Master of Nine Stars

’This is too hard...’

Although the assessment’s difficulty had been drastically reduced—there weren’t enough Snow Corpses and none of the more troublesome Snow Ghosts were involved—this was still, after all, the exam for top graduates.

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei were not graduates.

The surging Corpse Tide crashed into Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, battering them and forcing them back again and again, like driftwood in a flood.

"We can’t go on like this!" In front of Rong Taotao, there were no "living" targets left. Three or four already-killed Snow Corpses were being pushed forward by the tide from behind, giving him no opening to strike.

"Da Wei, jump back! Jump high!" Rong Taotao roared.

Gao Lingwei immediately followed his command. She bent her long legs, then launched herself backward with a powerful push.

As Rong Taotao retreated, he brought one foot down with a vicious stomp!

"CRACK!"

A shockwave erupted, and shattered starlight scattered in all directions!

Starfield Soul Skill: Star-Stepping Split!

"HISSS..."

"URGH..." In that instant, agonized hisses and groans erupted all around, but...

Star-Stepping Split was supposed to send enemies flying in all directions, but with the dead bodies acting as meat shields, the damage the Snow Corpses took was drastically reduced.

More importantly, the Corpse Tide was still surging forward. Rong Taotao couldn’t knock a single enemy off their feet. Ranks of Snow Corpses pushed against each other, and far from stopping, the tide only grew more ferocious!

A look of alarm crossed Rong Taotao’s face, and he hastily leaped back. But from beneath the Corpse Tide, a Snow Corpse’s hand shot out and seized his ankle!

Rong Taotao’s pupils constricted. He remembered it!

Just as every snowflake is unique, so is every Snow Corpse. The patterns of the icy corpse spots on their bodies varied.

This Snow Corpse, with four spots on its right cheek, had to be the Master-tier-or-higher one from before—the same one that had knocked back his Great Xia Dragon Sparrow.

"SWISH!"

Rong Taotao viciously swung his blade down, but the Corpse Tide before him surged forward as one, instantly swallowing him whole.

"Taotao!?" Gao Lingwei’s face paled. Casting all caution aside, she charged forward.

"WHOOSH..."

In that same instant, Gao Lingwei was sent flying.

To be precise, it wasn’t just Gao Lingwei. The entire, densely packed Corpse Tide in the canyon was thrown into the air.

Not far away, Li Lie had plunged one hand deep into the ground. Treating the thick layer of snow like a carpet, he had ripped it straight up!

For a moment, the sight was breathtakingly grand!

From west to east along the floor of the long, narrow canyon, the Snow Carpet buckled upward in a great wave. Every single creature on it, without exception, was flung toward the heavens.

"FZZT..." Xia Fangran’s figure flashed by, streaking through the sky-filling Shuangxue and the swarms of Snow Corpses. With a thrust of his halberd, he precisely shattered the arm of a Snow Corpse.

Xia Fangran scooped up Rong Taotao with one arm, landing heavily on the canyon’s cliff face.

"You alright?" Xia Fangran asked, tilting his head to look at Rong Taotao, who was tucked under his arm.

Xia Fangran had expected to see Rong Taotao looking shaken and pale, but to his surprise...

Rong Taotao’s expression was grim as he gave a slight nod.

Xia Fangran had been about to say something witty, but seeing this, he lost any inclination to tease. He set Rong Taotao down on the cliff face and said, "Since you’re injured, the assessment ends here for today. Let’s head back."

Rong Taotao nodded silently. Attached to his right leg was half a Snow Corpse’s arm, its sharp claws having torn through his pant leg and dug deep into his flesh...