Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 75 - 64: Snow Soul is Soldier’s Soul

"Go ahead and draw it." Si Huan Nian looked at Rong Taotao, who sat across from her, and gestured to the pen and paper on the table. "The weapon you desire."

’The Heaven-piercing Halberd?’

Rong Taotao wasn’t sure if he should draw the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow or the Heaven-piercing Halberd.

’From the perspective of sucking up to my teacher, should I draw a saber?’

’Sigh... Poor me. At such a young age, I’m already experiencing the daily life of a Ph.D. student. What can I do? My advisor is so damn incredible. If she tells you to be a donkey, you don’t dare act like a horse...’

Si Huan Nian propped her elbow on the table, her cheek resting on the back of her hand. She tilted her head slightly, watching the hesitant Rong Taotao. "If the food arrives before you’re done drawing, then you can forget about learning this."

Rong Taotao hastily began to draw. The moment pen touched paper, he drew a long shaft, staying true to his heart.

’Thankfully, most teachers in this world are decent people.’

As Si Huan Nian watched the Heaven-piercing Halberd on the paper gradually take shape, she spoke. "You can’t create Shuangxue on your own yet, so to use this Soul Skill, you must rely on an environment of ice and snow."

"Mhm!" Rong Taotao nodded, all while focusing on drawing the weapon.

Si Huan Nian continued, "To create a weapon from snow, the Soul Power you release acts as a mold. In a snow-covered area, you use that mold of Soul Power to pull a snow weapon from the ground."

The more Rong Taotao drew, the happier he became. ’What’s the one thing the Snow Realm has in abundance? Snow!’

’From now on, I probably won’t need to carry a weapon around! How convenient is that!’

’Si Huan Nian’s voice is so beautiful, especially when she’s teaching Soul Skills. I absolutely love the sound of it. I wish I could just listen to it 24/7, until I’ve learned every last one of her Soul Skills...’

Si Huan Nian said, "This Soul Skill is called Snow Soul, named after a type of Snow Realm Soul Beast. It truly tests the user’s familiarity with their weapon."

Rong Taotao finally finished his drawing of the Heaven-piercing Halberd. He turned the paper around and presented it to Si Huan Nian.

To his surprise, Si Huan Nian didn’t even glance at it. Her eyes remained fixed on Rong Taotao. "You clearly remember what it looks like, but that’s nothing special. Do you know its precise structure?"

Rong Taotao blinked and tapped the drawing with his finger. "It’s just like this."

Si Huan Nian said with a smile, "I’m referring to the Half Moon Blade. How thick is it at its thickest? How thin at its thinnest? What is its length? What is its curvature?"

Rong Taotao: "..."

Si Huan Nian glanced up and saw the proprietress bringing over a fragrant plate of stir-fried dried tofu with hot peppers.

She casually pulled a pair of chopsticks from the holder. "Remember: put your hand into the snow and connect your Soul Power with it. Try to turn your projected Soul Power into a mold, constantly compressing and tightening it.

Carve every single detail of the Heaven-piercing Halberd into that mold. Now, go."

Rong Taotao: ???

’Damn, if I’d just drawn a simple staff, wouldn’t this have been way easier?’

Si Huan Nian snapped apart the disposable chopsticks and rubbed them together. "Go on, outside. Pull a Heaven-piercing Halberd out of the snow."

Rong Taotao’s nose twitched. The fragrant aroma hit him, and his stomach let out a piteous growl. He swallowed hard and pleaded, "Coach Si, have some pity on a poor kid. Eat slowly, save a bite for me..."

But Si Huan Nian simply smiled, the corners of her lips curling slightly. "No Heaven-piercing Halberd, no food for you."

Rong Taotao was so frustrated. He made one last desperate protest, "Other students get to measure their time learning a Soul Skill in days! You’re measuring mine by how fast the food comes out?"

Si Huan Nian picked up a bite of food, placed it in her mouth, and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. "Mmm... This is Pine Soul First Grade, all right. The owner’s cooking might be even better than a professional chef’s. It really is delicious."

"Ah, what a shame you won’t get to eat any. And who knows when you’ll be able to leave campus again."

Rong Taotao shot to his feet, turning his head to glance at the dishes on another table of diners near the wall.

Six dishes!

’There’s still a chance!’

Rong Taotao scrambled out the door.

He went to the side of the road, quickly dropped to one knee, and pressed a hand into the snow-covered ground.

’Connect... connect...’

’Hey! Don’t get all excited! Wrong skill, wrong skill!’

’I’m not trying to cast White Lantern Paper Cage! Don’t light up, don’t fly all over the place...’

With one hand pressed to the ground, frantic with anxiety, Rong Taotao had accidentally given life to countless snowflakes. From the pure white snow, a swarm of "fireflies" rose, dancing joyfully around him...

As it turned out, the effect was mutual.

Immersed in this sea of joy and happiness, Rong Taotao’s own mood surprisingly improved a fair bit...

’This White Lantern Paper Cage has the unexpected benefit of livening up the atmosphere. If I unleashed this in a nightclub, wouldn’t it be absolutely wild?’

’It would be so lit, you could fly~’

Rong Taotao tried to fuse his projected Soul Power with the snow, focusing on the "fine control" and searching for the feeling he had when he first learned Snow Step.

’It all started to click!’

With his prior skills and experience as a foundation, Rong Taotao painstakingly outlined the "mold," enveloping a large patch of snow. He constantly compressed and condensed it, forcing the ordinary snowflakes into his desired shape.

"Hoo..." Wisps of white mist escaped Rong Taotao’s lips. The White Lantern Paper Cage swirling around him seemed to sense his rapid progress, and its dance grew even more jubilant.

On the roof of the storefront, a pair of eyes quietly watched the child kneeling in the snow, their owner’s expression one of slight surprise.

The person didn’t know the child’s origins, but it was clear he was a beginner. He couldn’t even use "Snow Soul" properly and was struggling just to pull a long shaft out of the snow.