Master of Nine Stars

Gao Lingwei looked at the back of her hand. A moment later, the small Lotus Petal, which resembled a band-aid, merged into her skin and disappeared without a trace.

The small needle-prick on the back of her hand healed as well.

”Long time no see,” Gao Lingwei said, looking at Gan Lin by the bedside, a faint smile touching her face.

”It sure has been a long time!” At these words, Gan Lin pouted with a look of discontent. ”We were supposed to celebrate after the competition, but you kept putting it off day after day. For the past two days, you haven’t even been replying to my messages! Seriously... If I hadn’t asked that kid, I wouldn’t have even known you were in the hospital.”

”I have been a bit busy. My apologies.” It was rare for Gao Lingwei to apologize, and her apology sounded sincere.

”That thing just now was...” Gan Lin whispered, pointing at Rong Taotao, who was standing to the side. ”I’ve seen him use it on TV.”

”Yeah, he lent it to me. I’ll give it back to him in a bit,” Gao Lingwei said with a slight nod.

Intrigued, Gan Lin cupped Gao Lingwei’s hand and carefully examined the back of it. Finding no trace of a needle mark, she asked, ”Besides spinning and flying out to kill enemies, the Lotus Petal also has healing properties?”

Gao Lingwei didn’t hide the truth, but she didn’t elaborate, either. She simply said softly, ”This is a different petal.”

With that, she propped herself up on the bed with one hand.

Gan Lin quickly grabbed a pillow and propped it up against the headboard.

Gao Lingwei leaned back against the headboard and flicked her right hand out to her side. Gan Lin and Rong Taotao were both stunned.

Amid a swirl of frost and snow, Gao Lingwei drew a Great Xia Dragon Sparrow.

”GULP.” Gan Lin swallowed hard. ”What are you doing?”

Gao Lingwei tilted her head up slightly, jutting her chin toward Rong Taotao, who stood at the foot of the bed. ”Just helping him test its effects.”

Gan Lin: ”Huh?”

Holding the saber in her right hand, Gao Lingwei grabbed the blade’s edge with her left and sliced it across her palm.

Gan Lin cried out in alarm, ”You!”

Gao Lingwei opened her left hand, revealing a bloody gash. She seemed to feel no pain as bright red blood trickled out. The next moment, a Lotus Petal quietly appeared, covering her palm.

As the Lotus Petal on her palm pulsed with light, the deep wound completely healed within 30 seconds, leaving her hand perfectly intact.

Gan Lin stared at the magical sight, utterly dumbfounded.

’Is this another version of Snow Prayer Radiance?’

”It even erased the blood?” Gan Lin asked softly with curiosity. On Gao Lingwei’s palm, which had been bleeding profusely, not only was the wound healed, but the blood was gone too.

However, it was limited to the area covered by the Lotus Petal. The blood that had trickled down to her wrist remained, as if to prove to everyone in the room that it hadn’t been an illusion—Gao Lingwei had truly been injured.

”Linlin.”

Gan Lin: ”Hmm?”

Gao Lingwei said softly, ”Could you go get us some food?”

”Honestly,” Gan Lin muttered discontentedly but stood up anyway. ”I just got here and you’re already ordering me around.”

Gao Lingwei pointed off to the side.

Gan Lin looked where she was pointing and saw a coat rack with a wool coat hanging on it.

Gan Lin immediately rolled her eyes, stomped over to the rack, grabbed the coat, and walked out the door.

After Gan Lin left, Gao Lingwei beckoned to Rong Taotao. ”Come.”

”Ah.”

Gao Lingwei: ”Take it back.”

Rong Taotao hesitated for a moment. ”Wait a couple of days. Let your body adjust first. By the way, how are you feeling now?”

”Very hungry.”

”Heheh.” Rong Taotao couldn’t help but chuckle. ”Finally know how I feel?”

Gao Lingwei nodded silently. ”It’s true. You can never truly understand what someone else is going through.”

Rong Taotao asked curiously, ”What do you mean?”

Gao Lingwei gave a wry smile. ”Before, I could never have imagined just how intense your craving for food was.”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

Gao Lingwei suddenly blurted out, ”Now that I think about it, you actually have a really good temperament.”

”Huh?” Rong Taotao asked, confused. ”What do you mean?”

Gao Lingwei smiled. ”Your sister-in-law is always stopping you from eating. With how hungry you get, I’m surprised you haven’t fought her over it.”

Rong Taotao cracked a grin. ”Well, it’s not like she does it for no reason. She only tells me to stop after I’ve already eaten a ton... Anyway, never mind that. How’s your Soul Technique? Have you made a lot of progress?”

Hearing this, Gao Lingwei closed her eyes and took a moment to feel her inner state. ”I think I’m about to advance,” she said softly. ”I could break through at any time.”

Rong Taotao quickly asked, ”Break through to what?”

Gao Lingwei: ”This level of bottleneck... it should be the one between the peak of the three-star stage and the four-star Soul Technique level.”

”Excellent! That’s perfect!” Rong Taotao was ecstatic. ’This is exactly the effect I was hoping for!’

You have to remember, Gao Lingwei’s Soul Power level was only at the late stage of a Soul Captain, not even at the peak of the Soul Captain stage!

In this Soul Martial World, 99% of Soul Martial Artists had a Soul Technique level lower than their Soul Power level. Finally, just like Rong Taotao, Gao Lingwei’s Soul Technique level had surpassed her Soul Power level.

Nice!

’The plan worked!’

Gao Lingwei opened her eyes. Though she was happy, she hadn’t forgotten the important matter at hand. ”Let’s stick to our agreement. I only agreed to absorb this because you can take it back. You’ve seen what this Lotus Petal can do, and you’ve witnessed it on the battlefield.

”You don’t have a chest Soul Slot or a full-body Defense Soul Skill, but I have my Iron Snow Armor. It’s a bit of a functional overlap, so don’t let it go to waste.”

”What’s the rush? Let’s wait until you’ve recovered a bit and your condition has stabilized,” Rong Taotao said.

”When it comes to improving our strength, we can’t waste a single second.” Gao Lingwei was insistent, her tone firm. ”You’re already a Soul Captain now, so you should be able to handle the Lotus. The passive effect of this Lotus Petal is astounding; the sooner you get it, the better.”

Rong Taotao muttered under his breath, ”Actually, I could wait another month. Absorbing it during exam week... wouldn’t that be perfect?”

Gao Lingwei shot Rong Taotao a smiling glare. ”Don’t mess around.”

”Fine.” Rong Taotao pouted, plopping down onto the chair by the bed and looking at the Lotus Petal in Gao Lingwei’s palm.

Gao Lingwei: ”I don’t know how to give it to you. You’ll have to take it yourself.”

Rong Taotao: ”Ah, don’t worry about that. When it comes to snatching flowers, I’m a professional.”

”Discovered Snow Realm - Nine-Petaled Lotus - Eighth Petal: Radiant Lotus. Absorb?”

’Radiant Lotus?’

Gao Lingwei continued, ”It’s very good, not ill-tempered like your previous two Lotus Petals. It’s the gentle and considerate type... hmm...”

Gao Lingwei’s words stopped short. Her expression froze, and she felt as if a piece of her heart had been carved out, as if something important had just left her.

Rong Taotao’s eyes widened. ”What... the...”

”Absorption successful! Nine-Petaled Lotus - Radiant Lotus! Reward: 1 Potential Value point.”

Rong Taotao’s body trembled slightly, his voice shaking as well. ”You were saying... this was... gentle... and consider...ate...”

Rong Taotao felt the energy inside him being rapidly consumed. That familiar feeling of being completely drained appeared once more.

”Taotao...”

”Taotao?”

...

When Gan Lin returned to the hospital room with boxed meals and a bag full of snacks, she found that the scene had completely changed.

Lying on the bed was now Rong Taotao, while the one sitting in the chair beside it, wearing a hospital gown, was Gao Lingwei...

Gan Lin: ???

”You’re back.” Gao Lingwei turned her head, her smile a little strained.

”What happened to you?” Gan Lin asked with urgent concern.

”I’m fine. I just woke up, so I’m a little weak.” Gao Lingwei summoned her Snowball Cat and handed it to Gan Lin. ”Xuerong will keep you company for a bit. Give me the boxed meal first.”

”Oh, right!” Gan Lin handed over the meal box. ”What... what happened to him?”

”He’s tired, just sleeping for a bit,” Gao Lingwei said while wolfing down her food. In front of her best friend, her goddess-like image was nowhere to be found.

”Sleeping for a bit?” Gan Lin was instantly displeased. ’Da Wei just woke up from a coma, and you’re just going to sleep?’

Gao Lingwei waved her hand. ”It’s not that he wants to sleep. He has the same symptoms as me and has no choice but to sleep. He’ll be fine in a few days.”

Gan Lin: ???

Gan Lin’s expression was strange. After a long, stunned silence, she spoke uncertainly, ”Are you two messing with me?”

Gao Lingwei frantically wolfed down her food, tossing the empty container onto the bedside table. ”Hand me that other meal box.”

Cradling the Snowball Cat, Gan Lin suddenly stomped her foot and pointed a finger at Gao Lingwei. ”Rong Taotao! Get the hell out of there! Did you use some kind of twisted magic to swap souls with my Da Wei!?”

Gao Lingwei licked her lips. ”During the exams in the second semester of our sophomore year, the proctor in the aisle next to you fell asleep. Since you had nothing better to do, you tied his shoelaces to the leg of his chair. When the bell rang, the teacher went straight down on his knees...”

”Shh, shh!” Gan Lin hurriedly pulled out the other meal box. ”Eat, eat, hurry up and eat...”