Master of Nine Stars

Si Huan Nian took the Snowflake Thin Slice in a daze. Gazing at the intricate, hollowed-out patterns, her voice trembled slightly. ”Do you have any idea... what you’ve just done?”

Rong Taotao ruffled his head of naturally curly hair. ”I didn’t get into any trouble, did I? This snowflake... uh, biscuit... it’s pretty good, right?”

Si Huan Nian took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions. ”You’ve developed a New Soul Skill.”

Rong Taotao said, ”Oh, I just made it based on the thesis Teacher Cha gave out.”

Si Huan Nian said, ”Your name could be put in textbooks. This is that kind of discovery, do you understand?

Countless future students, including all the current members of Snow Burning and all the Snow Realm Soul Martial Students, will learn the Soul Skill you created. If its defensive power is high, the emergence of this Soul Skill could even save the lives of innumerable Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists.”

Rong Taotao pursed his lips, seeming to finally grasp the gravity of the situation.

’My name could get into a textbook?’

’Even if there was just a small footnote when students practice it, saying ”This Soul Skill was created by Rong Taotao,” that would be the ultimate honor!’

’Not to mention the real-world impact of this Soul Skill, and how many people it could help.’

Si Huan Nian leaned forward, picked up her phone from the coffee table, and dialed a number.

”Coach Si, to what do I owe the pleasure?” A man’s voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, came through the phone. ”How may I be of service?”

Si Huan Nian said, ”Cha, my student read your thesis and developed a New Soul Skill. It seems to be a defensive type.”

”Huh?”

Si Huan Nian repeated, ”I said, my student, Rong Taotao, developed a New Soul Skill. We’re at the Martial Arts Hall. Come take a look.”

The other end of the line went silent. A few seconds later, Cha Er shouted, ”You! Said! WHAT!?”

Si Huan Nian pulled the phone away from her ear. Once the shouting stopped, she brought it back and said, ”Never mind. Forget I said anything. I’m going to lunch.”

”Whoa, whoa, whoa, my dear lady, don’t you dare leave! I’ll be right there! Right there! Keep that student with you, and whatever you do, don’t let him get away!” Cha Er’s complete one-eighty in attitude was a real eye-opener for Rong Taotao.

The shout was so loud that Rong Taotao could hear it perfectly clearly from where he sat.

’Holy cow, wasn’t that supposed to be the great academic, Mr. Cha?’

’Did he just call her ”my dear lady”?’

’Si Huan Nian! The eternal... evil boss!’

SNAP.

As she spoke, the Snowflake Thin Slice in her palm shattered into specks of frost. It had been about a minute since it left Rong Taotao’s hand; without a constant supply of Soul Power to sustain it, the delicate slice finally disintegrated.

Si Huan Nian plopped down on the sofa and crossed her legs. Gently rubbing the lingering specks of frost between her fingers, she said, ”This is a Defense Soul Skill, right? Since you were just reading Cha Er’s latest thesis?”

Rong Taotao nodded. ”Yes, it’s defensive.”

Si Huan Nian nodded. ”It’s very thin and light, easy to move with. I just wonder how strong its defense is. Teach me. I want to see its effects.”

Rong Taotao blinked. ”So, does this mean you have to call me Coach Rong now?”

Si Huan Nian: ???

Rong Taotao looked at the evil boss expectantly. ’Is Coach Rong’s little class about to start?’

’All for the low price of one plate of Crispy Pork. Guaranteed results!’

Si Huan Nian stared blankly at Rong Taotao. ”Are you sure about that?”

Rong Taotao plopped down on the sofa. ”Well, you know what they say: ’In learning, there are no elders; whoever has the knowledge leads the way!’ A sage said that! Anyone who can teach you is a teacher! You... hey... don’t hit me, don’t... HISS! Ouch...”

Outside the dorm room, Gao Lingwei raised her hand to knock, but she stopped when she heard cries of pain and a flurry of thumps and bangs from within. For a moment, her hand froze in midair.

’This...’

’Should I go in?’

While Gao Lingwei was still hesitating, Cha Er came rushing up. ”Is Coach Si in there?”

”She’s...” Gao Lingwei started to say, trying to stop him, but Cha Er clearly had no intention of waiting for an answer and threw the door open.

Inside, Rong Taotao was sitting upright on the sofa, his messy mop of natural curls in disarray and his head bowed meekly. Si Huan Nian, meanwhile, looked as if she had just settled back, her arms folded and her legs crossed elegantly...

”Student Rong Taotao, you developed a New Soul Skill?” Cha Er rushed forward, swiped the tea tray off the coffee table with one hand, and plopped himself down on the table’s edge. He leaned in, elbows on his knees, looking for all the world like he was interrogating a criminal.

It was a good thing Cha Er was wearing tea-colored sunglasses. Otherwise, the fervent glow in his eyes might have scorched Rong Taotao...

At the doorway, Gao Lingwei’s expression was a sight to behold. ’What did Cha Er just say? A New Soul Skill?’

”Ah, Tea... Teacher Cha.” Rong Taotao looked up and nodded earnestly. ”I read your academic thesis. The discussion on metaphysics at the end gave me a great deal of inspiration.”

Cha Er: ”...”

’I wrote a proper thesis that was over twenty pages long, and you developed a New Soul Skill based on the few lines about metaphysics at the very end?’

”This one.” Rong Taotao raised his arm, held up his hand, and summoned a large Snowflake Thin Slice.

”Hm?”

”Hm?”

”Oh?” In that moment, all three of them let out sounds of surprise.

Cha Er and Gao Lingwei at the door had never seen a Soul Skill like this before. Si Huan Nian, however, was surprised for the exact opposite reason—because she *had* seen it just moments ago.

Because the intricate, hollowed-out patterns on this Snowflake Thin Slice were completely different from the one before!

While the overall shape was still a regular hexagon, the patterns within were worlds apart.