Rong Taotao: "Huh?"

’When did he say that? How come I didn’t hear anything?’

At his side, Gao Lingwei opened the door, and the group filed in.

Instantly, Rong Taotao felt a cold, sinister gaze lock onto him.

Though the northern Snow Realm was frigid, the office was a comfortable 25 or 26 degrees Celsius. Yet, Rong Taotao felt as if he’d been plunged into an ice cavern. The hair on his body stood on end, and his very heart felt like it was freezing over...

He had wanted to check out the office décor, but now he had no choice but to brace himself and look toward the source of that gaze. He stammered, "Pri-Principal Mei."

"Mm." The raspy voice came not from behind the desk, but from a guest sofa to the side. Principal Mei sat there, leaning on a cane with both hands, his lone eye fixed intently on Rong Taotao.

’Jeez!’

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but roast him in his mind. ’I’m your student, for crying out loud! If your enemies got a look like this, wouldn’t they just drop dead from your glare?’

THUD~ Principal Mei’s cane tapped lightly on the floor. His voice was low and raspy, his vocal cords barely vibrating—no wonder Rong Taotao hadn’t been able to hear him from outside the door.

He spoke, "Awe-inspiring youth."

"You praise me too highly, Principal," Rong Taotao said quietly.

"It is no overstatement," Mei Hongyu said, his voice raspy. "You live up to your identity, and you live up to your family name."

Rong Taotao pressed his lips together, remaining noncommittal.

Gao Lingwei, in contrast, was having a much easier time. Though the pressure in the room was immense, Mei Hongyu’s gaze was not fixed on her.

Gao Lingwei seized the opportunity to break the tension for Rong Taotao. "Hello, Principal Mei."

"Hello." Mei Hongyu finally shifted his gaze to Gao Lingwei, and then to Yang Chunxi and Xia Fangran. "You two have worked hard."

Yang Chunxi smiled, and her gentle voice did much to ease the atmosphere in the room. "It was no trouble, Principal Mei. In fact, I should thank you for letting me lead these two students into the competition."

Xia Fangran, however, just smirked. "Well, you know me. I had to take my two star disciples and win the championship for our school~ It’s my undeniable duty, after all~"

Mei Hongyu looked at Xia Fangran and said, "Usually, when I receive an application from you, it’s always a request to return to the city, come back to campus, take a vacation, or rest. It’s rare... for you to apply to take your disciples out for real-world training."

"Ah, I just feel these two kids have a lot of potential." Xia Fangran glanced around, walked to the window, and perched on the sill with his arms crossed. "Seeing how hard they work, I wanted to give them a push in the right direction."

Xia Fangran was quite a character. He didn’t dare to sit on the sofas in the room, but he wasn’t about to just stand there foolishly either, so he went to lean against the window instead.

Mei Hongyu nodded in agreement. "In your twenty years of teaching, you’ve finally waited long enough to find two seedlings with the potential to become Soul Generals."

As the conversation continued, the atmosphere in the room eased considerably, but it still felt somewhat strange.

Most teachers, parents, or elders rarely praise the younger generation to their faces, fearing the children might become arrogant and conceited.

When it came to Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, however, Mei Hongyu called it as he saw it, holding nothing back.

Rong Taotao recalled running into Professor Wang Tianzhu, the "Monk and Nun," in the library. She had indeed mentioned that Mei Hongyu, who rarely praised anyone, was full of admiration for him and Gao Lingwei. That was why a figure of Wang Tianzhu’s caliber had taken notice of them in the first place.

After a moment’s hesitation, Rong Taotao said, "We hope to live up to your expectations, Principal Mei."

Mei Hongyu looked back at Rong Taotao and said hoarsely, "You’ve found a way to control the Lotus Petal."

Rong Taotao shook his head and explained, "Not really. Strictly speaking, I still can’t control it. But I can use a clever trick—I can achieve Empathy with it and get it to help me fight my enemies."

Mei Hongyu slowly uttered a single word: "Arrogant."

Rong Taotao nodded immediately. "Yes, that’s the right direction. But ever since the Prison Lotus entered my body, simple arrogance is no longer enough. The arrogance has to reach a certain level—for me, it has to be the most extreme kind."

Mei Hongyu nodded thoughtfully. "Then what emotion is needed to draw out this so-called Prison Lotus?"

Although Mei Hongyu was worldly and knowledgeable, very little was known about the Snow Realm Treasure, the Nine-Petaled Lotus. The available information was practically a blank slate.

Rong Taotao scratched his head in embarrassment. "I’m not sure yet. During the finals, only the Sinful Lotus burst out, dragging the Prison Lotus along with it to attack. It was like a butterfly trying to fly with only one wing. Um... it felt sort of paralyzed on one side."

"Ahem..." Rong Taotao’s sudden remark made Yang Chunxi desperately want to laugh, but she suppressed it, letting out a cough instead.

A slight smile even touched Mei Hongyu’s lips. He said, "Keep growing. Once you reach the same level of strength as Hua Nian, perhaps you’ll be able to unravel its mysteries."

’Oh?’

’So the old principal finally smiled at me, huh?’

’You’re the one who smiled~! Don’t you dare blame me for this!’

Rong Taotao quickly asked, "Principal Mei, we won first place in the Outer Region tournament. Is there, uh, any reward for that?"

Hearing this, the smile on Mei Hongyu’s face grew even wider, deepening the wrinkles until he looked like an ancient, sentient tree. He asked in return, "What is it you want?"

Pressing his advantage, Rong Taotao rushed to say, "Principal Mei, you watched Da Wei’s and my matches. What kind of Soul Pearls do you think we should embed to help us go further and get a better result in the national tournament?"

Before Principal Mei could answer, Rong Taotao continued, "Da Wei and I have discussed it, and we plan to replace our Snow Prison Arena Soul Skill. It’s truly a double-edged sword, and if we keep using it, I’m worried her body won’t be able to take the strain."

Mei Hongyu considered this. "For a forehead Soul Pearl, you generally need a four-star Soul Technique to unlock a powerful mental-attack type Soul Skill. Let me ask around. If you two want to go further, you are indeed lacking a Control Type Soul Technique.

"Your previous Frost Cold Thorn Soul Technique was ideal, but it only suited you, not Gao Lingwei.

"You two have a versatile style. It was excellent how you adjusted your tactics for different teams in this tournament. With that in mind, a control-type Soul Skill that can be used while on the move should be a perfect all-around fit.

"Furthermore, your ability to break through tough defenses seems a little lacking. You should also embed a more powerful damage-output Soul Skill."

Rong Taotao understood what a powerful damage-output Soul Skill was, but a "control-type Soul Skill that can be used while on the move"...

Rong Taotao wore a strange expression. ’That sounds amazing, doesn’t it?’

For a moment, the room fell silent.

As they watched Principal Mei lost in thought, no one dared to utter a word.

After a long while, Mei Hongyu finally raised his lone eye to look at the group of teachers and students standing before the coffee table. "Your time is precious. Go train at the Second Wall tomorrow. The Soul Pearl matter is not urgent."

Saying this, Mei Hongyu turned his head toward Xia Fangran. "Lead the team well. Don’t get into any conflicts with the Snow Burning Army."

Xia Fangran grimaced, looking impatient, and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah."

Seeing Xia Fangran’s demeanor, Mei Hongyu said, "You, stay behind."

Xia Fangran’s expression stiffened slightly...

He then looked at Yang Chunxi and her two students and said, "The rest of you may go."

"Very well. We’ll be on our way, Principal Mei." Yang Chunxi smiled and nodded, leading her two students toward the door.

"Rong Taotao." Just as the three of them were stepping through the doorway, the grim, raspy voice called out once more.

"Yes, Principal?" Rong Taotao stopped in his tracks and turned back.

Mei Hongyu: "Guard your Lotus Petal well. The Snow Realm is fraught with danger. Anyone who has ill intentions toward it... you have permission to kill."

Rong Taotao’s breath caught in his throat. Staring at Mei Hongyu’s solemn expression, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Mei Hongyu gave a slight nod. "You heard me."

Rong Taotao nodded blankly and, with a dismissive wave from Mei Hongyu, finally turned and left.

"Hah..." As the door closed, Mei Hongyu heaved a deep sigh.

Xia Fangran’s expression was grim as he, too, became lost in thought.

How many years had it been? For how many years had no Snow Realm Soul Martial Artist managed to become a Soul General?

What was even more precious was that Rong Taotao was Xu Fenghua’s son, and his personal character was plain for all to see.

Rong Taotao was clearly no longer just a small fry. Even though he was still just a Little Soul Warrior, his existence was undoubtedly of extreme importance to the entire northern Snow Realm.

In just a single year, Rong Taotao’s performance had been impressive enough for Mei Hongyu to see his future potential.

And the role of Pine Soul Soul Martial was to protect and guide him on his path to greatness.

"Li Lie will go with you," Mei Hongyu said.

Xia Fangran: "Huh?"

Mei Hongyu shot Xia Fangran a cool glance. "Have you forgotten being hunted by Frost Beauty and Xiao Ziru?"

Xia Fangran: "..."

Mei Hongyu continued, "The Second Wall is nothing like the First. Besides, those two are the type who thrive when thrown into a pile of corpses."

For a moment, Xia Fangran’s expression was a sight to behold.

’And this is our dear principal!’

’Throwing Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei into a pile of corpses?’

Xia Fangran couldn’t tell if Mei Hongyu was trying to rush their growth and ruin them in the process, or if this was a personalized training plan tailored to Rong Taotao’s unique circumstances.

Mei Hongyu continued, "The boy wields that Heaven-piercing Halberd quite well. With a little more polishing, he’ll soon catch up to you."

’Argh! That’s so infuriating!’

Xia Fangran clicked his tongue in frustration. ’So in your eyes, I’m not even as good as a little grunt, huh?’

Mei Hongyu began, "For Gao Lingwei: an Elite-Quality Snow Wind Charge, an Elite-Quality Wind and Snow Blade, and an Elite-Quality Frost Fearful Face. One for her hand, one for her leg, and one for her forehead. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Xia Fangran composed himself. ’So Old Ghost Mei already had it all figured out.’

Xia Fangran thought it over and nodded. "Those are good choices, but a low-quality Frost Fearful Face will be hard to come by, won’t it?"

Mei Hongyu ignored him and continued, "And for Rong Taotao, an Elite-Quality Snow Ghost Hand. What do you think?"

Xia Fangran grimaced. "Trade his Snow Fury for a Snow Ghost Hand?"

Mei Hongyu said, "Rong Taotao doesn’t lack damage output; he lacks control. Given his style and personality, giving him a Snow Ghost Hand... Heh heh..."

Mei Hongyu’s raspy laugh was deeply unsettling, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Xia Fangran rubbed his arms, his own expression turning strange.

’What style? What personality?’

’Insidious? Cunning? Or... just full of dirty tricks?’

Mei Hongyu said, "Outside the Second Wall, if you run into a Snow Charm Demon, kill one and have Rong Taotao embed its Soul Pearl. Test its effects."

Xia Fangran nodded immediately. "Got it."

Mei Hongyu added, "The temperature has dropped significantly recently. We’ve received word from beyond the Third Wall that the blizzards from the Snow Realm Vortex have grown much stronger. Be careful."

"Don’t you worry about it!" Xia Fangran said casually. He pushed off the windowsill he was leaning on, using the momentum to stand up straight, and started for the door. "I’m heading back."

"Mm," Mei Hongyu rasped. "With the help of Taotao’s Lotus Petal, you should work a little harder, too. She’s already in the Upper Soul School..."

Hearing this, Xia Fangran, who had just stepped out the door, viciously slammed it shut.

SLAM!