Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 65 - 56: A Well-Deserved Reputation

Beside him, Fan Lihua was also standing firmly on the wall, her body parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the building. She only relaxed once she saw Rong Taotao slide backward, "braking" to a steady halt.

Even at such a critical moment, Fan Lihua’s voice was still soft and gentle. She said, "Tell them to go to the rooftop. We can summon a Snow Night Shock to help."

Rong Taotao looked down at the Snow Lion Tiger that was blending into the vast snowstorm and shouted, "To the rooftop! Everyone in the dorms, get to the rooftop!"

As he spoke, Rong Taotao looked up at the enormous eye in the distance, which glowed with a blood-red light. "What is that?" he asked.

Because the two of them were standing perpendicularly on the wall, they had to tilt their heads up to look forward.

Fan Lihua glanced at it and shook her head. "I don’t know. Let’s hurry up."

With that, she turned and walked toward the rooftop. Her movements were very careful; it was clear she was also a beginner.

However, thanks to her incredible Talent and understanding, this beginner, though unpracticed, was still able to use advanced footwork to walk across the frost-covered wall.

The two walked up the outer wall to the rooftop, but those who took the stairs were clearly faster. By the time they reached the top of the dormitory building, the small group had already arrived.

Visibility was extremely low, so the group only managed to find each other by following the sounds of their voices.

"Weapons." Shi Lou and Shi Lan were holding their weapons and handed them over.

One Pear Blossom Spear, one Heaven-piercing Halberd.

Rong Taotao picked up the Heaven-piercing Halberd, feeling much more at ease.

"Rong Taotao, since when did I need you to save me!?" Xu Taiping clutched his chest, hissing viciously from the side.

"Why don’t you shut it, you rotten apple? Keep nagging and I’ll turn you into candied fruit tonight!" Rong Taotao said casually, holding his weapon and scanning his surroundings warily.

Xu Taiping: "You..."

"Summon... Summon the Snow Night Shocks." Jiao Tengda interrupted Xu Taiping. He was also clutching his chest, clearly badly injured. The heavy Snow Lion Tiger had stomped him to the ground just now, nearly costing him his life.

"NEIGHHH!"

"NEIGHHH..."

Of the nine-person group, seven summoned their Snow Night Shocks.

On the vast rooftop, a proper team had finally assembled.

The only difference was that the Snow Night Shock beneath Fan Lihua was pure white, its eyes emitting a faint, deep-sea blue light that pierced through the endless blizzard.

The other students’ Snow Night Shocks were all jet-black, their eyes glinting with a dark gold light that acted like searchlights, increasing everyone’s range of vision.

In such a large space, the Snow Night Shocks could finally move freely.

Inside the dorm room earlier, there had only been Jiao Tengda’s Snow Night Shock, and there wasn’t enough room for it to maneuver.

But then again, although the Snow Lion Tiger was shorter than a Snow Night Shock, it was definitely longer and heavier. The fact that the Snow Lion Tiger could move around while the Snow Night Shock couldn’t just showed the difference between species.

"That was terrifying. What on earth is that creature?" Sun Xingyu looked thoroughly shaken. She forced herself to lift her small face and stare at the enormous eye in the distance, which flickered with a blood-red light.

Under the gloomy sky and within the boundless blizzard, they couldn’t see very far at all.

But that one blood-red eye was the only thing visible to them. Other than the massive eye, the students couldn’t even make out the giant creature’s silhouette.

’In other words... there’s just a single, sky-blotting, blood-red eye hanging in the air, looking down on Hundred Corps Pass?’

The scene was incredibly bizarre and terrifying.

"Grrrrr..." Just as everyone was on high alert, the sound of a beast hunting came from within the snowstorm.

The Snow Night Shocks were far more sensitive than the students and immediately turned their heads to look.

The deep blue and dark gold "searchlights" crisscrossed, illuminating a specific area.

Rong Taotao’s heart tightened. He couldn’t see the full form of the beast, but he did see a tail that vanished in a flash.

And it seemed like a lot of the fur on that tail had fallen off, showing traces of blood.

’Was that the Snow Lion Tiger from before!?’

Jiao Tengda: "Rong Taotao."

Rong Taotao: "Yeah?"

Jiao Tengda: "Out here, we have the Snow Night Shocks to help, but the environment is also ideal for the Snow Lion Tiger’s hunting style. If we go back into the hallway, the space will be tight. Our Snow Night Shocks won’t be able to fight, but at least we’ll be able to track the Snow Lion Tiger’s movements."

Shi Lan spoke up, "Where are the soldiers and teachers? Why haven’t they come to back us up after all this time?"

"Quiet," Rong Taotao said suddenly. He spun around, his gaze following the Snow Night Shocks’ searchlights, barely able to keep up with the Snow Lion Tiger’s fleeting figure.

Shi Lan wanted to say something but held her tongue.

Fan Lihua, ranked first in both standing and combat power, was decisive in her actions but didn’t seem to possess the qualities of a good leader.

Rong Taotao, on the other hand, had been acting as their leader ever since the Snowfield assessment.

Rong Taotao’s brows furrowed. "Something’s not right, Jiao Tengda. This situation is wrong."

Jiao Tengda clutched his chest with one hand, the intense pain making it difficult for him to focus.

Rong Taotao’s eyes darted around, tracking the Snow Lion Tiger’s movements. "The Snow Lion Tiger had several chances to kill you. We could chalk that up to its nature as a creature, its hunting instincts."

"But it’s too quiet here at Hundred Corps Pass, don’t you think?"

"Huh?" Jiao Tengda was clearly taken aback. He seemed to momentarily forget the pain, his expression turning serious as he thought. "Hmm... It’s been almost two minutes since this started, and we’ve made a lot of noise."

"For neither the soldiers nor the teachers to show up, there are only two possibilities."

"The first is that they’ve been neutralized by the Snow Realm creatures that broke in. Otherwise, it’s impossible for it to be this silent all around us."

"There are no sounds of fighting, not even any shouting."

"Hundred Corps Pass is filled with elite soldiers and powerful individuals. I don’t believe any creature could simultaneously neutralize a garrison of this size."

"So, that only leaves the second possibility."

The more Jiao Tengda spoke, the brighter his eyes became. He pursed his lips and said, "The teachers and soldiers are deliberately not coming to save us!

"Is this a test?

"So... the Snow Lion Tiger only injured me instead of killing me? And even then, it wasn’t a serious injury. At least I can still stand here and talk."

"Correct..."

A female voice, merged with that of a beast, echoed over to them.

The overlapping vocal tracks were difficult to describe, a dual-layered sound that was utterly bizarre.

Under the "searchlights" of the Snow Night Shocks, the Snow Lion Tiger, which had been appearing and disappearing, finally stopped. It began to walk slowly toward the group with an elegant gait.

But no matter how elegant it was, its sheer presence made the students’ hearts leap into their throats.

"But there is also a third possibility."

Before everyone’s eyes, the Snow Lion Tiger actually spoke: "You’ve been hit by a Spiritual Soul Technique."

The next moment, Rong Taotao’s vision blurred, and his head felt groggy.

He shook his head hard, and his focus gradually returned.

The dormitory rooftop was gone.

The dark night was gone.

The cold blizzard was gone.

In their place was a warm classroom, bright Luminous Lantern Paper Cages, and Yang Chunxi standing at the podium with a look of admiration on her face.

Rong Taotao: ’???’

He turned to look behind him. The other students all looked bewildered, clearly not understanding what had just happened.

Yang Chunxi spoke, "Consider that your final exam. You all performed very well. Every single one of you, very well indeed."

Then, Yang Chunxi looked at Lu Mang and said, "Indeed, everyone will die."

Lu Mang pursed his lips and lowered his head.

Yang Chunxi then turned to Xu Taiping. "But you must understand that when you are on the verge of death, your companions will be there to help you and protect you, charging forward one after another, fearing neither life nor death."

Xu Taiping’s face was grim. He lowered his head and remained silent.

Rong Taotao dazedly fumbled in his pocket, only to find that he hadn’t given the Snowflake Wolf’s Soul Pearl to Li Ziyi. He had never even gone back to the dormitory.

In fact, this class had never even ended...

’When?’

’All nine of us were hit by an Illusion Technique at the same time? And we didn’t notice a thing?’

Yang Chunxi slammed a hand on the lectern. Her gentle voice gradually turned icy, and the admiration in her eyes faded, replaced by a stern severity.

Yang Chunxi said, "I am willing to treat you kindly, provide you with as much help as possible, and use various methods to teach you reason. But that is not an excuse for you to take a mile when I give you an inch."

"Furthermore, my patience has its limits."

"Remember this: I have the power to make your lives a living hell."

"Do not disrupt my class again. Do not show any disrespect to me, or to any teacher you may encounter in the future."

Yang Chunxi’s gaze swept over the students. This time, no one dared to meet her eyes.

Yang Chunxi nodded in satisfaction. "I hope you all remember today’s final lesson. When you return from summer break and school officially begins, you will show the proper attitude and take every class seriously."

"Alright, you’re dismissed. We’ll gather in the cafeteria at 7 a.m. tomorrow."

The nine students looked at each other. Some were confused, others terrified, but none of them dared to look at Yang Chunxi’s eyes again.

Seeing the terrified little ones who didn’t dare to look at her, Yang Chunxi suddenly smiled. Her voice gradually softened, returning to normal. "Go on, head back. This time, class is truly dismissed."

As Rong Taotao stood up, the others cautiously rose and started to walk out.

Holding the Snowflake Wolf Soul Pearl, Rong Taotao sidled up to Li Ziyi. "Do you remember me giving you this Soul Pearl?"

Li Ziyi nodded. "I remember. I also remember embedding it in my wrist and using the Blast Pearl on the Snow Lion Tiger’s tail."

Beside them, Sun Xingyu also wore an expression of someone questioning her own existence, clearly having had her mind messed with by Yang Chunxi.

Poor Xing’Er could no longer tell what was real and what was fake.

Rong Taotao blinked and looked at Sun Xingyu. "You and Li Zi are going home to a coastal city with your parents to cultivate the Heart of the Ocean?"

"Ah, that’s right." Sun Xingyu nodded blankly. "That’s what we were talking about in the dorm room earlier."

’So all of that actually happened?’

Rong Taotao couldn’t help but grin. ’’Sister-in-law... is so strong...’’

’Is this the legendary Pine Soul Four Seasons: Spring!?’

’An Illusion Master?’

’Was that enormous blood-red eye in the sky my sister-in-law’s eye?’

’The Nine Little Souls went through a difficult night of battle, but in reality, only a few minutes had passed... This...’

At this thought, Rong Taotao, who hadn’t yet left the classroom, furtively and cautiously turned his head to look at the lectern.

He saw Yang Chunxi standing with her hands behind her back, a bright smile on her face. She winked at him.

Rong Taotao shuddered in fright, quickly turning back around, lowering his head, and scurrying out of the classroom.