Master of Nine Stars

”Mm,” Si Huan Nian nodded as if it were a matter of course. Every time she used the Lotus Petal within her body, she could also physically experience the emotional influence it had on her.

On the battlefield, where life and death hung in the balance, Si Huan Nian might have struggled to even protect herself. But the moment she activated the ”Imperial Lotus” within her, she would be overcome by a strange, inexplicable desire to shelter all living things.

The feeling was particularly strange. Si Huan Nian didn’t consider herself a saint, but this emotion would flood her mind with genuine intensity, making her feel she had a responsibility—even an obligation—to protect all the people of the world.

Rong Taotao shrugged. ”The feelings Huilian gives me, the emotions... they’re quite interesting to experience.”

”What Lotus?”

Rong Taotao: ”Huilian. As in, ’radiance’.”

”Did you name it?” Si Huan Nian didn’t dwell on the question and asked, ”What’s so interesting? Tell me about it.”

Rong Taotao’s expression was odd. ”It’s... sympathy, pity. My perspective on the world becomes very different.

”Look at Gao Lingwei. A girl not even twenty, an age when she should be enjoying her youth, but instead she’s out there training bitterly in this blizzard.

”Then look at Xia Fangran, over forty and still not married. Will he die alone in the future?

”And then there’s you. A first-class beauty in both temperament and appearance, with outstanding strength and a Supreme Treasure, yet you’re trapped in this Martial Arts Hall, confined for life, suffering...””

Si Huan Nian pressed a hand on Rong Taotao’s head, grabbing a handful of his naturally curly hair. ”Are you getting all sentimental and pitying the world with me?”

Rong Taotao winced as she pulled his hair. ”Yeah, this Lotus Petal’s perspective on the world is very unique. I’m just experiencing it.”

”Hmph...” Si Huan Nian let go. ”Use that Lotus less. Other people don’t need your pity.”

”I don’t plan on pitying anyone. I’m just getting a feel for it. After all, I’ll have to use Huilian often in the future, so I need to adapt to it as quickly as possible and find a way to coexist with it peacefully.” Rong Taotao grinned and added, ”Da Wei was a little worried before, afraid this Lotus Petal would affect my decisions and actions in battle.

”I brushed her off with an excuse back then, but actually... I’m a little worried too.”

Only then did Si Huan Nian nod. ”It shouldn’t be a problem. The Red-clothed Merchant’s mastery over this Lotus Petal was extremely high, and he showed no hesitation when fighting back and killing his enemies.”

”That’s true,” Rong Taotao nodded in agreement.

Si Huan Nian suddenly said, ”Look at it from another angle.”

Rong Taotao: ”What do you mean?”

Si Huan Nian: ”Like you said, when you use Huilian, you pity everyone you see. So, why not help them find release?”

Rong Taotao: ???

Si Huan Nian took another bite of her candied hawthorn skewer. Seeing only one left on the bamboo stick, she reluctantly handed it to Rong Taotao and said, ”All life is suffering. Who in this world lives without pain?”

Rong Taotao quickly snatched the last hawthorn berry with his mouth. ”And then?”

Si Huan Nian shrugged. ”You help them find release. White blade in, red blade out. Let the suffering masses depart from this mortal world and enter paradise.”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

Rong Taotao was shocked!

’This woman, what a venomous heart!’

”CRUNCH, CRUNCH.” As Rong Taotao chewed the hawthorn berry, an idea struck him. He gestured toward the side of the windowsill. ”Give me the dagger.”

Si Huan Nian hesitated for a moment before handing over the dagger.

Rong Taotao stabbed the dagger into his palm. When he pulled it out, two Lotus Petals appeared, one on his palm and one on the back of his hand.

And at this moment, the way Rong Taotao looked at Si Huan Nian was also a little different.

It was so... gentle...

The two stared at each other for a good five or six seconds, neither speaking.

Finally, Rong Taotao spoke, testing the waters. ”How about... I help you find release?”

”SNAP~” Si Huan Nian snapped her fingers, a charming smile gracing her lips. ”Yes, that’s the right way to think about it!”

Rong Taotao: ”...”

Of course, thoughts and actions were two different things. Rong Taotao would certainly be influenced by the Lotus Petal’s emotions, but not to the point of being controlled by them.

’But after this change in perspective, I probably won’t feel so conflicted when I go into battle to kill enemies in the future, right?’

’Ah, Si Huan Nian!’

’You really do have the heart of a viper!’

”Promotion! Soul Pet: Snow General Candle: Elite Level!”

”Huh?” The sudden notification startled Rong Taotao out of his silent complaints. He turned to look out the window and discovered that the little fatty had actually leveled up while cheering?

’Isn’t this way too fast?’

Rong Taotao had absorbed the Snow General Candle in July of this year. Not two days after he got it, Rong Ling advanced from Normal Level to Excellent Level. And now, in late December, the Snow General Candle had already reached Elite Level?

’What kind of growth rate is this?’

No wonder it was so hard to obtain low-quality Soul Pearls and Soul Skills from powerful Soul Beasts. With this kind of growth rate, if you weren’t careful, they’d shoot right up to the Master or Palace (King) levels!

Rong Taotao hurriedly opened his Inner Soul Map and found the Soul Pet section.

”Snow General Candle (Elite Level)

Innate Soul Skills:

1. Ice Candle Ashes: Use Soul Power to activate Ice Candle Gaze, igniting the target’s body and burning the Soul Power within them. (Elite Level, Potential Value: 6 Stars.)

2. Ice Candle Array: Within a certain range, summon a sky full of Ice Candle Flames to descend. Any creature touched by the Ice Candle Flame will suffer varying degrees of frostbite, reduced movement speed, and may even be frozen stiff and unable to move. (Excellent Level, Potential Value: 6 Stars.)

Learned Soul Skills:

1. Snow Step.

2. Snow Burst.

3. Ice Path...”

’What’s going on?’

’Why is the Second Soul Skill, Ice Candle Array, still at the Excellent Level? It didn’t advance to Elite?’

’Is it because it hasn’t been used much, so its proficiency isn’t high enough?’

Rong Taotao frowned in thought. Moreover, Rong Ling hadn’t fully learned its self-taught Soul Skills. At the very least, he needed to get the little fatty started on Snow Soul right away.

Of course, the Snow General Candle was a Snow Realm Soul Beast, after all. It couldn’t learn every Soul Skill that humans could.

For instance, White Lantern Paper Cage and Luminous Lantern Paper Cage required a great deal of emotional input, which would be very difficult for Rong Ling to successfully master.

Take another example, the so-called Core Soul Skill, Jade Dragon Gift. For humans, this was indeed a Core Soul Skill, but for Rong Ling, it could already produce Shuangxue on its own.

If that was the case for Jade Dragon Gift, then there was even less need to mention Frost Breath. Rong Ling didn’t need to learn it; it could blow snow however it wanted.

However, since Rong Ling was now at the Elite Level, it should be able to learn the three-star Soul Techniques it was compatible with: Snow Dance, Ice Glass, Ice Pillar, and Snow Trap, right?

Snow Realm Soul Beasts were completely different from human Soul Martial Artists. Their quality level basically corresponded to a human Soul Martial Artist’s Soul Technique and Soul Power levels.

’Hmm...’

’I should take advantage of my days studying and training at school to properly train it.’

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had indeed been very busy recently. They had just returned from a competition and then immediately went on a mission with their teachers. Only now had things finally settled down.

If Rong Ling wanted to learn Snow Soul, the prerequisite was, of course, that its skill with the Heaven-piercing Halberd had to be up to par.

That would depend on Da Wei. After all, she was the master Rong Ling had chosen for itself. Rong Taotao was the one who had been rejected. Rong Ling didn’t like Rong Taotao’s agile, evasive, and counter-attacking style with the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

It preferred to charge forward relentlessly.

Outside, in the Snow Forest, Gao Lingwei also seemed to notice something. She withdrew her palm, and the thick ice wall in front of her remained standing firm.

For an ordinary person, it was still an ice wall that would be difficult to break with sheer force.

But for a Soul Martial Artist, once Gao Lingwei was no longer touching the ice wall, no longer supplying it with Soul Power, no longer maintaining the effects of the Soul Skill, Ice Barrier...

...then this thick ice wall, which looked so incredibly defensive, became nothing more than an empty shell that could be shattered with ease.

Gao Lingwei looked behind her at Rong Ling, whose body was surging with Soul Power. She beckoned with her hand. ”Come here.”

”WMM...” The Shuangxue covering Rong Ling’s body vibrated in response to Gao Lingwei, and it floated directly over.

Gao Lingwei bent down and patted Rong Ling’s little, midair-floating helmet. Seeing its little face tilted up, its Ice Candle Eyes burning, she couldn’t help but smile. ”You’ve grown quite a bit. It seems I’ve neglected you.”

As she spoke, Gao Lingwei also raised her head and looked toward the window. ”It seems to have leveled up.”

Through the window, Rong Taotao smiled and gave Rong Ling a thumbs-up.

Receiving its master’s praise, Rong Ling was thrilled!

Although it didn’t jump, the Snow Cloak on its back suddenly billowed out, flapping in the blast of air and whipping against Gao Lingwei.

’It?’

Rong Taotao thought for a moment. ’Maybe I shouldn’t call Rong Ling ’it’. I should switch to a different pronoun, to ’he’.

’After all, Rong Ling is humanoid, and he’s a partner who will accompany me for my entire life, isn’t he?’

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