Master of Nine Stars

No matter how intense the battle, he was always full of life. He could maintain his peak condition for an incredibly long time under high-intensity combat, and his form would never break.

If he ever did get tired, it was only because he was bleeding and injured. He'd only be gasping for breath if his body had taken a serious beating. Uninjured, Xia Fangran's stamina was absolutely unbeatable.

Forget combat for a moment and just imagine: someone running an entire marathon at the speed of a hundred-meter sprint. Who could possibly endure that?

These were all invisible perks, turning any Snow Realm Warrior who had a Snow Night Shock as their Lifebound Soul Beast into a terrifying "stamina monster."

You might be able to beat me to death, but you think you can *tire* me to death?

Heh... you'll have to ask my Lifebound Soul Beast if it agrees to that.

Without a doubt, Da Wei's stamina would also become even greater in the future! Terrifyingly so...

Rong Taotao didn't know what kind of "invisible perks" his own Lifebound Soul Beast, the Cloud Dog, would bring him.

'Maybe... uh, a keener sense of smell?'

"WHOOSH..." Gusts of frigid wind howled past his ears, and Rong Taotao felt a hint of a chill.

By now, Rong Taotao's Soul Technique: Ice and Snow Heart was at a very high level. If he wanted to, he could afford to be vain here in the Snow Realm and take off his bulky down jacket.

He couldn't go as far as Xia Fangran, who wore just a dress shirt, but Rong Taotao could probably survive in a wool sweater.

But there was no need.

'No matter how "beautifully freezing" you are, Xia Fangran, you're still single, aren't you?'

'I'm dressed like a big white bear, and hey, guess what?'

Cradling the liquor gift box, Rong Taotao leaned forward, turning his head to rest his cheek comfortably against Gao Lingwei's back before closing his eyes.

As the group of teachers and students left the city far behind, the Snow Night Shocks went all out, neighing loudly and charging forward at full speed.

Apparently, during their time in Imperial Capital City, the three Snow Night Shocks had been cooped up. It had been a long time since they'd been able to run wild like this.

After some time, Rong Taotao, who had been quietly practicing, suddenly heard a sharp neigh from the Snow Night Shock up ahead: "NEEEIGH~!!!"

"Coach Xia!?" Yang Chunxi cried out in alarm. The Snow Night Shock she was riding was also plunging downward?

The Snow Night Shock, which should have been galloping freely through the Snow Forest, had suddenly lost its footing.

The seemingly normal ground of the snowy Pine Forest suddenly gave way, as if the frozen earth beneath had been hollowed out in an instant. It wasn't just a simple depression; a massive, deep pit had appeared out of nowhere!

The pit was at least thirty meters in diameter and over ten meters deep!

The Snow Night Shocks were still on solid snow, but as the ground beneath that snow collapsed, all four people and their three mounts plunged down with it. Not a single one was spared.

"Watch out!" Xia Fangran yelled. He slapped his Snow Night Shock's back, instantly recalling it. As he fell, he snapped his head up to look, his pupils constricting at the sight.

From the edge of the pit above, a torrent of frost and snow mixed with dirt, gravel, and splintered wood began to pour in, like a debris flow.

'Are they trying to bury us alive!?'

"Taotao!" With one hand, Gao Lingwei recalled her Hu Bugui. With the other, she grabbed Rong Taotao and shoved him toward the wall of the pit.

Rong Taotao's reaction was incredibly fast. Despite the suddenness of the attack, he showed the excellent instincts of a Warrior, planting his feet firmly against the pit wall.

"CRACK!"

Frost burst from under his feet as Rong Taotao braced himself horizontally against the solidly frozen dirt wall. He grabbed Gao Lingwei, then hurriedly looked up, only to see a pair of eyes glinting with a strange light.

Rong Taotao's breath hitched.

'A familiar face?'

Rong Taotao would never forget that deceptively honest-looking face!

Mi Tu!? One of the Eight Great Coins of the Qian Organization!?

In that instant, every hair on Rong Taotao's body stood on end. One moment he was in the pit, and the next, he had suddenly been transported to another world?

'Is this... the arena from the national finals?'

Before him was Wanqi Wu, clad in Flame Armor and charging with a lance?

Rong Taotao: ???

Snow Realm Soul Skill, Elite-Tier: Bailing Barrier!

With a clear head, Rong Taotao ignored the lance about to pierce his skull and activated Bailing Barrier. The next moment, the scene instantly changed!

The clamorous, sweltering arena instantly reverted to the gloomy, frigid pit.

The torrent of frozen earth, rocks, splintered wood, and snow continued to surge violently into the pit from above. Rong Taotao hastily threw up a hand, forming a sheet of Ice Glass to shield his face.

Beside him, Gao Lingwei had also thrown up her hands, bracing herself horizontally against the wall and creating her own sheet of Ice Glass.

"Which blind fool is this!?" Xia Fangran roared at the same time. "Chunxi!"

"Coach Xia, watch out!" Yang Chunxi cried, thrusting out a hand from which streams of frost and snow erupted.

And *this* was the power of the Jade Dragon Gift!

The frost Yang Chunxi released was so dense it was nearly on par with a Soul Skill like the Snow Dragon Tornado!

But Xia Fangran was even more incredible. He seemed to rise with the wind itself, his figure instantly shooting upward.

"SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!"

In an instant, countless frosty Ice Spikes erupted from the bottom and walls of the deep pit!

Gao Lingwei's heart lurched. A layer of frost appeared on her body as she scooped up Rong Taotao, kicked off the wall, and leaped diagonally upward.

"TING! TING! TING!"

That was the crisp sound of ice spikes striking the armor on Gao Lingwei and Yang Chunxi. Like Gao Lingwei, Yang Chunxi also possessed a chest Soul Slot and a full-body Defense Soul Skill.

The armor was normally invisible, only manifesting as a faint, phantom-like mist of frost to block an enemy's attack the moment the Ice Spikes drew near.

The trio inside the pit scrambled upward, not only fending off the dense barrage of Ice Spikes but also enduring the "cascading torrent" from above.

Outside the pit, Xia Fangran's furious roar echoed: "You're asking to die!"

But to his surprise, a coarse, enraged voice shot back, "You're the ones who didn't leave us a way to live, aren't you!? Gao Lingwei!"

'In broad daylight, the Poachers actually dared to pull something like this!?'

In truth, it was their only option. They were running out of choices, and running out of time.

Their choices were limited because, while an assassination would normally be carried out at night, Gao Lingwei—and especially her Snowball Cat—was a god in the darkness.

Anyone who dared to assassinate Gao Lingwei in the dark would be crippling themselves—it would be utterly self-defeating.

The journey from Aihui City to Pine Soul Soul Martial University was a full eight hours. While there were roads, there were also vast stretches of desolate wilderness. An ambush in such an uninhabited location was, of course, the ideal setting.

More critically, Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao had just finished the national competition. Everyone knew they would be returning to the Snow Realm, to their university, within the next few days.

As for why they were "running out of time"...

It was because everyone had witnessed the speed at which Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei were growing.

The first time, on New Year's Eve in Songbai Town, the Qian Organization had tried to nip Gao Lingwei in the bud, but failed. Afterward, whenever Gao Lingwei appeared in the Three-Wall Area, it was an absolute slaughter.

Take Cold Flower, one of the Eight Great Coins, for example. She was dead beyond a doubt...

Cold Flower was no ordinary member. Her death, along with the capture of the two full teams she led, had sent massive shockwaves through the Poacher Organization.

The Poachers had once tried to threaten Gao Lingwei's family, only to have people from the Woxue Mian Organization show up on their doorstep. The Woxue Mian Organization's power was incredibly intimidating, far more so than even the Snow Burning Army or Soul Police Chief Ju!

Utterly desperate—and it was anyone's guess whether they'd somehow negotiated with Woxue Mian or were simply cornered with no way out—the Poacher Organization had decided to go straight for the main target. This time, they were here to kill Gao Lingwei.

So what if Xia Fangran was protecting her? So what if Yang Chunxi was there!?

If they kept hesitating, if they let Pine Soul Soul Martial keep protecting her, Gao Lingwei would soon advance to the Soul School rank!

If they didn't act now, were they just going to wait for a slow death?

They couldn't let Gao Lingwei grow any stronger. They couldn't give her even a single second more!

Gao Lingwei's very existence was a threat to the Poachers' way of life.

In short, if you won't let us live, then don't blame us for being ruthless!

Today, it's either you or us!